Gege

Ali Baba and The Fuel Cartel

2012-02-03T16:54:00.003Z

One of the most intriguing aspects of the fuel subsidy drama is trying to understand how 1.3 trillion naira was spent even though the federal budget only made provision for 250 billion naira.

We have been told by the government that this is as a result of a cartel in the oil industry who are exploiting the subsidy payment mechanism. We have also been told that nothing can be done to confront this shadowy cartel.

Being one to do my own research, I decided to investigate further and now it all makes sense!

During the Obasanjo administration, only a select number of companies were allowed to import fuel. To be invited to join this group, you had to provide evidence that you were an experienced player in the fuel business. Evidence that you owned at least 25 petrol stations plus the requirement that you had the storage capacity for a certain number of metric tonnes were part of the strict criteria.

But mysteriously, after Obasanjo left office, the requirements were jettisoned. Any Tom, Dick and Harry was allowed to import fuel and claim the subsidy. All they had to do was maintain the backing of a power broker.

Now, if we are to track down this cabal, the first step will to track down the fellow who relaxed the policy.

Not to worry EFCC, we found him! His name is Colonel Ahmadu Ali (former PDP Chairman, former Education Minister and US Ambassador reject).

For those who don’t remember, during Mr Ali’s tenure as PDP Chairman, he nominated his wife and son to plum positions in Government. Shockingly, when people cried nepotism, his supporters responded by arguing that: “if a man cannot help his family members, who then can he help!”.

In 2008, our very own Mr Ali was appointed chairman of PPRA(the organisation responsible for managing the fuel subsidy payments). This period also marks the beginning of the abuse of the subsidy process.

In his own words:

But all I did was that our Act says the PPPRA must provide a level playing ground, that level playing ground which we had to produce means I had to break into the cartel by opening the doors for anybody who is capable of sourcing for his own funds to bring fuel into the country. When he brings it in, our job is to pay him the difference. If the cost per litre is higher and we are forcing him to settle for lower, we must pay him the difference. When the cost of purchase is lower than the cost in the market, he pays us the difference. It is that petroleum support fund that they are all gunning for.

And so when we now opened the doors, from just 12 major marketers, we are talking about 40 to 50 marketers now struggling to get approval to go and bring in products. So over this period, we’ve not only made sure that there is fuel in the market, we produce a lot, so instead of N65 per litres, there are places they are selling at N64- or even lower because they want to get rid of their products. It is just a simple thing.

In effect, a policy that was put in place to ensure that only genuine players were allowed to import fuel was relaxed by Mr Ali. Overnight, brief case companies sprung up and were now importing fuel and submitting bogus payments.

I would therefore encourage the EFCC to invite Mr Ali to explain the relationship between himself and those 40 brief case companies!

Preachers and Politics

2012-01-23T16:35:00.002Z

During the Occupy Nigeria protests which took place last week, one of the issues raised by twitter warriors was whether their Pastors and Imams should preach about the fuel subsidy during worship services.

A significant number said they would leave their churches if their spiritual leaders did not take a stand with them.

I must admit that I can see the merit in the argument that preachers should not be apolitical. But I also recognise the fact that a Preacher has a duty to remain neutral in order to accommodate the diverse political views of his congregation.

This is why, I am very uncomfortable with Tunde Bakare’s style of religion.

My view is that he should have resigned his position as Pastor of Latter Rain Assembly when he declared his candidacy for Vice President for the following reasons:

1. He would no longer be seen as an independent source of counsel given that his loyalty would be to his party, Congress for Progressive Change.

2. He would be able to use the pulpit as a platform to promote his own political agenda. For example, describing those who voted for Goodluck Jonathan as “idiots”.

3. There are people in his church who support other parties and they would consider it unfair that the pastor of their church had openly sided with a rival political party.

I would have preferred it if Tunde Bakare adopted the approach of Catholic Cardinal Okogie.

Okogie criticises corruption in general and does not cavort with corrupt public officials but he rarely comments on policy. For example, Okogie did not comment on whether the subsidy removal was good or bad. All he said was that the Government must prove its sincerity by prosecuting the corrupt people who looted the subsidy funds.

Tunde Bakare on the other hand, led a full frontal attack on both the policy and the President. Whilst I did not disagree with his claims about corruption, I was not the only one who sensed that his protests were less about the subsidy and more to do with his loss of the 2011 elections.

To conclude, if I were a preacher, I would stay away from politics but encourage my flock to actively participate and warn them against partaking in any for of corrupt activity.

The country has changed

2012-01-13T16:59:00.002Z

One of the most interesting activities at military boarding school in Nigeria was the daily cleaning of my class, “SS3 Technical”. According to the rota, different groups of five were required to sweep the class with a broom, daily. But, being the class with the most delinquent boys in the school, it proved impossible to get us to do anything.

So on Monday, the first five boys would refuse to clean but the class would not be inspected by a Soldier. The same would happen on Tuesday and Wednesday. But miraculously on Thursday, a soldier would show up and find that the class was dirty.

He would ask to see the rota and mercilessly cane the boys who were meant to clean on that day.

So, those of us who refused to clean from Monday to Wednesday would have escaped punishment.

I can still remember the look of sadness on my classmates’ faces as they were being caned. They would be protesting that they were not the only ones who had refused to clean. The soldier would respond by advising them that he was not interested in the past. What he was concerned with was who was meant to clean today!

The above story is similar to the predicament President Goodluck Jonathan is facing.

He is not the first Nigerian leader to condone corruption, disregard human rights and feed fat whilst the populace suffers. In fact, it is arguable that he might be the nicest of all the kleptocrats to have governed Nigeria.

His only sin is that he has decided to misbehave when Nigerians have decided that they are fed up. They now hold him responsible for all the corruption and suffering they have experienced.

