COUNTING MY BLESSINGS ON OUR 25YEARS WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!

GRATITUDE IS A GOOD ATTITUDE SO IN TOTAL HUMILITY I RETURN ALL GLORY TO YOU OH LORD!

SILVER JUBILEE IS NOT REALLY EASY TO GET TO! I AM VERY GRATEFUL OH LORD!

15th December 1990 was the date!  The venue was HolyGhost Cathedral, Ogui Enugu. The Mass was 8am officiated by Rev Fr Patrick Ugwu, now Monsignor and assisted by Rev Fr Ugonna Igboaja now Monsignor, Rev Fr Dr Emmanuel Idika of blessed memory, Rev Fr Bede Abor and a host of others. It was a collection of eleven couples who were in a hurry to start their families.                                              25YEARS after, it's still looking like yesterday! The journey has not been easy at all, but the AWESOME GRACE of God has made everything beautiful! As I look back I can only say, AM GRATEFUL OH LORD! 

CELEBRATING MY ONE AND ONLY DAUGHTER AS SHE TURNS 18

I choose to celebrate you today because you celebrated me first. It was 4. 30pm Nigerian time that your cry was heard at UNTH Enugu. We both struggled to live and you were forced to come out 3Weeks before your expected date. The doctors never gave you a chance of survival, but because the word of God  is true you were able to make it and the real battle started; I PASSED OUT SHORTLY AFTER. Then the oxygen, the transfusions and other life support gadgets. Ten days passed and I miraculously came back to life to the glory of God. While I was away, two wonderful nurses; Mrs Isife(a matron at the maternity ward)who you later met at the Eastern Nigeria Medical Centre, Enugu during your 2weeks Internship after your SS2 and another matron who is now late made sure you lacked nothing. To them I say, a big THANK YOU! To you my daughter I say, THANK YOU FOR KEEPING FATE WITH ME. YOUR  COAST SHALL BE LARGE AND GOD'S BLESSINGS AND FAVOUR WILL FOLLOW YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO. TO GOD I say ISI ALA MU, NA NI GI NWE YA, IKPERE ALA MU, NA NI GI NWE YA. AS YOU TURN 18 TODAY MAY YOUR LIFE BE LARGE AND BLESSED. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I choose to celebrate you today because you celebrated me first. It was 4. 30pm Nigerian time that your cry was heard at UNTH Enugu. We both struggled to live and you were forced to come out 3Weeks before your expected date. The doctors never gave you a chance of survival, but because the word of God  is true you were able to make it and the real battle started; I PASSED OUT SHORTLY AFTER. Then the oxygen, the transfusions and other life support gadgets. Ten days passed and I miraculously came back to life to the glory of God. While I was away, two wonderful nurses; Mrs Isife(a matron at the maternity ward)who you later met at the Eastern Nigeria Medical Centre, Enugu during your 2weeks Internship after your SS2 and another matron who is now late made sure you lacked nothing. To them I say, a big THANK YOU! To you my daughter I say, THANK YOU FOR KEEPING FATE WITH ME. YOUR  COAST SHALL BE LARGE AND GOD'S BLESSINGS AND FAVOUR WILL FOLLOW YOU EVERYWHERE YOU GO. TO GOD I say ISI ALA MU, NA NI GI NWE YA, IKPERE ALA MU, NA NI GI NWE YA. AS YOU TURN 18 TODAY MAY YOUR LIFE BE LARGE AND BLESSED. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

GEJ enjoying his life with his granddaughter little Eliana Godswill, the daughter of Edwards and Faith.

THE GEOFFREY YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Buhari’s choice of Geoffrey Onyeama as Foreign Affairs seems perfect owing to the latter’s impressive profile.

According to reliable sources,  Onyeama was included in the second ministerial  list b because he is friends with President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff Abba Kyari.Both attended Cambridge University in the 1980s and have been close friends ever since.

Not much is known about this Cambridge don but we have been able to source for the 7 key things you would like to know about him.

1.He was born February 2, 1956

2.He graduated in political science from Columbia University in New York in 1977, and also has degrees in law from the London School of Economics and from Cambridge University.

3.Between 1986 and 1996, Onyeama, a qualified barrister in Britain and Nigeria, was an intellectual property specialist who has worked extensively with the United Nations on development in Africa.

4.He has held various international positions at World Intellectual Property Organisation(WIPO) where he rose from Program Officer to become Deputy Director General amongst others.

5.He is married with three children.

6. He can speak English, French, German and Ibo

7.He is the fourth son of Charles Dadi Onyeama, who was Nigeria’s first ever judge at the International Court of Justice at the Hague.  ##Copied 

What is life that one should glory about it? Just imagine what cancer has reduced Deziane Allison-Madueke to. Quite sad!

