Saturday 24 February 2018

Democracy

A democracy is simply a system of government where the citizens directly exercise their power, and have the right to elect government representatives who collectively create a government body for the entire nation .The main forms of democracy are:Direct democracy,Representative democracy,Presidential democracy,Parliamentary democracy,Authoritarian democracy,Participatory democracy,Islamic democracy and  Social democracy.Every country interprets the meaning of democracy in their own  particular way. 




Wednesday 21 February 2018

Bill Graham dies at 99

Evangelist Billy Graham -- a confidant to many United States Presidents, a guiding light to generations of American evangelicals and a globe-trotting preacher who converted millions to Christianity -- died Wednesday at the age of 99, his spokesman confirmed to Vox.

Graham passed away at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, spokesman Jeremy Blume said.

The skinny preacher with the booming voice evangelized to nearly 215 million people over six decades and prayed with every US President since Harry Truman.

A SELF DECEIVING COUNTRY CALLED NIGERIA

A SELF DECEIVING COUNTRY CALLED NIGERIA 

Twenty-one senators currently receiving pensions from government as ex-governors and deputy governors.

The current senators who once served as governors are Bukola Saraki of Kwara, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano, Kabiru Gaya of Kano, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Theodore Orji of Abia, Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa, Sam Egwu of Ebonyi, Shaaba Lafiagi of Kwara, Joshua Dariye of Plateau Jonah Jang of Plateau, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto, Ahmed Sani Yarima of Zamfara, Danjuma Goje of Gombe, Bukar Abba Ibrahim of Yobe, Adamu Aliero of Kebbi, George Akume of Benue. 

The former deputy governors in the Senate are Ms Biodun Olujimi of Ekiti and Enyinaya Harcourt Abaribe of Abia. Danladi Abubakar Sani served as the acting governor of Taraba state.
Many former governors are also in Buhari's Cabinet as Ministers. This includes: Ngige, Fayemi, Amaechi and Fashola (SAN).).

In Akwa Ibom State, the law provides that ex governors and deputy governors receive pension equivalent to the salaries of the incumbent. The package also includes a new official car and a utility vehicle every four years; one personal aide; a cook, chauffeurs and security guards for the governor at a sum not exceeding N5 million per month and N2.5 million for his deputy governor.

In Rivers, the law provides 100 percent of annual basic salaries for the ex-governor and deputy, one residential house for the former governor "anywhere of his choice in Nigeria"; one residential house anywhere in Rivers for the deputy, three cars for the ex-governor every four years and two cars for the deputy every four years. 

It is alledged that in Lagos, a former governor will get two houses, one in Lagos and another in Abuja, estimated at N500 million in Lagos and N700 million in Abuja. He also receives six new cars to be replaced every three years; a furniture allowance of 300 percent of annual salary to be paid every two years, and a N30 million pension annually for life.

This is the reality for all the 21 ex govenors and deputy governors who are currently serving as senators. This same is also true of ex governors who are now serving as Ministers.

NOW I ASK: 

How many years did these guys serve their states as governors and deputy governors? Is it more than 8years? Is that a reason to be entitled to pensions for life? Even if they are entitled to pension for life, must it be so outrageous?

As if that is not enough: HOW on earth can any public servant with conscience collect salaries and allowances as a senator or minister, and still have the audacity to claim pensions equivalent to the salaries of a serving governor in Nigeria?

IT ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE......

Once you are elected a senator or appointed a minister, you must forfeit any pension accruing to you from government at any level until you vacate office. This should also apply to senators collecting military pensions like former Senate President David Mark.

Yet these senators are in the Senate that is inviting the current finance minister to discuss the recession of Nigeria's economy. A senator pockets approximately 30 million naira monthly as salary and allowances. Our "honourables" are not interested to make laws that could restructure our country into economically autonomous federating States/Regions to save the country from sectional agitations that is threatening to destroy Nigeria. The sad and hopeless situation is that the rest of Nigerians are busy arguing based on party, ethnic and affiliations while these enemies of state continue to rape us.

Do you know that it costs tax payers 290m Naira yearly to maintain each member of our National Assembly in a country where nothing works & 80% of population earn below 300 Naira a day ? A working day earning of a senator is more than a yearly income of a doctor; it's more than the salary of 42 Army generals or 48 professors or 70 commissioners of police or more than twice the pay of the US President or 9 times the salary of US congressmen. 

It's high time the country had a referendum on those outrageous salaries of Senators, House of Representative members and other political office holders.


OBLA’S THEATRE OF ABSURD AND IMPUNITY MUST STOP



 

OBLA'S THEATRE OF ABSURD AND IMPUNITY MUST STOP

 

 

The President of Rights Monitoring Group, a coalition of 45 civil society groups, Comrade Olufemi Aduwo has called on President Buhari to sack Mr. Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla from office and remove him as a member of all government bodies with immediate effect  before he commits more damage and further tarnished the image of the government.

