JUMOKE AKINJIDE: BUHARI IS NOT NEW TO FAILURE

It could not be imagined the kind of hatred Buhari has for the South-west that could have made him dashed the hope of the government that  initiated the  rail project which was  going on smoothly and on schedule before he forced himself to power.

The visionary Jakande administration had concluded all the plans to finance the project, putting everything in place for its successful execution. My father provided the legal framework  in his capacity as the Attorney –General at the time, and the state government had deposited  $50million after securing  a $450 million loan at six per cent fixed interest rate for 25 years.

At the time the project was cancelled the government had paid part of the loan and therefore had no worry about financing the project. But Buhari stopped the project and went ahead to pay another $500million, which was almost enough to complete the project, as fine to the foreign company handling the project for terminating the contract.

I don’t see the  reason  some Yorubas would still gang up with this man to further rip us off.

He has never done us any good and he can never do us any good. He had his opportunity to show us love, he never did, instead he humiliated our leaders and detained them for no just cause, yet some people want us to embrace such enemy because of their own selfish interest. Buhari is not new to failure, he will fail again.

SAM OHUABUNWA: I TRAVELED BY ROAD AND BY TRAIN

We left Lagos at 12 pm on Monday, 22nd December. As you would suspect, we had planned to leave much earlier, actually at 9am. But when you have to travel with the family, it is usually difficult to keep to scheduled time. I had to plead severally with my wife that we needed to leave early for several reasons. 

We anticipated that the traffic would be quite heavy out of Lagos and on the road to the East three days to Christmas; we heard that the roads were bad and we did not want to travel at night, with its security implications. Yet we struggled to get out and indeed returned to the house twice to pick up one forgotten item or another. 

As we prayed when we got to old toll gate on the Lagos-Shagamu Expressway, I hoped I would not regret this renewed decision to travel home at Christmas by road after about a 10-year break. The last time we travelled home by road was in December 2003. The experience on the road that year was so horrible and dangerous that I decided to stop, despite my personal liking for driving and travelling in the large Nigerian landmass with variegated vegetation and contour. I always enjoyed the cool harmattan breeze of December/January and the beautiful scenery.

The first ‘shock’ we received that Monday was that we passed the Redeemed Church Camp without the ‘usual’ traffic snarl and we sang a song of praise. Further down, we ran into a traffic jam occasioned by the narrowing of the road caused by the road reconstruction work being undertaken by Julius Berger and we sighed. My wife admonished us to sing another song of praise. We reluctantly agreed and just as we were entering into the second song, the traffic eased and we sped off, enthralled by the wide expanse of road in front of us (the completed portion of the road expansion), that we almost missed our turn-off point into the Shagamu-Ore-Benin highway. 

The second ‘shock’ was that we did not know when we passed the Ijebu Ode intersection. We just drove on and saw a mighty overhead bridge or flyover. We had passed when my driver announced that the governor of Ogun State had built the flyover, thereby “abolishing” the regular accidents on that intersection. I said, how nice that we have some governors who think and who care, not those who will allow their people to suffer and blame the Federal Government!

The journey from Ijebu Ode to around Ajebandele was the usual hop, step and jump, but I was prepared for that, because that’s the usual. But a few kilometres to Ore, we were ushered into a fully-paved, fully-marked, well-demarcated dual carriageway that took us into Ore.

We briefly stopped to refresh and then resumed the journey on this “mecadamised thoroughfare” (apologies to the author of ‘Veronica My Daughter’ and Hon. Obahiagbon). As we drove, we passed Okada without recognizing it and all of a sudden, we were in Benin. I looked at my watch. We had been travelling for only three-and-a-half hours.I could not believe it. The last time I did Lagos to Benin in three hours was in 1992.

From Benin, we connected the Benin-Agbor-Onitsha Expressway through the by-pass (enduring legacy of Tony Anenih as minister of works) and we were amazed to see how the by-pass linked also the Benin-Warri federal highway and we said, yes, Nigeria is really building road infrastructure that can compare with the best in the world. 

The journey from there to Agbor and to Ogwashi-Uku was like driving on the new Lekki Expressway (without the Ajah bottleneck). The other ‘shock’ (I have lost count) was that we arrived Kwale in Delta State at 5.30pm. Only five-and-a-half hours to travel from Lagos to Kwale? With all the stops? That was record. I said in my heart, thank you, Mr

President, there is evidence that our highways are being transformed!

The next day I ran into fresh wonders. I had been sufficiently shocked the previous day that I became resistant to shocks. We drove from Kwale through Ozoro (work-in-progress by Delta governor) and unto Ughelli and saw the wonder that is now the East-West Road. We drove from Ughelli to Patani on a well-paved dual-carriage expressway and saw the wonder of the second new long-span bridge across the Patani River and continued on a pleasant ride to Kaima and indeed to the Yenagoa junction. 

But the whole fun was almost ruined at Mbiama where due to the ongoing work, the refusal of the Mbiama traders to relocate to a new market and especially the indiscipline of the road users, we came to a traffic jam that kept us for over two hours. At some point, I had to disembark from my car, left my driver and family, and walked about two kilometres past the Mbiama Bridge to hire a taxi to take me to Port Harcourt.

You will be wondering why I had to take a taxi. I wanted to see another ‘wonder’ happen in Nigeria in these times. The vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was to flag off the resumption of train services from Port Harcourt to Enugu. And I wanted to be among the first to enjoy this. And so no devil or traffic jam would stop me. I just made it. The vice president arrived at the main railway station (terminus) on Station Road in Town, Port Harcourt, few minutes after I got in. He did the ceremonial flag-off and I thought that was it. 

