Aluu Killings: “The students I served for 35 years, have destroyed all I worked for” – Lecturer

As the police continue with their investigations into the circumstance surrounding last week’s killing of four students of the University of Port Harcourt, CHUKWUDI AKASIKE reports that those behind the act will suffer the burden of guilt for a long time
Rivers, a state that prides itself as the Treasure Base of the nation, has been battling flood disasters in three local government areas before it received with shock the news of the grisly murder of four students of the University of Port Harcourt by a lynch mob.
The people of Omuokiri Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area, one of the host communities of the tertiary institution, ohave been on the defensive since then about the circumstances that led to the lynching of the undergraduates.
The four students – Chidiaka Biringa, Kelechi Ugonna, Lloyd Toku and Tekena Erikena- were branded thieves, brutalised and set ablaze by some members of the community for allegedly stealing a laptop computer and a BlackBerry phone.
The incident, which occurred on Oct. 5, 2012, has attracted condemnation from the international community. Not a few believe that the jungle justice meted to the UNIPORT Four gave out those behind the act as uncivilised, barbaric, cruel, inconsiderate and heartless.
Though many stories have been peddled about the circumstances that led to the killing of the students, the one that appears to be logical was that the students were forcibly held by some indigenes of Omuokiri Aluu community, after a student purportedly owing one of the slain students raised a false alarm that sent community members coming for Erikena, Ugonna, Toku and Biringa’s jugular.
For over two hours, the lynch mob stripped the students and beat them with cudgels, while a huge crowd urged them on.
The gory episode went on even as one bloodthirsty man was seen in a video tape taking it upon himself to hit the obviously defenceless and almost motionless undergraduates until they began to gasp for breath.
Not satisfied, the man gave the students the final blows before mobilising his fellow executioners to set them ablaze.
Surprisingly, a group of policemen that came from Isiokpo could not save the situation. By the time operatives of the Joint Task Force and some parents of the students came to the scene of what many termed a disgraceful act by a community, three of the undergraduates had died. The remaining one that was gasping for breath died before the JTF could get him to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
Satisfied that the students were dead, people of Omuokiri Aluu community went about their normal business, giving the impression that they did nothing wrong. Last Sunday, the State Police Command swung into action and arrested 13, including a community leader, who allegedly endorsed the killing of the four students.
It was at that point that the people of Aluu realised that they goofed by lynching the UNIPORT Four. Since the arrest, community members have been leaving their houses in droves in order to avoid being arrested by the police.
Again, the rumour of a possible reprisal by UNIPORT students to avenge the slaying of their colleagues, sent shivers down the spines of the hitherto fearless people. Ultimately, Omuokiri Aluu was deserted by its inhabitants, whose burden of guilt was not difficult to notice. The saying that a clear conscience fears no accusation came to the fore. In this situation, the conscience was not clear and there was no need to be stubborn about leaving the area to avoid being arrested.
But those who agreed to stay waited and got a large dose of UNIPORT students’ anger. The students, who were mobilised by the National Association of Nigerian Students, blocked the busy East-West Road for many hours on Tuesday. They later stormed the community to vent their spleen on the people of Omuokiri Aluu. Houses, cars and other valuables were set ablaze within 30 minutes of the raid in the area, which is 3km from the institution.
Sensing that they were now on the defensive, the inhabitants of the area insisted that they were not involved in the killing of the undergraduates. Not even one of them (Omuokiri Aluu people) could point at one man or woman that was among the killers of the slain students. But those whose properties were damaged lamented their loss and sought government assistance to restore whatever amount their burnt property would cost.
When Saturday PUNCH visited the area, some indigenes of the community were seen in a pensive mood over the loss of their valuables. One of the leaders of the community, Elder Sunday Ahanonu, said that he lost all he laboured for to the reprisals by students of the university. Ahanonu, whose house was torched by students on Tuesday, expressed shock that security agents could not stop the rampaging students from their destructive mission.
Explaining that he worked with UNIPORT for 35 years before retiring, Ahanonu said he had lost everything he achieved in the past to the rage of the students of the university. He appealed to the state government and the management of the university to compensate him for the destruction of his property, adding that he and members of his family were not involved in the killing of the four UNIPORT students.
“I am a retired civil servant. I worked with UNIPORT for 35 years. But all I have achieved for many years have been destroyed by students from the university. I don’t know where my family and I will lay our heads when my only house has been burnt. I lost the sum of N850,000 cash, which I kept in my house to the students. I could not take the money to the bank because I was not feeling okay and went to the hospital. It was at the hospital that I learnt that my house was burnt by students,” the 65 year-old father of 15 children lamented.
A woman, Pauline Nwankwo, told Saturday PUNCH that she left the village when she learnt that security agents had embarked on the mass arrest of residents, but came back to notice that her beer parlour had been burgled. Nwankwo stated that the rampaging students forced their way into the beer parlour and carried away her freezer and drinks.
“As a woman, I had to run away when we noticed that the police were embarking on a mass arrest of people. The students broke the door to my beer parlour and took away a freezer I bought for N66,000. I want the government to pay me back all I have lost. The students were killed far from here at the Borough pit. We don’t know anything about the killing of the students,” she said.
Members of the community were also seen leaving their homes in droves to other places in order to avoid being attacked by angry students of the university. One of them, Comfort, told our correspondent that she was taking her children to Elele and would only come back whenever normalcy returned to Omuokiri Aluu. An artisan, Mr. Wisdom Ajuwon, who deals in repairing home appliances along the Omuokiri Aluu Road, said he lost property worth N500,000 to the rioting students. Showing our correspondent a list of what he lost to the fire ignited by students, Ajuwon appealed to the state government to come to his aid. A cleric in the area, Pastor John Paul, described the situation in the community as terrible. Paul observed that people were running out of their fathers’ land like refugees.
While the heavy presence of security agents in Aluu to forestall further breakdown of law and order is appreciated, many are of the view that the mere refutation of the crime was not enough to give the people of the area a clean bill of health. A Port Harcourt-based social commentator, Mr. Ben Amachree, said the killing of the UNIPORT Four would forever haunt the people of the community. Amachree pointed out that those involved in the killing of the students could forever suffer the burden of guilt if nothing was done to address the injustice against the slain undergraduates
Though, the university has been shut down indefinitely to prevent any further ugly incident, it is the prayer of every discerning mind, especially the grieving parents of the deceased, that those responsible for the killing of the young undergraduates are brought to book.
 DailyPost