Recall that the Hon. Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, has directed Obla to "henceforth desist from carrying out any operation in his capacity as Head of Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property.  The AG clearly stated that the actions of Obla ran in contrary to the enabling convention that established the panel.  The most disturbing development is not only that Obla still parades himself and act as the Chairman of the panel but he has equally embarked on desperate measures to reinvent himself after he got his fingers burnt on the reinstatement of Maina; insults and venoms he dished out against judges. His activities are clearly at variance with anti - corruption policy direction of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption and also undermining the operational existence of both the Code of Conduct Bureau which is a creation of the constitution, EFCC and ICPC created by an act of the National Assembly.  Before and after his initial appointment as Special Adviser on Prosecutorial Matters, Obla has proven himself as someone with Unquenchable appetite for grandstanding, obstinacy, belligerence, Controversy, arrogance and bellicosity. His uneven antagonism and addiction to lack of decorum in public space is legendary. He always exhibits a high temperament and confrontational posture with every one that dares tell him the truth making him very allergic to advice, such person should not be encouraged to occupy any position in democratic setting.

We have it on impeccable authority that the perception about him is that he tried to apply the strategy of naked interference with processes in the prosecution of cases being investigated by the statutory anti-corruption agencies but was resisted and the Presidential Advisory Committee led by Prof. Itse Sagay in the struggle to assert independence and professionalism in handing of all the cases either being investigated or prosecuted. Unfortunately, Obla failed to differentiate between the powers of Presidential Adviser on Prosecution in the Office of the Attorney General, Investigation Panel on Recovery of Public Property and naked interference in the operations of other statutory agencies.  His unwarranted penchant for subterranean schemes is becoming over kill to the extent that cases already diligently investigated and concluded due to inability to establish prima facie are now selectively being resurrected in order to establish a guilty verdict at all cost on some of the accused persons.  We have found it germane to draw public attention to the emerging trends under the agenda of political opponents using the Obla's panel to settle scores with an eye on the 2019 elections. If not an agenda of political witch-hunting; political undertone; and sinister motive, why the double standard of resurrecting some cases and at the same time burying others, we are concerned that in spite of Obla's stance and conduct, many camels have passed through the needle's eye bearing the Orwellian tag of "all animals are equal but some are more equal than others". 

 It is shameful, scandalous, unethical and abuse of power for Obla to allow himself to be perceived as the one covering up one grievous misdeed by protecting some people, while on the other hand intimidating anti- corruption agencies in the discharge of their duties by the same Obla that insulted Judges, used unprintable language and derogatory words against them in relation to their official conduct.  This is, indeed, the height of insincerity, hypocrisy and double standards calculated to beguile the Presidency and Nigerians. Why confer immunity on some people while in another case crossing the red line from prosecution to persecution? Particularly, in cases that were no link, let alone a sufficient link between the accused and the so-called offences.

Rather than use his office to ensure speedy trial of kidnappers, armed bandits and real corrupt persons, he is busy resorting to confrontation and suffocation of statutory anti- corruption agencies. Unfortunately, Obla always choose to stir up unwarranted and unnecessary controversy. In one breath, talking about prosecution of offenders, in another, using uncanny ways of not seeing the people around him with questionable wealth suspected to be the money bags urging him to contest for a Senatorial seat during the forth-coming 2019 election.  Happily, by our laws, offenders are presumed innocent until a prima facie case has been established against the accused persons and the courts upon which they are tried, weight the evidences, before exacting punishment and sentence. It is not a kangaroo process that one would foresee premeditated trial and conviction

I commend the Nigerian Judiciary officers  for their steadfastness, consistency and sense of being ministers in the temple of justice and their resolve at strengthening justice and democratic values in the discharge of their official functions. We implore that if any accused person standing trial is persecuted under the guise of being prosecuted, they should in the interest of justice continue to deliver justice and free the innocent individuals being prosecuted unjustly. We urge Obla to realize that human beings are all meant to be part of history and therefore the decision is entirely at his own discretion to leave either positive or negative foot prints, just like the case of Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa, former Attorney General and Minister of Justice witnessed by Nigerians. One day the tenure of Obla will be subjected to intense scrutiny including the jurisprudential analysis of all the cases of individuals he prosecuted or persecuted.

 