But when I struggled into the airconditioned brand new coaches driven by new diesel locomotive train engine, I was pleasantly surprised to see Namadi Sambo seated with Theodore Orji (Abia governor), ex-Governor Peter Obi, the chairman and MD of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Gen Martin Luther Agwai (SURE-P chairman) and several other dignitaries enjoying plates of rice and pounded yam. I quietly joined them and enjoyed the train ride to Imo River train station in Abia State where I disembarked to continue my journey by road.

To be sincere, were it not for the yet unrepaired Arochukwu-Ohafia federal road, I would have recommended that both the ministers of transport and works should be given honours by the Eze Aro of Arochukwu Kingdom for the great work they have done on the rail lines and the roads. But then, what should I recommend to be given to Gen Agwai and his SURE-P committee for providing the additional funding and supervision that have speeded up the delivery of the roads and the resuscitation of the moribund railway lines? 

Ok, what honours should I recommend for Mr President who, in the first place, employed both the ministers and the SURE-P committee members? While I await your advice, kindly join me in raising cheers for the great works that have been done on our highways and railways!

JOE IGBOKWE: YORUBAS HAVE BEEN FAIR TO IGBOS IN LAGOS

Ndigbo control commerce in Lagos from Ladipo market to Tejuosho, from Oshodi to Alaba International, from the Trade Fair Complex to Oduade market, from Idumota to Balogun, just to mention a few of them.

Ndigbo are in real estate, big time, they are in hospitality business, transport and building construction. Ndigbo import more than 60 per cent of all goods in Lagos on a conservative estimate. In politics, Ndigbo are also being represented at all levels of government from the wards to the local government and at the state level.

Ben Akabueze has been the Commissioner for Budget and Planning for nearly 10 years and the weight of that office is well known to those who should know better.

Joe Igbokwe sits as the General Manager, LASIMRA, Head UFRU and APC Publicity Secretary, Lagos and these are strategic offices and six Ndigbo are fully employed at LASIMRA.

Justice Sybil Nwaka, an Igbo, is in the Lagos Judiciary, there was the late Mrs. Ngozi Mofuanya, a director of Public Prosecution, DPP; there are also Igbo lawyers who are thoroughly enjoying themselves in the Ministry of Justice in Lagos.

There is also countless number of Ndigbo in top positions in the Lagos State Ministries, especially in the Ministry of Education. Many Igbos are also working in the local governments.

Ngozi Nwosu, an actress from Imo State, got a life-line of N6 million for an overseas surgery. Mrs. Mary Igbokwe got N5 million and a flat as compensation for her late husband, who died in a scuffle with LASTMA officers in Lagos. Mrs. Chima Ubani got cash and a flat at Marwa Garden Lagos when her husband Mr. Chima Ubani died in a motor accident near Abuja.

First Consultants Hospital owned by an Igbo got N50 million as compensation for equipment destroyed after fighting Ebola in that hospital and consequently stopped spread of the deadly disease.

Time and space will not permit us to say all we know about Ndigbo in Lagos. Igbo have made great fortunes in Lagos simply because a very conducive atmosphere has been provided for these huge and monumental investments to thrive and we expect Ndigbo to show some understanding.

Lagos APC is appealing to Ndigbo in Lagos to work with their host communities in Lagos for peaceful co-existence and harmonious relationship. Our property in Lagos were not said to be abandoned after the civil war. They were returned to us by the Yoruba after the war.

Yoruba have been fair to Ndigbo and they need to reciprocate by seeking dialogue anytime there is problem instead of wars on the print and electronic media.

Eighty per cent of rich Ndigbo in Nigeria today made their wealth in Lagos. Lagos, APC still insists that there are rooms for improvement. And we advise Ndigbo to always seek audience with the authorities in their host communities for better understanding and cordial relationship. It is supposed to be a symbiotic relationship.

WOLE SOYINKA: WATCH & PRAY, WATCH & PREY

I had fully attuned myself to the fact that our Owu retiree soldier and prolific author is an infliction that those of us who share the same era and nation space must learn to endure. However, it does appear that there is no end to this individual’s capacity for infantile mischief, and for needless, mind-boggling provocations, such as his recent ‘literary’ intrusion on my peace.

Perhaps I ought to interrupt myself here with an apology to some mutual acquaintances – ‘blessed peacemakers’ and all – especially in this season of ‘peace and goodwill to all men’. Please know that your efforts have not been entirely in vain. I had a cordial exchange with Obasanjo over the phone recently – engineered by himself, his ground staff and/or a chance visitor – when I had cause to visit his Presidential Laundromat for the first time ever. During that exchange, I complemented him on making some quite positive use of landed property that was acquired under morally dubious circumstances, and blatantly developed through a process that I denounced as ‘executive extortionism’. That obscene proceeding has certainly set a competitive precedent for impunity in President Jonathan’s recent fund-raising shindig, editorialized in THE PUNCH (Dec. 23, 2014) as “Impunity Taken too Far”. So much for the latest from that directions – we mustn’t allow Handing-Over notes between presidents to distract us for too long.

To return to our main man, and friendly interventionists, you may like to note that I went so far as to engage him in light banter, stating that some of his lesser sins would be forgiven him for that creative conversion of the landscape – a conversation that he shortly afterwards delightedly shared with at least three mutual acquaintances. I promised a follow-up visit to view some mysterious rock script whose existence, he informed me, was uncovered by workers during ground clearing. The exchange was, in short, as good as ‘malice towards none’ that any polemicist could hope to contribute to the ongoing season of peace and goodwill. Obviously that visit will not now take place, any more than the pursuit of vague notions of some creative collaboration with his Centre that began to play around my mind.

That much I do owe you from my report card. Perhaps you will now accept that there are individuals who are born incorrigible but, more importantly, that some issues transcend one’s personal preferences for harmonious human relationships even in a season of traditional good will. The change in weather conditions sits quite well with me however, since we are both acquainted with the Yoruba proverb that goes: the child that swears his mother will not sleep must also prepare for a prolonged, sleepless infancy. So let it be with Okikiola, the overgrown child of circumstance.

