MY WORRIES ABOUT MUHAMMADU BUHARI

MY WORRIES.

Yes, continuity in government has to do with inheriting both assets and liabilities, but I am worried that the Gen. Muhammadu Buhari led government will inherit decayed assets & monumental liabilities, if the mischievous moves of the PDP to rig President Jonathan back to office fails.

To mention a few.

GMB will inherit the ongoing dastard activities of the dreaded terrorist group, that has ransacked communities and killed thousand of Nigerians.

GMB led government will inherit the alarming rate of unemployment and abject poverty, which has promoted criminality in the past 16years of the PDP rule.

GMB led government will inherit the erratic nature of power supply, which has made notable indigenous and multinational companies leave the country, and also affecting small and medium scale businesses.

GMB led government will inherit a nearly collapsed Banking sector, battered Security Exchange Commission and a Nigerian Stock Exchange in shambles, where the value of stocks is nothing to write about.

GMB led government will inherit decayed refineries and a militants monitored oil pipelines, where rate of production is below 10 on a scale of 100 and an inevitable militants orchestrated monumental post election damages.

GMB led government will inherit decayed educational facilities, after the incumbent administration claimed to have constructed 13 tertiary institutions while existing ones remain underfunded.

GMB led government will inherit dilapidated roads, after the incumbent administration claimed to have constructed over 25,000km of roads across the Nigerian state.

GMB led government will inherit a poor functioning Aviation Industry with decayed airport infrastructures, and where financial misappropriation is the order of the day.

GMB led government will inherit a low produced Agricultural sector, where over N6B was spent to procure mobile phones for Farmers and another billions was event to provide farmers with fertilizer, this has not reduced the price of food stuffs, instead there is a continual increase.

GMB led government  will inherit the ongoing ethnographic and religious sentiments which is capable of pushing our country into extinction, as promoted by the incumbent administration.

GMB led government will inherit a politicized Judicial system and a corrupt Armed forces, a product of the incumbent administration.

GMB led government will inherit a battered image of our heritage before the international community and a weak Naira.

Mark my words, Nigerians will suffer like never before, if President Jonathan is rigged back to office.

Sulaiman Kazeem
@KazeemDiary
sulaimanadeshina@yahoo.com

I wouldn't insult Buhari instead I QUIT- Mu'azu to Jonathan

“I Won’t Insult Buhari, Instead I Quit” – PDP Chair Mu’azu To Jonathan Campaign

The recent murmurings within the ruling party of Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] over the supposed abrupt resignation of the national chairman, Alhaji Mu’azu may have not been completely false as reported by the PDP in their press release earlier today [Thursday March 12, 2015]. Information available to 247ureports.com obtained from a competent source near the PDP national chairman indicates that the national chairman had announced his resignation to the leadership of the Jonathan presidential campaign team following a heated ‘argument’ over the new campaign strategy adopted by the PDP presidential campaign team – and his unwillingness to play along. Available information reveals that Muazu was asked to resign from the seat of PDP national chairman because he refused to join “the train of those insulting Buhari”. And, according to our source who spoke to Muazu yesterday, the embattled PDP chairman was willing to walk away from the seat if the PDP insist of having him resign over his unwillingness to be critical of Buhari. “If PDP wants me out, I am ready to throw the cap away”. The members of the presidential campaign team had agreed to pep up their campaign strategy in a manner to go after the integrity of the All Progressive Congress [APC] presidential candidate, Malam Mohammadu Buhari and to expose the possible skeletons that may exist inside his closet – but the national chairman of the PDP – who was reported to be in agreement with the frontal approach on the APC top boss, Bola Tinubu – was however not in agreement with such approach being adopted for the presidential flag bearer. “He called their bluff” said a source within the PDP national working committee. The PDP did not anticipate Muazu’s eagerness to throw in the towel and accept his sack in defiance to their request of him to be critical and vocal against Buhari. “It caught them by surprise and they had to do a retreat away from their demand for him to resign”. The PDP presidential campaign team are not willing to undergo the crisis that the resignation of its national chairman would generate. For this reason, the PDP backpedalled quickly with an apology to the national chairman. It took the intervention of the Emir of Bauchi, Malam Adamu for the national chairman to consider the apology tendered by the PDP presidential team. The emir of Bauchi had been the spiritual godfather and a significant political influence to Alhaji Muazu through his political career. So much so that it is believed that Adamu was responsible for Muazu’s second tenure while he served as the governor of Bauchi state. It is also gathered from a source with the PDP presidential campaign office in Asokoro that the national chairman may have had other more sinister reasons for his refusal to be critical of the APC presidential candidate. Muazu, according to gathered information, was in ‘closed door’ negotiations with the President over certain demands against the electoral season of 2019. Muazu had wanted commitments from President Jonathan that he would be presented at the PDP presidential candidate in 2019. He wanted for the President to dump his vice president, Namadi Sambo – and to endorse him for the 2019 presidential race. President Jonathan was reported to not having heeded to the request by the national chairman. Instead, President told him to play his role as the national chairman – and allow the political dice to roll naturally to the 2019 electoral season. This did not sit well with the national chairman who expected to blackmail the President into signing a deal in exchange for his support. For this reason, the national chairman resolved to remain a docile participate in the 2015 presidential campaign exercise. Security reports available to the presidency point to ‘fuzzy’ activities around the national chairman pertaining to possible anti-party activities. Insiders within the presidency suspect Muazu to be hobnobbing with the opposition party – in exchange for a prearranged deal. But the information has yet to be conclusively verified. Presently, the seat of the national chairman of PDP hangs in limbo. It remains unsure if the President will pull the trigger and let Muazu out the door. What is clear however is the concerted effort mounted by concerned stakeholders to ensure the unwanted crisis is muted completely. What may be irreversible is the possible stain on the continued chairmanship of Muazu – as a true PDP patriot and a Jonathan ally.

