2015: Northern leaders’ opposition to Jonathan, a huge joke – Gulak.

By SONI DANIEL
Alhaji Ahmad Gulak, a lawyer and politician is the Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Goodluck Jonathan. He can be described as a sharp shooter because he does not mince words on issues bothering on the administration and Nigeria.
His depth of knowledge of contemporary Nigerian issues, eloquence, fearlessness and outspokenness, especially on matters that seem to touch on his boss, have singled him out as one of the most visible aides of President Jonathan.
In this interview Gulak takes the opponents of the President to task and warned them to desist from distracting Mr. President from concentrating on the job Nigerians elected him to do.
He particularly warns former President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop stirring the political waters ahead of the 2015 poll and describes northern leaders’ opposition to Jonathan’s 2015 ambition as the greatest joke of the century. The interview is explosive and irresistible. Excerpts:

WHAT do you make of former President Obasanjo’s alleged endorsement of Governors Sule Lamido and Rotimi Amaechi for President and Vice President in 2015?
As politician, that does not surprise me because everyone is entitled to their one’s opinions. Everybody has constitutional rights to aspire and to assume leadership of certain positions to anoint or be anointed.
But the President’s position is that we need to use the time at our disposal to work for the overall benefit of the country and desist from dissipating energy on what does not bring any benefit to Nigerians.

Gulak…President needs time to focus on issues

And anybody who is deeply involved in 2015 talks now, I think, is not being fair to this country. If it is true that Obasanjo is fronting Lamido and Amaechi for 2015, I assume it is not true, I would say that he has his own right. But the question is in what capacity would he do that?  Is it as the father of the nation or the President of Nigeria or what?
First, Obasanjo is not the president of Nigeria and secondly, although he is one of our leaders, nobody has arrogated the monopoly of anointing candidates to him. But the fact as I have always said, is that Mr. President’s position is that it is too early to begin to dissipate energy on 2015.
We need to gear ourselves towards working for Nigeria. Anyone who is so involved in 2015 talks now is not fair to this country.
Having said that, if it is true that Obasanjo has done what has been credited to him, then it is safe to say that he is not fair to this country and I believe that what this country needs to do is to deliver on the promises made to the electorate in 2011. When we reach the bridge we shall cross it. But we are only in 2012, just one year after the last election.
Are we therefore telling Nigerians that everything is just about election? Why are we relegating to the background our promises to the nation? Obasanjo was part of the system from 1976 to 1979 and then from 1999 to 2007. Obasanjo should play the role of a father-figure, to advise and not to keep on poke-nosing into the affairs of the nation, to choose people who should run and who should not.
He had played his role, everybody gave him their support. One good turn deserves another. It is therefore incumbent on him to support President Jonathan to deliver on his electoral promises to the people and not to distract the system by stirring the political waters unnecessarily.
But don’t you think that it is the President’s apparent indecision about 2015 that has given the impetus to Obasanjo to make the political move?
You see it must be understood from the context of that particular fact. We say that we should focus on how to move this country forward first before we begin to do politics. Our infrastructure is in comatose: our railway system is not working, our educational system needs turnaround, our power generation is very low. Why don’t we focus attention on these critical areas?
Electricity generation
Why do we have to distract the administration at every turn?  As far as I am concerned everything is not all about election.
When the time for election comes, it will be addressed. But for now, let our leaders for God sake, support this administration to focus on electricity generation, distribution and transmission, support the turnaround of the educational system, let  us focus on making our railway system functional once more. Everything is not about election.
It is not only Obasanjo who has taken steps towards 2015. Some well-placed northerners have also warned the President not to collect form for the 2015 election because doing so would have kept the region out of power for too long.
That is the greatest joker of the century. For anybody to warn President Goodluck not to pick form or to aspire to lead the nation again is the greatest joke of the century. President Jonathan has that constitutional right and nobody can abridge it; it is left for him to decide whether to contest or not.
But no individual, group or institution can take away that right if we agree we are running a constitutional government, if we agree we are running a democratic government, if we agree it is the constitution that leads us. It is his right to run or not. No individual or group has the right to warn President Jonathan not to aspire to lead the nation as provided by the law of the land.
You can’t ask him not to pick the party’s nomination form. Nobody can intimidate President Jonathan, absolutely nobody because by the grace of God, he is the president of Nigeria. The fact that the man is simple, humble and does not abuse executive powers like some of our past leaders does not mean that he is weak.
Talking about constitutional provision, are you aware of the provision in the law that prohibits a person from being sworn in more than two times? A PDP member has already gone to court to stop the president from contesting in 2015, arguing that he would have been sworn in for the third time, if he wins.
That issue came up in 2003 when Obasanjo was taken to court by Buhari. They said Obasanjo had been sworn in several times and should not have contested the election in 2003. Although the present situation is not the same with that of Obasanjo, it must be made clear that President Jonathan contested election in 2011 for the first time and won. He was given the mandate to run this country for four years, which will terminate in 2015. Do you mean to tell me that if the constitution allows somebody to go for a second and last leg of his office, somebody has any right to attempt to reduce his eight-year mandate to six years?
The argument of his opponents is that he completed Yar’Adua’s remaining tenure.
That argument has no place in law at all. The constitution says eight years. Why should they abridge it to five or six years? If we want our democratic culture to improve, there are certain things we must put in place.
In America for instance, incumbent presidents are not allowed to contest primaries with any other candidate within the party. So, if PDP must put its house in order, they should adopt that system-that an incumbent should be challenged by any other party candidate. The reason is that internal contest in the party, especially when incumbent is involved is so dirty that the opposition party would exploit it at the general election and hammer the party seriously. That is what we want to avoid. My position is that unless a sitting president or governor is incurably bad and non-performing, he should be given the opportunity to go for a second term without any primary election.
But Dr. Junaid Mohammed and Malam Nasir El-Rufai, two prominent northern leaders, recently asked Mr. President to step aside for being unable to provide solutions to the country’s problems. What do you think about the advice?
Let me start with El-Rufai. I will classify El-Rufai as the most disappointing young man in this country. He is so disappointing that a lot of people have lost their respect for him.
The most annoying thing about this country is that once somebody is out of the government, he now becomes an incorruptible person, they become watchdogs of the community, the spokesmen of  the society and the people begin to see them as their defenders.
Appointment on return from exile
Nigerians have not forgotten the activities of the Dino Melayes, the el-Rufais. These things are on record. So, if they say this administration has failed, I would not be surprised because of their posture. El-Rufai’s anger is that he is out of government. If Goodluck had given him appointment as minister when he returned from exile, he would not have been saying all these things about the government. During Yar’Adua’s time he was in exile.
El-Rufai returned to this country through the benevolence of President Jonathan with high hopes, he would be made a minister. And when he was not made minister, he now began to criticize the government and the President. It is a shame. It is a very big shame the rate at which people who fail to get what they want from government, try to pull it down. That attitude cannot take this country to anywhere. It is a sordid situation indeed.
So, what do you think Junaid Mohammed wants from the government if not performance to move the country forward?
Junaid Mohammed has what I would call ‘diarrhoea of the mouth’. He enjoys sitting in his comfort zone and criticizing. There is insecurity in this country. We cannot deny it. Everybody believes there are people behind it and all Nigerians should rally round the administration to confront it because it is a national problem.
It is no more politics. Let us put politics out of it and face the reality at hand for the benefit of this country. Lives are being lost and property are being destroyed on a daily basis and if you are a true patriotic Nigerian, you must be concerned and begin to do whatever is possible to find answers to the problems and stop sitting down to criticize president Jonathan. Yes, he is the President but he needs everybody’s support when this type of matter comes up.
As someone who advises Mr. President politically, were you surprised when he said he did not give a damn to making his assets public during a recent media chat? Do you believe Mr. President is serious about checking corruption?
Jonathan is somebody who says what he means and means what he says. There is no law in Nigeria that mandates the President to declare his asset publicly.
Freedom of Information Act
There is none. Therefore, if there is no law that mandates him to declare his asset publicly and if he has done what the constitution warrants him to do, why should people prevail on him to do what the law does not say? With the Freedom of Information Act in place, Nigerians are free to approach the Code of Conduct Bureau and get information on the asset.
But the CCB says the law has to be amended by the National Assembly before they can even make the asset declarations of public officers  public. But I insist that we should always work by the law and leave sentiments alone. Whether you like President  Jonathan’s face or not, he remains the president and he derives his powers and responsibilities from the constitution of the land.
So,if they want the constitution to be amended, they should go to the National Assembly and the State Assembly to amend the law to give them access to whatever they want in this country. It is not in the president’s powers to amend the constitution to give them what they want. You see, what I hate in this scenario is that Obasanjo was on the saddle for eight years. In spite of his limitations, he did his best and left the scene. He was from the Yoruba extraction of the South-West and a Christian.
People supported him and nobody asked him to declare his assets publicly. Now, Jonathan is on the seat. He did not give that seat to himself: Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for him. In first place, when Yar’Adua passed on,the constitution states that his vice should step in as the President. But you know what we passed through for him to take over as provided for in the law.
There was political upheaval before we could get the now famous ‘Doctrine of Necessity’ to allow Jonathan to take over. Why Jonathan? Is he not a Nigerian?
Doesn’t he have the constitutional right to aspire to the highest office in this country?
People should leave out sentiments in governance. Today it is Goodluck Jonathan, tomorrow it may be Hassan Adamu and all that we want is for all Nigerians to support the President to move this country forward. The support is not about him as a person but about Nigeria and its people. Whether you like Goodluck Jonathan’s face or not he is the President and there is nothing any of those opposed to him can do about it.
Nigerians are still unhappy that the Presidency has not done enough to punish those who squandered the subsidy funds. What is your reaction to that?
Here they come again. We are not running a military regime. You cannot just go and bundle people to the prison because of mere allegations that he has stolen some money or has committed a crime. No, it does not work like that.
If you are alleging that somebody has committed a crime, the first step is to subject the suspect to proper investigation by the operatives of the law or experts. This, the administration has done-the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the police are on the matter.
But as far as some Nigerians are concerned, they would want Mr. President to pack the suspects straight to the prison. No, that will not happen because the court would release them when the cases go on trial. We are doing is to subject the suspect to thorough investigation, amass sufficient evidence to guarantee conviction, then you take them to court.
Do you believe what you are saying will still happen when the sons and close associates of top PDP chieftains are involved in the subsidy fraud?
Let me assure you that President Goodluck Jonathan is not going to spare or support anybody. He has no sacred cows; whether you are the son of Bamanga Tukur or Ahmadu Ali or the son of Gulak. If the current investigation confirms that anyone had committed fraud, they will face the music. That is Goodluck Jonathan for you.
The Christian Association of Nigeria in the North last week lamented that President Jonathan had failed them for not deploying force to deal with Boko Haram. Do you believe the government has done enough to protect Nigerians from Boko Haram?
I have taken time to reflect on that development. It was a misguided statement from the CAN. The insecurity in the country affects everybody-the Muslims, Christians, the Yorbuba, the Igbo, Hausa, Fulani etc. Every Nigerian is a victim. You have heard that there was a bomb blast at the Central Mosque in Maiduguri and the Shehu of Borno escaped by the whisker.
The same thing happened in Damaturu; you have heard that some people planned to go and bomb Kano during the Eid. These are all Muslim communities. So, what is happening is that the President cannot just deploy the tanks to go and kill suspected persons anywhere there is a threat. You have to use intelligence to swoop on those who are actually causing mayhem in this country.