SEE WHAT MRS BUHARI AND MRS OSINBAJO DID AT ENUGU

NOW THAT DIEZANI IS REALLY SICK! #On The Trail of Madame Diezani

Fellow Nigerians, let me tell you about my James Bond stunts in this season of the sensational SPECTRE movie. Yes. The news of the arrest of former strong woman of Nigeria’s Petroleum Ministry, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke in London had hit the airwaves like thunderbolt. No member of President Goodluck Jonathan’s government held the nation spellbound like Madame Diezani. Controversy dogged her every step just as she spawned loads of salacious gossip. She is a newsmaker per excellence. For starters, Madame Diezani is a paragon of beauty. She’s also very simple but chic and elegant in dressing and appearance. At 54, she would give our much younger ladies a run for their money in the prettiness stakes. She is intelligent to boot and boasts a decent academic pedigree. She is that hot and even her most vociferous critics agree that she combines brains with beauty. Add to that is her marriage to retired Rear Admiral Allison Amaechina Madueke, a former Chief of Naval Staff which boosted her national and political profile. The only problem was the almost unanimous belief that she had abused her privileged position and appurtenances of office in the discharge of her ministerial duties. It was reported that billions of dollars literally disappeared under her watch. She was under intense heat and scrutiny throughout her reign but seemed unrattled and unfazed by the deluge of dirt splashed at her from every direction. She stayed invincible and definitely unshakeable to the end. Her firm grip on the President was palpable. It was a subject of discussions everywhere. There were rumours of constant clashes with the former First Lady, Dame Patience Faka Jonathan. No one really knew the true story. Mrs Alison Madueke did not help matters by studiously ignoring the lurid pictures painted of her. She rarely granted interviews and when she did, hardly responded to the monumental gist from unrelenting talebearers. I always wished to have a one-on-one interview with our own Alice in Wonderland or Cleopatra, if you like. Such is the nature of gargantuan fables around this mythical lady. She is the dream of every celebrity reporter. A nice interview and some photo-shoot as icing would be no mean achievement. There are few women in her mould anywhere at any time. I had studied her trajectory to determine what makes her tick. She was born with silver spoon to the family of Chief Frederick Abiye and Mrs Beatrice Oyete Agama in the garden city of Port Harcourt and grew up in the Shell Camp where she schooled and learnt to speak both English and Dutch. She wasn’t a regular kid like most of us. The way her life was suddenly disrupted at Shell Camp she says would later inform her philosophy during her time as Petroleum Minister. Her family was unceremoniously evicted from the Shell Camp because her father dared to question the promotion process of Nigerians by Shell. She believes that Nigerians must occupy and enjoy the resources God has blessed us with and accordingly she sought to empower Nigerians as a principle, she claims. The young Miss Agama studied Architecture in England and then at the renowned Howard University in the United States where she graduated. She later obtained an MBA from Cambridge University. She worked at Shell, following in her father’s footsteps, and rose to become its first female Director. The first part of her life story ends there. The second part begins with her stint in the government of Nigeria where she managed several important ministries including Mines, Works and Transport and finally Petroleum, the chicken that lays the golden eggs. Once she got the juiciest portfolio in the land she was transformed from an Angel to being labelled a femme fatale, a nomenclature that has stuck to her like flies to palmwine. Political opponents of President Jonathan blamed her for all the sins of omission and commission of that Government and she really never was able to keep her head under the parapet. This is why she is in hot demand by reporters, local and international, alike. Anything about Madame Diezani makes news and goes viral. We met only once at a public function hosted by Alhaji Aliko Dangote in Abuja. We spoke very briefly and she was going to give me her telephone contact but a personal aide intervened and promised to send it to me but never did. So I missed interviewing her. I had loads of satanic questions to ask her and was unsure of how she would have reacted, with calm or fury, but I would have thoroughly enjoyed that auspicious moment as I am sure would have been my readers. Anyway, the dream never materialised. I simply shrugged my shoulders and moved on. After the demise of the Jonathan government, I assumed it was goodbye to a good story but man proposes and God disposes. I was sitting quietly at home when the news of Mrs Alison-Madueke’s arrest exploded like a bomb. Social media instantly caught fire. We were regaled with tales of how she was captured at home by the London Metropolitan Police for money laundering running into atrocious and unimaginable sums of cash. Some reports said she was planning to buy a property worth billions of pounds in London and even gave a famous address. Those who know London fairly well immediately doubted the veracity of such claims but anything is believable in this season of anomie. We were later informed by the National Crime Agency (NCA) that arrested her, that only £27,000 pounds was recovered and that she had been released on bail. Then came reports that the energetic EFCC in Nigeria had also invaded her home in Abuja and we imagined this invasion must have been well choreographed and perfectly co-ordinated by the governments of Nigeria and Britain only for NCA to tell us this wasn’t so. My interest in speaking to Madame Diezani by all means was re-ignited. I was greatly saddened by the dearth of investigative journalism in our clime. I remembered with nostalgia our days at Concord Press of Nigeria, owned by the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. I had a flashback to the Weekend Concord days when that paper broke all records by publishing endless scoops and I earned repeated accolades from my Editor, and boss for life, Mr Mike Awoyinfa, for the manner I gained incredible access to very important personalities and topical news. My dream is for Nigerian media to return to those halcyon days and it is not too difficult to achieve. What it takes is for us to have credible journalists who can manage stories responsibly without using media power to terrorise or witch-hunt anyone no matter their personal views or political ideology. A seasoned journalist knows that facts are sacred! Proper investigative reporters have access to even terrorists and rabid insurgents for this reason. However in Nigeria, we tend to reflect our prejudices in the stories we write. Such bias should be reserved for opinions and editorial pages. Back to Mrs Alison-Madueke, the more I read the conflicting and contradictory reports the more I wished someone could penetrate the seemingly impregnable wall erected by our leaders to get the news behind the news. There were reports that Madame Diezani was battling with the much dreaded breast cancer. Not a few said she was merely pretending in order to escape justice. I wondered aloud how nice it would be to find a journalist who could be trusted with this massive story and bring us face to face with one of Africa’s biggest newsmakers. About the same period, I was spending sometime seeking treatment for cataracts in London and this gave me the opportunity to investigate the Diezani conundrum myself. I made calls to several credible sources including a close lawyer friend who has a solid reputation in such matters. First, I confirmed that, contrary to the belief that she was feigning her illness, she was actually receiving treatment for a most chronic and aggressive form of breast cancer. She had undergone surgery and chemotherapy on several occasions and was being prepared for radiotherapy. Indeed, she had slipped into both natural and induced coma which lasted five days on July 28, as steroids she was receiving had inadvertently raised her sugar level abysmally. Her doctors declared her condition a near-miss. All my sources said it would be unfair and unthinkable for a reporter to invade her privacy in that state. I believed the world deserves to hear from her, for good or for bad, and so never gave up my dream of getting exclusive access to Nigeria’s most talked about woman. My tenacity paid off two nights ago as I came face to face with Mrs Alison-Madueke at a secret location in London. My bosom friend had called to say someone had mentioned to her that I was critically on her case. Madame Diezani had wondered why a known and certified critic of the Jonathan Administration would want to interview her but was told that despite my opposition to their regime I remained one of the most objective writers in Nigeria. She told my female contact that she reads Pendulum and was impressed at the level of maturity often displayed even when she disagreed with my views. However, Madame Diezani was particularly worried that even in the throes of a most debilitating ailment, she was still being virulently attacked by her fellow citizens. I told my source that without being judgmental, I think she should understand that many Nigerians believe she and the government she served had brought untold hardship upon the generality of Nigerians especially through the mismanagement of the main source of revenue in our country. She may know better than the rest of us but it is up to her to tell her story. Those who will believe are waiting to hear while those who won’t may never subscribe to her defence. What is important is for her to purge her soul and where necessary offer sincere apologies and penitence. I was stunned when I got a call from my contact: “are you available to meet Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke on Thursday evening at a private location in London?” I don’t know how many reporters would miss such humongous opportunity. My response was an instant, yes. I was told the location would be communicated to me one hour to the appointed time. That was fine by me. The only one I could trust to drive me on such a mission was my wife accompanied by her younger sister. We got to the venue almost dead on time and scanned the vicinity. Having read too many James Hadley Chase novels in my school days, I expected to see some unobtrusive bodyguards around if I looked well. I imagined I was right when I saw a dark stocky man in suit prancing about furtively and restlessly. I pressed a buzzer as instructed and the main door swung open. I approached one of the elevators as directed and headed to a particular apartment where my contact opened the door even before I knocked, and ushered me in. I didn’t see my interviewee but only a fair lady, who looked vaguely familiar. I took a comfortable position and waited with bated breath. I was undergoing a stream of consciousness at supersonic speed. Where is Madame Diezani? Will she meet me or chicken out? Would she open up or just whet my appetite for nothing? How will I ask my satanic questions and in what order? What can I do to make her relax and pour out her heart? Can she trust anyone with her story in her present condition and state of mind? I was in this interior monologue when Madame Diezani herself sauntered in. I stood up to greet her as she stretched out her hand. “My name is Diezani, the most misunderstood and abused Nigerian…” I didn’t know whether to say yes or no. I was perturbed and disturbed. The Diezani before me was not the ebullient woman I used to see on television and in newspapers. Her head had become a Sahara desert of sorts almost totally bald with a sprinkle of freshly growing hair all grey. She requested to sit on a classroom chair as her back was hurting badly and she could not sit so low. Wow, what a terrible time she must be having, I almost screamed out but cautioned myself. Sitting across from me was a woman who was a shadow of herself, almost like an apparition or ghost. I’m sure she saw the horror in my face. I knew I had to tread gingerly so as not to ignite trouble. I expressed sympathy about her battle with cancer. I told her I was one of the doubting Thomases and wished her God’s mercy and miracle having seen her shocking state. She summarised how her ordeal started and that moment when her worst nightmare was diagnosed. As she spoke she belched and gasped intermittently, a by-product of the aggressive treatment she’s been receiving. I was visibly worried at a point thinking she may end up in an ambulance if care was not taken. The other lady I met earlier soon came out from wherever and insisted we must stop but Madame Diezani was just getting into the flow of our chit-chat. We were told to round up in five minutes by this chaperone. I fired shots at her in staccato fashion and raced through my questions. I wanted to cover enough grounds before she returns to hospital after this weekend. I asked about Jonathan, Chris Aire, Kola Aluko and others linked to her in business transactions and otherwise. She said as much as she possibly could in the little time available and promised to say more later. The fair lady soon returned to stop our session. I would have been atrociously wicked to ask for more time though I felt she was in the mood to talk. She stood up delicately and she and the two ladies with her disappeared into the cold night... Source : Dele Momodu.