One of the incessant ironies that leapt up at me as I read Obasanjo’s magnum opus was that we are both victims of a number of distasteful impositions – such as being compelled again and again to seek justice against libel in the law courts. I felt genuine empathy to read that he still has a pending thirty-year case instituted by him against his alleged libelers! Judgment was delivered in my favour regarding one of the most nauseating only this year, after surviving technical and other procrastinations, defendant evasions and other legalistic impediments for nearly as long as his. That leaves only a veritable Methuselah on the court list still awaiting re-listing under the resurrection ritual language known as de novo. Unfortunately, not all acts of defamation or willful misrepresentation are actionable, otherwise, my personal list against this newly revealed fellow-sufferer would have counted for an independent volume of the Nigerian Law Report since our paths first crossed during the Civil War. My commitment to the belief in the fundamental right of all human beings NOT TO BE LIED AGAINST remains a life obsession, and thus demands, at the very least, an obligation of non-commission among fellow victims.

I must therefore reserve a full, frontal dissection of Obasanjo’s My Watch for later, most especially since the work itself is currently under legal restraint and is not readily accessible to a general readership. So, for now, let me single out just one of the most glaring instances of this man’s compulsive career of lying, one sample that the media can readily check upon and use as a touchstone – if they do need one – in assessing our author’s multifaceted claims and commentaries on people and events. I refer here to the grotesque and personally insulting statement that he has attributed to me for some inscrutable but obviously diversionary reasons. In the process, this past Master of Mendacity brazenly implicates an innocent young man, Akin Osuntokun, who once served him as a Special Adviser. Instead of conferring dignity on a direct rebuttal of an ignoble fabrication, I shall simply make a personal, all-embracing attestation:

I despise that species of humanity whose stock-in-trade is to concoct lies simply to score a point, win an argument, puff up his or her own ego, denigrate or attempt to destroy a fellow being. However, even within such deplorable species, a special pit of universal opprobrium is surely reserved for those who even lack the courage of their own lies, but must foist them on others. When an old man stuffs a lie into the throat of an age-mate of his own children – omo inu e! - we can only pity an irredeemable egomaniac whose dotage is headed for twilight disgrace.

D.O. Fagunwa, the pioneer Yoruba novelist, was a compulsive moralist. I suspect that he may have exerted some influence on our garrulous general, resulting in his pupil’s tedious, misapplied and self-serving deluge of moralizing. It seems quite likely indeed that the ghostly, moralistic hand of Fagunwa reached out from the Great Beyond, sat his would-be competitor forcefully before a mirror and bade him write what he saw in that image. I invoke Fagunwa because, at his commemorative colloquium in Akure in August last year, I drew my audience’s attention to a remarkable passage in Fagunwa’s Igbo Olodumare. The passage had struck me during translation and stuck to my mind. I found it uncanny that the original creative moralist, Fagunwa, had captured the psychological profile of a being whom I have been compelled by circumstances to study as an eerie creation, yet this was a character Fagunwa was unlikely to have encountered in real life at the time that he produced that work.

The section comes from an account of a visit to the abode of Iku, Death, the terrifying host to Olowo-aiye, the narrative voice of the adventure. Iku, the host, had been admonishing his guests through the histories of seven creatures who were not permitted a straightforward passage to Heaven or Hell, but were subjected to admonitory punishment at the halfway house to the abode of the dead. The most horrendous tortures were reserved, it would seem, for the last of the seven such ‘detainees’, and I invited my audience to ponder if they could identify any prominent individual, a public figure whose life conduct seamlessly fitted into Fagunwa’s portrayal, which went thus:

“The seventh…. is not among those who set out to improve the world but rather to cause distress to its inhabitants. It was through manipulations that he attained a high position. Having achieved this however, he constantly blocked the progress of those behind him, this being a most deplorable act in the eyes of God, and rank behaviour in the judgment of the dwellers of heaven – that anyone who has enjoyed upliftment in life should seek to be an obstacle for those who follow him. This man forgot the beings of earth, forgot the beings of heaven, in turn, he forgot the presence of God. The worst kind of behaviour agitated his hands – greed occupied the centre of his heart, and he was a creature that walked in darkness. This man wallowed in bribery, he was chairman of the circle of scheming, head of the gang of double-dealing, field-marshal of those who crept about in the dark of night. With his mouth, he ruined the work of others, while he used a big potsherd to cover the good works of some, that others might not see their attainments. He nosed around for secrets that would entrap his companions, and blew them up into monumental crimes in the eyes of the world. He who turns the world upside down, places the deceitful on the throne, casts the truthful down – because such is a being of base earth, he will never stand as equal among the uplifted.”

My co-occupants of the High Table, in side remarks, and those who came up from the audience afterwards to volunteer their answer to the riddle, without exception named one individual and one individual only, even as I remained non-committal. Indeed, one or two tried to put up a defence of that nominee, and I had to remind them that I had named no one! Fagunwa wrote largely of the world of mongrelized creatures but, as I remarked, his fiction remains a prescient and cautionary mirror of the society we inhabit, where beasts of the forest appear to have a greater moral integrity than those who claim to be leading lights of society.