SENATOR DAVID MARK LED SENATE AND CONFIRMATION OF SEN. MUSILIU OBANIKORO MINISTERIAL BID

SENATOR DAVID MARK LED SENATE AND CONFIRMATION OF SEN. MUSILIU  OBANIKORO MINISTERIAL BID.

 It is on record that the ministerial nomination of Senator Musiliu Obanikoro by President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was the first time in the history of Nigeria, when well meaning and non-partisan citizens, some respected members of the ruling party will express their displeasure for a ministerial nomination and so also the major opposition party did nothing than to go haywire by ensuring that a man with pending court cases hanging on his neck like gold plated shackles is not returned as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Unarguably, the evil that men do live after them; this is the case of Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro. An excerpt from the Nigerian archive gives a reminder that Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro was opportuned to have been  appointed as Caretaker Committee Chairman of Surulere Local Government on the platform of National Republican Convention where financial corrupt cases were traced to his coffer and abuse of office was the order of the day. Inspite of this, he was later elected as the State Deputy Chairman on the same platform with the hope that self aggrandizement and abuse of office will not repeat itself thereby forgetting that the hood does not make the monk. Sen. Musiliu Olatunde was appointed by Governor Michael Otedola’s administration as a Director, LASBULK (Lagos State Bulk Purchasing Corporation), and member, Lagos State Football Association. He served at different capacity as a Delegate to Local Government Congress, State Congress, and National Convention. He was also the Chairman, Lagos Island Local Government where he was reported to have masterminded the magnanimous conflagration that consumed the Lagos Island City Hall building in order to submerge his financial misappropriation but the said plan was aborted as he was still made to appear before the court of law to answer questions that bothers on abuse of office, in addition Sen. Musiliu  Obanikoro as national Executive member, Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) under the military government of General Sani Abacha was also a beneficiary of the government that was marred by a monumental financial misappropriation and gross abuse of office.

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro was appointed State Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture in 1999 and served for four years before he was elected senator for Lagos Central in April 2003, under the Alliance for Democracy (AD). During the election, each political party accused the other of hijacking ballot boxes but was later affirmed to have been orchestrated by Obanikoro. He was unable to achieve anything as a serving senator than the empowerment of his street vultrons. On his pursuits to key into the ruling party for protection from legal actions, he later defected to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and was later appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as a member of the 2004 Amirul-Hajj Committee, as a kickback for his defection to PDP. In July 2006, Engineer Funsho Williams seeking to become PDP candidate for the Lagos State governorship election, was gruesomely murdered, with indications that it could have been orchestrated by either Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro considering his frightening desperation for the PDP governorship ticket for the ruling party in Lagos State, which prompted the Nigeria Police investigating the case to have arrested all gubernatorial aspirants of his party including him, but were all later released after a futile investigation.

In April 2007, Hilda Williams, widow of the murdered Engineer Funsho Williams, had earlier been declared winner of the Lagos PDP gubernatorial primaries, but the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC) led by Ahmadu Ali gave the governorship ticket to Obanikoro.  He contested for governor of Lagos State on the PDP controversial ticket, but lost the violence marred election to Babatunde Fashola of the Action Congress. The disunited PDP under Chief Bode George, an ex-convict also lost the Lagos State Senate and all but one House of Representatives and 37 State House of Assembly seats to the Action Congress (AC).   President Umaru Yar'Adua appointed Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro as Nigeria High commissioner to Ghana in May 2008, as compensation for his governorship loss to Babatunde Fashola, he was later appointed as Minister for State on Defense by President Goodluck  Jonathan as a compensation for his much anticipated defeat by Gov. Babatunde Raji Fashola at the 2011 gubernatorial election after a campaign that was believed to have been characterized by hooliganism and without a spell of strategic plans for the people of Lagos.

It is no gain saying that, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro’s ministerial position paid off for the ruling party in elections conducted in Ekiti and Osun State respectively, as the Minister for State for Defense was successful in deploying armed forces for the elections in order to achieve hidden interest which was later exposed to the public in a released tape which indicted himself and his co-plotters that orchestrated the Ekiti election rigging. Interestingly, his strategic rigging of Ekiti gubernatorial election produced Ayodele Fayose who is also standing a case in the court of law based on his eligibility to contest the Ekiti Governorship position, having being previously impeached in office for abuse of office and financial misappropriations.           Unfortunately for the ruling party, the Osun State governorship election could not go the Ekiti pattern even with the deployment of masked armed men of the State Security Service (SSS) on the orders from Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro. There was coarse resistance from the people of the State who seems not ready to vote a candidate with corrupt and murder cases hanging on his neck like gold shackles. The State and national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), work harder for the reelection of Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola as the Governor of the State of OSun, though the victory was challenged by his opponent, Sen. Iyiola Omisore but was later discarded by the Election petition tribunal that sited in Osun State, Nigeria.