Olufemi Aduwo

President

Rights Monitoring Group

Monday 19 February 2018

ANGLICAN HOUSE OF BISHOPS ELECTION MARRED BY CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS



A swirling allegation of corruption is now rocking the Church of
Nigeria (Anglican Communion) over the recent election which
threw up The Rt. Rev. Humphrey Olumakaiye as the new Bishop
of Lagos. At the Episcopal Synod in Ilorin, Kwara State, the
leadership of the church announced through a statement by its
General Secretary, The Rt. Rev. (Dr.) Ayodeji Fagbemi, that a
number of new bishops and archbishops were said to have been
elected.
The Rt Rev. Olumakaiye, according to the statement, would be
transiting from the Diocese of Osun North East to Lagos.
However, the mood among members of the congregation in Lagos
is suggesting a strong disaffection and clear opposition to the
election of Olumakaiye, seen to have been imposed by the
outgoing Diocesan Bishop of Lagos, The Most Rev. (Dr.) Adebola
Ademowo.
In a statement in Lagos at the weekend signed by one Mr. Ade
Doherty on behalf of members of the church in Lagos and who
claimed to be aggrieved over the said election of Olumakaiye,
they stated that his election was stage managed, not influenced by
the Holy Spirit and as such unacceptable. They stated:
"The so-called election of Olumakaiye at the recent Synod in Ilorin
was a clear manipulation of the House of Bishops who were "tele
guided" by both Ademowo and The Primate, the Most Revd. (Dr.)
Nicholas Okoh. Of course, we have it on good authority that huge
sums of money exchanged hands to facilitate the so-called election
of Olumakaiye and majority of our members in Lagos stand united
in opposition to this mischief! It is a charade and can never
stand".
They further claimed that such action by the House of Bishops was
a way of trying to elongate the tenure of Ademowo while they
also alleged that he (Ademowo), in order to perfect the election
manipulation, facilitated a Multi-million Naira house for Primate
Okoh in the Lekki area of Lagos. They made references to
Ademowo's earlier statements and actions they claimed paved the
way to Olumakaiye's emergence.
They further stated that their solicitors had prepared a petition to
the EFCC to probe the alleged acquisition of the Lekki property,
the financial inducements in the House of Bishops, and the alleged
porous accounts of the Lagos Diocese and women organisations in
the Lagos Diocese, which they allege is the reason for the
succession at all costs

Sunday 18 February 2018

Citizen Buhari Just To Remind U

For the records, below are forty-one promises contained in the APC Manifesto as published by the party prior to the  2015 Presidential election.

The promises below are extracted from the two official documents released by APC as their Manifesto titled 'Securing Nigeria's Future' and 'Roadmap to a New Nigeria', all published by the APC and signed by the then Presidential aspirant, now President Muhammadu Buhari. Please note that some of the promises that do not require funds to be implemented are even yet to even be initiated.

Securing Nigeria's Future'

1.      Initiate action to amend the Nigerian Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties, and responsibilities to states in order to entrench true Federalism and the Federal spirit. (This simply means that the APC actually promised to restructure Nigeria and entrench true federalism if voted into power). Page 6

2.      Amend the Constitution to remove immunity from prosecution for elected officers in criminal cases. Page 6.

3.      Require full disclosure in media outlets, of all government contracts over N100m prior to award and during implementation at regular intervals. Page 6

4.      Amend the Constitution to require Local Governments to publish their meeting minutes, service performance data, and items of spending over N10M. Page 6.

5.      Consult and amend the Constitution to enable States and Local Governments to create city, Local Government and State Policing systems. Page 7 

6.      Bring permanent peace and solutions to the insurgency issues in the North-East; the Niger Delta; and other conflict prone states and areas such as Plateau, Benue, Bauchi, Borno, Abia, Taraba, Yobe, and Kaduna. Page 8 

7.      Initiate policies to ensure that Nigerians are free to live and work in any part of the country by removing state of origin, tribe, ethnic and religious affiliations from documentation requirements in our identification of citizens and replace these with State of Residence and fashion out the appropriate minimal qualification for obtaining such a state of residency, nation-wide. Page 8. 

8.      Make our economy one of the fastest growing emerging economies in the world with a real GDP growth averaging at least 10-12% annually. Page 9. 

9.      5 million new jobs by 2019. Page 9.

10.  Put in place a N300bn Regional Growth Fund with an average of N50bn in each geo political region… to encourage private sector enterprise and to support places currently reliant on only on the public sector, to migrate to a private sector reality. Page 10.

           11.  Amend the Constitution and the Land Use Act. Page 10.

12.  Create an additional middleclass of at least 4 million new home owners by 2019. Page 10. 

13.  Create a Social Welfare Program of at least Five Thousand Naira (N5000) that will cater for the 25 million poorest and most vulnerable citizens upon the demonstration of children's enrolment in school and evidence of immunisation to help promote family stability. Page 10.

14.  Provide allowances to the discharged but unemployed Youth Corps members for Twelve (12) months while in the skills and entrepreneurial development programmes. Page 10. 

15.  Construct a 5,000km of Superhighway including service trunks and (b) building of up to 6,800km of modern railway completed by 2019; Page 11.

16.  Embark on PPP schemes that will ensure every one of the 36 states has one functional airport. Page 11 

17.  Speedily pass the much delayed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and ensure that local content issues are fully addressed. Page 12 

18.  Make Nigeria the world's leading exporter of LNG through the creation of strategic partnerships. Page 12 

19.  Targeting up to 20% of our annual budget for Education. Page 13.

20.  Provide One Meal a day for all Primary school pupils. That will create jobs in Agriculture, Catering, and Delivery Services. Page 14. 

21.  Establish at least six new universities of Science and Technology with satellite campuses in various states. Page 14.