In this season of goodwill, we owe a duty to our immediate and distant neighbours: CAVEAT EMPTOR! Let all beware, who try to buy a Rolex from this indefatigable watch peddler. His own hand-crafted, uniquely personalized timepiece has been temporarily confiscated by NDLEA and other guardians of public health but, there is no cause for despair. Such has been the fate of the misunderstood and the envied, avatars descended from the heavens before their time, the seers, and all who crave recognition. Our author invokes God tirelessly, without provocation, without necessity and without justification, perhaps preemptively, but does he really believe in such an entity? Does our home-bred Double-O-Seven believe in anything outside his own Omnipotency? Could he possibly have mistaken the Christian exhortation – ‘Watch and Pray’ for his private inclination to “Watch and Prey? This is a seasoned predator on others’ achievements – he preys on their names, their characters, their motivations, their true lives, preys on gossip and preys on facts, preys on contributions to collective undertakings…..even preys on their identities, substituting his own where possible. Well, hopefully he may actually believe in the inevitable End to all vanities? So, let our Great Immortal, the Unparalleled Achiever, Divinely appointed Watchman even on the world that is yet to come remember Fagunwa’s Iku, the ultimate predator whose visitation comes to us all, sooner or later.

LAI MOHAMMED: THERE'LL BE NO VIOLENCE IF ...

We have heard from Nigerians who are so afraid about possible violence during the forthcoming election that they are even willing to relocate to other countries until after the elections. 

But as the biggest opposition party in Nigeria and a major stakeholder in our nation’s democracy, we are assuring, on our part, that there will be no violence.

Though our party has no history of violence, we have commenced a nationwide effort to sensitise our members and supporters on the need to eschew rancour and embrace non-violent methods, even in the face of the kind of provocations to which we were subjected during the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, when our members were needlessly harassed, arrested and detained by partisan security agencies acting under orders from the FG.

If the federal government allows a level playing field for all contestants, if the security agencies stop acting as the armed wing of the ruling PDP, if the electoral umpire will carry out its duties without fear, favour or bias and if citizens are allowed to exercise their franchise unmolested, the stage will be set for a non-violent, free, fair and credible polls.

In other words, the government has a major role to play in making the forthcoming polls peaceful. On our part, in addition to other efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful election, we pledge to accept the result of an election that is not only free, fair, credible and transparent, but one that is also seen to be so. We hope other parties will make a similar pledge.

Following up on a meeting of representatives of both parties in Washington, DC, US, April 7-8 2014 under the auspices of the CSIS Nigeria Election Forum, at which it was agreed that a joint meeting of both parties be convened to discuss and agree on the crucial issue of a code of conduct for the campaigns and the elections, we wrote a letter to the PDP suggesting a bipartisan meeting to address the issue.

The PDP agreed to the proposal and suggested that it should be expanded to include the leadership of other political parties in the country. However, problem with logistics meant that the meeting did not hold.

Even with the little time left for the election to hold, we strongly believe that a meeting of the leadership of the two political parties, the APC and the PDP, will send a powerful message to our compatriots and indeed the international community and douse the tension that is building up ahead of the election.

SULE LAMIDO: BUHARI AND JONATHAN TOO DESPERATE

So long as we want Nigeria to get out of her present predicament, we must be sincere in the way we practise democracy so as to avoid a bloodbath and the rampant killing of Nigerians because of the interest of a few individuals.

Buhari and Jonathan are the albatross of the nation due to their desperation to lead Nigeria at all cost.

Today a vote for either of them could lead Nigeria to an untimely division as well as push others to their early graves.

We have heard the devilish pronouncements of people like Edwin Clark and Dokubo Asari and Buba Galadima, among others who were predicting a bad end for the country should we Nigerians fail to a vote for either Jonathan or General Buhari and going by what their supporters are preaching, if either of them fails to scale through, it could destabilise Nigeria.

SULE LAMIDO: BUHARI PLAYING RELIGIOUS CARD IN THE NORTH

When Buhari talks to the electorate in the North, he usually plays up the religious card, but once he is in the South, he plays it down by harping on the unity of Nigeria.

Why then are our people vilified and maligned because they refuse to vote for a Muslim as their president and have opted for a Christian?

If not, why is it that he chose a Christian as his running mate and shunned the Muslim community, then he turns round to tell the people in the North that his contest is anchored on promoting and guiding their ideological faith.

JOHN OYEGUN: A BUHARI GOVT WILL OVERLOOK PAST ACTS OF CORRUPTION

The first moments of a Buhari Presidency, the outlook is on the future.

The message will be clear, whatever you engage in before that is detrimental to the people of this country, please stop it, change has come.”

The only people I think should fear the Buhari Presidency are those who do not want change. 

Those who want to continue with business as usual are those who want to continue to profit from the level of corruption in the society.

We will have no apologies for people like that. But it is clear that from the Buhari perspective and that for the APC, the future of the people of this country is too important for us to spend valuable time trying to dig into the past.

It is time for change and anybody who decides that he does not want to be part of change and want business as usual that is his choice.

IREOGBU: SAUDI ARABIA BLOCKS ARMS SHIPMENT TO NIGERIA

Nigeria’s effort at ending the Boko Haram insurgency has run into another hitch with the refusal by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to grant over-flight permits to cargo planes conveying military equipment and armoured tanks procured by the Nigerian government from Pakistan.

THISDAY gathered authoritatively from intelligence sources that the decision by the Saudi authorities is certain to cause a diplomatic row at a time the Jonathan administration is eager to end the insurgency in the North-east before the 2015 general election.

President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking re-election in less than two months time and had given the green light to the military authorities to procure arms from alternative sources such as Pakistan and Russia other than Nigeria’s traditional allies led by the United States of America, United Kingdom and France.

The decision, THISDAY gathered, was premised on Nigeria’s displeasure with the US after the country blocked the sale of American-manufactured Cobra attack helicopters from Israel.

With the position of the West, Nigeria decided to turn to the East, chiefly Pakistan, from which the federal government was able to procure a huge cache of military hardware needed to prosecute the war against Boko Haram.

However, an intelligence source said: “Getting the equipment into Nigeria immediately has run into a hitch owing to Saudi Arabia’s refusal to grant the cargo planes that will convey the arms over-flight permits through its airspace.

