My Candid Take on 2015

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, please allow me to set the records straight before I go into the main meat of this letter. On a personal note, I have no problem with President Goodluck Jonathan seeking a second term in office. It is his legitimate Constitutional right. It does not matter if he truly reached an unwritten gentleman’s agreement with some members of his political party, openly or clandestinely. When did it become a criminal offence for Nigerian politicians to renege on their promises? At the very worst, he would have committed a moral offence of being a reprobaterather than a gentleman who keepsto his words. Finito! But that is an act of indecorum which is not punishable under any of our Acts or Statutes.

My take is simple and straight-forward: let Jonathan run, if he wants to. It is cowardly to stylishly force him out of the race. The essence of democracy is to give every aspirant a chance except we can establish legal reasons to debar him. The Nigerian Constitution permits a President to run for two terms if he can win the presidential race twice. So be it. This Constitution is definitely superior to that of any humongous political party. If the President has decided to exercise that right, there is nothing anyone can do to stop him from running if he gets his party ticket which I suspect won’t be any problem for him given the way things work in Nigerian politics.

However, difficult as it may seem, there are options open to those who don’t want him to be the next PDP candidate if they are ready to fight all the way. But they can only achieve that through Constitutional means. Members of his party can decide to change him for another aspirant, and they are not in short supply, by ensuring he doesn’t get the party nomination during their National Convention. As far-fetched as this may seem, it cannot be totally ruled out if they can muster enough resources to match him dollar for dollar. The only snag in that calculation is that I’m not sure any Nigerian currently has access to such a monstrously deep pocket, as Alhaji Atiku Abubakar discovered on his night of the long knives at the Eagle Square in Abuja barely two years ago.

First, the law enforcement agents would be encouraged to lock up the delegates in their hotel rooms and ensure that no other aspirant can reach them. Two, the incumbent President would easily receive the support of every businessman worth his salt in Nigeria and beyond without even asking. The President of Nigeria has the power of life and death and would never waste any time before deploying it. He can turn a billionaire into a pauper overnight and turn a certified pauper into a billionaire before you pronounce Jack Robinson. No wise businessman ever fights government in Nigeria. It is an unwritten code you learn from kindergarten school.

Three, Mr President understands the weakness of most Nigerians. It is the special craving, craze and propensity for political appointments. That obsession is so insatiable that even at 80 many Nigerian politicians would sacrifice anything and everything to obtain government appointments no matter how degrading or demeaning. The reason is not far-fetched. Returns on investments are usually high in Nigerian politics. Economic recessions hardly affect them. Right now, most Nigerians are moaning and groaning, yet the politicians have no cause to complain. They are awarding themselves stupendous remunerations and allowances with infinite opportunities to globe-trot on very outlandish estacode. This is why most people want to be in the good books of the President including those who abuse him in public. At the right time, the President would call them in and speak the original dialect they all understand. Money!

I believe it is for those reasons some people want to elbow the President out before the race begins. My prediction is that Jonathan will get the PDP ticket again, no matter what it takes. And my advice to those who don’t want that to happen is to either support him or quickly leave the party for him. Unfortunately, there are not too many stronger parties in contention. The only one available for now, if and when it gets registered, is APC. But even here, there are formidable obstacles to scale. How easy would it be for our dear Atiku Abubakar to return to APC with all his former AC allies in firm control? How easy would it be for a Waziri Aminu Tambuwal to persuade General Muhammadu Buhari to jettison his voluptuous dream of ruling Nigeria again? How simple would it be for a Sule Lamido to risk all his investments in PDP and hope to upstage our own BAT, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu in APC? By what magic would Governor Babangida Aliyu control enough influence in APC? These are technical issues that those leaving PDP would have to confront sooner than later. It is a dilemma offering no easy escape route.

I see four clear options. The first is there will be the original PDP under the firm grip of Jonathan. But that Jonathan-PDP may become a shadow of itself if most of the Northern Governors, members of the Senate, House of Representatives and other State legislators collectively pull out and join the Obasanjo renegades in the South Westand leave the dry shell for Jonathan and his die-hard supporters in the South-South, South-East and parts of the Middle-Belt. That is the Second option. The third is for APC to risk a Muslim Muslim ticket in Buhari and Tinubu and hope to garner enough crowds from the North West and the South West.

