The Nation March 29, 2015

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

COLUMN

A deadline and a dateline

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S a people, Nigerians are confronted with an impossible deadline and a deadly dateline. For many local observers and foreign pundits, 2015 is the crunch year for Nigeria. There is a cruel convergence of certitude about it all. The Americans are even rumoured to have produced the equivalent of a manual of political euthanasia for a terminally ailing country. 2015 is seen as the year when Nigeria will finally unravel and go into deserved oblivion, or miraculously survive and be on its way to genuine nationhood.

After four years of what many consider as the most callous, unresponsive and irresponsible government that has ever been witnessed in the history of this country, Nigerians are waiting this morning to see whether their punishment has been further extended or whether the nation has been granted a dramatic reprieve from perdition. This is the moment of truth when all self-protecting illusions are torn to shreds.

An eerie calm has descended on the land as Nigerians await the outcome of the most keenly contested and by far the most "modern" elections in the history of the nation. No matter what happens in the next few hours or days, whether it is an engineered stalemate, an outright victory for the contradictory forces of rational modernity or the final proof that it is impossible for Nigeria to transit to modernity in its current structural iron jacket, it is clear that the nation can never be the same again.

No matter how much longer it takes to terminate and how many more of our dead compatriots we are forced to bury, the Jonathan presidency is a historic terminus for Nigeria. A terminus is the end of a journey. But it is also the beginning of another journey. As a nation, we have been taught a memorable lesson. Goodluck Jonathan has shown what happens when a nation allows the quest for political justice to override the question of social equity.

Four years earlier in an attempt to right the historical and political injustice visited on minorities, particularly Southern minorities in the nation, Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for Goodluck Jonathan, an ethnic Ijaw from the provincial backwater of Bayelsa state without any sterling antecedents of public service. By so doing, the nation and its power barons deliberately ignored the competing claim for social justice represented by the lean spare frame of the pious and astringently ascetic retired general, Mohammadu Buhari.

Unfortunately after four years of incredible misrule which can only be described as organised banditry elevated to statecraft, Jonathan has left the country in a substantially worse shape. Nigerians have never been more bitterly polarised and divided along eth-

(Why the cock will still crow at dawn)

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nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu

•Nigerian national flag

nic, religious and regional fault lines. The quest for social justice has been compounded and exacerbated by Jonathan's ethical obtuseness and penchant for daring impunity. Nigeria has been dragged into the cesspool of state delinquency. In short, the national and social questions have worsened.

But not even the most horrendous social experience is without its political value. If General Abacha exhausted the political and historical possibilities of military rule based on regional, religious and ethnic arrogance, the Jonathan ascendancy has sealed the possibility of democratic rule in Nigeria based solely and exclusively on minority rights and sympathy for the excluded.

Henceforth, and that is if Nigeria survives this modernization of its political ethics and ethos, every one will have to swim or sink based on their individual record and not on the plight of tribe.

After all allowances have been made, there is a sense then in which it can be claimed, the ugly campaigns and hate sermons notwithstanding, that this election represents a victory for the Nigerian people and the Nigerian electorate. In the past years and decades, apart from periods of outright military despotism, the Nigerian electorate have struggled to reassert their sovereignty and the supremacy of the voters despite unrelenting attempts to obliterate and even abolish them by the Nige-

rian ruling cartel.

In the past eight years, beginning with President Umaru Yar'Adua's admission that the election that brought him to power was gravely flawed, the Nigerian electorate has been involved in a deadly duel with the ruling elite. The Uwais Panel Report represents a major watershed in the struggle for participatory democracy in Nigeria. Realising that it had procured for itself a throne of bayonets, the government quickly dumped its cardinal recommendations.

The niggardly concessions have been wrested at considerable cost to the nation and the people. It is not because the Nigerian ruling class wants and wills electoral reforms. It has been wrought against their will and wits. In the history of the modern world, no authoritarian cabal has ever been willing to free a nation from electoral slavery. But then no maxim or gun or canon has been made by mankind that can silence the voice of the people when they are ready and when it booms collectively.

It should be noted by those who are sold on ugly ethnic typologies and religious slurs that the current battle for electoral modernity is led by a scion of the old northern feudal oligarchy. Attahiru Jega, up till this moment, has withstood all the attempts to smear his reputation and drag his name in the mud by the agents of a government proclaiming trans-

formation as its national mantra. Some transformation indeed. The situation speaks to the paradoxes of history and the contradictory nature of actual class formations.

It has been noted that with the seeming inevitability of globalizing capitalism, every sane human society must negotiate its terms of entry and the conditions best suited to its people. The irony of it all may well be that this is what the socialist phase of development has done for China, Cuba, Vietnam and to a lesser extent Russia.

From an opposing and contradictory paradigm of human development, this is what the recently departed Lee Kuan Yew has negotiated for the Singaporean nation.

By deliberately bequeathing power to a reactionary clique, the colonial conquerors of Nigeria made sure that we entered the struggle with modernity holding the short end of the stick of progress. It was not their fault. There was nothing in Lord Lugard's vitae to suggest that he was trained or had been made to acquire the skills of nation-building.

Lugard was a master of the colonial suppression of agitated natives. Nigeria was not conceived as a nation but as a colonial plantation for the expropriation of indigenous natural resources. It is easy for a colonial plantation to become a Banana Republic.

In the event, it has proved virtually impossible for Nigeria to produce a world-historical leader to lead its people out of the dungeon of colonial retardation to genuine modern nationhood. Anytime a leader emerges who shows the promise and the possibilities, he is immediately hammered into position by hostile forces already primed for reaction. Yet there is enough architecture in the ruins to show what Nigeria can be once it gets its act together.

The miracle of it all is not that Nigeria has survived but that it continues to survive despite the disabling circumstances of its provenance and the damndest efforts of its own leading citizens. There must be something about this huge block arbitrarily hewn out of the heart of a benighted continent that has refused to accept its sorry destiny.

Some observers have pointed out the ironic self-subversion of the colonial imaginary which believes it can create such a rich and impossibly gifted country, the greatest conglomeration of black souls ever, only for it to disappear without any trace, once the original charter of colonial exploitation has expired. It is as if the spirit of Nigeria is insisting that it will not disappear until it has ful-

filled its destiny and obligation to Africa in particular and the Black race in general.

That obligation has been long in coming. In the meantime, Nigeria has tested the patience and endurance of just about everybody. The colonial masters hurriedly abandoned Nigeria to its fate after it became clear that the colonial plantation cannot be sustained without its own interior managers.

But as the title suggests, interior managers are not visionary administrators but feisty and ferocious bookkeepers interested only in the balance sheet of expropriation. In the absence of a modernising elite and of a visionary master template to frogmarch the nation to compulsory and competitive modernity, Nigeria will continue to flap and flounder about like a beached whale.

Like an elephant and the proverbial battery of blind men, everybody will continue to point at different parts of the mammoth as the real thing.

In retrospect, it can now be seen that what has been going on in the geo-political space named as Nigeria is a struggle for modernity stretching back over two hundred years to the 1804 Jihad of Usman Dan Fodio, the itinerant preacher and gifted Islamic scholar. Affronted by the hedonism and heathenism of the brand of Islam practised in the north of the country, the radical preacher forcibly imposed a process of purification from within. But in a sublime piece of historical irony, the Dan Fodio revolution merely deepened the mode and relations of feudal production in the north, leading to classical feudalism in its area of authority.

And there have been many other modernizing wannabes too, with many perishing in the process. From the Five majors who were sworn on ridding the system of ten-percenters, Major Orkar and colleagues who were bent on a forcible and arbitrary restructuring of the nation, Chief Awolowo who arguably held the most visionary roadmap, and a line stretching all the way back to Sheikh Alimi, the much maligned Afonja and of course the "Victorian" Lagosians who tried to impose classical western values on the new nation, it will be discovered that Nigeria has never been short of transformers.

In the next few hours or days, we are about to find out whether that critical mass and a truly modernizing elite has really arrived or whether we have to tarry awhile. No matter what, the cock will still crow at dawn, but something tells snooper that after this election, Nigeria will never be the same again.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

NEWS NIGERIA VOTES

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari seems to have found favour with most of the voters in four of the nation's six geo-political zones in yesterday's election.

General Buhari, according to indications from across the country, got the nod of most voters in the Northwest, Northcentral, Northeast and Southwest, in what observers, local and foreign, described as the nation's most crucial polls ever.

His performance matches substantially The Nation's projections on the elections.

Nigerians defied all odds erratic performance of the card readers, late arrival of electoral materials, rain, thuggery, manipulation and terrorism mainly in the Northeast -to troop out possibly as never before to vote for the next president, senators and members of the House of Representatives.

In Sokoto, Makurdi, Akure, Jos, Minna, Abeokuta, Abuja, Lagos, Benin, the story was the same of enthusiastic Nigerians determined to take their destiny in their hands.

General Buhari, accompa-

South West, North favour APC’s Buhari

•South South, South East go for Jonathan •Massive turnout nationwide Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor Northern Operation/Vincent Ikuomola,Abuja;Adekunle Yusuf/Tony Akowe, Daura; Joseph Jibueze, Otuoke; Sunday Oguntola; Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna nied by his wife, Aisha, voted in his Daura, Katsina home town after accreditation with the aid of the card reader which took no more than two minutes each.

But accreditation was a tough nut for President Goodluck Jonathan and the First Lady, Patience , at the president's Otuoke hometown.

Four times they tried to use the card reader to verify their finger prints, four times they failed.

The President's mother, Madam Eunice, passed the card reader's test easily.

Jonathan's verification

and his wife's were eventually done manually, the same method adopted in other places where the card reader failed.

INEC extends voting; website hacked into, restored Following complaints from other parts of the country about the inability of the card readers to identify voters' finger prints, and to avoid disenfranchising voters, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) granted extension of voting till today at polling stations where accreditation could not be completed on time yesterday.

As it battled with complaints of malfunctioning card readers, a group calling itself Nigerian Cyber Army/Team NCA hacked into the commission's website However, INEC's computer engineers went to work as

•Bola Ahmed Tinubu casting his vote yesterday

Jonathan loses at Aso Villa units •Sambo, Agbaje, Ribadu, Bode George, Obanikoro, Fani-Kayode, others lose at units

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OME heavyweight politicians lost their polling units in yesterday's elec-

tions.

A major loss by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the one at the two polling units in front of Aso Villa the Presidential abode.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari won in the two units.

Buhari got a total of 613 votes, while Jonathan polled a total of 595 votes.

Vice President Namadi Sambo got the same treatment in the former polling unit (Kabala 005) in Kaduna where the APC received overwhelming majority of votes.

The APC scored 386 votes to beat the PDP that scored 53 votes in the presidential election. APC got 385 and 369 votes in the senate and house of assembly elections respectively while the PDP got 59 and 62 respectively.

The results were announced by the presiding officer Abdulfatah Ali. In Lagos State Governorship candidate Jimi Agbaje's

By Our Reporters Apapa polling unit the APC won 126 votes while PDP won 60.

In the senate contest, APC polled 129 while PDP won 61.

In the House of Representatives race, APC won 126 while the PDP won 62.

PDP governorship candidate in Adamawa State Nuhu Ribadu failed to deliver his Yola polling unit to Jonathan.

In the presidential contest APC won 320 votes to PDP's 124 while in the senatorial race, Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate won 271 votes to PDP's 73.

PDP Southwest leader Chief Olabode George's Evans Street polling unit on Lagos Island also fell to the APC candidate who took it narrowly with 109 votes to PDP's 108.

Minister of State Foreign Affairs 2 Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro lost in his bid to deliver his unit to Jonathan.

Minister of National Planning, Dr. Sulaiman Abubakar, failed in his polling unit 006, Ode-Opobiyi Agbaji area (Ilorin West Local Govern-

ment Area) in the presidential election with 146 votes to 39.

PDP Presidential campaign council spokesman Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode also could not deliver his unit. He voted in Ile Ife, Osun State.

At PG Hall Ife Centre 013/ 11, the APC candidate scored 127 to PDP's 45 votes.

But Vice President Namadi Sambo won his polling unit at Police College unit with 105 votes to the APC's 20.

But Kaduna State APC Governorship candidate Nasir El Rufai got 430 votes in his Urgwan Sarki's unit for the APC candidate to PDP's 11.

Ex-Borno Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna) also failed to deliver.

Ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar won his Ajiya polling unit in Adamawa State for Gen. Buhari with 280 votes to Jonathan's 60 votes.

At APC Presidential running mate Prof. Yemi Osinbajo's VGC unit in Lekki, Lagos, the APC won 718 votes to PDP's 138.

Some other unit results are: Continued on page 66

soon as the hacking was detected and were able to re-host it.

The hackers posted the following on the website: "StruCk By Nigerian Cyber Army | TeaM NCA" "Sorry xD Your Site has been STAMPED by TeaM Nigerian Cyber Army FEEL SOME SHAME ADMIN!!"

"Security is just an illusion, Remember US :DGREETINGS OF PEACE TO CITIZEN OF NIGERIA FROM TEAM NCA NIGERIANS No Body Can Give You Freedom No Body Can Give You Equality Or Justice If You Are A Man/Woman YOU TAKE IT" The Commission directed all Resident Electoral Commissioners in the country to conduct election on Sunday in areas where there were hitches.

The list of the affected areas and states was still being kept under wraps as at the time of filing this report.

INEC however said it could not still exactly say what went wrong in Otuoke, Bayelsa State which led to the delay in the accreditation of President Jonathan and his wife.

The Chairman of the Information, Voter Education and

Publicity Committee of INEC, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, at a press conference in Abuja admitted that INEC encountered some challenges in the use of Card Readers.

He said the guidelines for the 2015 General Elections had been amended to empower Presiding Officers to "manually accredit voters by marking the register of voters, upon being satisfied that the person presenting a Permanent Voter's Card (PVC) is the legitimate holder of the card."

Flanked by other National Commissioners including Dr. Ishmael Igbani; Alh. Muhammadu Wali; Nuru Yakubu; and Gladys Nwafor, Iyimoga said INEC will "thoroughly investigate what happened in some parts of the country where hitches were recorded."

His words: "The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been monitoring field reports on the accreditation process since the commencement of the poll this morning.

"Whereas the process has gone well in several places, in some others it has encountered some challenges, especially with the use of the Card Readers. Consequently, accredita-

tion has been slow in many places and has not commenced at all in some others.

"Even though the Guidelines for the Conduct of the 2015 General Elections provide that where Card Readers fail to work and cannot be replaced, elections in such Polling Units will be postponed to the following day, the scale of challenge we have observed today has necessitated a reconsideration of this provision of the Guidelines.

"The Commission, has, therefore, decided as part of the Guidelines for the conduct of the 2015 General Elections that in Polling Units where Card Readers have so far failed to work, the Presiding Officer shall manually accredit voters by marking the register of voters, upon being satisfied that the person presenting a Permanent Voter's Card (PVC) is the legitimate holder of the card.

"The above notwithstanding, in Polling Units where accreditation was suspended to the following day in accordance with the existing guidelines, arrangements will be made for voters to vote tomorrow, subject to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010( as amended).

"The Commission reassures the voting public that it will thoroughly investigate what happened, while it remains committed to the delivery of free, fair and credible elections in spite of the challenges."

Iyimoga, who responded to questions from newsmen Continued on page 66

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

NEWS

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NIGERIA VOTES

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'Jonathan not on Tinubu's radar'

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday disowned text messages purportedly from him asking Lagosians to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan.

A statement from his media office by Sunday Dare described the text message as "the mother of all lies by the PDP.

Never did Tinubu and never will Tinubu support Jonathan.

He is lost on Tinubu's radar.

Those messages are fake and lies from hell."

It added, "It is the PDP factory of lies in overdrive.

Tinubu remains committed to Change. His support for Buhari is solid and no amount of PDP falsehood can change that."

Osinbajo pleased with process • Deplores slow accreditation

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•Empty Airport road in Abuja yesterday

INEC should extend voting time in Lagos, says Tinubu ...'You can't suppress Lagos vote' A

LL Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the voting period in Lagos to enable prospective voters perform their civic duties.

He alleged plans by some unscrupulous elements to subvert the electoral process and suppress the votes in Lagos, adding that the plot will not work.

Tinubu, spoke with reporters, shortly before and after casting his vote at his Polling Unit OO45/EC 30 along Sunday Adigun, Alausa, Ikeja, during the presidential and national assembly elections and the performance of the electoral agency. He was inundated with complaints by party chieftains and other prospective voters in many parts of the state about the failure of the card readers, lack of polling materials and absence of polling staff.

Warning against the plot by enemies of democracy to truncate the process, he charged INEC to quickly correct the anomaly and restore public confidence.

He said: "There are many areas that are affected. There are various problems. We should be patient. What I will call for is that INEC should take a decision to extend.

Equally, they take responsibility for issuing agents cards after the submission of their names.

Not all agents were given these cards. We have cause to suspect what is going on.

"But, we will be patient.

They have various delay problems in Alimoso, Ikeja, Mile 12, Magodo, Ogba, Maryland, Omole Phase 11.

We should believe in the institution that was set up with public fund to serve the public. INEC's integrity depends on all of these. They can no longer give excuses. It is better for them to extend the

By Emmanuel Oladesu Group Political Editor

voting time here in Lagos today and ensure that they send various supervisors to the affected local governments.

"Rapid response is what is required. You don't say a work in progress will be perfect in a day. But, the majority of the affected areas may be substantially disenfranchised. And that is my worry. If they are ready to vote and you call them to come and vote, you should not frustrate them. You called them out. They should exercise their civic rights. It will be a shame, if quick and remedial action is not taken to ameliorate the suffering of the people."

Tinubu denied sending messages to voters that they should vote for President Goodluck Jonathan, saying that it was a fabrication.

He said: "People are calling from all areas. They started with the fraud that I sent a text message that people should vote for Jonathan. I didn't. I have a record on my phone. I did not send any text message. I have made my number public so that people can even call and verify. They are doing this to convert or confuse people. What kind of leadership is this? What kind of character. A nation must be ruled by the people of great character, vision and responsibility."

The former Lagos State governor added: "This is my phone number. I can still make it public; 08062240104.

I didn't send any text message.

That is part of the gimmick and the desperation of the ruling party; when they pack some fraudulent people in office, trying to subvert the right of the people to freely exercise their civic duty.

Again, that is fraudulent. I didn't authorise any network to do anything. That one we will discuss when we go to

court. I cannot campaign today. But, I know what I have told my supporters and the supporters of our party. You all know which party I belong. And you know the candidate of that party.

"The only text message I can send is that people should believe in me, our party and the presidential candidate, senatorial candidate, House of Representatives candidates.

You know the party I am.

Don't believe in any text message coming from me to do otherwise. I stay firm, I stay credible, I stay resolved. I am determined and committed. I am a leader of the party. If anybody sends to you a fraudulent message, you should know they are cowards. They know they are going to be defeated. That is why they resort to fraud. That is why they should not even be in government. That is the more reason they should be out. That is the truth. I have received texts and several calls from people to verify the so-called text messages. But, I have consistently denied that.

It is disturbing. It is annoying.

It is terrible that people will resort to fraud. What kind of leadership, what kind of legacy, what kind of ethics are we teaching our people?

"How can I compromise the platform that I lead? I help built, and by the grace of God, the best platform that is available? So, it is a lie. And I will go to any extent to investigate this to know whether my phone is cloned or who sent fraudulent messages on my behalf. The investigation has started. It is a fact. I work tirelessly for our platform. No change. Why should I change yesterday? If you were in my house yesterday, who would have seen the crowd in their thousands? We instructed them to wash their hands; comply, keep peace, don't be violent.

"They were the ones

shooting all night to scare the voters from coming out to vote.

It is democracy, not war. Their leader said he won't step on anybody's blood. But, if agents are killing and scaring people on your behalf, you must be held responsible, that is the truth. I made so much sacrifice for this platform."

Tinubu urged Lagosians to make more sacrifices for democracy, assuring that their labours will not be in vain.

He said: "Nigerians should just endure. You are blessed.

You should persevere. Exercise your right.

This is the only time you can apply commonsense revolution; to begin to hold leaders accountable. If leaders are not performing and they know you can vote them out every four years, they will sit up. If leaders are dishonest, they can only fool you for four years.

"After four years, you change them. This is your turn to choose who you want to rule you in this circumstance.

I believe that, looking at your faces, many of you have families who are suffering.

The economy is down. The newsprint you use is imported. The exchange rate is high. Industrialisation of the country is a must. That is why we must behave true to our education. It is disgraceful that we are not behaving to it, despite the fact that we are educated and sophisticated and we have the capacity to compete. Knowledge is money. Commitment is virtue.

"Ethnic difference is not what will put bread on the table of the people. Poverty has no trade mark. Let's work our way out. Hard work will take us out of this mess."

At the unit, 241 voters voted. At the close of the poll, APC got 180 in the presidential election. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) got 55. In the senatorial election, APC got 181. The PDP got 53, while in the House of Representatives poll, APC had178 votes. PDP got 53 votes.

HE vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has hailed the conduct of yesterday's presidential and national assembly elections.

Though he flayed the late arrival of electoral materials and officials, Osinbajo said the process was "smooth but slow."

Speaking shortly after casting his vote by 8:10pm at his polling 033 Unit 4 in Victoria Garden City (VGC) Lagos, the former Lagos Attorney General said the long wait was worth the stress.

According to him, "The accreditation was painfully slow but what matters is that it is worth the wait.

"One has been able to vote and that is what counts. It doesn't matter how much one has gone through. The joy is that voting can take place despite the logistics challenges."

Osinbajo, who arrived at the VGC recreational park at exactly 8:20am, was not accredited until 2:05pm.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) arrived the voting centre around 10:30am, more than two hours after accreditation should have commenced.

Voters, who besieged the unit, waited patiently under the

By Sunday Oguntola

shades in the park.

To whilexxx away boredom, many of them greeted Osinbajo warmly before demanding for photo shots with him.

A smiling Osinbajo obliged, exchanging pleasantries with a handful of them.

When the officials arrived, accreditation didn't start until 1:15pm owing to the malfunctioning of the two card readers attached to the unit.

It took the delivery of back-up readers before the process could commence.

Voting eventually commenced by 6:05pm with accredited voters refusing to leave the centre until they had performed their civic obligations.

Osinbajo, who refused to jump the queue, told reporters that he was motivated to wait all the way to exemplify the new Nigeria the APC is working hard to build.

"I think it's all in the spirit of the new Nigeria. Everyone has to learn to be patient and queue to get things done."

His wife, Dolapo, said there were no qualms with having to wait.

"It's part of the bargain and we have to always wait because that is life," she stated.

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Boko Haram kills lawmaker, policeman, 10 others in polls attacks

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USPECTED members of Boko Haram sect yesterday launched separate attacks on voters in Gombe and Yobe states, killing 10 people including an All Progressives Congress (APC) member seeking re-election into the Gombe State House of Assembly, and a policeman.

Alhaji Umar Aminu and five voters were shot dead in his Dukku South constituency by the terrorists who were quoted by eye witnesses as saying : 'Didn't we warn you about staying away from (the) election?" as they pulled the triggers.

Three people including the policeman were killed in Birin Bolawa and Birin Fulani villages in Nafada Local government area of the state.

The insurgents had apparently crossed into the state from Yobe after a similar attack in Ngalda where the state police commissioner Danladi Marcus said one person was killed.

There was confusion in the areas as some voters left the polling units but others later

returned to be accredited, sources said.

Eye witnesses said the insurgents left on the DukkuDarazo road after the attack.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Gombe State, Fwaje Atajiri, confirmed the report, adding that details of the incident would be given after investigations were completed.

"There was an attack on the outskirts of Nafada in attempt to disrupt the elections," Mr. Atajiri, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said.

"A joint team of military and police officer promptly moved to Dukku and pushed the insurgents to the bush."

Mr. Atajiri said elections were going on in the area and other areas of the state as the Special Forces were in control of the situation.

Reacting to the death of his colleague, member representing Akko North Constituency at the State House of Assembly, Gidado Lawanti, described his death as unfortunate.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

NEWS NIGERIA VOTES

Election: IDPs weep as they reunite with relatives

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OME Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) yesterday shed tears of joy after reuniting with friends and relations during accreditation at IDP special polling centre during yesterday’s polls.

The IDPs wept as they reunited with their relations whom they thought were dead when Boko Haram sacked their towns in 2014.

Most of the IDPs were said to be from Michika and Madagali Local Government Areas in Adamawa.

One of them, Madam Hajara Samuel, seen at the IDPs Special Polling Centre, Aliyu Mustafa College, Yola, said that he was separated from his family five months ago by Boko Haram insurgents.

She, however, expressed joy that the exercise had afforded them the opportunity to reunite.

Samuel, who was in tears, said that before the insurgency, he and his neighbours used to cast their votes in the same unit in Michika LGA. Alhaji Haruna Manzo, who hails from Bazza in Michika, said that since he and other IDPs fled Michika in 2014, he was seeing his immediate neighbour, Ezekiel Haruna, for the first time.

Manzo described Haruna as a close friend, adding they fled for safety when Boko Haram elements took over their village.

He, however, expressed joy that he met Haruna again at the polling unit as IDPs in Yola.

There was impressive turnout of voters at the IDPs special polling centre.

Speaking shortly after being accredited at the Aliyu Mustafa Secondary School IDPs polling centres, Alhaji Abubakar Kari, an IDP also from Michika said he was impressed with the electorate’s turnout.

Kari, who was the state Chairman, Adamawa Positive Change and Initiative, an NGO, said that almost all eligible voters from his polling unit came out for the exercise.

“There is massive turnout of voters. It is very interesting because the electorate are willing to cast their votes for the candidates of their choice”, Kari said.

He commended INEC for creating the special polling units for the IDPs and expressed optimism that the exercise would achieve its aims and objectives.

Scores of APC members shot dead in Rivers •100 others arrested S •Rejects outcome of elections CORES of members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State were killed and maimed as the presidential and national assembly elections got underway across the country yesterday.

One of the victims, an APC member in Ward 3, Unit 2, Ogale-Eleme, was allegedly killed by a soldier attached to a prominent leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Eleme, Eleme local government area.

The deceased was among the APC members who had put up resistance to an attempt by the PDP chieftain to use soldiers guarding him to hijack electoral materials in the area.

The police later came to remove the body, even as another soldier was shot dead at Wimpey-Port Harcourt.

His death was confirmed by the Commander, 2 Brigade of the Army, Bori Camp, Brigadier General Koko Essien, although he gave no details of the killing.

However, eye witnesses said the late soldiers was in a truck with his colleagues on Friday night when gunshots were unexpectedly fired at the vehicle, fatally hitting him.

Many other APC members were disenfranchised, party chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, said in a statement through his spokesman, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze. He blamed “armed militias working for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)” for the attacks.

“Scores have already been killed and several others marked for elimination. This morning (yesterday) in Kpite Town, Tai Ward 2 and other areas of the state, five people were shot dead

by PDP’s armed militia, and that was before accreditation commenced,” Ikanya said in a statement to which the photographs of the victims were attached.

He said PDP and its agents targeted APC strongholds and chieftains for attacks and killings, citing examples.

These include Chidiebere Okwuwolu, a former Commissioner and currently an APC leader, said to have been arrested by police and taken to Olu Obasanjo Police Station in Port Harcourt along with 99 other arrested APC members scattered in various police Stations in the state.

He said that at Ubima, the home town of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, “the INEC results sheets are currently with Chief Nyesome Wike, the

•Amaechi refuses to vote From Bisi Olaniyi/Precious Dikewoha, Port Harcourt

gubernatorial candidate of PDP in Rivers State while at Andoni, his (Ikanya) the Local Government Area of Rivers State APC Chairman, the National Vice Chairman of PDP and his cousin, Tele Ikuru (the Deputy Governor of Rivers State who few days defected to PDP) “hell has been let loose; electoral materials have been hijacked by PDP agents in connivance with the army that has been threatening to arrest and kill any APC chieftains in sight.”

He also alleged that the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Andoni Local Government area, Esuku Esuku, was “ordered out of Ngo, headquarters of local government, by the Joint Task Force (JTF)/army personnel deployed to Ngo, or be killed.”

Continuing, he said: “At Abonnema, headquarters of Akuku-Toru Local Government, materials are being distributed from the house of Minister of Sports, Chief Tammy Danagogo, instead of the INEC office, without any security personnel.

Danagogo has held the policemen that ought to escort these materials to the polling units hostage and injuring DPO of Abonnema, Mr. Joseph Kayode for daring to accompany Hon Isobo Jack the Commissioner for Urban Development to the Polling Unit, relevant pictures attached.

“PDP thugs hijacked materials and INEC personnel meant for Akuku-Toru Wards 15, 16 and 17. The hijacked materials and men were taken to Freetown, a hinterland coastal community. The attack was led by two youths whose identities are known.

“In Tombia, in same AkukuToru local government, PDP had

by Friday night filled the community with Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) bouncers who were attacking APC members and, at the same time, preventing those returning home to vote from entering the town. They were doing so in the presence of soldiers who were too few in number.

The Caretaker Committer Chairman and others were injured on Friday.

The over 30 APC members that were to act as agents were arrested.

“In Buguma, which is the Headquarters of Asari-Toru Local government, policemen were busy all day arresting APC chieftains.

“In Gokana Local Government, trained INEC adhoc personnel were replaced with untrained manpower suspected to be PDP members.

This is believed to have been done in connivance with the LGA Electoral Officer (EO).

“At Opobo/Nkoro, the Local Government Area of Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside, the gubernatorial candidate of APC, the house of Opobo/Nkoro Caretaker Committee Chairman, Loveday Jaja, was torched after he escaped to avoid being killed by the PDP hoodlums. Electoral materials meant for the Local Government Area have been diverted to John Africa/Ada Tom Pepple Compound area where they are thumb-printing in favour of PDP. Another person Alafagha OkoJaja had his head broken head and he is seriously bleeding. No one is sure if he will survive.

“The army has been going around the community harassing people while Chiefs in Kalaibiama are compelling them to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan of PDP. This is said to be on the orders of Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Kenneth Minimah, who is also from the town.

“A PDP Agent in Unit 006 Ward, Oopbo/Nkoro was caught with INEC Register and

fake results sheet at the polling Unit.

“At Oyigbo LGA, 40,000 incident forms were being given out at 6:30 a.m. but they stopped when the APC Agent complained about it. He was however asked to leave the INEC office at about 11:30 a.m.

Already, 120,000 incident forms have been to Port Harcourt LGA, 80,000 to Obio/Akpor and 50,000 to Ikwerre LGA. The incident forms are one of the ways PDP plans to use to rig the elections around the country, especially in the South South and South East. “”In Okrika, there was sudden change and appearance of fresh and inadequately trained INEC ad-hoc staff who tried to persuade voters to undergo manual accreditation, claiming that card readers assigned to Okrika LGA polling booths were not working (even without trying them). In a few units where APC supporters insisted on ‘No Card, No Accreditation’, the card readers mysteriously began to work.

But in majority of the places manual accreditation is being undertaken.

Also in Okrika, there is insufficient delivery of electoral materials by INEC. Up till now no one, not even party agents, has seen the original result collation sheets. The INEC officials claim it is not everything that they must explain. Meanwhile, INEC

delivered incident forms far excess of the number of registered voters.”

Ikanya said that on the hand, PDP stalwarts were “openly parading bundles of PVC cards in their possession.”while one of them accompanied by police and PDP thugs armed with guns, went round chasing away APC members from doing accreditation. “ Dr Ikanya passed a vote of no confidence on the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Gesila Khan for,in his view,failing in her duties .

“Whatever trash she will announce as the result of today’s (yesterday’s) election is not acceptable to us and we ask for her immediate transfer and a new date be set for a proper election in Rivers State than the sham and charade that was calculated to rubbish INEC and democracy,” he said.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi refused to be accredited in his Ubima hometown after INEC officials faied to produce result sheets for the elections.

Information Commissioner Ibim Semenitari told reporters that Amaechi took the decision because “he could not subject himself to accreditation when the required election material meant for his unit could not be accounted for.”

She said the same problem was reported from all parts of the state.

•President of the Senate, Sen. David Mark (right) while casting his vote at Otukpo Ward 1, polling centre during the Presidential and National Assembly election in Otukpo, Benue State.

APC raises alarm over use of FG facility in Lagos

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday raised the alarm over suspicious, electionrelated activities being carried out at the Federal Government Press on Mobil Road, Ajegunle, Lagos.

The party said workers at the facility were sent home early on Friday, apparently so it could be made ready for use yesterday for a ‘presidency’ assignment.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement that a concerned Nigerian “alerted us to these developments, and we wonder what a federal government facility can be needed for on election day if it is not part of the

•Says leaders’ phones blocked facilities designated by INEC for election collation purpose.”

The party asked the security agencies to urgently put the Federal Government Press at Mobil Road in Lagos under surveillance, with a view to stopping any possible illegal activities that may be going on there on this election day.’’

APC said with the avowed desperation of the PDP to capture Lagos State at all cost, it could not be trusted not to resort to underhand activities to manipulate the polls in the state, hence the alarm.

The party also alleged that the phone lines of its key leaders

were bombarded with calls from an unknown number with a view to rendering them useless on election day.

It said the calls started coming in early yesterday and were “so persistent that genuine calls could not come in while no calls could be made from the

phone lines.”

It said the phone line of the APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was hacked and used to send a message purportedly asking his supporters to vote for President Jonathan. ‘’We urge all our members

and supporters, and indeed all Nigerians, to ignore the purported message as it did not emanate from Asiwaju,’’ APC said.

Besides, it said military uniforms were being issued to thugs at a military facility in Lagos.

CLARIFICATION: A contributor, Olabode Johnson, in his article, ‘Crossing the line: Shaka Momodu’s obsession with Tinubu’, published on March 13, the trio of Shaka Momodu (Editor, ThisDay on Saturday), Jide Ajani (Editor, Sunday Vanguard) and Abraham Ogbodo (Editor, Sunday Guardian) were alleged to be members of the Strategic Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP). But they have denied being members of the committee. We hereby clarify that the claim was the contributor’s opinion and not that of THE NATION

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

NEWS

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NIGERIA VOTES Voting delayed at Presidential Villa

Tinubu denies sending text message endorsing Jonathan

From Augustine Ehikioya and Faith Yahaya, Abuja ATE arrival of electoral materials and officials at the two polling units in the Presidential Villa on Saturday delayed accreditation of voters for the election. The materials, which arrived 10:15 am met a crowd of people who had been waiting before 8: am.

The units had two queues each, one for the male and one for females but preference was given to the aged, pregnant and disabled voters.

Some of them who envisaged delay came with food packs, snacks and different types of drinks. Vendors had a field day selling their products.

The two presiding officers at the Presidential Villa/ Police Commission polling unit, while confirming the hitches said: "The challenges we are experiencing is from both sides, both INEC and the electorates have their fault.

On the part of INEC, materials arrived two hours behind schedule and on the part of electorates, most of the electorates were turned down because they had issues with their palms despite the fact that their names appeared on the registered list."