Understandably, Mr President is having difficulties coming to terms with the new improved Nigerian. He senses that opposition politicians are conspiring against him. He has even blamed twitter and facebook for spreading misinformation.

In truth, Nigerians have woken up. What was tolerated 5 years ago, will not be tolerated today. So, the President has a choice to make: he can either govern like we’re in the 90s and risk a revolution, or face up to the fact that Nigerians will no longer tolerate corruption and poor governance.

If Mr President decides that he wants to change for the better, I think I can identify two Ministers he needs to fire immediately:

1.Diezani Alison-Madueke (petroleum minister)
2.Haliru Bello Mohammed (defence minister)

If I were the President

2012-01-06T13:35:00.001Z

If I were the President of Nigeria and I had been advised to cease subsidy spending on fuel, these are the questions I would have asked:

1. how much is spent on subsidies?
2. what percentage of our budget does that figure represent?
3. by how much will the price of fuel increase?
4. how will such an increase affect the standard of living?
5. what steps can we take to minimise the adverse effects on citizens?
6. how can we prove to our citizens that their well-being is our primary concern?

It does not appear to me that President Jonathan gave much thought to these issues before he decided to announce the removal of the subsidy. But then again, I don’t blame him. He is a product of the Nigerian political elite who’s main characteristic is their total disregard for the feelings of ordinary Nigerians.

I am however surprised that people as intelligent as Okonjo-Iweala, Reuben Abati, Olusegun Aganga, Lamido Sanusi and others did not consider the implications of this policy.

I am surprised that they did not advise the president to prove that he cares for his fellow citizens by drastically reducing his salary and benefits to show that he intends to share their sacrifice.

I am surprised that they did not incorporate a proper information management strategy which would have advised Nigerians that the funds saved would be spent on specific projects with the projects clearly identified.

I am surprised that two days to the introduction of the policy, the finance minister claimed she had no idea when the policy would be implemented.

If I were the president, I would seriously reflect on the quality of minds I’ve recruited to advise me.

Olusegun Adeniyi and Yar'adua

2011-12-14T13:02:00.002Z

Olusegun Adeniyi, the late President Yar’Adua’s former spokesman has finally published his memoirs. He claims that it is his attempt to show that he acted in the best interests of Nigeria and, that President Yar’Adua was a great man.

I intend to buy a copy of the book and look forward to reading his plea in mitigation. Although I must add that the reviews I’ve read do not paint the author in good light.

He confirms that Yar’Adua was gravely ill from the moment he took office and that meetings were regularly cancelled because the president was too ill to attend. Shockingly, he reveals that the President had to be carried off the plane during an international trip because he was too sick to walk!

In effect, Adeniyi tells us that he and other Government officials knew that Mr President was too ill to serve but none of them was bold enough to advise him to resign.

The one thing I congratulate him for is the fact that he has at least written his memoirs.

In civilised countries, it is a matter of routine for ex-government officials to publish their memoirs. It not only helps to strengthen our democracy but its also provides useful resources for students of history and politics.

In my opinion, the fact that our leaders don’t bother to publish their memoirs reveals the extent to which they are unfit for office. The majority of them aspire for office as a means of acquiring wealth so the last thing on their mind is assisting the development of history in Nigeria.

Another thing that struck me about the book is the level of ignorance of our Government officials. They decided that it was not safe to treat the President in Germany because they feared US spies had access to his medical records so they decided to transfer him to Saudi Arabia.

Now, if any of these officials had spoken to a security guard in Kano State they would have been told that Saudi Arabia is hated by fundamentalist Muslims because of its close alliance with America.

In effect our “clever” officials, in an attempt to hide information from America, passed it on to Saudi Arabia, America’s closest ally!

But what I found most disappointing was the fact that at the launch of the book, the majority of the speakers praised the former president. Some claimed he was Nigeria’s greatest president. Others said he was a true democrat.

They seemed to forget that under his leadership, the law enforcement agencies actively shielded corrupt officials from prosecution. In the case of James Ibori, they created a new High Court in Delta State in an attempt to ensure that he was acquitted of corruption charges.

Yar’Adua himself defended his close relationship with the indicted Governors by explaining that they were his friends.

I know we were taught to respect the memory of the dead but shouldn’t that be limited to refusing to comment on their crimes instead of heaping false praise?

In conclusion, the book encapsulates Nigeria’s biggest problem: Sycophancy.

Regardless of how educated or religious our politicians claim to be, they appear incapable of speaking truth to power. If they had done so, Yar’Adua would have been forced to resigned long before his illness almost destroyed the country.

Biafra War and Hypocricy

2011-11-28T12:37:00.004Z

In January 1966, a group of Igbo officers led by Major Kaduna Nzeogwu organised Nigeria’s first military coup.

Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, Premier Ahmadu Bello, Festus Okotie Eboh and others were executed.

Some have said that the coup was an attempt by the Igbo’s to achieve domination of Nigeria. Such claims have been supported by the fact that Nnamdi Azikiwe and other Igbo politicians weren’t executed by the plotters.

Others have argued that there was no Igbo conspiracy and that the coup plotters were motivated more by revolutionary communism than by any ethnic sentiments.

Both sides however,agree that the majority of Igbo politicians were unharmed.

The most senior officer at the time General Aguiyi Ironsi, an Igbo, was appointed military Head of State whilst Yakubu Gowon was appointed army chief of staff.

Northern army officers who were understandably aggrieved by the loss of their political leaders decided to plot their revenge.

Led by Murtala Mohammed, Theophilus Danjuma and Shehu Yar’Adua, Northern troops executed Igbo officers at random. General Benjamin Adekunle who happened to be Yoruba confirmed that he too was attacked by Shehu Yar’adua during the uprising.

Theophilus Danjuma who was assigned the duty of protecting the Head of State Aguiyi Ironsi instead, supervised his arrest. To this day Danjuma claims he did not authorise his execution but it has not been explained how a prisoner under his control was killed.