Alamieyeseigha: The End of An Era

Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha, the first elected governor of Bayelsa state, did not die a
happy man. He suffered multiple tragedies in his last days on earth and, on Saturday, went to his
grave abruptly, apparently with a broken heart.
In October 2014, the man once known as the “governor-general of the Ijaw nation” flew to Dubai,
United Arab Emirates, to retrieve the corpse of Oyamieyifa, one of his sons who died under
controversial circumstances. No father wants to bury his child, and not even under such a cloud.
Tonbra, his other son, broke up with his wife of seven months, Chikodi Stella Ononiwu, early 2015
in controversial circumstances after a dream wedding which was the talk of the town. That might
have been of little worry to Alamieyeseigha, who had to also watch his wife, Margret, suffer so much
pain as a result of bad health.
TheCable also understands that she is currently undergoing treatment for a life-threatening ailment.
And in a most dramatic twist of fate, the British government recently requested his extradition to
face trial for alleged money laundering, according to reports.
In September 2005, the UK’s Metropolitan police had detained him after finding about £1 million cash
on him, and another £1.8 million in cash and accounts. He was subsequently charged with money
laundering but he jumped bail after allegedly disguising as a woman, an allegation he denied.
A family source told TheCable about how the former governor received the news of the plans to
extradite him to the UK.
“He was devastated over the plans to take him back to UK for trials. He told family members that he
has suffered enough of the judicial processes and humiliation,” the source said.
A few days later, he fell into a coma. He never recovered. He died on Saturday from cardiac arrest
at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, the Bayelsa state government said.
JONATHAN STOOD SOLIDLY BY HIM
Alamieyeseigha, a retired air force officer, used to enjoy a cult-like status among his people and his
travails in the UK did not deny him of that. Loyalty is rare to find in the Nigerian political terrain
but DSP, as his supporters called him, got that even from Goodluck Jonathan, his two-time deputy
who would later become vice-president and president of Nigeria.
Unlike the average politician who would capitalise on the misfortune of his superior to launch himself
into power, Jonathan stood by Alamieyeseigha until he was impeached on December 9, 2005.
In a chat with journalists shortly after he took over the reins of government in Bayelsa, Jonathan
said: “You all know how I have been loyal to him from the beginning until this sad event made me
succeed him.”
In his last known interview before he died, Alamieyeseigha commented on what made him choose
Jonathan as a partner.
“I wanted a deputy governor who had high level of intelligence and stable character like Jonathan,”
he told Vanguard .
“I also needed an establishment person and somebody who was not too ambitious that if I was out, he
could stand in for me and could run the state. I needed somebody, who would not attempt to cause
trouble if I travelled out of the state so that I could sleep well.”
And that was exactly what Jonathan did.
THE CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS AGAINST HIM
In July, 2007, Alamieyeseigha was sentenced to two years in prison and many of his assets were
ordered to be forfeited to the Bayelsa state government.
He was discovered to have owned real estate in London worth £10 million. In December 2009, the
federal government hired a British law firm to help dispose of four expensive property acquired by
Alamieyeseigha in London.
In 2012, the US Department of Justice announced that it had executed an asset forfeiture order on
$401,931 in a Massachusetts brokerage fund, traceable to Alamieyeseigha. The allegations of
corruption against him were mind-boggling, arousing fury when Jonathan as president of the country,
pardoned him in March 2013.
HE FORGAVE OBASANJO, HIS NEMESIS
Alamieyeseigha believed former President Olusegun Obasanjo masterminded his trial and ruined him
politically because he opposed Obasanjo’s rumoured third term agenda.
He spoke on his encounters with the former president, saying he had forgiven him.
He said : “I cannot be living in the past because it does not help. It pains quite well but again, if it
was not permitted by God, it would not have happened. And for me to be alive, I thank God.
Sometimes when I reflect on where I am coming from, I even at times ask why I am still alive, having
passed through what I have passed through. It reminds me of Psalm 23, somebody passing through the
valley of the shadow of death. I passed through it several times. For me to be alive, I do not need to
have anything in mind.
“I have been at a very close quarters with Obasanjo twice. The first encounter was at the Katsina
Airport during the wedding of the daughter of late President Yar’Adua. I did not even know that he
was in the VIP lounge. I wanted to use the rest room and here was Obasanjo directly sitting inside. I
was even scared because he almost passed out.
“I held his hand and he said DSP what have I done to deserve a handshake from you? There were
other people; Kenny Martins and one of his political friends present. I said I was shaking him for two
reasons. One was because of the Almighty God who created us. Number two is that tradition demands
that we should welcome our visitors. Then Kenny got up and said, great leader, great leader and he
came to hug me.
“The second encounter was when I was going to Dubai and if Obasanjo had known that I was in that
aircraft, he would not have entered but I was already seated. We were very few in the aircraft.
Because of fear, Obasanjo saw me and hysterically called me ‘Fayose, Fayose’ and I told him that I
was not ‘Fayose.’ I said former president, Olusegun Mathew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, you are a devil
incarnate. I said when we were small, our lesson teachers always talked about this devil and this devil
and I never knew that the devil is a human being. I told him that you are a direct descendant of the
devil. I told him that if you talk, I will throw you out of this aircraft.
“I knew of truth that he did not sleep throughout the flight. The only thing he said was DSP, is it
only you that entered prison. I too entered prison. He said you entered prison and I entered prison.
He kept quiet and I left. But I have forgiven him.”
DICKSON WILL SURELY MISS HIM
One of those who would suffer from the demise of the ex-governor is Governor Seriake Dickson, who
is standing for another election, in less than two months.
The deceased was actively involved in the re-election campaign of Dickson.
Responding to the news of the death , Dickson described Alamieyeseigha “a rare gem”, saying his
demise “is a very painful and monumental loss to the entire Ijaw nation, which he has always stood
firm for in all its ramifications”.
Born on November 16, 1952, Alamieyeseigha was governor of Bayelsa state from May 29, 1999 to
December 9, 2005 when he was impeached.

TheCable.

Breaking News: First Governor of Bayelsa state Alamieyeseigha is dead!

Chief Alamieyeseigha reportedly died of cardiac arrest at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, after slipping into coma two days ago and was placed on life support.

The Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Esueme Dan-Kikili, who confirmed the death to Channels Television, said that the death of the former governor was a great loss to the Ijaw ethnic group.

There were reports during the week that the British Government was determined to resurrect an outstanding case of money laundering against the former governor and had requested for his extradition to London.

Alamieyeseigha, who was facing money laundering charges, jumped bail and returned to Nigeria and has since then refused to answer summons for trial to continue.

According to his Wikipedia page, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was born on November 16, 1952 in Amassoma, Ogboin North Local Government Area, Bayelsa State and had his secondary school education at the Bishop Dimeari Grammar School, Yenagoa.

He joined the Nigerian Defence Academy as a Cadet Officer in 1974, and was enlisted in the Nigerian Air Force, where he served in the department of Logistics and Supply.

Before retiring from the Air Force in 1992 as a Squadron Leader, he had served in Enugu, Markurdi, Kaduna and Ikeja.

He became the Sole Administrator of Pabod Supplies Port Harcourt and later Head of Budget, Planning, Research and Development of the National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON).

Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was Governor of Bayelsa State in Nigeria from May 29, 1999 to December 9, 2005. He was  impeached on allegations of corruption.
Source: Channels Tv.