By Oziegbe Okoeki

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Violence mars election in Ikere-Ekiti

By Odunayo Ogunmola, Ado-Ekiti

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HERE was pandemonium in Ikere-Ekiti during yesterday's presidential and national assembly elections as an All Progressives Congress (APC) member was allegedly shot by security aides attached to the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kolapo Olusola.

The incident occurred at Ereja Polling Unit in Odo-Oja quarter of the town when Olusola, who was said to be moving around in a convoy, was stopped by APC members who accused him of violating the electoral law. The APC member that was shot was identified as Jide Owolabi and he was immediately rushed to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention.

The angry APC members accused the deputy Governor of trying to use the paraphernalia of office to intimidate voters. There was a shouting match between the two sides which degenerated to a big row.

Armed policemen attached to the deputy governor allegedly opened fire in a bid to quell the confusion and Owolabi was hit by one of the bullets fired.

Speaking with reporters on the incident, Olusola denied moving about as alleged. He explained that he was at the scene of the fracas to help solve a problem that developed in the voting process.

But the Senator representing Ekiti South, Anthony Adeniyi, also an indigene of Ikere, said the people around were angered by the effrontery of the deputy governor in going from one polling unit to the other while election was still in progress.

Report also said a member of the House of Representatives, Oyetunde Ojo, narrowly escaped being killed by hooded gunmen who attacked him at Erijiyan-Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government Area.

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All Progressives Congress Vice Presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, casts his vote

PHOTO: SOLOMON ADEOLA

Buhari, other APC candidates lead in Ogun

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ARLY results emerging from the presidential and national assembly elections conducted in Ogun State yesterday showed that the All Progressives Congress(APC) candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of the party were leading, particularly Ogun Central and Ogun West.

They were closely being followed by the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Part y(PDP) and others on the tickets of PDP. Tagging from behind are candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) where former governor Olusegun Osoba is the state party leader.

The Peoples Democratic Party lost Obasanjo's ward 11 polling unit 22 at Oke - Sokori near his Ita - Eko home in Abeokuta North Local Government to the APC candidates.

But, open bribe of voters were prevalent in Ogun East as voters were reportedly bribed with money ranging from N2000 and above. Except for few reported cases of malfunctioning of the Card Reader, the presidential and national assembly elections were peaceful and recorded

By Bola Olajuwon, Assistant Editor and Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta high turnout of voters in most parts of Ogun State.

Officials and ad hoc workers of the Independent National Electoral Commisssion (INEC) came out early and voters' accreditations started on time.

In most of the polling units visited in Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Odeda, Obafemi Owode, Imeko Afon, Egbado South and Ipokia local government areas, voters waited patiently for accreditations despite slow functioning of the Card Readers in some places.

In most of the units visited, bags of "pure water" and soap were provided for voters to watch their hands to ease authentication of fingerprints.

Those whose fingerprints could not be authenticated after several trials were given incident forms to fill in place of accreditation.

Though while the volume of those accredited in most polling units visited were low towards the end of accreditation, voting started early in others.

But, despite long queues, vot-

ing started at most of the wards in Abeokuta South and others.

The State Commissioner of Police, Valentine Ntomchukwu, praised the conduct of voters and security operatives posted for the election. The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Chief Timothy Ibitoye, said: "There is peace everywhere as a result of adequate preparation by INEC." Soldiers were restricted to entry points of the state capital while men of police, immigratios, civil dence and customs manned polling areas.

But, Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka yesterday expressed concern over alleged "shoddy preparation of the INEC for the elections.

Isiaka was particularly dissatisfied with the failure of the card readers in some polling units that forced the INEC staffs to employ manual accreditation.

He noted that he had initially raised his concerns about the effectiveness of the card readers which later proved him and other Nigerians right.

He, however, urged the INEC to perfect all the anomalies before the governorship election which is usually more contentious.

But state INEC had face serious challenge over supply and distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). Few hours to the presidential and national assembly elections, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ogun State struggled till evening on Friday to distribute thousands of new consignment of PVCs received from the commission's Abuja headquarters to the state's voters.

The Nation learnt that the PVCs were received for nine local government areas on Wednesday. While the total figure could not be verified as at the time of going to the press, Abeokuta North Local Government Area had the highest PVCs with five cartoons and one packet, followed by Odeda with two cartoons and one packet. Egbado South had 11 packets; Egbado North got two packets, while Abeokuta South, Ewekoro, Ijebu North, Odogbolu and Ogun Waterside received one packet each.

Oshiomhole expresses shock as soldiers block INEC officials G OVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole has expressed shock over reports that accredited INEC officials were restricted and stopped by soldiers from conducting their lawful duties in some parts of Edo State.

The Governor who feared that the soldiers must have acted based on some illegal orders from their Commander said; "Yesterday (Friday), I addressed the Press and I did say that Brigadier Odidi has chosen to frustrate this election in Edo North. Ironically, Brigadier Odidi is from Agenebode

From Osemwengie Ben Ogbemudia, Benin

and he is the one who is giving this unlawful order."

Reports said INEC officials who were taking election materials to Ward 10, Unit 1 in Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government Area, were stopped by soldiers who had laid siege to the home town of Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

The INEC officials told report-

ers that they were forced to sit on the ground, alongside their police escort for several hours.

They were later allowed to leave after they got calls from their superiors. The soldiers said they were acting on orders from above.

Even journalists were not spared the soldiers' ordeal as the INEC accreditation cards and reflective jackets were ignored while each reporter was asked to produce their company ID cards. The soldiers said

the reporters were not permitted to monitor the exercise from one unit to another as they were only allowed to monitor at particular units.

Miffed by the restriction, Oshiomhole continued, "Why the Nigerian Army will be used in this manner, only God knows. So I am surprised that they are restricting INEC Officers from distributing materials. I have told the Brigade Commander and I am waiting to see what he is going to do but when you bear in mind that time is of essence, you will fear for this country," he said.

ATIONAL leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday denied sending any text asking electorates to vote for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Goodluck Jonathan.

Tinubu disclosed this while speaking with newsmen shortly after being accredited by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), at Ward 047 in Alausa. Tinubu assured that the issue will be adequately addressed in court.

The former Governor of Lagos State said, "I didn't send any message. That's part of the gimmicks and desperation of the ruling party when they pack a lot of fraudulent people in office trying to sabotage the right of people from exercising their civic duty.

"I didn't authorize any network to send any message.

That one we will discuss when we get to court. I cannot campaign today; I know what I've told my supporters, you all know the party I belong to and you know the candidate of that party. Do not believe in any text message from me asking you to do otherwise," he said.

Tinubu said that he is committed to his party and nothing can make him compromise. "I stay firm; I stay credible; I stay resolved; I am determined and committed, if anybody sends you any fraudulent message, it is because they are coward, they know they are going to be defeated and that is why they want to resort to fraud.

"That is why they should not even be in government, the more reason they should be out, we have had enough of this. I have received several calls from people to verify the so-called text message but I have consistently denied that.

It is disturbing, annoying and terrible that people will resort to fraud.

Ambode, APC win in Epe

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state recorded a convincing victory at the polling unit of its gubernatorial candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, at the elections held today in his Epe hometown.

At the Unit 33, Ward A5 polling centre located in Ogunmodede Secondary school, Papa Epe, Ambode led a hoard of enfranchising Epe electorates to give the APC and its candidates a big win that saw them poll an average 60% of the votes at all levels.

Out of a total 170 accredited voters in the booth, the APC Presidential ticket of General Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo amassed 97 votes as against the main opposition's 71; APC Senatorial candidate for Lagos East, Senator Gbenga Ashafa polled 103 votes to defeat the People's Democratic Party's 66, and Wale Raji, APC candidate for the Epe Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives got 101 votes to cap off a sweeping victory.

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NEWS NIGERIA VOTES

Amaechi declines to vote over original result sheets

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HE Director-General of Buhari/Osinbajoi Campaign Organisation, Rotimi Amaechi, refused to be accredited in his Ubima hometown in Ikwerre LGA of Rivers State by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who could not produce result sheets for the elections.

Amaechi, the Governor of Rivers State and the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), according to Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, returned home at 1:44 p.m., when it became obvious that the result sheets would not be produced.

Semenitari said: "Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has just returned from his polling unit in Ubima (Ward 8, Unit 14) without being accredited. INEC officials there claimed that they did not have the result sheet for the unit.

"The Governor said he could not subject himself to accreditation, when the required election materials meant for his unit could not be accounted for by INEC officials."

Reports from other parts of Rivers state, according to the Rivers information commissioner, showed that the problem of absence of result sheets was widespread.

Semenitari said: "It is believed that the result sheets are in the hands of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) officials in the state, with the intention of falsifying results after the accreditation period.

Mark commends peaceful election, flays card reader

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RESIDENT of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has said that the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections on Saturday were largely peaceful in his constituency but expressed concern over the reported cases of malfunctioned card readers.

Senator Mark said after he cast his vote in Otukpo Ward 1, Otukpo, Benue State, on Saturday that the exercise was "generally peaceful and organised. The voters queued and complied with the rules".

He however expressed worry over the malfunctioning of the card readers in some polling units even as he urged Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to salvage the situation.

According to him; "The Otukpo Ward 1 to me is a very well organized polling unit.

The people here have been on queue. I have no report of any failure or lapses. But the reports from some areas indicate that card readers have been malfunctioning.

A press statement signed

by Mr. Paul Mumeh, the Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate, quoted Mark as saying, "This situation may not allow many people to participate in the elections.

INEC should as a matter of urgency rise up to the challenge and salvage the situation."

He therefore implored the people to remain calm, hoping that INEC officials would address the situation.

Kebbi: Thugs snatch ballot box at Dankwambo's polling unit

Anglican Church commend election turn-out

Gombe North Senatorial District election.

He said the thugs assisted by the police came when counting of the votes for the presidential election started at the polling unit and snatched the box.

When contacted the police spokesman DSP Fwaje Atajiri, dismissed the allegation saying that it was the work of mischief makers who only wanted to cause trouble.

The Gombe state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Kashim Gaidam said they were investigating the case and will address the press after their investigation.

By Joe Agbro Jr HE Church of Nigerian Anglican Communion (CONAC) has expressed confidence in the presidential elections which took place nationwide yesterday. The church, which monitored Saturday's election as an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) accredited observer has been in the forefront of championing democracy.

Monitoring the election in Lagos, CONAC sent delegations of election observers to the 20 local government councils of Lagos State. While the election was peaceful in many areas with a huge deployment of soldiers and policemen ensuring safety, there were some challenges with the card readers which were put to the test for the first time in the general election.

Speaking on the exercise at the Iworo Community Hall in Badagry, Bishop Babatunde Adeyemi of Anglican Diocese of Badagry said "there's a marked difference from what happened in 2011.

INEC has improved and Nigerians are ready for progress."

Though Adeyemi expressed satisfaction with the accreditation exercise, he said there were few complaints of the card readers not recognising some peoples fingers, and in those cases, the concerned persons were manually accredited.

Suing for peace, Adeyemi advised the candidates and their supporters to desist from violence.

"The winner should be magnanimous and the loser should see it as the will of God that he is not destined to be there."

Okorocha flays Presidency over arrest of supporters

INEC cancels elections in Jigawa

Vice President Namadi Sambo voting during the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Kaduna...yesterday

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HUGS in Gombe state yesterday snatched ballot boxes at Shehu Manzo 005 polling unit in Gombe metropolis where Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo voted following apparent indication of President Jonathan's defeat at the unit. It was gathered that the thugs were aided by armed policemen men on patrol in the polling unit area.

Before the incident, votes for the Senate and House of representatives were already counted and the All progressive Congress (APC) candidates won both. Nasiru Shehu Ali Sidi Manzo, an eye witness

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OVERNOR Rochas Okorocha of Imo State yesterday condemned what he called the massive clampdown on supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC by officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) during the general elections in the state.

At Ogboko, the hometown of the state Governor, in Ideato South Council Area of the State, security operatives reportedly invaded the Rochas Foundation School where about 135 students who were waiting to be taken to their polling units for the voters' accreditation were arrested and detained.

Also arrested on trumped up charges were the Principal Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Pascal Obi, Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chidi Ibe, the coordinator of the Southeast Proffesionals for Buhari, Sir Okenze Opara and the Governor's Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo.

However when contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, said he was not aware of the arrests. According to him, "I am not aware of any arrests. I have been with

By Vincent Ohonbamu, Gombe said they noticed thugs patrolling the area and reported to policemen on patrol that thugs were disrupting the peaceful conduct of voting at the polling unit, but were ignored by the police.

"We are aware of plans to destabilise the smooth conduct of the voting at this polling unit because APC is going to win but we ignored the rumour.

"So, on sighting the thugs carrying all sorts of weapons, voters started running away but that did not deter us. Some

From Okodili Ndidi, Owerri the CP on state wide monitoring exercise".

But Okorocha, accused the Presidency of masterminding the arrest of APC supporters and his aides. The Governor who spoke with journalists shortly after casting his vote at Ogboko, alleged that the security operatives were acting the script of the Presidency, which he said was to stampede and break members of the APC. He noted that about 500 voters who were APC supporters were arrested and detained at an emergency cell set up for that purpose.

According to him,"they have arrested voters who committed no offence at the instance of a Minister. We are not worried though because I suppose this is the price we have to pay to make Nigeria better and sustain our democracy. I think there was a clear cut directive by the Presidency to arrest APC supporters. Emergency cells were created in the communities".

The Imo Governor however expressed optimism that the APC will still win the election, adding that, "there is attempt by the PDP to frustrate

people remain and chase them away.

"After the voting when counting started and APC was leading, suddenly the policemen tear-gassed the area and forced the electoral officials into their vehicle," said Manzo, APC's agent at the polling unit.

He said APC scored 303 votes, while PDP 88 and three invalid votes were recorded for the Gombe/Funakaye/ Kwami constituency Federal House of Representative election.

He said APC recorded 394 votes against PDP's 92 with 2 invalids were recorded in the

the process of free and fair election and they are helped by the security operatives. I have made attempt to secure the release of the people but the security operatives have been dribbling me. But I will take up this matter to any extent to prove that this is unfair".

When The Nation visited the temporary cell where the students were kept, there was heavy presence of security operatives who denied Journalists access to the detained students.

Commenting on the arrest, the State Director of the DSS, Olusegun Adegboyega, said that the 135 students were arrested with over 200 Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) including cloned ones.

He further stated that some of the suspects were under aged and were drawn from outside the state. He said that they have made useful confessions that will be made public later.

Meanwhile the Governorship candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha, shortly after casting his vote at Mbutu in Aboh Mbaise LGA in an interview, stated that "some people haven't been successful with the use but of the Card Reader.

"It's obvious that because of our technological difficulties, we are not yet there, because you can see that the accreditation time is lagging. It's not as efficient as it should be but I thought it should have been done on a very micro scale to try the process but interestingly we hear incidences of malfunctioning. Obviously I don't think this process will give us what we wanted".

I believe that at the end of the day, INEC should combine the manual accreditation and electronic voting. But truly this process calls for great improvement. Meanwhile the turnout is very satisfactory and encouraging".

Speaking in a similar vein, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Captain Emmanuel Ihenacho, complained about the hitches in operating the Card Reader.

He noted that the exercise would have been a lot faster if INEC had perfected the use of the Card Readers, adding that, "we had many glitches during the exercise but INEC has two clear weeks to prepare for the governorship election and we expect that if the technicalities are not put alright the people should be accredited manually".

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From Ahmed Rufa'i, Dutse

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HE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cancelled elections in seven federal constituencies in Jigawa state. Briefing newsmen, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Alhaji Halliru Aliyu Tambuwal, said the decisions followed the non supply of sensitive materials in four constituencies and shortfalls of ballot papers in three federal constituencies in the state.

According him, the elections had been shifted to another day to be announced later. Tambuwal explained that constituencies where elections would not hold include Dutse/kiyawa, Ringim/ Taura, Hadejia/Auyo/ Kafinhausa and Jahun Miga.

Others are Gumel/ Gagarawa/Maigatari/ Suletankarkar, Gwaram, Kaugama/Malam-madori constituencies.

"But elections will be conducted in Babura/Garki, Birniwa/Guri/Kirikasamma, Birninkudu/Buji and Kazaure/Gwiwa/Roni/ Yankwashi federal constituencies," he said.

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NEWS NIGERIA VOTES

APC wins massively at Fashola’s ward, as Senator Tinubu delivers her ward

By Wale Ajeunmobi and Precious Igbonwelundu LECTIONS in Surulere in Lagos Central were peaceful but soldiers and riot policemen were stationed at strategic points. Voters arrived ahead of the ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in many polling units. It took several minutes to set up the voting materials but the card readers deployed to the area functioned optimally.

At State Grammar School Polling Unit 002, where the Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola voted, crowd of voters turned out to cast their ballots.

The governor arrived early for accreditation, queuing behinds hundreds of voters in scorching sun.

At Polling Unit 014 on Elizabeth Fowler Street, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, got accredited at 10:30am. He was in company of his mother and wife. Describing the working of the card reader perfect, the minority leaders said he was confident of his party’s victory at the polls.

Fashola, in company of his wife and son, returned to the polling unit at 1:35pm to vote without body guards and security detail.

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He joined the queue of voters on Itolo Street, where he was accredited. He stood at the tail end of a long queue of voters, chatting with his wife.

At 3:40pm, Fashola cast his ballot, describing the exercise as peaceful. He said he was satisfied with the accreditation and voting process. He cautioned the people not to jump into conclusion on the success of the exercise, noting that INEC could only be judged after the whole process.

The governor appealed to the electoral commission to make up for its logistic shortfall by extending the voting period to enable more people exercise their franchise. He said there could have been irregularities in the organisation of the elections, but he said no human process had been perfect, cautioning against deliberate sabotage.

Elsewhere in Ikoyi, Lagos, the Senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu and All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate yesterday proved her strength by defeating the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) embarrassingly in most of the polling units in Ward nine.

A resounding “sai Buhari! “sai Mama” rented the air at her unit 034 polling unit as the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) presiding officer counted the ballot.

The APC trashed PDP in both the presidential and national assembly elections at polling unit 034 with very wide margins that made the electorates hit the streets in jubilation.

For the presidential election, the APC’s Gen. Muhammadu Buhari carried the day with 106 votes while PDP’s President Goodluck Jonathan scored 25 votes. Senator Tinubu had 105 votes for the senatorial poll with her contender in PDP clinching 21 votes. The APC also gave the ruling party a run for its money in the House of Representatives category where it scored 103 against the PDP’s 16.

Election Tragedy: APC chieftain, monarch’s son, others die in boat capsize

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HE first son of Olu of Epe, Oba Sefiu Adewale, Aremo Azeez Adewale and a chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) Mr Muiz Bello, died yesterday when their boat capsized in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos.

Aremo Adewale, heir apparent to the throne, was until his death a director in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, while Bello, a lawyer was APC Chairmanship aspirant in Epe.

By Tajudeen Adebanjo

Aremo Adewale was former Secretary to the Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board (LSMPWB).

The duo were said to be returning from a riverine area in Epe where they had gone to cast their votes before the unfortunate incident occurred yesterday afternoon.

Bello’s Personal Assistant was also among the people that lost their lives in the incident.

The lawyer’s wife, who was with them, survived the incident; she is recuperating at the General Hospital in Epe. According to the immediate past Secretary to Eredo Local Council Development Area, Shamsideen Adeniyi, the remains of Aremo Adewale and Bello have been recovered from the lagoon.

Adeniyi said efforts were on to recover Bello’s Personal Assistant’s remains and others that lost their lives.

The Nation learnt that the remains of Aremo Adewale have been interred according to Islamic rites at his house in Isasi, Epe. Mourners have thronged the monarch’s palace in Epe to sympathise with him.

Bello was married with three children.

APC Lagos State Chairman, Chief Henry Ajomale, described the death of the people as unfortunate and prayed for the repose of their souls.

•Voters on queue at Queens Hall, University of Ibadan during the election yesterday PHOTO FEMI ILESANMI, IBADAN

Massive turnout, irregularities and protests rock Alimosho

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HERE was a large turnout of voters yesterday in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Soldiers were stationed at strategic points including Iyana Ipaja roundabout, Alagutan Junction and Moshalashi area of the council area.

The soldiers mounted barricades and frisked motorists including journalists and observers who were monitoring the election.

Anxious voters waited for many hours for the arrival of electoral officers in parts of the council area.

As at 9 am officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were nowhere to be found in places like Iyana Ipaja; Akowonjo; Orelope and Egbeda.

INEC officials arrived Polling Unit 059, Ward E, Egbeda in front of the family house of Lagos Deputy Governor, Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire at about 10.15 am, while accreditation of voters was marred by poor performance of the card readers.

Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire was accredited at 2.10pm while she cast her vote at 3.02 pm.

Lagos West Senatorial District candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Solomon Olamilekan Adeola was accredited at about 10.15 am alongside his wife, Temitope, at Polling Unit A30, Ward C, Idimu.

Adeola later returned to the polling centre with his wife and they cast their votes at 2.44 pm and 2.50 pm respectively.

Protests however trailed the

By Kunle Akinrinade

exercise in some parts of Alimosho, as angry voters condemned their disenfranchisement by INEC officials and the police.

There accreditation exercise was abruptly terminated at Polling Units 039; 040; 045 and 046 in Mosan Okunola Local Development Area of Alimosho when policemen moved INEC officials away for undisclosed reasons.

The development triggered a protest which lasted for hours as frustrated voters condemned the conduct of the minions of law.

There was a mild drama as one of the voters at Unit 040, Mrs Oroja Giwa embarked on a “oneman” protest in the neighbourhood calling on policemen on patrol to either allow her to vote or be ready for a showdown.

She said: “We have been at the polling unit since 6 am waiting for the arrival of electoral officers but they did not show up until 11 am. We were berating them (INEC officials) for their late arrival and breakdown of card readers when some policemen arrived and took the electoral officers away without any explanation. It is absolutely clear that the motive behind the stoppage of the exercise is to prevent us from voting for a candidate of our choice.”

It was the same scenario at a polling centre in Igando where INEC officials were said to have been evacuated by policemen after voters allegedly confronted them for their late arrival.

Akinyemi, an APC agent at the Igando unit described the development as worrisome.

“The INEC officials came by 12 noon and started accreditation by 1pm. By 3pm, they said they wanted to end accreditation.

They said the card reader was programmed to terminate by that time. As I am talking to you, not more than 300 voters were accredited out of over 6,000.

We are in the dark about what is really happening. Neither the police nor INEC officials addressed us,” he said.

Voters also protested the absence of electoral officers at a polling centre on Isiba Oluwo Crescent in Orelope. No INEC official was there as at 2pm when our correspondent visited the centre.

In parts of Agbado/Oke Odo Local Council Development Area of Alimosho, voting was still ongoing as at 6pm.

Some party agents were making efforts to get a generator to provide light as voting entered nightfall in Unit 001 near National Dog Centre of Nigeria Army in Ipaja, as soldiers erected a barricade to ensure law and order during the exercise.

An APC chieftain at the unit, Princess Uzamat Akinbile explained that electoral officers did not turn up at the centre until about 11 am. She added that accreditation at the centre was slow because the card readers were not working well.

At Polling Unit 052, Baba Egbe area of Meiran, voting was still on at 5.40 pm. Electoral officials were said to have arrived at the centre at about 11.

20 am while voting commenced at 4.15 pm.

A community leader in the area, Chief Lekan Olaniran, who was still waiting to cast his vote as at 5.30 pm blamed the situation on shoddy arrangement by INEC. There was a confrontation between voters and electoral officers at Units 042 and 043, Ward 11, Meiran following shortage of ballot papers.

Voting was stopped at the two centres for about one hour until a senior police officer intervened before the exercise was continued.

Although the presiding officer at Unit 043 refused to speak with our correspondent, it was however gathered that only 200 ballot papers were allegedly brought to the centre as against registered voters numbering about 700.

Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire said the exercise was relatively encouraging with the large turnout of voters adding that INEC should address hitches recorded particularly the issue of malfunctioning card readers and late arrival of electoral officers among others.

In his remarks, shortly after casting his vote, Hon Adeola said: “It will be too early for me to outrightly praise INEC for the conduct of the exercise. Although, it did not take me and my wife more than one minute to finish accreditation and a few minutes to cast our votes, but there have been hitches in some parts of Lagos and other places in the country. We have heard about how some people did not exercise their civic duty because the card readers did not work while electoral officials were absent in some centres.”

Large turnout in Ijebu Ode, as Sagamu record ballot snatching From Adebisi Onanuga and Bola Olajuwon and Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

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HE presidential and national assembly elections recorded a large turn-out in Ijebu Ode yesterday.

The elections was also held under a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.

As early as 7.30 a.m., prospective voters started trooping to various voting units and centres for accreditation which was peaceful all through.

Voting started as from 1.30 p.m. in most centres except in a few centres where accreditation was not concluded as at the scheduled time owing to network issues recorded by card readers’ machine.

Consequently, separation of ballot papers and counting stretched till late in the evening yesterday Meanwhile a case of ballot snatching was reported in Shagamu, Ogun State, the hometown of former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel.

It took the intervention of soldiers on ground to retrieve the box.

The thugs who snatched the ballot dropped it when they were pursued and threatened by the soldiers.

Sagamu Local Government Chairman Mrs. Funmilayo Efuape, thanked the soldiers for their quick intervention.

Voting was still ongoing as 9.32pm.

However, aside the open lobbying of voters with cash, Ogun East Senatorial District candidate Chief Kashamu Buruji was allegedly seen moving around the district in a convoy.

Jimoh Ibrahim denies joining APC From Leke Akeredolu, Akure

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OLLOWING rumours being peddled in Ondo State that business mogul, Bar. Jimoh Ibrahim has defected with his followers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC); Ibrahim yesterday said he still remains in PDP. Hehoweverinsistedthathewould never be in good terms with Governor Olusegun Mimiko as long as both of them are in the same party.

Jimoh vowed that they would frustrate Mimiko ambition of controllingthepartystructureandalso deny him the chance to produce his successor.

Speaking with reporters at his hometown at Igbotako in Okitipupa LocalGovernment,whilegoingforhis accreditation, said he cannot defect on internet, saying those who wrote it on internet are fools.

He confirmed that he has good relationship with the two major Presidential Candidates, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, insisting that his loyalty still remains with the PDP. “You don’t live by rumours in politics. I don’t have reasons to leave PDP for now. You don’t change party through internet, it is a complete madness. When the deputy governor was decamping, he gave a statement to the press and he signed it.

“I am predicting victory for PDP and I will like to commend the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the introduction of card readers. This has made the elections more credible.

Ropo Sekoni

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Femi Orebe Page 16

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

Moemeke, a legend

The long wait tunjade@yahoo.co.uk 08054503906 (sms only)

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Y the time you are reading this piece, the first set of the 2015 elections would have been over, other things being equal. But we have the second leg in less than two weeks, precisely on April 11. Ordinarily, the elections ought to have come and gone on February 14 (Presidential and National Assembly) and February 28 (governorship and state houses of assembly), but were postponed to March 28 and April 11, respectively, essentially by the military chiefs who said they could not guarantee security if the elections were held as earlier scheduled. The thinking in government then was that, among others, the Chibok girls abducted in April last year would have been found within the six weeks and the Boko Haram war would have been contained. Then, most importantly, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would have had enough time to perfect rigging plans, splash dollars on willing and unwilling Nigerians, to boost its chances at the polls.

While the government has been celebrating the defeat of the insurgents with the assistance of troops from Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic, mum has been the word on the Chibok girls. Apparently, there does not seem to be any hope in sight about their whereabouts yet, and, in their stead, the government decided to renovate their school as if that is of any meaning to the girls’ parents.

Anyway, the Goodluck Jonathan administration is a master when it comes to ‘promise and fail’. It would again promise that the search for the girls continues when indeed nobody is talking about them again, if we know this administration as we should by now. Then, his government would go to sleep again only to wake up two months to the 2019 elections (if it finds itself in the saddle once again) to start frantic attempts to right the wrongs it could not address in the last nine or 10 years.

But one thing that had been agitating the minds of many Nigerians is the issue of the card readers that the ruling party does not want used for the elections. As it were, it seemed the last joker the ruling party wanted to use in its bid to have a field day in the election. Mercifully, last week, the courts, including the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court said INEC should go ahead with the card readers. Indeed, the Federal High Court which ruled on the matter on Friday asked both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, to appear before it on April 24, to look at the illegality or otherwise of the use of the card readers for a general election.

Even baby lawyers know the meaning of that.

So, those who might have been hinging their hope on the court stopping INEC from using the card readers have to return to the drawing board for the next item in their inexhaustible bag of mischief. By the time they begin to perfect that, the election would have been over. But it is gratifying that our courts have not allowed themselves to be used by politicians who are ready to bribe God if He would be available for bribing, or bring the roof down on everybody where that fails, just to satisfy their selfish urge for political power which, unfortunately, they do not know how to use. One must especially commend the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, who had earlier warned judges against any hanky-panky, especially in po-

At last, the election, despite attempts to scuttle it

• Prof Attahiru Jega, INEC boss

litical cases. This is by far different from some of the previous general elections which produced billionaire judges but which messed up our judiciary and the electoral process.

One terrible thing about the PDP is its futile attempts to hide behind one finger in its opposition to some of the processes and procedures guiding the 2015 general elections. Take the postponement of the elections for example. The ruling party had tried surreptitiously and severally to make it look as if the decision was that of INEC. But when it was clear the electoral commission was not going to play that kind of ball that would have meant an indictment of itself, thereby strengthening the hands of those who had been fishing for excuses to remove the commission’s boss, the National Security Adviser took the responsibility of announcing the government’s position that the country was not safe enough for the election.

There is also the case of the Young Democratic Party (YDP) that was threatening to hold its party primaries on March 26 and 27, a day to the general elections, on the strength of a court judgment that ordered INEC to register it. Again, even a baby lawyer knows that the judge never issued any order to the effect that it should participate in this year’s elections because the courts are aware that issuing such an order was futile, given that ballot papers for the elections had been printed and it is late in the day to disrupt the process simply because of an unknown party that is probably serving some masters in power who have suddenly developed a phobia for elections. Even if YDP was right, what is to be done is to weigh its interest against that of the nation. Obviously, national interest would prevail. And that was what the court did by clarifying that it never said the party should be included in the ballot papers for this year’s elections. Imagine, a party that probably cannot muster 250,000 votes now wanting to be an issue in a general election?

The world must have been shocked about how Nigeria degenerated to the extent that some of these developments have come to be our lot in the twenty-first century. But a country cannot rise beyond the level of those governing it

Who does not know that something beneath the river is beating the drums for the whirligigs that are ‘dancing’ on it? But that is how they had been using inconsequential matters to cheat Nigerians.

When we take a trip down memory lane, we would see how the PDP Governors Forum itself came into being. When you have people who cannot do a simple arithmetic in an election involving only 35 people because they wanted to be fraudulent, then you can understand their frustration with card readers. As a matter of fact, not a few people felt part of the reasons they fought for postponement of the elections was to see if they could make INEC adopt both the Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) and Temporary Voter’s Cards (TVCs) simultaneously for the elections so they could reenact their usual rigging at the polls. When that campaign failed, they also sponsored some people to raise questions with card readers. But the meeting of the PDP governors in Lagos a few weeks back clearly exposed the party as the brain behind the scathing opposition to the use of the card readers. That is their style. The government even toyed with the idea of Interim Government, can you imagine!

The primitive manner the Jonathan government has been running Nigeria is even reflected in the way and manner some of its officials are stealing from the country’s coffers. Indeed, to refer to what is happening under this administration as stealing is putting it mildly; it is also primitive as in primitive accumulation.

Unfortunately, the president still believes the rate of corruption is exaggerated in the country. He is asking for four years to address the corruption in the oil sector! A leader who calls the gargantuan corruption in this country mere stealing is not fit to continue in office because by the time he wakes up to the reality, it would have been too late. Just as the country is now sweating to bring back the Chibok girls when it should have done so with ease had the president believed early enough that the girls were truly kidnapped.

The world must have been shocked about how Nigeria degenerated to the extent that some of these developments have come to be our lot in the twenty-first century. But a country cannot rise beyond the level of those governing it. Even some of the people that we thought were coming from places where best practices reign supreme, where transparency and accountability are their creed suddenly sink the moment they join the Jonathan presidency.

They see their critics as irritants and pollutants that are only out to discredit them. Take Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for example, how can she see anyone who says she has not managed the economy well in bad light when all the indices point to that, from the exchange rate to unemployment, etc? All she offers are statistics that do not have any bearing with reality. The good thing though is that many Nigerians are now prepared to take their destiny in their hands, in spite of the rural and primitive devices of the Jonathan government to keep the country in perpetual bondage and darkness.

Whether all their satanic plots added to or subtracted from their once upon the biggest party in Africa would be known in a few hours from now.

CHIBOK GIRLS. STILL IN LIMBO. SINCE APRIL 15, 2014.

By Sunday Igwebuike

I

T was William Shakespeare who said, “When beggars die, there is no comet seen. But the heavens themselves blaze forth at the death of a prince.” I was out of town on assignment, when Mr. I S Moemeke, the Lintas boss joined his ancestors. I was therefore not privileged to observe how the heavens blazed in the coming home of one of their own. Shakespeare did not make any mistake, for such an honour is reserved for deserving citizens of our common humanity. Life is a stage. Everyone is bound to come in and play and at the end of the short span exit. Death is a necessary end. It is a price, we mortals must pay, no matter how we may try to wish it away. One day, it is over! The glory of our existence here is this: some of us might play and on leaving, leave heavy foot prints on the sands of time.

That of course is the true mark of our life on earth. Mr. I S Moemeke, our brother, uncle, father, boss, friend, collegue and partner came to this our chequered world; saw and conquered.

He came, saw and conquered! The battle is now for us, he left behind to consummate, in the light of truth. It was the ant who was telling her children, one cool evening, “Look sons, understand this: the moment truth is no longer plausible, anarchy is looming. “Here comes a man who in his life sojourn depended on truth. He was a dogged fighter and believer of truth. Nothing could sway him from the path of truth. He believed that nothing is worth fighting for, as long as truth is missing!

As a young chap, our part crossed in my secondary school days. As an aspiring writer, the late business mogul, administrator par excellence, enigma, sage, a man of peace, candour and ardour, saw a piece of my writing and provided the ladder, the anchor , for me to climb and continue climbing the literary space. That encounter with the great man had produced great works in literature and added to the pool of human learning. During my senior secondary days, as a member of The Association Of Nigerian Authors, Delta State Chapter, I joined other literary minds in the State to produce a literary master piece; RUMBLING CREEKS OF NIGER DELTA, which is being used today in some literary arts departments in Nigerian universities and Abroad. My humble self used it in my under graduate class. Imagine that! Again, my novel, THE MISSING GIRL, is among the one hundred listed books in Australia.