CHANNELSTV: Political Reporter Deji Bademosi Quits After Clash With Owner John Momoh- PREMIUM TIMES.

Deji Badamosi

By Ben Ezeamalu

Multiple award winning TV journalist, and one of the nation’s most talented broadcast journalists, Deji Bademosi, has resigned his appointment with Channels Television over what sources described as “irreconcilable differences” with the Chairman of the station, John Momoh.
Mr. Bademosi, who was Head of the television’s Political Desk, tweeted on Friday that he had quit his position at the station.
“My time with Channels Television has now ended. Looking to new challenges,” Mr. Bademosi, a Mass Communication graduate from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, tweeted on Friday evening.
Both Mr. Bademosi and CHANNELS are reluctant to speak on the resignation of a reporter  who won several laurels for self and station.
When contacted on the phone Saturday, Mr. Bademosi, who was also Channels TV’s Head of Reportorial Team, said he’d rather not talk about the matter.
“I can only confirm that I resigned on Friday,” he said. “I don’t  want to say anything more because I remain grateful to CHANNELS for providing me the platform to showcase my skills.”
Mr. Momoh too confirmed the reporter’s departure. ”What’s wrong with someone resigning? Mr. Momoh told PREMIUM TIMES. “He’s tired of working here and has gone on to something else. It’s okay.”
Sources, however, say that the relationship between Mr. Bademosi, who had spent almost a decade at the organization, and Mr. Momoh has strained lately.
It was gathered that the last straw was when the management issued a directive, earlier in the week, that editors must get approval from Mr. Momoh, before assigning reporters to any assignment.
“The management ruled that editors must contact the chairman wherever he is in the world before assigning reporters to any assignment,” a highly placed official told PREMIUM TIMES Saturday.
“Things haven’t been rosy between him and the Channels management,” another source said.
"Before then, what led to the memo was a clash between the chairman and Deji.
“Deji had assigned a reporter to go and cover a PDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) press conference in Ogun State,” the source added.
The press briefing was organized by the Bayo Dayo faction of the PDP, who are at loggerheads with the group led by former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
“While at the assignment, the personal assistant to the chairman called the reporter and asked him to leave the assignment and return to the office.
“The reporter refused,” the source said.
However, after the story, which had been approved by Mr. Bademosi and the controller of news, had been lined up in the bulletin for broadcast; the chairman’s assistant showed up again.
“The PA said that the chairman directed that the tape of the assignment be handed over to him, but they (Mr. Bademosi and the controller of news) refused.
“The chairman then personally came down and ordered that the tape be given to him. He confiscated the tape.
“Deji said that he could not work in an environment where editors do not have powers and must get approval from the chairman before any event is covered,” said the source, who added that Mr. Momoh attends editorial meeting and talks to editors “like babies.”
Mr. Momoh declined to comment on his directive that editors must seek his approval before detailing reporters to cover events.
“I think you should contact the director of news on that,” he said. ”I am the chairman of the company. I think you need to talk to the controller of news on that.”
But when one of the station’s two controller of news, Ambrose Okoh, was contacted, he denied knowledge of Mr. Bademosi’s resignation and the controversial directive by Mr. Momoh.
“I don’t have details of what you are talking about,” he said. “Come to the office on Monday so we can talk about it.”
Before his resignation, Mr. Bademosi anchored one of the most popular programmes on the station, ‘Politics Today’.