22.  Establish technical colleges and vocational centres in each state of the federation. Page 14

23.  Increase the quality of all federal government owned hospitals to world class standard by 2019. Page 15.

24.  Provide free antenatal care for pregnant women; free health care for babies and children up to school going age and for the aged; and free treatment for those afflicted with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Page 15

25.  Create an Insurance Policy for our Journalists as the nation faces hard times and our Journalists face more dangers. Page 15 

26.  Establish Zonal world class sports academies and training institutes and ensure that Nigeria occupies a place of pride in global sports and athletics; Page 16.

27.  Assist Nollywood to fully develop into world class movie industry that can compete effectively with Hollywood and Bollywood in due course. Page 16.

28.  Guarantee that women are adequately represented in government appointments and provide greater opportunities in education, job creation, and economic empowerment. Page 16 

29.  Use the Party structures to promote the concept of reserving a minimum number of seats in the States and National Assembly, for women. Page 16.

30.  Create shelter belts in states bordering the Sahara Desert to mitigate and reverse the effects of the expanding desert. Page 17.

On the second document titled 'Roadmap to a New Nigeria'

11.  Create 20,000 jobs per state immediately for those with a minimum qualification of secondary        school leaving certificate and who participate in technology and vocational training. Page 4

32.  Place the burden of proving innocence in corruption cases on persons with inexplicable wealth. Page 7.

33.  Pursue legislation expanding forfeiture and seizure of assets laws and procedure with respect to inexplicable wealth, regardless of whether there is a conviction for criminal conduct or not. Page 7.

34.  Provide free tertiary education to students pursuing Science and Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Page 9.

35.  Provide free tertiary education to education majors and stipends prior to their employment as teachers. Page 9.

36.   Create incentives and dedicate special attention to the education of girls. Page 9

37.  Ensure every child attending primary school is properly nourished and ready to learn by providing a Free Meal a Day. Page 9.

38.  Achieve the construction of one million low-cost houses within four years for the poor. Page 11

39.  Stop all travel abroad at government expense for the purpose of medical treatment. Page 13.

40.  Provide incentives for Nigerian doctors and health practitioners working abroad to return home, to strengthen the health care industry in Nigeria and provide quality care to those who need it. Page 14.

41.  Make sure people at a local level benefit from mining and mineral wealth by vesting all mineral rights in land to states. Page 17.

Please note that these documents were officially released by the All Progressive Congress (APC) as its official manifesto, thereby making the documents legally binding now that it is in charge of the central government.

As contained in the document, the then Presidential aspirant of the APC (now President) said 'This document sets out our side of the bargain: the things I as your future president, want to do to change Nigeria for the better' 

Will these promises ever be fulfilled?

Saturday 17 February 2018

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PENSION DEFAULT AND IMPLICATION ON RETIREES



DISTRESS LETTER TO CHAIRMAN HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PENSION MATTERS, HON IBRAHIM BAWA KAMBA AND HON ALBERT ADEOGUN IFE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY

Dear Hon Bawa Kamba and Hon Albert Adeogun,
Seasons greetings to both of you. I greet you in the name of our Lord. I wish to put on record my appreciation for the response to my earlier discussion of this subject matter with Hon Adeogun. Shortly after the matter was discussed with him, the pension issue was raised and debated at the floor of the house of representatives. This was due to the efforts of Hon Adeogun for which I'm grateful.

At the instance of my colleagues and fellow retirees I wish to, on their behalf, bring up the pension issue again as a matter of urgency and of public concern. Presumably following national outcry early 2017,  areas of outstanding pension benefits were paid to December  2016. Since that time, a period of nearly 15 months, no pension benefits have been paid to any retirees even though they number quite a few in the Nigerian University System. It cannot be said that the intention of Government is to send its retirees( Senior Citizens) to their early grave. These retirees in the University system are those who retired at the attainment of 70 years of age. By this age they are hardly able to take on any other regular job or routine employment, yet the benefits which they have labored for, entitled to and on which they are to manage the rest of their life's have been withheld by the very Government they served diligently for over a period of 40 years in most cases. Life expectancy in Nigeria is 49 years at best. At 70 years these retirees are prone to several ailments some of which if not properly handled can be terminal. With prompt medical attention and appropriate drugs which all depend on finance, they can continue an active life for another 20 or more years.

If  retirees are denied their legitimate retirement benefits, where is the gratitude that the nation owe the people who served their motherland faithfully and diligently? If those who work to retirement age of 70 in a country where the life expectancy is 49  and are not paid where is the reward for the several years of Gods grace on them? If those who diligently serve their nation especially at the very top of the University system and for that matter in the public service are not paid their pension benefits as at when due, what is the meaning of anti corruption crusade? Are we not telling those in service loud and clear that they have to engage in self-help to ensure they survive after leaving office. Is paying pension benefits not a sure way to discourage corruption in the system ?