Obasanjo In Nigerian History

 ABBA MAHMOOD

I was reading Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode’s article where he replied Chief EK Clark’s attack on him recently. In that article, former aviation minister Fani-Kayode listed three Nigerians as the greatest leaders the country ever had. These, according to him, were Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He mentioned in that article that all three were persecuted and even went to jail at various times but ended  up triumphant by going ahead to not only lead but they led the people effectively too.
Yours sincerely was still thinking about all these things that Femi wrote when I saw an interview by Kano State governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in which he mentioned how Obasanjo refused to sign the bill passed by the National Assembly that abrogated the onshore/offshore dichotomy because he considered it unfair, unjust and inequitable in a federation like Nigeria. Of course, that got me thinking on the place of Obasanjo in Nigeria’s history.
The Hausa have a saying: Allah ya hana ranar yabo (God forbid the day of praises). It only goes to show that it is very difficult to pay tribute to a living person; such praises are usually reserved for when the person is dead. But it seems anyone who does worthy and noble deeds ought to be celebrated while he or she is still alive – to encourage him or her to do more or to make others emulate the good deeds.
One may hate or love Obasanjo for whatever reasons one may have, but one thing no one can take away from him is the fact that he is passionate about Nigeria, Africa and those things he holds dear. He fought for the unity and indivisibility of Nigeria – he was the commander who received the instrument of surrender from the Biafra commanders in 1970 at the end of the civil war. He subsequently served in the Gowon administration as federal commissioner (minister) of works. When the military overthrew Gowon because he had no programme for transition to civil rule in July 1975, Obasanjo emerged as the effective No.2 man in the new administration under Gen. Murtala Muhammed.
With the assassination of Gen. Murtala, Obasanjo emerged head of state in February 1976. He faithfully implemented the transition programme and kept faith by handing over to elected civilians in 1979 – the second African to ever do that voluntarily.
More than anything, that raised his profile around the world. But before then, as military ruler he did so many laudable things: the launch of the Universal Primary Education programme; the establishment of functional river basin authorities across the country to boost agriculture in addition to the Operation Feed the Nation; and the building of roads, schools, universities and other institutions across the country. He also continued with the radical, pan-African foreign policy that helped the decolonisation process across the remaining countries that were still under foreign domination in Africa.
He could also be fair and just. For instance, soon after assuming office as head of state, there was a delegation from the old Bauchi State, now Bauchi and Gombe, who came to complain to him that they had no one in the Supreme Military Council and no governor or minister (federal commissioner then) from that state. Obasanjo listened to them patiently. He then told them that if they agreed he would be the representative of their state in all the three organs of the government. They happily accepted. He subsequently influenced the siting of Steyr Motor Assembly plant in Bauchi
In 1999, when the military was totally discredited for overstaying their welcome in power, Obasanjo easily got the overwhelming support of most Nigerians and got elected as the second democratically elected executive president of Nigeria. He refocused the nation’s foreign policy and re-established Nigeria as an important member of the comity of nations; he repaid almost all the external debts of the country; he embarked upon fundamental reform of the nation’s economy and polity by bringing many young technocrats into his government such as Okonjo-Iweala, Soludo, el-Rufai, Ribadu and Ezekwesili, particularly during his second term.
There was an unsuccessful attempt to amend the constitution to enable Obasanjo go for a third term which really soiled his credibility. The electoral process has also been deteriorating with every successive election, which has rubbed negatively on his integrity. There were also many allegations of corruption under Obasanjo even though he was the first leader to embark upon a sustained struggle against the corruption monster in Nigeria. With the death of the constitution amendment process in 2006, Obasanjo quickly organised an election and handed over to the YarAdua/Jonathan regime in 2007.
Regardless of what anyone may say, Obasanjo has been a recurring decimal in Nigerian history for almost 50 years now. One thing no one can take away from him is the fact that he knows and loves this country very well. He shares this attribute with one other former president as well. In spite of some of his shortcomings as a human being and as a leader, history will be kind to him because he has been able to transcend many primordial considerations in the discharge of his duties.
He has already said he will not seek any elective office again. But there are many things the present and future generations will learn from Obasanjo. Fortunately, he likes writing and his next books will be very rich, given his experience, exposure and expertise in both private and public spheres.
And for the next coming decades, there is no government that will come without some Obasanjo loyalists, because he was able to mentor many young and old people all over the country who will continue to be relevant now and in the foreseeable future. Such is his breadth of network that he has intimate friends and associates in virtually all the local government areas in Nigeria and in many countries of the world.
When the centennial history of Nigeria will be written in the next two years – during which the nation will be 100 years – Obasanjo’s name will appear in many pages because his history is inextricably intertwined with Nigeria’s history. While some will see him as cunning, foxy and manipulating, others will see him as a great patriot, nationalist, pan-African and reformer whose impact reflects dedication to the nation.
But, surely, it will be written that there was one man impervious to obstacles, impatient with petty calculations, unapologetic about his African roots and undisturbed by latent and apparent tensions: Baba Obasanjo. God save Nigeria
Leadership