TICKER: South African Brewery comes to Nigeria, production plant located in Anambra.

inShare

The South African Brewery (SAB) has made its entry into the Nigerian beer and beverage industry with its production plant in Anambra State. Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, while fielding questions from newsmen, said that the SAB production plant which will be commissioned this month in the State is the biggest in sub-Saharan Africa.
He observed that foreigners’ perception of Nigeria was at variance with the true situation in the country.
“The perception of Nigeria by foreigners is far worse than it is in reality. The truth is issues about Nigeria are usually over exaggerated by foreigners. The South African Brewery, if they show you their report and perception about Nigeria before coming to build their plant in the country, they wouldn’t have invested in the country.
For instance, if you look at Heineken’s global income, 11.5 per cent of their income is from Africa and Middle East. “Out of this 11.5 per cent, six per cent comes from Nigeria. Today, Guinness derives 6.1 per cent of its global income from Nigeria. In fact, Guinness sells more in Nigeria than its home country.
This will tell you that despite the challenges we have, which the Ministry of Trade and Investment is working with state governments to address, Nigeria still remains the best investment destination for genuine investors across the world,” he said.
Meanwhile, SAB operates seven breweries and 40 depots in South Africa with an annual brewing capacity of 3.1 billion litres. Its portfolio of beer brands are Carling Black Label, Hansa Pilsener, Castle Lager, Castle Lite and Castle Milk Stout. Its full brand portfolio includes ten beers and five flavoured alcoholic beverages.
- Vanguard

The Bakassi drama, by Ita-Giwa.

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The issue of the people of Bakassi Local Government Area, whose ancestral home in the Bakassi Peninsula was ceded to Cameroun by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is still on the front burner 10 years after. Last week, the leaders of the Bakassi Peoples General Assembly led by Senator Florence Ita-Giwa addressed a press conference in Lagos on the state of things in the area and the plight of the people. NDUBUISI ORJI, who was there brings the excerpts: Did you make any move to discuss with the Bakassi Self Determination Front, which declared the area a sovereign state before coming here to avoid internal conflict that may arise.
Anybody in any form that wants to draw attention to the Bakassi issue, we appreciate. We don’t know anything about that(secession). If that is their effort in helping us in bringing attention to the Bakassi issue, we are not going to sit here and condemn anybody. We are saying that as responsible grown up Nigerians, who are leaders, we do not believe in it, and we are not part of it. You were senator in the National Assembly, and worked with ex-president Obasanjo as special adviser.
As somebody who was close to the seat of power, why was it difficult for you to get anything done before Obasanjo left office. Two, given the fact that the incumbent president is from the Niger Delta region, what do you think is pulling him back from doing anything for your people? You know that in Nigeria, anything I say about Obasanjo is always seen to be in defence of Obasanjo. But you have said it the way it is here. And this is a life long struggle.
We started this struggle when I was young, and I have gotten into old age now, and we are still in the struggle. The truth is that I was actually invited to New York for the ceding. But unfortunately at the last minute, I was asked to leave the room because I am too emotional. The first meeting we went to in Geneva, I had a confrontation with the president of Cameroun, which was said not to be diplomatic. But my desperation did not look into the issue of diplomacy.
I had a direct confrontation with him ( camerounian president) . And we now went for the ceding and only Donald Duke, the then governor was allowed to be there. I don’t know what I would have done at that time. I am not saying that I would have done anything to stop the ceding. But subsequently, President Obasanjo kept asking me questions about what I think would be comfortable, and painless in relocating the people. And in Nigeria, decisions can be taken at the level of the federal government and implementation at the state level will be another problem.
I do understand that even before Obasanjo left office, he provided money for the immediate development of the area, that we are to be relocated to. But certain things happened quickly. I will also own up here that sometimes, it may not be to the advantage of the people that you are leading if you are friendly with government and are also trying to protect government by allowing things to go on. Because we were actually taken to an area that was very horrible-Ikang. But because it was done hurriedly, these things have to be done you have no choice at the time than to go along.
And of course, overnight, at the state level, they have brought out law no 7, which now made it imperative for us to go along with any arrangement. So, I will not say that Obasanjo made it as painless as he promised. But I would also say that Obasanjo made efforts at the level of the Federal Government. But whether those efforts were implemented at the state level, is another thing. I will also like to let you know that the reason why I am called mama Bakassi is because from constitutional conference to the Senate, I have never stopped talking about this issue, which has virtually consumed me. I am very happy today that everybody is crying with us. But I was alone voice in the wilderness for so many years.
The state (Cross River) did set up a resettlement committee. In fairness to the present governor, (Liyel) Imoke, he made me chairman of that committee, and we sat for almost six months or there about, and worked out ways and means that the resettlement will be conducted in a very painless way. We made recommendations. But unfortunately, as it is with this country, up till today, those recommendations have not been implemented.
It is also note worthy for me to mention here that (late President Musa) Yar’Adua in his life time also set up a committee which was headed by the present president, who was then vice president. And I know that maybe as Niger Delta son, he showed enough interest and enthusiasm in ensuring that a body was set up to actually come out and see our state and see the areas that we actually want to be relocated to. And I believe that Jonathan committee also made recommendations that would have facilitated our resettlement. But again, nothing has been heard about the report of that committee. You talked about the possibility of being relocated permanently to a location of your choice, would having a permanent settlement not militate against moves by the House of Reps to seek for a review of the ICJ judgement. There was no Bakassi person that was involved in the process.
At that time, we wished that Bakassi indigenes were invited to the Hague. I am sure you all know that at the time that Cameroun took Nigeria to court during (late General Sani) Abacha regime, Abacha ignored that process. As the soldier that he was, he refused to subject the country or himself to that judicial process. He rather chose to go to war to liberate the area. But at the time, that we say we are now democratized we want to play the good people, and we subjected ourselves to that process, and we lost the case. But I would want to say that no Bakassi indigene was asked for any input in that matter. No Bakassi indigene. Just like a mixed commission was set up and it was a non Bakassi person that was made a member of that commission.
I actually came out, because sometimes out of desperation, I will come out to say I want to do this, I want to do that. And I was described as being too emotional, too militant over the Bakassi issue. It was felt that I would not be able to work with other countries. The issue of resettlement, let’s be realistic. I don’t like play acting, especially when you are dealing with peoples lives. We have said it over and over again that we appreciate the efforts of the House of Representatives, even though it has taken ten years, eight weeks to the final day that we can appeal the ICJ judgment. Now, the people of Bakassi have been on the streets all these years.
They have been completely marginalized. When it got to the point that we could not even vote, we now felt that we have to rise up and act. Because if we cannot vote, then it means that these children that we are raising, when they grow up they will not be part of the democratic process of this country. Now, we have been disenfranchised. I did not vote (in the last general election). I do not know if I can contest elections again, and I am still politically ambitious. So, where will I go and use my voter’s card. What we need now is immediate resettlement, and if there is any possibility of going back to Bakassi peninsula, well and good. You all know that going through an appeal in an international court is not an easy thing. It probably will take at least 3,4,5 or 10 years.
We need to be resettled. We need to resettle our traditional institutions. Most of the traditional rulers are now refugees. We left things in Bakassi. We left our homes, we left the graves of our fore fathers in Bakassi, which is very painful. We almost lost our identity. They started describing us as numbers. I do not have the name of a village again, I was known as no 10 or ward 2. Can you imagine Ita –Giwa not having a village? I cannot go and claim my mother’s village, because I have a father. My father was a traditional ruler. So, what we need now is where we can go and settle down and call our home and it is also part of the former Bakassi.
It is also worthy for you to note that it is the Bakassi Peninsular that was ceded, not the local government. And that is why they say we can move with our structure. We want to be resettled in Dayspring. If you like call it temporarily, but we want to be resettled in Dayspring. Dayspring is Nigeria. So, if we are living there as a temporary arrangement, it is Nigeria and it can be made permanent after the court judgment. We are going to resist strongly any attempt by anybody to exclude us from being part of the review , from giving evidence, and part of the process of resettling us. We wear the shoes, and we know where it hurt. You kept talking about being resettled in Dayspring Island. Why is it difficult for the government to allow you go.? I wish I have an answer.
All I know is that we were forcefully taken to the place called Itang through law no 7. There is always drama going on in Nigeria, because as we speak now, law no 7 has been abandoned. But at the time, the resettlement committee, we recommended Dayspring. But I will like the government of Cross River state and Nigeria to tell Nigerians why they have not taken us to our place of choice. They took us to a land locked area. We were born in riverline, ocean front area.
We earn our incomes from the ocean. Our life style revolves around the ocean. Our life style does not strive in farmland, we are not farmers; we are fishermen. We are aquatic people. So, I like the government of this country to tell us why we have not been relocated to our place of choice. We actually offered to go and start developing the area for ourselves if we officially were allowed to go there.

