Why Putting Gardens on Top of Buses Makes Total Sense

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Behold the future of public transportation, a bus with a rooftop garden. (Photo: Photo Kinetic via Urban Gardens)

If you ever wanted to roll up a fistful of ethical practices into a single unit of living, breathing, carbon-neutral mass transit, try this one on for size: A landscape artist in Spain has put a garden on the roof of a bus.

"My mission is to expand the garden area in urban environments, increase the absorption of CO2 and give public transport a new ecological and tourist attraction," says designer Marc Granen of his concept, which he's confusingly calling Phyto Kinetic. (When in doubt, keep it obvious, dude: Snakes on a Plane, mustard on a hot dog, Garden on a Bus—see a pattern?)

Reports The Sunday Times:

The “autocultural” single-decker has small shrubs and herbs sprouting from its roof. It can be watered naturally or better still, this being the blazing hot city of Girona, near Barcelona, by water from the vehicle’s air conditioning system.

If I was the head of public transit in a perennially-rainy city, say Seattle, I'd have ordered a fleet of these garden buses yesterday.

There’s No Environment Too Hostile: The 10 Most Unusual Urban Gardens

Granen's bus-garden baby isn't green for show—he and his team of science advisors have thought this concept through. One concern they've addressed is will the added weight of the garden reduce gas mileage? No—Urban Garden reports that Granen "utilizes a lightweight, 7-centimeter thick hydroponic foam which is much lighter than soil, thereby significantly reducing the overall weight of the roof."

Ever the eager beaver, Granen admits a desire to one day bring his lush roofs to the buses of the Big Apple. Assuming that the average bus roof size is 20 square meters, he estimates that there are more than 100,000 square meters of green roof in New York City. Imagine what all that photosynthesis would do to Manhattan air?

But the landscaper isn't naive. He knows that a similar concept, Bio Bus, has failed to catch on. Still, he's cautiously optimistic about his prototype's future. "Mistakes offer opportunities for solutions," he says. "Edison performed a thousand failed experiments before developing the light bulb."

Hear, hear.

TP

Kwankwaso Snubs President Jonathan At Abuja Event

Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso shunned President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday in Abuja, during an award/gala night organised by the National Council of Women Societies in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady.

Kwankwaso, who was one of the five northern governors that had met with political leaders on the crisis in Nigeria, played a hide-and-seek with President Jonathan, VP Namadi Sambo and PDP Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, at the public event.

He also refused to join other governors, who were on the same table with him when they all moved to greet President Jonathan and VP Sambo and their table.

Tukur and the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Godswill Akpabio, were on the table beside that of the President.

The governors, who went to pay homage included Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo); Peter Obi (Anambra); Adams Oshiomhole (Edo); Theodore Orji (Abia); Jonah Jang (Plateau); and Idris Wada (Kogi).

Only Kwankwaso and his deputy, Abdullahi Ganduje, remained on their seats.

The governor also refused to recognise the presence of the President during the presentation of awards to the governors. 

All the governors who received awards, on stepping down from the podium, moved to the President for a handshake before returning to their seats. 

But immediately Kwankwaso collected his award, he looked the other way, stepped down from the podium and returned to his seat.

You may wish to know that Kwankwaso and 4 other governors are not happy with the way Jonathan's men are treating Governor Rotimi Amaechi who defeated the Presidency's candidate at the NGF election.

Olufamous.com

Igbo scholar disgraces Femi Fani-Kayode •Demolishes claims on Igbo/Yoruba history with facts and figures

An Igbo scholar, Dr. Samuel Okafor, has made one-time Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, look so small and uneducated by using facts and figures to demolish the claims he made in the controversial August 8 article, “The Bitter Truth About The Igbo”, which set off a storm that almost threatened Igbo-Yoruba relations.

In the first part of an article entitled “The Lies of Femi Fani-Kayode”, Okafor, who has a First Class in History from the University of Nigeria Nsukka and then did a Ph.D in Nsukka on scholarship, dismissed Fani-Kayode as a “half-baked intellectual.” He then proceeded, point by point, to address what he termed “the most reckless amongst the tangle of reckless comments spewed by Femi, a character who with each punch of his keypad stresses his severely unwell conditions of logorrhoea, delusions of enlightenment, history and sociology – amongst others.”

Below are Okafor’s words:

FEMI AND HIS SEVERELY IGNORANT LIES:

•Femi Lies About the Yorubas Being Nigeria’s Earliest Graduates:

From his myopic bubble Femi FaniKayode claims the Yoruba were the first to acquire Western education; the first ever known record of a literate Nigerian in the English Language is the narrative of an Ibo slave who regained his freedom and documented his life history as a slave from the time he was 11 years old in present day Ibo land till the time when he gained his freedom in the middle of the 18 th century. He later married an English woman and had 3 children. He died in 1795.

Femi, a basic Google-research will do you good here; check out the name, Equanoh OLAODAH. Further Femi claims that the Yoruba were the first lawyers and doctors in Nigeria. This is again a big falsehood. The first Nigeria doctor was an Effik man Silas G. Dove who obtained a medical degree from France and returned to practise medicine in 1840 in Calabar. This fact can also be verified from historical medical records in Paris.

I would also ask that you google the name BLYDEN – Edward Wilmot BLYDEN – an educated son of free Ibo slaves who by the mid-19th century had acquired sound theological education. He was born in Saint Thomas in 1832. He is one of the founding missionaries that established the Archbishop Vining church in Ikeja. Before the next time you succumb to your long-running battle with logorrhoea, Femi please do some research.