‘Blood oil’: Exploring the illegitimate oil trade in Nigeria

by Katharine Dennys

e Speaking at a G8 summit in 2008, the late Nigerian president, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, first used the term ‘blood oil’ to describe the illegal oil trade in Nigeria, calling on the international community to bring it to an end.(2) Four years later, the illegal oil trade, known as bunkering, is at an all-time high. Nigeria is estimated to lose US$ 24.64 billion (N 3.7 trillion) in revenue to illegal bunkering per year.(3) This activity is focussed on the Niger Delta, a historic centre for oil related gang violence and crime, where it is estimated that 150,000 barrels of crude oil are stolen daily.(4) As well as presenting a pervasive threat to oil and gas investment in Nigeria, oil theft serves to exacerbate social tensions and preserve the status quo of clan violence in the region. Due to the complex web of inter-related parties currently promoting the continuation of oil theft, a pragmatic and efficient response to the problem has not yet materialised. This point was made clear in a BBC report, in which a source close to  Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, stated: “This is an industry that makes £30 million (US$ 60 million) a day, they'd kill you, me, anyone, in order to protect it…they could bring the state down.”(5) This paper examines the nature of and motivations behind this illegal oil trade in Nigeria, and analyses the economic and social implications of its continuation. Method and motives Oil bunkering is the process whereby crude oil is illegally siphoned straight from the pipeline onto barges, which transfer the load onto ships waiting offshore. This oil is then sold without a licence or authorisation from the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and without payment of taxes, levies, and dues to the Nigeria Government.(6) Illegal bunkering is a response to the inequality of wealth in Nigeria, both an economic and social condition whereby great wealth is accrued by a marginal elite within the oil and gas industry. This is made possible due the Nigerian Government‘s inability to control corruption within the oil and gas sector. Many of the oil thieves operating in the Niger Delta believe they are taking oil that is rightfully theirs, but which has been denied them by the corrupt elite of the Nigerian oil industry. Thieves are able to access the crude oil due to exposed pipelines, the source of stolen crude oil. A leaked copy of a confidential report by Shell describes a method known as ‘hot tapping’, also known as ‘under pressure drilling’, whereby thieves use hacksaws to damage pipelines, forcing oil companies to shut down oil flow on the affected pipeline.(7) Once this is done, the oil thieves install bunkering points on the hacked portion of the exposed pipes and attach hoses and suction instruments to the pipes. Once oil starts flowing through the pipelines again, they are able to siphon the flowing crude to locally made barges or large canoes named Cotonu boats. These barges are said to be able to store up to 40,000 barrels of crude oil at a time.(8) The alternate method, known as ‘cold-tapping’, is the process whereby oil bunkering gangs blow up a pipeline, using dynamite or any other available explosive, putting it out of use long enough for them to attach their spur pipeline. This method requires prior knowledge of the oil companies’ operational hours, so that they can target at an opportune moment.(9) The oil thieves sell their stolen oil both on the domestic and international markets. The oil is either sold to local refineries in the creeks or to large offshore tankers waiting to transport the cargoes to the international markets.The leaked Shell report confirms that the portion that is sold to the local refineries in the creeks is refined into diesel, transferred to a storage depot and then sold in the local Nigerian market. The stolen and locally refined diesel is sold at about N150 (US$ 00.95) per litre compared to the official price of N190 (US$ 1.20) per litre.(10) The illegal oil has also been known to be traded in international waters. Once it reaches international waters via boat, illegal oil receives a “stamp of legitimacy” from international corporations, thereby transforming it into a legal commodity.(11) The proceeds of the crude oil are then able to be legitimately transferred back to Nigerian banks disguised as the proceeds of a legal transaction. The perpetrators of oil theft in the Niger Delta are expert in navigating the creeks of the Delta, making their activities virtually undetectable. Benefitting from the complex networks of creeks, the thieves operate at night to further disguise their activities. Mpaka Jack, head of surveillance for Shell pipelines in the area has stated that “They are quite brilliant at it. They are hard to detect because there are so many creeks, you can’t block all of them and these guys are native to the area - they know all the creeks.”(12) Krakrama-Bille community located in the Rivers State part of the Niger Delta is a well-known host of illegal oil refineries, as are Bodo in Ogoniland, Awoba Riser, and Ekulama, also located in Rivers State.(13) Effects on social welfare Aside from the obvious impact the illegal oil trade is having on the Nigerian economy and the resulting rising cost of production, the illegal trade has also had a negative impact on those who feel forced to partake in the theft as well as on people living in the areas where bunkering takes place. High unemployment and a lack of alternative employment opportunities have meant that individuals often partake in the illegal oil trade despite the significant risks involved. The illegal oil trade is extremely dangerous, particularly for those utilising the ‘cold-tapping’ method which involves the use of explosives. While the explosions themselves can cause injury, those involved are also vulnerable to injury from a gas explosion, a common result of the practice, and from rashes due to contact with the harsh chemicals. Furthermore, people living around busted pipelines are also susceptible to disease and rashes from benzene contamination of the surrounding water for example.