The fourth is for Buhari and Tinubu to sacrifice everything and reach out to Tambuwal and Rotimi Amaechi, or a similar formidable duo, and hope to break the monopoly of Jonathan in the South South. This is possible, where a bigger Rivers is already feeling oppressed by Bayelsa, Cross River is feeling emasculated by Akwa Ibom, the Ibori crowds are feeling marginalised in Delta and the godfathers are being rendered irrelevant in Edo by Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. This scenario seems the most likely permutation to ease out Jonathan. Political pundits believe this is why Jonathan is already fighting like a wounded lion in Rivers State. Rivers has the hefty resources and more than enough electoral figures to threaten Jonathan’s ambition.

Tinubu and General Olusegun Obasanjo would have to bury their differences and rescue Nigeria from the brink of collapse. Many Nigerians still blame Obasanjo for giving Nigeria a weak and ineffectual leadership. They fail to understand why he couldn’t come up with a star-studded team of Donald Duke, Nasir El Rufai, Dora Akunyili, NgoziOkonjo-Iwealla, NuhuRibadu, Bukola Saraki, Julius Ihonvbere, Charles Soludo, Emeka Chikelu, Oby Ezekwesili, Akin Osuntokun, Frank Nweke Jnr., and others, when he left power in 2007. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had a pool of young and vibrant technocrats like Chris Mammah, Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, Garba Shehu and Adeolu Akande who could have been groomed for the new Nigeria of our dreams. However they were all exterminated like irritants by Obasanjo who squashed them underfoot. Had power been transferred to such upwardly mobile people, Nigeria would have had its own version of Obama and Cameron by now. The decision to swim and drown with the weakest links robbed us of a more energetic government.

We have no idea yet what the general electorate might do after 14 years of narcoleptic leadership of PDP. Will they put a final stop to Jonathan’s voluble ambition by casting their votes for the new-look opposition or stick fervently to the devil they already know?

While it is tempting to be bought over by the lack of performance argument against Jonathan, it can be safely assumed that one’s man’s meat is another man’s poison. There is no other way to put the lack of performance to test than at the polls. Nigerians hardly vote like normal people do. We often base our decision on primordial sentiments that include the whiff of money, ethnicity, religion, position and so on. Who knows, despite our excruciating pains in the hands of the PDP hawks, Jonathan might still manage to hypnotise enough Nigerians with his Fresh Air razzmatazz? Elsewhere, PDP would have long been consigned to the dustbin of history but not in our long-suffering and eternally resilient and reticent country called Nigeria.

I won’t be surprised if all the PDP Governors line up behind Jonathan when tomorrow comes. What will shock me is if they don’t. A lot of government money is already being stockpiled for our type of rainy day. Loads of cash will jump out of the vaults when the time comes, as it certainly will, sooner than later. How many politicians born of women can resist the lure of money in a country where money speaketh all languages and conquereth all territories?

As for me and my house, the best option for Jonathan is to ignore all those putting pressure on him to run. Truth is he has nothing to prove again. God has showered him with too much kindness. He has entered the history books for life as Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief. It does not matter how long he stays in power. What would ultimately matter is what he does with it. If I were in his shoes, I will concentrate on what legacy to bequeath to future generations and worry less about the distractions of a Second Term malady. He has nothing to lose if he does not seek a second term but he has everything to forfeit if he runs and fails to win. The best way to win or lose with dignity is not to make it a matter of life and death. It would even be worse if he has nothing tangible to point at as his achievement when his tenure expires, whenever that is.

If I were Jonathan, I will take off my hat, jump into some casuals and hit the ground running. I will work like a donkey and try to prove my enemies wrong. I will make sure I conclude the power projects. That alone will instantly turn any Nigerian leader to an all-time hero. I will cut the cost and burden of governance. I will keep a lower profile and kick out most of the deadwoods in government. I will concentrate on those projects I can complete as soon as possible. I sincerely believe all the energy he’s wasting on pursuing Rotimi Amaechi and company can be better utilised. He had never fought for anything in his life. Whatever he is today was at the instance of uncommon good luck and enduring patience. Why not allow God to decide his next destination in life instead of stopping others who want to try their own luck.