In the list, MISSING GIRL is third in Africa. THING FALL APART by Achebe is number one while HALF OF A YELLOW SUN by Adiche is number two. In Indonesia, a typical moslem country, my name Sunday Igwebuike is listed among THE WORLD FAMOUS PERSONALITIES. Can you beat that? We may mourn at this juncture, but every moment of his life here on earth is worthy of celebration. We hope and pray that the legacy he left behind lives on. We also pray for the children who are finding it hard to believe the passing on of their beloved dad to take heart. They should not rest on their oars. If there is any tree to climb, a river to cross, a mountain to surmount, they should not be found wanting. Adieu baba! Sleep on in the bosom of your maker! Rest! BON VOYAGE! •Igwebuike writes from Lagos

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

COMMENT

2105 presidential election and Nigeria’s destiny

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F the presidential election yesterday was free, fair, and credible, Nigeria as a country would have moved very close to its destiny of a peaceful, stable, unifiable, multi-ethnic modern state that is pro-development. The euphoria ignited by a free, fair, and transparent election would be of immense pleasure to the nation as a corporate body, its citizens and friends across the globe.

The distance between the country and its destiny since independence can be traced to several factors. One was the desire in the first republic for a one-party state by a ruling party that wanted to dominate the rest of the country. Another was the rise of military regimes that succeeded in changing the character of the country from federal to quasi-unitary system of governance, most of which in the process became more corrupt than the civilian regimes they ousted from power.

The last factor was recurrence of fraudulent or manipulated elections between 1959 and 2014. It is on record that the 1959 election supervised by the departing colonial master was rigged in favor of the section of the country that Britain preferred to succeed it. Similarly, the 1964 federal election was rigged in favor of the ruling party, just as the 1979 and 1983 presidential elections were adjudged by many citizens to have been manipulated in favour of the ruling party at the center. The June 12, 1993 presidential election claimed by its organiser, General Ibrahim Babangida, as the freest in the nation’s electoral history was also ‘rigged’ against the winner, MKO Abiola at the end through annulment. The other four elections: 1999, 2003, 2007, and even 2011 were all perceived by national and international observers as below the average standard of democratic elections in the so-called third world. No wonder, one

If yesterday’s elections were free and fair by national and international standards, President Jonathan would have pushed the country in the direction of its destiny of the earliest promises of President Jonathan after he assumed the presidency in 2011 was to ensure conduct of free and fair elections. If yesterday’s elections were free and fair by national and international standards, President Jonathan would have pushed the country in the direction of its destiny, but more on this later.

In many ways, corruption, believed to be the cancer that has been destroying the country, cannot be isolated from the type of governments that the country has been saddled with since 1959: military dictatorships and civilian administrations brought into being by questionable elections. Citizens for too long have known that a government created by fraud cannot but be fraudulent. Consequently, many citizens, if not most, view all the governments since independence as lacking in legitimacy. Such citizens see corruption as part of the political fabric of the country and joined their leaders on the bandwagon of political and bureaucratic corruption. If by chance or design yesterday’s elections were free and transparent, legitimacy would finally come to the governments that grow from them.

The first vital step in rebuilding governments at all levels in the country is a free and transparent election. It will stop the tradition of personalistic and neopatrimonial state that has been in existence in the country’s independent life till now. In other words, the culture of impunity that has raged for decades will be over. Citizens’ consent to their governance through free and fair ballot will further energise them in their demand for full accountability from those who govern them. Not only at the executive level will a new culture emerge from fair election, the legislative culture in the country

in the last sixteen years will have to bow to the expectations of citizens who own the mandate now freely given to the executive and the legislature.

Whether the incumbent is the winner or loser of a free and fair election, he will come out as the moral winner. He will write his name in gold as the first president that respected citizens’ fundamental human right to choose their leaders in an unfettered election. President Jonathan will, despite the muscular and vitriolic campaign of the last two or so months by his supporters, be able to beat his chest in any part of the country while saying that he has become one of the builders of a free modern polity. If he loses, he will be one of the many democratic leaders across the globe that failed to win re-election, something that has never happened in our own country before him.

Should General Buhari win a free and fair election, he is likely to be humbled by the trust of the people in giving him the opportunity to rule the country several decades after he had ruled it as a military dictator. He will no longer see his power as deriving from the barrel of guns but from the hearts of voters across geopolitical and ethnic lines. Consequently, he will be more likely than not to listen to the wishes of the electorate, knowing full well that without them, he could not have become president in the last quarter of the life of an average ruler.

There will be no space in his government for any manner of ethnic or cultural domination but only for the building of a modern democratic multiethnic nation.

As for the average citizen, he or she will feel invigorated by free and fair elections. The feeling of political impotence

on the part of the electorate which has created an I-don’t-care attitude over the years will disappear. It will become easier for the electorate to demand accountability from their president and lawmakers.

It will become easier for citizens to join policy debates about how much should their lawmakers earn directly and indirectly. Citizens will have more opportunities to bring the issue of re-federalising the country for unity and development on the table with the hope of stimulating a process that is inclusive in terms of how to make the country work and keep it united for progress and development.

International friends of our country will be more likely to be partners than what they have been. Our immediate neighbours in the ECOWAS will feel relieved that the giant of the region has finally risen to the challenge of accepting the nuances of democratic process and governance. No longer will our West African neighbours feel threatened that post-election violence will create another wave of refugees that can destabilise smaller countries in the region. A Nigeria that has finally joined the ranks of Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, etc., in moving away from the culture of impunity to one of accountability and the rule of law will certainly become a friendly lever of economic power in the region.

With respect to our other international friends in Europe, the Americas, and the Orient, Nigeria’s free, fair, and transparent election will have to disabuse their minds about the facile generalisation about Nigeria being largely a rogue, failing, or failed state. The feeling in the outside world that a country that cannot conduct a free and fair election lacks legitimacy and cannot be trusted to respect accountability will diminish and gradually disappear as the culture of allowing citizens to choose their leaders grow in the country. Nigeria will be able to see more genuine investors, instead of hearing about them on government-controlled radio and television announcements.

Finally, millions of Nigerians at home and abroad who have been worried stiff about the future of the country will now sleep without the fear:”what are we going to do if things suddenly fall apart.”

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

15

COMMENT

Lessons from Lee Lee Kuan Yew has a lot to teach us in his biography for lifting a humble outpost onto the league of the world’s elite

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HE name of Lee Kuan Yew, the charismatic phenom of statecraft and governance, has been a reference point among politicians and political commentators in Nigeria in the past decade. Many see him as a model, and one to be envied and aped.

When that man died March 23 at the age of 91, he closed the chapter of a generation of leaders who have left their world better than they met it.

He belongs in the class of men like Tito and Mandela who would not stand idle while decay and tyranny shadowed the earth. They played a role, and for that history and the destiny of humans would be forever indebted.

When Lee Kuan Yew was born on September 16, 1923, Singapore was a colonial outpost in thrall of Britain. He became a pilot of the small outpost’s trajectory through the rough and tumble of colonial weaning. He formed a political party, The People’s Action Party (PAP), and staked his genius and his brand of patriotism and politics until his party rose to ascendancy and helped pry it from the grip of colonial Britain.

He led the country from 1959 to 1990, and in those years Singapore soared from what is known as the Third World to first world, an idea he relished as evidence in his book, From Third World to First World. His is one of a biography of a stallion in statecraft. Singapore was a poor country with no resources. Compare that with Nigeria with the abundance of resources like oil, palm produce and groundnut, and we can understand the power of one man to loft a humble people to the company of the world’s elite nations.

As he himself had confessed, Singapore did not fall into the stereotype of a strong and vibrant nation. It did not have one language, one culture, a homogeneous population, a common sense of destiny. It overthrew all the assumptions and stood

I

T Started with a statement from Governor Babangida Aliyu about two years ago, alleging that President Jonathan signed a pact wherein it was written that he would not stay in office beyond May 29, 2015. In other words, he would serve only one term, if voted into office during the 2011 elections. This ‘falsehood’ went on for a long time. Governor Babangida Aliyu could not substantiate his claim; he failed, till date, to provide the so-called document signed by Goodluck Jonathan. It was soon discovered that Governor Aliyu was only having the wishful thinking of becoming the president of north-

tall. That evokes a strong challenge to Nigeria, with a variegated population with conflicting languages and ethnicities and even religious variance. If Singapore was able to rise above all its insularities, why not Nigeria?

In Nigeria’s election season, we have seen that tribes and faith have become a central part of electoral permutations and loyalties with the bigger canopy of Nigeria retreating to the shadows of contempt. As this editorial is written, Nigeria is in the thick of an election with the furies of tribe and faith at play.

Before Singapore became completely free of Britain in 1965, Lee kuan Yew sought a sort of alliance with Malaysia and that lasted between 1963 and 1965, when it failed, and he had to contend with the distrust and uproar of ethnic tension between the dominant ethnic Chinese and the Malay and Indian minorities. Lee recalls that period as a “moment of anguish,” since the minorities threatened a fragile nation. It was about the same time that Nigeria receded into ethnic imbroglio that crippled the country in a 30-month bloodbath of a civil war.

But with Lee’s sublime cunning and tough hand and large heart, the ethnic differences did

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

•Editor Festus Eriye

•Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief Victor Ifijeh

•Deputy Editor Olayinka Oyegbile

•Chairman, Editorial Board Sam Omatseye

•Associate Editor Sam Egburonu

•General Editor Adekunle Ade-Adeleye

not pop up again on his watch. In 1965, the country became independent. The country grew in the years of Lee’s reign with a system that has become a case study among political scientists and political economists since the 1980’s. He introduced the Westminster model of government in the fashion of Great Britain, and he served as prime minister. In spite of the apparent liberalism of the system, he shunned a multi-party system, so his PAP was the solo party in Singapore.

He was not a democrat, and he saw his decision as a pragmatic step. He thought that his style conformed to his impatience for development, and the Cambridge University graduate with double star first class in law, derided the west for its contempt for his authoritarian style.

His economic model, however, was liberal and he embraced the five Cs of capitalism – cash, condos, credit cards, cars and country clubs. That vaulted the country into what he described as an “oasis of a first world in a third world.” He ran a corruption-free government with transparency and the rule of law. His country topped the World Bank’s ‘ease of doing business” rankings. He took advantage of the country’s natural harbour into a strategic advantage on the Malacca Strait, and was nexus of 40 percent of the world’s maritime trade.

But it must be noted that not all of Lee’s style will fit today’s globalised world of twitter, internet, instagram and yen for equality and liberalism. A writer called it “Disneyland with death penalty.” Even after he stepped down, his PAP faced revolt and he lost his position as mentor.

What we must learn from him is the sense of focus in governance and disdain for corruption.

The country only had a harbour and it took advantage of it to create a prosperous nation. We must make our own heroes while learning from the virtues of the world’s great. Lee was one of them.

LETTER

Babangida Aliyu and his tall tales ern extraction, after 2015 elections.

Recently, also, Governor Babangida Aliyu went viral with another allegation that General Mohammadu Buhari ‘signed’ a document to stay in office for only one term, should he win the 2015 presidential elections. Aliyu noted that Buhari planned to shortchange the northerners by so agreeing to a term stay in the office. This again was

proved to be false. For someone of his standing in governance to be raising false alarm, smacks of a good ‘servant’ - as he calls himself.

The third lie Babangida Aliyu told recently too was that his deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Musa Ibeto, requested for his support towards becoming the next governor of Niger State on the platform of the PDP but was not granted. But Babangida Aliyu’s deputy de-

bunked this and called him a liar. Nevertheless, the deputy governor has defected to the APC. Babangida Aliyu is gunning for the Senate and one wonders how someone who could tell so many lies just because of his personal ambition be trusted to go out there in the Senate and contribute meaningfully to the growth of the nation.

It will be recalled that

Aliyu had sought to be Goodluck Jonathan’s vicepresident when the constitution allowed Jonathan to take the oath of office when Yar’Adua passed on but unfortunately Sambo was preferred. Ever since then, Babangida Aliyu has never hidden his resentments towards Jonathan.

Governor Aliyu’s innate ambition seem to have come to the open when he, a few

days back, granted an interview to one of the national dailies, boasting that Jonathan will hand over to him in 2019.

May one ask him; what if Jonathan fails to be reelected in the forthcoming elections as it’s most likely, would he join APC thereafter so that, peradventure Buhari completes the ‘one term’, he then takes over?

Hence, Governor Babangida Aliyu could be described as liar of many colours and most likely to lose his desire to be a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after May 29, 2015.

•Chief Onyeike Agomuo Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Between late Yar’Adua phone call and Moroccan King

I

N describing Nigeria recently I was told—”Big nation, great people, but equally BIG problems.”

Let me take us back a little, in December 2009, a certain Mallam Tanimu Yakubu, and economic guru lied to an entire nation that the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua called key government officials, including the then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, on phone and spoke with them for five minutes.

We are in March 2015, and after denials and counter denials by officials, Nigeria’s President Jonathan has said he is “highly embarrassed” that his officials said he had spoken to the Moroccan King when he had not.

Earlier last week, Morocco recalled its ambassador over the affair after the Nigerian foreign ministry insisted the two heads of state had spoken by phone.

President Jonathan did confess that he had been trying to speak to various African leaders to seek their support for Nigeria’s candidate for the position of African Development Bank (AfDB) president.

The President’s spokesperson Reuben Abati released a statement saying President Jonathan was “shocked, surprised and highly embarrassed by the controversy that has erupted” and that he had ordered the foreign affairs minister to find out how it had oc-

curred.

“The regrettable furore that has developed over the matter is due entirely to misinformation as President Jonathan has neither spoken with King Mohammed or told anybody that he had a telephone conversation with the Moroccan monarch,” the statement said.

The Nigerian foreign ministry had said “both leaders spoke extensively over the phone on matters of mutual interest and concern.”

In 2009, the Yar’Adua call was coming after 44 days, of ‘no speech’, ‘video call’ or ‘photograph’ from Jeddah, where the President was hospitalised. It was yet another spin…in a long drawer of

plenty spins during that era, including that staged BBC interview too.

In that period we witnessed the mysteriously signed budget, Nigeria on terror list, sackings in the banking sector, fuel crisis and a nation practically on autopilot.

It was in that mood that Tanimu told us that the president called xyz, it was the era, the president could govern from anywhere, when some kitchen cabinet or cabal clerks flew kilometres around the globe to have him sign the supplementary budget.

Then some ‘goons’ just jet in and out to everywhere and anywhere and tell us they just

came in from Jeddah. Nobody told us till date, how much Yar’Adua’s absence cost Nigerians in travels, estacode, medical bills and the cost of all the lies.

Laughable cock and bull story.

Every issue that is raised in respect to moving our nation forward is narrowed down to north south, Christian-Muslim, however when our leaders steal, it has no coloration. My take is that the leaders of the country are only united in looting the state treasury. And then we fight across our naïve idiosyncrasies, while they watch us.

Why are we always looking for other countries approval, and acceptance, why

are we a timid people, why are we never doing the right things at home?

It’s our failure at home that has made U.S and Europe so relevant to us. We have to send our children there because the universities at home have failed. We have to look for jobs there because there are none at home. Some people even feel inferior to them and will rather live abroad at all costin their minds, by doing so, they’ve become superior human beings.

We keep allowing our leaders make the wrong call, for how long—Only time will tell.

•By Dickson

Prince

Charles

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16

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

COMMENT

The day after: Wither Nigeria?

It is the day after and I ask: where exactly did President Jonathan and the PDP leave the entity called Nigeria?

“T

HE problem that we have is Mr Goodluck Jonathan himself – a president who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of false prophets and strange women knows no bounds and has no end. “A president who is as confused and as clueless as the comic character called Chancey Gardner in the celebrated 1970’s Peter Seller’s Hollywood blockbuster titled “Being There” -Femi Fani-Kayode (President Jonathan’s Campaign Spokesperson) It is the day after and I ask: where exactly did President Jonathan and the PDP leave the entity called Nigeria?

What is left of it? Is it standing, dead, ruptured, wounded or warring? Is it in the midst of, Kenya-like, a horrendous post-election conflagration, more like a civil war? Did this weakest ever president succeed in taking the country down with himself, win or lose? I am writing this article a whole 48 hours ahead of the election and so haven’t the slightest idea who of Jonathan or Buhari has won.

But that changes nothing, since either he wins or not, Goodluck Jonathan has damaged Nigeria beyond immediate repair. The country is, without question, in worse straits than Europe at the end of World War 11. Exploiting every conceivable fissure in a huge, multi-ethnic country - ethnicity, religion, anything; and manipulating everything in completely unimaginable ways as survival tactics, President Jonathan has left Nigeria more divided than ever. He split everything on his way and, in particular, shredded the Yoruba nation worse than did the long Yoruba inter-tribal wars of the 19th century. With an eye on his re-election, he vacillated so needlessly he ended up sending between 15-

20,000 Nigerians to their early deaths in the hands of a Boko Haram by deliberately permitting it to fester and luxuriate. Add to this the thousands of widows and orphans and an estimated 1.5 Nigerians that have been turned to internally displaced persons.

Through a mindless divide and rule tactics he gave undue advantage to a small fraction of his Niger Delta compatriots, gave them unmerited access to huge, sometimes, illicit funds and turned them to instant billionaires even as Nigeria became the world headquarters of stolen oil.

The best way to appreciate how low he has taken Nigeria is to take a critical look at some institutions of state, namely: the police, army, and the economy whose national currency he shredded so nastily. An advertorial which appeared in The Nation of Wednesday, 25 March 2015 and yet unrebutted, showed how a total of 600 million dollars was taken from the Central Bank vaults under spurious national security reasons - reminding one of Abacha - and it has since become common knowledge that all manner of characters and organisations are being bribed in dollars all over the country ahead of the presidential elections. If any institution has been thoroughly worsted, it is the Nigeria Police now turned PDP -Police.

That institution has so completely lost its soul it is now being used by President Jonathan for the most heinous of assignments. Under the lead of a totally uncaring Inspector-General , with its men and women training and living under the most wretched of conditions, the police has become so disoriented it is now seen protect-

ing the likes of OPC thugs, armed to the death, behaving like rabid dogs as we recently saw in Lagos. It is, indeed, worse in Ekiti where it is now nothing more than the attack dogs of the riggedin governor who has put the entire state to rout. When not being used to protect an illegal 7-man rogue legislature, the police is, zombie-like, enthusiastically running opposition politicians to ground and assisting his group of thugs.

With its men paying for everything needed for official duties despite the humongous annual budgetary allocations to it, the Nigeria Police is today nowhere near any national police. It has become so unkempt and uncared for that, as they have threatened, some elements within it should about now be going on strike. In its present circumstances, the Nigeria Police has been turned into a completely anti-democratic institution.

The least said about an otherwise well trained Nigerian Army, respected world-wide for its discipline and abilities demonstrated at several peace keeping, even enforcement, operations, the better, as President Jonathan has listlessly turned it into a tool of political manipulation so horrible the rag tag Boko Haram accounted, unfortunately, for too many of its members thus turning their wives to widows and the children to orphans simply because, rather than fight Boko Haram, he decided to use them to serve his own personal desires. It got so bad its one time Chief of Staff was alleged to be a sponsor of Boko Haram by an expatriate peace negotiator who should know.

It got worse.

As has now been evidentially proven through the Captain Sagir Koli Ekitigate tapes, President Jonathan so thoroughly undermined the integrity the Nigerian Army when he allegedly - Obanikoro and Fayose’s words - ordered it, through its Chief of Staff, to rig the Ekiti governorship election of

2014 for Ayo Fayose. So ruinous was that directive that the Nigerian Army will never ever completely erase its unwholesome consequences. By the time everything is known about the current election, it is almost certain President Jonathan would also have used the army to rig again for both himself and his party. It will be most unlike an eminently pliable President Jonathan not to have acquiesced to the illicit demands of the likes of Wike, Fayose, Obanikoro and Akpabio to have soldiers rig for them in their respective states. If, therefore, there are post-election crises, the entire world should know who to hold responsible.

Nor is that all he has done to tarnish the image of the Nigerian Army Some two weeks ago, the army leadership, apparently acting on orders from above, told Nigerians that elections will not take place in newly freed areas. Incidentally, this is by a government and party whose silly, unpatriotic fight over PVC was premised on no Nigerian being disenfranchised. So what did this president tell the army?

Thanks to Chadian army authorities, we now know that Nigerian soldiers were ordered not to take over control of the freed territories in order to make them unsafe. The consequence was fast in coming: not only were several Nigerians killed, about 500 were reported seized and carried away by Boko Haram from one of such towns already freed by the Chadian soldiers. Big surprise is it, that an army that put the dreaded Boko Haram to rout in six weeks could now be running away from taking over control and responsibility in the captured areas. That is how ineffective the president has rendered a once formidable Nigerian Army which, some thirty years earlier, under General Muhammadu Buhari , yes, the same Buhari, ran Chadian soldiers beyond their own borders as a reprisal for an attack on Nigerian territory – a tale of two heads of state. The army

Quotes from the past The hope of transformation and change still floats high!

T

ODAY, dear reader, we are treating you to an excellent dish of quotable quotes from essays past and essays gone from this column on the Nigerian brand of politics. Hopefully, yesterday’s elections have come and gone, and while we await the results, we will all school our hearts and minds and stomachs to accept the outcomes. While we wait, let us enjoy this potpourri of assorted smile-bringers: ‘No right-minded parent living in the twenty-first century would send his child into the forest to learn life’s lessons now. I think, rather, that many parents would prefer to go and stay in the forest themselves if they are sure their children will not be there!

But here was Nigeria, while still tottering on her feet and not even used to wearing shoes, being granted independence and told she could now live alone. More or less, she was told to go into the wild forest of democracy, unschooled, untutored, and survive. Naturally, she has had to learn her democratic lessons on the job.

This is why she has the fragments of so many republics strewn around her.’

(From ‘How many republics does Nigeria need to get it?’ 2011).

‘The wonder of politics is the fact that all the gladiators believe it is only a game, yet few can truly say ‘I concede defeat.’ To a man (and woman!), eyes bulging out, sinews taut, mouths

widened, all contestants in these elections are hauling disgraceful tirades, unbefitting epithets, unmentionable names and claiming pyrrhic victories that will certainly destroy them in the end. Clearly, anyone who wins will exude nothing but the putrid stench of the cesspool fight. So, we have a divided polity. We have contestants roiling in murky cesspools of other-loathing and an electorate dreaming of change.’ (From ‘Did my vote really count?’ 2011).

‘Once upon a time, a politician was said to have been given the very onerous task of ensuring that he sacrificed a pigeon daily into a pot under his bed, to ensure the sustenance of the political victory he pilfered.

Three things came out from that story. One, the herbalist was more powerful than the people or the constitution; two, the politician had little time to do the work he was ‘elected’ to do because he was too busy sacrificing pigeons; and three, the pigeon population became greatly depleted. And so, the Nigerian political arena is filled with politicians crisscrossing the terrains looking for good herbalists or hit men, not votes.’ (From ‘Where is the sport in the game of politics?’ 2011).

‘Then my mind went to the recent events in the country, particularly the recent crash of a sitting governor’s ‘private plane’ and it did

some somersaults, my mind that is, not the plane. How on earth is a governor able to afford a ‘private plane’?

Is his state able to afford a modern, 21st century transportation or electricity system or housing or water or hospital or living standard or any standard for its citizens? What roils the mind is that you can’t just decide to go and greet your friend with those things. Where will you pack it, your friend’s bicycle shed? And then rumour has it that there are many other governors on the waiting list for these winged things, waiting to buy them that is, and may be fly them and crash them. What is just wrong with us in this country that robs us of all thoughtfulness? I hear one of them powerful government people bought one of those planes, and, not having too many places to go with it, had to leave the thing hanging around all day many days in its hangar. Now, I have to struggle for fuel with their stupid planes.’ (From ‘Of private planes, police copters, air ambulances and fire engines’ 2012).

‘Better still, we could ask our artists to draw us a picture of democracy to include the following, if I may.

First, I expect democracy to have a heart of gold – kind and caring – with which it would touch the lives of all those who believe in it. Then, it should be strong enough to be able to endure all the attacks and attempts of its enemies to weaken its structures, particularly politicians who like to call white black and black white. Then, it should look attractive. It shouldn’t look too much like a woman, beguiling and deceptive; nor too much like a man, deceptive

and destructive. It should just look … right. Once, a man was arrested for being drunk. He explained that a woman had asked him to build for her a new hen house from the materials of the old one. He should, however, not tear down the old one until he had finished the new one. So, he went out and got drunk. I believe the artist will get the picture.’ (From ‘Wherefore art thou called democracy?’ 2012).

‘We need to demonstrate that we understand democracy now or quit trying. Clearly, in the hands of this present breed of politicians, it is patently endangered. In itself, doubtless, it is one of the noblest pursuits of man. Democracy allows government to be unobtrusive and minimally involved in man’s daily life as it quietly directs national activities for altruistic goals aimed at mankind’s benefit. Democracy is worth pursuing because it allows man to reach that basic and minimum level of life required for the pursuit of happiness.

If only ... if only ... (sigh!) ... if only we did not have all these politicians standing in the way of our pursuit of democratic happiness. Now, what do we do? Just what do we do?’ (From ‘Demonstrate democracy or quit trying’ 2012).

‘Clearly, it is time to call out the democracy umpire. No democracy can thrive in a colony of ants that refuses to know and respect the positions, authorities and limits of its members. They will all soon go array and awry. Let the umpire tell us: have we got it (democracy) or have we lost it (our good sense)? I think we have not got it, and I think we

has, however, proved itself by putting Boko Haram to the rout in six weeks even though the president has restrained it for a whole of six years claiming, without a shred of evidence, that his government had been infiltrated by the same Boko Haram.

Unfortunately, while the president and his agents failed to completely shame the army as an institution, they are still relentlessly at work rubbishing its leading lights –the generals who gave everything to make the Nigerian Army worth its name in gold before its current ruination. Following the lead of a president who called General Obasanjo, a former head of state, a motor park tout, all manner of rehabilitated drug addicts have since described General Buhari as an illiterate while the president’s own unrestrainedly loquacious wife, Patience, has declared the APC candidate, General Buhari, another former head of state, brain dead. Nor was General T.Y Danjuma, a former Chief of Army Staff, spared by some irritable, totally insufferable and ordinary, Niger-Delta militants turned billionaires. So miffed at all these shenanigans was General Babangida, also a former head of State, and victim of these reckless presidentled attacks , that he had to issue a press statement decrying the descent into outright depravity. Wrote General Babangida: ‘ Nobody is stopping anyone from campaigning for their preferred candidates but to do so at the expense of the reputation, contributions, patriotism, loyalty and sacrifice of former presidents to the Nigerian state is, to say the least, immature. It is therefore callous, wicked, out of sync, cynical and a show of crass ignorance for anyone to undermine the military institution by embarking on mudslinging campaigns against former presidents and leaders with military background.’ And the clincher, which should resonate with these foul mouths: ‘it is this form of demonisation and stigmatisation that often compels us to exhibit espirit de corps amongst ourselves in support of our military institution, and colleagues, when the stakes are high.’

One can only hope that those who have ears have heard.

have completely lost it. For one thing, the government needs to realise that the people, the electors, want to be respected. For another, we the people want life to be a little more possible so that the president will stop enjoying his score card alone. Let us the people enjoy it too.’ (From ‘Democracy Day blues’ 2013).

‘This is why it is possible for the president of this country to forget the people’s will in the matter of who wins or does not win a governorship or senatorial seat election. I hear reps and senators from that party are also demanding that the largesse of automatic second term be extended to them. That means no election on earth can replace them. Hurray!

Frankly, I think we should by-pass these assemblymen and vote in the godfathers. They are more knowing.

And while we are on the matter, I would like to also obtain the president’s permission to go for a second term as the chief controller of my dog.

He is somewhat heady and I am not too popular with him right now mainly because I have not been too kind to him. If he were asked to choose his controller through an election ...’ (From ‘Nigerian leaders: A commitment to sharing…’

2014).

Postscript today: In all honesty, I would like to report that the results of those essays have led to the transformation of the country, but I can’t. The evidence on ground belies that fact.

PHCN still releases and withholds electricity at will, politicians are still crazy; the roads I ply are still impassable, literally; food is still astronomically expensive even for me (I now eat beef sparingly, honest! Plus my doctor has pitilessly struck it off my diet), etc. Yep, the hope of transformation and change still floats high!

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

COMMENT

17

(109) Between ourselves and our institutions and between Marx and Rousseau: election eve reflections (2) Man’s conceiving is fathomless.

His community will rise beyond the present reaches of the mind. Orisa reveals destiny as – self-destination Wole Soyinka What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared with what lies within us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A

T the end of last week’s beginning essay in this series, I posed the following question with the promise that it would b the starting point for this week’s concluding piece: Who among genuine, independent-minded patriots in our country today think that we first have to change the character, the morality of a Fayose, a Chris Ubah or a Musiliu Obanikoro from within before we can make our present constitutional and institutional arrangements give us free, fair and credible elections? In case the basis for my citing these particular persons is either not clear or is perceived as a reflection of a partisan promotion of the electoral interests of the APC, the main opposition party, let me quickly make some clarifications that would better reveal my purposes in this series.

As nearly every knows, Fayose, Ubah and Obanikoro are the main anti-heroes of the Ekiti-Gate electoral mega-fraud. Well then, consider the following developments after the exposure of these men as cynical and ruthless election riggers, developments which, in almost any other country in the world, would be almost unthinkable. First, after initially denouncing the Ekiti-Gate audio clips as fake, Fayose later admitted that it was indeed himself, it was indeed his voice that was so prominent in the clip. From that admission, Fayose then declared for the whole country and the world to hear that he was not taking anything back from what people heard him say in the audio clip and that if it likes the opposition party, the APC, could take the matter to the law courts. This completely leaves out of account the fact that far more than the APC, it was the people of Ekiti State that suffered the terrible criminal wrongs revealed in the Ekiti-Gate audio clip.

In the second significant postEkiti-Gate development, Goodluck Jonathan himself first said the audio clip of Ekiti-Gate was a fake. But after Fayose’s authentication of the audio clip, Jonathan then said he and his administration could and would not do anything about it because the man who secretly recorded the clip, Captain Sagir Koli of the Nigerian Army, had fled the country instead of staying to defend the authenticity of the audio clip. This is exactly what Jonathan said: “How can we do anything about it when the man who recorded it ran away”? As everyone knows, Captain Koli fled for his life.

In his absence, his junior brother was arrested, kept in prison for seven months where he was severely tortured. This leaves us to wonder what would have been done to Koli himself if he had not fled for his life. To cap the series of impunities that followed the original mega-impunity of the Ekiti-Gate electoral fraud itself, Jonathan then sent Obanikoro’s name

•From military dictator to bourgeois democrat?

to the Senate for confirmation as Minister of State in the Foreign Ministry.

And of course, against the hue and cry of both opposition Senators and the Nigerian public, the Senate President, David Mark, had Obanikoro confirmed.

In all this we must remember that without Captain Sagir Koli, we would never have known anything about the revelations of Ekiti-Gate. The impunity with which the use of the army, the police and electoral officers to rig the June 2014 Ekiti State governorship elections for Fayose and the PDP was perpetrated in secret. Like all institutions and organs of the Nigerian state, the army, the police and the election commission, together with the women and men who serve in them, are expected to be above undue and illegal control and manipulation by anybody, no matter how highly placed. This, indeed, is the moral and functional foundation of state and public institutions in all modern societies: rational, objective, impersonal and tested bodies before which all persons whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated get equal, lawful treatment.

This is why, initially, the impunity revealed by Ekiti-Gate had to be done in secret. Thus, it is a mark of the utterly corrupt and dysfunctional state of our institutions that when the secret impunity was exposed, the impunity became even more brazen and cynical. Fayose said “I am the one who said everything you heard in the tape; go to court if you wish”. Jonathan rewarded Obanikoro with a ministerial appointment which he had David Mark confirm in the Senate, in spite of the universal condemnation of the move. Nigerian Pidgin English has a wonderfully resonant term for this level of impunity and it is – wetin una fit do?

No Nigerian Head of State has taken “wetin una fit do” to a baser, more odious and more rapacious level than Goodluck Jonathan. This says a lot because without exception, all our military dictators were, in various ways, embodiments of “wetin una fit do”. By the way, this includes Muhammadu Buhari when he was a military dictator. But Jonathan beats them all in the culture, practice and consolidation of “wetin una fit do”,

whether the subject is looting and mismanagement on a grandiose scale by his appointees and cronies (remember the 2.3 trillion naira oil subsidy mega-scam?); lies and deceit to cover up mediocre achievements and lack of vision (remember the claim of having created millions of new jobs in an economy in which joblessness is at a historic high?); and gross spinelessness in meeting security challenges and the resultant crippling sense of despair in the country (remember his use of the slogan of the Chibok activists’ “Bring Back Our Girls” at the beginning of his campaign for reelection?).

Like President, like party. Thus, no political party in our country has come close to the PDP in taking “wetin una fit do” to forms and levels that even the regime of Sani Abacha, the most deranged in our political history, did not or could not go. These include but are not limited to scrambling for political office that is as internally fierce and anti-democratic in party primaries as in local, state and federal elections; a semi-literate former hair dresser as Speaker of the House of Representatives; an illiterate political kingpin whom Chinua Achebe called “a politician with low IQ” as the political godfather of Anambra state which has one of the highest concentrations of educated elites in the country; a thug who was rigged into office as the governor of a state and immediately proceeded to perpetrate atrocities like publicly slapping and humiliating a high court judge and making 7 members of the state assembly hegemonic over 19 members of the same assembly who belong to the opposition party.

To this dispiriting profile of the rule of “wetin una fit do” under Jonathan in particular and the PDP in general, we must make two very crucial qualifications. One: PDP and Jonathan may be the worst incarnations, but they do not have a monopoly of the culture, practice and consolidation of “wetin una fit do”. With a few notable exceptions, all our politicians and all our ruling class political parties are implicated in the impunity of misrule, mismanagement of resources and plain and arrant looting of public coffers that PDP and Jonathan have to taken to the depths of moral cynicism.

Secondly, there are areas of public institutions, utilities and services in this country that, no matter how miniscule, are resistant to the culture and practice of “wetin una fit do”. I would like to conclude this series of what I am calling “election eve reflections” with a brief discussion of these two points.

The first point can be very easily and summarily engaged. For me, by far the most telling index of the reign of “wetin una fit do” among the generality of our politicians and political parties is the fact that it is not only the case that there are no important ideological and issue-based differences between them, they are in fact remarkably adept in moving in and out of one party to another. As I once observed in this column, in my estimation, APC is nearly three-fourths composed of former PDP members. As the particularly notable case of Nuhu Ribadu proves, part of PDP is also former APC or other opposition political parties. In concrete terms, perhaps the most eloquent illustration is the fact that, without exception, all the ruling class political parties actively and voluntarily participate in the cult of silence and secrecy around the unjust and wasteful salaries, allowances and emoluments that our legislators receive that, compositely rates as the highest that any group of legislators are paid in the world. All the governments in the country, at all levels spend far more on recurrent expenditure than on capital expenditure for development projects that could extend the national wealth to the masses of our people. Anyone who thinks that without unceasing struggle an APC victory will change this fundamental aspect of political rule in our country at the present time is in for a rude shock if the party is victorious in the coming elections.