Group petitions Ugwuanyi over alleged sharp practices in Enugu schools

A non-governmental organisation, the Anti Corruption
Awareness Organisation Nigeria (ACAO), has sent a strong-
worded petition to the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi
Ugwuanyi, over alleged fraudulent activities in the
management of public secondary schools in the state, by the
Post Primary School Management Board (PPSMB).
The group is also accusing the immediate past PPSMB of
ripping off parents, students and promoting mediocrity in the
system, stressing that this was responsible for the poor
performance recorded by students of public secondary schools
in the state and contributes immensely to the loss of interest
by members of the public in public schools.
In the petition dated July 23rd, 2015 and entitled, “Save
Education System in Enugu State,” the organisation
specifically alleged bribe-for-juicy posting of schools’
principals; fraudulent use of scratch cards; imposition of
levies and extortion of students by school heads, under the
watch of the immediate past Permanent Secretary of PPSMB,
Mrs. Josephine U. Onyia.
Sources at the PPSMB told The Guardian, however that since
the PPSMB was dissolved about a year ago, it was yet to be
reconstituted.
Since then, however, activities of the agency had been run by
permanent secretaries. Mrs. Onyia, was however redeployed
to the Water Resources Ministry recently, and replaced by
Mrs. Favour Ngozika Ugwuanyi. Ugwuanyi held her maiden
briefing with the staff of the agency penultimate week.
The
petition signed by the organisation’s Director of Intelligence,
Mr. Chijioke Attah, State Legal Team Leader, Chuka Machie
and Josephat Omeke, and obtained by The Guardian, detailed
how the immediate past board, in connivance with some school
heads, constituted set backs to the promotion of quality
education at secondary schools in the state and urged the
governor to probe PPSMB activities in order to save public
secondary schools.
The organisation stated that its findings were based on
investigations it conducted recently in public secondary schools
in the six educational zones of the state, comprising Agbani,
Awgu, Enugu, Nsukka, Obollo Afor and Udi.
They NGO wrote: “Verifiable evidence has revealed that there
is decay and massive fraud at the PPSMB, and that many
school principals are being exploited steadily by the PPSMB in
connivance with the permanent secretaries. They charge
N250, 000, N300, 000 and more (depending on the students’
population), to post principals to a heavily populated school in
Enugu State.
“To post (transfer) a principal to a school and allow him/she
remain there, the principal has to continue to pay
gratifications, else another one that bids higher bidder will be
sent to replace the principal. These actions are taken at will
in most of the schools visited in Awgu, Agbani, Enugu,
Nsukka, Obollo Afor and Udi in the course of this
investigation.”
The petition cited the case of one of the newly retired
principals who was transferred from Community Secondary
School, Mbulu Owo, to the CSS Amagunze, which has a high
students population, after he allegedly paid over N300, 000 to
the board.
“The then principal of CSS Amagunze, who was replaced had
protested that he should be allowed to exhaust his three-year
minimum tenure in the school, having worked hard to build
the place. He was ignored because he could not afford the
kind of money paid by his successor,” it added.
Criticising the sale of scratch cards to students to check and
obtain their promotion examination’s result as being
“untimely,” the outfit said from its investigations, “Over 85
per cent of schools in rural areas have no computer studios,
and
no access to cyber/Internet cafés in their various localities.”
“Secondly, the fraud associated with the scratch card is bad.
The real cost of the scratch card as ascertained from the
producers, “Bronzebit Consult Ltd,’ with office at N0. 142
Zik Avenue, Uwani, Enugu is N150. 00.
“It was also discovered that the former Commissioner for
Education, Prof. Uche Okoro, approved an astronomical cost of
N800.00 per students for the scratch card, thereby
defrauding every student in government-owned secondary
schools in the state the sum of N650.00
“To add insult to injury, some principal of schools capitalised
on the foundation of the fraudulent action to increase the
cost of the scratch card from N800 to N1, 500 per student.”
The petition cited Idaw River Girls Secondary School,
Awkunanaw, Metropolitan Girls Secondary School, Ogui, City
Girls Secondary School as some schools, where the scratch
cards were being sold at abysmally high rate by the
authorities so as “to cover cost of transportation to where it
would be deposited into the designated account of the board
in charge.”
According to the organisation, registering of students for the
Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in public
secondary schools is another avenue where the students are
exploited heavily as there are no uniform rates, so principals
charge as much as they wish.
When confronted with these allegations, Mrs. Onyia, told The
Guardian that as a civil servant, she could not speak to the
press without authorization, adding that the petitioners
“wrote to the governor and I am entitled to respond to the
governor if called upon to do so. But making allegations on
extortions and what have you and supplying phone numbers
may not prove that they have enough evidence. So I am really
not interested until I am called upon or asked to respond to
the issues in their petition.”
Also contacted, incumbent Permanent Secretary at the
agency, Mrs. Favour Ugwuanyi, denied knowledge of the
petition saying she would not comment on the allegations
raised.
“I am a new Permanent Secretary in this agency. I have not
received officially, copies of the petition being referred to. I
cannot comment on what I know nothing about,” she said.

NOW THAT BABA IS BACK HOME

Fellow Nigerians, I hope you followed our President’s visit to America, their America, early this week. Love them or loathe them, the Americans are in a class of their own. Most of those who complain the most about the supposed verbosity and ruthlessness of the Americans always dream of visiting what has been aptly tagged God’s own country. The reason is simple. America has branded and positioned itself as the greatest nation on earth and you can’t argue this with a people who are fastidiously convinced about their country’s superiority over others. Woe-betide any American President who is not able to defend this creed or hype with all his might and faith. America and Nigeria share a lot of commonalities as I shall elucidate in a moment.

Americans love their country to bits. Trust me, Nigerians probably love theirs more despite being our own worst critics. Indeed one can trace the oftentimes virulent criticism to the great love for a nation that those critics feel has been raped and betrayed uncountable times.  Wait till an outsider attacks Nigeria before you see or feel the vibes of patriotic zeal in us. We can abuse our country endlessly but will never allow strangers to do it for us.

The Americans love their food like mad, especially burger or steak or spareribs. Nigerians are worse, and you can ask me, as I consider myself a prime epitome of this phenomenon. Wherever I go in the world, I am never comfortable until someone leads me to a Nigerian restaurant or something close. I just landed in Italy yesterday and as I typed this column, my tongue was mercilessly salivating and searching for that esoteric eba or pounded yam with efo riro, edikaikang, oha or egusi soups.

The Americans are loud and probably condescending. I think Nigerians are louder and many would dare say without sounding like an ethnic jingoist that some of our diverse tribes are quite acerbic in words and in deeds. You would easily figure out a Nigerian in a market place, no matter how crowded the place is. We love the good life and would readily spend our last kobo on it.  No wonder we are renowned for our display of affluence and wealth be it in the exclusive shopping precincts of the world or the local halls or civic centres where we celebrate different occasions like weddings, birthdays, naming ceremonies and even funerals. We are the only ones in this wide wild world capable of feeding 5,000 guests free of charge, with champagnes and expensive wines and cognacs flowing like water.

America is the home of entertainment and a breeding ground for perpetual rockers in California, Las Vegas and New York. Nigeria is home to the happiest people on earth, where human beings have plentiful reasons to celebrate life every single day, no matter how sardonic our economy has become. The aphorism “Lagos for Show” is not a joke but a truism as the city conjures the image of the good, the bad and the ugly, as you may want it. No apologies, that is just who we are. America prides itself about Hollywood but Nigeria is almost catching up with the most prolific film-makers on our planet via Nollywood.

Only God knows how many Nigerians currently live and/or work in America. I have attended many reunion events all over the place and often wonder how many of us are left back home. Our scholars are highly rated in all major American universities. America would instantly suffer a dearth of medical personnel if Nigerian doctors, surgeons, pharmacists and nurses or its intellectual workforce in general decide to return home in droves. Our immigrants are doing so great in all spheres of human endeavour because they are specially endowed and indeed are very smart arguably. I seriously believe that our human capital is much bigger than our oil revenue. This is why Nigeria cannot be ignored within the comity of nations despite our many transgressions and shortcomings. It is gratifying that this is one of our remarkable traits that President Obama noted at the beginning of his meeting with our own father of the nation, President Muhammadu Buhari during his visit to the land of opportunities.

I have a theory that suggests the Americans have since discovered the virtues we don’t seem to know about ourselves. Several American Ambassadors and diplomats have taken near-permanent abode and residency in Nigeria despite the turbulence and tempestuousness that occur and recur in our land with rigorous regularity. Even when their tenures expire they often return to our trouble-prone country to marry or start a business of their own. It says something about the cordiality that exists between us. Conversely, if you wish to punish a Nigerian big man, let the Americans terminate his visa and that of his family and you would see a sullenly crestfallen juggernaut. It is such an amazing symbiotic relationship between us.

Once upon a time, the government of the United States had a kind of filial bond with ours but something definitely went wrong recently. The first sign of a crack came when America practically and blatantly refused to support the Jonathan administration in its long-drawn battle against Boko Haram. There were rumours that America could not trust our Abuja leaders to keep secrets emanating from gathered intelligence. As if to confirm the belligerence and bellicosity of our government, President Goodluck Jonathan gleefully announced its decision to count the Americans out of its list of friends and sought a new bride in Russia.  Those who understood the rudiments of International Diplomacy wondered how a country like Russia that was on its bended knees and trying to survive against a regime of sanctions could help Nigeria out of its many security challenges. Anyway, Jonathan had his way and that was it.

But the times have changed and a new man is now in charge. The Americans must have tacitly supported a change of regime in Nigeria as a form of quintessential retaliation against a man that did not understand the fact that America never forgets a favour just like it never forgives an injury. As soon as President Buhari came to power, they wasted no time in reaching out to him so as to obliterate the Jonathan obduracy as quickly as possible. President Barack Obama was able to achieve that this week by rolling out the red carpet to a new Nigerian President who is yet to assemble his team back home. The meeting was that urgent and important that it could not wait a day longer and protocol had to be altered somewhat for this purpose. President Buhari read the game correctly and was able to seize the opportunity with both hands.   

By most accounts, the President made Nigeria and Africa very proud. Thanks to his media team and his photographer, Bayo Omoboriowo in particular, we were able to follow the President as if we were with him all the way on his voyage. Once again, President Buhari was able to prove cynics wrong especially those who thought he lacked the capacity of a statesman on the world stage. The only snag in my view was the non-inclusion of women in the entourage of President Buhari. It is tragic that no Nigerian woman was deemed qualified to travel with the President.

We must avoid this scenario in the future. It portrays us as a nation that sees women as nonentities. It was a great oversight that should not have happened under any circumstance. There were those who grumbled also about the supposed lopsided imbalance between the southerners and northerners in his team but again I am not about not one to play any ethnic card as most of those who accompanied the President did so in one official capacity or the other.  Some of them were of course appointees of his predecessors. Despite this, the respect and recognition accorded President Buhari was palpable except to his rabid haters who would never see anything good in him. That is fair enough as it is impossible for everyone to love you no matter how hard you try.