It is not too late for the President to ease the tension in the land. He has nothing more to ask of God. He became Nigeria’s President without much ado. It is for him to compensate Nigerians for that unusual favour. What I see is his proclivity for enjoyment and the good life. His government is too bloated and full of unserious elements. Those goading him on today,and encouraging him to fight on all fronts, would soon abandon him perchance he fails in this mission. They are his real enemies out to preserve their pecuniary interests only.

Where are those who said Obasanjo was their god a few years ago and daily swore by his name? They have since moved on to otherclimes in search of new gods, and I doubt if they even remember how to get to the Hill Top mansion in Abeokuta.

There is no better lesson for the wise.
ThisDay

2015: APC goes for the kill

The All progressive Congress(APC) may look like it is going nowhere judging by past political mergers in the country but Sunday Sun can authoritatively report that the coalition is not only lacing up its kicking boots, it is also going full speed for the ruling PDP’s political jugular. Unlike in the past, the APC would adopt an uncommon approach to turn the table against the PDP, which has been in power since 1999. According to a reliable insider source, the opposition coalition’s strategy will be rooted firmly in a concerted effort to weaken the ruling party and cause as much rancour within its ranks as much as possible.
A top member of APC who spoke to Sunday Sun on condition of anonymity said the PDP will have a full plate of troubles to deal with until the APC snatches victory from the Peoples Democratic Party. Irked by President Goodluck Jonathan’s directive to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win at least 32 states of the federation in the 2015 general elections, the yet-to-be registered All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains are holding round-the-clock meetings to make the President eat his words at the 2015 polls. Asked if APC had a hand in the dissolution of the Rivers State PDP EXCO as part of the opposition’s plans to cause rancour in the PDP, the source neither admitted nor denied involvement.
“The more trouble there is in the PDP, the better for us. The more enemies Jonathan makes, the more friends we will have. We saw the Rivers trouble coming three months ago and we want and hope the PDP will dissolve more state chapters’ executive councils.” He prayed that President Jonathan would ‘terrorize’ more governors saying the development would help the APC to consolidate its merger deal before the election. “We will help President Jonathan to create more enemies and see to the imminent implosion in the PDP before the next general election. “The era of PDP has gone and you will see the end of the party in 2015. There is no policy that President Jonathan comes up with that will be allowed to work. Besides, Tony Anenih that the party is hoping to work some magic does not have that level of electoral value and would be humbled like what happened during the last Edo governorship election where he lost his ward.
“The question we should be asking PDP’s Mr Fix It is, ‘has he produced any president in Nigeria since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999? We all know the real powers behind the throne from Obasanjo to even President Jonathan. The truth is those who produced former presidents are those behind this new coalition and our candidate is the one they have endorsed. We are not moved or impressed by the mythical magic of Anenih. The old man does not help to cook the soup but comes only when it is ready for eating. “We are not ready to divulge information on how to win the next election but I can assure you that it is over for the PDP. “Soon, northern leaders would converge abroad to put finishing touches to the game plan that would finally clip the wings of the PDP”, he said. The development comes amid revelations that the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has openly distanced himself from the re-election ambition of President Jonathan.
Our source said that the brains behind APC’s move to upset the PDP are encouraged by the recent presidential election in Kenya and what the opposition party has been able to do in elections in Ghana, a neighbouring West African country. He told Sunday Sun that the APC intends to take advantage of the seeming disenchantment of the masses against the present administration especially with regards to the increasing insecurity situation in the country. “Nigerians are not fools and they are not oblivious of happenings around the world and even in some African countries. They want a better life, which the PDP has not been able to provide them since 1999 that it has been in power.