“We got permission to fly through Sudan and other countries but have been blocked by Saudi Arabia, which has impeded the urgency of the operation.”

He added that owing to Saudi Arabia’s refusal, the only alternative is for Nigeria to ship the armament by sea, but using this as an option would take much longer.

“If we resort to shipping the arms via the high seas, they would reach us well after the elections which may be too late for the desired impact, especially now that we have the insurgents on the run,” he explained.

Flight permits are required by all aircraft to overfly, land or make a technical stop in any country’s airspace. All countries have their own regulations regarding the issuance of flight permits, as there are generally a number of considerations including payment involved.

When asked if there might have been religious undertones in Saudi Arabia’s decision to withhold the flight permit, the intelligence source said he was not certain but would not rule it out.

“Nigeria has always had close ties to Saudi Arabia, but with a war that has a religious slant, we may not be able to rule it out. But what I can say for certain is that this would lead to diplomatic tensions between both countries,” he said.

ALABI WILLIAMS: UPDATE FOR BUHARI IN 2015

In case opposition governors and leaders are not honest enough to tell Buhari the truth because they are complicit in their jurisdictions, we outside government should do so. We should tell GMB that for every economic affliction the PDP has deposited on Nigerians, there are replicas of it in APC states, as well as and in the National Assembly, where both opposition legislators and those of the PDP earn huge salaries and allowances that they are ashamed to disclose. Facts and figures have shown that our legislators earn far more than their counterparts in the United States and in other G8 countries. They have kept sealed lips and deaf ears to this callous revelation. This is conspiracy by the political class against Nigerians. It is not only a PDP affair and we think Buhari must know this.

  We need to remind GMB that what is today the APC is not inhabited by political greenhorns and saints. If you doubt, ask Malam Nuhu Ribadu to give you dossiers of the major players who have been around since 1999, some of whom have migrated in and out of the PDP countless times. It is true that Buhari admitted that much, when he proffered to draw a line between the sins that were committed in the past and the moment he steps into government. The only sense in that perhaps, is that there won’t be enough resources and personnel in the EFCC to chase the thieves; there could also be some challenge of time and space in the courts to prosecute them.

   In going forward and turning a new leaf, Buhari has to solemnly beg members of his party, in case they form government, to allow him set the new stage for a transparent and accountable government. If you ask me, I will recommend a new template for the National Assembly, where lawmakers will have pity and mercy on Nigerians. This present Assembly cannot take Nigeria anywhere, in terms of its mindset and size. We need a trimmer legislature and where that is not possible because of arguments of geo-political representation, we can reduce the period of sittings to six months in a year. After all, lawmakers go on holiday for nearly half of the year, but they earn salaries and allowances for the entire year. While the Assembly is closed for half of the year, let lawmakers try their skills out there to make a living, instead of being perpetual parasites on the economy, in the name of lawmaking. The Assembly complex, if shut for that period will reduce maintenance and utility bills. On the other hand, the facility could be outsourced to some property managers to be used for staging conferences and hosting events. There is nothing sacrosanct about that structure, it is the spirit of the Assembly that is. For now, we do not have that spirit.

  Then, the Execute must really downsize. What we have in Abuja and the states as of today is too costly to run on an ailing oil economy. We need trim state houses, where the budgets are realistic, in consonance with best practices elsewhere. The ratio between what is spent on running government and what goes into capital expenditure is unsustainable. The next government must work really hard to narrow the gap, not by mere wishes. The PDP government knows where the problems is, but does not have the political will to do the needful. A committee was raised to harmonise and rationalise the public service, with a view to downsizing and blocking wastage. But since the Oronsanye committee had completed its work, government does not even know where to begin from. We are not saying government should sack for the sake of it, but persons who should go home should be encouraged to do so, with schemes to acquire skills and takeoff grants to enable them go into other ventures.

  Buhari is familiar with the menace a political class is capable of constituting. In case he has forgotten, he should just rewind to that famous speech that launched his military takeover on December 31, 1983. If he and his fellow travellers were convinced that what the civilian government did then was wrong, let him know that those Second Republic politicians were close to being saints, if their sins were put side by side what today’s politicians have wrought and are capable of doing. Buhari’s capacity to lead by example will be one good way to start. He should encourage those running around him, who own mansions outside the country to sell them and return the money. He has to beg and persuade them, since he will not have the capacity to capture errant politicians and put them inside crates, to be shipped back home. Buhari no longer has such powers. He will need to formulate bills to send to the NASS and lobby the legislators. But he should know that legislators don’t just pass bills unless you appease them. 

  I just want candidate Buhari to know what he is up against as he continues to woo Nigerians with his zero tolerance for corruption.  Now that ovation seems very loud, those ringed about him may not allow him to have a true picture of what transpires in government since the last time he was there. He should know that his number one place to start is his party. The party a candidate belongs could hold him hostage after they manage to form government. If the APC forms majority in the NASS, the party should organise a retreat, where Buhari will get down on his knees to beg them, if indeed, they want to transform Nigeria. Buhari had cried before; he might need to shed a few more tears to convince his party members that he means business. It is not about sharing everything in the Federation Account. It is more about fiscal discipline.

ABRAHAM OGBODO: HERE COMES MESSIAH BUHARI

WE are now at a point when any chief tenant at the Aso Rock Villa is considered better than its current occupant, President Goodluck Jonathan. It is the All Progressives Congress (APC) that has successfully moved us to this point. Systematically, the party has come from fragments that it was at the beginning of this dispensation, into a unified formidable force capable of terminating PDP’s hegemonic hold on governance as we approach the finishing line.