What about the third president of a free Liberia – President J JRoyle – again, a man of Ibo descent. Please take some time to do some research so that we can discuss constructively. It is wrong to peddle lies to your people. It is academic fraud to knowingly misrepresent facts just to score cheap points with people who do not have the discipline to do research and accept anything you pour out simply because they say you are well educated. To again quote the great Nobel Prize Winner in Economics Joseph Stiglitz; Femi fits into the category of third rate students from first rate universities with an inflated sense of self-importance. Let’s go on!

Who was the first Nigerian Professor of Mathematics – an Ibo man – Professor Chike Obi – the man who solved Fermat’s Last Theorem. He was followed by another Ibo man, Professor James Ezeilo, Professor of Differentail Calculus and the founder of the Ezeilo Constant. Please do some research on this great Ibo man. He later became the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka and one of the founders of the Nigerian Mathematical Centre. Who was Nigeria’s first Professor of Histroy – Professor Kenneth Dike who published the first account of trade in Nigeria in pre-colonial times. He was also the first African Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. Who was the first Professor of Microbiology – Professor Eni Njoku; he was also the first African Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos. Anatomy and Physiology – Professor Chike Edozien is an Asaba man and current Obi of Asaba. Who was the first Professor of Anatomy at the University College Ibadan? Who was the first Professor of Physics? Professor Okoye, who became a Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1960. He was followed by the likes of Professor Alexander Anumalu who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Physics three times for his research in Intermediate Quantum Physics. He was also a founding member of the Nigerian Mathematical Centre. Nuclear Physics and Chemistry – again another Ibo man – Professor Frank Ndili who gained a Ph.D in his early ’20s at Cambridge Univesity in Nuclear Physics and Chemistry in the early ’60s. This young Asaba man had made a First Class in Physics and Mathematics at the then University College Ibadan in the early ’50s. First Professor of Statistics – Professor Adichie who’s research on Non-Parametric Statistics led to new areas in statistical research. What about the first Nigerian Professor of Medicine – Professor Kodilinye – he was appointed a Professor of Medicine at the University of London in 1952. He later became the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsukka after the war. What about Astronomy – again another Ibo man was the first Professor of Astronomy – please, look up Professor Ntukoju – he was the first to earn a double Ph.D in Astronomy and Mathematics.

Let’s go to the Social Sciences – Demography and statistical research into population studies – again another Ibo man – Professor Okonjo who set up the first Centre for Population Research in Ibadan in the early ’60s. A double Ph.D in Mathematics and Economics. Philosophy – Professor G D Okafor, who became a Professor of Philosophy at the Amherst College USA in 1953. Economics – Dr. Pius Okigbo who became a visiting scholar and Professor of Economics at the University of London in 1954. He is also the first Nigerian Ph.D in Economics. Theology and theological research – Professor Njoku who became the first Nigerian to earn a Ph.D in Theology from Queens University Belfast in Ireland. He was appointed a Professor of Theology at the University College Zambia in 1952.

I am still conducting research in areas such as Geography where it seems a Yoruba man, Professor Mabogunje, was the first Professor. I also am conducting research into who was the first Nigerian Professor of English, Theatre Arts, Languages, Business and Education, Law and Engineering, Computer Technology, etc. Nigerians need to be told the truth and not let the lies that Femi Fani-Kayode has been selling to some ignorant Yoruba who feel that to be the first to see the white man and interact with him means that you are way ahead of other groups. The Ibo as The great Achebe said had within a span of 40 years bridged the gap and even surpassed the Yoruba in education by the ’60s. Many a Yoruba people perpetually indulge in self-deceit: that they were the first to go to school; to be exposed to Western education; that they are academically ahead of other Nigerian cultures of peoples. Another ignorant lie.

As far back as 1495 the Benin Empire maintained a diplomatic presence in Portugal. This strategic relationship did not just stop at a mere mission but extended to areas such as education. Scores of young Benin men were sent out to Portugal to study and lots of them came back with advanced degrees in Medicine, Law and Portuguese Language, to name a few.

Indeed, some went with their Yoruba and Ibo slaves who served the sons of the Benin nobility while they studied in Portugal. These are facts that can be verified by the logs kept by ship owners in Portugal from 1494 to 1830. It is kept at the Portuguese Museum of Geographic History in Lisbon.

Why then would several Yoruba people peddle all these falsehoods to show that they are ahead educationally in Nigeria? The true facts from the Federal Office of Statistics on education tell otherwise, showing that 3 Ibo states for the past 12 years have constantly had the largest number of graduates in the country, producing more graduates than Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Oyo states. These eastern states are Imo, Anambra and Abia. Yet he calls Ibos traders. Indeed, the Igbos dominate because excellence dominates mediocrity – truth.

Let me enlighten this falsehood’s mouthpiece even further: before the civil war Ibos controlled and dominated all institutions in the formal sector in Nigeria from the universities to the police to the military to politics:

•The first Black Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan was an Ibo man

•The first Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos was an Ibo man

•The first Nigerian Rector of the then Yaba College of Technology was also an Ibo man

•The police was run by an Ibo IG

•The military as a professional institution was also run by elite-ilk Ibos.

Facts can never be hidden. To be first does not mean you would win the race; let us open up all our institutions and may the best man win. Let us not depend on handouts or privileges but on heard work. Let us compete and give the best positions to our brightest – be it Ibo, Yourba or Fulani, and then we shall see who is the most successful Nigerian.