Northern agenda in Nigerian politics.

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By ABIA ONYIKE
One of the major obstacles to genuine development and modernization in Nigeria is what some scholars have come to identify as the “Northern Project” or the “Northern Agenda” in Nigerian politics. The concept deals with the activities and ideas of elites of Northern extraction, who have been socialized to see Nigeria from a separatist and sometimes sectarian perspective. This mentality assumes ab initio that Pan-Nigerianism is an illusion, unattainable and therefore unrealistic.
Therefore, that the North must develop separately as a domineering force in Nigeria. However, the Northern project is not an invention of the incumbent or contemporary power elites in the North. It is an inherited world-view handed down to its current adherents by their forebears, most of who incidentally operated as founding fathers of the Nigeria nation. In the run-up to independence, such founding fathers like Alhaji Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa, among others, were more interested in the evolution of a Northern platform within the Nigerian federation.
To an extent, Chief Obafemi Awolowo – leader of the Yoruba West – entered Nigerian politics on the same premise, but was compelled by circumstances to strive to reconstruct his world-outlook. So, Nigeria became a strange place where elements who entered the political fray as sectional leaders at the same time masqueraded as nationalists. For instance, the history of India tells us about the undiluted patriotism of Mahatma Ghandi as the leader of modern India; same with Ghana (Kwawe Nkrumah),
Tanzania (Julius Nyerere), Cameroon (Ahmadu Ahidjo), Democratic Republic of Congo (Patrice Lumumba), Senegal (Leopold Senghor), post-apartheid South Africa (Nelson Mandela), Angola (Augustinho Neto), etc. I have never read nor heard that these venerated leaders of their various nations were too preoccupied with their own sections of the country and how to position those sections to gain some untoward advantage over others. Rather, they always saw the entire nation as their constituency, to the extent that their names became synonymous with their countries,
But in the Nigerian situation, the scenario was different. Northern leaders who remained tentative about the Pan-Nigeria experiment, were busy talking about their own section of the country and how to prop it to dominate the rest of the country. This mental state exposes a fundamental flaw of the Northern elite, which is that they had already surrendered the task of nation building. They may have felt inferior and incapable of leading the entire nation, hence their avowed commitment to leading only a part of it.
That feeling of inferiority led to a persecution complex – an attitude that complicated the process of nation-building in the first republic and led to its eventual collapse. Nation-building, especially in the case of a post-colonial state, requires an energetic and visionary leadership that must subscribe to the libertarian ethos of equity, justice, fair-play and unity of purpose.
The Northern leaders never hid their aversion for such important ingredients of development. From hindsight, we can now deduce that the conservative first-generation Northern elites were only interested in the preservation of the status ante. Part of this process involved the super-imposition of their will not only against other parts of Nigeria but also on the enclaves/vassal communities inside their region. Like I have argued elsewhere, it was this initial inordinate ambition that collapsed the first republic and set the stage for the civil war (1967 to 1970). Having failed to impose their will on the entire nation under a democratic dispensation, the Northern project opted for the use of military dictatorship.
This dubious and crude resort to militarism was then justified by them and their collaborators on account of the role the military played in crushing the struggle for self-determination embarked upon by the Eastern region of Nigeria. There are certainly some others who may argue that just as we have a Northern project, there are also the Western (Yoruba) project, and the Eastern (Igbo) project, which also imply that there is no Nigerian project after all. My answer to such a thesis would be that the Eastern or Igbo project was not a product of the original volition of the Igbo.
They were compelled to develop the agenda following their experience in the early 1950s and the civil war period. They had to adopt it in order to survive since other contending groups or forces in the Nigerian nation had proved to be more committed in their narrow-mindedness. As for the Western project, I believe the Yoruba elite had been amphibious and vacillated from one point of the pendulum to the other, depending on what they perceive to be their immediate objectives.
Awolowo enunciated what looked like a Yoruba project in the early 1950s and four years later adopted a Democratic Socialist platform, which ought to have buried the tribal and ethnic foundations of nascent Yoruba politics after independence in 1960. But the North made a major in-road into the West, co-opting Awo’s lieutenants (such as Akintola) in the process.
An attempt to resist the incursion created a national crises and the temporary subjugation of Awoism as a purely Pan-Yoruba or even Western force. Eventually, events unfolded which led to the supremacy of the Northern project assimilating the Yoruba project to form an alliance necessary to countervail the Igbo/Eastern project. So, the defeat of the Igbo attempt for self-determination coupled with the assimilation of the Yoruba into the mainstream Northern project marked a turning point in the reconstruction of post-war Nigerian politics. So, the period of 1970 to 1999 was dominated by the military-bureaucratic oligarchy.
The North dominated the military apparatus of power, while the bureaucratic apparatus was handed over to the Oxford-trained Western Nigeria administrators, who enjoyed the appellation of “Super” permanent secretaries, their main function having been to supplant the 1967 Aburi Accord. The assimilation of the West into the Northern project did not come by accident. It was the product of historical, territorial, cultural and religious ties between the two regions.
So, the Yoruba did not have any major problem playing a second fiddle in that alliance. At least, if for no other thing, Awo was Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council during the war; Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo was allowed to hold the reigns of power from 1976-1979, following the death of Gen. Murtala Mohammed after the abortive coup by Col. Buka Suka Dimka. What then has been the position of the minority groups in the country as far as the question of regional projects are concerned?
The ethnic minorities and their elite formations have always pandered to the dominant groups at every historical conjuncture. Even when they were entrusted with power such as in the case of Gen. Yakubu Gowon (1966 -1975); Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (1985-1993) and Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar (1998 -1999), they never developed an independent line of action; neither did they pursue a manifest Pan-Nigeria agenda. They operated as surrogates or figure-heads of the Northern power block. So, their dispensations never differed fundamentally from those of the others from the major blocks.
The overall outcome of the domination of power by the Northern project, include the implementation of policies, which favoured the North to the exclusion of other regions. A case in point was the creation of 19 states from the old Northern regions, while the Eastern and Western regions had 17 states split between them. Out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria, the Northern region alone has 414, while others have 360 split between them. During the Abacha-led 1994/95 Constitutional Conference, the old Northern region was allotted three geo-political zones, while the East and West had three zones.
Even in the analysis of Nigerian politics, a lot of terminologies are distorted to hoodwink the people. There is this resort to North-South dichotomy, as a basis for rotation of the Presidency, forgetting that three main regions came together in 1960 to form an independent union called Nigeria. The Northern region was not bigger than the others in such a way that it can brazenly appropriate all the resources of the nation to itself, willy-nilly. Next week, we shall try to unravel how the June 12, 1993, imbroglio, the greed for power and the on-going insurgency, have combined to set the Northern block on the path of gradual disintegration and inevitable dispersal.