Several of those who retired since early 2017 are beginning to show signs of fatigue due to lean cash and the stress of expectation of funds that are not forth coming. We therefore appeal to your good office to bring pressure to bear on the Executive to fulfill this basic obligation of releasing the pension benefits that are owed the retirees especially since the funds are joint contributions. Even as an anti- corruption panacea, Government should do the needful and release the pension benefits immediately; It makes common sense, economic sense and moral sense.

Honorable Members, we appeal to you to save our lives.
Thank you, sincerely.

Professor Oluyemisi Akinyemiju
Former Professor, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

Sent from my iPad

Friday 16 February 2018

GOV ORTOM EXPLODES.





"Boko Haram has been rebranded into herdsmen but Nigerians are unaware, "The Fulani Caliphate in collaboration with Chad, Niger, and Mali have orchestrated a deadly plan on Nigerians and their Land. The FG, presidency and the Fulani elders all part of it, including the Emir, are all part of it.... Cattle colony is a pretext. Chad, Niger, and Mali are presently on a full-scale invasion of Nigerian territory. Nigerians must rise against it. The government now works with Boko Haram to kill citizens. I am an APC member but i must tell you this government has failed the people".

-Gov Samuel  Ortom of Benue state.

VOTING SHOULD BE MANDATORY IN NIGERIA




  

Due to voter's apathy in Nigeria during election ,National Asssembly should amend all the necessary laws to make voting for citizen above 18yrs mandatory ,this will encourage many people to to fulfil their civic obligations .Also all Nigerians that would be on the field on election day ,the policemen ,army ,INEC officials and election observers should be allowed to participate in early vote process ,which we allow them to vote a week ahead.Many countries across the globe operate mandatory voting system with consequence for violators  about 22 nations around the world make voting mandatory for its citizens, often starting at age 18. Several of these countries are in Latin America with a handful allowing citizens to age out of compulsory voting by as early as age 65. In Australia, failure to vote can result in a $20 fine.More than 700m people lives in Countries with compulsory voting laws.

Argentina1843,024,374
Australia1822,507,617
Belgium1810,449,361
Bolivia1810,631,486
Brazil18202,656,788
Congo, Democratic 
Republic of the
1877,433,744
Costa Rica184,755,234
Dominican Republic1810,349,741
Ecuador1815,654,411
Egypt1886,895,099
Greece1810,775,557
Honduras188,598,561
Lebanon215,882,562
Luxembourg18520,672
Mexico18120,286,655
Nauru209,488
Panama183,608,431
Paraguay186,703,860
Peru1830,147,935
Singapore215,567,301
Thailand1867,741,401
Uruguay183,332,972


--
Posted By Blogger to Welcome to <br> Voxpopulid on 2/16/2018 06:47:00 am

VOTING SHOULD BE MANDATORY IN NIGERIA

   

Due to voter's apathy in Nigeria during election ,National Asssembly should amend all the necessary laws to make voting for citizen above 18yrs mandatory ,this will encourage many people to to fulfil their civic obligations .Also all Nigerians that would be on the field on election day ,the policemen ,army ,INEC officials and election observers should be allowed to participate in early vote process ,which we allow them to vote a week ahead.Many countries across the globe operate mandatory voting system with consequence for violators  about 22 nations around the world make voting mandatory for its citizens, often starting at age 18. Several of these countries are in Latin America with a handful allowing citizens to age out of compulsory voting by as early as age 65. In Australia, failure to vote can result in a $20 fine.More than 800m people lives in Countries with compulsory voting laws.

Thursday 15 February 2018

ZUMA: AS SOUTH AFRICA SHAMED NIGERIA YET AGAIN


Sam Ajayi:

... 
Jacob Zuma, the embattled President of South Africa, has resigned. But that is not the news.

I carefully followed the events that led to Jacob Zuma's exit and the whole thing lasted less than FIVE days. Again, that is not  news. 

But note these:

* In the build-up to Zuma's exit, no one played the ETHNIC card. His place of birth in South Africa did NOT matter. 

* Again, RELIGION was not an issue. Nobody even remembered he bore a Christian name. 

* The party was more interested in saving its NAME and LEGACY, than saving Zuma.

* Zuma did not deploy police and army to seal off the venue of the ANC meeting and teargas his party members. 

* There was no rented crowd at the ANC secretariat singing Zuma's praise and trolling Cyril Ramaphosa. 

* It was NOT even ANC that reiterated the supremacy of the party, it was Zuma himself. 

Politics is played everywhere. It can be fun and interesting. But is it played FOR THE ADVANCEMENT  OF THE SOCIETY. IT IS TO IMPROVE THE HUMAN CONDITION.

But here, ours is for the self, our family and cronies and people of our ethnic and religious backgrounds.  

IN NIGERIA, IF A PRESIDENT GRABS THE GUN OF HIS POLICE ORDERLY AND SHOOTS A CITIZEN, or DOES ANY VISIBLY DESECRATING ACT SOME OF US WILL STILL DEFEND HIM. 

Were it to be Nigeria, Zuma would not leave office. Never. He and his supporters could throw up all sorts of mundane excuses to remain in office. 