My advice as always is that the President should move on with his mission to rescue Nigeria and disregard those determined to bring him to ridicule and disrepute.  Let me reiterate for the umpteenth time that it is not going to be an easy task. The powers and principalities that litter Nigeria are not going to let him have a field day and he too must be very tactical like a true military General that he is. He must resist the temptation of fighting on too many fronts at a go lest he opens his flanks to dangerous invaders. That is one of the lessons to be gained from the Jonathan administration which we warned against severally but was studiously ignored.

The war against corruption is not going to be prosecuted and won through indiscriminate arrests and detention. Too many structures are already faulty and derelict and must be fixed and replaced before certain institutions can begin to operate normally. Nothing kills a war against corruption than creating the impression that someone is on a vengeance mission. The government should avoid anything that may inadvertently, create panic in the polity and must learn from the pitfalls of similar wars in the past. 

This is of great importance because we are part of a larger society and whether we wish to accept it or not, we can only thrive if we encourage both foreign and local investments.  No investor is going to come to this country if there is no certainty, sanctity or security of their investment especially when some overzealous security operatives are rampaging about like bulls in a china shop!  And the local ones would take flight if we do not learn how to apply methods to our maladies

There are many ways of fighting corruption.  They all do not need to be loud.  Sometimes that may be the most ineffective way.  There is also the tendency for rumour mongers to thrive and scandalise innocent citizens for no reason other than causing mayhem in such an environment.  We have recently been regaled by fantastic figures of looted funds stashed in American accounts by public functionaries from across the political divide. By all accounts the sums are staggering but to discerning minds the manner of the disclosure of the alleged loot and the persons involved suggests they are fanciful but nothing can be ruled out in these momentous times.  That is another reason the President must act quickly and decisively hence the good name of some people may be forever tarnished by reckless and irresponsible accusations.

It follows therefore that now that the President is back home, he should assiduously work on getting his tested and/or trusted foot-soldiers together and form a cabinet strengthened by Special Advisers. September is simply too long to wait to do this.  There is no good reason for waiting as many busy-bodies are already using this lacuna to achieve their usual despoliation.  President Obama may not have appointed all of his cabinet in a couple of months but key cabinet appointments were made even before the administration started and were confirmed almost immediately thereafter.

Indeed many are saying in loud whispers that the prolonged absence of a cabinet to support the President is unconstitutional.  The Constitution expects that by now the cabinet should be in place and that there should at least be an Attorney-General by virtue of sections 148 and 150 respectively. 

In particular, they are quoting section 148(2) of the Constitution which envisages that the President shall hold regular meetings with the Vice-President and all the Ministers of the Government of the Federation for the purposes of (a) determining the general direction of domestic and foreign policies of the Government of the Federation; (b) co-ordinating the activities of the President, the Vice-President and the Ministers of the Government of the Federation in the discharge of their executive responsibilities; and (c) advising the President generally in discharge of his executive functions ...”.  By continuing to govern alone the President is unwittingly creating the impression of running a one man show which the enemies are willing to amplify. Even as a military dictator, President Buhari recognised the need for governing with others hence there was a Supreme Military Council almost from inception of the administration in January 1984 and a Federal Executive Council of Ministers which was constituted within a short period of time on 18 January 1984. As Professor Tam David-West revealed a while back, background checks were completed within a period of about 10 days from 7 January to 17 January 1984, a reflection of the diligence, efficiency and urgency General Buhari was known for in those days.  The delay in a democracy is therefore more difficult to understand.

I have said it before that nations are not governed by saints but by performers. Let the President entrust Nigeria to some reasonable men and women and not those over-recycled people who plunged us into this mess. There are good politicians just as there are terrible technocrats but both camps must be married carefully. Perception is key in governance and the President should send a powerful message to the nation via the calibre of people he assembles.  The President cannot continue to rely on the same technocrats, some of who were complicit in the monumental looting that the President is seeking to address and redress.  He needs fresh hands to assist him in this and ensure that he fulfils the constitutional requirements that enjoin him to govern this country with other compatriots. 

The President does not need to look far. There are thousands of competent Nigerian who share his vision and his mission.  He only needs to identify them and enlist them.
I trust the President to deliver on his promises resoundingly!
By Dele Momodu

UGWANYI ASSIGNS PORTFOLIOS

The Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Tuesday released the portfolios of the newly-inaugurated State Executive Council. A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Uwakwe Agbugu, stated that the governor also assigned departments to 12 Special Advisers.
The statement added that the assignments were effective from the 16th of July, 2015.
The details of the appointments are as follows: NAMES OF COMMISSIONERS AND THEIR MINISTRIES S/NO. NAMES MINISTRY 1. CHIEF MILETUS EZUGWORIE EZE JUSTICE
2. ENGR. MIKE C. ENEH AGRICULTURE
3. NDUKWE CHARLES CHUKA YOUTHS & SPORTS
4. BARR. FIDE ANI CHIEFTAINCY MATTERS
5. BARR. SAM OGBU NWOBODO COMMERCE & INDUSTRY
6. PROF. UCHE EZE EDUCATION
7. BARR. CHIDI AROH ENUGU CAPITAL DEV. AUTHORITY
8. AMB. FIDEL AYOGU ENVIRONMENT
9. MRS. EUCHARIA UCHE OFOR FINANCE & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
10. HON. PRINCESS PEACE NNAJI GENDER AFFAIRS & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
11. DR. SAMUEL NGWU HEALTH
12. ENGR. OGBO CHARLES ASOGWA HOUSING
13. DR. UDEUHELE GODWIN IKECHUKWU INFORMATION
14. BARR. EMEKA OKEKE LABOUR & PRODUCTIVITY
15. MR. SOLOMON IZUCHUKWU ONAH LANDS & URBAN DEVELOPMENT
16. HON. CHIJIOKE EDEOGA LOCAL GOVERNMENT MATTERS
17. MR. VITUS OKECHI TRANSPORT 18. BARR. C. O. C. EGUMGBE WATER RESOURCES
19. ENGR. PATRICK E. IKPENWA WORKS & INFRASTRUCTURE
20. OZOR GAB. AZUBUIKE ONUZULIKE RURAL DEVELOPMENT 21 RITA CHINELO MBAH SPECIAL DUTIES .& INTER GOVERNMENT AL AFFAIRS  
22. ENGR. GREG NNAJI SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
23. BARR. CHIKA SMART OGBE CULTURE & TOURISM
24. MBAEKE OBINNA BENJAMIN

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT & POVERTY REDUCTION SPECIAL ADVISERS AND THEIR DEPARTMENTS
S/NO. NAMES DEPARTMENT 1. ENGR. ABEL UCHENNA NWOBODO PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION (PDI)
2. ANAYO SIMON AGU SME & INVESTMENT PROMOTION
3. HON. DR. MARTINS OKE LEGISLATIVE MATTERS
4. MR. S. C. ONOYIMA DUE PROCESS & SERVICOM
5. MRS. MABEL CHINWE AGBO SPECIAL DUTIES & INTER MINISTERIAL MATTERS
6. MRS. OLANGWA N. EZEKWU DIASPORA & SPECIAL PROJECTS
7. DR. SAMUEL UGWU EDUCATION
8 HON. EMEKA MADU POLITICAL
9. MR. NZEKWE ANTHONY MANFRED TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
10. MRS. IKPEAMA FELICIA CHIBOGU SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
11. MR. UCHECHUKWU OGBONNA RURAL DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY RELATIONS
12. MR. OGBODO UCHENNA EMMANUEL BUDGET.