“The approach of the opposition this time is going to be different and for the first time, we are confident that the PDP can be beaten in a free and fair election. “Even without much effort, the APC would sweep the votes in North West, North East and South West. We all know why PDP cannot win in those zones. And with that obvious advantage, the APC can now go to fight for votes in the North Central, South East and South South. Remember that even in the South South where President Jonathan comes from, the APC is likely to take two states. Or can you compare the votes APC will get in Lagos with what PDP will record in Bayelsa. “One of the states, we are already sure of but the other one, another oil-rich state is almost in our kitty too. The governors are powerful and if you are fighting a governor controlling a state, you do not expect him to support you when you need him. So, where is the PDP going to win?” He said that one of the strategies the APC will deploy is to neutralize the already familiar tactics of the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Mr Tony Anenih popularly known as “Mr Fix it”.
Our source said that the former Minister of Works who has assumed a cult figure in the PDP has clay feet and has already been demystified during the last gubernatorial election in his home state. He reasoned that the PDP would witness an implosion before the election considering the level of discontent among members of the party. Our source revealed that three months ago, the new mega party saw the ordeal the Chairman of the Governors Forum, Chibuike Amaechi would go through ahead of 2015. Our source also revealed that Chief Obasanjo had made it known to President Jonathan that he would support the emergence of a president of northern extraction in 2015. He said that all efforts to woo Obasanjo to support President Jonathan including the recent delegation led by Chief Anenih to his country home in Otta failed to convince the former president. Sunday Sun learnt that what finally sealed Obasanjo’s conviction against President Jonathan’s re-election ambition was the edging out of virtually all his (OBJ) loyalists in the PDP. “In several fora, Chief Obasanjo’s body language has shown that his support in 2015 would go to a northerner, ” he said. Opposition political parties last week turned the heat on President Jonathan over his directive to the PDP to widen the party’s grip on power by winning 32 states in the 2015 elections.
National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur recently described 2015 as a year of serious electoral battle which, the party must win in its desire to fast-track the process of change as envisioned by the transformation agenda of the present government. Tukur had asked every member of the party to brace up for the task of winning the next round of elections in Nigeria, as according to him, the PDP had President Jonathan’s mandate to widen its grip on power by winning no fewer than 32 states by 2015. Tukur made this known when a caucus of the party from the South West, led by Professor Taoheed Adedoja, paid him a visit at his residence in Abuja. He maintained that for the purpose of delivering the presidential mandate of winning more states without cutting corners during any election, the PDP members must close ranks and prove to the world that it has indeed, been the party with the widest spread in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the ACN which adopted the APC in a convention it held in Lagos on Thursday denounced the presidential mandate, saying that Jonathan and Tukur must begin to realise that Nigerians would not vote for them in 2015. National Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said: “ They have been talking about plans to capture 32 states.
If you observe the lexicon of the PDP, you will see that there is nothing democratic about them. By the time Tukur and Jonathan wake up, they will realise that they have been living in a fool’s paradise because Nigerians have deserted them a very long time ago and no amount of coercion can make them achieve that kind of fathom ambition. “The only thing is that it probably confirms our fear that there may be no election in 2015 since they have been given a mandate to capture 32 states. They are not talking about elections. “Nigerians should be very, very wary. Don’t forget that last week, we raised the alarm that the way the Federal Government was going, there was no guarantee for free and fair elections. Nigerians should take note and be very, very vigilant but we want to assure Tukur and Jonathan that Nigerians will not vote for them in 2015.”
Culled from The Sun