** Do you now see why Toyota, Mazda, Daimler Chrysler, BMW, Volkswagen and so on all have Assembly plants in South Africa? 

** Do you now see why they generate almost 40,000 megawatts and we are calling thanksgiving service for 7,000 megawatts? 

** Do you now see why they successfully hosted the World Cup?

** Do you know why our citizens rush there? 

South Africa has again showed that it is NOT about the black man. We are not intellectually inferior to the white man. Something is just fundamentally wrong with Nigeria and its LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT. 

And that thing is INSTITUTIONS. Both at governmental and non-governmental levels. 

As long as we produce LEADERS that we MAKE STRONGER than our INSTITUTIONS, we will NEVER make progress! 











Monday 12 February 2018

Herdsmen Destroy UNILORIN Farm, Poison Dam


By Femi OSA
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, has decried the destruction of the University's multi-million naira research and training farms by herdsmen, who also poisoned the dam with chemicals.
According to the University weekly Bulletin issued on Monday and made available to Voxipopulid, the management of the institution last Thursday held a security meeting with the leaders of the 11 Fulani settlements on the University land.
The publication quoted the vice-chancellor as saying that economic trees' were destroyed by cattle grazing on the vast land of the institution.
The meeting was attended by representatives of law enforcement agencies comprising of the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Security Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
At the meeting held at the institution's Auditorium Basement, Prof. Abdulkareem disclosed that the University management would no longer tolerate illegal grazing of cows on its land.
He, therefore, told the illegal settlers, who have started building permanent structures to vacate the University land in the interest of peace.
According to him, this was coming almost a year after the University authorities first issued a quit notice to the illegal settlers.
Abdulkareem recalled that the University management had on April 26, 2017 handed down a seven-day ultimatum to the Fulani herdsmen encroaching on the University land to quit the campus, but the quit notice was never complied with.
The vice-chancellor also noted that on May 11, 2017, 28 persons, comprising Fulani herdsmen, Yoruba and Hausa farmers, were dragged to an Ilorin Chief Magistrate's Court for allegedly trespassing into the University land, destroying the school's plantation and perpetrating other unauthorized activities on the University campus.
He explained that the accused persons were alleged to have resorted to poisoning the institution's dam with chemicals, while also engaging in illegal felling of economic trees from which they made charcoal.
However, at last Thursday's meeting, the Vice-Chancellor clearly told the Fulani settlers that "enough is enough".
The VC warned that the University could no longer condone the destructive activities of their grazing cattle on the University land, as this is becoming too costly for the institution to bear.
According to the institution's publication, herdsmen from 11 communities took turns to speak at the meeting.
The Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, Usman Adamu, told the University management that the herdsmen destroying the University farm land were not living in the community.

He said that there were other ethnic groups embarking on illegal activities like logging, and were not Fulani.


UN:What We Do


MAINTAIN INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY

The United Nations came into being in 1945, following the devastation of the Second World War, with one central mission: the maintenance of international peace and security. The UN does this by working to prevent conflict; helping parties in conflict make peace; peacekeeping; and creating the conditions to allow peace to hold and flourish. These activities often overlap and should reinforce one another, to be effective. The UN Security Council has the primary responsibility for international peace and security. The General Assembly and the Secretary-General play major, important, and complementary roles, along with other UN offices and bodies.

PROTECT HUMAN RIGHTS

The term "human rights" was mentioned seven times in the UN's founding Charter, making the promotion and protection of human rights a key purpose and guiding principle of the Organization.  In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights brought human rights into the realm of international law.  Since then, the Organization has diligently protected human rights through legal instruments and on-the-ground activities.

DELIVER HUMANITARIAN AID

One of the purposes of the United Nations, as stated in its Charter, is "to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character."  The UN first did this in the aftermath of the Second World War on the devastated continent of Europe, which it helped to rebuild.  The Organization is now relied upon by the international community to coordinate humanitarian relief operations due to natural and man-made disasters in areas beyond the relief capacity of national authorities alone.

PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

From the start in 1945, one of the main priorities of the United Nations was to "achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion."  Improving people's well-being continues to be one of the main focuses of the UN. The global understanding of development has changed over the years, and countries now have agreed that sustainable development – development that promotes prosperity and economic opportunity, greater social well-being, and protection of the environment – offers the best path forward for improving the lives of people everywhere.