Despite several allegations of his role in the Ekiti State gubernatorial election rigging and the earlier mentioned cases hanging on Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro’s neck like a diamond coated shackles and further clipped to his legs like metal chains, the Sen. David Mark led Nigerian Senate on Wednesday, confirmed Sen. Musiliu  Obanikoro as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as the PDP members of the Nigerian Senate allowed Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro to “take a bow and go” without answering questions, in a well rehearsed and staged session, under the pretence of the privilege reserved for former Federal lawmakers. Before Wednesday’s confirmation, It was reported that the Nigerian Senate had deferred the approval of Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro’s  nomination as a minister after he was alleged recently in a leaked tape that sparked national outrage, where he confirmed been working on President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan instruction on the Ekiti State governorship election rigging in 2014.

Conclusively, it is no news that Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro was propelled to sponsor a protest which was staged and led by young and unemployed youths carrying placards with bold anti-APC inscriptions in the Lagos metropolis, the protest was aimed at neutralizing the counter position of the major opposition party who were hell bent to stall his confirmation by the Nigerian Senate but unfortunately for Nigerians who registered their displeasure for Sen. Obanikoro’s nomination, the Nigerian Senate proceeded with the confirmation on Wednesday 11 March 2015 and this was immediately followed by a Sen. Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon led All Progressives Congress Senators staged a walkout from the session. Ever since then, the decision of the Sen. David Mark led Senate to confirm the ministerial nomination of Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro by President Goodluck Jonathan has successfully raised the dust to the horizon leaving Nigerians with a lost hope for our ailing democracy and the fear of unknown for our unborn cities.

A country that has no respect for the opinions and views of her people can never grow her democracy, for democracy is all about the people and the people alone.

Sulaiman Kazeem

sulaimanadeshina@yahoo.com

@KazeemDiary

Three policemen and a lady was shot dead, as robbers evade the First City Monumental Bank, Admiralty way Lekki, Lagos.

Three policemen and a fish seller were killed on Thursday by a gang of robbers who stormed the First City Monument Bank on Admiralty Way in Lekki, Lagos State.

It was learnt that the robbers, numbering 13 arrived the bank wearing military uniform and shooting sporadically for about 30 minutes.

Eyewitnesses claimed that the robbers, who were armed with   Ak-47 guns   gained entrance into the bank after overpowering the security men.

One of the witnesses claimed that before entering the bank, the gunmen shot at a police van stationed close to the bank.

The policemen, according to him,   engaged them in a crossfire and in the process three of them( policemen) died. A fish seller was said to have been killed by a stray bullet in the incident which happened around 5pm.

[/media-credit] A relative and mother of a fish seller killed by the bandits

PUNCH Metro gathered that several other persons also sustained gunshot injuries.

But another witness claimed that the policemen were escorting an oil service company staff bus when they ran into the bandits.

He said, “The policemen were in a patrol van escorting a bus belonging to an oil company when the armed robbers sighted and shot them dead.”

One of the eyewitnesses, Kola Alade, who abandoned his car and fled the scene, said other policemen in the van fled.

He said, “They were shooting non-stop for about 30 minutes, I saw a policeman and two others persons on the floor with blood gushing out of them. Some policemen tried to engage them, but the robbers were very brutal. They eventually robbed the bank.”

Another eyewitness said he saw seven members of the gang wearing life jackets.

He said, “It was like we were in battlefield. I was shaking where I hid. They escaped in a speed boat .”

A worker of the bank, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to do so , described the attack as unfortunate.

[/media-credit] a damaged door

He, however, said he could not ascertain whether the robbers were able to cart some money away .

He said, “I do not have the details of the incident now. I was not even around when it happened. It was very unfortunate. I do not know whether they stole money or not. The head of Corporate Affairs Department of the bank is not in the country now to comment on it.”

The FCMB spokesperson, Louis Ibe, could not be reached for comment.

But the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed that three policemen were shot dead while trying to contain the robbers.

He said, “Three policemen who stood gallantly defending the facility were killed in the process. Investigation has already commenced and we have launched a serious manhunt on the robbers. We will ensure that we trace their hideout and track them down.”

Some readers, who commented onLindaikejiblog, narrated their experiences of the robbery.

One anonymous wrote, “Just passed through that way…Gosh…C dem washing blood off d road….pple in tears….May God accept their souls

Another   reader wrote, “I was there and I saw the Nigerian police armed, but always siting like they are on holiday. Nigerian police please wake up and always be on the alert. Stop chasing okada riders and danfo drivers . Be alert, robbers are always around . Now, you all have left your loved ones because you didn’t act gallant. RIP.