Nigerians in the main don’t pay much attention to this fact, but there are three crucial institutional, regulated aspects of our national economy that are, relatively speaking, free of the impunities of “wetin una fit do”. For this reason, they are worthy of our attention, of our prognoses for the future in terms of building and sustaining modern institutions that work efficiently and work for the benefit of most if not all Ni-

gerians, regardless of ethnicity, religion, age, gender or party affiliation.

These are, in a random order of iteration, the financial services industry; the communication and information IT industry; and the air travel industry, especially in conjunction with the infrastructures of airports around the state capitals and major cities and towns in the country. I do not wish to give the reader the impression that I overlook the imperfections and frustrations that Nigerians, as costumers and consumers, experience from these particular sectors of the national economy. What I am saying, what I am emphasizing is the fact that compared with almost any other institutions of the Nigerian state and society at the present time, these three sectors are relatively free of “wetin una fit do”.

One last word in these deliberately open-ended and inconclusive “eve of elections reflections” and I am done. Please pay attention, dear reader, to the fact that these three sectors of our national economy are for the most part and in all parts of the world, vital areas of the institutional life of bourgeois democracy. Some theorists and commentators have begun to argue that Nigeria is already a developing country with a middle income economy. I don’t think we are there yet. But we are on our way there.

The point is that with Jonathan and the PDP and the excesses of their “wetin una fit do” profligacy, we would never have gotten there. I mean, the likes of Fayose, Obanikoro, Ubah and oga patapata himself are nothing but incarnations of a barawo, area boy lumpen-bourgeoisie. The point now is, first, whether an APC victory would take us there and, secondly whether an APC-led bourgeois democracy can incorporate social democratic policies and initiatives that would bring unity, true federalism and social justice to our country in the years ahead. From military dictator to a bourgeois democrat with a dash of populist inclination toward social democratic leanings – this is a tall order for General Buhari (rtd.) to fulfill.

Biodun Jeyifo bjeyifo@fas.harvard.edu

18

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

COMMENT

Beware the ‘technicians’: Win the battle and lose country?

P

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan recently admitted in a Voice of America interview that foreign ‘technicians’ had been brought in for maintenance and instruction in the fight against Boko Haram. This has however been refuted by Nigerian soldiers who say that the technicians are participating in actual combat and are not working with them but rather on their own. All we have heard of these technicians is that they are likely from South Africa, Russia and Ukraine.

In the past, these technicians would be referred to as mercenaries but a more modern term would be private armies, security contractors or now technicians as President Jonathan would have us believe.

The political spin machinery has been working overtime with reports of gains made against Boko Haram. Although some might suggest these are good gains but we need to ask ourselves this question: At what cost have these gains come? By cost, I do not mean the millions of dollars that have likely been paid to these technicians (It is widely speculated that the average cost of hiring a private security contractor ranges from between $10,000 to as high as $40,000 a month), but rather the cost to our national integrity and future stability.

My concern is that these gains may be short lived and ultimately, the country may live to regret them. We may be setting a dangerous precedent of using non-state actors in conflict resolution.

If history teaches us anything, it is that we should beware of the ‘technicians’.

We only have to look to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the use of “private contractors”, as they were popularly known, did not end the wars but rather, escalated them. Closer home on the African continent, we can look at the role private armies played in the Congo, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, and Uganda; and some of these countries have not yet recovered from the after effects.

Even if the fight against Boko Haram is successful – some serious and burning questions still need to be answered: •What does this say about the once formidable Nigeria military?

•What is in it for our regional friends - Chad, Niger and Cameroon?

•What dangerdoes it portend for Nigeria? – In terms of prolonged political instability and the possible creation of new threats.

•What are the implications under International Humanitarian Law? Can human rights abuses arise from the misconduct of these technicians?

Historically, the Nigerian Army has generally been perceived as one of the better equipped fighting forces on the African continent and has been instrumental in ending regional conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan and most recently Mali.

However, that reputation has been shaken to its core with its inability to proffer an effective strategy in tackling Boko Haram. Reports of corruption, mutiny, loss of territory, arms deals, increase in un-

•Foreign mercenaries involved in fight against Boko Haram

By Folukemi Akinmeji

checked arms importation, low morale of soldiers and even rumours of a possible military coup have further blighted its strength.

The question is why spend all these funds on short term gains, when the same amount could have been used to buy equipment, and to recruit, train and empower the military force? Our underbelly has been exposed and the sharks have come out to feed. Whatever bragging rights we once had may not exist anymore unless we have a rethink.

According to a recent Global Fire Power (GFP) ranking used to determine a nations Power index; of the 30 African countries in their database, Nigeria ranks fourth; first to third being – Egypt, Algeria and South Africa. Others to note are those of our regional joint partners – Niger, Chad and Cameroon. An analysis using a few of the factors that were used to determine some countries rank - total population, land size, active frontline personnel, active reserve personnel, air power, naval power, defense budget is captured in the table above.

From the data, Nigeria tops all countriesin population size, our land size is roughly about 920,000 sq km, our frontline personnel is at 130,000, reserve personnel at 32,000 and our defense budget at about $2.3 billion. Egypt is about the same land size but with a population of 86million, frontline personnel at 468,500, reserves at 800,000 and a budget of $4.4bn.

Algeria has the biggest defense budget with about $10.5bn, a population size of 38 million, frontline personnel of 512,000 and reserves at 400,000. South Africa’s numbers pale in comparison to Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria but what they lack in personnel and reserves, they make up for in the size of land systems, air and naval power. The numbers that stick out are how low are frontline and reserve personnel are – For a country of 177 million people; our cumulative military strength is 162,000. Invariably there is one

Country

Rank

Population (Million)

Land Size Estimated (sq km)

Frontline Personnel

Reserves Personnel

Defense Budget ($)

Egypt

1

86

1,000,000

468,500

800,000

4.4 billion

Algeria

2

38

2,300,000

512,000

400,000

10.5 billion

South Africa

3

48

1,200,000

88,000

17,000

4.6 billion

Nigeria

4

177

920,000

130,000

32,000

2.3 billion

Niger

10

17

1,200,000

5,300

0

85 million

Chad

12

11

1,250,000

30,350

0

120 million

Cameroon

23

23

475,000

14,000

soldier to about 1000 people.

This brings me to the role of our friends in Niger, Chad and Cameroon who were ranked according to this index in 10th, 12th and 23rd place respectively. Niger has only 5,300 frontline personnel and 0 reserves, a land size of over 1,200,000 sq km, a population of 17 million and a defense budget of $85 million. Chad has a similar land size to Niger, 30,350 frontline personnel and 0 reserves, a population of about 11 million and a defense budget of $120 million. Finally, Cameroon has a land size of roughly over 475,000 sq km, frontline personnel of 14,000, and reservespersonnel of 10,000 and a defense budget of $370 million.

Cumulatively, Nigeria tops ALL its partner countries in EVERY index. The big question is, how then, are these 3 able to combat Boko Haram more effectively than Nigeria? Surely, can it be simply standing in solidarity with its ‘giant’ neighbor? Some suggest the impact of internally displaced Nigerians and the loss of territory spurred these countries to action, perhaps, but have you considered the fact that military operations are expensive.

Other theories, many of which suggest that money is the deciding factor also exist. No doubt, money and conflict will always be the visible and invisible face of evil. Throw in oil and any other resource and you have a war on

your hands.

Some popular reports speculate a deliberate sabotage by the Chadians against Nigeria mostly stemmed from the rights to the Lake Chad basin – which some say contains about 2.32 billion barrels of oil and 14.65 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Another theory is the threat of a food crisis in these countries; many of whom depend on food from Northern Nigeria. Supporting Nigeria in tackling Boko Haram will certainly open up access to food markets and distribution chains. Another theory is perhaps the lure of a huge payout from the Nigerian Government to the joint forces; one reported by PUNCH newspaper to total 146.2 million naira a month to troops from neighboring Chad and Niger. These armies reportedly don’t earn as much as they are currently being paid so supporting Nigeria is financially beneficial. All these are speculative theories and we should welcome their support. Perhaps this may give rise to calls for better funding of regional forces.

When governments choose to use private contractors to solve conflicts, not only does this pose a real and serious threat to stability and conflict resolution, it also erodes the capacity of public institutions to ensure order.

How prepared are we to deal with potential human rights abuses? Studies show that if the

10,000

370 million

defense institutes of states fail to establish effective management structures to regulate the activities of these private contractors, there are higher chances of misconduct and committing of atrocities.

The clamour for power and political positions has blinded many to this clear and present danger. Why win a battle only to lose the country? Is the desire to desperately hang on to power worth trading our future for?

When all has been said and done, will there even be a country and are we not opening ourselves up to even greater problems after Boko Haram is gone?

Boko Haram is a well-oiled machine; the Federal Government may claim to have made gains for now but what happens when it regroups and fights back? Or worse still, what happens when a new set of heavily armed splinter groups emerge? We’ve seen the group’s tactics evolve over 5 years and unless a more strategic solution is sought, they will evolve to a much larger beast.

Too many interests want to see Nigeria fail and bring our almighty ego to its knees. Why play into their hands?

•Akinmeji is a Public Policy Analyst. She is an alumnus of the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Washington DC. She writes from Abuja

19

LIFE

SUNDAY

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

Epidemic of cardiac and renal diseases and the Lagos panacea Gboyega Alaka highlights the continued devastation of Nigerian's by cardiac and renal diseases, as they attain epidemic level globally, even as he chronicles the recent Lagos State Cardiac and Renal Centre, as a panacea.

T

wice frontline actor, Prince Ifeanyi Dike had to go to India to attend to his ailing kidneys. Twice he also had to undergo kidney transplants because the first transplant failed, and to stay alive, he had to travel the delicate route one more time. For the first time, he also shared his well-kept secret of how felt too embarrassed to call for public help on the second mission; hence he had to go it secretly probably with the help of a few close friends and family. The good news however, was, he survived.

Radio jockey, Steve 'the sleek' Kadiri wasn't that lucky. Like Dike,

•Continued on Page 20

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

20 SUNDAY LIFE

•Interior of the new facility •Continued from Page 19

T

wice frontline actor, Prince Ifeanyi Dike had to go to India to attend to his ailing kidneys. Twice he also had to undergo kidney transplants because the first transplant failed, and to stay alive, he had to travel the delicate route one more time. For the first time, he also shared his well-kept secret of how felt too embarrassed to call for public help on the second mission; hence he had to go it secretly probably with the help of a few close friends and family. The good news however, was, he survived.

Radio jockey, Steve 'the sleek' Kadiri wasn't that lucky. Like Dike, his first transplant also failed. Like Dike, he too wasn't able to call for public help until friends, led by Alariwo and co took up his case and launched another appeal. But unlike Dike, Kadiri did not survive. He died before the funding for the second transplant could be fully raised.

President Umaru Yar'adua, with all of the Nigerian state's machinery and endless cash at his disposal also did not survive. He lost his battle with the highly mortal kidney ailment, despite going to the best hospital in Saudi Arabia. Forget that he embarrassed the Nigerian nation in the process, as many thought the federal government as the sixth largest crude oil producer in the world had no business taking its president to a fellow oil producing state. Not even if it was the world's number one in the OPEC ranking.

53 year-old Rahila Jiboyewa, an economics teacher at the University of Maiduguri Staff School is currently facing the battle of her life. After an initial mis-diagnosis in Nigeria that focused treatment on her diabetes, doctors in India have confirmed that her problems were indeed caused by her ailing kidneys, which they say have all but packed up.

So she has been busy in the last couple of weeks, raising money through goodspirited Nigerians to go for treatment that includes series of dialysis and a kidney transplant in India. She would need a whopping N8million in the least to pay for the treatments and all the appendages of flight for herself and her companion, feeding and accommodation. She needs so much money because her country 'does' not have the capacity to take care of her situation, otherwise, she just have had to raise half of that amount for her treatment. The mis-diagnoses and other nasty experiences she went through in

Non-communicable diseases have attained epidemic proportion – WHO “Year on year, I watched as we exported Nigerians abroad, with family members to care for and support them; all at high cost in foreign exchange, because there was no local alternative.”

•Fashola

Nigerian hospitals and in the hands of fellow Nigerian health personnel, would not even make her consider a Nigerian option, if there were any. Not even a dialysis session, as she has seen how a Nigerian hospital infected a fellow renal disease patient, during a pre-dialysis operation, complicating her situation in the process.

Of course the cases of actor Muna Obiekwe and radio guru Chaz B are still fresh in our minds.

So much for renal-related diseases.

Just last month, 13-year old Prince Tomiwa Adewale Abegunde returned from the United States of America, where he had gone for a vital hole in the heart operation, sponsored by the Americabased Gift of Life Foundation. Today, Adewale lives, to the glory of God and the goodwill of a foreign NGO and a foreign facility. Truth however was that before the NGO came on the scene, Prince Adewale's parents' hopes were only hinged on prayers and a miracle, which they probably didn't believe, deep down, could surface.

The whole of their country, Nigeria didn't have the ability to take care of their boy's cardiac ailment, and unless they raised about N5million, together with flight and accommodation fee, their lovable son's fate was probably dicey.

Also, one is not likely to forget too soon, the pathetic story of Adetokunbo and Peace Kalejaye, published in the Nigerian media about a year ago, where their three-year old girl, Desola had been diagnosed with a 12.5mm hole in the heart situation and needed urgent surgery overseas. Even before her birth, the couple had known that difficult times lay ahead, having been forced to bring their daughter to the world prematurely through a caesarean section.

Then the doctors had warned that the foetus was not feeding well and was losing too much weight. On delivery, tests showed that she was suffering from hernia, which they said required an operation, that they recommended should be differed till a bit later, when she is older and stronger. The hole in the heart diagnosis, which came seven months after her birth, was therefore

a case of double sorrow for both parents.

Aside the trauma they suffered as parents, they still had to contend with the hard task of raising N3.5 million.

A sizable number of Nigerian children suffer from hole in the heart ailments on a regular basis, putting their parents in desperate and panicky situations. That most of these parents are average Nigerians, who can hardly afford three square meals and the regular health treatments, have also meant them coming out cap in hand to seek for public support before accessing the treatment.

Inevitably, many die in the process, literally extinguishing their parents dream build around them.

Just last week, Sulaimon Owolabi walked into The Nation's office in Ladipo, Mushin, desperately crying for help. He wanted a public appeal story done for his three-year old son, Fatai, who has been diagnosed with celebral palsy, and is in the throes of death.

Cerebral Palsy by the way is strange situation, where a child is neither able to talk, sit, stand nor even eat properly, but only roll on the bed or floor.

According to Wikipedia, it 'is caused by an abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance and posture.'

Often, the problem occur during pregnancy, during childbirth or shortly after birth, but causes remain largely unknown, leaving doctors to hazard guesses at premature birth and some infections suffered by mothers during pregnancy, as risk factors.

Due to its strangeness, the elder Owolabi took the condition for a spiritual one, taking his son from one spiritual healer to the other until a friend told him it is a health condition and that he should go to a proper hospital.

So now, he needs N4.8million to go to India and access proper definitive treatment.

Pain of a Nation Even as there does not seems to be any accurate statistics that one can quote, since a good number of Nigerians suffering from the above diseases have died without going to the proper treatment channels, while others still wallow in their predicament, waiting to die in their homes, due to poverty, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris said in

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

SUNDAY LIFE 21

Lagos state government to the rescue

•One of the operating theatres a recent interview that the World Health Organisation's declaration in 2012 that non-communicable diseases led by cardiovascular and renal diseases have attained epidemic proportion globally, suffices.

Almost on a daily basis, Nigerians wake up to read or watch on TV how their compatriots, even celebrities have to debase themselves to go cap in hand in public, seeking financial help to access treatment for their cardiac, renal or even cancer-related diseases.

Prince Ifeanyi Dike, who incidentally is also chairman board of trustees of the actors Guild of Nigeria recalled how his wife had to jettison shyness and go public after they had virtually ran out of every cash they could squeeze, treating his nagging

Caught between looking for a job and taking care of her mother Rahila, who is battling kidney failure, Bisola Jiboyewa, a fresh graduate of University of Maiduguri shares their travail in search of treatment and funding.

kidney illness. According to him, for such illnesses, it really does not matter how much money one has, because it is expensive to manage or treat, and at the same time, the victim is no longer able to make more money.

To make matters worse, Nigeria, with all the petro-dollars and resources at her disposal has been unable to institute and develop adequate health facility, causing gravely sick Nigerians to always have to travel to India, Europe or America.

It is instructive to note here that even almighty America with its advanced facilities still loses a great number of its citizens to these ailments.

According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular diseases, led by Heart diseases and stroke remain the top two killers in the country. A more specific figure

‘Our medical system as currently constituted is shameful’

A

t what point did your mum discover that she has this renal problem?

We started noticing that something was wrong with her about two to three years ago, when she began to have swollen legs and was always getting tired. Also her urine was becoming foamy. To make matters worse they doctors failed to detect that she had developed kidney problems, and were all the while treating her for diabetes, which she has had all the while.

In which hospital was the diagnoses made and how expensive was it? Did you wish the process was much easier?

She was diagnosed at UNCH Maiduguri. The treatment wasn't cheap, but I really can't tell how much it cost. And yes, I wish the processes were easier. Here was somebody who was ill and really weak, and yet she had to go through a lot of stress to get treatment.

Also, the doctor and nurses

claimed that it lost over 787 of its citizens to heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases in 2010; which is about one in every three deaths in America.

In the same vein, the National Kidney Foundation of America, said that with 47,000 American deaths caused by kidney disease in 2013, the disease is the 9thleading cause of death in the country. The body also says one out of every three American adult is at risk of kidney disease and that wait for this, black Americans are 3 times more likely to experience kidney failure. This is probably to say that the black man is more predisposed to the disease. It also kind of tally with the various medical guess that change in lifestyle and diet are major causative factors, since the genealogical composition of people of this race was never designed for the kind of diets and lifestyles

they suddenly found themselves living.

Above all, the World Health Organisation's declaration in its recent report that the burden of diabetes and cardiovascular disease will have increased by 130% in Africa by 2020, calls for great concerns.

Lagos State to the rescue Wednesday March 18 witnessed the historic commissioning of the Cardiac and Renal Centre in Gbagada, Lagos, by His Excellency, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). In his commissioning remarks, the governor said “Year on year, I watched as we exported Nigerians abroad, with family members to care for and support them; all at high cost in foreign exchange, because there was no local alternative.”

Continuing, he said his government between 2008 and 2014, sponsored 42 cardiac cases and 28 renal cases abroad for treatment abroad at tax-payers' expense on the recommendation of the Ministry of health. And this is in spite of the fact that the country has well over 20,000 experts scattered across the globe and working to serve other societies, while their own people waste away, for lack of adequate facilities.

He had also interacted with some of them and discovered that “they wanted to come home and practice but there were no hospitals comparable to where they were accustomed to working.”

So he took a decision to do something.

The turning point for him however was when a former president of the country had to be flown to Saudi Arabian hospital to manage a kidney ailment.

The commissioning of the facility, six years after it was kicked off in 2008 was therefore a fulfilment of that promise. He therefore congratulated the team that put it together, and indeed the Nigerian people, while inviting them to take advantage of the facility.

According to the governor, the hospital “has 24 dialysis bed stations, 20 beds for recovery and general ward use, 2 high dependency wards with five beds

•Jiboyewa

relationship with the patients was zero. In fact it was pathetic. Surprisingly, it was also about who you know.

What are the problems your mum has faced in the course of her illness?

I'd say difficult access to care and proper diagnoses.

What's your opinion on our medical system and personnel?

It is very shameful. Here was somebody on admission, who suddenly began to throw up and gasp for breath, and you rush to a nurse, hoping to get an immediate response, but what do you get? A nurse of a government facility, sitting like a glorified buffoon, who tells you without moving a finger that: 'I'll inform the doctor. He'll soon be with you!' And that was it. No ethics of any sort. No compassion. Of course, this whole shabby treatment worsened her case. They absolutely didn't care whether a patient survived or died.

Are you aware that the Lagos State government just opened a cardiac and renal centre? Would you have been happier if this facility had been available long before now and you don't have to look for a whopping N8million to travel to India with your mum?

No I'm not aware. But I would have been happier and I hope they would be competent, with people with the right mentality. If you go to India, you'd find that they take pride in their work, and you could see instances of successes of their works. As a patient, that gives you a lot of conviction and put you in the right state of mind. But what do you get in Nigeria?

People dying, patients getting infected or doctors forgetting some instruments in the patients.

I take it that the N8million required for your mum's treatment would include

medical fees, flight and accommodation for both your mum and whoever will be accompanying her; would you have wished that all these appendages are cut off?

Certainly, I would have wished that all those other expenses are cut off, so that we'd have to pay much less. Do you know that the medical fee is just 17,000 Rupees, which is just about N4million?

Does she currently go through dialysis? How affordable is it?

No, she is not going through dialysis yet, and that's because she is scared, based on the experience of a fellow renal patient. A woman with renal condition was about to undergo dialysis, but she was infected in the course of the predialysis operation. In the process, they created more problems for her. Although she has been advised to start dialysis, she has decided to go and start it in India. As it is, she has to go through 15 dialysis sessions before the transplant and it's N50,000 for one session in Nigeria. That in itself is expensive. In India, it is 2,000 Rupees, which is about N3,000.

How is the public response to your call for financial assistance?

Good. People are responding. We have people who send in N1,000, N2,000, N20,000, N100,000, N200,000; plus of course what we have been able to gather amongst ourselves. So she would be travelling God willing next Wednesday.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

22 SUNDAY LIFE

‘ CRC facilities, comparable to any in the world’ Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris speaks to Gboyega Alaka on the new Cardiac and Renal Centre, which he says is state-of-the-art and rare in this part of the world.

•IDRIS

T

he new Cardiac and Renal Centre is no doubt a welcome facility; tell us about it.

To start with, cardiovascular diseases and Renal diseases, that is heart diseases and kidney diseases, are classified under what we call non-communicable diseases.

You would also recollect that the World Health Organisation, WHO, three years ago, declared that this category of diseases have attained an epidemic proportion, such that cardiovascular diseases were declared to be the leading cause of death worldwide.

Even as a government, we ourselves have seen this in the course of our activities in the state. Lagos state is populated by about 22 million people and having attained the mega-city status, there are challenges that come with it; both the positive and negative.

The negative has to do with the influx of cultures and lifestyle from across the globe.

So we had designed strategies to address these issues.

Let's talk about the standard of the facility. Nigerians would like to know how well they can trust this new hospital.

All the equipment are state-of-the-art and designed to provide that specialist care.

I'm talking of that cutting edge special technology services that Nigerians travel out of the country to access. It's a 3-floor building. The ground floor basically is for heart patients and kidney problems. There you can have 24 dialysis patients for people with renal diseases. The people who are diagnosed here are people whose illness have reached that advanced stage, called end stage renal disease. And there are only two ways these are managed. One is by dialysis, which is not a definitive management. Dialysis helps to cleanse the blood of the toxic wastes, the kidneys would have effectively cleansed if they were functioning normally. But like I said, it is not a definitive treatment, and is very expensive. Also you need to do it a minimum of three times a week. The major cure is through a kidney transplant. And you have to get a donor who has a functioning kidney, and whose kidney matches yours, so your body does not reject

it, before they proceed with the transplant proper. That facility is there to take care of all of that, aside dialysis.

On the first floor, it is mostly heart patients they see. Here we have the CT scan for diagnosis; it has echo, more like ultra-sound for the heart that can do more detailed investigation concerning the blood and the vessels. They have the ECG and the echocardiography and they can do all sorts of tests for you there. On that same first floor is the high-dependency unit; more like intensive care, where patients can be monitored intensively. They also have other facilities for training. There is a lecture room, with a screen, which is linked with the theatre on the first floor, so that while you're operating, everything is relayed to the theatre and you can teach the students in the process.

That means the centre is a veritable facility for the training of medical students as well.

Oh yes. On the second floor, we have the cardiac catherization lab. Basically it's a huge state-of-the-art equipment. It can take x-rays; it can process the blood vessels from the veins, the heart and everywhere, to see whether there is a blockade or to see where the problems are. And if they see anything, they may not necessarily have to open up your body. They can pass the equipment through your system and open up the blockade. Where they cannot do that, and a require surgery, we have two state-of-the-art theatres, on that same floor. So we can carry out diagnoses and definitive treatments. You can also use the facility to train different categories of health workers: doctors, medical students, residents who are training to be consultants; we can train nurses and doctors on how to care for those who are on intensive care; we can train other health workers and sentries. All that is part of the package.

You said the government had designed a strategy to address health issues in the state.

How did this facility fit into that design?

Now going back, we did not just decide to put up the facility. We had to start from the bottom.

We had a strategy as a government to build infrastructure, to do primary health care, we do healthcare financing, we do health promotion and disease prevention. Health promotion and diseases prevention is very essential, because they are very crucial to cardiovascular diseases

“But part of the agreement is that there must be proper skills transfer to our people.

So, they're going to have a proper handshake with LASUTH, where they can treat residents, train medical students, and consultants who want expertise in certain areas can be trained, along with the nurses. ” and renal diseases. These conditions arise as a result of risk factors of the people, which may be due to lifestyle, habit or diet. He I'm talking of your eatery habits, the Chinese restaurants, and co. Most of these foods are very high in salt, high in fat, high in so many things that you should not just take for granted. All these things predisposes you to having heart problems, because if you have too much fat, the fat could be deposited in your blood vessels and if it gets too much overtime, it can start narrowing those blood vessels, so that blood cannot flow properly. And if this happens, the heart is going to have to beat faster to pump the same amount of blood and if your heart continues to do that for so long, the heart is going to become weak and may not be able to pump as much again. That's what is called heart failure. Again, if the fat blocks the vessel, this deprives the heart of oxygen and nutrients, and that part of the heart where the vessels supply can die. This is what is called heart attack.

Is this facility available for people who may want to do regular body checks?

No. It is a tertiary facility. It's a referral hospital and if you allow just anybody to walk in, the people there would not be able to the job

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

for which they are paid. They are performing specific expertise functions. The man, who is going to open your blood vessels, is not going to sit down and start asking you questions. As a government, we have the primary health care centres, we beef up the general hospitals, which are the secondary healthcare centres and LASUTH here is a tertiary health facility.

70% of the illnesses that you come across in this state can be treated at the primary health care centres. It is where they cannot take care of them there that you're referred to the secondary facilities (the general hospitals); and is only if they cannot handle them there, that you're referred to the tertiary facilities.

Even at the teaching hospital, they have limitations, and that is why this facility (the CRC) is an annex of the teaching hospital and they can refer cases there. And here they don't waste time, because by the time you get there, it's an emergency or a difficult situation that requires serious diagnostic procedures.

The governor also said the place is open to patients even from the sub-region. Would that means that it is also a veritable income earner?

Oh yes, it has the potential to earn income, because not many facilities of its kind can be found in this part of the world. Take the cathlab (catherization lab) for instance. What we used to have in those days is much different from what we have now because of technological advancement.

There is also that part about the government providing free treatment for indigent Nigerians in need of treatment at the centre; how do you hope to accomplish that, considering that Nigerians like to take advantage of opportunities irrespective of their economic status?

The people managing the facility are doing it as a business. They're going to pay the salaries of those recruited; they're going to pay for consumables and several other things, so they have to make money. What we've done is to reach an agreement with the management that a fixed proportion of those people that are referred there from LASUTH will be treated free. They must also be certified to be indigent, and we have criteria Continued on Page 23

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

SUNDAY LIFE

23

‘Nigerians should adopt proper life style’ Continued from Page 22

for determining that. But if they're more than ten percent, the state government will take care of the extras.

Can you give us a statistics of the rate of cardiac and renal cases in Nigeria, and how it prompted this facility?

Like I told you, it's a continuum. We started with advocacy and sensitisation, telling people what hypertension is, what diabetes is, what kidney disease is; what can cause them; what kind of lifestyle can lead to them. Take for instance kidney diseases.

There are many things that we do and take for granted in this part of the world that can lead to the situation. Take simple abuse of analgesics for instance. If you take too much of panadol, paracetamol, alabukun without recourse to proper dosage, they have effect on your kidney. Then also all the concoctions: paraga, alomo and all the likes, can affect your kidneys. I can tell that that is why we're beginning to see all sorts of kidney disease cases today. Meanwhile the people don't know. So what we did was start our screening exercise programmes, and from that, we discovered that about 30% of the people were hypertensive, which tallies with the global statistics. By the way, hypertension is a form of cardiovascular diseases. Worldwide, about 15 percent of the people have cardiovascular diseases. Now imagine that 10 percent of Lagos' 22million people have this disease.

That is about 2.2million. Still talking about kidney diseases, there is a serious shortage of resources in terms of where people can be treated. I don't think we have more than 50 centres where people can go do dialysis in the whole of Nigeria. And about 30% of those are in Lagos and about 80% are in the private sector. So we still have a shortage of dialysis centres for people who need them. Now juxtapose that with our huge population of poor people, who cannot afford dialysis two times a week, not to talk of a kidney transplant.

Quoting the governor, 'job done;' but don't you foresee the problem of pressure on the equipment, considering that this is the only facility of its kind in a country of 180million people?

Yes. I did say that by the time the facility is fully functional, it will be completely overwhelmed. And that's why we need many

more of it. By taking this step, we have shown that it is doable. It's also an incentive for private organisations who might be interested to come in. I also know of a few states that are already taking a cue from Lagos state and are ready to replicate it.

Having a world class facility is one thing, having an up to per experts on ground to run it is another. Tell us of the staffing arrangement.

We have a shortage of very serious specialists in this country. We have very few cardiologists who can cater to the cardiac health issues that arise in the country. Ditto for nephrologists and urologists, for the kidney diseases. Besides, there are specific procedures that are required in diagnosing. Take for instance cardiac cathetarization. It's a specialty called interventional cardiology. So we do not only use that machine to make a diagnosis, it can also institute treatment.

And that's special expertise. You need to have been trained in medicine; then you do a sub special in cardiology, and then a subsub special in interventional cardiology, before you can attain that specialty. There are very few of them in Nigerian. As a matter of fact, I don't think they are up to five. And see the number of patients they need to see. The same with other four specialties you have in cardiology. Not to talk of urology and nephrology for kidney conditions. But what we discovered was that there are people, Nigerians, who are working in America or Britain, who have these expertises and we decided to attract them back with this kind of facility. And that's why we have partnered with the group in charge now, the Renescor Team.

They have the capacity to run the facility.

It's a consortium of people with the right expertise who are either in Britain or America; most of them, Nigerians. Not only that, we needed nurses who have specialty in intensive care. But part of the agreement is that there must be proper skills transfer to our people. So, they're going to have a proper handshake with LASUTH, where they can treat residents, train medical students, and consultants who want expertise in certain areas can be trained, along with the nurses. We actually

•Idris

threw it open and organisations applied, and that's how we settled for Renescor.

There is that brash habit of our medical personnel that even our own people complain about and which they say is non-existent in the foreign hospitals; what measures are you putting in place to make sure that does not rear its ugly head in this new environment?

No, that's not likely. One of the significant points to note is that those people are coming over with a different culture. And it is that culture that they're bringing over that they will automatically transfer to the new staff they employ. So this kind of thing will not happen in this facility.

As we speak, has there been any major operation carried out at the centre, be it cardiac or renal?

Even before we commissioned the centre, we've had over 160 dialysis sessions. Because we had to be sure all the equipments were working well. I also know that about four

patients have been attended to in the cardiac catherization lab. And, no, they've not done a kidney transplant yet. That process is a bit long. We should get there within the next six months. Don't forget you have to make the diagnosis, look for a donor, match the donor; and prepare the patient for the transplant.

But if you're asking whether they can carry out a successful kidney transplant or other major heart surgeries, I'd say yes.

What are the chances of children with hole in the heart?

Oh yes. With that cath facility they can repair a lot of them there, depending on the nature. Or they can make use of any of the other two theatres. A lot of the children with hole in the heart can be treated there. Some of them are minor while some are more complex. The complex cases, once they finish the operation, they take them to the intensive care section, where the nurses and other personnel will take good care of them.

Cancer. When are we going to get round to that?

Well if you look at that hospital in Gbagada, there is an undeveloped space not too far from the Cardiac and Renal Centre, earmarked for a cancer centre. There is a space where we're going to have a full diagnostic centre, with facilities to support the projected Cancer Centre, the Cardiac and Renal Centre and all the other health facilities. We also have spaces reserved for hotel-styled accommodation, where people who come from afar can stay with their escorts, or even the experts we bring in can also stay.

Your message to Lagosians and indeed Nigerians regarding this facility and other health issues.

Adopt proper lifestyles; check your diet; no smoking; no excessive drinking; because all these things have their effects on the heart and kidneys. Go for regular exercises, so that you don't get overweight, because all these predispose you to heart and kidney problems. Go for regular checkups and do what your doctors say. Most especially however, if you develop any of these conditions after taking all these care, be rest assured that you have a place in Lagos State, where they can carry out all the necessary treatment on you, without you having to travel out at high cost.

Ogun interns bare minds over graduate scheme

•Corps members at a GIS gathering

W

hen Olapagbo Benjamin graduated from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, MAPOLY, Ogun State where he studied Accounting in 2008, he got a contract job immediately as a site accountant where he was paid N50, 000 every month for a year.

The contract ended after a year and he was thrown into the labour market. For want of something to do, he decided to venture into the POP ceiling design business. “I enrolled to study it for one year, even as I continued my search for a job.”

The 32 year-old father of two held onto this job until 2014 when he heard about the Federal Government SURE-P programme.

He registered and was deployed to Tunes

By Medinat Kanabe and Partners in Ogun State as an intern.

Speaking to The Nation during the employability training for interns in Ogun State organised by the African Leadership Forum, Ota, Benjamin praised the programme, saying it has impacted on his life a lot. He however called on the federal government to increase the stipend being paid to the interns saying 30, 000 is rather too small.

“I have been able to learn a whole lot of things. I now know how to grow fishes. I intend to have my own private firm in the future and I have started saving to start. But this is difficult because the money we are paid cannot go anywhere in taking care of my children and a wife, let alone having

something to save.”

He also advised that SURE-P should open centres in all the states, so that interns could have places to go and lay their complain should they have problems at their places of work.

31 year-old Awobaju Yewande is no different; she studied Industrial and Labour Relations from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State and graduated in 2007. After NYSC, she got employment in several companies but never enjoyed the jobs, so she resigned.

Somehow, she also heard about the SURE-P programme and joined in September 2014. She was subsequently posted to Integrated Platinum, a company that is into websites designing.

That notwithstanding, her desire is to establish a company that will deal in furniture business and she says SURE-P will make her dreams come true as she has started to gain business experience.