After the of killings of mainly Igbo officers and soldiers had subsided, a meeting was called by the remaining senior military officers and it was expected that Brigadier Ogundipe,a Yoruba, would assume the office of Head of State in line with military procedure. Instead, the Northern officers refused and insisted that they would only take instructions from a Northern Head of State. As a result, Yakubu Gowon, the most senior Northern General was appointed Head of State

In effect, the tribalism that the Northern officers claim they were trying to remove was instead, entrenched.

The main grievance the coup plotters had against Aguiyi Ironsi was that he had delayed the punishment of the Igbo officers who led the coup against Tafawa Balewa.

But surprisingly, no Northern officer was punished for the indiscriminate slaughter of Igbo officers who had nothing to do with the January coup.

Another demand of the coupists was that Nigeria be devolved into a confederation of regions.

Interestingly, at the Aburi meeting between General Ojukwu (the leader of Biafra) and the Northern Generals, Ojukwu also demanded a confederation.

However, after agreeing to Ojukwu’s demands, the Northern leadership reneged.

A brutal war founded on hypocrisy was fought against the people of Biafra. This led to the deaths of over 3 million people.

Chief amongst the war criminals were Murtala Mohammed and Shehu Yar’Adua. Under their command, Igbo villages were invaded and men, women and children were summarily executed.

Murtala Mohammed’s barbaric conduct led to a cabinet showdown between himself, Gowon and Anthony Enahoro. That quarrel sowed the seeds of Gowon’s eventual dethronement.

I’m a firm believer in the saying that ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice’. In Nigeria today, the most successful businessmen, academics, sportsmen etc are of Igbo extraction.

Nigeria tried to oppress a group of people but instead made them more prosperous (similar to how the ancient Egyptian oppression of the Jews increased their prosperity).

On the other hand, under the leadership of the Northern Coupists , the once prosperous North has been turned into a haven of poverty, illiteracy and terrorism.

For what its worth, I think Nigeria owes the Igbo people an apology for the horrible treatment meted to them.

"Foreign investors"

2011-11-15T11:32:00.004Z

One of the special characteristics of Nigerian politicians, is their love of international travel. The President, Governors, Ministers, Senators and lets not forget ‘first ladies’ and ‘first concubines’ all love to travel.

In the past, it was fashionable for them to claim that they were travelling for ‘medical check-up’. But in these times of economic hardship, it is no longer fashionable to travel abroad for treatment whilst their citizens die in local hospitals. So, first ladies and concubines now claim they are travelling to attend either religious pilgrimages or international women’s conferences.

The politicians on the other hand no longer play the medical check up card. The new excuse is the search for the mythical figure called ‘foreign investor’. This ‘foreign investor’ is believed to hold the keys to solving Nigeria’s infrastructural problems.

No expense is spared in chasing this man. The President travels with the largest delegation to the Commonwealth conference and he responds by claiming that it was for the purpose of attracting foreign investors.

Rauf Aregbesola is criticised for spending half his time outside Nigeria, he too claims he has been courting foreign investors.

I was initially tempted to believe their excuses until I began studying for my insurance industry exams and it dawned on me that the money is not in some foreign land. The money is in Nigeria!

The world’s largest economies invest billions in their infrastructure (including power, transport and education). They also invest billions in IT and other technological companies.

A quick review of the board of directors of these large companies will reveal that their biggest investors are not some ‘foreign investor’ but,insurance companies.

How has this come about? Well, insurance companies receive billions in premiums from motor insurance policy holders, life insurance policy holders etc They pool the funds together and invest them in viable companies as this will ensure that they are able to pay out on claims and generate returns for life and pension policy holders.

Now, Nigeria has a population of about 150 million people and lets assume that half of the population is of working age. If the law on motor insurance was enforced, and for arguments sake we assume that motor insurance is 100 naira per month it would mean that on a monthly basis the insurance industry would receive 7.5 billion Naira.

What if home insurance too was made compulsory at 100 naira per month as well? That would enable the industry to receive a further 7.5 billion Naira per month.

Pension contributions have been introduced but are not being enforced but if they were and employees paid 100 naira per month, another 7.5 billion naira would be available to the insurance industry.
In effect, by making compulsory just three of the many insurance policies which are available and pricing them below what would realistically be charged, the insurance industry will already be able to control 22.5 billion naira per month. In a year, that would amount to almost 300 billion naira or 2 billion dollars.

If those funds were invested in rail transport, hospital development or even tourism, the multiplier effect would create millions of jobs for Nigerians.

So, instead of chasing the mythical ‘foreign investor’ my humble advice to our leaders is to enforce our insurance laws so that the funds within can be used to transform the country.

Goodluck Jonathan and Boko Haram

2011-11-09T12:35:00.002Z

Goodluck Jonathan has come under attack from a number of ex-politicians over his handling of the Boko Haram insurgency in North East Nigeria.

Leading the attack are Nasir El Rufai, General Buhari and Tunde Bakare. They claim that Jonathan is incompetent and if they were in power, they would have been able to prevent Boko Haram from carrying out their terrorist acts. To be fair to them, the line of argument has gained traction among certain parts of the media. It would also be fair to say that a significant number of Nigerians share their analysis.

I on the other hand do not agree that Jonathan’s incompetence is responsible for the Nigerian state’s inability to tackle terrorists.

Firstly, the current crisis is one was that was foreseen and in fact predicted by many commentators as far back as 1960. We must remember that when the British colonised Nigeria, they deliberately adopted a strategy of indirect rule in the North.

The Northern rulers at the time were concerned that British incursion would diminish their powers. The British on the other hand, were weary of too much involvement in local Northern politics. They thus reached an agreement whereby as long as they were given access to the resources in the North, they would not interfere with the powers of the local Emirs.

Thus, whilst young people in the south were compelled to receive ‘western’ education, Northern youths attended either Koranic schools or received no education at all.