2015: The Brickbats Between Presidency and Opposition Parties

The presidency needs to overcome its obsession with fear or odium for opposition, which often leads to inordinate reactions, writes Vincent Obia
The relationship between the presidency and the opposition has become increasingly dominated by mistrust, abuse, and outburst. The past week saw a lot of this awful politics of paranoia, as the government and the opposition grabbed the headlines in an epidemic of mutual invectives.
Leaders of the opposition merger initiative involving Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party, Congress for Progressive Change, and a faction of All Progressives Grand Alliance opened the explosive exchange during the ACN convention on April 18 in Lagos. Expectedly, the Peoples Democratic Party-led federal government was the subtext of every speech, as speaker after speaker tried to justify the change the opposition craves.
The ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, said, “In over 14 years that the ruling party has been in power, not only has it failed to deliver on its promises, it has also infected all institutions of the state with its aversion for the rule of law and entrenched monumental corruption.”
He said due to the massive corruption superintended by the PDP government, Nigeria had “become a society where the safety of lives, private properties and public installations is at its lowest ebb. It also explains deepening level of poverty, which is now at its highest. It finally justifies the reason our countrymen are waiting patiently, but with latent breathe, to see the successful outcome of the merger talks. We must never let them down.”
ACN National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, accused the ruling party of chronic non-performance, saying, “Where the road is bad, they budget for it, still the road gets worse. Where the road is impassable, they offer excuses and empty promises. Our billions are embezzled and shared to cronies. The slogan of the ruling party is ‘power’, but corruption is the fuel that powers their government.”
Tinubu said, “The current government’s trademark is to throw empty words and hollow actions at our problems.”
CPC leader and former military Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, said the opposition parties were merging into the All Progressives Congress “to avoid a state of anarchy and disorder in Nigeria, our own fatherland.”
The opposition believes Nigeria is teetering on the brink of collapse under PDP’s watch and the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan presidency cannot be trusted to pull the country back from the precipice. Continuing with PDP, they say, is taking a leap of motiveless faith into the unknown, while embracing the opposition APC is a rational escape from the perilous situation Nigerians find themselves.
But Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in a swift reaction last Sunday, addressed a news conference in Lagos where he said the PDP government would not be distracted by “empty” criticisms from the opposition. Okupe virtually picked out every one of the opposition leaders for rebuke.
“It is evident that the proposed merger revolves around two personalities only, Senator Tinubu and General Buhari. Unfortunately, both are heavily burdened political liabilities,” Okupe said.
He followed up with even heavier comments on Tuesday during a visit to the THISDAY corporate headquarters in Lagos. Okupe predicted doom for the proposed opposition merger, APC, saying, “It is a politically defective and weak organisation, and by coming to the national stage, the wind is going to blow them open. If they don’t crumble and disappear by 2014, don’t call me Okupe.”
That outburst was unnecessary and, in fact, illogical. Nigerian politics would gain nothing from the failure of the opposition. It would, in reality, lose so much of its surviving credibility.
Besides, many Nigerians feel the same frustrations the opposition emphasises and they blame the PDP presidency – even though some within the opposition camp are also part of the problem they now believe should be wholly laid at the door of the ruling party. Nigerians expect the Jonathan administration to deliver the primary purpose of its existence, which is the security and welfare of citizens. The citizens certainly have nothing to gain from the presidency’s frenzied keenness on winning arguments with the opposition.
As for the president’s handlers, silence can be a coin of choice – if they cannot restrict themselves to a sincere representation of what their principal is doing to better the lot of the people.
The mutual diatribes between the government and the opposition underscore a politics of paranoia that seems to define political relationships in the country ahead of 2015. The president seems so frightened of opposition that he believes every perceived contender must be summarily dealt with. And his template, it appears, includes both newfound enemies within PDP and those perceived to have existed from the pre-2011 presidential election preparation days. Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State are currently suffering the consequences of that perception. So are former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his supporters. Others like Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, and many others appear to be on the “watch list.”
That may just be the tip of it. The country may see a constant stream of more draconian reactions as the climate of fear and mutual suspicion gets more intense ahead of 2015.
The president should make a conscious decision to tone down the bellicose course of politics.
The opposition, too, can take lessons from the inclement chorus of doomsayers about its emergence and prove that it is not the unserious bunch that elements within the ruling party tend to see. Like Okupe said regarding the opposition promoters, “I expect that when you post an aggregate of people of that calibre, who want to run government, by now they must have a policy statement on power, agriculture and employment and not just talking about PDP leaving.”
Culled from Thisday Live

Anambra's Daughter Becomes UK Mayor: "People Slammed Doors at Me When They Saw I'm Black"

Kate Anolue, hailing from Nanka in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State, was elected Mayor of Enfield Borough in the United Kingdom. A widow and mother of four, the midwife-turned-lawyer speaks on politics, her challenges and marriage during her visit to Nigeria.