Oresanya Motunrayo, also a graduate of MAPOLY told The Nation that she registered so she can be earning regular monthly income, as her fish pond business only generates money twice a year.

Although she makes between N400, 000 to N1million every year, she says it is not enough for her upkeep. The 2010 graduate was posted to in Ijebu-Igbo Omo Ilu Foundation, Ogun State, She also said that another reason she registered was to gain more knowledge and improve her CV.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

24 SUNDAY LIFE

Strange prophet comes to town •Eye witnesses narrate how he heals the sick and revives the near dead He came to Nigeria from Libreville in 2013 and has been wearing same clothes; going without a bath since March 2014; living on the streets and generally raising concerns about his state of mind. But he claims he is on a divine mission and following God's instruction.

Curiously, witnesses also testify to the efficacy of his prayers and how the high and mighty throng to him for miracles.

Taiwo Abiodun reports.

H

is appearance raises questions. His clothes are torn, hair and beard overgrown and unkempt, like that of a Rastafarian, and his fingernails unusually long.

He also has not had a bath for one year; so he proudly announced, and does not possess any kind of belonging, save his Bible, ECOWAS passport and cell phone. For his strange ways, the police have arrested him several times and released him, after he was able to prove himself to be a man of God and of sound mind.

For a good part of last year, residents and commuters in the Ikotun area, where he has pitched his tent, also took him for a mad man as he roamed the streets. Some expressed grave suspicion at his appearance, which they thought deceptive and that he could be out to execute some sinister plans.

However, many of those who nursed this fear last year are now singing a new song, calling him Baba, Pastor, prophet, man of God and going to him for prayers.

They also now jealously guard and protect him, as this reporter found out in the process of this interview. Unknown to him, the people at his BRT Bust terminus abode in Ikotun were watching his interaction with the 'man of God' with suspicion and promptly accosted him with a “Where are you taking our father?

One of them explained after this reporter had introduced himself and mission that “we thought you are a police officer who wanted to arrest our Papa. He is our spiritual father.”

Settling down to answer questions from the reporter, the strange prophet said "I arrived Nigeria two years ago; this month will make it exactly one year since I've been wearing these same clothes , same underwear without having my bath, and without brushing my mouth or cutting my fingernails, as directed by God." He also said he would not do anything about his appearance or hygiene until he hears instruction from God. This indeed is the world of Gbadamosi Idris Wasiu, a Nigerian by birth, who arrived from Libreville, Gabon on a mission purportedly ordained by God. One of his 'neighbours', a woman, confirmed to The Nation that they “initially suspected him to be one of those criminals that disguise as lunatics, and despised and maltreated him; not knowing that he is a man of God. Now we call him Daddy.”

His story According to the self-proclaimed Man of God, "My name is Gbadamosi Idris Wasiu but I have changed it to Elijah Akorede Oluwole. I am a native of Ejigbo-Ode Ibarapa in Osun state. I had my primary and secondary education in Ibadan. I was living in Libreville before coming here, but my wife, children and mother live in Lome. I lost my father several years ago.”

Back in Libreville, he said he got inspired while watching a pastor (name withheld) on TV. At about that time, a friend of his, Henry Obilo returned from Nigeria with some spiritual water

from his church, out of which he drank, washed his face and slept off. In his sleep, he saw himself in the church, and God asked him go to the church in Nigeria and that he would be a prophet.

He thus obtained a visa, boarded a plane and landed in Nigeria on the 30th March 2013.

Continuing, he said “I went to the Church where I stayed for sometime in the guest house. When I could no longer pay the bill after incurring 21,000 naira, I was sent away by the man in charge of the guest house. Since then I have been staying in public places; while at night, I sleep in the church's premises. I am not going back to the guest house again, as a voice keeps telling me to remain in the public place, calling people and praying for them.”

Wonder shall not cease At Ikotun BRT Bus terminus, where he stays from morning till evening, Elijah revives visitors who come to him for prayer. On one of his visits, the reporter witnessed the self-acclaimed pastor in gross discussion with three of his 'clients,' after which he prayed for them.

According to some of the BRT staff, who volunteered to speak with The Nation, the man (Elijah) is not mad. One of them said ''he has prayed for many people here and solved problems brought to him. Be it early in the morning or in the dead of the night, high calibre people come to him for prayers. If you tarry for a while, you're likely to witness high profile people like chiefs, big people, prophets, men of God, market women, women in purdah and even kings, coming to beg him to pray for them. However, only very few who are bold enough come out publicly during the day.”

Reject gifts Curiously, the self-acclaimed 'Man of God' does not collect money from anyone, even when offered. He claims that is not his mission. This was attested to by some of his clients on ground during this interview, one of whom said somebody even promised to build him a church, which he also turned down.

Elijah explained that he is under God's authority and not man's. "I was at First Square Church and people always come to me to pray for them. The Lord sent me to be here in the public under His authority; others may be sent into the forest, the mountain and so on ...."

Testimonies A man who called himself Pastor Prince Adeyemo said of the man in question, "He (Elijah) used to pray for people and heal them, but his appearance is terrible. But that no longer surprises me.”

Engr. Peter Étugbe described Elijah as strange but said he is convinced that he is a man of God. "Most times when I'm going to my office at Ikotun bus stop, I always noticed how a lot of people cluster around him. Later, I was able to find out why. He said he has been sent by God to be like that, so I said the best I could do is to call the press to interview him. If he is God sent or fake, we will get to know soon.”

Etugbe spoke of a particular LAMATA staff who said she may never be able to repay or thank him enough for what he did for her. So the first thing she does on resuming everyday now is to go to him for prayer, adding that the said lady now calls him daddy.

Another woman - Ayo Akande (38) said, "I have been seeing him at the BRT pavilion since last year, but we did not know he's a servant of God until a sick boy was brought to him half-dead and he prayed for him and the boy came alive. I am also a Messenger of God; I worship at Christ Apostolic Church. It was when I went spiritual that I realised that the man is serving punishment for refusing the call of God about four years ago. In fact I have given him my water to pray on when I arrived this morning.”

Akande also said she has always met people at the pavilion early in the morning, who have come for prayer. "Even this

•Man of God Elijah morning, I met four people here who came for prayer."

Asked how sure she is of his prayer's efficacy, she replied confidently that "He gave me a prayer point and asked me to bring water, which he prayed on, and after using it, my problem was solved. Meanwhile I had spent money on the same case only to discover that it had been taken to the pit of Devil. But they could not withstand this man of God. When I told my colleagues in the office, they were shocked. Even my boss brought some people here for prayer this morning. I can tell you that even the BRT pilots come to him for prayers. Another miracle he performed was when a young girl fainted and was brought to him. He prayed for her right in our presence and she came back to life.

Another witness, a woman said "He prayed for me and my sick child that used to faint, and she has not been sick, let alone faint since then. I've known him since last year March. Many people and servants of God do come here in the early hours; they say they don't want to be seen. Even kings, chiefs and

Photo: Taiwo Abiodun police officers do come here.”

She revealed that two women in veil only just left before this reporter's arrival. “I wish you could come here between 5 am to 6 am and you will see a lot of people coming to him for prayer. He would tell you everything about yourself? My sister in Mowe said she has never seen this kind of thing before; that the prayer water I gave to her really worked, as her husband bought her a Jeep and her son who had been very sick was healed."

Yet another woman, who had been listening to this conversations also volunteered that “All these market women you are seeing go to him for prayer," while another said her son who was on medication has stopped taking medicine and is now well on account of his prayer.

Asked how long he would continue wearing the filthy clothes and going about unkempt, Elijah said "When God says it is time. It could be one week, one month; whenever He feels.”

In the mean time, the question remains, When will God release him?’

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

29

30

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

ETCETERA

SUNNY SIDE

Cartoons

By Olubanwo Fagbemi

POLITICKLE

deewalebf@yahoo.com 08060343214 (SMS only)

Contemporary politics • A brief history

THE GReggs

AUTOCRACY. Adopted. Anarchy. Bureaucracy. Bipartisan. Ballot. Cabinet.

Committee. Convention. Caucus. Consensus. Collaboration. Candidate.

Campaign. Certificate. Canvass. Concession. Commitments. Conscience.

Conservative. Constituency. ‘Cross-carpet’. Consultation. Challenge. Change.

Card reader. Choice. Court. Constitution. Credible.

Democratic. Delegate. Deliberate. Debate. Doublespeak. Do-or-die.

Disenfranchise. Donate. Dominate. Eloquence. Electorate. Endorsement.

Enlightenment. Ethics. Executive. Ethnic jingoism. Excessive. Experience. Election (selection?) Fifth Republic. Fourth Estate. February. Franchise. Fifth columnists.

Faction. Federal. Feud. Fence mending. Forum. Funding. Fundraiser. Fraud. Front runner. Front burner. Free-and-fair. Freedom.

Gamble. Grassroots. Hegemony. Hooded agents. Incumbency. Indulge.

Integrity. Interests. Issues. Independent. Innuendo. Interim government. Judiciary.

Kitchen cabinet. Kleptocracy. Landslide. Leadership. Lion. Letter. Legislature.

Lobby. Loyalty. Loser. Mentor. Majority. Mandate. Media. Manifesto. Minority.

Meetings. Machiavellian. Misinformation. Mudslinging.

Nomination. Nebuchadnezzar. Office. One term. Opposition. Opinion. Oratory.

Ovation. Pardon. Partisanship. Party. Primary. Policy. Patriotism. Petition.

Platform. Pledge. Polarise. Propaganda. Poll shift. Polling unit. Priority. Proactive.

Progressive. Pharaoh. PVC. Politicking. Power shift.

Quest. Quota. Quorum. Race. Ratify. Reconciliation. Recount. Reform. Regulate.

Representation. Resignation. Revelation. Revenue. Rhetoric. Runoff. Rigging.

Rerun. Senate. Sidelines. Slogan. Speculate. Spending. Spin. Sentiment. Stakes.

Stance. Strategist. Sniper. Swing voter. Stomach infrastructure.

Taxpayer. Ticket. Thuggery. Thumb-print. Unanimous. Unity. Utopia.

Unopposed. Upset. U-turn. Viewpoint. Vie. Violence. Victory. Volunteer. Voter.

Ward. Whistle stop. Withdraw. Withhold. Woo. Xenophobic. Yield. Zoning. Zeal.

Zombie. Zeitgeist.

Road rage

CHEEK BY JOWL

OH, LIFE!

THREE turnings from the bus station, Kologba’s bus ran into a traffic jam. Two fellows got on the half-full vehicle, one in front with the driver and the other beside a burly, loquacious man who seemed to take his time to make room by the door. Displeased, the new passenger wondered if his new neighbour thought he was in his ‘palour’.

The gruff reprimand fetched a quick retort. “What if it’s my palour? What can you do about it? As I’m looking at your thin body, if they leave me alone with you, I’ll just break you into two.” Turning to his adversary’s companion in front, the muscular man said: “Look, why did you bring this man from the village? Why did you bring him to town to give us headache?”

From his seat at the back, Kologba looked from the furious duo to the street.

A newspaper vendor worked the gridlock, his clutch of morning papers projecting the major item: ‘Four killed in daring Lagos robbery’. A roadside trader brandishing the ‘latest home video release’ moved in for the kill. “Hundred naira for two! Hundred naira for two! It’s a brand new promo.”

Passengers stared at the pirated DVDs on display. No one made an offer. But the hawker wouldn’t relent. “Why are you just looking at me? Buy!” Burly guy took on new foe. “Take it to the village. They’ll buy there,” he said with a devious grin.

The retort lacked commensurate wit. But the initial aggression hadn’t fizzled.

The aggressors still traded barbs, and Kologba imagined a bus terminus fight on the cards – until the stop before the last. The heavier man got off to a mixture of relief and disappointment. However intriguing, there’s no telling the outcome of a bus stop brawl – a free-for-all that typically leaves passersby free of personal effects and vital body fluid.

Reader’s Response A twenty-first century guide GOOD day, sir. I was very impressed with your counsel in the newspaper today. I like how you brought out your points clearly. God bless you. I however wish you could pass this message to a large number of people. It is important. Thank you once more. I will like to be like you someday.

Naarah Alelumhe. Abuja. +2347057305***

QUOTE

Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party.

—Winston Churchill

Jokes Humour The Husband’s Best Friend A WOMAN meets with her lover, who is also her husband’s best friend.

They make love for hours. Afterwards, as they lie in bed, the phone rings. Since it’s the woman’s house, she picks up the receiver. The best friend listens, only hearing her side of the conversation: “Hello? Oh, hi ... I’m so glad that you called ... Really? That’s wonderful ... Well, I’m happy to hear you’re having such a great time ... Oh, that sounds terrific ... Love you, too. OK. Bye-bye.”

She hangs up the telephone and her lover asks, “Who was that?”

“Oh,” she says, “That was my husband telling me about the wonderful time he’s having on his fishing trip with you.”

Mimi in Pain MIMI told her doctor that she was really worried because every part of her body hurt.

The doctor looked concerned and said, “Show me where.”

She touched her arm and screamed.

“Ouch!”

Then she touched her leg and screamed.

“Ouch!”

She touched her nose and cried. “Ouch!”

She looked at the doctor and said, “See? It hurts everywhere!”

The doctor laughed and said, “Don’t worry; it’s not serious. You just have a broken index finger.”

Good and Bad News JOHN is in the hospital with two broken legs.

The nurse comes in and tells him that she had good news and bad news for him.

John asks for the bad news first.

The nurse says, “We’re going to have to remove your legs.”

John asks for the good news.

The nurse says, “The guy beside you wants to buy your shoes.”

Bad News JIMI went to the doctor for a physical examination.

After the doctor examined him, he told Jimi he had some bad news: He had cancer and ulcer.

Jimi said, “Well, at least I don’t have cancer.”

•Adapted from the Internet

Writer ’s Fountain ROFESSIONAL writingtips: Brilliant writing —Keep paragraphs short. because they are rather empty and sometimes a little Look at any newspaper and notice the short distracting.

The great writer, Mark Twain, suggested that you paragraphs. That’s done to make reading easier, because the brain takes in information better when it should “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing is broken into small chunks.

In academic writing, each paragraph develops will be just as it should be.”

Don’tramble.Ramblingisabigproblemformany one idea and often includes many sentences. But in casual, everyday writing, the style is less formal and writers though not as big as militancy and terrorism paragraphs may be as short as a single sentence or that span decades because of disputes over religion, resources and territory. It’s a problem all the same, and even a single word. the budding writer would do well to avoid it.

See? Don’tberedundantorrepeatyourself.Also,don’t Eliminateunneccesarywords.Qualifyingwords, keep writing the same thing over and over and over. such as very, little, and rather, add nothing to your Inotherwords,saysomethingonceratherthanseveral meaning and suck the life out of your sentences. times. When you repeat yourself or keep writing the For example: It is very important to basically avoid fluff words same thing, you are liable to send your readers to sleep.

Don’t overwrite. This is a symptom of having too Massive facts: little to say or too much ego. Put your reader first. Put •A large swarm of locusts can eat 80,000 tons yourself in the background. Focus on the message. of corn in a day.

Edit ruthlessly. Shorten, delete, and rewrite •A lobster can lay up to 150,000 eggs at one anything that does not add to the meaning. It is okay to time. write in a casual style, but don’t inject extra words •A mature male gorilla is called a Silverback. without good reason. To make this easier, break your This refers to the silver-coloured hair covering writing into three steps: Write the entire text. Set it his back, which occurs when he’s about 10-12 aside for a few hours or days. Return to your text and years old. edit.

P

MARCH 29, 2015

PAGE 31

2015 Campaigns: The issues, excesses, violations

32

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

POLITICS

Presidential campaigns: How t Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu and Sunday Oguntola report on the agenda, preparations and campaign strategies adopted by the presidential candidates of the remaining political parties, aside the big two for yesterday's elections

N

IGERIA has never had it this way.

Compared to all the previous presidential campaigns in the country, experts say the 2015 presidential campaign will go down in history as the most scientifically sophisticated, robust and in a way, redhot explosive.

Aside the ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the major opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), whose campaign strategies and approaches are already considered as subjects of study amongst political and public relations scholars, the so-called small parties and their presidential candidates also adopted campaign strategies of interest.

Of special interest is that the 10 other smaller parties who participated in yesterday's presidential election, failed to take adequate advantage of social media in their campaigns. While the big two, with their estimated billion Naira budgets, organised spectacular mass rallies across the country and complimented with a hitherto unrivalled presence in all aspects of the media, most of the small parties and their candidates, who can barely afford few rallies, were expected to consider use of less expensive means of presenting their agenda to the people.

But according Mr. Babafemi Ayeni; "most of them were not seen at all. I would have expected them to take advantage of facebook and other social media to reach out. They didn't. To me, PDP and APC also did better in their use of the media. I know these two have better budgets, but money is not everything. The kind of innovation I expected from them, I could not see.

When the result comes out, I will not be surprised if some of them failed to get any vote in some areas. This is because they did not show up at all in these areas and could not use the media to reach out."

Ayeni, who also expressed dissatisfaction over the development, suggested that in future elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should set out conditions that will demand that political parties that cannot reach out to all the parts of the country should not contest for the presidency.

"It is not enough to buy a form and get registered as a presidential candidate. What we Nigerians expect is that any party that wants to contest the presidency should not reduce it as a joke.

Yes, some of the so-called presidential aspirants were mere jokers. It should not be so. In a more developed democracies, a party can concentrate on its region of comparative strength until it has garnered national spread and support.

It is then that such a political party can

• Okorie

field a candidate for the office of the president and everybody will take such a candidate seriously," he said.

As if informed by Ayeni's advise, some of the political parties which fielded candidates for the National Assembly and state elections decided to endorse one of the leading candidate, PDP's President Goodluck Jonathan and APC's General Muhammadu Buhari. For example, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which has candidates in virtually all the other positions across the country, did not field a presidential candidate. Instead, it endorsed President Jonathan of PDP as its candidate. Alliance for Democracy (AD) endorsed General Buhari of APC as its candidate.

Just before yesterday's election, conflicting reports made claims of endorsement of Jonathan and Buhari, thus creating confusion in the minds of the people.

By Friday, just hours before the commencement of yesterday's polls, only 10 presidential candidates, aside Jonathan and Buhari, were still believed to be in the race. They included Chief Chekwas Okorie of the United Progressive Party (UPP); Martin Onovo of National Conscience Party (NCP), Prof. Comfort Oluremi Sonaya of KOWA Party, Sam Eke of Citizen's Popular Party (CPP), Rafiu Salau of Alliance for Democracy; Tunde Anifowose-Kelani of Action Alliance (AA); Ganiyu Galadima of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); Adebayo Ayeni of African Peoples Alliance (APA); Ambrose Albert Owuru of Hope Democratic Party (HDP); and Godson Okoye of United Democratic Party (UDP).

Amongst these candidates, the efforts and the approaches adopted by Okorie and Sonaya deserve particular mention.

UPP's Chekwas Okorie: Hopeful in spite of the odds Most analysts dismissed him as one of the presidential candidates that could not stand the heat to the end. They said he was merely playing a game and will

• Salau

• Sonaiya

The UPP agenda covered areas like corruption, resource control, security and education among other therefore step down at the last minute either for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan, or that of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari.

He however made mincemeat of such predictions as he remained steadfast to the end, participating in the race yesterday with so much enthusiasm that he may emerge Nigeria's president notwithstanding the limitations posed by his party's size and lean resources.

This is Chief Chekwas Okorie, the presidential candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP).

Described by an associate as "a thorough bred politician," Okorie demonstrated his resolve not to back out from the race or to join forces with any of the two bigger parties by taking time to clearly deny reports that he may have agreed to work with either Buhari or Jonathan.

For example, few days to the presidential election, it was reported that Okorie and his party had endorsed Buhari's candidature.

Reacting to this report, Dr. Ugorji O. Ugorji, the Director-General, Chekwas Okorie Presidential Campaign Organisation (COPCO) in a statement entitled, "We condemn the inclusion of the United Progressive Party (UPP) amongst the purported political parties that pledged loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2015 presidential election," said,

"We read with rude shock the sponsored story today the 19th day of March, 2015 to the effect that 12 of 26 political parties have pledged their loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2015 Presidential Election. We find the inclusion of our name in the list of these compromising political parties in absolute bad test…

"It is a common knowledge that our presidential candidate, Chief (Dr) Chekwas Okorie, has emerged as one of the three foremost contenders for the office of President of Nigeria. The party's strategy of grassroots mobilization and strong and powerful message in the well articulated Revolutionary Agenda of our presidential candidate has brightened our chances of winning the presidential election tremendously. The fact that UPP has restored the missing Third Leg of the Nigeria political tripod is now of common and public knowledge.

"It is therefore inconceivable, malicious and wicked political blackmail to drag the name of our party to a gang-up we know nothing about…

"We have nothing against any group or party wishing to support any of the foremost political parties, including supporting the UPP, but it smacks of political misconduct and criminality to drag the name of a foremost political party like the United Progressive Party (UPP) into a conspiracy we know nothing about."

Besides such doggedness and resolve to raise his head, notwithstanding the deep pockets of both PDP and APC, Okorie

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

POLITICS

33

w the 'small' parties fared

• Galadima

• Anifowose-Kelani

But what she lacked in media visibility and campaigns, Sonaiya more than made up for in constructive engagements. A witty, engaging and brilliant personality, she had a firm grasp of issues affecting the nation also impressed observers through his robust agenda well articulated.

His performance at the Sunday, March 22, 2015, national debate, organised by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group is still being cited as a proof that he understands Nigeria's needs, the enormous challenges facing the country and how to tackle it.

It would be recalled that Okorie was one of the five candidates that participated at the second session of the debates, which included President Jonathan.

According to Kinsley Juaka, a political scientist who monitored the debate on television, "during the debate, Okorie showed not just command of English language and facts of the nation's challenges, he was also a master of his party's agenda rooted in what he called a revolutionary agenda."

The UPP agenda covered areas like corruption, resource control, security and education among other.

On corruption, Okorie had listed the measures a UPP government will adopt to address corruption to include annual and public declaration of assets by all public officers from the position of director to president; elimination of avenues for stealing; empowerment of the law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute suspects of corruption; elimination of immunity for public officials on criminal allegations; and the restriction of security votes to only security matters with transparent accountability.

On resource control Okorie advocated for resource control as a way to grow a competitive economy between the various

regions of the country. When the various communities control their resources, they are better able to be creative in developing those resources and then send a contribution to the center, he said.

Okorie also pledged to take the federal government out of oil business, except for broad policies and controls, with the private sector and local communities as the primary players.

In a statement signed by Ugorji and released on Friday, Okorie explained the circumstances under which he joined the presidential race and what he expects. As he puts it: "Chief Chekwas Okorie and the United Progressive Party (UPP) entered the 2015 campaign for president and other positions as the youngest party in the races. Extricating the progressive soul of a betrayed APGA and planting it within the UPP that is now only two years old, Okorie set out to restore the third missing leg of the tripod that has kept Nigeria together since 1960. The head of the tiger is the UPP's symbol.

"Yet as the new catalyst in the game, the UPP has shot up to become the third most consequential political party in Nigeria out of over 25, with Chekwas Okorie running a significant third behind President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and General Mohammadu Buhari of the APC. We believe that as Nigerians ponder their choices today and tomorrow, they should choose neither the flood nor the dry wilderness, but the "love and unity" that the UPP represents.

"Throughout this campaign, we have maintained the purity of our virgin party,

• Owuru

unstained by the infusion of corrupt, stolen blood money. More importantly, we have preserved our independence as a party, rejecting lucrative offers to do otherwise.

"This purity and independence have allowed us to call it, in every issue, as we see it, with the interest of the beleaguered majority of Nigerians in mind. Ours has been a politics devoid of rancor, without the demonization of our competitors, who after all, are our compatriots. In so doing we believe we have moved the conservative Buhari and Jonathan towards a progressive middle where we assert most Nigerians are.

"And because of our efforts and the convergence of the UPP, PDP and APC around the middle, we believe that this will be the closest election in Nigeria's history.

This is indeed a good thing because it will necessitate the formation of a unifying national government after the election, and not the chaos many predict and expect. We shall overcome!"

KOWA's Sonaiya: A principled, lowkeyed campaign She has the honour of being the only female presidential candidate. Prof (Mrs.) Oluremi Sonaiya of the KOWA Party is therefore difficult to miss among the pack.

And truly, she made her marks during the campaigns. In terms of intellectual engagement and creative campaign, Sonaiya was truly impressive.

Lacking in campaign funds and national spread, she restricted herself only to the South-West, holding mostly town hall meetings and chatting with small groups. Asked if she was bothered she couldn't reach the entire country, the Professor of Linguistics said: "I would do what I am able to do; there's nothing that brings more satisfaction than that. I won't say if I had N100 million now, I would be doing so and so.

"I don't have that kind of mentality; I have never had it. My mentality is about what you have in your hands, and what you can do with it. That's the way I have

always operated and I'm very happy to be doing what I am able to do."

So, what has been her experience with the presidential campaign? The university don said: "It has been good, I have been enjoying myself. I have been meeting people in different ways. On social media, I have been most active; that has been my platform. You know I am not swimming in money, to say the least. That has been the area of concentration, but also in groups.

"I have had the opportunity of being invited to several occasions, as well as to do interviews on radio, television, you know, with the print media people, and its gone much better than I would have imagined."

Sonaiya said she left the university system because she wanted to effect change in the polity. The former Head of Department at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ife, was back in the institution penultimate weekend for a fund-raising event organised by the Evangelical Student Fellowship, which she attended while on campus.

Owing to paucity of funds, she couldn't take advertorials or get sponsored spots on TV. But she was visible in the media, enjoying many interviews on radios and TVs, ostensibly because she was the only female presidential candidate.

But what she lacked in media visibility and campaigns, Sonaiya more than made up for in constructive engagements. A witty, engaging and brilliant personality, she had a firm grasp of issues affecting the nation. She also displayed principled stances, vowing she would never take anything less than what she believes in.

Asked if she would consider a ministerial appointment if she loses, a visibly angry Sonaiya said: "For me, if you know me, you will know that you shouldn't have asked me that kind of question. I have never been that kind of person, I am not seeking anything."

She also considers colourful rallies and campaigns a waste of funds and energies. According to her, nothing would make her mobilise people for as little as N2, 000 or N5, 000 to attend rallies. She wouldn't even consider sowing clothes for party members and supporters to be at such functions. It is on record that she never organised a rally or campaign. Certainly, it was partly due to her belief and lack of funds.

Sonaiya also comes across as a refined politician, not desperate to win the race. According to her, she just wanted to contest campaign and leave people to make their choices.

What happens if she doesn't win?

"What I am concerned about is what I am doing now is it meaningful. I am doing what I am supposed to be doing and am I doing it to the best of my ability; that's all I care for. If people do not vote for Remi Sonaiya, it is their choice."

Surely, Sonaiya cannot win with her approach in Nigeria political environment of today but she can take a bow with the satisfaction that she ran the race with her convictions, inclinations and integrity intact. For her, the contest is not about winning but showing Nigerians how to campaign with dignity in the midst of vanities.

Given these realities, many would not be surprised when the results are finally announced later in the week.

That will be the final assessor of the performance of the candidates during the prolonged campaigns. It will also judge their strategies for future reference.

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POLITICS

'Why Labour couldn't field presidential candidate'

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

Mrs. Olufolahon Olubusola Emmaneul Tella was one of the presidential aspirants on the ticket of the Labour Party. She told Tony Akowe in Abuja, why her party could not produce a candidate in yesterday's presidential election and other national issues like her plans on solving the unemployment problem, Boko Haram and other issues, including her vision of becoming Nigeria's president this year. Excerpts

Y

ou were supposed to be a candidate in yesterday's elections, but as it stands now, you were not. What went wrong?

Last year, the Labour Party had a national convention and just as you know; it is at the national convention that the presidential candidate emerges. On October 11, we had the convention where the new national executive emerged. However, a second national convention could not hold because of the funds. It costs about N200 million to fund a national convention. The convention is normally funded by the party and if it is big enough, it will just take the funds from the account and also task some members of the party holding positions. The Labour Party is one of the big parties in Nigeria, but we could not do a second national convention and so, there was no presidential candidate emerging because of the funding.

We are aware that the Labour Party is divided at the moment because the founding fathers of the party, the NLC and TUC did warn against holding the convention. So, which faction of the party do you belong to?

NLC and TUC are Executive members of the party in

•Tella

accordance with the constitution.

However, as a party, the Labour Party still stands. There was an election on October 11 which produced an executive and that executive is still in place.

In other words, you don't recognise the Caretaker Committee put in place by Organised Labour?

There is no caretaker committee; what we have is a national executive.

But organised Labour has a caretaker committee in place for the party.

NLC as I said is an executive member. An executive member cannot put in place a caretaker committee. It has to be the executive that runs the affairs of the party.

You said in your profile that you heard clearly from God that you will be President of Nigeria in 2015 Yes. Is it not a contradiction that God told you you will be President in 2015 and yet, you were not a candidate in the elections?

There are many ways God works. It was natural for me to be an aspirant, but is that the way that God wants to handle things.

The natural mind says go and get the nomination form and do this and that. That was the natural mind. That was why we even

bothered to write the expression of interest. From the look of things, that is not the way God wants things done. We will still do things the way God wants. This is the beginning of 2015 are watching to see how things will happen.

You think you will still be President in 2015?

According to God's plan Will that not be God creating confusion in the mind of his people?

God does not create confusion. What God does is that before something happens, He has already planned it years ahead. For example, when children of Abraham were to go to Egypt and be slaves for 400 years, God even planned it before Abraham had one son. So, God has a way of planning things and He has a way of executing His plans.

Before the commencement of the General Elections, there was the allegation that INEC has not done enough to hold the election, especially in the area of the PVC. In 2011, INEC did a good job.

However, the plan and schedule of events is where I fault INEC. As at 2013, I believe the INEC should have given those registered voters their Permanent Voters Cards. By December 2014, it is those who have just turned 18 or those who have changed their addresses or were not able to register in 2011 that INEC should have been focusing on now. That is one area where I fault INEC. The shift in the election gave INEC ample time to ensure that everybody who registered actually get his PVC. Use of Card Reader was a major controversy before the commencement of the elections.

What is your take on that?

Card Reader is a technological improvement. It is an excellent way of ensuring transparency in voting. So, it is necessary to use it because it is an improvement over 2011.

But some people believe that the people who are supposed to take charge of this Card Readers have not done their job and not experienced in handling it.

Maybe you would have been right on that point in February.

But now that INEC had six weeks extension, people who need to be trained were trained. I learnt that about 700,000 people were trained. So, I believe that using the Card Reader is an excellent thing to do.

What is your take on the state of the Nigerian nation at the moment?

The insecurity in the land is still worrisome. I believe that the

way the government is handling Boko Haram is good, but not good enough. I would want to categorize Boko Haram into five or six categories. Number one is the original Boko Haram; which actually started in 2009 by killing police officers. The second category were abducted and conscripted into Boko Haram.

These are people who were unwillingly forced into Boko Haram. You have the category of the sympathisers and the category of the financiers. You have the category of the foreigners who came in from Chad and Niger. What government should actually be doing in addition to the military offensive is what I call the mind game technique.

Every battle begins and ends in the mind. In January, Zakaria Ahmed of Al Shabab Somalia turned himself in. He was the Finance and Intelligence Director of Al Shabab. Why would somebody in that position turn himself in? It has to do with mind game. If our government can actually focus on mind game, which will make the other four categories see themselves as Nigerians and as people who still have a stake in this country, with very little money, we will stop this Boko Haram war and there will be peace again in Nigeria. Anytime I hear about suicide bombers, I am sad. These are things that can be stopped within few months when the mind game technique is added to what government is doing now.

Would you say the government has done enough in fighting this insurgency?

I will say the government has been focusing too much on the military. They should focus also on the mind game. Focus on the mind of the people who willingly give their 10 year old daughters to be suicide bombers. The financiers who thought at the beginning that it was okay, but are now tired and don't know how to pull out and have become ensnared. So, focus on the mind game. Those who are forced and conscripted into Boko Haram do not really have a choice because they have become prisoners in the Boko Haram camp. Still talking on national issues, 1.8 million graduates are released into the labour market every year.

Already, there is an existing pool of unemployed people. So, the unemployed are in their millions. I hear government say we will create jobs which is fine.

But creating jobs should be based on production stimulating ideas and businesses. We have our own unemployment solution.

We realised that to create jobs

that will remain; jobs that will be in millions, you would need to construct a new city in each geopolitical zone and this will require man power. We planned to construct a new city in each geopolitical zone based on the raw materials available in that zone. In the South-West, we have water. If you construct a fish city, there will be fish ponds which will require manpower to construct and will be managed by people. Fish will be processed and there will be factories and because it is a new city, there will be houses constructed, banks will be attracted there, petrol stations will be attracted there and so many other businesses. That is serious job creation. There are other cities that we have in mind and with that, we reckon that within four years, 12 million sustainable jobs, dignified jobs will be created.

That is one plan that can be implemented when it comes to unemployment.

Last year, we heard that Nigeria became the 26th largest economy in the world. During the same period, the real sector contribution to GDP declined from 49 percent to 26 percent.

What that means is that factories closed shop and jobs were lost while people became unemployed. We are the 26th largest economy in the world, but jobs were lost, unemployed people increased and poverty increased. So, there is business decline in Nigeria. One way to ensure that businesses come back is creating the market and this market is created when the jobs are created for people to have purchasing power. When they have purchasing power, they will be able to patronize businesses. So, job creation is the most serious challenge the government should actually tackle.

You talked about developing therapeutic food product for HIV and cancer.

What is the level of that product at the moment?

We started work on the product in England and came and finish the work here in Nigeria and we are very satisfied with them. We are in the process of registering the patent. The product has been based on locally available raw materials with a few items being imported, like vitamins and minerals. But we are very excited about this product.

Is the product available in the market now?

It is not in the market yet.

That is why I said we are in the process of patent registration because when you don't patent and register and you launch it to the market, anybody can steal the idea.

Why the delay in the patent process because from available information, you started work on this product 14 years ago?

We are more into research and development; just as this product has come up, there are others and when you are trying to patent one, you can as well patent others because it is the same hassle that you pass through for one that you pass through to patent 10. We have other products and we are patenting all of them at the same time.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

POLITICS

35

Garlands for the Game-Changer at 63 Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds -Albert Einstein ords to describe his profound political persona come in different shades.

But all are complimentary.

These range from the "Asiwaju of Nigeria's democracy" to "the Master Strategist" and the new one called "the Game Changer".

These are but a few laurels that adorn the shoulder of the one dogged fighter who, today stands on a high moral ground to speak about Nigeria's democratic dispensation -its norms, ethos, mores, codes, evolution, development and sustenance.

Such apt descriptions also encapsulate that of a Nigerian political titan who means different things to various people. That depends on which side of the deepening political divide you stand-the conscienceless class of conservatives or that of the people-friendly progressives. But why, you may ask?