The exception were the children of the Northern Emirs who were either sent to joint the military or were educated at elite institutions around the world. Men like Murtala Mohammed, Shehu Yar’Adua and Shehu Malami were beneficiaries of this feudal system.

At the early stages people described the Northern arrangement as successful. This was because it was easy for a tiny group of Northern leaders to instruct the less educated masses on how to vote, who to support and what causes to support.

On the other hand, the south was described as disunited because every one in the south had an opinion ( as a result of western education).

Southern politicians like Obafemi Awolowo launched free school programmes to encourage school enrolment. Southern governments also offered scholarship programmes to their citizens to study at the best universities in the world.

So in the short term, the North won. They were able to unite their citizens and military officers to control the levers of power in Nigeria. The Southerners leaders however, were never able to impose the same level of control of their citizens because education had taught them to think freely.

The results of those policies are now being felt. The majority of banks, insurance companies and airlines are run and staffed by southerners to the detriment of northern citizens.
The Northern populace on the other had are not as educated and face severe poverty when compared to their southern brothers. This combination of poor education and poverty created the fertile ground from which extremism has arisen.

Iran and Saudi Arabia as part of the global rivalry between Sunni and Shia Islam stepped into the Vacuum created by the Northern elites. They funded Koranic schools which promoted their more extreme versions of Islam. At about the same time Ghaddafi of Libya was keen to destabilise countries which he considered to be threats to his territorial ambitions.

He found willing allies in the northern youths who had been radicalised by the extreme teachings of the foreign clerics.

Thus, the combination of the Northern Elites short sightedness and Ghaddafi’s territorial ambitions led to the birth of Boko Haram.

Whether they can be tackled is something that only time will tell. The one thing I know is that it took decades for even the Israelis to bring terrorism under control.

It is therefore wishful thinking to expect Jonathan to solve a problem that was created by decades of inaction.

It is a well known African saying that ‘it takes minutes to destroy but years to fix’.

Hamza Al Mustapha

2011-08-11T12:50:00.004+01:00

Segun Adeniyi who used to be the spokesman to former President Umaru Yar’Adua has written a column today on the Al-Mustapha trial.

Hamza Al-Mustapha was the Chief Security Officer to Nigeria’s former military ruler General Sani Abacha. Hamza Al-Mustapha was a brute. He tortured men and women on behalf of General Abacha. Professor Odekunle’s account of his torture under Al-Mustapha almost brought me to tears.

But, I am concerned by Segun Adeniyi’s attempt to turn Al-Mustapha into the only devil in the seat of power.

Adeniyi claims that AbdulSalami Abubakar rang him last week and they discussed Al-Mustapha’s trial. He claims that he asked Abubakar what he thought of the claims that he was responsible for Abiola’s death. Abubakar said he was disappointed. Segun Adeniyi took his word for it.

Perhaps Mr Adeniyi has forgotten that the Oputa Panel on human rights categorically stated that Abubakar’s regime ought to be investigated over Abiola’s death.

I am also concerned that Abubakar, who happened to be the second most powerful man in the government claimed to be unaware of the activities of General Abacha.

The question then becomes: who ran the country?

Are these retired generals who held key positions in the Abacha regime suggesting that they were asleep during his 4 years in office?

Ali Modu Sheriff

2011-07-19T17:54:00.004+01:00

Ali Modu Sheriff used to be Governor of Borno State until May 2011 when his tenure expired.

He is also famous for his starring role in a youtube video where he was seen dancing and spraying dollars on an Arab woman.

Borno State also happens to be the headquarters of Boko Haram, the terrorist group wreaking havoc across Northern Nigeria.

One thing is clear, Sheriff and Boko Haram have some sort of relationship.

Publicly available knowledge shows that one of the key leaders of Boko haram, Buji Foi used to be a Commissioner in his cabinet.

Boko Haram has also claimed responsibility for the assassination of Sheriff’s brother. They also claimed responsibility for the assassination of his anointed successor earlier this year.

Jeremiah Useni, the chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum admitted during an interview that Boko Haram was funded by Sheriff. They were used to intimidate his political enemies.

It however appears that the group he created has turned against him.

Several Northern Nigerians whom I have spoken to have also confirmed that Sheriff was the financier and creator of Boko Haram.

He has however denied any knowledge of the origins of the group.

I might have given him the benefit of the doubt but for his recent interview where he told a lie and didn’t even appear to be aware that he had lied.

Mr Sheriff was asked if he ever apologised to Boko Haram. In response, he said: “I didn't apologise to Boko Haram”. “I ask everybody that I have offended, including Boko Haram, to forgive me.”

In his words, he didn’t apologise to Boko Haram. He instead asked them to forgive him!

New Ministers

2011-06-27T16:16:00.001+01:00

I have just been reading through the list of nominees for President Jonathan’s Cabinet.

I was particularly surprised to read that Ngozi Okonjo Iweala attempted to negotiate a dollar denominated salary in exchange for serving the Government.

She who regularly lectures Nigerians on the need to make sacrifices for their country doesn’t want to make any sacrifices.

To add insult to injury, she is aware that the Courts have already ruled that a Minister cannot be paid above the rate prescribed by law!

Diezani Madueke on the other hand has been accused of failing to complete the mandatory one year National Service. I’m waiting to see how she wriggles out of this allegation. She has also been accused of other crimes ranging from receiving million dollar kickbacks to having an affair with the President.

One thing that’s clear is that there are some powerful people who want her out of Government.

I recall that when Pfizer wanted to force the former Attorney General to accept their miniscule offer of settlement, they planted stories in the media exposing his corrupt activities.

Is it possible that the Oil Companies who are opposed to the Petroleum Industry Bill are playing the same dirty tricks?

The self styled ‘elder’ Godsay Orubebe is also on the list. It was he who offered $50,000 to Tunde Bakare and his gang. Bakare said it was a bribe. Orubebe said it was ‘transport fare’.