[/media-credit] Looted ATM

On Nairaland.com, a member, Shamah wrote, “Exactly around 4.52pm today (Thursday), I heard gunshots along Admiralty Way, Lekki phase 1, Lagos, as suspected armed robbers attacked one of the banks along the street.

“Everyone around had to run for their lives as no one knows where the bullets will land. Even the Lekki-Ikoyi Toll gate was on a stop.

“Watching from my rooftop, I saw people coming out of their vehicles by the toll gate and running for their lives. The shooting lasted for more than 20mins. All I hear now is police sirens everywhere around.”

Highlights of many Lootings of the PDP - APC

Highlights Of The Many Lootings Of PDP ~ APC

Being the text of a Press Conference by the APC Presidential Campaign Council’s Director of Media and Communications, Mallam Garba Shehu, on 10th March 2015 at the APC Presidential Campaign Office, Abuja.

Gentlemen of the Press,

We are pleased to welcome all of you to this Press Conference where we intend to focus on some unfolding trends in our dear country. You are aware that recently our Presidential flag bearer, General Muhammadu Buhari was at the Chatham House, London and gave a speech on his vision for Nigeria if elected President in the forthcoming Presidential election. Even as a nation with statistics such as in the case of 33.1% of Nigerians living in extreme poverty, and almost 60% of the youth unemployed, General Buhari bemoaned the current state of things, more so as the poor will be ‘disproportionately impacted’. Following from the above, General Buhari identified two ills that have characterised the Jonathan administration as ‘waste and corruption’.

In that elucidating speech he successfully proffered workable solutions to pull the country from the brink.

You are all aware that the speech is now in the public domain.

On contemporary national issues we wish to draw the attention of well-meaning Nigerians to the deceit, squandermania and looting associated with this administration:

1. East-West Road:

It is on record that work started on the road in 2006, under former President Obasanjo but due to the activities of Niger Delta militants then, was stopped midway and the initial contractor Julius Berger left the site. In 2009, work was restarted on the road, this time to be handled by 3 construction firms to hasten its completion by 2011 as anticipated. It is pertinent to note that appropriations were made for the construction in 2009 and 2010, but after Yar’Adua’s death work stopped on the road and money set aside was diverted. I have gone to this length to illustrate to you that the construction of this road has lingered due to the lack-lustre approach of the Jonathan administration.

Their initial promise to complete the road by 2013 never materialised and till today the East-West road is yet to be completed.

2. Second Niger Bridge

Contrary to the strident efforts of the Jonathan team to assure the people of the South East that the Second Niger Bridge has been awarded and now under construction, the truth is that the PDP administration is only deceiving the people. If you may remember, President Jonathan anchored his 2011 campaign in the South East on the construction of the Second Niger Bridge, but four years down the line, we are now realising that the bridge is still at the drawing board table and may not be realised after all under Jonathan. We recall that the money set aside for the project was channelled into the Presidential election of President Goodluck Jonathan. The main problem with the Second Niger Bridge and which the Jonathan administration has failed to respond to is why public private partnership should be adopted in constructing the bridge at triple the real cost, whereas government is in a position to bear the full cost, more so as the project falls under the social contract between the government and the people. If this arrangement is not reversed, and the Federal Government takes full responsibility for the funding, the implication is that the South East people will perennially remain at the mercy of the investors for a period not limited to 25 years in the first instance.

3. Women’s Rights and Participation in Government

Gentlemen of the Press, so much has been said about General Muhammadu Buhari not having women in the scheme of things, but I hereby wish to quote him:

“I will recognise and protect women empowerment and gender equality with special emphasis on economic activities in the rural areas”. He went further to say and I quote: “Women all over the world are playing an ever increasing role in moving their nations forward both in and outside government.” “In keeping with the times, my government will ensure that Nigerian women are given the opportunity to rise and play an even more prominent role in moving our great nation forward.”

From the above quotes, one can easily read the mind of General Muhammadu Buhari, at least to show that he is not a male chauvinist, and he has a definite and robust programme for women if elected President.

4. Corruption:

Corruption as many Nigerians will agree is the major hindrance to our National Development, and General Buhari with a sterling record of fighting corruption will spare no effort in ensuring that Nigerians have value for their commonwealth.

To underscore the importance which His Excellency, General Buhari attaches to the cankerworm known as corruption, permit me to paraphrase a portion of his speech at the recent visit to Chatham House London: “On corruption, there will be no confusion as to where I stand. Corruption will have no place and the corrupt will not be appointed into my administration. First and foremost, we will plug the holes in the budgetary process. Revenue producing entities such as NNPC and Customs and Excise will have one set of books only. Their revenues will be publicly disclosed and regularly audited. The institutions of state dedicated to fighting corruption will be given independence and prosecutorial authority without political interference.” Suffice it to say that openness in employment will be the norm under a Buhari presidency, unlike the current arrangement where you need a godfather/godmother, and sometimes you need to gratify government officials to get employment. Only recently over 300 staff were recruited by the National Universities Commission without due process and transparency.

Mrs Buhari, as First Lady will not be in the habit of having agents in MDAs for the purpose of collecting kickbacks and gratifications for her.