The answer is found in his firm belief and the sacrifice to see to the enthronement of the dictates of a government, driven by the wishes of the majority.

His type is rare. More like a meteor, he blazes the brilliant trail across the hazy political firmament, eliciting varied comments from political observers of diverse dispositions. It would therefore be foolhardy for any of his teeming admirers to expect even those who he has come to rescue from the stranglehold of the political oppressors to applaud his noble efforts. Such is the dilemma of the sociopolitical matrix within which political strategists operate; all because they see what many do not.

Put simply, he is a visionary, armed with the 4C concept of courage, character, candour and charisma, possessed all to the quantum level. But as usual, not a few would understand or even identify with his DNA and more so align with his consistent political ideology of peoplefriendly governance down to the grassroots.

Born on March 29, 1952, his political career took off in 1992, when he was elected to the Nigerian Senate, representing the Lagos West Constituency.

That was during the shortlived Nigeria's Third Republic. After the results of

W

• Tinubu

By Idowu Ajanaku the June 12, 1993 presidential elections were annulled, Tinubu became a founding member of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). The wellcoordinated group effectively mobilised a groundswell of public support for the restoration of democracy and the validation of the 12 June election results.

Let it be known that at that material time, he had all the opportunity to sell out as some fair weather friends did to betray our common cause.

But Tinubu chose and wisely too, to stay on the people's side while the struggle lasted.

Had he been a political turncoat, we would have no moral ground to identify with him, least of all, celebrate him on this auspicious occasion. It was the democrat in him that saw Tinubu calling for Resource Control, as a Senator against the vociferous voices of those who claim to love the country only when it suits their fancies. Today, that clamour re-echoes with greater verve and frenzy as the National Conference kicks off its deliberations. But would anyone remember who belled the cat? That is the million naira question.

With the Sani Abacha regime baring its bloodthirsty fangs, he went into exile in 1994 but returned to the country in 1998 after the death of the military dictator.

Subsequently, in the run-up to the 1999 elections, Bola

Tinubu was a protĂŠgĂŠ of Alliance for Democracy (AD) leaders Abraham Adesanya and Ayo Adebanjo. As fate would have it, he won the AD primaries for the Lagos State gubernatorial elections in competition with Funso Williams and Wahab Dosunmu, a former Minister of Works and Housing. He stood for the position of Executive Governor of Lagos State on the AD ticket and was elected in April 1999.

One reason why he can lay credence to being a true-born democrat is his salutary efforts to redefine the concept of party politics in the effervescent terrain called Nigeria. From the Alliance for Democracy (AD) through the Action Congress (AC) to Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now, the game changer tagged All Progressives Congress (APC), his rare managerial acumen of men and materials all come to the fore.

Another reason is his exemplary style of governance that made governance more participatory in Lagos State.

For instance, he introduced measures to increase the Internally Generated Revenue.

The measures included the Electronic Banking System/ Revenue Collection Monitoring Project (EBS/RCM), which enabled the utilization of high level technology to create a robust data base of tax payers and successfully eliminated ghost workers.

Another was the state's Board of Internal Revenue

(BIR); an outfit that used to be a cesspit of corruption. It was re-engineered to enhance its revenue collection capacity through greater autonomy, professionalism and motivation; the introduction of the electronic Tax Clearance Cards (eTCC),which is a fraud-free and convenient method of keeping tax payers records.

There was also a deliberate policy to sensitize the public on the imperative of paying their taxes willingly, voluntarily and promptly, as a precondition for the delivery by government of quality infrastructure and social services. In addition was the new Land Use Charge Law promulgated in 2001. It stipulated that once Land Use Charge Demand Notice is levied on a property, Ground Rent, Development Charges and the Neighbourhood Improvement Charge Law will cease to apply. This innovation led to the collection of the sum of over N3.5 billion as Land Use Charge between 2001 and March 2007 and the value of this revenue source keeps rising.

His eight years administration therefore, saw to the revitalization of the machinery of state. All these made the desired impact in "qualitative service delivery in diverse sectors, including education, health, justice, roads construction and rehabilitation, traffic management and public transportation, agriculture, environmental renewal, rural development, housing, job creation, women empowerment, local government administration and poverty alleviation.

To start with, he, Tinubu, as the governor who took the mantle of Lagos State amidst monumental filth that clogged the drainages and the highways, swept it all with the introduction of LASTMA. Other creative organs of government such as LASTMA, KAI, LAMATA that his visionary administration established brought sanity and safety in the critical areas of public health, transportation, education and massive infrastructural development.

To all those who, out of sheer envy label APC as a political party devoid of philosophy, a closer look at the ground-breaking achievements of the states under its purview would reveal one. And that is, the enduring principle of making governance to be driven by the wishes, aspirations, dreams and desires of the average Nigerian. That is, rather than that of a fraudulent family of shameless kleptomaniacs, whose stock in trade is not only to steal the nation blind but to make culprits walk our streets with a sneering swagger under the leaking

umbrella of the crass culture of insidious impunity.

Worthy of note also, is that all his achievements took place even in the face of daunting odds. Not the least being the withholding of allocations to local government councils that stretched from months to years, when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo held sway at the federal level. How did Lagos State weather the storm of months without federal allocation when the Internally Generated Revenue was yet to assume a sustaining level? How did his AD-led political party, more like a David pitched against the behemoth of a Goliath survive the political onslaught of the PDP rigging machinery that bulldozed its way through the South-West geo-political zone? He became 'the last man standing.' How did he do it? How did he wrestle back the same zone from the stranglehold of the same PDP in 2007 and went on to strengthen his hold on the vastly resourceful and politically sophisticated zone by 2011? And to cap all the trilogy of the bruising battles won, how did the ACN merge with other progressive parties in the mold of CPC and ANPP, both from the Northern fold, now giving the PDP sleepless nights?

Perhaps, it would be more appropriate to underscore his sweeping political machinery to the metaphor of the broom, which incidentally has been adopted for much of the metamorphosis of the aforementioned political parties of the progressives In other climes, wellheeled writers, historians and political scientists would be all over him to decipher that unique attribute that has made him a strong brand of a survivor.

That magic wand of his, to easily identify the best man for the job should also be a source of PHD thesis. Good enough, his predecessor, Gov. Babatunde Raji Fashola, has sustained these laudable policies such that they have been copied by governors from virtually all the six geo-political zones of the country. And without doubt, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the APC flag bearer in Lagos State, would up the ante on these people-friendly policies and worthy legacies.

History beckons on you to take the centre stage and rewrite our history of crass criminality and neglect by the opportunists in power; to seek the common good for the good of us all. Happy birthday to the most consistent democrat of our time.

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POLITICS

2015 Campaigns: The issues, excesses, violations Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on the campaign issues of President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari, including the excesses and electoral violations of their political parties; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC).

P

OLITICAL parties and politicians participating in the ongoing general elections that kicked off across the country yesterday found and used several methods to reach out to the electorate during the many weeks of electioneering campaigns that saw political campaign trains crisscrossing the lent and breadth of the various constituencies.

Aside from pasting posters and erecting billboards, vote seeking groups and individuals mounted podiums and organised programmes all in their quest to have the people consider them or their candidates worthy of being entrusted with the peoples' mandate during the general election.

They also found the social, print and electronic media as useful platforms to get closer to the people, especially voters. And all the parties, especially the two leading ones, made extensive use of these platforms so much so that the electorates themselves were treated with what many analysts described as political campaign war.

The 'war' came in various shades; some interesting, some gory, some peaceful, some violent, some good to hear and see, some unsavory.

In and out of the expected and the unexpected, politicians and their political parties meandered as they curry the votes of Nigerians desperately.

Issues

On his part, President Goodluck Jonathan said as the President of Nigeria in the outgoing tenure, he concentrated much of his efforts at rebuilding the physical infrastructure that could galvanize national industrial development. He said much has been achieved in his quest to transform the country.

Consequently, as a presidential aspirant in the 2015 elections, he focused on the development of the human capital. According to him, "a nation is as developed as its human capital. Education, women, and youth development are the indicators of a nation's development. Having laid the foundations for industrial take off, I want you to vote for me to make good these areas of our national life."

Women: The Goodluck second tenure will embark on large scale women empowerment programme as well as increase number of women that occupy public offices. We have developed a road map to integrate women into the nation's development processes. I will fully implement the Affirmative Action of at least 35 percent positions for women in appointive positions. I will do more to promote increased girlchild education in the northern parts of Nigeria. The G-WIN Initiative will be the plank to economically empower women and girls. The reduction in maternal and child mortality will be aggressively pursued through already existing programmatic platforms.

Nigeria women must be fully engaged to contribute to national development. We are committed to making work and

effort of women to count in National Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Youth: Youths are the heartbeat of the nation. The Goodluck second term administration will give greater attention to the task of lifting up the Nigerian youth to a higher level of attainment. We work to harness the energies and potentials of the youth for national development through specialised programmes; including support for youths in ICT; Youth in Sports; Youth in Agriculture and Youth entrepreneurship.

The Elderly: The Goodluck Jonathan Administration will ensure that pensioners and the elderly are protected, supported and provided for so that they can continue to enjoy good health and longevity. Special attention will be given to the elderly in our society.

All through his own campaign, Buhari affirmed that he would do things differently from the PDP presidents if elected, and outlined a ninepoint agenda to achieve this, namely: *Protection of lives and property. *Pursuing economic policies for shared prosperity and immediate attention on youth employment. *Quality education for development, modernity and social mobility. *Agricultural productivity for taking millions out of poverty and ensuring food security. *Reviving industries to generate employment and "make things" not just to remain

• Jonathans

hawkers of other peoples' goods. *Developing solid minerals exploitation, which will substantially attract employment and revenue for government. *Restoring honour and integrity to public service by keeping the best and attracting the best. *Tackling corruption which has become blatant and widespread. The rest of the world looks at Nigeria as the home of corruption. Nigeria is a country where stealing is not corruption. *Respecting the constitutional separation of powers among the executive, legislature and judiciary and respecting the rights of citizens.

The candidates and their parties strived vigorously to send the messages into the hearts of the people. The people listened to it all. And more than ever before, the 2015 campaigns were indeed issues-based as the people strived to hear more from the political gladiators.

Hate campaigns

The electioneering contest, at some point, also degenerated into a string of hate campaigns leading to allegations and counter allegations between the two frontline political parties and their candidates.

At the peak of the highly condemned hate campaign, a serving state governor ran a series of newspaper adverts that insinuated that the APC presidential candidate may not have much years left to spend on earth.

The governor, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, however appeared unperturbed by the knocks he received for sponsoring the obscene advertorial. Rather, he insisted that he is entitled to express how he feels about Buhari and any other candidate in the presidential race.

The advert placed on selected newspapers, has the pictures of past Nigerian leaders who died in office; Murtala Muhammed, Sani Abacha, Umaru Yar'Adua with the picture of Buhari placed

Goodluck Jonathan said as the President of Nigeria in the outgoing tenure, he concentrated much of his efforts at rebuilding the physical infrastructure that could galvanize national industrial development

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POLITICS the APC appears to have won the online campaign war. The APC now has about 100,000 Twitter followers having tweeted about 9,000 times. On its part, the PDP has just about 2,000 tweets

• Buhari

beside the pictures of the late leaders and a huge question mark over it.

It was accompanied by excerpt from the Bible book of Deuteronomy 30 verse 19, asked its readers: "Will you allow history to repeat itself? Enough of State burials." "Nigerians be warned! Nigeria‌I have set before thee Life and death.

Therefore, choose life that both thee and thy seed may live," it said.

This advertisement was widely condemned by both supporters of Buhari and President Goodluck Jonathan, with many people asking the president to dissociate himself from it.

Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, while reacting to the advertisement, said "Ayo Fayose mocked the death of our great past heroes. This is too much of politics to play. I hope Nigerians now know the right camp to vote. Ayo Fayose is nothing but a celebrated hooligan. His offensive advert should provoke and strengthen Nigerians to vote for change."

Earlier, the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation had alleged that the APC, in a video advert, was inciting the military to take over the affairs of government and also planned to assassinate key government officials. But the inability of the camp to substantiate its claim with evidences, robbed it of any political mileage it may have intended in raising the alarm.

And the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) was to introduce another dimension into the matter when it said it has evidence that a top management staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is behind the dirty campaigns of hate against the presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu and their families aired in the documentaries by AIT and NTA. The APCPCO's Director of Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, said the campaign office has confirmed that the agency was indeed the sponsor of all the dirty campaigns against the APC presidential candidate on AIT, NTA and several other media platforms. The party noted that the Buhari documentary, apart from being fabricated and planted, the broadcasts were a complete negation of the recent noble violence-free election accord.

The petition read in part: "Campaign of hate, particularly when based on twisted facts and ill intentions, is a constructive incitement to violence. Campaign of hate is not only dehumanizing, it is against the spirit of our constitution and unwholesome to national interest. The electorate have right to base their evaluation of every election candidate on true facts,

not deceptive and cooked manipulations."

APC also condemned the Africa Independent Television (AIT) and the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) for what it called "offensive documentary" against the person of the party's National Leader, Asiwaju BolaTinubu.

The documentary, which was entitled: The Lion of Bourdillon, alleged that Tinubu was corrupt and treating Yorubaland as his personal estate, among other allegations.

The Publicity Secretary of Ekiti APC Elders' Forum, Dr. Bayo Orire, described the documentary as a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) evil propaganda against the person of Tinubu, whom he said the ruling party is afraid of.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), denied the allegation and accused the APC of paranoia and desperation in its futile attempt to claim power.

Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo, said, "It is now clear that the APC has nothing else to tell Nigerians, who have made up their minds to return President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP. Ask them, how much is Nigeria's budget? They should talk on issues and stop this propaganda."

Online The online campaign was not less competitive.

Candidates and political camps went all out to engage the over six million Nigerian Facebook users and about a million users each of messaging services such as Twitter, BlackBerry Messenger and WhatsApp. Sites and accounts of various contestant and party sprung up on these messaging services, leading to a fierce online war between the APC and the PDP. Other political parties were not left out as the platforms proved to be veritable area where candidates and parties with less financial muscles competed with their more endowed counterparts easily.

Cosmas Chikelu, a social media analyst, and Chief Executive Officer of CyberScenes, a social media service outfit, commended the improved utilisation of the global trend by Nigerian politicians ahead of the 2015 general election.

"The social media allows faster communication and reach citizens in a more direct manner. It is relatively cheaper and of course more effective than the conventional media.

The better use Nigerian politicians put the platforms to

this time around is commendable.

"The arguments, reactions, feedback, conversations and debates generated online over the weeks have been very useful in helping the electorate to decide which direction to go. It has also reduced the tension usually associated with electioneering campaign in Nigeria because through the social media, many questions were asked and answered," he said.

First to hit the waves was President Goodluck Jonathan, who, with nearly two million Facebook followers, is the first Nigerian President to use social media to reach out to the people. Every Facebook post of the President attracted several likes and comments from both friends and foes alike.

The PDP, now with about 80,000 followers on the Facebook and about 32,000 Twitter attentions, also made good use of the online platforms to disseminate information to the people and promote the candidacy of its flag-bearers.

The party also engaged the use of the online services in promoting the various support groups that sprung up for its candidates across the country.

Likewise, the APC and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) took the campaign for voters' support to the social media. As we speak, Buhari has over 90,000 followers on Twitter in addition to the 200,000 Facebook friends he now boasts of. It is instructive to note that before his emergence as APC presidential hopeful, the retired general was not really a fan of the social media.

But his entrant unto the social media scene witnessed prompt accreditation for him by many Nigerians on the services.

And he has been very consistent in using the platforms to reach out to supporters and opponents alike.

All in all, the APC appears to have won the online campaign war. The APC now has about 100,000 Twitter followers having tweeted about 9,000 times. On its part, the PDP has just about 2,000 tweets.

Violations In the course of the electioneering campaigns, the political gladiators went beyond stipulated and acceptable norms and practices in some of their actions and inactions. Chief amongst this is in the area of campaign expenditure as established by concerned bodies.

A report by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ); a nongovernmental organisation, revealed that both the PDP and

37

the APC violated the electoral law on campaign funding.

The report titled "Second Campaign Finance and Use of State Administrative Resources Report in the 2015 Presidential Election" was presented to journalists recently.

Lead Director of the centre, Barrister Eze Onyekpere, who presented the report, said the essence of making it public was to show Nigerians how politicians and their political parties were dipping their hands into state coffers and using public funds for their private uses.

The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), a pro-Jonathan Campaign Organisation, was specifically mentioned in the report as violating the electoral law by contributing far above the N1million ceiling as donation from individuals or groups to any candidate.

It also highlighted the issues of allegation of bribery to pastors, visits to traditional rulers where undisclosed huge sums of money were allegedly doled out, inducement of socio-cultural organisations, sale of PVCs, cost of hate campaigns, renting of crowd and use of government agencies as conduits to siphon funds among others.

According to the report, all persons, associations and organisations who have sought to induce voters with money and materials should be prosecuted in accordance with S. 124 of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). This should include the candidates and their agents through which the corrupt acts were perpetrated.

The report also called on security agencies to investigate the allegations and counter allegations of bribery against Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and its members. It also called for the investigation of the allegations of sale of PVCs and its demand as collateral to be deposited with a company that offers loans to the poor. It urged the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission to intervene to stop hate campaigns in the electronic media.

Also, that INEC should demand that all abuse of state resources and the diversion of public goods and materials for partisan purposes should henceforth be stopped. It called for those who have participated in the act to be brought to book. It recommended that those in charge of the MDGs, NEMA and ATA, who allowed state resources to be used to the advantage of the incumbent, should be made to resign their appointments among others.

As the results of this weekend's presidential election begins to trickle in, observers will compare it with the campaign efforts of the candidates and their promises as Nigerians are concerned with what the new leader will bring to the table.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

POLITICS

‘Even the youngest child Shun religious in Ikeja chants change’ sentiments, voters told

Adedamola Richard Kasumu is a prominent member of the progressive arm of the so-called Ikeja politics. An All Progressive Congress candidate for Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Ikeja Constituency 02, he told Medinat Kanabe why he believes he would win the forthcoming election with ease.

ECAUSE ‘even the youngest child in Ikeja chants change,’ Mr. Adedamola Richard Kasumu, an All Progressive Congress candidate for Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Ikeja Constituency 02, has said he is sure to emerge victorious in the April 11 election.

Kasumu, who is popularly known as ARK, spoke during an interview with The Nation, held in his Ikeja office.

He said: “So far, the APC is accepted by the Ikeja people; the reception within Ikeja axis has been overwhelming. I have a good relationship with the people and I believe that when one has a good relationship with people, he can read from their countenances to know if he is accepted or rejected. What I have experienced so far is acceptance.

“Another reason I will emerge victorious is because everyone in Ikeja wants change. Even the youngest child in the streets chants change. The message has been passed across from the highest to the lowest level, in terms of the general populace within the society.

“It is also my belief that with the cooperation of the political leaders, followers and everybody that has to do with the politics of Ikeja, I will come out victorious. Apart from that, the Ikeja people know that I have a general compassion to do good to humans.”

On what he has to offer the Ikeja people, Kasumu, who studied law at the University

Sunday Oguntola attended an enlightenment initiative where Christian and Muslim activists advised voters not to be persuaded by religious sentiment

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• Kasumu

of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom, he said community development is his first legislative duty, followed by youth empowerment.

“As a youth myself, I would want to be seen empowering youths, enhancing and creating job opportunities for young aspiring youths who lay about because of lack of jobs. I will give them opportunity to achieve dreams that have been cut short.

“I will also give women opportunities. I believe in women empowerment because if we don’t empower women, how would we appreciate our mothers. We have issues of health and infrastructure which I will look into. Even if I cannot have a direct influence, I should be seen as someone who can initiate or negotiate, so that issues of infrastructure can be addressed in Ikeja, so that one constituency at a time, we can work together as a team of 40 members to make sure that the ship that is about to sail will sail to the right direction,” he said.

Explaining that he chose Ikeja because he has always been a part of Ikeja politics, Kasumu said his involvement in Ikeja politics dates back to the

time the current governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, contested to become governor.

He also explained that he chose APC because he is a progressive and APC stands for change, adding that Nigeria needs change. “I believe in their doctrine, values, ideology and all that they stand for. APC has the interest of the people at heart; that is why we want change.

“No matter where we go to, Nigeria is still our nation so we must fix it; we have to be seen as upcoming among the other African nations. As the giant of Africa, we must live up to it and even surpass it,” he noted.

Kasumu further hinted that he decided to contest for the House of Assembly because he believes that there are various channels to things and that is what caught his attention.

“That is because I believe that I should be able to contribute my own quota in terms of legislative duties within the system of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

“I can also use the avenue to contribute my own quota to community development which would obviously affect the people locally and beyond.”

group, Christians and Muslims Peace Advocacy and Enlightenment Initiative, has appealed to voters to shun primordial religious sentiments in the choice of their candidates.

Rather, the group said Nigerians should choose candidates based on their ability to deliver dividends of democracy without minding their tribal and religious affiliations.

Its National President, Prophet Iwu Ogbu, regretted that religion has been elevated to prominence in the current electioneering campaign, saying such development will not augur well for the nation.

He said: "Religion should never divide us. Politicians have deceived us too long with the message that we should only vote for those from our faiths.

"The truth is that we are all the same. God sees us as equals. We serve the same God and we are all going to Him. So, we should elect people based on integrity and commitment to nationbuilding, not because of their faiths."

While challenging Nigerians to embrace peace and live in harmony, Ogbu said those using religious cards are only after personal interests.

"They just want votes; they want to use and dump us.

Many of them parading Churches and Mosques now will never attend again until it's time for reelection.

A

"That is why we have to wise up and follow common sense. We should not allow anybody to pit us against ourselves."

The National Secretary of the group, Mrs. Amina Idris, said the politicians playing religious politics should be mindful of the seed of division they are sowing.

"Religion is a very sensitive thing that touches the emotions of most people.

You shouldn't exploit it to win political points.

"Those toying with it are setting this nation on fire.

They are breaking homes and setting people against themselves. They are tearing us apart," she stressed.

She stated that politicians must learn to play the game without resort to religious sentiments.

According to Idris; "All you need to do is to sell your manifestoes and policies.

Appeal to people's reasoning and see if they will buy into you.

"You don't have to touch on religion because it is a private affair and should have nothing to do with whether you are elected or not."

Idris urged Nigerians to mark politicians selling religion as against manifestoes to them.

"They should be despised and avoided. Tell them to leave you alone. Vote, based on your conscience and examine the candidates well," she advised.

• Jonathan

• Buhari

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

POLITICS

39

Tinubu: Enigma of Nigeria's politics

B

OLA Ahmed Tinubu (aka BAT), an astute politician and elder statesman, was born on March 29, 1952. He was elected as Senator, to represent Lagos West at the upper chamber of the Senate in 1993 under the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). The military interregnum short lived his tenure in December 1993. At the return of democratic rule, he was, through his political prodigy and influence, elected as Governor of Lagos State, holding office meritoriously from May 1999 to May 2007 (for two terms).

Presently, he is the National Leader of the main opposition party in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress (APC). Among several titles, BAT, is often referred to as Asiwaju and Jagaban; he is the Asiwaju of Lagos and Jagaban of Borgu Kingdom, Niger State, Nigeria.

The purpose of this article, inter alia, is to salute the titanic political strides and sagacity of one of Nigeria's foremost strategic leaders, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (a. k. a. BAT). The writer, a researcher, after a careful perusing of the literature, surmised cognitively that the dominant style or approach associated with Asiwaju is the Strategic Leadership approach; even though not yet empirically proven. It is the writer's belief that Asiwaju's friends, followers and disciples distinguished him from others through his dexterous display of strategic foresight.

The ruling party saw him as the stormy petrel of the opposition who was not willing to kowtow to the PDP stand and stake in national governance. If there is anything that BAT and his team would want the Nigerian followers to know, it is that PDP represents the conservatives while ACN stands for the progressives. In the forefront of this giant move is the outgoing Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN; closely followed by Mr. Adams Oshiomole, the Governor of Edo State; and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the incumbent man in the saddle of the State of Osun. The three helmsmen are in the second term in office having performed creditably well in their first terms in office.

To further deal a fatal blow on the prevailing and pervading cluelessness of the soul of the ruling party at the centre, PDP, there was sudden convergence and congruence of notable like minds in the opposition parties.

These cerebral minds began congregating days and nights while traversing the length and breadth of Nigeria. At the arrow head of these political jaw-jaw and manoeuvrings were the top leaders in Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress of Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP), and a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Notably among these leaders were Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (ACN), General Muhammed Buhari (retired) (CPC), Chief OgbonayaOnu (ANPP), Owelle Rochas Okorocha (APGA) to mention a few.

However, to many top notch of PDP, the political savvy, skillfulness and sagacity of the enigmatic Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) is the nexus ensuring the huge success of the merger of seemingly rag-tag 'strange

'Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people'-Nelson Mandela

• Tinubu

By Ekundayo Moyosore

bedfellows' that later culminated as the APC. This happened in February 2013.

Sagacious Strategic Strides It will be good to enumerate concisely some strategic sagacious strides of Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT).

•Prior to his coming to the saddle as the helmsman in Lagos State after winning the 1999 gubernatorial election on the platform of his then political party, Alliance for Democracy (AD), he constituted 23 Transition Committees comprising of experts in diverse fields of human endeavour.

•One of the fallout of the step taken above was that competent and capable men and women were appointed into the State Executive Council who are virtually celebrated technocrats.

•As a leader who promoted inquiry, intuition, initiative and interactions before arriving at the final decision, BAT engendered comments and debates among the Executive Council (Executive), State House of Assembly (Legislature), and the Body of Permanent Secretaries (Civil Service Technocrats) culminating in the crafting of a robust Ten Point Agenda.

•It was during the tenure of BAT as Governor of Lagos State that critical reforms were initiated in the Public Service, partly leading to the establishment of the following ministries: Economic Planning and Budget; Science and Technology; Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation; Housing; and Physical Planning and Development. It is still on-going in the BRF (his successor) administration.

•There was aggressive infrastructural renewal during his resulting in the construction, reconstruction and upgrading of many highways and roads virtually criss-crossing the state.

Some of these include but not limited to: Kudirat-Abiola Road (dualization); Awolowo Road, Ikoyi (dualization); AdeolaOdeku, Victoria Island (dualization); Agege Motor Road (dualization); IkotunIgando Road (dualization); LASU-Iba Road (dualization); Yaba-Itire-Lawanson-Ojuelegba Road (dualization); etc.

•The initiative of Private Sector Participation (PSP) in waste management, probably the first in Nigeria as at that time, anchored by

the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) was and is still the most effective and economic means of refuse collection. Many states in the federation have replicated this approach to dealing with wastes in their domain.

•In the area of health care, there was aggressive building of health institutions throughout the length and breadth of Nigeria such as establishment of new General Hospitals at Mushin, Shomolu, Ibeju-Lekki and Isheri-Iba while expansion and upgrading took place in the following: General Hospitals in Lagos, Gbagada, Epe, Isolo, Ikorodu, Badagry, Agege, etc.

• Before Tinubu mounted the saddle as Governor in Lagos State, there was perennial traffic gridlock synonymous with the state of aquatic splendor. His government established the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASMA) to ensure effective traffic management in Lagos State.

My First Encounter with BAT As a leadership cum followership researcher, I was keenly interested and intrigued with the run off to the June 2014 elections in Ekiti State. Considering my seven year sojourn in Singapore and Malaysia, nations where quality of life is being enhanced on a daily basis. I was excited in the process of witnessing the gubernatorial race in Ekiti. I was in Ido Ekiti at the eve of the election driving through Akure. I encountered a lot of fearful looking soldiers patrolling and some at mounted litany of checkpoints. I later returned to Lagos and rubbed mind with my friend, Segun Ayobolu, the veteran journalist and erstwhile Chief Press Secretary to Asiwaju.

It was at his instance, I met Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the first time in his Ikoyi home. On that significant day, there were many of us waiting to meet with this strategic leader. He seemed used to it with a rare dexterity as he would occasionally come out from one of his inner rooms with one or two people and smiled and scanned faces of all of us in the spacious living room. He never failed to reassure us that he would meet all of us even as he correctly perceived that our number was growing! At a particular time, he spotted me out as a seemingly 'strange' face as all the people in that large waiting room were familiar faces. I introduced myself to him and he nodded.

He was enthralled with meeting the people until he openly came out and told all of us waiting that he was hungry and that we should all join him at the table! I was taken aback!! All of us, dictating our choice, sat round an oval table discussing issues about the Ekiti elections and other national issues before food was served. I was watching his responses with keen interest as an ethnographic researcher. I later confirmed what I had heard about this leader many times: a great listener, thinker, gracious and analytical; yet largely misunderstood by few as maverick and stormy petrel of Nigeria politics.

•Dr Ekundayo, Moyosore, a leadership cum followership researcher lives in Lagos and can be reached through: drjmoekundayo@hotmail.com

Thy will be done O

NE thing that naturally comes with being a child of God is accepting His will.

However, it comes, one who has surrendered his life to God accepts that there is no life after Him, and as Apostle Paul said in the Bible, a Christian accepts that he has a new life; he is a new creation. And, as God Himself taught the Israeli, His thoughts are not our thought; nor His way our way. He decides, we follow.

It is in this context that I appeal to all those involved in yesterday's election to accept the outcome as the will of God. Of course, I am realistic enough to know that there are times that man tries to pervert, if not thwart the will of God. On some occasions, they have their way for a short spell; at other times, they are stoutly resisted and receive the wrath of the Almighty.

Whatever happens, it is the will of our heavenly father that we keep the peace. There are laid down procedures for protesting infractions of the law and seeking redress. In all cases, such lawful means of seeking justice are peaceful and should be adhered to. The commission had put in so much into the preparation and it is only the result that we now await, as well as the move towards April 11.

The Bible is filled with messages of love, peace and justice.

And there is usually the delayed reaction to issues arising from an election. It is good that the presidential candidates of the two major political parties signed another peace pact just before the election. It is equally soothing that the governorship candidates of the contesting parties in virtually all the states signed similar pacts. IT must not be about their words; this is the time to see the sincerity of the candidates and parties.

As Nigerians, we all are stakeholders. Election is about deciding who should rule as much as how he/she should. Anyone who attempts to mobilize for destruction does not mean well for us. What Nigeria needs now is a builder, not a destroyer. What we need is mobilizing all hands to be on the deck. It is not about the Peoples Democratic Party or the All Progressives Congress. It is about Nigeria.

Elections in Nigeria have always been accompanied by violence. Violence could come before, during and after the polls, especially when the officials are believed to have colluded with one of the parties to pervert the will of the people. All hell was let loose in some parts of the country after the 2011 elections as the people thought they had been denied deserved victory. Many lost their lives in the mayhem. In some cases, the bloodletting is as a result of the propaganda that goes with electioneering as the main

contenders try to condition the minds of their supporters they are cruising home to victory and the march could only be impeded by misuse of the machinery.

In the current campaign, a number of people have been dispatched out of existence by wild supporters, especially in a state like Rivers. The stakes are indeed high and expectations are shooting through the roof.

It is in the interest of the rational majority to moderate the feelings of the unruly. Whatever the result of the polls, we should realize that we must have a country after the dust would have settled. Nigeria is greater than the interests of any of the contenders and parties. We are already behind in the race to join the League of Developed Countries. Pre4sident Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari have both led the country at one point or the other. This should make the choice simpler for all. They have records that could be assessed and they have had time during the campaign period to sell their persons and programmes. And, the people have spoken. Their views must be respected by every voter, realising that he has only one vote and no single ballot is superior to others.

Last week, I indicated that, as an analyst, I reckoned that Nigeria would be better managed by Buhari. The purpose of any election is also to put the incumbent on the scale and pronounce a verdict. It is my view that the incumbent has failed this nation and has not given any indication that he has a plan for a better Nigeria. However, democracy is about the choice of the majority-however rational or irrational it may be,.

When I was in school, I always counseled against the destruction of facilities made available for learning and teaching. I never saw the sense in smashing the little available as we protested the inadequacy. In the same vein, we should all realize that, if government property are destroyed, funds earmarked for development would be expended in repairs and replacement.

Nigeria is the hope of Africa and the black race. This generation of Nigerians cannot afford to betray this opportunity to demonstrate maturity and engage a higher gear in the race for development. This cannot be done in an atmosphere of chaos and anarchy. The future beckons; the past wants to hold back. We must free ourselves from shackles of an impoverishing present conspiring with the past. A change many may want, but we must be decent enough to accept the verdict of the electorate and protest legitimately where and when necessary.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

POLITICS

40

• Wada

• Audu

• Idris

Wada and his many battles in Kogi

T

HE ruling Peoples Democratic Party in Kogi State is presently in a bad shape.

Though top party leaders, including the state governor, Idris Wada, are putting up a façade that all is well, not a few of them are reportedly concerned of what has become of the party, which has become a shadow of itself 12 years after it gained control of the state from the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2003.

The immediate former governor, Ibrahim Idris of the PDP, had defeated ANPP's Abubakar Audu, whose Achilles-heels despite his modest success in infrastructural development, was his fall-out with civil servants, teachers and key stakeholders in the state.

And for eight years, Idris ruled the state before handing over to Wada in 2012.

No sooner had Wada become the new occupier of the Kogi Government House than he fell out with his predecessor over issues not unconnected to the running of the state and control of party apparatus.

For about four years now, several efforts by influential elders in the state to wade into the feud proved futile as the two erstwhile political associates have refused to sheathe sword.

Perhaps in protest against his alleged marginalisation in the affairs of the party, Idris has, in the last three years, completely distanced himself from PDP, a fact that is not lost in the national headquarters and the Presidency, which sources revealed have also made entreaties to him without much success.

The former governor's disenchantment with Wada, according to sources, may have also accounted for his conspicuous absence at some of the rallies held by the party in the state and at the zonal level.

But Idris recently denied it all, insisting that all is well between him and Wada. He also dismissed rumours of his likely defection to the main opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), saying, "I remain a staunch member and

The Kogi State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be the worst-hit in the gale of defections that have rocked the party in the country in the last few months, no thanks to the loss of confidence of key party stakeholders against the state governor, Idris Wada, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo leader of the PDP. It is very ridiculous for me to leave a house that I built to become a tenant in another person's house. I have not left and there is no basis for me to consider leaving the PDP." He continued: "Nothing has happened to warrant my defection to the opposition.

Elders of our party are working very hard to ensure the victory of the party in the March 28 and April 11 elections."

Wada losing grip While the incumbent governor may have succeeded in putting his predecessor in check, his grip of the party in the state appears to be waning every passing day.

With unconfirmed reports of the governor's ill health gaining ground all over the state, many critics have also labeled him as an 'absentee governor' who practically spends the better part of his time in Abuja, which was his base before his election.

His alleged poor performance, say sources, has also swayed public opinion heavily against the governor and his party.