We also have Olusegun Aganga of Golman Sachs fame. I’m sure he would be the first to admit that his performance to date has been mediocre.

When he was invited alongside Lamido Sanusi to appear before the Senate to explain their comments on the Senators’ allowances, Aganga grovelled whilst Sanusi spoke his mind.

That event confirmed in my mind that Aganga did not have the stomach to tackle the vested interests in the system. He is the archetypal ‘Yes Man’.

In any event, if this team does not deliver, Mr Jonathan will be held responsible.

Gay rights in Nigeria

2011-06-20T15:37:00.002+01:00

The united nations human rights council recently voted for the protection of the rights of homosexuals and lesbians.

Prominent amongst the countries that voted against the move was Nigeria. Our representative on the council huffed and puffed about the UN turning into a ‘Guinea Pig’.

Unsurprising, the majority of the comments underneath the news story attacked the UN for violating ‘God’s Law’.

I’m at a loss as to how Nigerians of different faiths can unite in arguing that a decision has violated Gods law and therefore must not be implemented.

My response to their argument would be: which God?

The Muslim God does not accept that Jesus was his son. But, the Christian God says Jesus was his son.

Would Nigerian Christians therefore call for a ban on Islam because its teachings do not conform to ‘God’s Law’?

I don’t think they would.

Christianity does not tolerate adultery but I am yet to hear calls from Nigerian Christians that Adultery should become a criminal offence.

My guess is that if adultery was criminalised, a lot of Nigerian men would be behind bars.

In fact, our former born-again Christian President Obasanjo would be jailed for life if such a law were passed! But interestingly, he is a key supporter of the move by the Nigerian Senate to impose harsher penalties for homosexuality.

Another argument that the anti-gay lobby marshals out is that ‘homosexuality is unafrican’.

I’m not sure what they mean when they say an act is unafrican.

It is widely known that there are many cultures in Africa where homosexuality has existed for centuries. In Northern Nigeria, there are cultures where the men dress like women and marry other men. They are as African as the rest of us!

Homosexuality may not be your cup of tea, but it doesn’t mean that people should be criminalised because they engage in an act that is contrary to your faith.

Everyone has either a brother, friend or cousin who is gay. Why don't we just accept that some Nigerians are gay, and get on with our lives!

Nasir El-Rufai

2011-06-16T12:09:00.002+01:00

Olusegun Adeniyi who used to be the spokesman to the late President Yar’adua has released previews of his book on his time in Aso Rock.

The information he has provided to date tend to suggest that it will be a best seller.

One of the characters he mentioned was Nasir El-Rufai.

He said he was in a car being driven to the swearing in of Vice President Sambo when he was asked by another passenger if he was ever a member of the ‘cabal’ that held Nigeria ransom during the disappearance of Yar’Adua.

Segun said that before he could respond, El-Rufai butted in and stated that there was no cabal. El-Rufai said he created the myth of the cabal as a means of putting pressure on Turai.

Now, I don’t know if the above account it true but what seems to concern me is the fact that El-Rufai’s name seems to be popping up in the various political camps even though he claims to be a loyalist of General Buhari.

A few months ago, it was revealed that El- Rufai had visited Ibori in Prison to see if he could obtain his support for Buhari’s candidacy. El-Rufai did not explain to us why he felt he needed the endorsement of a crook but it appears that he kept this news quiet until it was broken by Next Newspaper.

Last year, it was also revealed by the same paper that El-Rufai, had been exchanging emails with Turai Yar’adua whilst her husband was in hospital in Saudi Arabia. El-rufai explained that she was trying to get him support her husband.

Both stories tried to create the impression that he was the good guy.

I have my own theory. It is widely known that El-Rufai is a shareholder of Next Newspapers. He is also very close to its other shareholders: Hakeem Belo-Osagie and Dele Olojede.

So, El-Rufai arranges clandestine meetings with shady characters in the dark. He knows that all the parties to the meetings keep records of their activities. So, just as he gets wind of their plans to expose him, he gets Next Newspaper to publish his ‘version’ of events – obviously making him look like an angel!

Dimeji Bankole

2011-06-06T13:21:00.001+01:00

Dimeji Bankole was until today the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

He is alleged to have illegally taken a loan from a bank with the House as guarantor. He is also alleged to have illegally diverted funds meant for the purchase of official cars for members of the House.

It is fair to say that a section of the media are pursuing a personal vendetta against the man. His sin appears to be his failure to hold Yar’Adua to account during his mysterious disappearance.

Now, I don’t know if Bankole is corrupt but what I know is that he has the right to be treated fairly.

When the EFCC invited him for questioning last week, he wrote to them asking for time to handover to his successor. In the eyes of Saharareporters, he committed a further sin by asking for the details of the allegations to be revealed to him before he visited the EFCC.

The media cried foul!

I’m sorry, but if I was told by the police that I should show up to be arrested, I would ask for the details of the offence so that I can prepare my defence. How am I expected to respond on the spot to allegations without being given time to review them?

In any event, Bankole has already explained that the loan he took was for the payment of the allowances of the members of the house – this includes the opposition who have been accusing him of corruption!

He had to take this loan because they doubled their allowances and demanded to be paid upfront. So in effect, the same people accusing him of corruption, were the beneficiaries of the loan!

Now, it is claimed that he also stole $1,billion dollars.

I am confidents that even if he is found to be worth that amount, the funds would not be traced to the accounts of the House.

Our leading politicians do not make money from stealing directly from the state’s coffers, they award oil blocks to their cronies, award contracts to family firms and receive kick backs from foreign companies.

These funds are difficult to trace and this explains why Babangida and his ilk have often said confidently that if you allege corruption, you must prove it.