UPHOLD INTERNATIONAL LAW

The UN Charter, in its Preamble, set an objective: "to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained". Ever since, the development of, and respect for international law has been a key part of the work of the Organization.  This work is carried out in many ways - by courts, tribunals, multilateral treaties - and by the Security Council, which can approve peacekeeping missions, impose sanctions, or authorize the use of force when there is a threat to international peace and security, if it deems this necessary.  These powers are given to it by the UN Charter, which is considered an international treaty.  As such, it is an instrument of international law, and UN Member States are bound by it.  The UN Charter codifies the major principles of international relations, from sovereign equality of States to the prohibition of the use of force in international relations

Thursday 8 February 2018

BEWARE OF FAKE LETTER CIRCULATING ON SOCIAL MEDIA. Dr Bode Olajumoke reacts to fake letter mishieveously attributed to him thus

BEWARE OF FAKE LETTER CIRCULATING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

Dr Bode Olajumoke reacts to fake letter mishieveously attributed to him thus:-

"I have received numerous enquiries from well wishers regarding an article under my name attacking OBJ. This same article was received by me without a name to it, but at the end, it had a Balogun's Enlightenment Forum - I am not a member of this Forum. Reissuing the letter now under my name must be an act of mischief! The day the OBJ's letter to PMB came out on Liberal Platform, I fully endorsed its contents, so why would I have so soon conflicted my support by issuing the said letter in such an uncouth, raw, and abusive language? The writer is certainly a coward by inserting my name. OBJ and I might not be friends as such, but as a cultured yoruba man, I would not really use such gutter language on an elderly citizen!
It is possible that the mischief maker must have assumed that I might be eyeing a political post and hence the need therefore to defame me! 
Let me thank my friends and relations across the nation who have drawn my attention to this mischief and assure them that I am not the author of the post, and most importantly I am not a coward!
Senator Bode Olajumoke

Of drowning men and national Security

By Ruben AbatiOf drowning men and national security - Reuben Abati

Jimoh Moshood, the current Police Public Relations officer in Abuja is probably the most unprofessional occupier of that office since 1999.  His lack of professionalism and ready capacity to perpetually say the wrong thing at the right time is the reason why he should be relieved forthwith of that important position.  He obviously loves the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris more thanIbrahim Idris loves himself.  When subordinates are sworn to that kind of oath of sycophancy, they do more harm than good.

 

So it is with Jimoh Moshood who went on Channels Television this week to declare that the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom is a "drowning man".  Governor Ortom's offence is that after the initial killing of 73 Benuecitizens by criminal herdsmen, followed by more killings by rampaging herdsmen in other states – Taraba, Adamawa, Ondo etc., the Governor had accused the Federal Government of lack of interest in the welfare and security of the people of Benue State.  Ortom apparently called on Abuja for help.  He got no quality response.

 

It is now a matter of public record and one of the reasons for the growing objection to the presentadministration that rather than address the criminality and the impunity of herdsmen, killing farmers and destroying communities, the Federal Government took the curious position of insisting that herdsmen, even when they kill should be accommodated. The Inspector General of Police, who had previously raised questions about his own style in the Senator Isa Misau case, simply dismissed what had been declared an act of genocide against Christians and farmers as a "communal crisis".  He was later ordered by President Buhari who had himself been accused of negligence in the herdsmen/farmers conflict to relocate to Benue state and put an end to the killings. Idris made a cameo appearance but the Governor was not impressed. The attacks continued, right in the presence of the police. In one sorry instance, a police officer announced that they could not arrest the killer-herdsmen, but that the matter would be addressed later.

 

I know Samuel Ortom. He was a Minister in the Goodluck Jonathanadministration (2010- 2015).  He served as Minister of State for Industry, Trade, and Investment and for a brief period, as Supervising Minister for Aviation.  He was one of the very quiet ones at Council meetings. Even when he acted occasionally as substantive Minister, or made presentations on behalf of Minister Segun Aganga, he did so quietly and so modestly without struggling to seize the stage. The whispering campaign about him was that he actually started his career as a motor park tout, who later became a professional driverin the same park, and who eventually sent himself to school and developed himself to the level of a Master's degree from Benue State University.  You can't truly know a person's worth until you give them opportunities. As the Peoples Democratic Party imploded in 2015, Ortom joined the All Progressives Congress. He ran the race for Governor of his home state Benue, as an APC candidate and won, thus becoming Governor.

 

In this new role, Ortom has shown a depth of character, ahigh level of confidence and such capacity previously unseen. This much was tested when Fulani herdsmen overran over 23 villages and constituencies in his state. Ortom stood up, spoke out, and drew international attention to the killings.  He declared, wisely, that he was elected to serve as Governor over the living, not the dead. He accused the police, the military, the Presidency and the Federal Government of condoning genocide against his people.  He took on the police in particular, and accused itsleadership of negligence. He went to the Presidential Villa where he paid obeisance to the President and again pleaded for help. His situation exposes a serious flaw in the Nigerian Constitution.

 

Whereas Governors are described as the Chief Security Officers of their states, and they preside over state security meetings, they are in reality paper tigers, because they have no control over security in their states. Governors are also members of the Police Council but that body is more or less moribund. The various security units and their bosses report directly through their own bosses and headquarters to the President.  In the event of any security crisis in any part of the country, law enforcement agents have to wait for "orders from above". Those orders are not always forthcoming in a timely fashion, and this alone has been responsible for the loss of too many innocent souls.

 

Since the current crisis began, Ortom has found the courage to condemn this anomaly. He has repeatedly reaffirmed the legal and divine parameters of good governance by insisting that the duty of a government is to ensure the security and welfare of the people. His boldness has been so unmistakable, many have wondered if he still plans to remain a member of the ruling APC. In the heat of the moment he even reached out to all prominent persons in Benue state, irrespective of their creed, faith or political affiliation to come home and come together to rescue their state.

