Today in History ~Ayekooto

May 21, 2019. IBB was Abiola's Best Friend in the Military. His son was also in love with with IBB's daughter, they were going to get married! Abiola sponsored, financially, the Coup that brought in IBB and removed Buhari because IBB fooled everyone including Awolowo family and friends that Buhari was a wicked man.........IBB was the 3rd Most Powerful man in GMB Government.... He was the Chief of Army Staff, he was the one who ordered the military to ransack Awolowo's Home and told Awolowo that GMB gave the directive, Taciturn GMB failed woefully to defend himself, like he has always been, GMB does not talk..... Unfortunately for everyone, IBB was a death warrant for everyone including the Journalists and Human Right Activists who wrote and talked GMB out of power... And IBB came on board!!!! IBB destroyed the Press. It was his tenure that introduced Bomb Letter to Nigeria Politics, and the Target was the Press. Dele Giwa a foremost Journalist was killed in his dining while he was eating with Kayode Soyinka who narrowly escaped death!!! Corruption was institutionalized and many people disappeared without a trace... Yet, IBB always appeared on TV with a glowing smile as if all was well. And Abiola became a critic of his friend, all of a sudden. Abiola was mad when IBB closed down UNILAG for 1 year, he described IBB government as ridiculous and dictatorial.... Abiola, despite several warnings from his late wife and Sheik Adams in Agege (of blessed memory), decided to go into full politics instead of sponsoring people to power who turned out to be a disaster. He said under his government no Nigerian would go to bed on empty stomach!!!! FAREWELL TO POVERTY he called his Manifesto. Abiola ran a fantastic campaign, he went to all parts of Nigeria, met with all groups, all organizations. Nigerians responded by voting overwhelmingly for him. Remove the SW votes from the entire votes, Abiola won, remove the entire Southern votes and count only the North Votes or Vice versa , Abiola won. On June 12 1993, rain didn't fall at any part of Nigeria. It was the freest, fairest and most peaceful, most credible election in African Continent!!! Sikiru Ayinde Barrister sang "Hausa cast his vote for Abiola, Igbo cast his vote for Abiola, Yoruba cast his vote for Abiola but instead of giving Moshood his Mandate to fix Nigeria for us, it is the grammar of Annulment that came to the world..." IBB, Buhari’s Chief of Army Staff and Abiola's Bossom Friend and Would be in-law who Abiola helped to oust Buhari, made a National Broadcast on June 23, 1993 where he said the Armed Forces Ruling Council under him has annulled June 12 Election and MKO Abiola has been banned from politics!!!! Abiola struggled to retrieve his mandate until he was killed in a custody inside Aso Rock under the Government of Abdulsalami Abubakar in 1998!!! 17 years after, the same PMB came to power in what looks like a Divine Destiny that God has determined not allow anyone truncate... That is why Yoruba said "The World cannot Change Destiny but they can only delay it..."!!!! 20 years after Abiola's death, President Muhammadu Buhari conferred the Highest Honor in the land(GCFR) reserved for Presidents on MKO Abiola, he didn't stop there, he proclaimed June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria!!! Unprecedented in our history especially in a country where Vindictiveness is a way of life. I've never seen any African leader, apart from Nelson Mandela, who forgive his enemies at a time when the power of revenge is in his kitty!!! I was at that event, I wept. Soyinka was fighting tears..... Hafsat Abiola stood up on behalf of MKO Family to openly apologize for whatever sin his dad must have committed against Buhari. At that time, PMB was beginning to fight tears too!!! President Muhammadu Buhari, God that sees your and gave you victory over the monsters and evil men who think Nigeria is their personal property, that same GOD will be with you until you take Nigeria to the promised land!!! Welcome back from Umrah!