Culled : Citizen Online

BUHARI NOW FIGHTS KWOROPTION WITH MARILYN OGAR

Drama at DSS as Marilyn Ogar is transferred to Maiduguri, then recalled.  The changes at the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria’s secret police, entered another phase during the week with new postings and a series of reversals. TheCable understands that ‎Marilyn Ogar, who was until recently DSS deputy director, public relations, has been transferred to Maiduguri, Borno state, but the posting has now been put on hold following insinuations that it was “punitive”. Ogar, as spokesperson, was responsible for defending the activities of the agency in the media and she is believed to be paying for some of her pronouncements, notably in the face-off with the Bring Back Our Girls movement and the DSS raids on the Lagos office of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last year.  She has already lost her promotion following the nullification of the recent exercise. “Right now, she is just hanging around in Abuja awaiting the next order,” a source at the agency informed TheCable. President Muhammadu Buhari recently appointed Lawal Musa Daura as the acting DSS director-general following the resignation of Ita Ekpenyong, who was reportedly asked to go because of the “partisanship” of the agency under former President Goodluck Jonathan. About 45 new state directors who were promoted under Jonathan have lost their new ranks as their promotions have been reversed. Buhari refused to swear them in last Thursday, an indication that the promotion exercise had been annulled. Daura has also ordered the sack of fresh graduates who were recently employed after an eight-month training.‎ TheCable understands that Daura has been mandated to probe the tenure of his predecessor. An official from the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) has been pencilled down to do the job. The official, from Katsina state, is expected to be appointed as the new director of finance, taking over from an operative from Plateau state who was only appointed recently. “Daura’s mandate is to probe Ekpenyong, but it is not looking bright because some of the allegations being examined are difficult to prove. It has now been established that the raids on APC office in Lagos were based on a tip-off by an APC member. This has complicated matters,” the source added. DSS had raided the office on the allegation that the voters’ biometric cards were being illegally produced there, a move that generated public outrage. The agency did not charge any suspect to court. Some top DSS operatives, meanwhile, are beginning to question the capacity of the new DG to pilot the affairs of the agency. One of them told TheCable: “Daura was informed about the attack in Kano way before it happened. He refused to release money or approve the operations until bombs went off in three states. “His records show that he was at the very bottom of his class, and during his service years, his file was filled with a lot of queries that should ordinarily disqualify him from the job. There are a lot of competent northern officers who can lead the DSS. Daura is not one of them.” The reorganisation exercise is expected to continue as new governments usually fill strategic positions at the agency with loyalists.

Source~thecable.ng

BEFORE APC FALLS APART by Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, it is not a hidden fact that I’ve been a great admirer and ubiquitous supporter of the current governing Party in Nigeria, the ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), from its inception though I belong bodily and spiritually elsewhere in the National Conscience Party. My love for APC was not because I expected its members to be extra-terrestrial beings without foibles and idiosyncrasies but due to the fact that I saw in them the opportunity for possible re-alignment and a veritable platform for an incorruptible leader like General Muhammadu Buhari even if the rest of us are not as perfect. I was also looking forward to the possibility of establishing a new tradition of sacking an underperforming government and banishing the idea that an incumbent leader can never be defeated in Africa. I was under no illusion that any stand-alone Party would achieve this extraordinary feat of terminating the PDP behemoth without the collaboration of other mainstream/mushroom Parties.

Against all odds of permutations, APC was born as a bouncing and bubbly baby. My joy knew no bounds because I realised since then that the days of PDP were numbered after being in power for 16 agonising years. It was gratifying to see an amalgam of political parties reach an accord which seemingly went beyond personal and selfish interests. The PDP apparatchik apparently misfired and miscalculated by underrating the capacity and capabilities of the new opposition Party. I remember its spokespersons acting smugly by over-confidently dismissing the arrival of APC as a non-event.

But nothing destroys faster than arrogance. Instead of re-adjusting its ways of doing things, PDP carried on with its profligacy and buried its head in the sands like an ostrich pretending that all was well when the reverse was the obvious. It deluded itself that the Nigerian economy was at its most buoyant when the economy was already in dire straits and believed its own lies of superlatively running Africa’s numero uno economy into prosperity when it was only galloping the economy towards the abyss. The spin-doctors never got tired of regaling us with the hype of a rarefied Eldorado but we knew it was only a matter of time before the chickens would come home to roost.

Thanks to the formidability of APC, the lies soon fell off the sails and the naturally generous and tolerant Nigerians refused to buy a dead horse at a premium. Reality only hit the PDP in its final and dying days and everything possible and terrible was done to manipulate the electoral process away from its original calendar in order to deny the tired but tireless Nigerian public the V-Day they had anxiously longed for.  PDP gave itself a breather of six weeks and worked frenetically to achieve what it couldn’t in five years of President Jonathan’s administration. It was always going to be Mission Impossible but as usual some politicians profited from the desperation of that period. The rest is now history as nothing could deprive the Nigerian populace of the sunshine days that it had sagaciously bestowed upon itself.

Nigerians exploded in an orgiastic giddiness of wild jubilations and jollification and the world congratulated us endlessly. It seemed it was Uhuru at last as we placed our bodies and souls in the hands of President Buhari and his Party. No political leader in the last 22 years enjoyed such adulations, goodwill and encouragement from Nigerians. Even members of the PDP in their moments of sobriety admitted that they messed up big time and could not have won that magical election, albeit they did so discreetly.

Unfortunately and very tragically, APC soon appeared to have suffered a convulsion as a result of its own metaphysical success. All the pretentiousness of a cohesive progressive Party soon dissolved into the rambunctiousness of an unruly and fracticidal Party. Many of its fans like me watched in utter wonderment and befuddlement as things began to unravel and spiral out of control. Things fell apart and it seemed it would not be too long before the centre could no longer hold. The case of APC became that of a man who married several wives but was not a competent polygamist who knew how to make each of the wives feel so special and adorable. Rather the husband exposed and displayed a preference for some particular wives against the others. This is the crux of the matter.

What makes the situation sadder for me is the distraction being caused by this topsy-turvy state in the internal affairs of the ruling Party to the society at large as well as the manner it is fast eroding the humongous goodwill President Buhari came in with. Only the most rabid of die-hards would not feel the heat of this war of attrition or think that it would just blow over without much effort.

The battle started long before the referee even blew the whistle. Reading the recent statements credited to our revered father, Chief Bisi Akande, the former interim chairman of APC brought forth the goose pimples in me. Baba could not contain his anger and derision at the decision to move on in peace instead of crying over spilled milk following the saga of the clearly surreal outcome of the elections into the principal offices in the National Assembly.

I quite understand how Baba feels and genuinely see why his camp would not want to hear anything of such heresy. The blame has been placed at the doorsteps of a nebulous cabal in the Northern part of Nigeria and it instantly brought back the tearful memories of those dark days of the so called ‘Kaduna Mafia’. While I do not have any counter-evidence to the thesis of our iconic elders, I believe and plead fervently that care should be taken not to return us to the inglorious First Republic when the politicians decided to set the nation ablaze with inflammatory remarks that sought to cast aspersions on certain sections of our country. Even husband and wife quarrel regularly but must avoid vengeful and indelible words that may never be washed away easily.

My candid advice to the APC leadership is to urgently put its house in order because if united they will stand proudly but if divided they will fall miserably. Such is the sad reality I foresee if members of the same party find it impossible to forgive even if they cannot forget. They should understand and accept the fact that there is always another day and another chance to win back what was lost. There is always a hand of fate and the wheel of fortune in the affairs of men. That is the reason for the popular aphorism: Man proposes but God disposes.

I have had the honour and privilege of sitting with the two principal actors in the middle of this raging imbroglio, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara and I’m reasonably assured and definitely convinced that they both love their Party despite the storms in the tea-cups that almost damaged their relationships irreparably. Though labelled as modern day Judases, they both continue to plead for the understanding of those who might not have known what actually transpired behind the scenes. For now, they are willing and ready to bear their crosses courageously till that auspicious moment when the jigsaw would fit into place. For myself, I am aware that all the contending factions have points that would justify their position and this is the more reason that the swords should be sheathed without further delay. Nobody can come out of this smelling of roses as all the contending forces acted selfishly including the party supremacists!

Let’s therefore hope the sleeping dogs would lie prostrate in order not to constitute public nuisance to everyone. Our politicians must have pity on long-suffering Nigerians who are more concerned about good governance and not who gets what position. As we approach the end of Ramadan let us remember that peace trumps above all. And we must embrace the spirit of love.

I will go ahead and make my usual suggestions as to how to move away from this debacle. I’m doing this because I know as a matter of fact that President Bihari reads more newspapers than most journalists. Our duty therefore is to support him by supplying useful tips and relevant information that can teleport his government to its celestial heights.

The President should try to put the problems of his Party behind him now and forever. No matter what he does today, he would never be able to pacify every one of the aggrieved members. No one would blame the Party if he fails; they will blame President Buhari solely and singularly. All past Presidents have had to carry that heavy burden and President Buhari would only be an exception only if he can manage an exceptional performance in office.