I find it difficult not to respond to some of these long-held lies that are constantly being peddled by Yorubas. One is that the Yoruba have the largest number of professors in the country. I would again ask that we stick to facts and statistical records. The Nigerian Universities Commission has a record of the state with the largest number of professors on their records and as at 2010 that state is Imo State followed by Ondo State and then Anambra State; the next state is Ekiti and then Delta before Kwara State. I am sure you Yorubas are surprised. When you sit in the South-West do not think others are sleeping but I wish to address another historical fact and that is who were the first Nigerians to receive Western education. It is important that these issues be examined in their historical context and evidence through research be presented for all to examine.

I have continued my research for as the great sociologist and father of modern sociology – Emile Durkheim – put it, the definition of a situation is real in its consequence . What this simply means is that one must never allow a perceived falsehood to become one’s reality and by extension individuals who accept a defined position act as though the situation is real and apply themselves in that narrowly defined perspective.

Why is this important to state it is because for long the Yoruba have peddled lies that have almost become accepted as the truth by other Nigerians but it is important that we lay down the facts for others to examine and come to their own conclusion for facts are facts. Let’s go back to education. Historically, Western education resulted as a product of indigenous ethnic groups interacting with the whites through trade. The dominant groups sold slaves, ivory gold and a host of other products to their European counterparts in exchange for finished goods – wine, tobacco, mirrors, etc.

The Bini who were the dominant military force from the 15th to the 19th century raided and sold other ethnicities to the Europeans. Top on the list of those they sold were the Yoruba, Ibo and Igala. Various other ethnicities suffered as a result of the Bini military expansion. And the Benin Kingdom stretched from present-day Benin up to what is now geographically referred to as Republic of Togo. Indeed, the influence of the Benin Empire extended to the banks of the river Niger to present-day Onistha. There are huge Yoruba settlements in the Anioma part of Delta State who fled Yoruba land as a result of these attacks and constant raids. Yes, there are Yoruba people who are currently living with Ibos in the Ibo-speaking part of Delta and they are full citizens of the place no one refers to them as strangers and there is no talk about the Ibos being the host community like we hear from the Governor of Lagos State. But let me return to research. Slaves were moved from the hinterland to the coast and many were sold through Eko to the New World. These slaves were the first to encounter the Europeans and by extension their way of life – this included education in a Western sense. The Bini King had taken pains to establish a diplomatic presence in Portugal and the relationship developed into areas that extended beyond trade in the late 15th century and lasted well into the early 19th century. Scores of young Bpni youth were sent to Portugal and studied there, coming back with advanced degrees in various disciplines. The next set of people to receive Western education were the slaves themselves. Some of them managed to buy their freedom and develop themselves further.

For the Ibo it does not matter who your father is; the question is: Who are you? Who was Obasanjo’s father? Was he the most educated Nigerian? I am sure the answer is no. Yet this Great Nigeria led this nation two times as a military Head of State and as a civilian President. What about GEJ? Who was his own father? Was he the first Nigerian to go to London? The answer is no. In fact, he had no shoes, yet he is fully in charge. So it does not matter if your father was the first Lawyer or first Doctor in Nigeria but rather what matters is what an individual does with the talents the Almighty has given to him. Let us open up Nigeria for competition. That is the solution to our problems. Those who want privileges keep reminding us that their fathers were the first to go to school in London. Every generation produces its own leaders and champions. Like Dangote who is the biggest employer of labour in Nigeria today and the richest man in Africa. Was his father the first to go to study in London? Yet he is the master of people whose parents gave them the best. My brothers, the answer to the Nigerian problem is that we should establish a merit-driven society. “I get am before” no be property.

NewsExpress

Foods that are Good for Séx [+18 ONLY]

 

séxologists, cardiologists, and psychologists agree: how much you consume has a huge impact on your séxual health. Essentially, what is good for your heart is good for better séx.

1.Spinach and other green vegetables
Spinach is a potent source of magnesium, which helps dilate blood vessels, according to Japanese researchers. Better blood flow to the genitals, as you've learned, creates greater arousal for men and women.

2.Unsweetened tea
The antioxidant catechin found in tea promotes blood flow all over the body for séx power and brainpower; it enhances memory, mood, and focus. One particularly potent catechin, a compound called ECGC prevalent in green tea, is thought to increase fat burn.

3.Oranges
Men who consume at least 200 milligrams of vitamin C a day improve their sperm counts and motility, according to research at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

4.Eggs
Over easy, hard-boiled, or scrambled, eggs aren't the most sensual food on the menu, but it's hard to beat them for a fit and healthy body inside and out. Eggs are rich in vitamins B6 and B5, which help balance hormone levels and ease stress, and are important for a healthy libido.

5.Red wine
Sounds like the makings of a good time to us! Italian researchers recently found that the antioxidants and alcohol in the wine may trigger the production of nitric oxide in the blood, which helps artery walls to relax, increasing blood flow to the genitals. Just limit yourselves to a glass or two. More alcohol than that can put a damper on séxual performance and lead to bed spins of a not-very-séxy nature.

6.Meat
Red meat. Lean cuts are great sources of zinc, a mineral that curbs production of a hormone called prolactin, which at high levels can cause séxual dysfunction.

Zinc is also a key muscle-building nutrient, and the high concentrations of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) in beef, studies show, may spur weight loss. Choose filet mignon or other deep red cuts with round or loin in the name, because they are the leanest.

7.Beans
While they may not be the best choice for a side dish if you plan on séx for dessert, building your meal plan around a foundation of beans and legumes will ultimately pay off for you séxually. Many studies show that bean eaters are leaner and healthier than people who don't eat beans.