(14) The oil trade also has the effect of fuelling conflict and violence in the Niger Delta. The area has had a violent history due to warring factions fighting over the resources in the oil rich region. Sabotage, and kidnappings have long been perpetrated by criminal gangs and militants who claim to be fighting to gain the local population a greater share of the country's oil wealth.(15) This resource-fuelled violence has decreased dramatically since the amnesty deal for militants in the Niger Delta by the Nigerian Government aimed at reducing unrest was implemented in 2009. However, since then a precarious peace has resided in the Niger Delta, which the illegal oil trade threatens to upset. It has been estimated that the majority of the illegal bunkering, perhaps 80%, is organised and controlled by local warlords.(16) These warlords each exert control over their specific territory and buyers, dissuading other warlords from entering their territory through bribery and force. Further to this, ‘passage communities’, villages on the route to the offshore tankers must be ‘settled’. This results in thieves hiring boys from the local villages to carry out the bunkering work, including the hiring of local armed boys to provide ‘security’.(17) Who is to blame? The illegal oil trade is made possible by an intricate and complex web of relationships, which span all levels of society and which often result from political, ethnic or cult relationships. As a result, accountability for the crime is difficult to ascertain.When asked if local people, security forces or Government officials were responsible for the oil theft, Brigadier General Elias Zamani, the general once leading Nigeria's fight against rebels in the Niger Delta, simply stated, “All.”(18) It has been suggested that the syndicate making the illegal trade possible consists of “powerful and well-connected Nigerians many of whom are capable of destabilising the country if a serious attempt is made to stop the trade.”(19) Furthermore, it is claimed that militants have threatened to blow up pipelines if their lucrative business is threatened. “It is not unusual to hear militants in the Niger Delta boast that they will make the [G]overnment uncomfortable if they are prevented from stealing crude oil.”(20) Due to the Nigerian Government’s reliance on crude oil exports for 90% of its overall revenue, it is reluctant to take this risk.(21) These factors have resulted in a lack of intervention and the continuation of the illegal oil trade. Many parties benefit from preserving the status quo, and the illegal oil trade has been described as “a business in the community.”(22) The Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta have both received accusations for their involvement in illegal oil bunkering and the vandalising of petroleum pipelines in the region. Hyginus Onuegbu, Chairman of the TUC in Rivers State, points the finger squarely at the JTF: "any helicopter overfly of the Niger Delta waterways will clearly show that those involved in illegal oil bunkering are not hiding. They are in active partnership with members of the JTF."(23) However, a source from within the JTF has claimed that some of the barges and other sea-going vessels used in the illegal bunkering business belong to some members of the TUC, stating that “they are shouting now so that they can divert the attention of the federal [G]overnment from knowing what they are doing."(24) Although it is not possible to place the blame solely on one organisation, what these accusations and counter-accusations show is the scale of the illegal oil theft and the widespread involvement of elements of regulatory bodies in the crime. Due to the fact that people higher up the chain of command are protected by people ‘on the ground’, it is currently impossible to stop the crime at its source. As Sola Owoeye, an economist and former lecturer at Lagos State University maintains, “It is only the people on the field that are caught and not the financiers of the crime. And if they are not caught, we can’t end the crime.”(25) Conclusion Due to the reasons put forward in this paper, the illegal oil trade in the Niger Delta will continue into the future with a disproportionate level of opposition from both the Nigerian Federal Government and security forces. This is due to the fact that the perpetrators of illegal bunkering are spread throughout society, and exist on many social levels. While there is a wealthy elite profiting from the actions of local communities within the Niger Delta, the illegal trade will continue. This problem is not just confined to Nigeria but also involves international partners, further embedding the crime in an international web of benefitting parties. Due to this fact, and the fact that illegal oil trade is rooted in the social and economic conditions from which it was created, an effective solution seems an improbable goal at present. Aside from the financial loss felt by investors in the region, the long term effect will be felt by the local populations of the Niger Delta, due to the “culture of armed insecurity” being nurtured through this illegal trade.(26) Although the financial losses to companies are widely documented, what should not be forgotten are the social effects of this widespread crime. Consultancy Africa Intelligence (CAI)