In my view, Bankole failed in his duties as Speaker when he failed to investigate the disappearance of the late president but he was not alone. The Senate President didn’t lift a finger. Our current President acted like a ‘mumu’, even ‘Saint’ Buhari did not say a word.

For what its worth, I don’t think they will be able to prove a case against Bankole in court because all transactions in the House are approved by the Clerk and the House Committees.

So, unless these parties claim that they where held at gun point, there is no way the prosecution will establish that Bankole looted the treasury.

The Church Industry

2011-05-09T17:11:00.000+01:00

I was reading today’s Next Newspaper when I came across a story concerning the National Team: our Super Eagles.

Before their training session on Sunday, they held a thanksgiving service on the pitch! The Coach Sampson Siasia and even the Ogun State Commissioner for Sports Bukola Olopade joined in the praise session.

One of the commentators on the story helped to summarise my thoughts:

“sorry but why couldn't they just allow them go to nearby churches and those that are not Christians allowed to do theirs in private. God fearing nation still parading under aged players for tournaments”

Now, I have no objection to people practicing their faith but what I object to is the way Religion has captured the mind of the average Nigerian.

I was at a seminar last month where the topic of discussion was the African Economy. The speaker, an Englishman, identified Christianity as one of the key industries in Nigeria after Government and Oil.

In my view, he is right. A lot has been written about corruption and how our politicians have conspired to loot the treasury. But, we have not yet begun to seriously analyse the damage that the Christian industry has done to our Country.

I don’t profess to be an expert on Religion but I am astonished that some churches receive close to 1 billion Naira per month in tithes and offerings but there are members of the church that cannot afford to feed their families.

I am sure most Christians would agree that Jesus cared for the poor. They should thus ask why the church doesn’t build free schools to educate the children of its poorer members.

I am also astounded that these preachers own private jets when Jesus preached humility. The question the congregation should be asking is: is there a place that British Airways doesn’t fly to? If no, why does the pastor need a private jet?

Now, some will rise to the defence of their Pastors and claim that these fancy possessions are gifts from church members. My response is, must all gifts be accepted? Why not direct the gift bearer to spend the money on a poorer member of the church?

But most importantly, a reading of the Bible will show that the prophets of the day were never popular with the leadership of their countries. This was because, they considered the prophets to be bearers of bad news.

John the Baptist was hated by Herod, Jesus was hated by the Pharisees. The ancient kings tried to kill both Elijah and Elisha.

In the cases where they did not try to kill the prophets, they avoided them because they did not want to hear what the prophets had to say.

In Nigeria, everyone in power seems to enjoy the company of ‘Daddy G O’.

T .B Joshua always seems to claim the benefit of the electoral victories of Politicians stretching all the way to Ghana! In fact, politicians seek his blessings before they participate in elections.

I was once at the airport and saw Ayo Oritsejafor wearing a white robe and covered in gold. I initially assumed he was a gangsta rapper or a Pimp!

In the words of Karl Marx: religion is opium of the masses.

Experts on Nigeria!

2011-05-03T10:23:00.003+01:00

Anyone who has attended university in the west has probably made the following observations:

1. the Asian affairs department of the university will be staffed by academics of Asian origin.

But,

2. the African affairs department will often staffed by Western academics!

Now, the racial origin of the academics in a department should not matter but it is becoming increasing clear that these academics do not really have an understanding of the countries they claim to be experts on. They often write pedestrian articles riddled with mistakes that even a ten year old African would detect.

For example, whilst reading through the wikileaks cables on Nigeria, the Americans noted that Yar’Adua and Murtala Nyako were close because they had been governors together. Wrong! Nyako became Governor in May 2007 just as Yar’adua was being elected president.

Now we have John Campbell, a former US Ambassador to Nigeria and ‘a senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations’.

This man is supposed to be advising the US on its relations with Nigeria but his latest article is riddled with so many errors that if he was an accountant he would be sued for negligence. Although, I also suspect that he is an agent of the Northern establishment.

To be honest, if this is the standard required to become a senior fellow, I might consider putting myself forward for such a position!

I quote Mr Campbell in bold italics and my responses are below:

“The elections have polarized Nigeria and resulted in likely underreported bloodshed in the northern parts of the country. The traditional northern Islamic establishment, which might have moderated the religious and sectarian conflict, has come under attack, and the North’s perceived marginalization from national politics could potentially radicalize an Islamic population that already views the United States as a partisan supporter of southern Christian president Goodluck Jonathan.”

Er Mr Campbell, the Northern part of Nigeria has been radicalized since we obtained independence. Since 1966 they have always had one reason after the other to target minorities and Christians living in the North. To the extent that the Danish cartoon controversy in Europe led to the slaughter of minorities in the North. As my people say: ‘the Northern extremists have a tendency to take Panadol for another man’s headache’.

“Later, while international and domestic observers signed off on the quality of the elections, many in the North believe the ballot counting was rigged to spare Jonathan a runoff. The subsequent announcement of his victory two days after the election set off widespread violence in the North against those perceived to be supporters of the P.D.P., including Christians. Revenge killings of Muslims and the burning of mosques followed.”

Er Mr Campbell, the slaughter began before Jonathan was declared winner. In fact, the CPC urged the electoral commission to stop announcing the results in order to stop the slaughter.

Mr Campbell permit me to point out the fact that the violence was premeditated. Churches, minorities and Christians were targeted in such a manner that indicates that the protests were not spontaneous. I am baffled as to how spontaneous hooligans had the names and addresses of all the northern politicians who supported Jonathan including the locations of their guest houses.

A number of witnesses confirmed that the armed gangs had AK 47 rifles, wore fake army uniforms and were citizens of Niger. Mr Campbell, these attacks were planned in advance.