From your observation, do you think we have enough participation of women in Nigerian politics? - I am disappointed at the level of women's participation in Nigerian politics. Nigerian women have a lot to contribute to the development of the nation, but unfortunately, their presence is not felt. It's sad at the way they allow their potentials to waste away.
What in your view is responsible for this? - Politics in Nigeria favours men. It's quite different from what holds in the United Kingdom. There, politics is hinged on merit. Here in Nigeria, there is no equality between the male and female. I believe everyone should be given an equal footing. We went to the same school and do possess the same certificates. Nigerian women need to speak out and put in their best to make a change. They shouldn't allow themselves to be pulled down. 
What advice would you give to Nigerian women interested in politics? - I will advise them to go for it and put in their best. Women are the wealth of the economy. I will also add that the thought of making fast money should be far from them. I believe people move on in the UK because they do a lot of voluntary works for the society which do not involve money. 
Survival in the UK is believed to be difficult. How did you combine your responsibilities as a mother and duties as a midwife? - I joined my husband in England at a young age in 1971. I trained as a nurse, since this had always been my dad's desire, and became qualified after three years. I also had another 18 months training as a midwife.
By 1977, I had already acquired two certificates while I also had two children. I was able to stay on my job as a full-time worker with my husband's support. By 1984, my children were four while I had also risen in my profession to the post of a team leader.
Unfortunately in 1985, October precisely, I lost my husband and things took a downturn. The future became bleak. I was left with four kids to cater for. The eldest was 13 years and the others were five and nine years old respectively. The youngest was 18 months old. Fortunately for me, I had around me friends who were supportive.
I saw my husband's death and the responsibility of raising my children as a cross I had to bear. I therefore rose to the challenge. Most of my managers were likewise supportive. They all did their best to encourage me by giving me work schedules that were flexible. With this, I was able to give my children the necessary attention.
At what stage did you decide to study Law? - When my last daughter was eight years old, the urge to do something different from nursing came up again. I applied for Law, and, during an interview with my lecturer, he asked with utmost disbelief "With a good profession as a midwife, why do you want to study law?" I told him I studied nursing to please my father and he's happy. Now I also want to make myself happy. It took five years to complete the course as a part- time student.
How did you make it to your present office? - I knew that, as a Nigerian and a woman in a foreign land, I must not settle for less, this was my driving force. After studying and graduating in Law, I started going to the council to seek information on issues. I later began to make enquiries on how councils were run and how their leaders were elected. I was advised to join a political party. I began to study the manifesto of the existing parties. I was attracted to the values and ideas of the Labour Party.
In 1997, I became an active member and my activities moved from Ethnic Minority Officer between 1998 and 2000 to that of Women Officer between 2000 and 2002.
My post as the Women Officer kept me busy because I was always bringing women issues to the fore. This opened me up to a lot of information. I later became a school governor and was privileged to have more information and knowledge of how the society was run.
As time went on, I began to develop interest in the councillor seat. I was always at the campaign meetings, learning how to pull all the strings. Next, I joined members of the parliament to build my confidence in public speaking.
At the time of selection for the councillor seat, I was interviewed and asked to present my qualifications. I presented with confidence my resume as a school governor, Enfield Women Aid (support to women who suffered domestic violence), Enfield Women Centre (support to enhance women’s mental revolution), full time worker and an active member of the party. My background in Law also gave me an edge. I was selected and then the campaign kicked off.
What efforts did you put in convincing people that you were fit for the post? - Before the election, I knocked at 6,000 doors to present our party manifesto and campaign my candidature. This went on every day till I was able to achieve meeting everyone one on one.
My campaign cut across all races and tribes living in my ward. I was able to convince them that I was competent for the job and that they could count on me. Some slammed the door at me when they saw I'm black, while others threatened to pour water on me. I won my first election in 2002 and had a repeat of this victory in 2006 and 2010.
Towards the end of my tenure as a councillor in 2010, I gave the post of mayor a trial. The biggest hurdle was winning 37 colleagues to my side for endorsement. At the end of the day, I had more than the required number for the endorsement. I eventually won the seat of deputy mayor. This was to nurture and put me under observation to see how I would perform if I later became the mayor.
This was quite necessary because the mayor is the first citizen of a borough. Enfield is the fourth largest borough out of the 32 boroughs in London. Enfield is a big borough while I receive any visitor coming to this borough.
Would you agree that merit is solely the major consideration for selecting and electing candidates into political seats in the UK? - Yes. For whatever office you are vying for, who you are and what you have done to boost the society should speak for you. If positions are given to people because they are liked and not on merit, it is obvious that there would be no performance. Merit means you have shown one way or the other that you are fit for the job and this has nothing to do with money. 
What plans do you have for Nigeria? - The top on the list is coming back to Nigeria and imparting the society with the skills I had acquired. I have over 35 years experience as a mid-wife. I gave up my job in April 2012. I have 11 years experience in local government administration. Working in the community is another, while motivating and inspiring people are the other skills I possess which I believe will enhance me in whatever I engage myself in. 
Politics in Nigeria is a different ball game. How do you plan to cope? - I do visit Nigeria on a yearly basis and I have taken time to observe how politics is played here. In Nigeria, the square peg is put in a round hole. People who have no idea of what is happening around them are given exalted positions. I tell you, they will not perform. I will try to operate from a different angle. Women development will be an area I would launch into rather than go into full politics which I believe I may not meet with people's expectations.
Message to Nigerian women? - No matter how bad or bleak the state a Nigerian woman finds herself, she should not give up. Learning to manage time is essential. If you lack this potential, you are not likely to accomplish all your aims. Again, education is a must for every female.