The Clamour for a ‘Fresh’ APC National Chairman by Chuks Okocha

Chuks Okocha writes on the need for the All Progressives’ Congress to focus on experience, character, charm and charisma in the choice of its next national chairman The ruling All Progressives’ Congress (APC) is yet to set a date for its national convention to elect national officers to steer the affairs of the largest party in Africa. These officers are members of the National Working Committee (NWC), the highest decision-making organ of the party after the National convention and National Executive Committee (NEC). Also, no word has yet come from the party on where the respective NWC officers would come from. But there is a good chance of the zoning formula coming to play. Given the consensus that President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor in 2023 should come from the South, it is expected, naturally, that the next APC National Chairman should come from the North. And all eyes appear riveted to the North-central, a zone which hasn’t much to show for overwhelmingly supporting the party in 2015 and in 2019. Aside zoning, APC leaders and supoorters are uncertain about what to look out for in electing a new national chairman. There are those who believe that “experience in administration” should count; that any aspirant to the office of the national chairman should have a proven record as a great administrator of men and resources. Such an aspirant, this school of thought believes, must have held a noteworthy political office – like that of a governor or its equivalent. On the other hand, there are those who believe that APC, a party that rode to power on the mantra of change, should break from its tradition of electing only ex-political office holders as national chairman. They argue that no experience as a former political office holder can compare to leading a robust party like APC, adding that “fresh waters” begets fresh ideas. They also believe that the current challenges of the party demand a contemporary approach that only the literary “fresh waters” can allow to thrive. Proponents of this ideology are also quick to point to three successive former governors – Chiefs Bisi Akande, John Oyegun, and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who did their best in advancing the APC cause but could have done more. Chief Bisi Akande was a Second Republic deputy governor. Between 1999 and 2003, he served as Governor of Osun State. Chief Oyegun was Edo State Governor in the truncated Third Republic. On his part, immediate past National Chairman Oshiomhole spent eight years as Governor of Edo State. All along, the problem had been the interplay of centrifugal and centripetal political forces between the old and new “brigades” in APC. For instance, in the build-up to the 2019 general election, APC stalwarts, especially the forum of Progressive Governors led by former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, felt that Chairman Oyegun, whom they said was amiable, deserved a tenure extension. However, Okorocha’s position was stoutly opposed by some founding fathers of the party, who contended that the party needed a gritty character to counter the grating opposition mounted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Thus, at the 2018 APC National Convention, tough-talking Oshiomhole was drafted to take over from Oyegun. But years later, it would emerge that the “strong man” in Oshiomhole despite his laudable achievement of successfully leading the party to the presidential poll, brought a set back to APC. The Oshiomhole Chairmanship is blamed for the party’s loss of Benue, Oyo and Zamfara states to the PDP. This was also worsened by his irreconcilable differences with the Governor of his home state Godwin Obaseki. Edo State inevitably went the PDP way. It is interesting that certain stakeholders, worried about the future of APC after the Buhari presidency, are demanding a break from a tradition of selecting National Chairmen fron among the pool of former governors. Political observers are also quick to recall the history of the opposition PDP as a lesson to the ruling APC. They argued that PDP had the best of times under the leadership of non-governors. They cite the current stability PDP is enjoying under Prince Uche Secondus, who was never a governor. They also point to persons like Chief Audu Ogbeh, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, Barnabas Gemade, and Dr. Ahmadu Ali, who were not former governors, yet led the PDP well. On the other hand, they argued that the only time the PDP had major challenges was when the likes of Senator Ali Modu-Sherif and Ahmed Makarfi led the party as National Chairmen. They are also quick to mention the tumultuous period of former Governor Adamu Muazu of Bauchi State. “Only foolish persons wait to learn from their own mistakes. Wise people learn from the mistakes of others. Look at the harm PDP suffered under the chairmanship of the ex-governors. Look at what ex-governors did to APC. We have to look outside of this vicious circle if the party wants to progress,” submitted Hon. Mohammed Adamu, a Nasarawa-based political analyst and chieftain of the APC in the state. Another party chieftain that believes in this school of thought is Pastor Ezekiel Alonge, a former National Financial Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC). Alonge believes that the APC should never repeat what he described as the “mistakes of the past.” “We shouldn’t be ashamed to admit that we made mistakes in APC. What we need at this point is to correct them. What we need at this point in APC is an amiable, cool-headed, listening administrator, with the capacity and experience to heal the party,” the APC scribe said in a recent interview in Lagos. He continued: “We should resist the temptation of selecting people with known history of abandoning their party when it suits. We need committed persons, whose loyalty is to the APC and to the APC alone. We need men of character, not just anybody.” “The contest this time would not be a contest of title but of ideas on how to use politics, progressives politics, to better the lot of the country. In other words, it is not about weather you are a former this or former that but about experience, about untainted loyalty and about strong political leadership that is capable of lining up behind the present and next government for national transformation.” Whether it is next month as being speculated or later in the year, whenever the National Convention of the APC is fixed the person who emerges as the next party chair will determine whether the party will remain united or not. Both Messrs Adamu and Alonge agree.