Beans is rich in potassium which regulates blood pressure and heart contractions, something you'll need as your heart starts racing when he does that special move that makes you melt.

8.Fatty fish
Oily coldwater fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna should figure heavily into your weekly meal rotation. The omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA found in fish help to raise dopamine levels in the brain that trigger arousal.

9.Oats
Eating oats is one of the few natural ways to boost testosterone in the bloodstream. The male hormone plays a significant role in séx drive and orgasm strength in both men and women. Oats (as well as seeds, ginseng, nuts, dairy, and green vegetables) contain L-arginine, an amino acid that enhances the effect nitric oxide has on reducing blood vessel stiffness.

L-arginine has been used to treat erectile dysfunction. Like Viagra, it helps relax muscles around blood vessels in the penis. When they dilate, blood flow increases so a man can maintain an erection.

10.Oysters and other shellfish
Raw oysters actually do have a connection to séxual function. Oysters hold more zinc than most any other food, and it is believed that this mineral may enhance libido by helping with testosterone production--higher levels of the hormone are linked to an increase in desire.

Zinc is also crucial to healthy sperm production and blood circulation. Other good sources of zinc are shrimp, red meat, pumpkin seeds, poultry and pork, eggs, and dairy products.

11.Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate contains a compound called phenyl ethylamine that releases the same endorphins triggered by séx, and increases the feelings of attraction between two people.

TON

Yes, Buhari jailed me, but he will soon become a democrat – Bisi Akande

The interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, in this interview with select journalists in his Ila Orangun home, speaks on a wide range of issues. Excerpts:

You were quoted as saying that the All Progressives Congress is not so keen on the presidency come 2015. What then is your focus?
I will rather say I was misquoted. How would there be a major party in 2013 and such party will not be keen about 2015? We are very much keen about 2015. The only thing I said, maybe, beclouded the one I did not say. What I said was that our preoccupation as an interim leadership of the APC was to mobilise and register members, to conduct congresses and convention to establish a good structure, a durable structure for the new party and that the priority now is the Anambra election and possibly, the Delta State senatorial election which will come up anytime from now. That is what I said, but to say that we are not concerned about 2015 is an understatement. I did not say so. I only said what we are primarily concerned about now because unless we have a proper structure, we won’t be able to face 2015 squarely. So, we should organise the party first.

Then, there was the invitation extended to President Goodluck Jonathan by you to join your party, which has been interpreted as you admiring the person of Jonathan and his administration…
When the question was put to me on whether our doors are open to non-ACN, CPC or ANPP members, it is true I said our doors are open to PDP members that may be defecting and particularly to Jonathan if he gets tired of the crisis in PDP. But that does not mean we admire Jonathan. I have many reasons not to admire him. I have had two meetings with him. I have had a long conversation with him over the telephone. And on all these occasions, I did not find him to be a serious-minded leader. I can say boldly that Nigeria’s problem today is Jonathan. It could have been easier for Nigeria if to say we have the thinking leadership in Jonathan. I said I have written him twice; he had never had the courtesy of acknowledging any of the letters. I discussed serious business in the two letters on what can move Nigeria forward. That shows me that on all other issues, that is the levity with which Jonathan was taking national issues. He is the problem of this country because he is more concerned about his anxiety for his third term election, or a third term return to presidency and he reduced the Nigerian government to kindergarten governance. He reduced the totality of this country to kindergarten governance. If you remember, because Bola Tinubu insisted, which is true, which was the decision of the party, that ACN will not participate in the Government of National unity, he set the Code of Conduct Bureau after him until he got disgraced in court. When Bankole did not want to support his nomination of a candidate for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he sent EFCC after him. See the happening in Rivers State now; he sent EFCC after Amaechi. He sends EFCC after everybody that he suspects. He is behaving like kindergarten. We want a leader in this country; we don’t want a kindergarten president; we want a thinking leadership. So, I don’t have any reason to admire Jonathan. If he comes to APC, we will be afraid so that he doesn’t bring crisis to our party.

How do you want to accommodate those that are not progressively-minded? Or is there an avenue for the incoming ones to be integrated into your ideology?
When you talk about progressive, it is a matter of political environment. There is no way you can be in PDP and be a progressive, but there are a lot of ways you can come to APC and learn to be progressive. And we believe that no matter how reactionary you might be in the PDP, if you come to APC, by the time you see us demonstrating discipline; by the time you see us demonstrating efficiency, you will be ashamed to stay behind. If you can’t be a first class, you struggle to be a third class politician. That is why we believe that no matter what you are now, if you join the APC, you leave the circle of the expired leadership and you come to the circle of disciplined and efficient leadership. There is no way you will not be progressive. What progressive means is thinking less about yourself as a leader and thinking more always about the generality of the people; not allocating money for the construction of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and doing nothing and beginning to say on the radio and television that work has started. Maybe they are already sharing the money. That is not progressive. If you are progressive, before Jonathan will go to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to turn the sod or flag off, as the case may be, the contractor’s machinery would have been in place, go to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway now, you won’t see anything happening. Maybe next year, he will tell you why it was not possible. That is reactionary government. We want progressive leaders like Fashola, Oshiomhole, Aregbesola, Fayemi, Ajimobi in Ibadan. Go and see changes. No matter how reactionary you are, when you are among the thinking leaders, definitely, you will want to join them.

That is why we invited people from the PDP to come and join us in the APC.