One PDP chieftain who is unimpressed with Wada's alleged abysmal performance in office so far is a former governorship aspirant of the party, Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo. In a recent interview in which he took the governor to the cleaners, he said, "The governor leaves in Abuja and visits Lokoja once or twice a week. The state capital, Lokoja, is getting dirtier by the day. It looks like a glorified village. Yet, state resources are being looted or misappropriated. The governor and his wife are often the first to show up at IBB Golf Course in Abuja in the morning. There is no one in charge of Kogi.

"It is obvious that Wada was not prepared for the office. He is totally clueless.

This is why the national leadership of our

party must intervene and ensure that Wada does not return to office at the end of his current four-year tenure in January 2016."

Gale of defections In recent times, Kogi PDP has suffered from a mass exodus of many of its prominent members to rival parties, with the main opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), as the biggest beneficiary.

The list of defectors include a former governorship aspirant, Air Vice Marshal Saliu Atawodi, former Accountant General of the state, Ubolo Okpanachi, and former state chairman of PDP, Barrister Dangana Ocheja.

Other chieftains of the PDP that have joined APC included Senator Nicholas Ugbane, Samson Ihiabe and former Executive Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission, Sani Ogu, two former Speakers of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Bello and Asiwaju Clarence Olafemi, to mention but a few.

Within the top echelon of Kogi PDP, there are fears that the party's fate in yesterday's presidential election and the 2016 governorship election is hanging in the balance.

Adinoyi Ojo also shared in this notion.

His words: "The people of Kogi State are disenchanted and disillusioned with the Governor Idris Wada-led administration.

They are not happy about the low standard of governance in the state. The defections in the party amount to a vote of no confidence on the government.

"Nothing is happening in the state; salaries are not being paid as and when due.

The public education system has almost collapsed. Kogi State roads are the worst in the country. Even the road leading to

Government House in Lokoja is full of potholes."

Speaking further on the way forward, the former journalist-turned-politician was of the opinion that for PDP to regain its lost glory in the state, Wada must be asked to step aside once his first term is over.

He argued, "Some of us will be happier if he leaves much earlier. He is killing the PDP by his lack of leadership and poor performance. When those of us in Kogi Elders Forum sent open letters to the president and the National Chairman of the party two years ago about the situation in the state and the need to halt the party's hemorrhaging, nothing was done about it.

"Our predictions have come to pass.

The PDP is in its death throes in Kogi. If there is an election now and the PDP fields Wada, our party will lose woefully to the APC even if the APC fields a goat. It is that bad. Ask anyone on the streets of Lokoja, Kabba and Idah. This government is very unpopular.

"Wada must not return in 2016. The party should pick a dynamic, competent and visionary person to lead it to victory.

The national leadership of the PDP made a mistake in 2011 by allowing former governor Ibrahim Idris to impose on the party someone who was not a card carrying member of our party.

"Ibrahim Idris ruined and vandalised the state for nine years and when it was time to go, he brought his brother-in-law to come and complete the wrecking of the state and end the reign of the PDP." The big poser remains: Can the Kogi PDP regain its groove with Wada still in charge? Only time would provide the answer.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, takes a look at the deepening political rivalry between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State LTHOUGH the presidential election has been held across the country yesterday and the April 11 gubernatorial election would not be holding in a few states, including Ekiti State, there appears to be no let-up in the fierce political contest between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress, (APC) in the state.

Currently, while the Governor Ayodele Fayose-led executive arm of the government in the state belongs to the PDP, the State House of Assembly is firmly under the control of the opposition APC with 19 members while PDP boasts of just seven (7) members.

Upon his assumption of office as governor, Fayose has tried unsuccessfully to take control of the Assembly. His failed attempts pitched him against Speaker Adewale Omirin and eventually led to the emergence of a factional leadership of the hallowed chamber.

What followed was the emergence of two rival legislative houses, each holding sessions to discharge its duties and each being led by factional speakers, Omirin of the APC and Dele Olugbemi leading seven PDP members now known as the pro-Fayose lawmakers' faction.

The Nation learnt that the struggle for who controls the next legislature in the state is behind the fierce political battle that has seen Fayose and numerous APC leaders squaring up over several issues.

"Fayose understands the implication of the PDP not winning majority seat in the House of Assembly on April 7.

He is not enjoying the current situation where he is not in control of the legislature. He knows things may boomerang soon if the situation continues.

So, he is eager to change the scenario by winning massively on April 7.

"In the same vein, the APC realizes that it is only a resounding victory on April 11 that can keep the party in contention for the political control of the state. A defeat during the next election may mark the end of the APC in the state.

"Hence, the party too is not leaving any stone unturned in its desire to ensure that it retains the majority it currently enjoys in the State Assembly," Femi Kilanko, an Ado-Ekiti-based lawyer and human rights activist, told The Nation.

Consequently, the two parties have been telling whoever cares to listen that they have the support of the people. According to Fayose, the APC is no longer in the minds of the people of Ekiti

POLITICS

Ekiti: Fayose, APC leaders continue fierce contest

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• Fayose

• Fayemi

Our party is interested in free and fair election and we are not party to any violence but we won't tolerate the harassment of our members by agents of the ruling party State who are merely waiting for April 11 to vote out the party from the State Assembly.

The governor said his party is determined to retain its hold on the politics of the state by winning all available State Assembly seats during the April 11 general elections in the state.

"Our coming to Government House has also improved the rating of our party. The people of Ekiti State have seen how the APC deceived them for four years. The APC left the finances of the state in bad shape and today, they are happy that our government is up to the task of salvaging the state," he said.

But the Ekiti Central senatorial candidate of the APC, Gbenga Olofin, assured that the party's people-oriented programmes will ensure victory for all its candidates.

The candidate hinged his optimism on the discipline within APC as the most organised party grounded in grassroots appeal.

"Above all, Ekiti voters are wiser now and would not want a repeat of suffering and poor governance going on in the state. They are ready to correct the earlier mistake by voting massively for the APC on April 11 to ensure that we retain our control of the legislative arm.

Alleged clampdown The already charged political tension within the state ahead of

the next election became heightened when, during the week, APC accused Fayose of hounding its members and leaders over allegation of not refunding the monetized car loans granted to some officials who served in the administration of former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

The APC State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said in Ado-Ekiti that the ploy by Fayose was to ensure that APC leaders were out of circulation before next elections. He accused the governor of reverting back to the criminal intimidation of the opposition that was used to ensure his emergence as governor last June.

Olatubosun alleged that Oluwole Ariyo, who was Fayemi's Commissioner for Labour and Productivity, was arrested by some people and taken to Okesa Police Station where the official vehicle he was riding was impounded.

Ariyo, he added, was later released on bail.

"The same fate would have befallen former Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Eniola Ajayi, when some unidentified people went to her house to forcibly take away her vehicle, but her supporters did not allow them to achieve their aim. The plan was to deny our members the opportunity to vote for our party in the coming elections," he said.

However, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Idowu Adelusi, denied the allegation, saying APC has only embarked on its sheer blackmail and propaganda.

"When Fayemi came to power in 2010, he equally retrieved vehicles in the hands of political appointees of Segun Oni. The affected appointees did not complain and neither did they go to the press to disparage Fayemi for doing so.

"The APC is noted for fabricating lies and to defend the lies thinking that it can hoodwink the people.

"The APC has again gone to the town with another lie that its members are being arrested by policemen and vigilante sent after them by Governor Ayo Fayose.

Nobody has been arrested; the arrest was in the imagination of Babafemi Ojudu and the APC to cause confusion since Ojudu and others in APC know that their party cannot win these elections.

Police in the midst The state command of the Nigerian Police have not been spared from some of the unsavory happenings in the state as political gladiators continue to slug it out at every given opportunity. The command, on many occasions, has been accused of partisanship, especially in the discharge of its duties.

41

While the state government and the Police authorities constantly deny any collaboration between them against the opposition APC, leaders of the opposition party insist that based on certain occurrences, the Police cannot be said to be a neutral arbiter in the politics of the state.

Recently, three members of the APC, in Ijero area of the state, who, according to claims by their leaders, were pasting campaign posters, were apprehended and detained by the police. The men are John Monday, Ebenezer Ogunleye and Tunbosun Adeluyi.

The APC wasted no time in accusing the PDP and the Police authorities of connivance in the matter.

Leaders of the party wondered when it became an offence to paste the posters of one's party of choice. Tension rose and members of the two parties in the area were close to clashing.

However, Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, affirmed that the men were apprehended for allegedly destroying campaign posters belonging to a certain political party.

Adeyemi noted, "Three persons were arrested for tearing campaign posters of political parties in Ijero Ekiti.

They confessed to this during interrogation. Investigation is still ongoing."

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, while reacting to the incident, condemned the arrest, saying the ruling party cracked down on opposition members by using security agents.

The lawmaker called on Fayose to have regards for the peace deal that was signed by all political parties ahead of the general election.

Ojo said, "People don't learn from history; we have all decided to sign peace accord and I want to advise the governor in his own interest to stop harassing our party members.

"Our party is interested in free and fair election and we are not party to any violence but we won't tolerate the harassment of our members by agents of the ruling party.

"The more arrests of our party members they make the more sympathy the APC enjoys in the state. When people that are pasting posters peacefully are arrested, that is unacceptable.

Of course, Fayose and his party denied involvement in the matter and urged the APC to caution its members against destroying the properties of other parties. The party also said while it will not involve itself in any connivance with the Police, it will not stop the Police from carrying out its legitimate duties before, during and after the elections.

The uproar continued until the men were released on bail by the Police after days in detention. However, the Police said the case will be taken to court when investigation is concluded.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

POLITICS

Who is after Father Mbaka?

Doyin Okupe falters at Ikeja Country Club I

T was a trip he wished he didn't make. That was evident in his expression last Wednesday when Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, left the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja.

Okupe was at the foremost social club to deliver a lecture on "The Yoruba: Their politics, yesterday and today."

It was a curious topic that many members and club sources said was a booby trap for the presidential aide.

But Okupe saw it differently. To him, it was an opportunity to throw tantrum at the opposition, especially Yoruba elders, many of whom he does not agree with.

Okupe, while delivering the lecture, acknowledged that the Yoruba race was marginalised in the current administration. He however placed the blame on the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he accused of working with northern forces to deny the South-West of the speakership slot allocated to it.

If he thought he was going to win the sympathy of club members, he was mistaken. Many of them hissed as he made his comments. When it was time for interactive session, they took on Okupe.

Many were of the opinion that even if the Yoruba nation didn't get the speakership slot, what stopped President Goodluck Jonathan from working out more juicy positions for them?

It was their view that the President was just out to punish the South-West with his deliberate marginalisation of the region, a development they pointed out showed in his policies and projects.

A humbled Okupe left the session apparently ruffled after another failed mission.

• Mbaka

I

F news that the Nigerian anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has frozen the accounts of the renowned Enugu based Cleric, Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka, is true, then it is time to ask ourselves who is after the poor priest.

Reverend Mbaka in the last few months has remained a critical opponent of President Goodluck Jonathan, the reason which prompted his decision to declare he could not win the coming Presidential election. Not long ago, the fiery preacher alleged that some people are out to kill him before the general elections.

One is left to wonder what the priest may have done, aside of course, his critical look at the state of things in our country and his refusal to keep his unfavourable opinion about some people in government to himself.

It appears the preacher has made some powerful enemies for himself and he will be needing a lot of grace from his heavenly master to weather through his current travails if truly those he suspects are after him.

• Okupe

Tarzoor pleads with Suswam to pay workers B

• Suswam

ENUE State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Terhemen Tarzoor, is a troubled man.

Few weeks to the election, the PDP candidate is bothered by what sources described as a big factor that could swing the contest to him.

PDP sources said Tarzoor recently held a closed-door session with Governor Gabriel Suswam, where he pleaded with him to pay outstanding salaries to workers, especially teachers in the state.

Benue State owes workers at least four-month salaries, aside from other allowances. Primary school teachers have not been paid for over a year in the state.

This situation, it was gathered, has been affecting Tarzoor's campaigns. Voters have reportedly told him point blank that they won't have anything to do with a party that denies them due pays.

Many of them are said to have become sympathetic to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chief Sam Ortom, whose profile has been rising in the run-off to the April 11 governorship poll.

The PDP candidate, according to close aides, has been disturbed by the development. He considers the issue as the greatest threat against his aspiration to take over from Suswam.

The issue is also threatening the governor's senatorial ambition. Last week, he sent two SMS messages to Benue NorthEast voters, urging them to choose him at the poll.

But many of them reportedly told him off, saying they expected payment alerts, not campaign SMS.

• Olanusi

Was Mimiko caught napping?

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few days ago Ondo State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC. What remains news is the rate at which members of the PDP in Ondo North Senatorial District have been following in Olanusi's footstep.

Since he ported to the APC during the week, the deputy governor have been attracting chieftains of his former party into his new party in their thousands, sending fears that the ruling party may be on its way to decline in Olanusi's part of the state.

The question on many lips is 'how come Governor Olusegun Mimiko didn't see his deputy's exit coming in spite of Olanusi's confession that he had been having a running battle with the governor since their days in Labour Party?

Well, perhaps it was just time for Mimiko, despite his acclaimed political wizardry, to learn a few lessons from the elders as represented by his elderly but humble deputy governor.

IN VOGUE

By Kehinde Oluleye

Tel: 08023689894 (sms) E-mail: kehinde.oluleye@thenationonlineng.net

Continued from Page 52

‘My parents were concerned about my academics’

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

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‘Lagos is financially stable’ Page 58, 59

•Gbeleyi

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•Ali-Balogun

'PR beyond press releases'

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‘Human -- Page 53 capital development vital for organisational growth’ Page 59

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lauds Fashola's Dangote Cement’s 5,000 job CEO housing estate prospect excites Senegal C

EADING cement manufacturer, Dangote Cement Plc has rolled out products from its $300million cement plant in Senegal amid excitement by the country's government on the prospect of direct employment of about 5,000 of the locals by the company.

The establishment of the cement plant by Dangote is said to be the single largest investment in Senegal by an African and the Senegalese government promised to protect the company to achieve its optimal production capacity.

Both the Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal, Katyen Jackden and Senegal Director of Mines, Ousmane Cisse commended the doggedness of the Chairman of Dangote Cement in seeing the plant through despite various setbacks.

Speaking in Dakar, during a ceremony to announce the

From Okwy IroegbuChikezie, Dakar formal commencement of production at the plant, the Senegalese Director said the government of Republic of Senegal was happy with Dangote as the single largest investor in the country, urging other African entrepreneurs to emulate the business acumen of Dangote.

The new plant located in Pout district of Senegal, about 75 kilometres East of Dakar, the country's capital, has a nominal capacity to produce 4000MT per day and 1.2MT per annum.

The plant is expected to create more than 5,000 jobs, with a total production capacity of 1.5 million tons annually.

Nigerian Ambassador explained that Dangote has through his investments in African countries built bridges of friendship across nations, fostering unity and integration among African countries.

According to her, Dangote Cement has done Nigeria

proud with the commencement of production and that she was happy that Dangote Cement has been instantly accepted in the marker because of the high quality grade.

Dangote Cement, she stressed, needs all encouragement to flourish and that her office would be willing to help in that regard because "Dangote has proven a worthy Nigerian Ambassador in business."

Ambassador Jackden used the opportunity to thank the Senegalese government and its people for the support and opportunity given to a foreign investor like Aliko Dangote, stressing that ''Dangote has been able to bring cohesion among African nations with his investments.''

In his address of welcome, Luk Haelterman, the Country Head of Dangote Cement, said the Dangote Cement offered the best choice for consumers as it is the only 42.5 grade high

quality cement available in Senegal market and that the commencement of production will boost the housing subsector of the Senegalese building industry. ''Senegal with a population of 14 million people is a market with ever growing demand for cement because quite a lot of constructions are going on.

There are two existing cement plants before Dangote came on board.

"But today, Dangote has become the biggest and best because we remain the only company producing the 42.5R, which is better than what we met on ground, which is the 32.5R," he added.

Making a presentation on the occasion, the Director of Sales and Marketing, Serigne M. Dieng said that Senegal with 14million people and a growing GDP of +4 percent as of 2013 has cement market of 3MT per annum and consumption rate of 230kg.

HAIRMAN/Chief Executive Officer, RedBrick Homes Ltd, Mr. Babatunde Gbadamosi, has praised the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, for signing all necessary papers for the building of a 700unit fully furnished duplexes, mansions and luxury threebed room flats in Amen Estate, Lekki Peninsula.

Speaking during the opening of the estate, Gbadamosi said that they started building the houses many years ago and at that time they only had few patronages.

"Only about 10 people bought homes here. But because of the housing policy of this in Nigeria, over 80 houses have been bought already and as we are building, several people are showing interest in them.

"For about seven years now, 63,000 housing units have been delivered to Nigerians and Amen Estate is adding about 700 housing units to this number. We know that with the way we're going, very soon we will add major chunk to the thousands of housing units that the government will deliver to Nigerians."

President Goodluck Jonathan who did the inauguration said the enabling environment and housing policies of the present administration has spurred private individuals like Gbadamosi to invest in

By Medinat Kanabe

housing in the country.

Represented by the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Akon Eyakenyi, he said the housing units in Amen Estate are world-class buildings which will stand the test of time because of the quality of work done.

"The type of structures in this estate suggests that the facilities used are durable and of high quality and whoever buys any of them will not have to worry about repairs for so many years to come, because every material used in the buildings are worldclass," she stated.

While commending Gbadamosi for aligning with the government's resolve to eradicate housing problems in the country, she gave a road map for affordable housing by every Nigerian, irrespective of class.

"Those interested in owning affordable homes are encouraged to apply and then they will be given the homes while they pay over a period of 15 to 20 years," she said.

She, however, said that with the arrangement, Nigerians do not need to pay huge millions of naira to own houses. "Even the poor can as well own houses through this same arrangement," she added.

Firm launches online platform for election monitoring LAGOS-based company, Vision Web Technologies, has unfolded an online platform where Nigerians across the country can monitor and report proceedings during the forthcoming general elections.

Unfolding the platform to newsmen in Lagos over the weekend, the Managing Director of the firm, Marvin Ikenwude, said the move was a proactive measure to enlist mass participation of Nigerians in the electioneering process.

He said the platform will assist in putting into proper perspective, proceedings across all the polling units across the country and that it was its own way of ensuring credibility of the forthcoming poll.

According to him, the move is aimed at complementing the efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) whom he praised has put in

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•From left: Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Founder Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi and Chief Olufolake Solanke (SAN) during the 21st CVL Leader without Title Leadership Tribute Colloquium to commemorate Chief Solanke’s 83rd and Prof. Sagay’s 74th birthday anniversary in Lagos by the Centre over the weekend.

PHOTO: MUYIWA HASSAN

Customs intercepts fairly used tyres

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HE Nigeria Customs Headquarters Monitoring Team, Idiroko axis, has intercepted large quantity of prohibited goods along the Lagos/ Shagamu Expressway.

This declaration was made by the Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit Zone 'A' Ikeja, Comptroller Turaki Usman Adamu, during one of his media chats recently.

He disclosed that the

By Biodun-Thomas Davids headquarters monitoring team headed by AC Yahaya Usman Biri, in company of other officers and men, while acting on a tip off recently intercepted a Mandiesel truck with registration no AGB 106 ZD along the Lagos/Shagamu Expressway.

In line with the practice of ensuring 100% physical examination on such

suspected vehicles, the truck was taken to the headquarters of the Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Operations Unit, Ikeja where examination was conducted and the following items were uncovered: 626 pieces of used tyres, 152 cartons of ceramic tiles and 11 pieces of plastic bowls.

Other items recovered were 266 pieces of flower ports and 86 bundles of plastic

containers, to mention just a few.

From the physical examination, it became evident that all those other items were used to carefully conceal 626 fairly used tyres.

The comptroller stated the goods are in clear contravention of sections 46 and 47 of the Customs & Excise Management act Cap C45 LFN 2004 as amended.

place all the needed safeguards that will guarantee credible polls.

Ikenwude said the essence of the application when downloaded is to ensure that all the polling units across the country are effectively monitored by voting population across the country whom he said would be made to supply real-time information to the web application.

"The aim (as will be demonstrated to you) is to ensure that the country is covered information-wise during the poll. What we hope to do is to bring into place Nigerians across the country that would play the role citizen reporters before/during and after the polls," he said.

He stated that the platform is compatible with all mobile devices such as android, windows and blackberry handheld phones and gadgets.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

BUSINESS

W

HAT does it take to husband an economy like Lagos which is Nigeria's biggest, after the federal government?

Well, essentially, you need the right competences, capabilities and character to be in that position. It's a quite challenging job, not tough beyond what we can do and do properly. So, clearly, we have a team that is able and competent to lead a public finance management effort of the Lagos State government.

What prepared you for this?

I've had a very extensive career in the area of accounting, banking, project finance, public private partnership (PPP) structure before coming into this role. So, I believe the combined capability, network and expertise in those fields have made me well prepared for this job. So, I didn't find myself in this job by chance. It's something that I was well prepared for. So, we thank God that one has been able to contribute his own modest quota within this space of time, one that has been privileged and opportune to serve the state.

You came from the private sector and we have always been hearing that to work in the private sector is a different kettle of fish to work with the government. What has it been like?

Well, one thing that we must all understand is, first and foremost, if we're all looking for a better society, then we must all be willing to contribute our quota to make that society what we actually crave it to be. The world over, especially in advanced economies, you see that the bureaucracy there is quite strong.

Public service there actually works far better than what is obtainable in the private sector. The whole idea is that as regulators we must always be ahead of the players in the market. Where the players, that is, the private sector is ahead of the regulator, which is the public sector, then you have a problem. In the US, in Europe, even in Asia, you find out that they always have a very strong bureaucracy so that you can keep the players in check. It's like a referee not knowing the rules of the game better than the players, so how can you then officiate? So, essentially, as a referee, as a government leading the people, we must also be at our best, we must be in the forefront of ideas and vision to take the society forward. For me, private sector in our typical environment in the emerging markets and the frontiers economy like ours, the private sector tends to be ahead of the public sector. But having said that, that is actually a reversal of our historic antecedence. If you recall, in post independence, and up until the mid70s, you heard about the 'Super Perm Sec.' Anybody that finished from the university with a first class degree at that time, the first port of call would be the public service because they must shape the society, they must lead in developing policies that would better the lot of the citizens, improve the living standards of the citizens.

But what we have found post mid-1975, most especially after the civil service exodus retirement of the (Gen. Murtala) Muhammed regime, the kind of confidence that people used to repose in bureaucracy is no longer there. But that has begun to return to a place like Lagos.

So, to answer your question, yes, it's been a bit challenging, crossing from the private sector to the public service. But you must prepare your mind that you need to assist in also shaping up the public service. So that when you come in, you will also be a model. You can mentor some people, new cadre of officers, with new orientation and attitude to deliver exceptional public service. And that is the only way we can all change the society for good. We can continue to afford people who will

'Lagos is financially stable' Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Ayo Gbeleyi, in this interview with Deputy Editor Olayinka Oyegbile and Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, speaks on concerted efforts by successive governments and particularly the Governor Raji Fashola-led administration's vision to turnaround the fortunes of the state through different lifetransforming projects in the face of paucity of funds, vis-à-vis challenges of managing arguably one of the fastest growing economies in the sub-region. Excerpts:

‘

We have, for example, been able to liberate ourselves from dependence on the federal statutory allocation, the one you call, federal transfers. We’re the only state in Nigeria today that generates about 70 per cent of its total revenue from the internally generated revenue (IGR) •Gbeleyi

come into the public service as a modicum of last resort. It must be a conscious thing; you must have passion to serve the people to be in the civil service. And that is what one has tried to achieve by saying, let me also bring to bear the experience we have garnered over the years close to three decades in the private sector, in various positions, in various capacities, in various industries.

I have been privileged to work in manufacturing, working for companies like Nestle Plc, working for Nigerian Bottling Company, the authorised bottlers of Coca Cola, Marina International Bank, Lead Merchant Bank, Guardian Express Bank, and then, more recently, I was with Econet that transformed to Vodacom Nigeria, Vmobile, Celtel, and of course, the company is now Airtel.

Now coming into government, my first shot at it was actually in a pioneering role. I was more or less headhunted to come and head the Public Private Partnership Office.

And as you very well know, that is an emerging phenomenon in Nigeria. So, it became a major policy thrust of the Lagos State government and they needed someone who has the ability to set up the office and

lead a very professional team that would deliver. So that is what ab initio brought me into government.

And of course, over time, I was privileged to serve in the cabinet in the second term of His Excellency, from 2011. Though prior to that, right about December 2009, I was already admitted into cabinet as a non-ranking cabinet member and given the privilege to sit at every Executive Council meeting. But I became a ranking cabinet member in July 2012 in the capacity of a Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Private Partnership, and then in August 2013, I was appointed into the position of Commissioner for Finance, and still, of course, superintending over the Public Private Partnership Office. I now play more or less a dual role in the state government.

Now how would you describe the growth trajectory of the state in the last 16 years of our nascent democracy and what would be the next step?

Clearly, the best for our state is yet to come. Our better days still lie ahead of us. But it's been a phenomenal growth since the advent of democracy in 1999, with the coming on board of the administration of the Governor Emeritus, Asiwaju Bola

’

Ahmed Tinubu, through 2007. As we refer to him, the dreamer, the visioner, who created the blueprint for the rapid change that we're seeing in Lagos. And of course, in 2007 May, came the advent of the Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) administration, who has continued his exceptional passion and commitment to that foundation that was built. Clearly, the vision of the administration is on focus, the vision is actually to make Lagos Africa's model mega city, that is a productive, functional, safe and secure on the continent. And in doing that, we're benchmarking ourselves with Cairo (Egypt), and Johannesburg (South Africa). If you see a lot of the initiatives we're taking, we're also benchmarking ourselves with the best practices, and then world class standards. And that's where we are.

And a lot of things have been achieved by the last two administrations that we cannot afford to take for granted. We have, for example, been able to liberate ourselves from dependence on the federal statutory allocation, the one you call, federal transfers. We're the only state in Nigeria today that generates about 70 per cent of its total revenue from the internally generated revenue

(IGR), it is from the contribution of taxpayers, who repose confidence in our administration. Before the advent of democracy, you will recall the amount of revenue that was being generated monthly from IGR was barely N600million. With the Asiwaju administration, it was taken up to about N7billion by the May of 2007 through various initiatives, transparency and accountability.

Through reposed confidence by the taxpayers, we saw more voluntary taxes. There are various tax reforms, in terms of setting up independent and an empowered Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, automation of our operation. We were the first government to launch a major electronic resource planning tool called the DRD, which we started way back and that has contributed in no small measure to some of the achievements of the two administrations.

The current administration has also taken a giant stride, in terms of a quantum leap in revenue generation and today, we're topping about N21billion monthly, in terms of IGR from taxpayers in the state and we still believe that there is much room to deepen our tax such that we can take it to the next level. So, today, even where you've a situation where statutory allocation is not coming to states, we're the only state in Nigeria that can confidently hold our own and be able to meet our obligations as and when due.

Also, if you look at the area of infrastructure, it's been epochal, in terms of what we have seen - lifechanging. We've implemented projects that impacted positively on the citizens. The first light rail in this country is being constructed by this government. It's a 27-kilometre all the way to National Theatre to Okokomaiko, the first track of 7.2 kilometres is complete and we're moving inward Marina from the National Theatre, and the trains would also be here pretty soon. And then, we would see that delightful service. Lagos would become like all other cities of the world like Johannesburg, London, New York.

And that's actually from a master plan that has seven corridors in total. When you look at intermodal transportation at large, we're doing a lot in terms of waterways, optimising water resources for transportation of goods and persons. We have built three world class ferry terminals at Ipakodo in Ikorodu, the second in Badore and the third one at Osborne, Ikoyi. And these are strategically located at areas you can call transportation hubs. If you look at Osborne, if you alight from there, you can either go to Ikoyi, you also have that option of getting onto the ferry; getting into Badore to get to Lekki corridor or coming into Osborne, the Mile 2 ferry terminal has been rehabilitated. And that is something that is commendable. In the area of healthcare delivery, for the first time in the history of the state, and indeed even in Nigeria, up until the advent of the Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) administration, there were three dedicated motherchild care centres in Lagos State, including the Lagos Island Maternity, the Massey Hospital and then the

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015 Ayinke House in Ikeja. But it is gratifying to say that today, this government has built additional 10 of such hospitals in the state, and we're now trying to ensure that we put those hospitals almost at an arm's length reach of mothers and children. And how best can you take care of that huge part of our population, than ensuring that they have easy access to mother and child care centres. The primary healthcare centres are supporting the local government areas.

We have also developed that. Today, we have 56 flagship primary health care centres running 24 hours service. So, that is there. Our 24 general hospitals are also working optimally and we're improving on their capability as we get along.

LASUTH is there, the tertiary institution is doing well. Only last week, we opened an annex of LASUTH in Gbagada. That is the Cardiac and Renal Centre, the first of its kind in the West African sub-region. It has got about 24 dialysis machines installed for renal patients; it's got two state-of -the art theatres. In total, it's got about 67 bedding facilities, including the intensive care units and one thing that we have also done lately in that regard, we brought the capabilities from all over the world for people that would operate and manage the centres. So, it is not just in the hands of government alone.

You're going to get there world class services, services that are comparable anywhere in the world, whether in the US, UK, or in South Africa. Even listening to patient's testimony the other day, an old man said what he has seen here is comparable to what he has seen in the hospital in the UK. And that is what this government is doing in offering governance in a very uncommon manner.

When you think about sanitation and environmental management in the city today, before the advent of the civilian administration, it used to be on our highways that you're going to see bins littering our roads, you're going to see dirt bags littering our roads uncollected, I mean Lagos was full of dirt. This has since changed and it has come to stay, we're not losing momentum. Look at Oshodi, the regeneration that happened in Oshodi is mind-blowing. I was born and bred in Oshodi; I'm an indigene of Oshodi so I can tell you the story of Oshodi w when it was chaotic or what it used to be.

But today, you can see a modern Oshodi that people now go in there to even take photographs. It has become more of even a tourist destination. If you look at the Heritage Park in Oshodi, nobody believed that such an iconic social amenity can be located there. Look at LekkiIkoyi bridge, it's iconic, you know first of its kind, a cable steel bridge in West Africa about nine metres.

That has become the new face of Lagos. If you look at the PPP transaction for the expansion of LekkiEpe Express road, again, that has rapidly assisted in coping with the growth that we're seeing in that corridor, which is the fastest growing real estate corridor in the region. If you look at what we have done with intervention in power provision despite the challenges we're facing with the energy sector in Nigeria, in the last five years, we have delivered about a total of five independent power plants combined delivery of 47 megawatts of power to the citizens in various locations by government. I can go on and go. I mean, it's just exciting when one is talking about Lagos and what we have managed to achieve within the short space of time.

You have actually painted a very rosy picture of how things work in Lagos. But of course, you may not have done all of this without incurring some cost. The news out there is that the state is in dire financial straits as a result of the numerous

projects it has embarked upon thus far, such that it may take decades to pay back money to donor agencies.

Well, I must tell you that when you talk about fiscal responsibility and prudency, that is something we pride ourselves so much in Lagos State. Consistently, we have always met all of our obligations as and when due. If you go by all international benchmarks and parameters, whether it is the World Bank parameters in the debt sustainability or fiscal sustainability or the federal Debt Management Office (DMO), we've always exceeded on that. Today, we have three rating agencies that independently rate the affairs of the state including our bond issuance programme: the first being Fitch Rating agency, which is an international rating agency, Global Credit Rating (GCR) agency and also Augusto & Co. In the last three years, all of these agencies have improved on our ratings across their parameters. With Fitch, for example, we have an issuer default rating of positive-minus stable. And then on our national long-term foreign and local currency, we got an A+ there, and that is also positive. So, it's difficult for anyone to say that Lagos State is in dire straits, in terms of funding.

That is not right at all. We have maintained our debt level at very sustainable level. And what people forget is, if you think about the largest economy in the world, which is the United States of America, they're also the biggest debtor in the world. That is not to say that people should engage in reckless or unbridled borrowing. The more you borrow essentially to finance productive activities. And that's what we have done in Lagos State. All of our borrowings have been channelled into major infrastructural projects that are capital intensive, and may take a number of years for them to be completed. They're not projects to be completed in one year. Take for instance, the Adiyan I waterworks, the largest water plant that was built in Lagos was built in 1991 and that is Adiyan II. It discharges 70million gallons of water per day of potable water supply to the city. And today, we've started the second phase of that project, which is another 70million of gallons per day; that is one of the major projects that our state has financed with money from donors.

Many of the roads that have been built have been financed with part of this borrowing. Part of Lekki-Ikoyi bridge project funding came from some of our borrowings. The shoreline project, which we've embarked upon, 7.2 kilometres shoreline protection, in Kuramo Waters in Victoria island, all the way to Okun-Afa, which is the Alfa Beach area,7.2 kilometre, have all largely been funded from a combination of IGR and borrowing. But one thing we must know, especially in public finance management, even in project finance, or in banking generally, is that there is what we refer to as time value of money. What we can buy today for N10, would probably cost N11 tomorrow or cost N12.50kobo a year after. Imagine what has happened to the currency now, where we've seen devaluation of close to 40 per cent. Now, it has turned out to be very prudent in our part too be very visionary, to have embarked on the modest level of borrowing that we have injected into enabling us to deliver aggressively on infrastructure.

Today, some of these infrastructure, naturally, it means the cost would have spiked up by 40 per cent of the import-content dependency of each of them. So, we're well-off today because we've seen it ahead, we built the infrastructure at very affordable rate for the citizens, borrowing at a very reasonable rate. Today, the last bond we issued in November of 2013, 87.5 billion bonds, the coupon which was 13.5 per cent, was even more competitive than the sovereign bond

BUSINESS that is even issued by the federal government, yet we're a sub-sovereign. How else can you have an affirmation of investors in the market, both local and foreign that have reposed confidence in the government? Most of our bonds that we have issued often times are exceedingly oversubscribed. That tells you about investors' appetite for our bond. And if we have been reckless in borrowing, before you even get the investors, the rating agencies would not give us positive affirmation, we will not be investment great points, we would have been categorised as junk and then discernible investors would not be running after our bonds as it were. So, I must tell you that our borrowings are very sustainable.

Today, if you look at our total debt service to total revenue, it's a figure at about 22 per cent. The benchmark that is prescribed even by the federal DMO is at about 30 per cent, the World Bank prescription is 40 per cent but ours is at about 22. So that tells you how sustainable our debt profile is. And if you now link our debt to GDP ratio, that is total GDP of the state, it's very much below one per cent and when you look at international benchmark that goes to as high as three per cent. So, we're not near all those fallacies that are being peddled out there. Today, we still remain an investor's delight.

Lagos prides itself as spending 60 per cent on capital and 40 per cent on recurrent expenditure, whereas other states and the federal have had a recurrent decimal of spending far less on capital but more on recurrent. What's the secret?