Cross River Governor, Ben Ayade, defects to APC by Ada Wodu

The Governor of Cross River State, Prof Ben Ayade, on Thursday defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. He announced the decision after a closed-door meeting with six APC governors that lasted over an hour at the executive chamber of the Governor’s Office in Calabar. The governors in attendance were those of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi; Jigawa, Mohammed Badaru; Yobe, Mai Mala Buni; Kebbi, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; Imo, Hope Uzodima; and Plateau, Simon Along, as well as the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva. Speaking during the defection, Ayade said, “We need to join hands with President Buhari in his determination to enhance the fortunes of the country. “I need all governors to similarly join me and understand my decision to join the APC. “We need to work ahead with the president for the future and unity of Nigeria. We all need to sit at the same dining table with Mr Presidential to save Nigeria. “It is my responsibility to bring back Cross River to the centre in order to enhance her fortunes. “I therefore formally declare myself a member and leader of APC in Cross River State.” Also, speaking after Ayade joined the party, Governor Buni said the governor automatically becomes the leader of the party in the state. Reacting, former Special Adviser to former President Olusegun Obasanjo on National Assembly, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, said the decision of the Governor is a “Right move in the right direction. Where the leader of the state goes, I go with him.” The Secretary to the State Government, Tina Banku-Agbor in her reaction said “the Governor has taken the right decision. We give him the chance. He is the right leader.” Other political appointees such as commissioners and special advisers declined to comment on the governor’s defection. It was gathered that some appointees were taken unawares, though some saw it coming. Prior to the defection, Governor Ayade had complained about the manner he was being treated in PDP, especially being denied the leadership of the party in the state. Crisis had rocked the party in the state over the control of the party at all levels.

Executive Order #10: We’re resolving implementation issues ― Governors

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says parties involved in Executive Order #10 are working earnestly to resolve the issues surrounding the implementation of the order. The forum said this in a communiqué issued on Wednesday night after its 30th teleconference. President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020 signed into law Executive Order No. 10 of 2020 for the implementation of financial autonomy for state legislature and judiciary order. The forum in the communiqué signed by it Chairman and the Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, said talks on the Order had reached an advanced stage with the Ministry of Labour, conference of Speakers, and the National Judicial Council. “There are, however, legal aspects of the order that need to be tied up, but which cannot take place if officials responsible for these final processes are on strike. “Governors are happy to implement the demands of the judiciary and the Legislature,” he said. The NGF, however, resolved to call for the immediate dissolution of the Presidential Implementation Committee on the Autonomy of State Legislature and Judiciary. The forum said the presidential committee was now acting as a permanent committee “basically misguiding and overheating the relationship between state governments and the other arms of government.” The NGF also agreed on the need to continue to maintain COVID public health guidelines and vaccination protocols to ensure that the transmission of the virus was kept at the lowest level possible. ALSO READ: 4th Mainland Bridge to gulp $2.5bn now — Lagos govt The communiqué noted that the Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who is the NGF Chairman, Sub-Committee interfacing with the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 provided an update to the Forum on the activities of the PSC. It stated that Okowa informed the forum’s members of the expected commencement of the administration of the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country, starting with those who received the first batch of the vaccine. “The Governor noted that the PSC is currently working to get additional vaccine doses for the country. “He urged his colleagues to continue to maintain COVID public health guidelines to ensure that the transmission of the virus is kept at the lowest level possible,” the communiqué stated. It added that Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, gave a briefing on the appropriate pricing of PMS in Nigeria, calling for full deregulation. It quoted el-Rufai as noting that between N70 billion and N210 billion was estimated to be spent every month to keep petrol price at N162/litre, “a situation that is completely unsustainable.” It noted that el-Rufai also briefed his colleagues on the labour crisis in Kaduna State. “The NGF noted that it stands with the Governor of Kaduna State in his quest to improve the productivity of workers and their rights for a better quality of life. “NGF recognises that what is happening in Kaduna State, will reverberate in each of the states. “The forum encourages the governor of Kaduna and all other governors to remain steadfast in the pursuit of human rights protection while ensuring that actions taken do not undermine the safety and security of lives. “NGF appeals to both parties in Kaduna State to resolve the issues in the interest of the state as the protection of human rights for the collective good of all citizens and growth of our dear country, Nigeria, is what matters most.” The teleconference was the 7th of such in year 2021. (NAN)