5. Insecurity:

The devastating effect of the Boko Haram insurgency in the NorthEast, and general insecurity pervading the land is an issue that has continued to bewilder our people. But we all know that were it not for the lax attitude of our government, the insurgency would not have continued to fester as we have it today. On security, here is his response in his speech at the Chatham House: “Let me assure you that if I am elected President, the world will have no cause to worry about Nigeria as it has had to recently; that Nigeria will return to its stabilising role in West Africa; and that no inch of Nigerian territory will ever be lost to the enemy because we will pay special attention to the welfare of our soldiers in and out of service, we will give them adequate and modern arms and ammunitions to work with, we will improve intelligence gathering.”

6. South East

Recall that some German partners were to be engaged to build standard airports across the country including Enugu but by along the line. Jonathan discarded the plan. Today, what is being trumpeted at as Enugu International Airport is a shoddy job done through direct labour and at inflated cost.

To further demonstrate that President Jonathan has serially failed the South East, we want to put it on record that late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had commenced and indeed reached an advanced stage in the dredging of River Niger, and construction of Onitsha seaport. Regrettably this was again truncated by Jonathan as till today the seaport which is expected to promote economic development in the region and beyond is yet to take off and the dredging stopped.

In conclusion, we wish to restate General Buhari’s total commitment to the peaceful coexistence of all Nigerians, as well as to the growth and nurturing of democracy in our land. He is also committed to the peace pact which he co-signed with President Jonathan, and shall indeed use any available forum to impress on his followers on the need for the path of peace at all times. And this is in spite of serial violations of the latter by the other side. Above all, General Buhari and his administration would practice and promote politics of nationalism, patriotism, character, equity, accountability, religious/ethnic tolerance, morality, justice and fairness and service to humanity.

It is therefore important that the PDP and its campaigners refrain from throwing invectives at our candidate. Than

 you for listening.

Tinubu's records trumps his detractors Sunday Dare

Tinubu's records trumps his detractors.  Sunday dare

Reading Shaka Momodu’s diatribe against former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu entitled ‘The Flawed Progressive’ in a ThisDay opinion column recently, one must extend the deepest sympathies to Momodu. The man’s soul has vanished, yet he writes this shameless piece to announce to the entire world that his soul has not died but that he merely sold it. Good for him. I hope he received a hefty payment. No matter the cost, the man lost something money cannot buy.

Shaka’s piece is a classic case of a journalist who needs urgent help. He writes like one on furlough from the institution. No trained professional hand, cultivated and lucid mind would have lent his name to such a puerile piece. His analysis showcases his disdain for rigour. 

The rigmarole in his arguments exposes the hollowness of the write up. His piece on Bola Tinubu exposes him to be not what he claimed to be; a journalist and writer. Bereft of what constitutes a logical and commonsense analysis, Shaka exposed his hand in a piece that is not only in bad taste but a sponsored hatchet job, ill-timed, ill-motivated and ill-advised.

Of course, Shaka’s right to write whatever he feels like writing cannot be begrudged. However, he must reckon with the fact that there is a wide gulf between responsible journalism and malicious fiction. Shaka has fallen into that gulf and from what we can see, it appears he has allowed himself to drown in it as well. His attempt to cast Tinubu as something other than a progressive is like a man who had bought the wrong size of shoes and was struggling to fit the shoes in because he must wear it at all cost.

Let us look at how the World Wide Web defined the word “Progressive”: ‘Favoring or promoting progress, advancing, forward looking, and forward thinking. A person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties.’

Looking at the definition above, Shaka Momodu knew he was treading on thin ice. Yet, for lucre, he took on the ugly assignment. He had been recruited to disparage the person of Asiwaju. And he attacked the job like a hungry but enfeebled hyena without any teeth. Thus, he made the hyena noises but barely barked and for all the words, he never truly showed any bite. He therefore tried to set up Tinubu by first lavishing him with false praise. He asserted that the man is held in high esteem and loved by many. Shaka, the hatchet man, used his initial effusive praise to feign to be a balanced columnist but his intention was clear; to attack the person of Tinubu, not with hard facts but innuendo and claptrap. Remember the saying; “A lie oft repeated tends to be taken as the gospel truth by many.”

Continuing with his piece, Shaka went ahead to tell his readers how Tinubu was liked and hated by many, but he failed to tell us was how he arrived at his myopic conclusion. Was any survey conducted to determine the level of love and acceptability of the person of Asiwaju Tinubu, or otherwise? What people like Shaka and his ilk do is to create an impression, albeit a false one, that they are speaking as a representative of the people. What they will not say, however, is that they are sponsored by those in the ruling party afraid of the growing stature of Asiwaju Tinubu in the national space. That Tinubu is hated is true. What reformer is not hated by the guardians of the status quo? Thus, in trying too hard to prove his point, Shaka refuted it. The issue is not whether Tinubu is hated but by whom and for what reason. Those who don’t want equality and change hate him. Those who want it like him. Tinubu is one of the few Nigerian politicians who can walk freely among the people and also who likes to do so. Can the same be said of those hiding behind the high walls of Aso Villa?