Well, in terms of policy direction, what we set out to do is to ensure that at least 60 per cent of our budget is allocated to capital projects and then recurrent expenditure we target 40 per cent. Yes, in the early years of the Babatunde Raji Fashola's administration, we've been very close to our target of 60-40. But of late, the pattern of cycle of infrastructure is such that when you're building up, you're spending so much on capital. But as they (infrastructure) become operational, you will see a bit of reversal. Some of the cost will now begin to be redirected into maintenance. I give you an example, look at Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge, we started construction in about 2009 and then we finished it in about 2013, okay. Now from mid 2013 till date, you'll be spending more on maintenance because that is built.

And that is replica of all other infrastructural projects in the state, so in recent times, our expenditure pattern has tapered to about 47- 53 per cent. Also, remember that on account of wages, we've also had to deal with certain wages adjustments that were forced on the state from the federal level, which we've had to implement. So, that is also impacting on our capitalrecurrent expenditure ratio. But we still hold a very steady and decent ratio which is 53-47 per cent as it were.

Maintaining the current tempo, where do you see Lagos in your vision in the next 10 or 15 years?

In the next 10 or 15 years, we should have achieved our vision of making Lagos, Africa's model mega city. That is if you check around the parameters of city liveability index, Lagos will rank as say a Jo'burg and Cairo, in terms of education, healthcare delivery system, infrastructure, culture, social and recreational facilities. We must be a city of choice in terms of when people are deciding where to locate their businesses, places where they also want to live.

Across the continent of Africa, we see ourselves as the first choice 1015 years from now.

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'Human capital development vital for organisational growth'

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UMAN capital develop-ment is vital for the development of any organisation, and every organisation should endeavour to highlight the importance of human beings so that it can achieve its desired aims.

Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr. Olusegun Abiru, stated this while speaking at a oneday capacity building lecture organised by the Lagos State House of Assembly for its senior staff with the theme: 'Managing Human Capital for Legislative Excellence: A Case Study of the Lagos State Assembly', which took place at the Assembly complex at the weekend.

According to Abiru, manpower planning ensures that people do the right thing at the right time.

The clerk, who praised the management of the House for developing the members of staff through constant training, said at the third quarterly lecture of the house, that the staff of the assembly are rated for their performances wherever they go.

"The most important resource is the human capital and we need to develop the human resource for the organisation to function effectively. We started the lecture series to develop the staff of the assembly and I can tell you that we have been seeing the results," he said.

Abiru, however, said that a situation where lawmakers sack their aides indiscriminately has been resisted by the assembly.

He said that he has made it clear to the lawmakers that due process must be followed in relieving any legislative aide of his/her duty unlike what was being done in the past.

According to him, "I have told them that they cannot sack their aides without informing my office, and even when they inform me, I would still follow the due process before the person is relieved of his or her job."

By Oziegbe Okoeki

The Director of Finance and Administration, Mr. Azeez Sanni, who delivered the keynote address, emphasised that human resource is the most important of all the factors of production as it is the force that drives other resources namely; land, capital and others.

He revealed that management studies have shown that if employees were not managed properly, the organisation faces serious problems of falling apart.

"Therefore, directorates in-charge of human resource are expected to bring out the best in the organisation's personnel with the sole aim of collectively contributing positively to the attainment of its set goals and objectives and thereby ensuring quality service delivery to the citizenry," he said.

Sanni dwelt on the efforts of the assembly in the area of recruitment, promotion and discipline, adding that the passage of the law establishing the Lagos State House of Assembly S e r v i c e Commission (LAHASCOM), matters affecting the recruitment, promotion and discipline of staffers of the assembly are the responsibilities of the commission.

According to him, "the leadership of the house places great emphasis on capacity building of the assembly's officials, that is, the honourable members and staff. This explains why appreciable sum is usually allocated to training and re-training in the assembly's budget on yearly basis."

He maintained that the exposure of the members of staff to capacity building programmes designed for legislators had been a deliberate policy to engender cross fertilisation of ideas, adding that efforts are also in top gear to consistently improve on this and to expose staffers to more capacity building activities in line with the organisation or individual needs.

•Johannes Goenawan, Country Manager, Tempo Group (middle) with his team during a CSR initiative to a woman's group in Lagos‌recently

BUSINESS

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

PR practice in Nigeria ELL, PR practice in Nigeria, I will say, has come of age even though we still have a lot to do. If you look at it from our history and from where we started in this country, as first agency and you follow it through, you see that we have actually metamorphosed into a profession that can compare with what is practised abroad.

So, I want to say that PR practice in Nigeria has come of age. Of course, we still have challenges but those challenges still roll across every other profession in the country and that is the issue of funding, in the sense that people are not able on their own to understand the need for funding.

I mean abroad, it is just for you to bring a proposal and somebody will file into it and then they can sponsor your programme. In Nigeria, we're still lagging behind in the area of PR research, lagging behind in PR audit, PR survey, community development, etc. We're lagging behind because organisations, very few of them, understand and know why they have to spend money in this area.

Funding is a challenge because let's take a community for instance, you have identified their need, you have gone to that area, you have surveyed, let's even assume you have a business in communication, and you have seen that the only way you can make the business thrive is to create an angle that will help both your organisation and the community. You need funding and you need your executive to buy into your idea or your initiative.

Available opportunities for PR Practitioners are thriving. Again, I personally know that the problem we have is of people understanding the need for PR. People very quickly will run to advertising because people are interested in what they see more than any other thing. But our job is beyond visuals. So, people take advantage of this and they are also beginning to be able to convince consumers on the need for public relations.

Comparative analysis of Nigerian PR practitioners and counterparts abroad Very few PR practitioners are actually experts in the area of PR and I think that the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations is looking very seriously into that to make sure that its members are properly trained and equipped to practice public relations in this country. I think they are doing a lot in that area. We are expecting that there will be some form of sanity. I think the current president is very interested in ensuring properly qualified personnel in the field of PR. I expect a lot of sanity to come into the profession very soon.

I don't think it is only PR practitioners that have that problem. But I'm happy today public relations is beyond press releases, beyond posting things on the social media, beyond smiling at people. In today's PR, you need to have a good qualification, good university degree in PR or Mass Communication or the other area that will assist you to understand what PR is all about so that you can practice.

PR and public perception PR is not what people say it is. PR is the ability to manage information in such a way that parties, the community and the organisations are able to use whatever information to their own advantage. So I don't see any lie in it; people who lie in public relations are those who are not actually trained in the field. To manage PR, you have to look at the situation, you analyse the situation and make predictions based on that analysis and based on that analysis you want to advice management in such a way that they will be able to work, so you don't advice

he carries management along with him. But supposing the company or organisation or the corporate organisation is such that they are not ethical, well I expect a PR officer that has integrity not to work in that organisation irrespective of what his needs are.

Management style Even though I did management as a course when I was doing my MBA, I found out that management is an institution. There is really no hard and fast rule to it. Of course, there are so many kinds of management one should follow. But I have always believed in team work and I have always believed in the fact that we all have something to offer to the growth of an organisation and the CEO does not know it all. I can learn from my workers and my workers can learn from me and together we can come up with a great idea.

Staff motivation It depends on the staff. I don't just motivate the staff because I want to motivate them. The staff must also show me there is a reason why I have to motivate him/her. Every move that I think a staff has done -I also make sure I reward that staff. And how do I do this? Sometimes, when we have international programmes, I make sure they come with me and sometimes it could be cash rewards and at other times, in all our trainings I make sure they are trained and I give them certificates for attending. So, there is always capacity building for them and most times, even though a lot of people we employ these days don't like reading and that's the truth. Most employees don't give us value for their pay. The moment you employ them, it's like they come in here to do nothing and it's a very painful experience. Otherwise, I believe in team work, I believe that we all have to learn from each other.

Reprimanding staff It depends on what they do, beyond stealing I don't just have to reprimand them.

Though I have not had that experience, I don't think that I'm one that reprimands anybody.

All I do is to counsel the ones that I can counsel but if it is the issue of stealing I will quickly send you out. Even though I want to remain in touch so that I will be able to counsel you but will not hesitate to send you out if you become a threat to the company, otherwise any other minor issues can be sorted out within.

Most cherished moments and harrowing experience I don't think I have had any harrowing experience. There are challenges here and there that sometimes you organise events and people will not turn up. I will not say it is harrowing but it is not good because you would have spent a lot of money preparing the programme.

Otherwise, I would say I have had a wonderful time from the first time I started my journey into PR and I hope it remains so.

Toughest decision as CEO One of the toughest decisions I have taken was either to go into core public relations or remain in training. I think it was a very difficult decision for me because I know if I had to go into core public relations, which is actually what I practice, maybe it would have paid me more. I mean, by now, I would have some very heavy account. But I had to move into training because I identified the need gap in the area of training. When I was in the PR department, I discovered then that we didn't have any person to go training unless you went abroad, there were scanty programmes here and there. I think that was one of the toughest decisions. Do I regret that decision? Sometimes I do because I see my colleagues that we started and they are doing so well. But then, I'm also doing well in my area but these days most organisations are cutting down on training.

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'PR beyond press releases' Mrs. Nkechi Ali-Balogun, a versatile PR practitioner with over two decades experience in the sector, is Chief Executive Officer, NECCI Consulting. In this interview with Ambrose Nnaji, she speaks on the principles and practice of PR vis-Ă -vis opportunities, her management style, among others. Excerpts:

• Ali-Balogun

management without analysing. There must be a true analysis of the environment to be able to advice your management. So, I don't see any lying in that and if you also are able to manage information in such a way that you avert some problem, it is not lying. PR thrives on truth and it is always truth well told.

Don't forget the fact that PR practitioners still report to management and it doesn't have the last say, our job is to advice management and it is management's business to listen to us and in a case where the management doesn't listen to us, there is not much we can do. It is not that the PR department will just sit down to wait for information to get to you. As a PR person, your business is to look for information, understand your environment at any given time.

Ethics in PR Well, ethics and values; whose values,

whose ethics? I ask whose values, whose ethics because ethics play a major in every profession. But you see PR today, we are working for CEOs, ex-officials whose values are different from what you think it should be or whose ethical understanding are also below what you think. It is a problem because we are not in a country where people will easily resign, and say look these people are not ethical, I must resign. As it is practiced in the western world, somebody can easily resign his job on ethical ground and quickly get another one. But here, a lot of things are put into place. I'm not saying it is right but you find that every practitioner will try as much as possible to make sure that he or she works within what is ethical in the profession; make sure he carries out his job within the ethics of the profession, within a value judgment that is correct and at the same time makes sure that

Experts make case for improved health sector funding

T

HERE is an urgent need to improve social investment, especially in the area of healthcare delivery system across all levels of government.

Giving this suggestion at the weekend was a cross-section of experts.

The event was at a public forum in Lagos tagged: 'Putting Health Issues on the Election front burner in Lagos state' Addressing journalists at the forum, Hon. Avoseh Hodewu Suru, Chairman, House Committee on Health Services, Lagos State House of Assembly, while giving a scorecard of investment in the Lagos state healthcare sector in the last four years, observed that the state government has achieved modest success thus far.

According to him, the state government has invested a lot in terms of infrastructure such as flagship primary healthcare cen-

tres. "Today, there are 56 flagship primary healthcare centres running 24 hours service.

The 24 general hospitals are also working optimally. LASUTH is there, the tertiary institution is doing well. Just last week, the Lagos state commissioned an annex of LASUTH in Gbagada, the Cardiac and Renal Centre, the first of its kind in the West African sub-region."

Avoseh, who was part of the Presidential Health Summit on Universal Health Coverage, while noting that the whole idea of a free healthcare was deceitful, however impressed on government and the organised private sector, the need to commit more funding, in terms of provision of such amenities as could help boost healthcare service delivery across the country.

Speaking earlier, Ayodele Adebusoye, Director, Innovation Matters Limited/ Lagos State Civil Society Partnership (LACSOP), the convener of the forum, said the Lagos state government should step up efforts aimed at funding family planning consumables in the state, stressing that such move could help save lives as well as scarce resources.

"As the Lagos state citizens head for the presidential and national assembly polls and gubernatorial and state assembly, the LACSOP and its technical partner, Innovation Matters Limited at a meeting with civil society actors in the health sector reiterates the need for concerted efforts at all levels of government to increase funding support for healthcare delivery in the state."

Going down memory lane, Adebusoye

recalled that during the Nigerian family planning conference, the Federal Ministry of Health launched Nigeria's Family Planning Blueprint, the goal of which is to increase the usage of FP from 15-36 per cent by 2018.

"By funding FP consumables and reaching its share of Nigeria's FP blueprint, Lagos will avert 700, 000 unintended pregnancies, prevent 79, 000 unsafe abortions, save the lives of over 2, 300 mothers and 28, 000 children, save more than N11billion in healthcare costs. Every N1 spent on more effective methods, including implants and IUDs, could save over N1, 358 in near-term health costs."

On his part, Ayodele Adesanmi, Media Officer, Development Communications Network/NOTAGAIN Campaign, said improving access to maternal healthcare was critical in the nation's quest to stem the tide of needless death among women and children.

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South West, North favour APC’s Buhari

Continued from page 4 with his fellow National Commissioners, said all the 37 Resident Electoral Commissioners(RECs) had been directed to conduct poll on Sunday where there were hitches.

He added: "We cannot say at the word go now but each REC of the Federation has been informed. The problems are not in all the states of the country but in a few states of the country and each of the RECs has been informed. We can only get the details at the end of the day.

He said generally the commencement time was quite good across all borders.

He said: "Generally we commenced accreditation at a very good time, in FCT for instance we had a problem with the Union of Transport workers but that was sorted out.

"I want to assure we have made progress,. In fact I had to vsit the office of Resident Electoral Commissioner of the FCT and while there two observer teams, including that of the US Ambassador, were on ground to see us. They had gone round a number of Polling Units and at about 12 noon, about 85-90 per cent where he visited he was very impressed. And this cuts across. This does not mean we don't have challenges in other states.

"In a few other states of course there were still some challenges but generally the commencement time was quite good across all borders.

"Like we said and we will keep saying, we can only do our best but there are still other parameters that take us through what we can call an excellent election.

"The process of election has to do with many people.

Remember that for our adhoc staff to move out, for instance, we decided to decentralize the process. Sensitive materials were kept in the CBN vault and in one of the day or so they were taken to INEC offices in the states.

"By Thursday they were distributed to Local Government Areas, and then took them down toward level and at the Registration Area Centres (RACS) the items were kept. The belief therefore was that as early as 5.30 to 6am, movement to the various Polling Units would have commenced but INEC does not move alone, before you move there must be security backup.

"So there are numbers of issues and processes that go through making the entire thing play well. Generally it has been quite impressive apart from these few challenges I just talked about right now.

On the delay in accredit-

•Senator Rashid Ladoja, Accord Party’s gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State voting in Ibadan yesterday ing President Goodluck Jonathan and First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, a National Commissioner, Dr. Ishmael Igbani, said INEC could not say what went wrong.

Igbani said: "No one can really say what went wrong. The machine, the Card Reader did not pick the finger print of Mr President and Wife but those who were attended to earlier on their finger prints were picked.

"But part of the process in using the Card Reader is that when such a situation occurs, we will use the incident report and that is what the President and the wife were accredited to vote."

Regarding the hacking of INEC website, Engr.

Nuru Yakubu said all the contents on the website had been relocated to another site.

He said: "Our ICT experts reported that our website was hacked and that it was down, and they worked very hard and were able to rectify the problem by simple lifting all the contents on our site and relocating it to another location.

"So the INEC website as I speak with you now is up and running."

I hope to win, says Jonathan after voting President Jonathan, after his accreditation, later returned to polling Unit 39, Ward 13 to cast his vote.

Asked by reporters about his chances in the election, he said "You can see that it's peaceful everywhere. I believe and I'm convinced that the elections

will be free and fair and extreme credible."

He said the gunfire in Gombe was not related to election, adding that the shooting was between soldiers and insurgents attempting to escape from the Sambisa forest.

The president refused to blame the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the hitches encountered in some areas, saying everyone could still vote with the alternative arrangements.

"We appreciate the patience of those who are yet to vote. They should sympathise with INEC. It wants to use the card readers to make sure that our electoral process is credible and acceptable by international observers.

"This is the first time we are voting with the card readers.

There have been some issues in some units, but we should bear with them. I believe that at the end of the day we all will be happy," Jonathan said.

Asked about his assessment of the election based on information available to him, he said: "I have information but it is not everything that I can say. INEC has the responsibility to talk about their functions. There are complaints about PVCs and card readers not working.

"At the same time INEC has directed that in polling units where the card readers are not working, they should take the manual option, so I believe all Nigerians who want to vote will definitely vote, and that is the good news.

"The only thing is that some people probably must have stayed there longer than necessary. But I still plead with them that even if they spend 24 hours for the sake of this country, please they should bear with us, they

Jonathan loses at Aso Villa units Continued from page 4 APC wins in Obasanjo's unit At Obasanjo's polling unit ward, APC polled 98 against PDP's 8 and SDP 12 for the House of Representatives seat.

For Senate, APC got 93, PDP 8 and SDP 15.

Results at ex-Governor Bola Tinubu's voting unit 047 in Alausa Ikeja.

Presidential APC 180, PDP 55, Senate APC 181 and PDP 53, Reps: APC 61 Senator Tinubu's unit 034 Ikoyi, Lagos Presidential: APC 106, PDP 25

Senate: APC 103, PDP 16 Reps: APC 103, PDP 16 Governor Fashola's State Grammar School, Surulere 002 President 318, PDP 135 Senate APC318, PDP 129 Rep APC 326, PDP 114 House minority leader Femi Gbajabiamila Elizabeth Fowler PU 014 President APC 123, PDP 81, Senate APC 118, PDP 64 Rep: APC 124, PDP 46 Ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi's polling unit 09 Ward 11 Isan Ekiti President APC 140, PDP 24

Senate APC 135, PDP 21 Rep APC 142, PDP 22 Senator Gbenga Ashafa's Bogije polling unit in Ibeju Lekki President APC 385, PDP 250, Senate APC 406, PDP 236 and Rep APC 386.

The APC candidate has also won the election in the two polling units 021 and 022 inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The total votes scored in the two units showed that APC got 597 votes while PDP garnered 567 votes.

Sorting and counting for the presidential election in the two units are still ongoing.

should do it," he said.

On INEC, Jonathan said the government is one, and the commission cannot be held solely responsible for the hitches.

He said: "I don't blame anyone. But as a nation, we have different departments of government that handle responsibilities. The issue of election is INEC's exclusive responsibility, and nobody will speak for them."

Few hiccups can't undermine these election, says Buhari Gen. Buhari, speaking to reporters in Daura after voting at Sarkin Yara A, Kofa Barau 3 polling unit in Liman ward said the hiccups in a few places should not be allowed to undermine the integrity of the election.

The General who was wore a white babanriga , a stipend cap and black shoes to match arrived the polling unit at about 4.47 to a rousing reception and shouts of Sai Baba by voters who were practically falling over each other to catch a glimpse of him.

He said: " I like the integrity of the system. I am very pleased about it. That means that if people are allowed to vote, rigging will be virtually impossible. I think that INEC has done very well and I have said it to your colleagues elsewhere that from their presentations to the National Council of States which I happened to be a member, this time around, INEC has done extremely well".

He however admitted that the card reader failed to work in some areas, put expressed satisfaction with the decision of INEC to allow election to hold on Sunday in places where elections could not hold on Saturday.

"I must admit that again, I am happy with the decision take by INEC that in places where election has not taken place, it will take place tomorrow. From the information we are getting which has not been confirmed, there is failure of some of the card readers.

"For example, it took me less than five minutes for accreditation. When I came back home, I was watching on television and it took the President about 30 minutes to be accredited. But it took his wife and mother about two minutes each to do it. There is discrepancy in the performance of those gadgets. For INEC to give the notice that because of failure in some of the equip-

ment, elections will continue tomorrow where elections did not happen today".

On whether he would accept the outcome of the election if the results did not go his own way, he said "My way is Nigeria's way . Even before the first Abuja peace accord,I had told my supporters not to be rude or take up weapon against any Nigerian.

"After that, we signed the first Abuja accord presided over by Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations which we all signed as Presidential candidates and the recent one signed three days ago between me and Jonathan presided over

by General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Bishop Kukah and Bishop Onaiyekon and two others.

Speaking on the alleged intimidation of APC supporters in Rivers State, Buhari said he spoke with Governor Rotimi Amaechi " and I think that what has been happening in Rivers state is a continuation of the hostility between the ruling party the APC. It is so real and the governor has been fighting and today, it got out of hand. " Sambo reverts to old polling booth Vice-President Namadi Sambo and his wife, Amina relocated from their old polling unit, Camp Road to Swimming Pool Road in Kabala Ward in Kaduna to vote yesterday .

The development might not be unconnected with the outright defeat the VP faced in all the polls in the 2011 general elections.

But, Sambo's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Umar Sani, said, the VP only reverted to

his original polling unit and commended INEC for bringing back Sambo and his wife to their original polling unit.

Sambo himself who spoke to newsmen shortly after casting his votes, described the exercise as smooth and peaceful. ?Meanwhile, ?a man suspected to have fixed a network jammer in his car to disrupt the card readers escaped being lynched by irritate youths who queued to be accredited at Kasuwan Barchi area of Tudun Wada in Kaduna metropolis.

According to an eyewitness, the suspect jammed card readers at a polling unit in Tudun Wada from his car packed close to the polling unit.

His manipulation was said to have succeeded in stopping the card readers from working for some times.

Card Reader dysfunction not severe - PDP chair, Mu'azu Reacting yesterday to complaints about the card readers,the PDP National Chairman, Malam Adamu Mu'azu, said the situation was not as bad as being portrayed.

The percentage of the technical hitches encountered with the card readers during the accreditation was not beyond tolerance, he said in his Boto, Bauchi State hometown.

He rejected calls for the cancellation of the use of Card Reader machines for the accreditation of voters.

"I cannot arbitrarily call for the cancellation of the usage of the Card Readers and the Permanent Voter Cards. I know professor Jega to be a successful and courageous intellectual and so far he has done very well," Premium Times quoted him as saying.

Card reader must be used for today's elections - APC

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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) wants the use of card readers across the country for the extended Presidential and National Assembly elections today, except in cases where the card readers fail to work.

In a statement issued in Lagos last night,the party's National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said using the card readers where they have no hitches will enhance the integrity of the process. ''In accordance with the directive from INEC, it is only in areas where the card readers fail to work that the electoral officials can resort to manual voting. Even then, the officials must ensure that whoever presents any PVC is

the genuine owner of the card,'' it said.

APC also demanded that the results of all the elections that were concluded on Saturday be made ready, and that all party agents must have a copy of the results, ahead of the conduct of Sunday's elections.

The party listed the parts of Lagos State where the elections will be held today as Alimosho (30 polling units (PUs) because no elections were held in the area on Saturday), Shomolu (15 PUs, no election), Eti Osa (3 PUs), Kosofe ward 2 (57 PUs) as well as Oshodi/Isolo (5 PUs), and appealed to all APC members and supporters to be vigilant during the voting.

Goje under house arrest ENATOR Mohammed Danjuma Goje representing Gombe central senatorial district was yesterday put under house arrest by soldiers.

Speaking by phone the senator told reporters that armoured tanks and other sophisticated military hardware were deployed with hundreds of soldiers to his country home in Kashere, Gombe State.

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“Nigerians, and indeed the world should know that if anything happens to me, the military should be held responsible,” he said.

The lawmaker said heavily armed soldiers and mobile policemen have surrounded his house putting him under house arrest.

Goje who is the APC senatorial candidate for Gombe central is the immediate past governor of the state.

FOR THE RECORD HE write-up page 9 of The Nation of Saturday, March 28, 2015 was carried in error by this newspaper. It was not authoriesed by former Lagos

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State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We regret any the mix-up and any embarrassment the publication may have caused him

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

NEWS

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NIGERIA VOTES

• Chairman PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih and his wife getting being accreditted at polling unit 8 at Arue- Uromi, Edo State

• Former heads of state Generals Abdulsalami Abubakar (left) and Ibrahim Babangida and

•Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu casting his vote at his ward

•Former Oyo State Governor Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala casting his vote at his ward in Ogbomosho

• APC Governorship candidate, Akinwunmi Ambode in Epe

• Governor Liyel Imoke casts his vote

•Governor Godswill Akpabio yesterday

• Members of Church of Nigerian Anglican Communion, (CONAC) Election Observers team led by Bishop of Badagry diocese, Bishop Babatunde Adeyemi, observing voting at EC 30 A 1, Iworo-Ajido, Badagry.

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NEWS

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015

NIGERIA VOTES

•Governor of Lagos State Raji Fashola casting his vote yesterday

• Governor of Edo State Adam Oshimohole during accreditation

•First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, casting her vote

• Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang casts his vote

•Olamilekan Solomon (Yayi) casting his •Nuhu Ribadu casting his vote at his ward vote

•Voting going on at keffi street, ward-ec- 30a Ikeja, Lagos and ward 30b Sunday Adigun street.

• Senator Oluremi Tinubu casting her vote at Unit 034,Ward 09,in Ikoyi Obanlede LCDA Ikoyi,Lagos;

• Mrs Bolanle Ambode during the presidential election at the Polling Unit 33 Ward 85 in Ogunmodede Junior College in Epe Lagos yesterday.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY MARCH 29, 2015

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QUOTABLE “When the history of our nation is told, let it be said it was this election that allowed the nation to make its great turn onto the path of full democracy and good governance”

SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 9, NO. 3169

—APC National leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a message to Nigerians on the eve of the presidential and national assembly elections held yesterday.

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T was billed either as a contest of ideas — such ideas and philosophies as could be gleaned from their disparate thoughts and statements — or as a contest of men: with Muhammadu Buhari on one side, stolid, taciturn, combustive and unyielding; and Goodluck Jonathan on the other side, flighty, prickly, variable and conspiratorial. Perhaps, in some ways, the contest for the presidency, which took place yesterday, was some of these. But after reporting the contest for months, the media, in the last week of the campaign, turned it into a contest of maps. Map for map, both media and contestants marched into battle, their ensigns held behind their backs or trampled under feet, their principles in abeyance, and their virtues a smouldering wreck.

First to fire the early shots among the great national newspapers last Sunday were The Nation and The Punch whose predictive maps looked eerily similar in many respects. Eight states would be battlegrounds, predicted The Nation — three from the NorthCentral, two from the Northeast, two from the South-South, and one from the Southeast. The paper gave Ekiti in the Southwest to Dr Jonathan, perhaps on account of the disruptive power of Governor Ayo Fayose rather than the conviction of the state’s electorate. But The Punch thought seven states and the FCT would be battlegrounds, with one form the Southwest, three from the North-Central and the FCT, and two from the Northeast. Minus the battleground states, both The Nation and The Punch seemed to give Gen Buhari victory, especially because the APC was expected to sweep the states with high electoral votes.

Not to be outdone, The Sun published its own map a few days before the poll.

Only five states, according to the paper, would be battlegrounds — two in the North-Central plus the FCT, and two in the Southwest, among which was, shockingly, Lagos. In terms of the high electoral votes states, The Sun seemed to say the contest could go the way of Gen Buhari. With three major newspapers appearing to give the contest away to Gen Buhari, it was like telling Dr Jonathan to go into pasture. But not if the Jonathan campaign could come up with a joker of its own, literally and figuratively. And, presto, Dr Jonathan’s men came out bullish with their own map published on the front pages of many newspapers across the country, expenses not spared, and with no thoughts absolutely for moderation.

In the great contrarian map, the PDP/ Dr Jonathan camp gave the battle to themselves, not by a whisker, but by a huge and

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Map for map, they marched to ‘electoral’ war

insurmountable margin. Let Gen Buhari go and hang if he wished, the new map seemed to indicate.

Whereas the three major newspapers based their cartographic enterprises on explicable and internally generated sleuthing, the Jonathan map based its own on far-flung authorities, including an unknown Nigerian newspaper, and surveys by a potpourri of faceless international risk analysts. Risk?

Ah, well, why not, it’s politics, isn’t it?

In the Jonathan map, only six states were grudgingly conceded to Gen Buhari, and five states were regarded as battlegrounds. The remainder were allotted willy-nilly to Dr Jonathan, lock, stock and barrel, for him to take gaily and triumphantly into his barn. The entire Southwest, minus Osun, was allotted to Dr Jonathan; so, too, the entire Southeast, all totalling 26. The battle needed not to have been fought in the first instance, going by that phantasmagoria from Dr Jonathan’s electoral and cartographic camp.

Miffed by the abuse of the fine science of cartography, and pleasantly shocked by responses from states like Gombe, Kogi, Edo and Ekiti whose leading lights swore there had been political and electoral changes in all four states in the past few weeks, changes they argued the paper’s correspondents failed to capture, The Nation felt compelled to revisit its map, and redraw it. The fresh map

published on Friday was a stirring, ringing and thunderous one-sided contest and victory for Gen Buhari. It also showed that the Buhari territory had broadened considerably, while the Jonathan country had shrunk ominously. Nine states became battlegrounds, instead of eight. Alas, the Jonathan camp could not respond to this new cartographic affront from The Nation: it was just one day to polling.

After the results are known, perhaps late Monday or early Tuesday, it will be evident which newspapers hosted the most gifted cartographers, and which ghosts had the temerity to adjust boundaries while wearied and innocent men slept. Who knows, if the polling went well, the elections could become a landslide, and poets could even compose all sorts of poems such as the one below.

Map for map, the media marched to war.

Cheek by jowl they drew and shuffled their boundaries, Partisan cudgel on their necks; Swayed by the morsels of PDP and APC. Ethics foresworn; logic vaporised, To convince all who of the two candidates de serves victory.

Map for map, they thrust forward, Marching drunkenly between transformation and change.

The maps may not be the most impor-

Sight and sound of 2015 electioneering

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan is one of the candidates in this year’s presidential election. The problem, it must be emphasised again, is not that an Ijaw man rose to become president of Nigeria, as if there was any institutional bias against minority politicians, or a glass ceiling to limit anyone’s ambition. What the past five years or so have shown is that too many people, including perhaps the president himself, have entertained inaccurate notions of the qualities a president must possess to function optimally. The emphasis of most presidents, as this column warily noted a while ago, was always on building roads, hospitals and schools, among other structures. While these responsibilities are important, a president must, however, display qualities much deeper, more expansive, more inspiring, and more envisioning than just building structures. It is not clear what yesterday’s presidential poll would tell us, whether voters were able to make a sound judgement on how well Dr Jonathan had met the demands of his office in every ramification, far beyond what he had built or not built in his first term, and up to the sublime and probably the most important attributes a president must show. Whatever they say, it must be hoped it truly reflected

•Jonathan

•Buhari

their views, not the manipulations of powerful individuals.

By far the most important sight and sound in this year’s electioneering was the role of the media. Ideally, and especially because the major media are privately owned, they are at liberty to endorse their preferred candidates within the ambit of their professional ethics. But, in general, they seemed to have redefined their ethics, blurring the line between partisanship and indefensible behaviour. Apart from opinions that ran the gamut of partisan bias, even political advertisements oscillated wildly between the reasonable and the unreasonable. In many instances, purely defamatory advertise-

ments were, in the case of some electronic media, combatively presented as investigations rather than advertisements, without any indemnification whatsoever.

Interestingly, despite spending humongous sums on publicity and advertisements, the PDP and the Jonathan campaign organisation repeatedly accused the APC of deploying heavy propaganda on everything, including politics. It is believed that the Jonathan campaign’s complaint indicates the impact of the APC campaign, notwithstanding deriving support from only one television station and barely three or four print media. The PDP, on the other hand, had the support of more than four or five television stations, about seven major national newspapers and scores of columnists.

If the electoral process culminates in the election of new and visionary leaders, the laborious 2015 polls will have been worth the time and money. It will indicate that the abusive propaganda, some of the most vicious of which were directed against supporters and builders of the opposition rather than aspirants and candidates, were rendered ineffective and inoperable. It will reflect the frustrations of the people exhausted by years of economic woes, social crisis and ruinous security problems.

tant landmark of the 2015 electioneering, considering the role money has played and the expertise the PDP has deployed into dispensing financial inducement. Indeed, the entire Southwest was abuzz three to two weeks to the election, as President Jonathan virtually took control of his own campaign and sidelined his campaign organisation. He swept through the Yoruba country and smooched with traditional rulers, and according to reports, distributed financial largesse on a scale that beggars belief. The Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, also organised youths and freelance Afenifere leaders for Dr Jonathan in the guise of creating a favourable momentum for the president to implement the 2014 national conference report.

Then there was the irrepressible chicanery orchestrated by the Jonathan campaign to discredit INEC, humiliate the electoral commission chairman, subvert the use of permanent voter cards and card readers, and empower militants and militias as a counterforce to established and lawful security and paramilitary agencies.

But on the whole, the maps were the most noticeable tools that drove electioneering to giddy heights in the closing moments of the elections. They will be remembered for a long time, if not for their cartographic accuracy, at least for their political razzmatazz, and as a catalyst for politics as entertainment. The competence of media cartographers will doubtless increase in the coming years, with many of them developing skills that cannot be gainsaid domestically and internationally.

Should maps in fact be capable of winning elections, Gen Buhari would be crowned tomorrow or next. But as religious leaders always say, the electorate should pray against inconclusive elections on account of the problems with card readers.

Unprecedented election anxiety

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HE Goodluck Jonathan government should feel deeply mortified by the fact that since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, Nigerians have never felt so anxious and fearful during an election as they felt over yesterday’s poll. Who is to blame for this atmosphere of fear and anxiety? In his address to the nation on Friday on the elections, the president, who can’t ever manage to match his words with action, spoke about his preparedness to deal with fomenters of electoral violence. But what did he do when Gani Adams Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) ran riot on Ikorodu Road, Lagos, ostensibly in the service of a president who had just given him a contract to police pipelines?

Did the president not misuse and unconstitutionally deploy the military and the Department of State Service (DSS) during the last Ekiti and Osun governorship polls, and now in Lagos, thus militarising the polls and intimidating the electorate? Could the president pretend not to feel the apprehension of the public? The president also spoke of his preparedness to uphold the oath of office he took in 2011. But what did he do in Ogun State when former governor Gbenga Daniel frolicked with minority lawmakers committing sundry illegalities? What indeed has he done in Ekiti as the fanatical Governor Ayo Fayose continues to go berserk with seven lawmakers, assaulting judges and orchestrating violence against the opposition?

On Friday, as he addressed the nation, it was clear Dr Jonathan was insincere. He did not mean a word of what he said. More, given his indulgent handling of errant police officers such as AIG Mbu Joseph Mbu, it is apparent he has contempt for his own views (perhaps they are really his speechwriters’ views foisted on him), and feels inconvenienced by the strictures imposed by the constitution, the demands of democracy, and the pains experienced by the country he has so badly misgoverned.

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Website: www.thenationonlineng.net ISSN: 115-5302 E-mail: sunday@thenationonlineng.net Editor: FESTUS ERIYE