  Even when everybody had expected the APC to disintegrate back to its original elements, it doggedly weathered through. The party’s national convention to elect national officers came and passed and the party still stood gidigba. The arising injuries were nursed and healed in record-time. The primary to elect the party presidential flag bearer also came and passed without life threatening accidents. Now, the APC has gone through the crucible eminently fired and fine-tuned to do battle with the PDP in precisely 48 days, all things being equal. 

   By the Grace God, all things shall remain equal in spite of Boko Haram. From the way things are going, what may not remain equal is the PDP. There are expectations spurred by anger against the status quo. People are just angry and want something to happen anyhow. Or more appropriately, the opposition APC has managed to make everybody to be angry with the PDP and President Jonathan. The party has created a breath-taking political melodrama in which it presents itself as the haunted hero and the PDP, the villain. And driven by self-righteousness, APC is now on a mission to dispatch the villain and rescue the stretch of humanity called Nigeria from needless destruction.

  General Muhammadu Buhari is the hero in the unfolding melodrama. He is the same man who, 30 years ago, stormed the democratic centre stage, chased all the characters to the wings, recreated the set and began his own performance as a military dictator. He is also the man, who has been severally quoted as expressing divisive ethno-religious sentiments that profile him more as a jihadist than as a nationalist or statesman. He is the man, who cannot be associated with any significant endeavour at self-development or national bridge building since his own illegal show was aborted by yet another set of usurpers less than two years after he had begun performance.

   But the party is not saying these things because of election and its desire to win. In Nigeria, electoral outings are so much like theatre performances where natural endowments or fault lines may not make or mar the actor. What matters is the ability of an actor/actress to offer the best interpretation of the script on stage and good theatre directors do not have to look beyond this in creating their cast list. Among the lot that expressed interest to bear the APC flag, General Buhari, in the estimation of the APC, is most primed to deliver the best performance come February 14, 2015. What is ahead is a cut-throat competition for a big prize and the party needs to bring on board he that fits the bill.

  For this purpose, the man has been rebranded in act and speech to look and sound better than his real self. I hear the General quotes more from the Bible than he does from the Quran these days. He now sees the entire country as a constituency. It is a winning formula. Even his sartorial turnout has been significantly reworked to meet the exigencies of the time. He now spices his characteristic Hausa/Fulani caftans and babariga with well-tailored suits.

  This is exactly how to prepare for and win a presidential election. The PDP has got a lot to learn from the APC in this regard. The superb preparations of the APC are further underscored by the curious decision of the PDP to do nothing meaningful even in the face of threat. The APC’s mobilisation is total. In a way that is difficult to explain, the party has successfully co-opted the Nigerian media into its publicity directorate.  

These days, every newspaper columnist has good reason to dress-up Buhari in beautiful masks. They present him as the Messiah that will show the way out of the wilderness that the PDP has taken Nigerians. In all instances, there is a strong undertone warning Nigerians to avoid behaving like the Jews who could not recognize their own Messiah when he came and then went ahead to murder him. Enough to say the new Buhari that I have been talking about is largely a creation of the Nigeria media. 

  Meanwhile, Buhari must not be murdered. He should be given a chance to manifest his agenda which so far, so good, does not look as complex as others before him. It is not in seven parts as Yar ‘Adua’s neither is it so charged with energy as to transform everything on impact. Rather, the man has been singing a simple mission song of stamping out corruption and impunity, which the PDP controlled Federal Government has not been able to do in almost 16 years. 

   He has not said anything more actually. This automatically streamlines the great issues of the day into one purpose — an epic battle against corruption. Buhari is beginning very well, if you ask me. A good dance is perceived from the drumbeats even at the outskirts of the town. For instance, while President Jonathan got a handful monied Nigerians to dole out a whooping N26 billion towards his re-election bid in 2015, Buhari has come out differently to place the business of his fourth attempt at the presidency in the hands of ordinary Nigerians. 

   Reports last week said he had raked in N54 million from, perhaps, 54 million Nigerians who might have donated one naira each to the Buhari Campaign Fund. This is the way to demonstrate transparency and make every Nigerian to buy into the Buhari Project as a stakeholder even as he tries to distance himself from filthy rich men and women and remain within his constituency of poor people.

   It is not as if there are no rich people around Buhari; there are, but they are clean rich men and women who worked very hard to make their money. The rich men - including Senator Bola Tinubu – around Buhari are proven industrialists who make good money from their sweat and legitimate investments. And so, Buhari is not encumbered like President Jonathan. His campaign is not being run on IOUs issued by corrupt political contractors who shall surely insist on prompt retirement (with high premium) at the appointed time. 

   If by the Grace of God Buhari becomes President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces come May 29, 2015, he shall strike at all quarters with his two eyes closed. Since the rich people around him are legitimate earners of their stupendous income, he will not be constrained fighting corruption and the Boko Haram insurgency. None of his key men will be injured and like a gallant Elizabethan knight on a horseback, he would charge through all barricades to chart a new path for the rapid development of the country.

   If I were Jonathan, I would return those billions to their filthy donors and adopt the Buhari style. When few people sponsor democracy as the PDP is doing, the concept changes character and meaning. It is no longer government of the people by the people and for the people; it becomes something midway between plutocracy (or even kleptocracy) and oligarchy. 

   Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and director general of the Buhari Campaign organisation has boasted that the Buhari’s fourth IPO (Initial Public Offer) will be oversubscribed by Nigerians this time around. He added that the shares are constructed in a manner to democratise the equity distribution across board. None is envisaged to emerge as a preferential or majority shareholder. It is going to be like an Orwellian kind of Animal Farm where equality shall rule supreme until, perhaps, further notice. 

    Seriously, nobody expects Nigerians to ignore this promise of a political Eldorado by Buhari and the APC and stay with President Jonathan and his party. And why should Nigerians even bother about Jonathan and the PDP? After all, till date, they have not been able to successfully tell Nigerians that the known devil some people say they are, is a world better than the unseen angel.