North not ready for power –Ezeife.

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By WILLY EYA
A former Governor of Anambra State and a prominent leader of thought in the South East, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, is one man that does not fear to speak his mind on any issue. Ezeife believes that the situation in Nigeria is not irredeemable despite the challenges facing her as a nation. In this interview, the elder statesman bares his mind on various issues affecting the nation. Excerpts…
From your vantage position as an elder statesman, what do you make of the current state of the nation?
My attitude to the current state of the nation is guided by my belief that the hands of God are in the emergence of Jonathan as President. Not only does God not make mistakes, He, indeed knows what is best for Nigeria. It does not, therefore, matter what happens or how man perceives what happens. Jonathan, I believe, is a tool in the hands of God to shape Nigeria as He wants – to let God’s design for Nigeria manifest. I am beginning to think that the manifest destiny of Jonathan Presidency is the structural transformation of Nigeria from a country which appears permanently shipwrecked to a country where things work – to a country that works. From “longest” time ago and for solid reasons, the potential greatness of Nigeria has been celebrated. Hope has increasingly deemed on the actualization of that potentiality. Jonathan transformation, or the structural transformation which comes with Jonathan presidency, may yet actualize the potential greatness of Nigeria. Jonathan may not personally be leading the structural transformation agenda, but it cannot be lost on any observer that, for the first time in Nigeria, the North, the South, the East and the West are calling for a National Conference. So are all the ethnic groups in Nigeria, the large and the small.
National Conference for what?
What else, but to restructure Nigeria for peace and meaningful progress! No achievement can be greater than this.
Do you think that the present administration under President Jonathan would win the war against Boko Haram?
The war against Boko Haram is not for Jonathan to win or lose. It is a war that Nigeria must win to survive. God helping us, the sun is already setting on Boko Haram. It is not because of the great arsenal of Jonathan; it is not because of the great knowledge and strategic acumen of Col. Dasuki (which are evident); it is not because of the great resolve of those Nigerians who are so upset by Boko Haram. None of the above! Boko Haram must die because it is not the will of God that evil should triumph over good. Because God has so willed, the futility of Boko Haram is dawning on its strongest Nigerian supporters. The original founders of Boko Haram, whose simple objective is the Islamization of Nigeria, have realized that their objective is mission impossible – inevitably. Those who supported Boko Haram to make Nigeria ungovernable for Jonathan, as well as those who thought of Boko Haram violence, as a strategy for winning back power, are realizing the futility of the effort: that if they insist on “born to rule”, they will have only themselves to rule over. What is more, the longer they sustain that violence, the longer they stay out of power in Nigeria. The poor souls who supported Boko Haram in protest against bad governance which resulted in the abject poverty and ignorance of the people, are realizing that, while a short offensive would have served their purpose, and raised national consciousness to their plight, the prolonged offensive is making themselves and the people they depended on poorer now and much poorer in the longer term. They have achieved the negation of everything they had intended. It remains, possibly, the suspected or speculated foreign sponsors who, it was thought, wanted to exploit Boko Haram as a tool to make their prophesies self-fulfilling. Nigeria must survive. Jonathan structural transformation will assure that. Most Nigerians may not agree, but it is possible that Jonathan’s perceived slow and prayerful approach to the problem may have saved the country from the worst from Boko Haram.
What is the way forward to deal with the insecurity situation in the country?
I cannot claim any special knowledge in the area of national security. Apart from insecurity resulting from political motive, which includes political thuggery, there are other forms and sources of insecurity. These include theft, sexual harassment including rape, arson, ethno-religious conflicts, robbery, armed robbery, kidnapping etc. I think that, of the major ones, the easiest to deal with is kidnapping. Principally, community policing should play the dominant role. And youth groups like OPC, MASSOB etc can be empowered to play major roles. I do not want to dwell on security problems in which I do not know much. I do have one specific element of solution to advocate. It is “Safe Whistle Blowing”. From coup making to corruption, from kidnapping, even kidnapping led by the security agents who are paid to combat the crime, to all other conspiracy-related crimes and sources of insecurity, Safe Whistle Blowing can make a great impact on crime control. The key requirement is that the whistle blower is assured of his/her anonymity. And I know of a Nigerian group who claim to have developed a system that guarantees this. They claim that as long as the destination of a call is to designated security numbers, not even the service providers, whose systems are used, can identify the caller.
Do you agree with those who insist that insecurity in the North is a strategy by the power elites in that part of the country to ‘recapture’ power in 2015?
In my answer to the second question, I indicated the view that among the several motivations for promoting Boko Haram is the idea of some that it will help return power to the North. There are even those who suggest that power went to the South-South as a result of a desire to appease the violent groups in the region. I have indicated, a number of times, that Boko Haram will for a long time, deny presidential power to North. With the seeming desperation by the North to recapture power from the South, do you think Nigeria would ever remain the same? Voices of reason come from every part of Nigeria, including the North, or the deep North. Some very serious Northern minds, in high social and political positions, have categorically advised the North against risky gambles to regain power. The reason for amalgamation is still very much with us – and the gap may be getting wider. Why should the beneficiaries of amalgamation spearhead or court “disamalgamation.” The problem is that our politicians do not stop and ask the question “power for what” outside of self? The North has ruled Nigeria for more than 38 years in her 51 years of independence. What does Nigeria, and especially the North, have to show for this long dominance. Some have claimed that the North ruled and ruined Nigeria and ruined the North even more. Indeed, this is one of the reasons given for Boko Haram. Do we ever stop to think about the interest of the Talakawas of the North, the down-trodden, and the disappearing middle class, everywhere in Nigeria? Is the poor result of Northern dominance in the leadership of Nigeria due to weaknesses of the individual leaders – all of them- or a necessary consequence of a social system. When should we stop thinking only of the plunder incentive, propensity and possibilities, in the holding of political power? When do we stop thinking of self, relations, in-laws and “out-laws”? Is there a place for the interest of Nigeria, the largest concentration of blacks on earth? Shouldn’t our political objective be dominated by a desire to develop into a super power in this world, so as to satisfy what clearly looks like our manifest destiny of leading the Blacks of the earth, being their big brother and rallying point, and, above all, raising the dignity and respect of Blacks in the world? Must we remain a source of shame for Blacks – big among them like the penny among higher valued money units. Do we look among us to see who can lead the country out of the present mess created by man, in a country, in every way, designed by the Almighty God Himself for unmatched greatness? No leader of Nigeria, military or civilian, has shown a craving for the economic development and growth of Nigeria. Obasanjo did a bit well as Head of state, but after he was brought out from where he was consigned for three years to rats and mosquitoes, for no just cause, he appeared to have decided to take vengeance on all Nigerians, especially on the far North and the South East. Jonathan showed the right signs during campaigns but, so far, Boko Haram has not let us observe his true performance. When the development and growth of Nigeria become the objectives, the North should stay far away from her leadership, until they are ready in some fundamental ways.
Corruption is arguably the most challenging problem facing the country today. Do you think Jonathan has the strength of character to fight it?
Some time ago, I told an audience at the Yar’Adua Centre that, “the soul of Nigeria is going …going … !!!” Corruption has eaten up the consciences and souls of Nigerians and has induced them to the worship of almighty god of crass materialism. We can see fugitive mentality in Nigerians’ treasury plunder activity. The fugitive is so alarmed and frightened, so stupefied, by what he saw, his terrifying experience, that he does not know when to stop running. Nigerians in plundering the coffers of the state behave like this fugitive. No consideration is given to what can be done with the money being hauled. Corruption in low and high places is the root cause of our many problems from industrial unrest to small and not-so-small thievery, from armed robbery to kidnapping, from unemployment to poor infrastructure development, from import dependence to the inability for our manufacturers to compete with their foreign counterpart, and the consequent de-industrialisation of Nigeria, etc. What to do? When Jonathan is allowed to lead, he must adopt a ruthless “do-as-I-do” policy – keeping himself clean and swiftly weeding out the contaminated.