On Nigeria’s 11,886 abandoned projects, by Mohammed Salihu

According to public chronologies, the present unfortunate abandoned project crisis in Nigeria was hatched during the period of 1973–1983, specifically the oil boom era, when the country had to embark on infrastructural development winging ungainly, which led to poor project management. And the aftershocks are still very much with us. The success rate for project delivery started to decline over the years, and since then we never made up the lost ground. At date, circa N7.5 trillion projects are presently in jeopardy from poor project management and related bottlenecks. This is the combined value of the 11,886 abandoned projects reported by the President Jonathan committee of 2014 and those of the Abuja Mega projects recently revealed by the media. Obviously, this is weakening the economy and also causing massive loss of employment opportunities across the country. The prevailing situation doesn’t portray us as serious people and country, because if we cannot organize to manage projects successfully, then how can we expect to manage a country in this 21st century and beyond? Our growing record of project failure is a very sad development and worrying as well. This is because in today’s fast-paced business world, project management is a necessity, not a luxury, as more than one-fifth of the world’s economic activities are now being organized as projects, with an annual value of about $15 trillion dollars. Thus, one can only imagine how high the stakes are across the globe. Project management has become increasingly essential for development and one of the new ventures for growth. It is true that while almost every project may face some technical, cultural, legal, and economic issues during their life cycles, however, they can be diagnosed as well; so the stakeholders know the problems, review the plans and return the project on track, rather than left to fail or become abandoned. Also, we must know for a fact that the purpose of the officials, consultants and other specialists assigned to these projects; who usually embark on expensive trips, attend project meetings and who incurred humongous project expenses; are for the success of the projects and overall interest of the public. We cannot continue to be eluded by project success everywhere in the country; this is irresponsible and unacceptable. Our present circumstances and this year’s revelation of the abandoned Abuja mega projects should make us try to do something to end project failures. A longtime project management professor of mine once told me in a passing comment that project failure, without a doubt, is one of the worst pieces of legacy a government and generation can leave behind them. Nigeria, as a developing nation, must embark on ambitious reengineering of the process and people used for project management and leave the legal issues of project failures from contract defaults or breach of trust to lawyers and experts who know the terms of the contracts to handle them. We must focus more on what should be our major concern as citizens and stakeholders of our own projects; the project management processes i.e. the conception, planning, coordination, and construction of infrastructure and their disturbing outcomes so far. And here’s the mystery, striking to those of us of a certain age – that is, old enough to have already been studying or doing project management in the past two decades, government had processes, project managers, engineers, consultants, project offices, other project infrastructures etc., that is expected to exist, yet for some abnormal reasons, there is no clear consensus about what, if any, lessons we should draw from years of terrible project management outcomes. So why don’t the project teams raise the red flag when project failures start manifesting? The answers to this question were mixed reactions, but across the country many can only think of it as conspiracies to divert public funds using the projects as the conduits, sad but true. It is time to end this irresponsible practice of avoidable project failures; Project Management isn’t any rocket science! Our universities and other research centers, should as a matter of both urgency and obligation develop a method for a project management practice that ensures dynamism of project success in the country. The existing project management culture seems to have no impact; it is also very wasteful and breeding corruption. Project management is not only about fancy titles, expensive trips, branded vehicles, allowances, meetings, employment; it is ultimately for the deliverables and the products. Public projects are usually undertaken to address urgent public needs, as such citizens should always take interest in how they are managed and delivered. The government must be very clear on the directions for managing projects. It takes the cooperation of all stakeholders to bring a project to a successful completion; this requires defining the vision, planning the tasks, organizing the project team, capital budgeting, scheduling and overseeing the work to the finish line religiously. And, maybe, I should ask this: why didn’t any branch of the government consider it worth taking up the responsibility to address the issue of the reported abandoned projects in the past weeks? During President Jonathan’s reign, when the issue came up, he set up a committee promptly, we expect nothing less from this government, but more. Anyway, as far as I can tell, the political leadership in Nigeria always plays politics with projects; as patronages for loyalists – it is political survival at the public expense! In conclusion, we must collectively as a nation all go to bat to be able to achieve outstanding project successes for our own good, if we cannot, then we must blame ourselves on it, as project management has been around for thousands of years and was used in the construction of the Ancient Wonders of the World, so we cannot blame it for on our woos, but our poor application of it.