“Many northerners “on the street” see parts of the northern Islamic establishment, traditionally pro-American, as complicit in the P.D.P.’s theft of the election and the presidency. Hence, they burned the private houses of the sultan of Sokoto (the premier Muslim traditional ruler), the emir of Kano (Nigeria’s second largest city) and the emir of Zaria. All three traditional rulers went into hiding temporarily. Northern popular rage against the P.D.P. establishment, which is widely seen as corrupt and responsible for Nigeria’s poor governance, recalls aspects of the “democratic wave” in parts of the Middle East, though it does not appear to have been as coherent or well organized. Heavy military and police patrols have, for the time being, ended northern rioting.”

Oga Campbell, when the election of MKO Abiola was annulled in 1993, I do not recall Northerners on the street protesting against the theft of his mandate. In 2007 when Yar’adua was rigged into office, I do not recall them burning churches.

“The North has long feared domination by the more developed South and therefore was not enthusiastic about independence from the British in 1960. Northerners expected their political and religious leaders to prevent southern domination and balance the Christian South’s economic preponderance by controlling the federal government. In fact, during the generation following the 1967-1970 civil war, northerners dominated the string of military dictatorships that ended only in 1998.”

The above paragraph is the only point that Mr Campbell’s article makes sense. The riots were not about a stolen election or corrupt rulers. If the Northern extremists were concerned about corruption, they would not idolise Abacha, Babangida or Yar’adua. The riots were orchestrated by the Northern establishment as a means of extracting power from President Jonathan.

“With the restoration of civilian government in 1999, elites from around the country developed a form of presidential power-sharing in which the civilian presidency would alternate every eight years between the South and the North. This arrangement — created in part to allay northern anxieties — was informal, and existed only within the governing party, which always won the presidential elections.”

Ehen, Mr Campbell, you have come again! The power sharing arrangement was introduced because the North did not want the rest of the country to think it was dominating the political space. The North introduced it to allay Southern anxieties!

“But since winning the election, Jonathan himself has showed a tin ear to the North’s concerns. His now notorious “Enough is Enough” speech recalling the horrors of the civil war was particularly poorly received, demonstrating his lack of sensitivity to northern concerns.”

Mr Campbell, shut up! The Vice President is from the core North. The secretary to the Government is from the core North. The Chairman of the Governing party is from the core North. The president of the Senate is from the North. The Chairman of the President’s campaign organisation is from the core North. President Jonathan has actually bent over backwards to appease the North!

Plus, I’m not sure what he means by ‘northern concerns’. Thousands of southerners, minorities and Christians have been killed by northern extremists over the years and he thinks our main concern should be to appease the North - a very silly suggestion.

“As measured by polling data, the North is much less sympathetic to the United States than the South. And, whether justified or not, many in the North see Jonathan as the American candidate. Northern rage against the Nigerian political system and the Jonathan presidency may increase hostility toward the United States, providing space for anti-Western movements to gain a foothold. Up to now, extremist groups such as Boko Haram have remained domestically focused and Al Qaeda has had little success in its efforts to penetrate the North. That might change. It is therefore imperative for the United States and its Western allies to reach out to the North. Speedy opening of the planned U.S. consulate in Kano would be a step in the right direction.”

Mr Campbell, I can see that you are concerned only about the feelings of Northern Nigeria. It is okay if Boko Haram murders innocents southerners but God forbid that they spread their tentacles to America!

In truth, Mr Campbell is not an adviser to the US. He is an apologist for the Northern establishment that has held Nigeria captive.

Why Buhari Lost

2011-04-20T13:19:00.001+01:00

I’ve just read articles published by John Campbell (former US Ambassador to Nigeria) and Nasir El-Rufai ( for Minister for Abuja).

They have both blamed rigging for Buhari’s defeat.

I do not profess to have superior knowledge of Nigerian politics but I want to offer an alternative rationale for Buhari’s defeat.

Buhari’s team failed to follow the second rule of Nigerian politics. It is this : Read Sahara Reporters.

A number of our educated class think that because they have Harvard degrees and hob-nob with foreign intellectuals, they can feel the pulse of the country.

They often write articles on blogs like Nigeria Village Square (NVS).

Now, there is nothing wrong with NVS and I’ve often found that the level of debate is of a very high standard. The only problem is that the blog is often a conversation with the diaspora elite who have no real impact on the politics of Nigeria.

The articles on Saharareporters are the same but the difference is the comments underneath. You will find that they have been written by the semi-literate members of the Nigerian society who happen to be the bulk of the electorate.

These people do not even bother to read the main article. As soon as they detect that the article is about a Hausa man, all the Igbo’s launch attacks on the ‘lazy aboki’. If the article is about a Yoruba man, all the Igbo’s and Hausa’s attack the ‘back stabbing Yoruba’.

For the past number of years, whenever Buhari’s name was mentioned on Saharareporters, the Igbo’s would accuse him of double standards for the way he treated Ekwueme and Ojukwu during his regime. The Yoruba’s on the other hand would attack him for his decision to jail many Yoruba politicians whilst his Fulani brothers were let off the hook.

Buhari’s advisers should have thus been aware that he had a serious image problem in the South and he had a mountain to climb if he ever wanted to govern Nigeria again.

The impression they gave was that they were not bothered.

Buhari did not apologise for the execution of three southern men who were convicted by a retroactive decree.

Buhari did not apologise for the detention of Ojukwu during his regime even though he ought to have known that Ojukwu has a special place in the hearts of the Igbos.

At the CPC national convention, Buhari’s most well known Igbo supporter Mike Ahamba who also happens to be his lawyer, stood for the position of Chairman of the party. He was told that the position had been zoned elsewhere and thus he was not entitled to contest. Mike Ahamba resigned from the party in protest.

A politically savvy campaign team ought to have detected that this would add to the resentment the Igbo’s felt towards Buhari. Instead, they did nothing.

Given his serious credibility problems, Buhari had a lot more to do to convince Nigerians that he had changed.

Instead, he foolishly believed that just because people were tired of PDP, they would embrace him with open arms.