Nigerian politicians have their own ways of doing things and the President would do well by setting his own agenda and a superlative template for running a credible government. As a prominent Nigerian told me two weeks ago “President Buhari should not hope to have any saints to appoint into his cabinet, he should just go ahead and manage the people around him and if they wobble and fumble they should be fired.” I totally agree. It is better to make wrong choices than to make none at all.

The reason these leaders are still fighting over lollipops is because most of them have not been kept busy. As soon as the President starts to throw appointments left, right and centre, many of our friends would cool temper or simply vamoose into oblivion. In any event, the President should remember that the festering pestilence of corruption and impunity was not limited to the politicians but extended to the civil servants who overtly supported and worked in concert with them.  He cannot credibly turn to those same civil servants to clean up the mess.  They would expectedly only seek to cover up their tracks and in the process sink us further into the mire.  What is needed now more than ever is an injection of some fresh bloods into the political polity! If some of the antiquated politicians and civil servants were as good as they portrayed, Nigeria would not have landed in this odious mess.

Equally importantly, as long as the President is able to do what is just and carry every region of Nigeria along without fear or favour, all shall be well. Our proclivity for ethnic balancing must be improved. Some Nigerians are already crying wolf over recent appointments. As for me and my house, since no one has said those appointed are not qualified, there should be no cause for alarm. My suggestion, however, is that every part of Nigeria must be truthfully combed for accomplished Nigerians who can catapult our nation to the next level. It is not for nothing that the drafters of our Constitution enshrined the principle of Federal Character in its underbelly. It is merely a recognition of our diversity and the need to see that all sections feel that they are given some place of prominence in a multi-faceted Nigeria.  Our past history tells us that we must never forget the nature and extent of our diversity. Same goes for the treatment of the Nigerian woman and her place in government. The President should be gender-sensitive as there are many qualified women for every imaginable job available today. They should not be discriminated against by the male chauvinists that litter our corridors of power.

The President should try hard to promote the secularity of the Nigerian state so as to douse the embers of religion which is currently being clandestinely fanned in our land. Every shade of faith should be allowed to flourish and no religion should be promoted above the other. Religious conflagrations are always more difficult to quench and we can’t afford to cause more havoc than we already have. If I could have my way, all those pilgrimages would no longer be funded by government. Religion is supposed to be a personal obligation between a man and the God or Master he worships. Let that huge money be spent on every Nigerian through developmental projects. I totally endorse the reasonable decision by the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, who has stated clearly that he would not waste the scarce resources of his State on buying Sallah rams for anybody. We must commend his simple approach to governance and plead with others to emulate him.

The President must tell his troops and assure the Nation that he will not be distracted from the lofty heights that he desires to take our country. Security has become absolutely worrisome for a former military ruler and he must rise up stoutly to the occasion. I enjoin President Buhari to desist from comparing his administration with that of his predecessors and using them as a benchmark because those previous administrations failed spectacularly and that is why our people wanted and voted for change.

Nigerians expect things to be done in a differently better way and not in a similarly retrograde style. President Buhari has shown by a few steps he has taken already that he is capable of this distinction but there are those that would want him to continue along the old paths. I sincerely urge him to resist this temptation. It is the sure path to the failure experienced by those he has succeeded.
It shall be well with our country; the devil will be ashamed! 

https://www.thecable.ng/exclusive-drama-dss-marilyn-ogar-transferred-maiduguri-recalled

BUHARI FIGHTS KWORUPTION WITH MAMARILYN OGAR

https://www.thecable.ng/exclusive-drama-dss-marilyn-ogar-transferred-maiduguri-recalled

E DON DEY HAPPEN OOOO

Imo people are dying of hunger in the hands of Governor Rochas Okorocha . But like some strange figure from another planet, he seems absolutely unconcerned of the enormity of the problem. Every act of his demonstrates his lack of respect for the people he rule, and his gross underestimation of the level of political consciousness they have attained. He has not paid pensioners for 18 months now while civil servants are owed 9 months salaries but when we complained and told him to stop showing us pictures of himself inside a private jet and pay us our salaries, what did he do? He called us poor people who are envying him. Yes, speaking with SaharaTV on Saturday, Okorocha said he hates poverty, adding that anyone criticizing private jet owner like him was a poor person. You can all see the kind of man we have as governor of Imo State. Our governor is calling his subjects poor people. Oh my God!

If the interview with SaharaTV on Saturday was an image laundry project for Okorocha by Sahara Reporters, then in my opinion Sowore should refund to Rochas whatever monies advanced him for the project. Sahara Reporters might have done more damage to their client than any good and therefore left him more soiled than they met him. By calling Imo people poor people Okorocha has revealed to us that he has nothing but contempt for anybody who works for a living. The harder you work for a living, the more contemptible you seem to him. To him any one who therefore don’t have his ill gotten riches is pathetic. To him anybody who acquires wealth through shady means, or who is a wizard in the art of stealing and lying, is to be celebrated as heroic, virtuous, and worthy of praise.
Indeed, until a decent and patriotic leadership emerges in Nigeria, Okorocha would never be compelled to explain the sources of his wealth, or how over N130 billion naira council funds flew away nor how he come about his N1billion naira Spibat estate and many more. What all these go to show is that in Nigeria, it is, perhaps, safer and more rewarding to be a successful criminal than a poor man – which is very saddening indeed.

Can someone tell our governor that what we asked for is our monthly salaries. Imo is in a mess. Even the free education announce all over is in a mess. We suffer the failure of the Okorocha’s capitalist anti poor government to adequately fund education. The situation from primary to tertiary levels in Imo has continued to deteriorate with no end in sight to the rot. Examples of this decay include: the collapse of structures like buildings in the public schools, over-crowded classes causing some students in Imo to sit and study on the floor, Ill-equipped laboratories many of which have, in any case, been converted into classrooms, thus making the teaching of science subjects virtually non-existence in Imo,complete absence of library facilities and lack of necessary books in the few available ones,shortage of teachers etc.

Today in Imo there is decline in pupils’ enrolment into public primary schools with most parents handing over their wards to exploitative private proprietors who’s only and real interest is profit and there are no vacancies, compared with the hundreds of those seeking higher education. What about massive unemployment among school leavers and graduates – a horrifying situation that has created no confidence and interest in honest studies. Don’t be an onlooker. Every onlooker is either a coward or traitor. If you agree with the viewpoints expressed above then join us immediately or get in touch with us. If we fight we can win, if we don’t, we have lost.The struggle continues.Imo must be better.

Story by Kenneth Uwadi

NASS Free for all fight at the HoR on 25/6/15

WIKE THE LOCAL CHAMPION

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has labeled himself a “local champion” after looking back at events leading up to his victory at the state gubernatorial polls.

Wike, who spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt, explained that he’d given himself the moniker of “local champion” because he had spent all his life in Port Harcourt except when he went to Law School in Lagos.

He also described himself as the engine room of former Governor Chibuike Amaechi’s election into office but is now teaching those in Amaechi’s camp the way to play the game of politics, because “there is no polling booth in the state that I do not know or do not know anybody.”

For those who have been criticizing his emergence as governor, he said, “the fact is that I was prepared for that election.

“I was a Council Chairman. There is nowhere in this state that I do not know. There is no ward I do not know one person.

“As I sit down here, I can mention one, one person from each ward. I know the politicians in this state. I know who has strength and who does not have strength.”

The governor also said that during the course of the campaigns, “I never emaciated one day, the truth of the matter is that if you do the election 100 times in this state, I will win.”

On the sacked lecturers of Rivers State Polytechnic, Bori, Wike said that they were people who have not started work with the school at all. Credit: TheScoop

EPISTLE TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

PENDULUM BY DELE MOMODU, Email: dele.momodu@thisdaylive.com

Our dear Federal Legislators, let me start by congratulating you all on your recent victories in the elections of the various Senatorial Districts as well as Federal Constituencies of this great nation. As you know, your election is not just a private victory and the fulfilment of a personal ambition, but it is most importantly a call to national service and duty by your dear countrty.

I must also commend the peaceful and democratic manner you conducted the elections of your principal officers and how you managed the aftermath of the fallout from the controversial way the Senate President and his Deputy, as well as the Speaker and his Deputy,  pulled some veritably mysterious stunts to out-manoeuvre other gladiators. I’m a firm believer in, and an ardent advocate for, an Independent Legislature that is totally unencumbered by subterranean forces.