COL. ANTIGHA: THE NIGERIAN ARMY, BOKO HARAM AND THE HUNTERS

In the last couple of weeks, the Nigerian Army has faced a barrage of criticisms from commentators and analysts over perceived poor handling of the ongoing Counter –Insurgency Operations in the North East. These criticisms have been based to a large extent on Boko Haram propaganda, poor logic and emotion. Consequently, they have failed to add value to the on-going efforts to deal with the Boko Haram crisis. Rather than help, the cancerous and sensational criticisms have heightened fear among the public, degraded public perception of the Nigerian Army and dampened the fighting spirit of troops. In the light of this unfortunate development, it has become imperative to look critically at some of the issues, particularly, the media frenzy about hunters and the recapture of Mubi.

Recently, the reading public was inundated with reports about how hunters have become more successful than the military in dealing with the Boko Haram problem. To underscore this point, the media reported that Adamawa State Government has concluded arrangement to employ more hunters. In this era of unusual occurrence, who knows, a bill may be sent to the 8th National Assembly for hunters to be granted Presidential Commission into the Armed Forces of Nigeria. But, is the hysteria about Adamawa hunters and their alleged role in the ongoing counter – insurgency operations in Mubi real? or is it a creation of fifth Columnists who are bent on undermining the Armed Forces of Nigeria and denying it any credit?

Let us examine this so-called re-capture of Mubi by hunters and see what merit or otherwise it may have. We all come from villages, so we should know that hunting tools include; bows and arrows, spears, traps, hunting dogs, machetes as well as cock and shoot ‘dane’ guns. I will pay a little more attention to the ‘dane’ gun, because of all the hunters tools mentioned, only the ‘dane’ gun can constitute a meaningful threat to life in a military sense, if the target is within 30 metres. Dane guns are neither automatic nor semi automatic, they do not fire any projectile. Rather, ‘dane’ guns fire pellets. Besides, ‘dane’ guns are effective only when used in very close quarter engagements. Consequently, in military terms, hunters armed with a weapon having the characteristics listed above, do not constitute any reckonable fighting force.

On the other hand, Boko Haram insurgents purportedly driven away by hunters have benefited significantly from black market arms, as well as the pilferage and looting of Libyan Armed Forces arsenal following a failed revolution. Arising from this, Boko Haram insurgents are armed with light infantry weapons such as Rocket Propelled Grenade launchers and bombs, General Purpose Machine Guns,  AK 47 Rifles, Anti Aircraft guns and assorted Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). To put the purported hunters/Boko Haram clash in Mubi into perspective, I will examine  the characteristics of at least 3 weapons in Boko Haram’s inventory. The AK 47 rifle is the most versatile infantry weapon in its category. It is a magazine-fed weapon with a capacity of 30 rounds and is lethal up to 300 metres. The Anti Aircraft gun is another weapon widely used by the insurgents. It is belt-fed, fires up to 400 rounds per minute and can kill a target at up to and beyond 3,000 metres. Boko Haram insurgents are known to fire this weapon mounted on Buffalo or Hilux pickup trucks in anti-personnel role. The Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG 7) is a close quarter weapon with enormous shock effect and devastating impact. Additionally, most Boko Haram insurgents are non-Nigerians from neighbouring countries and have gained extensive combat experience from decades of civil wars in their own countries and the Sahel region.

Looking at the asymmetry in capacity, equipment and motivation between the so-called hunters and Boko Haram insurgents, it is obvious that the widely reported clashes between hunters and Boko Haram insurgents and the eventual dislodgement of the later from Mubi and environs could not have taken place, as that would have amounted to suicide on the part of the hunters. Besides, human beings naturally celebrate achievement and cherish the limelight that comes with it, so how come no hunter has been identified or interviewed to tell the world how the feat of chasing away phenomenally superior Boko Haram insurgents was achieved? The staggering disparity in strength (both in number and equipment) between the hunters and Boko Haram casts doubts on the widely reported clashes.

The reality is that dealing with threats constituted by  a cross-border extremist terrorist organisation with a complex international financing, recruitment and logistics network is a huge challenge. This situation becomes even more daunting when a regional framework for counter terrorism is just being developed. Those who have followed trends in terrorism and its management should know that this has been the challenge even for the most advanced countries. Therefore, in managing this conflict in Nigeria, it is not out of place for the Armed Forces of Nigeria to appropriate resources that could assist in finding solutions to the problem. Consequently, if local hunters or other local assets provide human intelligence, point to tracks and hideouts of insurgents, it is a welcome development. I believe this has been the scope of the involvement of hunters and other non – military elements in the counter - insurgency. All over the world, counter – insurgency operatives adapt local assets into their Operational Art to achieve the desired end state. The French did so in Algeria in the 1950s, the British did same in Malaya and Northern Ireland. Similarly, the Americans are doing same in the Middle East and Central Asia. In West Africa, we are already familiar with the Karmajos in Sierra Leone. However, the involvement of local assets in counter – insurgency operations in these countries was never interpreted to mean the capitulation of the national army. So, why is the situation different in Nigeria?

Without doubt, managing an insurgency of the size of Boko Haram is an enormous challenge. The military does have its own challenges. In this regard, the Nigerian Army is dealing firmly with cases of gross indiscipline, such as aiding the enemy, mutiny, cowardice and desertion. Sections 45, 52, and 60 respectively, of the Army Forces Act CAP A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2014 deal with these infractions.  Also, the issue of human right abuses which has been blown out of proportion is also receiving prompt attention. Recently, The Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police, in conjunction with  Defence Institute of International Legal Studies of the United States organized a workshop on “Detainee Operations”. The training of troops on the expectation of the Geneva Conventions regarding the Laws of Armed Conflicts has always been part of the Nigerian Army training curricular for both officers and soldiers in all Nigerian Army Training Institutions. Previous collaborations have been with the Nigerian delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross. It must be noted that Nigerian Army and Boko Haram do not share the same responsibility in the conduct of operations. While troops must painstakingly identify targets before engagement, insurgents kill at random, without any obligation under subsisting international conventions regulating the conduct of armed conflict.