The truth is the PDP never gave the APC a chance to survive as they wrongly assumed that key APC figures were like them and would place personal ambitions above national purpose. But now that the PDP have been caught unawares, they are flailing like drowning minnows, sponsoring men like Shaka, who, afflicted by the infamous Stockholm syndrome, will for a morsel, write anything and tell any lie to stay alive.

Factuality and verification is not their concern, rather their pocket determines what they do. At this time, when Nigerians should be glad that we have a viable opposition, some mercenary Nigerians will, for a little pay, do anything to malign personalities for no reason but to taste of the crumbs of the feast of the powerful and cruel.

He started to bare his fangs and showed his true intent when he attacked Tinubu’s intellectual accomplishments and what comes to my mind is, “Does Shaka have an ‘Intellectual Meter’ to measure how intelligent Tinubu is?” For one, I doubt if a mind that is less than cerebral can rise to become the Chief Treasurer of any oil giant of Mobil’s size and global reputation. But as earlier noted, Shaka just had to throw in a lot of mud with the hope that some will stick. Tinubu has never laid claim to being the present day Awolowo. In fact, he is on record to have said, “I have read Awolowo in several books, and he is our hero and mentor, but I cannot but be Bola Tinubu. I can only tread the path of Awolowo, without his shoes. I don’t know his size, I can’t step into his shoes because they are either bigger or smaller, and his image and legacy are bigger than me. I can only use and share the vision. He went away with his shoes and his cap but he left a legacy, a vision.”

Here is one thing that is unassailable. When the PDP used hook, crook, ladder, hammer and nail to monopolize the South-West, Tinubu and Lagos stood as the lone survivor of these machinations. Had Tinubu fallen, the PDP would have swept the South West in its entirety and would have made a substantial down payment toward its objective for a One-Party State. However, Tinubu did not crumble. Not only did he hold ground, he used that foothold to claim more space for progressive politicians.

From Ekiti, Osun, Edo, Oyo and Ogun came into the progressive camp. Would Shaka dare say that governors Fashola, Aregbesola, Fayemi, Oshiomhole, Ajimobi, Amosun are not progressives? In politics, as in other things, the fruit falls not far from the tree. Since these fruits are progressive, then the tree from which they appear must be likewise for a mango cannot be grown of an orange tree or a cashew of a lemon tree.

Tinubu has the ability to fight any battle he believes in. When the South West crumbled to the garrison politics of the PDP, Tinubu was the only man standing and that eventually made him a rallying point for the Progressives across the country.

Even ThisDay Newspapers, Shaka’s original employers, recognized Tinubu as their “Man of the Year, 2013″ and ascribed to him the “Man who re-built the Nigerian opposition.” I trust that the judgement of your paper was a sound and timely one and it was fully independent.

Tinubu has earned his place of honor in Nigerian history. He is the single person most responsible for preventing the creation of a one-party state and thus the person most responsible for salvaging Nigeria’s democracy from the PDP dictatorial inclinations. No other politician can boast of such a progressive achievement, particularly none in the PDP. 

The trajectory of his leadership skills is well documented. As Governor of Lagos, despite being starved of legitimate funds by the Obasanjo government, Tinubu dug deep and as a result of his resourcefulness and due to his shrewdness, Lagos state was the only state in Nigeria that could and can survive and even thrive without federal allocation. If that is not an achievement, then one must change the definition of the word.

He ensured that Lagos became financially buoyant because he achieved a massive increase in the states internally generated revenue. Few men in politics can compare to Tinubu’s depth and expert use of words, certainly not the current President. Tinubu has mastered and understands the power of words and ideas. Meanwhile Shaka and those who pay him have no idea what an idea is.

Another oft used but tired accusation used to accuse the Asiwaju and his party is that it lacks internal democracy. There are no hard and fast rules as to how candidates can emerge in a political party. Consensus, the last time I checked, has been a way by which parties in Nigeria chose candidates so as to limit acrimony and other negative fallout of primary elections. The PDP uses it a lot in picking their candidates and come out to conduct phony primaries but to appear democratic.

Shaka will do well to follow the Ekiti gubernatorial elections currently in the pipeline. The PDP has tried very hard to arrive at a consensus candidate and I fail to see how that is a problem.

Accusing Tinubu of handpicking candidates is lowly hypocrisy. Was Oluremi Tinubu duly qualified to run for the Senate? Should being the wife of the biggest opposition figure in the country deny her of her constitutional right? Why is Bill Clinton’s head not on the chopper because his wife first became a Senator, later a Presidential candidate and later US Secretary of State? Because in America, your right as a citizen cannot be mortgaged because of your association by marriage, religion or other non-violent persuasions. I dare say that Oluremi Tinubu is doing a better job in her constitutional duties as a senator than Patience Jonathan is doing making a mockery of her unconstitutional role as first lady.