Nasir El-Rufai Replies Doyin Okupe

Below, is the statement released by the media advisor to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
“Governance cannot be outsourced By Muyiwa Adekeye
After the needless drama at the Lagos airport when the SSS tried to truncate his trip abroad, Mallam Nasir el Rufai was greeted at his destination with evidence of further misguided action by the Jonathan government. That was the spectacle of the recycled Dr. Doyin Okupe providing a specious political thesis that confirms the crisis of thoughtlessness in government. Dr. Okupe asked that critics of the government should tell it what to do, wrapping his defence of incompetence around a false patriotism.
It bears repeating that the duty of patriots is to stand up for their country, not necessarily for its government, especially one as uninspiring as the incumbent one. Had more patriots stood up in Nazi Germany and Apartheid South Africa, millions of lives would have been saved. Service to one’s country includes being able to acknowledge when the responsibilities of office seem beyond the ken of its government.
The federal government is failing to tackle terror, kidnapping, armed robbery and other forms of insecurity. It is right that it be held to account for these failures. The best response the government can give its critics is performance, not cheaply questioning their patriotism. The Jonathan government cannot outsource to others the duty to provide good governance and the quality of leadership that can inspire the country.
It was the patriotism of many citizens in the Save Nigeria Group, including Pastor Tunde Bakare and Mallam Nasir el Rufai, that helped make Goodluck Jonathan acting president against the machinations of the Yar’Adua cabal. It was the patriotism of these citizens, expressed in the discourse and agitations against fuel subsidy removal, that exposed the trillion naira subsidy scam. Better still, it was the patriotism of these citizens that pressurised the government to reluctantly indict their friends and financiers that were found wanting by the National Assembly probe into the worst corruption saga in our chequered history.
When the government is not begging the opposition for ideas, it is busy trying to cocoon clerics. Nothing stops priests from caring about the conditions of living of those to whom they provide moral and spiritual leadership. And their status as priests neither abrogates their citizenship nor constrains their right to free speech. Tunde Bakare is not the first priest to perceive his responsibilities as embracing a concern for his country’s fate. He is following the illustrious examples of the Reverend Martin Luther King in the pursuit of civil rights in the United States, and Bishop Desmond Tutu in fighting racism in South Africa. The courage of these clerics helped make their countries freer and more equal, and the world, a better place.
Dr. Okupe is apparently keen to impress in his new job. He should do it with fidelity to history, and cease calling patriots that stand on principles his brothers just so he can smear them. If the Jonathan administration wants El-Rufai to provide them a manual on governing Nigeria, they should do so nicely without violating his civil rights, harassing him incessantly or suggesting that the man wants to run for an office now being desecrated by an occupant who blames everyone but himself for his zero performance.
Signed
Muyiwa Adekeye
Media Advisor to Mallam Nasir El Rufai
10 August 2012″