How would you react to the claim by the PDP that we have expired leaders at the helm of affairs of APC?
I think Chief Tom Ikimi has said it all that PDP has no leadership except for expired leadership. Why would you say people in the APC are expired leaders? I left Osun State some 10 years ago and I am happy that I am still being celebrated by the people of the state. Would you call me an expired leader? Even today, Jonathan is not being celebrated in Bayelsa State. Where will he be celebrated? What will he point to that he has done as president that will make people celebrate him? I don’t want to react to such a thing. They are fond of abuse; we are not for abuse, but for work. I mean real business. I think Jonathan has no serious capacity for accommodating serious business.

The APC was recently described as a government in waiting. How would you react to this?
If you see how the APC was welcomed after registration, you will be anxious to see election come and you will be convinced that APC is a government in waiting. It is in the mind of the people to judge which party is a government in waiting.

Considering the fact that APC is made up of politicians from different parties with different backgrounds, what is the leadership doing to avoid implosion?
The mere fact that people come from different political parties does not suggest implosion. What will you now say of Nigeria which contains several ethnic groups? Are you saying that Nigeria is a possible implosion? If it is yes, then, I won’t be able to answer your question.

General Muhammadu Buhari was in government while you were in prison. At what point did you have a change of mind that he is a democrat?
Buhari’s military junta sent many Nigerians to prison, including myself, but Buhari as a politician demonstrated to the whole country he wanted to deviate from the military way of doing things to a democratic way of doing things. So, we have been working with him. We have been discussing issues. In the military, you don’t debate; now, we have been debating with Buhari. He said recently that he was ready to contest the primary with any member of the APC, and if he was defeated, he was going to support the winner. In the military, you don’t wait to be defeated; you arrest those who want to contest with you and you kill them. So, the environment of politics of democracy is waiting to change Buhari to a democrat.

Most of the people that are in government now are those that have been there before as administrators, governors like David Mark and Jonah Jang. How are you going to ensure that new bloods are injected into governance in Nigeria to avoid recycling of leadership?
Don’t let us make mistake. Those who you mentioned were invariably leaders in the military, and there are rooms for them to be leaders again in the democracy. It is a pity that Nigeria refused to move forward at the hands of the reactionaries. Generally, our constitution is there for you to consider. You serve as a governor for two terms, no way for you again. So, if it is fully implemented and we do not replicate the kind of Obasanjo who wanted a third term, and by the time we begin to have less and less of people of that tendency, you will see that succession business becomes more reasonable. And if you remember, when we were rigged out of office, the only place where we won was Lagos. If you look at the succession system in Lagos and compare it with the succession system in Obasanjo’s Federal Government, you will be able to see a difference that succession for progress was that of the ACN government of Lagos State and succession for retrogression was that of the PDP Federal Government. If our constitution is properly adhered to, I think succession will not be a problem. But the tendency to want to circumvent the constitution is what is leading us to what you described as recycling of leadership. That is what people call expired leadership.

What are you doing to ensure success at the polls for your party?
We are doing all we can. Already, in Anambra State, two weeks from now, we will start registration of members and congresses from ward to local government and the state levels in the state, and we quickly conduct a primary to produce our governorship candidate. Thereafter, election is not new to us in the state. I know that if election was transparent four years ago, we won there. But because we belong to a country where the leadership of the security like the Inspector-General of Police thought he is the Inspector-General of the President, not independent Inspector-General of Police of Nigeria. And we think with what INEC has just done coming out boldly to register the party in spite of all the pressure and the obstacle put before it by the presidency, maybe the INEC will be bold enough this time and be more courageous to give us transparent election. And if they do, election is never strange to us in Anambra State; we will win any day. Even when we were ACN, we won, not to talk of APC. Many PDP and many notable politicians in Igbo land are joining us. We have no fear at all. We only need to ensure that the election is made transparent and we are going to create what we call watch-dog forum to make sure that our votes count.

What had been the impediments before the progressives or the opposition to collaborate in the past?
The impediments before the progressives or the opposition to collaborate in the past have been totally removed. The major impediment in the past was lack of trust among the leadership.

This lack of trust was brought about by lack of political education. That has been overcome now. Another impediment was that the government in power was making sure that coming together was impossible. There was a time PDP sponsored one of their own to lead the Alliance for Democracy. He contested as the national chairman of the AD in preparation for 2003 election and he won and became the chairman. He is Abdulkadri by name. And you can imagine where an opposition is put in place to become the leader of an opposition party; you know what that can bring. It was a mischief on the part of the Federal Government; using their big opportunity to use big money to destabilise us. That is overcome now. The lack of confidence is already a thing of the past. The lack of political education is already a matter of the past, and the conflict of trust or lack of trust among the leadership is already overcome. APC is a reality in the political firmament of this country today, and that is why it will be easy and convenient for us to win elections in Anambra, Ekiti, Osun in 2014 and the presidency in 2015. I am predicting we will have cause to meet like this in the future and we will remind ourselves of what I am saying today. In 2015, APC is coming to take over government.