Tinubu did not get to where he is today by accident. Here is a man, who at great risk to his life, withstood the brutal Abacha and his goons and ultimately was forced into exile to avoid certain death. He is not without flaws, as only God is flawless. But as a man, his achievements are numerous and for all to see. When Tinubu became the governor of Lagos State, the state was internationally known as the dirtiest city in the world. Lagos has been improved, cleaned and made better. Take a drive round Lagos metropolis today and judge for yourself. At the end of his two terms, while the PDP gave Nigerians Yar’Adua, then Jonathan, Tinubu gifted Lagosians with one of the best administrators in Babatunde Fashola.

Tinubu has done excellently. The people of the Southwest recognize that but for his astuteness, courage, presence of mind and commitment to a better society the Southwest would have been overrun by the destructive and negative force called the PDP and other reactionary elements. These are days when most journalists are pliable, so the likes of Shaka come a dime in a dozen. Shaka’s piece is one fit for the trash. Tinubu has earned his accolade and his work speaks for him. Any wonder that anytime he talks, the entire PDP machinery starts to fall apart? Shaka, better go get a broom. You’ll need it!

Sunday Dare is the special Adviser on Media to Bola Ahmedy-

Obanikoro's thugs assaulted Sen. Oluremi Tinubu

The controversial screening and clearing of Musiliu Obanikoro by the PDP wing of the Senate took an ugly turn when minutes after the Senate session, an aide of Obanikoro charged at Senator Oluremi Tinubu as the Senators filed out.

The bulky aide to Obanikoro pointed at Senator Tinubu as if to shake her. Instead he challenged her for being vehemently opposed to Obanikoro’s Ministerial clearance earlier.

He continued to raise his voice in anger, while Senator Tinubu kept her calm and stood her ground. Suddenly, he attempted to charge at her to attack her but for the timely intervention of a few Senators who cautioned Obanikoro’s aide who exhibited traits of political thuggery. Annoyed by the event, Senator Babafemi Ojudu twitted his condemnation of such act of thuggery Obanikoro’s aide demonstrated.

Senator Tinubu was outspoken on the floor against the dishonorable clearance of Obanikoro. She walked out with other APC Senators in protest.

Consumer thirst to consume imported products threatens local manufacturers.

Nigerians’ preference for imported goods may abort the nation’s dream of becoming self-reliant, Anna Okon writes

Growth in the manufacturing sector shrank by 19.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, according to recent data published by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. In addition to the unbearable cost of production, some manufacturers have attributed the poor growth in the sector to consumers’ lack of confidence in locally produced items and their preference for imported products.

Sometime last year, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, complained about traders affixing foreign labels to bags containing local rice. The minister said marketers were giving the excuse that if the product carried local labels, Nigerians would not buy them.

Last week, a Lagos-based Chinese manufacturer told our correspondent that marketers instructed him to print “made in Japan” on the cartons of his products. He said they told him that Nigerians would refuse to patronise them if the products had Nigerian labels on them.

Most manufacturers have lamented the devastating effect the preference for imported items is having on the local manufacturing industry.

One of them, Ronald Ofegbu, said, “Nigerians are obsessed with imported items. This is the reason why we spend huge sums of money importing everything, even simple items like toothpicks and matches that we manufacture locally.

Most Nigerian consumers just love products with foreign labels.”

Also, at a recent security seminar, Securex 2015, participants commented on the country’s penchant for importing security measures, noting that it was a very unhealthy method of fighting insecurity in Nigeria.

Speaking at the seminar, the administrator of Occupational Safety and Health Association, a non-profit organization, Mr. Emmanuel Uwalaka, said it was improper to spend huge sums of money on importation of closed circuit television cameras and security gadgets from the United States for Nigerian security operations. He stated that in spite of the large sums invested in CCTV cameras for the Federal Capital Territory, those cameras had not been very effective in capturing vital footages that could be relied upon for security purposes because the importers did not take basic factors into consideration, such as the environment and the nature of the equipment.

He said, “We can’t use the security measures of the West to solve Nigeria’s security problems. For instance, people don’t plant bombs underneath their cars in Nigeria but everywhere you go, you see people using scanning machines underneath people’s cars. These methods are not effective because they were not designed for us.”

The Chairman of MOMAS Electric Meters Manufacturing Company Limited, Mr. Kola Balogun, regretted that Nigeria’s preoccupation with importation was doing a lot of harm to the local manufacturing sector.

Balogun, who spoke during the visit of the team from the Bank of Industry to his factory, expressed concerns that the country was too comfortable just importing items while the zeal to support local industry was waning.

He said his company had developed some world-class products to provide post-paid and prepaid electricity meters using the latest technologies in design and production.

Balogun added that his company was a firm believer in the local content policy of the Federal Government saying that the country needed to develop policies to encourage indigenous firms.

He said all his raw materials and personnel were locally sourced while young Nigerians were employed and trained to handle sensitive operations in the metering company.

“We have invested a lot of resources in our people through training and retraining. Some of our engineers have been trained in India and the United States to ensure that they compete favourably with their counterparts anywhere in the world,” Balogun said.

But he noted that it was still a challenge competing with foreign firms who had been given the necessary support by their home government.

He said, “We find it hard to compete favourably in the area of pricing if we have to go by international pricing index. When it comes to exports, most countries subsidise most companies that export products from their countries but we have a peculiar case in Nigeria.