Another lynching in Warri: Man burnt to death for stealing necklace

Just some few days ago, we heard the story of how four University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) students were brutally murdered in Umuokiri village, Aluu, Rivers State,The murdered students, Chiadika Lordson, Ugonna Kelechi Obusor, Mike Lloyd Toku, and Tekena Elkanah, all part two students, were murdered in cold blood over alleged theft of a laptop computer and a blackberry phone.It was a horrible sight for all and those who saw the video took their anger to the online community demanding justice for the Aluu4.
The police were quick to arrest the suspects as there was video evidence showing the babaric nature of the youths. Well, the same thing has happened again and this time in the oil city, Warri, Delta state.
The man was alledged to have stolen a neck chain in one of the popular markets and the people who caught him felt the best way to go about the issue was by burning him to death. The faces of the muderers are shown in the video (which we won’t upload and Youtube has even pulled it down). We are hoping the police would swiftly make some arrests as they did in the Aluu4 case.
One thing is common in the two events, 1) They were accused of doing something against the law. 2) They were burnt to death.
I know some people would say this is the best way to go about issues like this because of their personal experience with people like this, but then again we are humans and not babaric, besides theres a reason why we have the police and the law. Let us put things in place to stop this from ever happening again.
 DailyPost

October 20 Poll: Good reasons to vote for Mimiko, By Gbenga Akinmoyo

By Gbenga Akinmoyo

Author: Gbenga Akinmoyo

We have now got approximately 7 days to the Ondo State Governorship election depending on when exactly this publication comes to your attention and I sincerely hope that you have not been fazed by all the drum-beating by the various political parties, seeking your attention with the major objective of securing your vote on the 20th October 2012.
I just thought I should share some news with you before the D-day and if you are one of the 10% of undecided electorate then perhaps this news will help you make the right decision. If of course you fall into the category of the 90% that have already decided which party and candidate you want to vote for, then read on and at the end ask yourself whether or not you have made the right decision, because you will have to live with it for at least the next four years, when another opportunity will arise to correct any mistakes. The decision you make on just one day, 20^th October 2012 will determine who will govern Ondo State for the next 1,461 days (four years), so it is a very important decision.
Dr Olusegun Mimiko over the last 2-3 months has been consistent in telling you that if he is re-elected on 20^th October 2012, he will give Ondo State more of what they have enjoyed over the last 44 months. So what does he mean when he says, more of the same? We have heard it from the horse’s mouth during the ward and Local Government toursof the state and also heard from members of the Mimiko Campaign Organisation (MCO), but there are other observers who have expressed views on the performance of Dr Mimiko. I share some of these with you.
This is what Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor; National President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN),  had to say, “Let me state that the three and a half years administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko has brought positive changes to the state capital, Akure, and the entire Ondo State. Governor Mimiko’s humility and accessibility to his people is unique. There are differences in Ondo State from what it used to be in the past. We feel the difference as we entered Ondo State. People outside Ondo State heard what you are doing as all executive members approved Ondo State as host of this conference in our last meeting in Akwa Ibom of all the states in South-West”. We are happy for Governor Mimiko and prayed that God should give him more grace to do more for the people of the state”.
Tunde Bakare- the Convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), stated: “Mimiko has taken care of the needs of the Ondo grassroots people as Mimiko and the Labour Party have demonstrated that they have the capacity to give dividends of democracy to the people in the grassroots. The governor has discharged his responsibilities well and deserved a second tenure. I do not speak for any political party. It is time people know that leadership is not by might or inheritance but by living right as Mimiko has done. This is not about political party but performance. If every state in Nigeria works like Mimiko and Fashola of Lagos, the nation will change. I only met Mimiko for 10 minutes during the presidential election campaign in 2011, saying the endorsement was a support to good governance. Members of the Save Nigeria Group that are on ground assessing the performance of governors in all the states have attested to Mimiko’s performance.” I therefore advise the Ondo electorates to be vigilant and to defend their votes against rigging or any form of electoral manipulations”.
YINKA ODUMAKIN- Former Secretary of Afenifere and Incumbent Spokesperson of Save Nigeria Group (SNG) had this to say: “Right from time, Mimiko has been a progressive who performed better than many governors in ACN and PDP. When the Minister of Education went to commission the Mega Primary school buildings in Ondo, he said he has not seen such achievement anywhere in Nigeria before. In fact when I saw those school buildings; their Administrative Building is like Senate Building of my own university, Ife. A look at the Abiye project revealed that pregnant women now deliver free of charge in those hospitals. He has been able to achieve so much within the past three and half years. Within two and half year WHO approved the Abiye hospitals as a benchmark for the Africa continent. UCH now send people to Abiye for treatment. Go to the government house, he has not added a single block. In this south west, I know the wife of a governor whose convoy is three times that of Mimiko’s convoy. They are just pretending that they are Awoists, if you call yourself Awolowo’s party, and you are not doing what Awolowo was doing, you are not an Awoist. I believe that the challenge that those who want to take over from him have is that they know that he has done better than them”.