As you must have noticed in the past, our fellow citizens had always believed that our National Assembly has failed to live up to expectations for very obvious reasons. The first is that it is populated by an ill-assortment of politicians who may know little or nothing about what the job entails, and are just there to decorate and warm their seats, while receiving stupendous salaries and unexplainable perks of office. The second is that your predecessors spent more time away from the Chambers and devoted less time to what they were handsomely paid for. This is why many have argued and suggested that your work should be part-time, at a reduced cost. The third is that even when they were at work, your erstwhile colleagues wasted most of the time in session, to promote jejune and primordial bills and resolutions rather than the serious business of the development of the country in all its facets.

You may also not blame those who view the National Assembly as a gathering of anti-people elements who merely act as rubber-stamps to the Executive recklessness that has become the boom and bane of our long-suffering nation. We’ve watched in wonderment and amazement how so many investigative panels set up by your distinguished and honourable selves have failed to unravel and exorcise the daredevil demons milking our dear country dry. Rather many of your colleagues have become predators and accomplices to the daylight robberies with little or no attempt to curtail the malfeasance.

Indeed, as if to perpetrate the notion that being a politician in government service is a licence to plunder our haemorrhaging treasury, past legislators had budgeted mind-boggling amounts for themselves outside of that earmarked for them by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) which has led some to describe this as legitimated brigandage. What is more, the National Assembly is regarded as home to some of the most outlandishly flamboyant politicians. These personages however were far from distinguished prior to taking up their seat in the Federal legislature.  

The National Assembly has become a place where a motley crowd of politicians fight tooth and nail to get appointed into lucrative committees while lacking the pre-requisite knowledge or legislative experience to work in those committees, and what that means is an open invitation to treat. I plead with you to change this perception that will simply belittle your great efforts and onerous tasks as patriotic citizens.

Our country has indeed come a long way and as we enter the seventeenth year of our latest democratic adventure more would be expected from you. This is why I’m excited that you have well educated and widely exposed leaders at the helm of affairs. Any cursory observer would have noticed the body language of the international community who seem determined to lend support to you and ensure that you do not fail your country this time around. This renewed hope and expectation, built on the singular efforts of patriotic Nigerian Citizens who set out their stall for change, must be upheld and sustained by all means.

I have a few suggestions to make with all due respect. Please, make yours an open Legislature. You may want to tune in to the British Parliament, my favourite in the world, and watch how their affairs are conducted publicly. I love the way the Prime Minister is made to explain policies without thinking he is Lord of the Manor. A public servant is elected or appointed to serve and can never be allowed to turn his fellow citizens to slaves as seems to have been our case in times gone past. Whilst there is no possibility of replication of the weekly Prime Minister’s Question Time because of our Presidential system of government, there is ample opportunity to insist on monthly question time for Ministers and heads of important executive bodies like the NNPC, Central Bank, Security Agencies, Customs, Ports and NDDC amongst others. Nothing also stops you from engaging the President and/or his Vice periodically to asking questions similar to the media chat to which you expect that they will provide cogent answers. In essence, you must make serious and not pecuniary demands from the Executive arm of government. Anything other than this would cost you so much in terms of how you are perceived or treated, whether with disdain or deference. The choice would be yours ultimately.

You will achieve much if you are able to carry the people you represent along. They should never be kept in the dark because they sent you to Abuja to protect their interests by making laws that uphold equity and justice. Your road is going to be rough and bumpy as you can sense already. Nigeria is currently in dire straits and the people are desperately seeking ways to ameliorate the intense suffering and deprivation in the midst of plenty. This is the reason for the hullaballoo over your so-called wardrobe allowance. You seriously need to consider having a committee dedicated to feeling the pulse of the nation and responding weekly to those matters that Nigerians are complaining about, particularly those that concern the way and manner that you conduct yourselves.

I do not envy you at all as Nigerians are currently not in the mood for profligacy. You are likely to be victimised for the sins of the past and you should understand why. The past regimes frittered away the goodwill that should have accrued to you and succeeded in amassing enemies who can never see any good you do other than that you are being parasitic and sucking the nation’s resources with impunity. You would have to rebrand urgently and this won’t be easy unless you are willing to make the necessary sacrifice for the sake of Nigeria. I suggest that you borrow a leaf from what has been happening in the Presidency and some state governments.  As you may have heard the President has just ordered that 9 aircraft in the Presidential Fleet should be sold.  In some States like Kaduna and Oyo, the Governors cut the number of Commissioners from 22 to 13 to ensure visible and viable trimming of their finances.  However, if you insist you want to live in the past and continue the mistakes and misdeeds of your predecessors, heavens may fall on us all.

Our youths have become too frustrated and disillusioned. They have been empowered by the social media and can communicate and mobilise at the speed of light. They can cause so much havoc before you know it and you should therefore not treat my admonition with levity. Our country may be thrown into chaos and confusion if we do not change how politicians live larger than life. God has given you the biggest opportunity to help rebuild this nation and it can only begin when we jointly reduce the cost of governance. Anything that would exacerbate the present tension and terror in the land must be avoided at all costs.

I quite sympathise with your situation. I have friends amongst you and appreciate what they went through to win the costliest elections probably in the world. Some sold properties because we do not have a culture of receiving donations. Elections here are mostly self-financed. This is why most politicians tend to become anxious to recoup their huge investments lest they end up in bankruptcy. Also, I’m aware of the demands of your constituents and supporters who see you as their cash cows. You are forced to pay school fees, fund weddings and donate at funerals. There is no end to your spending spree, as a stingy politician is hated venomously in our clime. But you must strike a balance between what is requested and reasonably possible. It is thus a Catch 22 scenario for you because if you pay, trouble, and if you don’t, wahala!  The solution I would proffer is that you make laws that would ease the pains of our people.  Once your laws create the enabling environment for people to be in work and to be paid for working, then, the culture of dependency, on what has practically become alms giving, will be reduced and eventually eliminated. A gainfully employed person is not going to seek to fleece you.

A situation where the budget of the National Assembly would be higher than that of Health and other physical infrastructure Ministries would be difficult to justify and accept.  Apart from this, the employment savings engendered by the financial prudence which you can spearhead can be used to good effect. In the name of God and all that is good, I beg you not to ignore the dangers ahead. Nigeria has gone through so much, and is still going through a lot, in the hands of local and international terrorists, we should not add more to the volatile situation. There is no doubt that the army of unemployed Nigerians has grown beyond normal in the last couple of years. This army is readily available for the use of those determined to spread their campaign of hate and regime of fear. You can help to reduce this abnormality by reducing the cost of governance in Nigeria.

Please, permit me to explain what your sacrifice can do for the unemployed citizens. My dream for the Buhari/Osinbajo Administration is to create thousands of new entrepreneurs in our country. This is not so difficult. I twice participated in a television show called the Entrepreneur Series. It was the brainchild of a young Nigerian called Mr Goke Dokun, in 2009. This guy was only 36 at the time and his vision preceded the SURE-P project of the Jonathan Administration which was later enmeshed in ignominious controversy. Mr Dokun’s concept was well put together as he drew credible people majorly from the private sector to act as Angels and Advisors. His dream was supported and funded by ECOBANK, VISAFONE and VITAMALT. He did not have billions but we were able to create opportunities for so many Nigerians with brilliant ideas.

This is where I am going. Entrepreneurship can cost anything from as little as N50,000. Every billion you cut off from your budget and out of the overbloated operational costs of other arms of government would rescue many of our youths from the brink of lunacy and annihilation. One billion Naira would create one thousand millionaire entrepreneurs. 50 billion Naira would create 50,000 millionaires. It is as simple as ABC. Now imagine the spin-offs from this. We need to do all it takes to make this huge sacrifice and make sure we can have a more accountable SURE-P or whatever it would be called. Apart from the unity and security of our Nation, nothing is more important right now than employment generation and job creation for our youths.

There are potential Mike Adenugas, Aliko Dangotes, Rasaq Okoyas, Keem Belo-Osagies, Tony Elumelus, Abdulsamad Rabius and other such icons in Nigeria but they need some push to attain their heights. We must move away from the backward reasoning that most of the unemployed youngsters would by a stroke of miracle get sucked into some offices one day. The truth is many would have to come up with workable business plans and set up their own companies. Nigerians are naturally brilliant and smart but they need the start-up funds to energise their superlative talents.

You can encourage these geniuses by galvanising the much needed economic revolution that would catapult our nation to the next level through your benevolent sacrifice.  Believe me, God will bless you and bless our nation more through your singular vision.

The world is watching and waiting.