LA2LAGOS

Leave Former Ministers Alone, Probe Me Instead, Obasanjo Challenges Jonathan

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised the establishment of an agency to protect oil pipelines and described it as corruption in governance.

The former president also said he is ready for a probe of his eight-year administration instead of the present administration descending on his cabinet ministers.
Mr Obasanjo, who made the criticism at the 50th birthday thanksgiving of former minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili in Abuja, said he is ready to account for his stewardship.
He said if the present government finds anything wrong with his administration, he would bear the responsibility.
The former President was reacting to the recent moves to probe Mrs Ezekwesili by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and challenge thrown to the former World Bank VP by the presidency to account for her tenure as Minister of Education.
He said, “I have always said this, whatever you want to blame in my government, blame me, don’t blame any of those people who assisted me. If there is any credit to dispense we share it.
“But for anything you want to say is wrong, I was the one in charge and I was in charge.”
ChannelsTV

We Have Not Rejected APC Merger Bid, INEC Says

APC

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has denied newspaper reports that it has rejected a bid by some political parties to merge into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This is to affirm that the reports in the Nigerian Tribune and the Daily Champion are utterly false,” the commission said today in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Kayode R. Idowu.  “The Commission has not written to stop the merger bid as APC.”
The commission explained that it only declined an application by another association seeking to register as the All Progressives Congress of Nigeria (APCN), as the acronym proposed by that association is similar to that of another which is already seeking registration, supposedly the APC.
“The Commission hereby reassures Nigerians that it will always do the right thing as a dispassionate and impartial regulator of the political process,” the statement said.

Saharareporters.com

President Jonathan's Chief Protocol Officer And Over 100 Directors At The Foreign Ministry Refuse To Retire

Nigeria's minister of foreign affairs, Olugbenga Ashiru

Directors at Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs are refusing to retire after attaining the mandatory retirement age of 60 years, sources have said.
Several Ministry workers confirmed that the directors, with the approval of the Minister, Ambassador Gbenga Ashiru, have been campaigning against retirement, claiming that if about 100 of them retired by January 2014, the Ministry will collapse.
The sources, speaking anonymously, told our reporter that the decision of the aging directors to remain in office is hurting staff morale as junior directors are made to feel they are incompetent and stand no chance of moving up the ladder.
The reality of the situation hit them on Sunday when Olutola John Onijala, State Chief of Protocol (SCOP) to President Goodluck Jonathan, turned 60 but showed up in office to continue work today.
As a civil servant, he should have been retired from the service according to the statute, but for reasons beyond anybody's comprehension, President Jonathan is alleged to have been misled into allowing Mr. Onijala to stay on. 
The Ministry, from which SCOPs are picked, was supposed to have nominated three directors to the President since February 2013 from which to choose a suitable replacement, but because of the active connivance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ashiru and Jonathan's Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe, this was not done.
Instead, Minster of foreign affairs waited until late April to direct his Permanent Secretary to send a letter to the President’s Chief of Staff, recommending that Ambassador Onijala remain in office indefinitely.  The COS, in-turn, reportedly “coloured” the recommendation before forwarding it to the President for his endorsement.
A source told Saharareporters that as highly-regarded as Ambassador Onijala may be, it is against the law for any retired officer to occupy a position reserved for serving officers, especially as there are over 100 capable hands readily available to choose from.
Political observers cite this indiscretion as one of the manipulative excesses of President Jonathan.  They recall cite the removal of Governor Sylva from office, and his ongoing prosecution.  Furthermore, he retained Ms. Oruma Oteh in office, contrary to the directives of the National Assembly; refused to restore Justice Ayo Salami to his rightful position even against court orders, and granted pardon to convicted "thief" DSP Alameiseigha even though there exists an international arrest warrant.
SaharaReporters reached out to Ambassador Onijala today to ask why he returned to office after turning 60 years.  He requested that we call back in one hour, but did not answer subsequent calls or return text messages sent to his phone.
Saharareporters.com