These are the words coming from COMRADE ADAMS OSHIOMOLE – GOVERNOR, EDO STATE: “Unlike other Governors, Governor Mimiko and myself, giving the circumstances of our assumption of office, the whole of the people of Nigeria look up to us for a change and I am happy that here in Ondo State, Governor Mimiko is making a difference. He is showing that there are Governors and there are Governors. I think Mimiko has more than justify the sacrifices made by your people in defence of the popular mandate. In Ondo State, we have seen Governance in action. This is Governance working according to the wishes of the people. He has shown that in democracy, only the people matters.”
Senator Ben Obi- Special Adviser to the President on Inter-party Affairs, said, “Dr Mimiko’s Safe motherhood strategy is a world class approach at saving the lives of our mothers and children and I therefore have no doubt within me that the programme, if adopted by the African continent, would make Africa a safe haven for pregnant women who were, before now, vulnerable to avoidable cheap deaths. I therefore endorse this brand called Mimiko”
Now looking at Ondo State from 1999 to 2012, we have enjoyed the ruler ship or leadership of three different political parties – Alliance For Democracy (AD) under the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under Dr Olusegun Agagu and the Labour Party (LP) which has the incumbent governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko seeking re-election for a second term.
The AD is now extinct and if anybody wants us to believe that AD and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) are one and the same, they are only trying to mislead you. Whilst some of the political characters of the AD administration of 1999 – 2003 are still on the stage, it is common knowledge that most of them are not working together in the ACN and in some cases do not see eye to eye. This leads to the conclusion that voting in an ACN government is not the same as bringing back the AD style of administration, which some people have argued served well on meagre resources. One of the major reasons for the discontent and discord in the ACN is the fact that the real ‘Progressives’ as they call themselves have not been fully integrated into the mould of the present ACN structure and as a result they have been consumed into a structure that is operating as a capitalistic profit-making enterprise with headquarters in Lagos.
If we cannot assume a return to the legacy of late Pa Adefarati, then you will have to look at the performance of the ACN-controlled states and how well or badly they have performed in comparison to the incumbent governor of Ondo State, because we are not looking for change, just for the sake of change. Can you honestly say that the governors of Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti, Edo and Lagos have out-performed the Ondo State government? If you think so, ask yourself in what way? If you want my honest opinion, whilst they may have done well in Lagos and Edo, there is no way their performance in any of the aforementioned states surpasses the performance of Dr Mimiko in Ondo State.
So, if ACN is not a viable option what about the PDP? There are very few people who have forgotten the PDP administration of Dr Olusegun Agagu 2003 – 2007 and by illegitimate extension as ruled by the courts, from 2007 to Feb 2009. Most people I have spoken to say that they are not really in a hurry to return to a PDP government having enjoyed dividends of democracy from Labour Party over the last 44 months, following the PDP’s timely departure. There is also the added dis-incentive that PDP has been unable to show sterling leadership at the Federal level, which should have rubbed off positively on a PDP contingent endorsed at the centre.
But more importantly, ‘show me your friends and I’ll tell you the kind of person you are’. We understand that prominent in the corner of Chief Olusola Oke the PDP governorship candidate is a certain multi-millionaire businessman, who hails from the Ondo South Senatorial district and has sworn to work assiduously to prevent Dr Mimiko returning to Government House. This multi-millionaire was the owner of a certain airline that failed the nation and disappointed hundreds of passengers, leaving them stranded in September 2012 both in Lagos and London. Staff and passengers did not have a good word for the owner, as the airline nosed-dived and went under. Imagine the experience of some passengers last month, checking-in your luggage, boarding the flight in Londondestined for Lagos and as you fasten your seat belt, you are asked to start contributing money that the carrier will use to fuel the aircraft to get you back to Lagos. Records show that it’s not the only failed project our multi-millionaire has undertaken and now he wants to shape the course of Ondo State for the next 4 years. Is he looking to seize Ondo State by remote control, in order to obtain access to the treasury, with a view to resuscitate his various failed projects, having failed to make in-roads with Dr Mimiko? I can’t bear the thought of Ondo State being a failed project by 2017, under the contraption called PDP and some of the domineering characters lurking in the background. It doesn’t augur well for our future.
We are left with only one viable option, the LP under the able stewardship of Dr Olusegun Mimiko.I leave you with the words of Chief Dan Nwanyanwu- The National chairman of Labour Party,“Mimiko has performed beyond even the expectations of the party going by his landmark achievements in the state, hence, he deserve to be re-elected and I therefore warn Ondo State people to be wary of those who vowed to capture the state because both the stooge and his lieutenants have no plans for the people of Ondo. They only want to share your common resources for their godfathers”.
LibertyReport