 

The only significant response he seems to have received, is not a Presidential visit, but a churlish rebuke from the Police PRO who declared on international TV that Samuel Ortom is "a drowning man." CSP Jimoh Moshood, the Police PRO, is a spokesperson for a public institution, a law enforcement agent and of course, he is not a political appointee. It is not part of his brief in that capacity and as a serving civil servant, to make political statements.  There are persons in Nigeria who believe that one of the biggest lies in the Nigerian public space is the declaration that the "police is your friend".  Moshood just confirmed that, and by so doing, he put his boss on the spot!   

  

Under the watch of Ibrahim Idris as Police Inspector-General, the impression that the Nigeria Police is not "a friend of the people" has been confirmed on many occasions, resulting in what seems like widespread perplexity about the police. Ordinarily when any citizen has a problem bordering on personal safety or a breakdown of law and order such as we have in Benue, the first port of call should be the police.  Moshood calling a sitting Governor, a  "drowning man" is like a family calling on the police to rescue them from an armed robbery attack only for the police spokesperson to tell them that the police has no business with drowning people!  

 

In other societies, the police help people and save them from drowning. In Nigeria, by the police spokesperson's logic, whoever wants to drown can jolly well drown. This is one of the many reasons life and property have become unsafe in Nigeria. It is also the reason there has been a persistent call for state police, to grant state Governors a certain level of control during emergencies and to strengthen the country's security architecture. Samuel Ortom's reaction in this respect is a sobering reflection of the state of the nation. On Wednesday, February 7, he replied in like mode when he said on radio that the Inspector General of Police,Ibrahim Idris is actually the "drowning man."

 

His words: "It is the IGP that has failed to do the right thing that should be called a drowning man, it is the IGP that should resign, I am not a drowning man; I am doing what I was elected to do. Over 90 per cent of Benue people are with me. I'm acting their script, so nobody should try to intimidate me. The IGP should resign because he has failed woefully. He doesn't have the capacity. There are many good police officers who can take over that job and perform creditably by turning around the security architecture of this country and make things work and protect lives and property. That man has no business being IGP."

 

Ortom added that Ibrahim Idris is "the mouthpiece of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore" – quite a straight-to-the-chin, unkind cut, but even the President has been called worse names in the unfolding saga. The pervasive opinion is that the Nigeria police now conducts itself as a branch of the Buhari campaign team. A partisan police force can only become a tool of aggression and division.  Ortom's solution is that the people of Benue state should "defend themselves and not make themselves easy prey to be killed in their homes." He asked them to do so by "lawful means" but how exactly can a resort to self-help be lawful especially as the Governor has told the people "not to wait for the Inspector General of Police to do it"?  Ortom's remedy is a prescription for chaos. When Chief Security Officers in the states begin to urge their people to resort to self-help, what stronger proof do we need of the failure of the state?  

 

Ortom's help-yourself-clarion-call is not the solution. It further compounds the problem. It is to prevent this I believe, that the House of Representatives resolved on February 7, that the Inspector General of Police should apologise to the Governor of Benue state, and that the tough-talking Police PRO should be relieved of his position. Ortom doesn't need the IGP's apology. He needs the IGP to act professionally and avoid politics. With the way he has conducted himself so far, not too many Governors will be comfortable with Ibrahim Idris as the IGP to oversee the 2019 elections in their states. Consider a situation whereby a Governor or the opposition runs to the Police Headquarters to complain about rigging or electoral irregularities. Would the best response from the police be: we don't deal with drowning men!

 

By the way, is Jimoh Moshood from a riverine community, given the imagery he has added to the confusing grammar of politics since 2015? I share the view that he should be removed as the chief spokesperson for the police, and assigned to the level of responsibility he is best suited for. He will do much better in my view in the VIP protection unit, preferably as bodyguard to the wife of a local government chairman where he would be happy to carry Madam's bag, escort her to the market and act like a rented able-bodied man and sycophant! As for the IGP, he should begin to think of how he would love to be remembered – so far, his tenure has been characterized by avoidable somersault and controversies.

 

This is unfortunate considering the fact that Ibrahim Idris assumed office as Inspector General of Police with strong credentials. Degrees in two disciplines: agriculture and law, and years of service as a police operations man, rising to become commissioner in two states, and AIG Operations. He is also a Member of the National Institute (mni) and a PSC (Passed Staff College). Soon after he assumed office as Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris declared an impressive agenda. He told us:"The Nigeria Police Force will henceforth be guided by the international core values of policing with integrity, ensuring that the rule of law prevails in our actions and activities, and to respect diversity, courage, compassion, and professionalism. The Nigeria Police also would operate within the principles of Democratic Policing, which is an institution that is responsive, representative and accountable to its citizens at all times."

 

In case he has forgotten these declarations, this piece should serve as a timely reminder