On the Asaba revolt by southern governors - by Simon Kolawole

If you are a keen observer of Nigerian politics, or should I say politicking, you must have noticed many unusual things about the meeting of the 17 southern governors in Asaba, Delta state, on Tuesday. In the first place, that the southern governors met at all — and, mind you, every single governor was present; none was represented by a deputy — is one of the most unusual occurrences since the dawn of this democratic era. While the 19 northern governors meet regularly, the last time southern governors met as a bloc, from my records, was in October 2017. And that was after a 12-year hiatus. The first meeting was hosted by then Lagos governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in 2002. Another unusualness is the “solidarity”. I have always argued that unlike the north that pursues common interests with a single mind no matter the partisan divide, southern politicians traditionally lack a sense of solidarity. Not only are they divided along party lines, the dominant ethnic groups, Igbo and Yoruba, are eternally at each other’s neck, bickering over who owns Lagos and who doesn’t, and spitting bile over the £20 token compensation for the Biafran currency after the civil war. There is also a feeling in the south-south that the south-west conspired with the north to chase President Goodluck Jonathan out of office in 2015. Thus, the Asaba gathering is noteworthy. It is also unusual, I would say, for the current set of southern governors, apart from Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, to openly criticise Buhari. Although many governors privately grumble about the president’s lopsided appointments and inaction on many issues, they say something else in public, like sycophants. It’s as if they fear or idolise Buhari so much that they cannot criticise him. This was unlike the case of President Jonathan whom most governors used as toothpick when he was in office. I believe some of the governors who signed the Asaba communique did so reluctantly and I wouldn’t be shocked if they secretly called Buhari later at night to explain themselves remorsefully. The Asaba Revolt, if you permit that rather strong expression, is all the more manifest in the resolution of the governors to demand a ban on open grazing and physical movement of cattle “across Southern Nigeria” — the keyword being “south”. The incursion of “armed herders, criminals and bandits” into the south, the governors said, “has presented a severe security challenge such that citizens are not able to live their normal lives including pursuing various productive activities leading to a threat to food supply and general security”. Open grazing has become a touchy political and ethnic issue in Nigeria since the escalation of herders/farmers conflicts in the last four to five years. Restructuring — the southern cudgel — expectedly featured in the communique, but the southern governors were more specific, or narrow, unlike the regular agitators. They specifically demanded (1) evolution of state police (2) review of revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national governments (which will favour all the 36 states and 774 local governments, by the way), and (3) the creation of other institutions which legitimately advance commitment to and practice of “true federalism”. Of course, the governors know that Buhari cannot grant any of these three demands. They are clearly constitutional matters to be handled by federal and state lawmakers. What do I think, generally? To start with, I do not want to pre-empt the governors on the proposal to ban open grazing as the details are still sketchy. My preliminary comment would be that you cannot ban open grazing overnight. It has to be well planned. You are dealing with millions of cattle, millions of jobs, millions of families, vital protein nutrition and a multibillion-dollar chain. You cannot disrupt this in one day. There would be unintended consequences. The insecurity will grow beyond crimes — which you may even expect the security agencies to tackle — but will extend to untold economic and nutritional crises, disrupting the livelihood of even southerners in the lengthy value chain. Many are unaware that it is not just the herders that benefit from the cattle business. In fact, they are just a dot in the long line. All they do is breed and sell cattle. By the time the beef lands on your table, values have been created along the line through trading, banking, butchering, processing and vending. Cooking will invite a mesh of ingredients into the pot and Nestlé knows that. The food seller’s business is nothing without the beef, which is still the cheapest animal protein in Nigeria. The cow dung is manure for farmers. The bones are used to make chinaware. You know what? Millions of southerners benefit from the chain and probably make more money than the herders themselves! To be sure, northern governors had also admitted in February that “the current system of herding conducted mainly through open grazing is no longer sustainable in view of growing urbanisation and population of the country”. This was a major shift, coming in the wake of the ethnic tension generated by the quit notice issued to northerners in some southern states over the activities of criminals believed to be herders. Unlike the Asaba resolution, however, northern governors spoke about a transition process, announcing that they had resolved “to aggressively sensitise herdsmen on the need to adopt new methods of herding by ranching or other acceptable modern methods”. If southern governors are to ban open grazing and physical movement of cattle, there must be a programme of action which will include transportation and resettlement. One of the best ways of making an ineffective law is to make a law that cannot be obeyed. The end result is more chaos that can only stoke fire across the country. You cannot make herding disappear overnight. The good thing, I think, is that the hardliners in the north have moved from saying “open grazing is Fulani culture” and have now come to accept that things cannot continue like this. The socio-political consequences have damaged Nigeria and only an enemy of progress will insist on the status quo. Luckily, there are vast