Perhaps, the greater challenge which the Nigerian Army faces in the ongoing counter – insurgency operations in the North East, is that a lot of people do not seem to reckon with the fact that it takes more than weapons to end terrorism and insurgency. There is no quick fix to terrorism. The intractability of Boko Haram is in part due to its complex and cellular organizational structure. This also explains why its defeat will not be in the conventional sense. Therefore, the crisis the nation faces requires the collaboration and participation of everyone to deal with various dimensions and manifestation of the crisis. The Nigerian Army has never shied away from calling for this collaboration and support from the public. The apprehension over the so called seizure of Nigerian territories by insurgents is understandable. However, researchers and followers of insurgency and counter – insurgency icons like Mao Tse Tung and David Galula would know that Boko Haram lacks the wherewithal to hold any area it claims to have seized, let alone win the war. The so called seizure of territories is at best symbolic.

Arising from developments in terror enclaves across the world, particularly in Iraq, Syria and North Africa, it is obvious that the challenge of violent extremism and terrorism is existential. In other words, it is a threat to our development, ways of life, survival and future of our children. Therefore, no one, I repeat no one should be under the illusion that terrorists and violent extremists could eventually become associates and friends. Consequently, comments and analyses in the media which to tend to glorify aberrant, criminal and violent behaviours are completely misplaced. To this end, the Nigerian Army will continue to conduct full spectrum counter-terrorism and counter – insurgency operations across its battle space. With the correct attitude of every Nigerian towards the common enemy, very soon Boko Haram terrorists and their collaborators will not have anywhere to hide in Nigeria. Therefore, to achieve this national defence and security objectives, the Nigerian Army needs partnership and collaboration not subversion.

YEMI ADEBOWALE: AMAECHI'S SUPPORT FOR MUTINY

I am still nonplussed that Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State said “soldiers have the right to protest against federal government’s failure to fully equip them” in the war against Boko Haram. 

I have been waiting for him to say that he was misquoted. So far, Amaechi has not denied it. 

I hope the Rivers governor knows the meaning of what he said? This is indeed a support for mutiny. 

Issues of military discipline, its command and control procedures are clearly spelt out in the Nigerian Armed Forces Act. 

These guys he is defending are all-volunteer soldiers who had sworn to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity, but refused to fight when they were sent to combat terrorism in the North-east. 

The Rivers governor should go and read the Nigerian Armed Forces Act to avoid future unguided avowal.

Amaechi is guilty of habitually making thoughtless statements. He was recently quoted to have said that his party would form a parallel government if it loses in 2015. 

Please, Amaechi, don’t play politics with sensitive issues. We are in a critical stage of our democracy and politicians must be very cautious about what they say. 

I hope the Rivers governor is not getting desperate to justify his appointment as Mohammadu Buhari’s Campaign Director.

YEMI ADEBOWALE:THE UNCOMMON COURAGE OF EMIR SANUSI

The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II has been exhibiting uncommon courage since the bombing of the Kano Central Mosque about four weeks ago by the Godless Boko Haram sect. 

It is inspiring to know that Sanusi still partakes in the weekly special prayer sessions at the badly damaged Masallachin Sarki, in spite of threats to his life by the terrorists. 

I gathered that as usual, the Emir was in the Mosque yesterday beaming with confidence. No doubt, Emir Sanusi is showing great courage in the war against Boko Haram.

His brave response to recent threats by the terrorists to kill him was really heartening. Prior to the bombing of the Mosque, Sanusi had encouraged Nigerians to defend themselves against the sect. 

When they threatened to kill him, he declared: “Boko Haram members do not have the capacity to kill me. I remain protected against any evil attack and nothing will to happen to me but the will of Allah, my creator. I am protected and nothing is going to happen to me.” 

Sanusi reiterated his earlier challenge to Nigerians to rise up against the heartless sect.

The actions and statements of the Emir of Kano in the last few weeks, despite threats to his life, put to rest earlier speculations by some people that he has a soft spot for the blood-thirsty bastards called Boko Haram. 

Sanusi’s statements further show that he is in full support of efforts by the government to wipe out the terrorists. The Emir of Kano is showing signs of a true statesman. 

I urge Sanusi to work more closely with the government and security agents to find a lasting solution to this problem. 

Like Sanusi, other Emirs in the North also need to come out and show by their words and action that they abhor Boko Haram.

This is a challenge to the Emir of Gombe, Emir of Bauchi, Emir of Borno, Sultan of Sokoto and the rest. 

I am convinced that victory is around the corner. By Allah’s grace, very soon, our brothers and sisters in the North will be able to sleep with both eyes closed.

OLUSEGUN MIMIKO: DEFEAT AWAITS APC IN SOUTH WEST

We want APC leaders to explain to Nigerians the change they shout all over. Are they saying the country should change from democracy to dictatorship? 

This is necessary because their leaders, by their actions, have not shown that they are democratic elements.

One can see that they are already afraid.

In the 2011 elections, when President Goodluck Jonathan did not have any governor in the South-West, he won in five of the states. 

Now that he has more states and subsequent elections in Ondo and Ekiti have shown that the winning streak is continuing, there is not going to be any problem.

In places like Oyo, Ogun and Lagos, the tide is changing in favour of the PDP. Political jobbers failed to divide us in Lagos and they are panicking already.

I can say it without mincing words that the APC is anxious in the South-West and all their lies will not be able to save them from electoral defeat.