Many are afraid that there might not be a country called Nigeria after the 2015 election. Do you share that pessimism?
My immediate reaction to this is “arrant nonsense”. But we must be wary and let the true long term interest of every group in Nigeria, large and small, guide the actions of the group in the Nigerian political arena. Of course, the true long term interest of every group in Nigeria is the permanence of one Nigeria, restructured to make things work.
Do you think the current move to amend the constitution would reduce the political tension in the country?
To this I think my answer is yes. But we really need to remove sources of tension, not just to reduce tension. The National Assembly is not in a position to go far enough. Their role is really to repair some cracks on the walls of the house. Rebuilding the house, belongs to the owners of the house. We should not allow our current positions in the system becloud our thinking about long term remedies. That the members of the NASS have conflict of interests which disqualifies them from rebuilding the house, can easily be seen when we consider how they would deal with whether unicameral or bicameral legislature is best for the country. As humans, they must have difficulty with dealing with this issue objectively.
What are the most critical issues that the Constitution review should address?
Among the most issues are: the federating units, true federalism, remedying the defects of one national police with zonal police, not state police, for which our level of moral development cannot support and fiscal federalism, the derivation principle, with adequate provision for national interest etc.
Some are kicking that state creation should not be part of the amendment. The argument to support this position is that even most of the existing states are no longer viable. As one from the South East, do you agree with that position?
On the issue of one extra state for the South East, Nigeria politicians have shown great understanding and a good sense of fairness. I participated in the Committee of Leaders who rounded up the affairs of the 2005 National Political Reform Conference. See how these eminent Nigerians, representing every area of Nigeria, decided on the issue of one extra state for the South East zone. There were 42 members, 39 voted for one extra state for South East to bring the zone into equality with the four zones, which have six states each. (North West has seven). Two members only, voted against and one member abstained from voting. The Presidential Constitutional Review Committee has sharpened the reason for the special treatment of the one extra state for the South East zone. There is an overwhelming national consensus on the matter. The idea of equality of zones is generally accepted. This can be achieved with seven or eight states per zone. But this is grossly inefficient as even most of the existing 36 states are clearly unviable. The optimum solution is to declare equality of zones while making the six geopolitical zones as the federating units. You may even consider 12-zone federating system, with each existing zone split into two, with necessary boundary adjustments. But this will definitely be less efficient than the six-zone system.
It seems the dream for an Igbo presidency may never be realized considering that it is most unlikely that Jonathan would handover to another southerner. What is your take on that?
I have dealt with issue of Igbo Nigeria President extensively in the past. I should like to come to you on another occasion on this. However, the following summary statements are relevant. The principle of zoning and rotation have meaning only in the context of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. North/South alternation is not rotation and has never been a national policy. The federal character principle captures the essence of power sharing and rotation of leadership. Zonal rotation of power is an extension of that principle. The zones are what Nigeria uses for power sharing and rotation of leadership since 1995. There is even an extra minister per zone. The famous PDP Constitution provides for the zones as the basis of rotation. By 2015, every zone in Nigeria, except the South East, shall have supplied Nigeria with Chief Executive Officer for more than five years. Only the South East is left out. What will be the equity, justice and fairness, if Jonathan is to hand over to a zone which has held Nigerian Chief Executive Officer position for more than five years, rather than to the South East, the only zone that has been out in the cold. If you take the tripodal position in Nigeria, only the Igbo, of the three legs of the tripod, has not held the office – the Hausa/Fulani has, the Yoruba has. Someone, who seemed to have some problem of memory loss about history, recently talked about the American and the Nigerian civil wars and the necessary effect on access to power by the defeated. Perhaps it is necessary to remind some people about the Nigerian war. In 1966, with pogrom and other deprivations and iniquities, Nigerians declared their rejection of the easterners. The rejected people refused to reject themselves but rather decided to build a world of their own. When Nigeria changed her mind and decided to keep Nigeria one, the rejected people dutifully co-operated, since they did not want to be outside Nigeria, if they could help it. A neighbouring country provided an opportunity for one Nigeria, where things would work. A solution was worked out and agreed. The rejected ones happily prepared to rejoin Nigeria, Nigeria unilaterally and unceremoniously reneged on the agreed terms and forced a war “to keep Nigeria one”. Can any sensible person see a relationship with the American civil war in this? But, really, when will Nigerian interest predominate. Which Nigerians have played the role of developing, commercializing and opening the eyes of other Nigerians? Which Nigerians create values where hitherto no values were known to exist? Which group of Nigerians have voted with their feet for one Nigeria and are making home of, and actively developing and improving everywhere they are. When will it be the turn of economic development and growth of Nigeria – development in line with her manifest destiny? Which Nigerian will find it necessary to spread development fairly evenly across Nigeria, in order to satisfy his own people, who live everywhere in Nigeria? I shall discuss this issue further when we meet again.
Are Igbos ready in the event that such an opportunity calls especially against the perception that they cannot speak with one voice?
Some people are in for a dumbfounding surprise. But that will be because they do not pay attention to Igbo behaviour over issues that the Igbo consider important to themselves. On the issue of 2015 Igbo agenda, please put your ears on the ground. Yes you will hear, not one voice, but very many different voices. Note, however, that the multitude of voices are saying the same thing. It is not many voices, but discordant voices that cause problems. How disunited were the Igbo in burying Ojukwu? Giving him such burial honour that no human, born of a woman, has ever received. In “disunity”, we dumped “all our eggs in Jonathan basket” – the initial serious division among some elite notwithstanding. Truly, yes, we have no leader that dictates the direction we all must follow. We really do not need one, as long as good reasoning, available to most of us, guides decisions. Our shoemakers, farmers, welders, truck pushers, drivers, generally all our people, recognise and appreciate the truth and what makes sense. That is the leader we follow. We also know ourselves, the antecedents of each of us, we know who to trust. No group, out of national power for decades, like the Igbo, can have the coherence of our people. Look around. Count your teeth with your tongue. And now that an arch, ardent hater of our people, has begun to anoint presidential candidates and their running mates, to spite us, it must do some good to our coherence. For those who did not know before, will now know.
Are you not worried over the infighting among governors of the South East in recent time?
Do you know that for about more than half a decade, one person has been Chairman of South East Governor’s Forum. You cannot take the necessary adjustment to any new element as infighting. Or are people seeing in the unity of our governors the antithesis of what they wish us.
Do you support the economic integration of the South East zone?
We have a document on economic integration, endorsed by all the governors. It is an idea whose time has come. Nobody can resist it. Look at the West. They are very advanced in it. Now the South South, as diverse as they are, they have embraced integration. Should there be a problem, we can, creatively, work out an acceptable solution or compromise. There is this possibility of a device that can be called “Federally Administered States”, if it becomes necessary. A resort to such a device is becoming increasingly unlikely, as communication improves among groups.
What is the future of the country considering that so many people seem to be losing hope on its continued unity?
Because God lives, because God created Nigeria for His purpose, though through the instrumentality of British imperialism, which appeared to have deliberately sowed the seed for self-destruction in the country because the permanence of Nigeria is in the true long term interest of every group in Nigeria, and because the Nigerian people are headed for “We the people of Nigeria .. hereby make and give unto ourselves this Constitution” (for peace and progress), Nigeria has come to stay.