lands in the north where the herders can be resettled. I have heard a lot about how Kano Governor Abdullahi Ganduje is making tremendous progress in creating large grazing reserves in the state. That, to me, looks like problem-solving in place of rabble-rousing. Transitioning from open grazing to ranching has to be methodical. It is not a communiqué issue. Since it cannot be enforced overnight, the order will be difficult to obey and the southern governors will only end up giving more ammunition to the Sunday Igbohos and Nnamdi Kanus to continue their ethnic campaigns. The consequences may not spare any part of Nigeria. We need to pause and think. The southern governors asked President Muhammadu Buhari to respect “federal character” in his appointments. This was a bit shocking to me. I used to think southerners see “federal character” as a dirty phrase to be despised and avoided. I have always argued that those who wrote “federal character” into our constitution were not stupid — they wanted to avoid domination by any part of the country. The only way to ensure fairness and promote a sense of belonging in a multi-ethnic federation is to make sure significant federal appointments reflect our diversity. Some analysts believe that a part of the current tension in Nigeria is fuelled by Buhari’s pattern of appointments. I was on the phone with a southern governor recently. He said northerners were systematically replacing southerners in positions “zoned” to the south: finance ministry, FIRS, NIMASA, etc. “The president, a northerner, is the minister of petroleum. The NNPC GMD is a northerner. Most agencies under the petroleum ministry are headed by northerners,” he lamented. One southern minister said he did not want to renew the tenure of a “disloyal” agency head (they are from the same state) but had to rethink “because they may go and bring somebody from Katsina state to replace him”. The rascal in me quietly jested: didn’t these guys say federal character should never matter? While I am not trying to downplay the worries and demands of the southern governors, I am more interested in how they can work with Buhari to tackle this crippling insecurity and stop the bleeding in the land. Open grazing needs to stop, I agree; strategic federal appointments must reflect our diversity, I don’t dispute that; Buhari needs to talk to his citizens to calm their nerves, I accept; we need to restructure Nigeria, I concur (although my own ideas are about socio-economic restructuring rather than disguised balkanisation). But, most importantly, what Nigeria needs urgently is first aid. Nigeria is bleeding so profusely that the incurable optimists are worried. I sympathise with the southern governors: they are under pressure from the streets to say or do something, otherwise they will soon be unable to leave the government house. In 1999-2003, governors of core northern states were under similar tremendous pressure from the streets, with the influence of clerics, to declare Sharia. This is politics: if you don’t eat, you will be eaten. But let us keep this in mind: we need to tackle this insecurity decisively and immediately. All other issues, including open grazing, practising “true federalism” and Biafra, will only be relevant if the prevailing anarchy does not consume us all. Nigerians need to be alive first; other things can always follow. AND FOUR OTHER THINGS… LIKE MAGU, LIKE HADIZA For those who keep saying they can go into government and make a positive impact, I would advise them to take it easy and learn from Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, the suspended MD of the NPA, and Mallam Ibrahim Magu, the sacked boss of the EFCC. Nigeria will kill your spirit. Though far from being perfect (who is perfect?), they both put in decent shifts in tackling the Nigerian rot. Hadiza has been touching the untouchables who think they can get away with anything in Nigeria. Sadly, Hadiza and Magu erroneously thought they had the full backing of President Buhari. I think the signals to forthright people in Buhari’s government are very clear: you are on your own. Unfortunate. PASTOR’S PLAN B Pastor Paul Adefarasin, the senior pastor of House on The Rock, trended on social media when he asked his church members to have a Plan B out of Nigeria — even if it is to flee to Cameroon — because of the current situation. You can pardon Adefarasin, who happens to be one of my favourite pastors, because he is an elite pastor speaking to his elite gathering. The elite will always take care of themselves. In fact, many have multiple citizenships. But let us spare a thought for over 150 million Nigerians who cannot even afford to pay visa fees much less buy flight tickets. And, sadly, they are the most-hit victims of this dysfunctional Nigerian state — with no possible Plan B. Tragic. REMAKING NIGERIA I just got a copy of ‘Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices’, edited by Chido Onumah. It is a book of essays by a diverse collection of writers and thinkers Nigeria can boast off, all discussing the present and the future of Nigeria. Among the contributors are: Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Adebola Williams, Doifie Buokoribo, Amina Salihu, Dike Chukwumerije, Ruona Meyer, Zainab Usman, Idayat Hassan, Chris Adetayo and Yemi Adamolekun — to name but a few of the array of writers who have consistently contributed to nation building in their spheres of influence. The diagnoses and prescriptions are there and well-articulated. The will to transform Nigeria is the next step. Vital. CRUDE IGBOHOISM Chief Sunday Igboho, the so-called Yoruba rights activist, made uncharitable comments on the death of the son of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the general overseer of RCCG. His grouse is that Adeboye has not been using his pulpit to support the agitation for Oduduwa Republic. That Igboho, a veteran political thug, has become a revered leader among the Yoruba is one thing, but that a Yoruba would be hailed for mocking the death of anyone at all says a lot about where the values of Oduduwa descendants are headed. Igboho, whose own family is reportedly in Germany, can continue to beat the drums of war but the comment on late Dare Adeboye is totally distasteful and disgusting. Crude.