How Boko Haram started – Governor Aliyu

Posted about 2 hours ago | 0 comment

Notorious leader of the radical Islamic fundamentalist sect, Boko-haram, Abubakar Shekau started his ‘ministry’ in an expansive land located within a remote village in Niger state a few years ago before they were dislodged by the state government.
Abubakar Shekau, the acclaimed spokesman of a factional group of the sect led by, Abubakar Kaka who is believed to have been killed by men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri were dislodged from the then, Daru-Islam by security operatives in the year, 2009.
Niger state Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu who made this known in Minna when he met with traders at the government house also confirmed that the pictures of both Shekau and Abu Kaka posted regularly on the sects websites and published in newspapers are the same with the ones the security agents captured before the duo were dislodged from Niger state.
The Governor said but for the proactive nature adopted by the security agencies in dislodging the group from the state and the support given by state government, Niger state would been the headquarters of the dreaded sect.
Governor Aliyu said it is necessary for all Nigerians to rise up and oppose the activities of the fundamentalists which he said has had untold negative effects on the economy of not only the northern part of the country but Nigeria as a whole.
He said for any business to thrive it must be in a peaceful and secured environment, insisting that in view of the series of attacks on security men in Niger state capital government will tighten security within and outside Minna the state capital and therefore asked that they should cooperate with security operatives handling the exercise.
Defending the movement of the old Minna central market to its present location, Governor Aliyu said the market when it was established did not envisage the rapid growth the state capital had witnessed.
When the market was at its old location it contributed to congestion being experienced in the city centre, Aliyu said adding that the other market at PZ area of Minna will soon be moved to the Kure market to give more room for the development of the Minna city centre.
Aliyu told his guests that critics of the administration were those who wanted him to be sharing public money without embarking on any developmental programmes, insisting that the same people will in no distant future turn round to say he (Aliyu) spent 8 years without anything to show for it.
Governor Aliyu who solicited for the continued support of the administration in its developmental strides said, “My government will not share money, what is uppermost in my mind now is the development of the state”.
The traders through their spokesmen Alhaji Mohammed Umoru and Alhaji Dandere pledged their loyalty to Governor Aliyu and his administration but asked that the governor should reduce the series of levies they have to pay daily in the markets.
 DailyPost