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Forces of darkness have taken over Aso Villa –Asu Beks.

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By WILLY EYA
President General of Ijaw Peoples Assembly, Asu Beks, is not happy with developments in Nigeria. Contrary to the impression of many, he believes that the people of the Niger Delta are not getting a fair share of the opportunities they deserve. In this interview, he speaks on various issues, including the reasons for the emergence of the Boko Haram sect. Excerpts…
It was the leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Dr Fredrick Fasehun, who said a couple of days ago that the June 12, 1993 election was annulled because the Hausa/Fulani elites did not see any reason why a Yoruba man like M.K.O. Abiola would become president. The difference between President Goodluck Jonathan and Abiola is that while they succeeded in preventing Abiola from being sworn in, the forces within the local and international community did not make it possible for anything to happen to Jonathan’s position as president. Not many people have forgotten what happened during the June 12 saga and of course the Hausa/Fulani oligarchy were still very cautious not to allow a repeat of the June 12 saga. They were the masterminds of what happened on June 12, 1993. So, what you see playing out now is a clear indication that the North has sworn not to allow the presidency to come down to the South. Even if late Umaru Yar’Adua had done his eight years, they would have come with one gimmick or the order to take back power. This is because the only thing they have and which they know they can use is their so-called population. But do not forget that all those census figures they are brandishing are contestable. You can imagine a situation where cattles and cows are counted as human beings. We all go to the North. They have landmass but when you drive around, do you see people in those places? But come down to any part of the South and you see houses, communities and people from one kilometre to the other. The point I am trying to make here is that it has become obvious that we cannot continue like this. I still do not believe that this one Nigeria thing can go any further. Perhaps, as a nation, we are just going to confirm the prediction of America that by 2015, there would not be a country like Nigeria. Look at what is going on. Before the general election, they had said that if General Muhammadu Buhari did not emerge as president of Nigeria, they would make the nation ungovernable. People like us begin to wonder that if we are talking about democracy in Nigeria, we should not be talking about the likes of Buhari. This is a man who overthrew an elected government headed by his own kinsman, Shehu Shagari. We can only allow him if we have short memory of history. They had said they would make the country ungovernable and that is precisely what we are seeing today. But my worry is that my brother and kinsman, President Goodluck Jonathan, is succumbing to their blackmail. If Jonathan was not doing that, there is no reason why a Sambo Dasuki would be preferred as a better candidate to General Owoeye Azazi, a world-acclaimed intelligence officer, as National Security Adviser.
Tell me, have we not had more violence under Dasuki than Azazi. Don’t also forget that Dasuki was former ADC to Gen Ibrahim Babangida. And however you look at it, an ADC is a glorified bodyguard. That is the only experience he has to be NSA. And you are talking of an Azazi that has been trained as an intelligence officer in all the best defence institutions in the world and a former Chief of Defence staff. I also know as a matter of fact that Dasuki’s allegiance is to the Sultanate and the likes of Babangida. It is only the information that he wants to give to Jonathan that he would give.
Of course, he would sieve the information before he gives it to Jonathan. But an Azazi would give Jonathan the information the way it is. And that is precisely what he was doing. But along the line, they felt that the position of the NSA is one of the offices that are the birthrights of the North. The Comptroller of the Nigerian Customs Service, Federal Capital Minister, Chief Justice, Inspector General of Police, Managing Director of NNPC, NPA and so on.
Now, they are blackmailing Jonathan to say give them to us so that we can support you in 2015. But the Jonathan I know is not after 2015 but wants to make sure that after these first four years, Nigerians would say yes, he did not disappoint. We know that it has been difficult in the past one year. People are still finding it difficult to say is it this man that would transform this country. But do not forget the security challenges the man has been grappling with. How do you contend with governing this country and a Boko Haram man pointing the man at you? In the recent past, I have not put on my generator. There is no doubt that the power situation has improved.
Look at the minister of power, Prof Barth Nnaji, a serious man who is ready to turn the power sector around. You can also see an aviation minister, Stella Odua that is working. You can see Okonjo Iweala, one of the best economists in the world. We have a few of them like that in the cabinet. And when people begin to talk about non-performing cabinet and about impeachment of Jonathan, do they mean that a president should take a horsewhip and begin to go from ministry to ministry. Obasanjo was there for eight years and what has he to show for the eight years? Abacha was there for only God knows when. Babangida was also there for donkey years and what did he achieve?
The only person from that part of the country I can still say he performed was Yakubu Gowon. So, Jonathan should remain focused because the Boko Haram thing is a distraction. I am also telling him that he should step on toes. Obasanjo sent soldiers to burn down Odi and heavens did not fall. So those states that have refused to accept democracy like Yobe, Borno and so on, Jonathan should declare a state of emergency there. And those you have identified as being sympathetic to Boko Haram that are in your government, remove them, the heavens would not fall. Do you agree with those who insist that the South South is still being marginalized even when their own is the president of the country? This is what I have just told you that Mr President is being blackmailed. And I want to tell you that the people of the Niger Delta would not forgive him if after four years( let us not start talking about whether he would come for a second term or not), there is nothing to show, there would be problems.
If the East-West road is not done, nobody would be happy with him. The Niger Delta issue is not only about amnesty. Amnesty is one small part of the entire package. We are talking about education, industrializing the region and also empowerment. How do you empower people if you do not put them in key positions where it would trickle down? If you go to the Nigerian Ports Authority today, the Lingua Franca is Hausa. If you go to NIMASA and Customs, it is the same thing. In the case of Customs, from 1986 to date, only for 12 months had the office of the CG been shared between the South West and South East. It is the birthright of the North. If you check all the key positions, they are in that region particularly the North West zone where the vice president comes from. They removed the Group Managing Director of NNPC, a man from Kogi State and gave it to the man from Kaduna State in North West.
They removed Azazi from Bayelsa State and gave the NSA to Dasuki from North West. They removed the Managing Director of NNPC, Suleiman from Adamawa and gave it to Habib Abdullahi from Kano. The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Managing Director of NIWA, the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, are all from the North.
There is no Bayelsan that is the head of any parastatal even under a Jonathan presidency. It is a shame. In order of protocol, you have the Senate President from the North, the Speaker, Chief Justice of the federation, President of Court of Appeal, Chief Judge of the federal High Court and so on are from the North. And in the North West is where we have the likes of Buhari and IBB. Mr President has told us that he is not Goliath, that he is not a war monger and that he believes in constructive engagement. But President Jonathan should wake up because if after four years it continues like this, I am not sure that the Niger Delta people would forgive him. That is why I support my brother, comrade Joseph Eva who said recently that we need prayers. It is possible that the voodoo inside Aso villa has taken a better part of Mr President and he can no more see. This is because the Jonathan that I know as Deputy governor and as governor and even vice president is different from the one we are seeing now. The forces of darkness have taken over the villa. They have blindfolded Jonathan so that he would be doing only the bidding of the North. The case of the South West is even more pitiable. When you count the key figures in government up to 12, none is from the South West and don’t forget the massive support they gave to him in the last election. Where Jonathan got massive support were from the South South, South East and South West. As far as I am concerned, the North is reaping where it did not sow. They should wait until it is their turn.