N10bn fraud: EFCC probes Afegbua’s allegations, summons PDP chiefs by John Alechenu

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced investigations into an alleged N10bn fraud levelled against the Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party. A document obtained by The PUNCH in Abuja on Tuesday indicated that the anti-graft agency had written a letter inviting the party’s National Auditor, National Organising Secretary and Director of Finance to meet with its Head of Operations at the EFCC National Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, beginning from Wednesday (today). The letter of invitation with reference number: CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/EG2/12 / Vol 2/146, dated May 17, 2021, was addressed to the National Chairman, PDP Secretariat. Titled, ‘Investigation activities, letter of invitation for information,” the letter reads, ‘The commission is investigating an alleged case of criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of funds and fraud in which the need to obtain certain clarifications from your party has become imperative. “In view of the above, you are requested to kindly release the under-listed officers of your party to attend an interview with the undersigned on the below scheduled dates at the Economic Governance Section 2, EFCC Headquarters 2nd floor, flat 301 and 302 Institution and Research District, Jabi, Abuja by 1000 hours.” The commission said the national auditor should come on Wednesday , the national organising secretary on Thursday and the director of finance, on Friday. “The officers should come along with relevant documents on the sale of forms into the party’s elective positions from January 2017 to date,” the statement signed by Michael Wetkas, Head of Operations, added. The investigation was triggered by a petition filed by a member of the party, Mr Kazeem Afegbua, who alleged that money generated from the sale of forms and other sources totalling N10bn was unaccounted for. The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, and other party leaders, however, dismissed the claim as untrue. The PUNCH gathered that Afegbua’s petition was triggered by the contents of a leaked memo of an auditor’s query on financial transactions involving the PDP leadership. The National Auditor of the party, Adamu Mustapha, had alleged that his office was oblivious about the party’s financial transactions since 2017. In the memo, Mustapha had said, “The purpose of this alarm is to bring to the notice of this NWC the inability of the audit department to perform its functions as enshrined in the constitution and the extant laws, to illustrate as example, the audit department was incapacitated by lack of access to the necessary inputs that will enable it to discharge its duties. “For whatever reasons, there is no access to all financial transactions (cash inflows and outflows) documents of the party like cashbooks, receipts. vouchers, registers cheques and bank statements all of which are necessary input or pre-audit for due process, internal control and reconciliation.” He later addressed the media at the instance of the party leadership, where he denied accusing the national chairman of financial malfeasance. Ologbodiyan explained that the audit query had been dealt with and issues raised therein adequately addressed by the parties NWC and the NEC. PUNCH.