You are aware of the faceoff between the Lagos State government and Anambra State on the deportation of destitute. How would you describe the action of Lagos State?
It is what I can call politics of mischief. If you remember, in 2009, shortly before the election of Anambra State, the same Obi was displaying pictures of Awolowo, raising up the hands of Ngige or something like that, trying to call our candidate a member of Yoruba party, calling the AC then a Yoruba party and it was dramatised the same way he is dramatising this Lagos/Anambra face-off. In spite of that, the Igbo rejected him then. This time, before he started, the Igbo had rejected him. If you read Lai Mohammed, he reminded us. Obi started this thing in Anambra in 2011 by throwing out people from Ebonyi State. What he is accusing Lagos of doing today? And it is not strange, if you read Lai Mohammed, even in America, it happens between states, where you exchange destitute. So, it is not a strange thing that you don’t want homeless people to come and occupy your space. What Fashola has done was the right thing, writing to Obi to say there are some destitute just arriving in Lagos from your state. What do we do about it and he asked Lagos government to bring them to Onitsha bridge where some people will take them over, and when they got to the place, nobody was there to take them. There were so many letters Lagos wrote to Anambra without reply, so, what would you expect Fashola to do? It is not strange. They are only making a mountain out of a mole hill. There is nothing in it rather than politics of mischief. I don’t think it can go anywhere. The sovereign people of Anambra State definitely understand.

You were said to have shunned Elder Peter Babalola, a former chieftain of the PDP who defected to your party when he paid you a visit in your home. How true was this claim?
That I threw Peter Babalola out of my house? And you never quoted a date. He was here with me eating pounded yam and drinking palm wine yesterday celebrating the sallah with me.

Maybe that answers your question. There are pictures if you care to see. He was here throughout yesterday celebrating with me. So, there is no quarrel between Peter Babalola and the leadership of APC. Whether you are PDP or APC, whatever your party, you are all Akande’s children. If you stay long here, you will begin to see active PDP members coming here. So, we accommodate everybody. I will not reject you because of your political thought. We can only influence you to think right politically.

Do you see your party winning elections in Kwara and Kogi states in the immediate future?
We don’t have problem there anymore. Since the registration of APC, things are changing for the best in Kwara. If you go to Kwara North, judging by 2011 election, they were largely CPC, while Kwara South was essentially ACN and a mixture of CAN and PDP. At the end of the day, PDP won election there. Many of the PDP members in Kwara State will soon move over to APC because I know they became worried when Jonathan started sending EFCC after Bukola Saraki because Jonathan’s style is, if you are not in speaking term with him, like Obasanjo before him, he will send EFCC after you. Since he started sending EFCC after Saraki, the signal is already going to the generality of members of PDP in Kwara State that APC is their final home. So, we are not afraid of what will happen in Kwara, but we have Kogi; we are firmly rooted there. We were rigged out in Kogi in the last election. I know in a general election, where everybody is involved, by the grace of God, in the coming election, we are going to have Kogi State.

What is your comment on the crisis in Rivers State?
I don’t see it as a crisis. When I started, you will remember that I said the problem of this country is Jonathan. Amaechi is a PDP. He was thinking that the relationship between the state and the Federal Government should be according to the constitution. The Federal Government will just dip its two hands into the state money and spend it in their own usual way. And Amaechi was leading the governors to go to court to checkmate the Federal Government from squandering state money. The constitution is clear. In sharing the formula, take your own and spend it the way you like. But let the state take their own money and spend it for the people. Because of that, Jonathan does not want Amaechi to remain the chairman of Nigeria Governors forum. That is the only offence, and because of that, he sent the police, EFCC and all the things that are fearful to intimidate the governor. And it was before your own clear eyes that five members of the House of Assembly struggled to impeach 27 and you were here in this country when Amaechi won 19 governors’ votes as against 16 and the PDP embraced the minority as the winner. So, this is enough to tell you that PDP is the party of the riggers and that is why we are running away from PDP and before the 2015 election, PDP will show itself more in such a ugly pattern that Nigerians will never touch it again.

Are you considering bringing in Bukola Saraki into your political fold?
I have not talked politics with Bukola Saraki before but if he and his people are desirous to come to APC today, we are going to embrace them with open arms.

We learnt that former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, is likely to join APC as a result of what he is now facing in his party. How far is this true?
I don’t know. Olagunsoye Oyinlola was my very good boy when we were in the AD, before he joined the PDP. His parents were in the Action Group. But he deliberately went to join bad people and I whispered it into his ears recently that, ‘Lagun, what are you doing with these bad people. Don’t you see how comfortable you are now? You better come back home.’ If he decides to come back today, he is welcome.

The incumbent governor in Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, is one of your political products. How would you assess his performance?
Honestly, I am becoming afraid about his audacity and passion. Each time I see him, I ask, ‘Rauf, how will you get money to do all this?’ And he keeps doing bigger and bigger things. So, I retired myself to praying for him that God assist him to accomplish his mission.