And Jonathan, whatever mistakes he has made, he still has time to correct it. Board appointments are coming and some of the chief executives are also due to go and he should begin to correct it otherwise we are not going to forgive him. How do you reconcile your argument that the Niger Delta has not benefited from Jonathan’s administration even with the various programmes including overseas training being enjoyed by Niger Delta youths? The ones you have trained abroad who are back to the country, have you given them jobs? Where are the jobs? It is one thing for you to send your children to school and another to give them jobs. The Amnesty office under Kingsley Kuku does not manufacture jobs. Youths of the Niger Delta are entitled to education like other Nigerians. Awolowo used Koko money to grant free education in the west and why should we not have free education in the Niger Delta. Puzzles over FG/Boko Haram dialogue OMONIYI SALAUDEEN Without a doubt, the tolerance capacity of President Goodluck Jonathan to the insurgence of Boko Haram is again excitingly on trial.
A couple of days ago, when the Federal Government announced its readiness to reopen peace negotiation with the recalcitrant group, some enthusiastic Nigerians hived a big sigh of relief in the hope that it would put an end to the incessant loss of human lives. In a statement by Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, the Federal Government officially extended an open hand to parley with Boko Haram, saying: “it is our hope that this process will lead to restoration of peace, security and tranquility in northern Nigeria.” But the first shocker came when the group demanded either resignation of the president or outright renunciation of his religion as a condition for dialogue. Either way, the renewed peace process has already been literally aborted in-vitro. This is another way of telling the president that they are not ready for dialogue yet. Expectedly, the presidency has drawn the line between the limit of what the president can offer as a panacea for peace and the group’s insatiable quest for violence. The Senior Special Assistant to President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abatti, responding to the dreaded sect said,
The president cannot be intimidated by any group or individual. The President will never resign. He has the mandate of Nigerians to serve his father land and nobody should imagine that he will succumb to blackmail. When Nigerians voted overwhelmingly for President Jonathan in the 2011 general election, they knew they were voting for a Christian. He continues to enjoy the goodwill and support of the good people of Nigeria. As President, Dr. Jonathan is the leader of both Muslims and Christians; in fact; he is the leader of persons of all faiths. So, it amounts to sheer blackmail for any individual or group to ask the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convert to Islam.” What exactly is the position of things regarding the peace talk is yet unknown. Neither the Federal Government nor the group has disclosed the form of dialogue that is ongoing and where. On one hand, there have been rumours of meetings between the two parties in a foreign the country.
And on the other hand, the group has continued to unleash terror on the innocent citizens. Rather than laying down their arms, members of the group have intensified campaign of violence in the northern part of the country. Indeed, it was like another missed opportunity when the leadership of the group in a recent statement said it had not engaged in any dialogue with the government. It described the purported press statement by one Abu Muhammad, who claimed to be the second in command to the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, as the creation of the media. It also stated that many people were using its name to get huge sums of money under the pretext that they would “arrange dialogue with us” There are several puzzles here begging for an answer. First and foremost, Nigerians want to know which of the group the authority is dialoguing with. They also want to know who genuine leader of the authentic group the government is holding talk with is. Questions have equally been raised as to the sincerity of the government in the whole process. In view of this, some critics have dismissed the dialogue as a ruse. Their skepticism is borne out the seeming lackluster attitude of the government towards stemming the rising wave of terrorism in the country.
The former National Publicity Secretary of the Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, in an interview with Sunday Sun, raised a number of posers. He said, “There are so many inconsistencies and contradictions in these things. Which of the groups are they dialoguing with? Anybody who has been following what is going on now will know that we are not dealing with one Boko Haram. There is original Boko Haram led by Yusuf, which many people believe could not have acquired the kind of sophistication we are seeing now.
There are also those who believe that there is political Boko Haram which is the one Owoeye Azazi was talking about that exists in PDP. There is also criminal Boko Haram which is the group behind bombing of banks and putting the stamp of Boko Haram to cover their crime. Even there is security Boko haram being masterminded by those who want to justify the N3 billion we are spending on security.” Recalling some of the botched attempts in the past to dialogue with the group, he added, “One day, the president will say they want to dialogue with Boko Haram but they don’t know their face. They next day, he will say they have infiltrated his government. You will recall that he said it at one time that they were in the executive, legislature, the police, the SSS and the military. At another time, they will say they don’t know who they are. When the United Nations’ building was bombed, they paraded three amputees as mastermind of the crime. Where are those amputees today? The other time, they arrested Kabiru Sokoto for the Madala bombing. He was in custody when Zakari Biu was said to have released him.
What have they done with Zakari Biu? Where is Kabiru Sokoto being tried today? Last year, Obasanjo went to Borno to meet with Boko Haram. Within 48 hours, the man who received him was killed. And Boko Haram said they did not kill him. Who kill him? If those who are sponsoring Boko Haram are now ready to come out for dialogue, they should tell us.” Also, the National President of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Shettima Yerima, corroborating Odumakin’s submission, posited, “For how long will government continue to dialogue with those who carry arms? It means the only language our government understands is violence. If you take arm, you are respected. If you don’t, nobody cares about you. If this continues, our generation yet unborn will make a lot of provision for arms.
In no time, other groups will spring up after Boko Haram. However, if the government is truly sincerely to discuss with the aggrieved party, they should sit down and find a way forward. At first, I was opposed to it because they were note even coming forward to dialogue. Now, if they are ready to come out and discuss with the government, I don’t see anything wrong in it. But I hope both parties are sincere.” However, despite his reservation for the sincerity of both parties in the purported dialogue, he maintained that peaceful resolution of the crisis would be an enduring solution to the incessant loss of human lives.
But he warned that government should not spare any sacred cow, if anyone is found culpable in the terrorist acts being perpetrated by some mindless individuals. “I actually can’t figure out what condition they are asking for. Are they saying that the atmosphere is now conducive for them to dialogue with the government? If the government feels that the best way to handle them is to dialogue with them, so be it. But where lies the sincerity of purpose on the part of the government and the Boko Haram? If there is sincerity in the dialogue that we are talking about, there will be no reason for all these violent attacks we see every day.
There must be sincerity of purpose that there wouldn’t be sacred cows. I will personally advocate that whosoever has a link with the group should be charged to court. Anybody found wanting for terrorism should be hung. If they can do that, Nigeria will come out of the crisis. I am saying this because the original Boko Haram cannot claim responsibility for all the atrocities that are going on in Nigeria. Today, we now have a situation where armed robbers kill people in the name of Boko Haram. Even when politicians want to cause confusion in one state, all they do is to kill one person perceived to be their enemy and put the responsibility on Boko Haram.”
In another new dimension to the whole issue, he suggested the possibility of external interest in the crisis. “You cannot also exonerate the western world from all these atrocities. Because of our oil, they are very much interested in what is going on in Nigeria. They may be out to do what they did in Libya. This gives me a lot of worry,” he lamented. Over time, President Jonathan has been criticized for lack of political will to deal with the threatening security challenge in the country. At different times in the past, President Jonathan had given different timelines that the crisis would soon be over. None has come to pass.
The two previous attempts by the authority to explore the dialogue option on the Boko Haram issue have been to no avail. One was the peace mission led by former President Obasanjo during his visit to Borno State. Unfortunately, it ended up on a tragic note. Some couple of hours after his meeting with the group, his host was mowed down. The second major move was later led by some Islamic clerics. Similarly, the peace process was aborted due mutual suspicion between the group and the authority. With the controversies trailing the fresh initiative, the question now on the lips of many Nigerians is: how far can government go?