“If electricity passing through this area is used on our equipment, most of them will be damaged. So we don’t depend on public power supply. We spend a lot generating power and that adds to the cost of production. The devaluation of the naira has also made it impossible for us to be at par with our foreign counterparts in terms of pricing.

“What needs to be defined in the local content act is that priority should be given to Nigerian companies that are competent and have capacity to deliver valuable services.

Balogun added, “We have developed smart and rugged technology as well as integrated circuit and silicon conductors and we are confident that with enough encouragement, we will be able to advance in our technology to ensure that we produce meters that can calculate load of consumers.

He stated that the meters produced by the company were of international standards but said the company was not getting the desired recognition and patronage.

He said, “These are the issues we are dealing with currently but I know the government is trying to sign the local content policy into law and that will give us a lot of leverage.

The Group Managing Director, Western Metal Products Company Limited, Robert Tung, called for increased tariff on imported products as a way of discouraging imports and also protecting local content.

Tung, who said his company had been in existence in Nigeria for the past 50 years, added that his products were of the highest quality but distributors usually insist that he puts foreign names on them.

He urged Nigerians to be proud of the items that were manufactured locally and advised government to discourage people from always looking for imported goods saying that some of the imported items were of low quality.

He also charged the government with embarking on an advocacy campaign that emphasises the ‘made in Nigeria’ brand.

Tung, whose company produces high quality tiles, wire rods and all sizes of nails, said the former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, had insisted on writing “made in Ogun State, Nigeria” on bags containing nails. But some Nigerians did not like that, so he added some Chinese inscriptions on the bags.

Reacting, the Managing Director, Bank of Industry, Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, also frowned on the practice of Nigerians who were obsessed with foreign products. He attributed the attitude to inferiority complex saying, “I think we need to get over this inferiority complex among our citizens. A product that is made in Nigeria to the highest standard should make us proud, as opposed to longing for a made in China kind of product.

“It is an orientation that we need to change and I am hopeful that as more and more companies begin to try some of these products and realise that they are made in Nigeria, more and more people will feel comfortable.”

The BoI MD noted that there were indigenous companies that were manufacturing products to international standard and that with such companies as SecureID, Wempco and Memmcol, there was no justification for looking outside for products that could be manufactured locally.

He said, “The Nigerian company, SecureID, is among the most modern card manufacturing facilities in the world. So we do not have any justification for importing cards anymore in this country.

“Memmcol also has a very modern prepaid and post-paid meter manufacturing facility. So we don’t have any need to import.

“I think we need to find a way to support these companies. This is for me the most practical way of creating jobs in this country. If we begin to support companies like these, they will grow and hire more people.”

Investment inflow into Nigeria drops to $20.75B- NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday released the capita importation report for the 2014 fiscal year.

It stated that the amount of capital brought into the country dropped by $576.61m or 2.66 per cent from $21.31bn (N4.21tn) in 2013 to $20.75bn (about N4.1tn) in 2014.

The bureau in the report, which was made available to our correspondent attributed the decline in the amount of investment attracted by the economy to low level of investors’ confidence owing to the build-up to the 2015 elections.

Specifically, it said compared to the fourth quarter investment of N4.49bn, which the economy attracted, a sharp decline of $2.04bn or 31.22 per cent was recorded from the value of $6.54bn that was recorded in the third quarter.

It said, “Capital worth a total of $4.49bn was imported to Nigeria in the fourth quarter of 2014, bucking the upward trend that had been observed throughout the preceding quarters of 2014. A sharp decline of $2.04bn or 31.22 per cent was recorded from the value of $6.54bn that was recorded in the preceding quarter, which represented the peak value for the year.

“Despite this, the closing quarter of the year 2014 was still greater than the $3.90bn of capital imported in the opening quarter, by $595.18m or 15.24 per cent. Total capital imported in the year 2014 summed to $20.75bn, lower by $576.61m or 2.66 per cent from the $21.31bn that was imported in 2013.

“The annual decline was primarily due to the reduction in the value of capital imported in the fourth quarter of 2014, which was expected, as investor confidence is low during the build up to a presidential election, which in Nigeria was scheduled to hold in February of 2015.”

The source of the greatest value of capital imported to Nigeria, according to the report, continues to be the United Kingdom, with $1.94bn imported in the fourth quarter of 2014, representing 43.21 per cent of the total.

It said marginal declines were also observed in the United States, which is Nigeria’s second largest source of capital, declining by $54.62m or 4.84 per cent to $1.07bn in quarter four.

The report categorised the investments into three broad segments – portfolio investment, Foreign Direct Investment and others.

For portfolio investment, the report stated that this made up the largest portion of the total capital imported.

It said at a fourth quarter value of $2.0bn, portfolio investment declined by $3.12bn or 60.94 per cent from its quarter three value of $7.12bn.

It said the decline in portfolio investment was mainly driven by declines in the value of equity, which at $1.54bn in quarter four of 2014, had declined by $2.22bn or 59.10 per cent from the preceding quarter.

The NBS report said Foreign Direct Investments increased from a value of $544.50m in quarter three of 2014, by $224.35m or 41.20 per cent to reach $768.86m in quarter four.