This is the first time the South-West will have a serious alliance with the North. Do you see it working?
In 2005, myself and some other colleagues in the South-West thought that for almost 200 years, there had been bitterness between the North-West and the South-West since the jihad of Othman Dan Fodio and the resistance of the emergence of the Fulani hegemony through Oyo to the South-West, which led to the takeover of Ilorin from the Yoruba. We sat down in 2005 and said no, we can’t continue fighting. We fought for 200 years; can’t we be friends for a while? Maybe because the Yoruba and the Hausa/Fulani are fighting, maybe that is why Nigeria seemed not to have peace or progress. Then, we said we would do everything to woo the Hausa/Fulani to work with us. Maybe for once, we will have a progressive Nigeria and we stretched the hand of friendship to them, particularly to Buhari through Balarabe Musa, and we set up a committee and they were working. Suddenly, I was not in the country and a group was formed that contained Atiku and the South-West. And about a week later, there was another one led by somebody again. I tried to find out what was happening and they said no, but Atiku is from the North-East. They said no, they were metamorphosing to ACD. Then, I said no, I won’t be part of ACD. They started appealing to me to come and be the leader. I said no because that was not our original thinking. Our original thinking was that the South-West will work with the North-West. It doesn’t matter what happened to the rest of the country. And we called ourselves back to the drawing board and we agreed to align the AD and the ACD to ANPP. We agreed to bear the name ‘ANPP,’ use the logo of corn and reshaped things, but we were rejected by ANPP and hurriedly, we put together Action Congress. That was towards the 2007 elections. So, in 2009, I personally met Buhari again and said, ‘look, we have tried this thing before and it did not work, can’t we try it again.’ He agreed that we could and we set up a committee of three, to work out how we can work together again, but by 2010, when we were to materialise this arrangement, Atiku withdrew and went back to PDP. We thought we would embrace Buhari to continue with the negotiation. Suddenly, he too moved and said he was going to form his own party, and that frustrated that attempt. After the election, we started talking again, and we are happy, today, we are in a union not only of the South-West and North-West, we are the reunion of the entire country. The whole of Nigeria is in the basket now, and that is why we are sure we are going to win 2015 election. On the issue of presidential candidate, we have not got there at all. And if we start thinking about that, we will start digging political well. We want to build a political structure, digging a political well will start from the top down. You choose the presidency before building the party, but if you want to establish an endurable structure, you build the political party with a non-collapsing structure. By the time the structure is solid, we choose whoever will represent us in Aso rock and I don’t think that will give us problem.

How would you get people nominated for election? Is it through your old way of selection of candidate?
You are wrong to say that we don’t embrace primaries. What we are saying is that internal democracy as conceived by certain people is an abnormality in politics. A political party is like a cult; you have a goal, and only those who understand that goal can reach it. But if you throw it open and a rich man comes, even PDP that is much richer, they can send their people to come and buy the party from us, and before we know it, they will be members of the National Assembly, governors and they will call it APC, or ACN. We don’t want that. We want those who are well groomed in our culture to represent us. So, our own is a guided internal democracy. Guided internal democracy never forbids primaries, but the primaries too will be according to the regulation of our party. We won’t contest with ourselves like a general election. That is what is destroying PDP now; they want to claim to the world that they are democratic when they are not. We don’t want that.

What is the position of APC on those people calling themselves acting this or that of the party at various levels?
All those calling themselves all kinds of appellations in the name of APC in the state, local government and ward levels are unauthorised. They are all fakes. You are not a proper member until you are registered, and that is why we at the federal level call ourselves interim. There is no law that says we should be, but INEC insisted that unless we have a national interim leadership, we would not be registered, and we wanted to be registered. That was why we created the interim national leadership, and we want to go to the field and register people. You can’t be an officer of a party when you are not a registered member of the party. You can’t just hijack state executive, you can only be a former ACN or ANPP secretary or whatever as the case may be. And you can be friends of the party; you can hold meetings to assist us and ensure that registration of members goes on well. Until that is done, you can’t be anything in our party.

So, immediately after registration, we are going to congresses at ward, local and state levels, and finally, a convention at the federal level. It is then that we have substantive leaders and all this interim kind of thing will move aside for those who win elections at congresses and convention.

When is that registration coming up?
Anytime from now. We are all working hard. A committee is already constituted to advise the party on that.

TRIBUNE

APC Will Win 2015 Elections, Says Akande

Chief Akande speaking…yesterday. Listening are (from left) Deputy National Chairman South, Senator Annie Okonkwo, National Secretary Tijani Tumsa and Masari

The Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, recently spoke with reporters at his Ila-Orangun, Osun State country home on a range of issues, including the prospects of party in the 2015 general elections and other burning national issues. TUNJI OMOFOYE was here and reports.

YOU were quoted as saying that President Good luck Jonathan could join APC, if he likes. Does that mean he is a progressive and do you admire his leadership qualities?

I know the biggest problem of PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) today is Jonathan. When the question was put to me, whether our doors are open to any ACN, CPC ANPP members, it was true I said our doors are open to PDP.

That may be defecting, particularly to Jonathan, if he gets tired of the crisis in the PDP, and that

does not mean that we admire Jonathan. We have many reasons not to admire Jonathan.

I have had two meetings with him in 2011, as well as long telephone conversations with him. I did not find anything in him to be a serious-minded leader. I can say boldly today that Nigerian’s problem is Jonathan.

It should have been easy for Nigeria if we had right-thinking leadership in Jonathan. I said I had written him twice and he had never had any courtesy of acknowledging anyone and I have

discussed serious business in the two letters on what can move Nigeria forward. That shows me that it is with levity that Jonathan was taking the national issues.

I said he is the problem of this country. He is not concerned about the society, but for the second or third election or to return as the President of Nigeria and he reduces Nigerian government to kindergarten governance. He reduces the totality of this country to kindergarten governance.

If you remember, because Bola Ahmed Tinubu insisted that the ACN would not participate in the government of national unity, he sent the Bureau of Code of Conduct after him until he got disgraced.

When (former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji) Bankole didn’t want to support his nomination, he set the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) after him, even as Speaker.

See the crisis in the Rivers State House of Assembly, now he sent the EFCC after everybody, behaving like a kindergarten.

We want a good leader now in our country, not like Jonathan. I don’t have any reason to admire Jonathan. If he came to APC, we would have been afraid, so that he doesn’t bring crisis to our party.

When you talk about progressive, it is a matter of political environment. There is no way you can be in PDP and be progressive, but there is a lot you can gain if you come to APC and learn to be progressive.

We belief that no matter how reactionary you are in PDP, if you come to APC, by the time you see us demonstrating discipline and efficiency, you will be ashamed to stay behind. If you can’t be first -lass, you will be the second-class politicians.

That is why we believe that no matter what you are now, if you join APC, you leave the circle of the expired leadership and come to the circle of disciplined and efficient leadership.

What progressive means is thinking less about yourself, as a leader, and thinking more about the generality of the people.

We want progressive leaders. That is why we invited people from PDP to come and join APC, because it is a progressive party.

What is your reaction to PDP’s statement that APC is manned by expired leadership?

I think Tom Ikimi has said it all, that PDP has no leadership at all, not to talk of expired leadership.

How do you say that leaders of APC are expired leadership? I left Osun State 10 years ago and I am happy that today, I am being celebrated by the good people of the state. Would you call me an expired leader?

Even today, Jonathan is not being celebrated in Bayelsa State where he comes from. What has he to point to in Nigeria as achievement? I don’t want to react to that kind of question.

We are not for abuse; we are for work and business, not for the way they are doing.

If you see the way APC was welcome after registration, you will be anxious to see election come and you will be convinced that APC is a government of change.

It is in the mind of the people to judge which party is the party of change.

There are fears of possible implosion in APC, with the amalgamation of different political parties with different leanings and ideology. What is the leadership doing to forestall this?

The mere fact that people do come from different political parties doesn’t suggest implosion. What do you say about Nigeria has the Fulani, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Ibibio and several other groups? Are you saying Nigeria is going to implode?

If it is yes, then I would be able to answer your question.

Gen. Muhammadu Buhari appears bent on contesting for the party’s presidential ticket. What is the party doing about possible counter-reaction?

Buhari was the head of military junta that sent many politicians, including me, to prison, but Buhari, as a politician, has demonstrated to the whole country that he wanted to deviate from the military way to democratic way of doing things.

We have been working and discussing with him. In the military, they don’t deviate, now they have been deviating with Buhari.

He himself said he was ready to contest in the primary election with members of APC and if he is defeated, he is going to support the winner.

So, the environment of politics or democracy is waiting to change Buhari to a democrat.

I won’t talk about Buhari and the presidency, because I don’t know Buhari’s ambition and I don’t know APC’s intention, because we have not got there. Once we get there, we are going to do what should be done to pick a president.

But I am going to talk about the person of Buhari.

Is APC contesting the November 16 Anambra State governorship election?

We are doing what we can. Of course, in Anambra State, in a fortnight, we will start registration of members and hold congress from the ward to the state levels and quickly produce or conduct a primary to produce our governorship candidate.

Election is not new to us in Anambra State. I know if the election were transparent four years ago, we would have won.

We think that from what INEC (the Independent National Electoral Commission) has just done by coming out boldly to register APC, in spite of all the pressures and obstacles put before it by the Presidency, maybe it would be bold this time and more courageous to give us transparent elections.

And if they do, we would win in Anambra State any day, anytime. Even when we are in ACN, we won and we will continue to win. Today that we are in APC, we have no fear at all; we only need to ensure that the election is transparent, and we are going to create a watchdog forum of people who will make sure that our votes count.

Are those factors that constitute impediment for the progressive coming together in Nigeria no more there, judging by past efforts and the registration of APC?

Impediments before the progressive or the opposition to collaborate in the past have been totally removed.

The major impediment in the past was lack of trust among the leadership or let me say this lack of trust was brought about by lack of political education that has been overcome now. The impediment of government in power made sure that coming together was impossible.

It is a mischief on the part of the federal government to use its access of public funds to destabilise us or inject fake leadership in our midst, which we have now overcome.

The lack of confidence is already in the past. The matter of political education is already in the past and the conflict of trust or the lack of trust among leadership is already overcome.

In Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, next year and in the presidential election in 2015, I am predicting that we would have successful outings and make life bearable to the people.

Come 2015, APC is going to take over the government at the Villa and we will achieve this through democratic means.

What is your reaction to the resuscitation of the defunct UPN by Dr. Fredrick Fasheun and his recent romance with Major Hamza al-Mustapha?

Frederick Fasheun has always being my friend, but I have not seen him in person for about five years.

I read about him in the newspapers, but I don’t think UPN can become a political party without the Act of Parliament, because UPN was abolished or proscribed by a military decree, which is a law, and it requires an Act of Parliament to unban it.

So, Fasheun is a leader of an illegal party called UPN. If he does illegal things or he makes an illegal statement, what do you want me to do?

What is your take on the crisis in Rivers State?

I don’t see it as a crisis. When I started this interview, I said the problem of this country is Jonathan.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi is in PDP and he was thinking that the relationship between the state and federal governments should be according to the constitution.

The situation is that the federal government would just deep hand into the states’ money and spend it in its own usual way. And mind you, Amaechi was leading the governors to go to court to checkmate the federal government in spending states money.

The issue is very simple, as the constitution is very clear, since there is sharing formula, that the federal government can take its money and spend it the way it wants, but let the state take its own and spend it for the people of the state.

Because of that, Jonathan doesn’t want Amaechi to remain the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). That is the only offence and because of that, they sent the Police and EFCC to intimidate the governor.

It was to your own clear eyes that five members of state House of Assembly wanted to impeach the Speaker, who has the backing of 27 other members.

We all know what happened during the NGF election, when Amaechi won 19 governors’ vote against 16 of Jonah Jang and PDP embraced the 16 votes as winner.

So, what I can say now is that PDP is a party of riggers. This is the reason why we are running from them and before the 2015 elections, PDP would show its self more, but Nigerians will not tolerate such nonsense from them.

GUARDIAN