If I were his campaign director I would have done the following:

1. tear up the pointless manifesto that offered generalities without addressing the specific needs of the regions.

2. pledge to raise the derivation formula to 50% (this would have appeased the people of the Niger Delta)

3. Pick an Igbo running mate ( this would assure the Igbo’s that they would produce the president after him. They are already concerned that with power returning to the north after Jonathan they will have to wait for at least 13 years!)

4. Declare that Sharia law is subject to the Nigerian Constitution

5. Publicly name my cabinet even before the elections to show Nigerians that I intend to run a competent government.

6. I would not have boycotted the debate with Jonathan. It gave the impression that the Northern candidates had no respect for the Southern candidate.

Whilst people may have been tired of the PDP they would only support an alternative party if they were fully aware of what it would entail. They knew where they stood with the PDP but it was unclear what would happen if Buhari took over.

His role was to assure the electorate that they had nothing to fear. The 6 points I raised would have been a good starting point.

However much his supporters blame rigging, my view is that he lost because he did not appreciate the extent of his unpopularity outside of the ‘core North’.

Wahala Dey!

2011-04-19T12:25:00.002+01:00

The first rule of politics in Nigeria is this: thou shall not offend the ego of a fellow Nigerian. You may fail to provide schools, roads or electricity to his village. He will forgive you for those. But if you do anything to offend his ego, you will never be forgiven.

In 1999 when Obasanjo was elected President, he appointed General Malu as his Army Chief, General Danjuma as his Defence Minister, Admiral Ogohi as his Chief of Defence Staff and Air Vice Marshall Alfa as his Chief of Air Staff. His Chief of Naval Staff was Victor Ombu.

Now, of all the five defence posts, only one went to the South. Victor Ombu is Ijaw (Bayelsa State).

Malu (Benue State), Danjuma (Taraba State), Ogohi (Kogi State) and Alfa (Kogi State) were all Northerners.

Guess what the political leaders (Arewa Consultative Forum) of the North did?

They threw a tantrum. They claimed that Obasanjo had set out to sideline the true north by appointing Christians or 'non-core' Northern officers to Defence roles!

You can imagine how Danjuma must have felt. The man who led the Northern rebellion against Aguiyi Ironsi was described as not being a member of the true north.

Yakubu Gowon, who was the longest serving Northern Head of State now found that his state of origin (Plateau) was now being described as ‘non – core north’!

This was an eye opening event for the ‘non core northerners’. They realised that the ‘core-North’ only needed them to fight their wars but never considered them to be one of them.

Fast forward 2011, Atiku and Babangida boasted during their campaigns that they would win the elections even if the south did not vote for them because the North had numerical superiority. They calculated that the ‘non-core North’ would blindly support them!

They also boasted that Zoning was in the interests of the South because their numerical superiority would always ensure that the Presidency would stay in the North.

Unknown to them, the egos they had bruised were waiting to ‘show them pepper’.

The election results showed that the South combined with the non-core North to deliver the elections to Goodluck Jonathan.

This is one of the reasons why the Northern leaders have gone wild. They now realise that they have been snookered. The south and the middle belt can continue to rotate the presidency amongst themselves and there is nothing the 12 states of the 'core north' can do to stop this.

They cannot secede from Nigeria because, all the country’s wealth is located in the Middle-Belt and the South.

The tables have been turned. The Core North is now likely to demand that Zoning stays because that will be their only chance of ever producing a core Northern President.

I can imagine that Banangida has telephoned the Sultan of Sokoto and instead of speaking Fulfude has told him in pigeon English : ‘Sultan, wahala dey!’

Soldier Go, Soldier Come

2011-04-14T12:29:00.008+01:00

I’ve just been reading through the Oputa Panel report on Human Rights which was prepared by Justice Oputa who happens to be the father of ‘Charlie Boy’, the popular Nigerian entertainer.

The panel heard testimonies from numerous Nigerian Military Officers including General Diya, Hamza Al Mustapha and President Obasanjo.

The proceedings were televised and Nigerians for the first time, heard the details of the terrible things their leaders did to helpless citizens.

Sadly, Buhari, Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar refused to appear before the Panel. This in my view showed the extent of their contempt for Nigerians. That is why I still have deep reservations about the candidacy of Buhari. A leader that refuses to account for his actions is in my view, a bad leader.

From a historical perspective, the report offers a fascinating insight into the Nigerian political system and I expect that aspects of it could be turned into best sellers or PHD thesis.

I am also of the view that the report explains clearly why Nigeria needs a new generation of leaders.

On Military Rule, the report said this:

We recommend to the Federal Government that all the former
Heads of state be considered to have surrendered their right to govern Nigeria and Nigerians at any other time in the future.

On General Buhari, the report said this:

On General Muhammad Buhari, the Commission is of the view
that the General has a case to answer in regard to the killing of the three young men referred to in the petition brought by the Kenneth Owoh family. There was overwhelming evidence to show that the execution of the three young men fell well outside the time frame allowed by the Decree under which they were tried. We therefore recommend that the General tender an unreserved apology to the families of the deceased. We equally hold accountable the Supreme Military Council of General Muhammadu Buhari that confirmed the brutal execution of the three young men. We therefore hold the then Supreme Military Council accountable.

On General Babangida, the report said this:

On General Ibrahim Babangida, we are of the view that there is
evidence to suggest that he and the two security chiefs, Brigadier General Halilu Akilu and Col. A. K. Togun are accountable for the death of Dele Giwa by letter bomb. We recommend that this case be re-open for further investigation in the public interest.

On General Abdulsalami Abubakar the report said this:

On the government of General Abdusalami Abubakar, the case against him had already been well argued by one of the witnesses, Col Idenhere, who testified in the case. Although he was not directly mentioned in the death of Chief Abiola, the inconsistency in the testimony of his Chief Security Officer, Lt Col Aliyu show that the Government of the day knows much more about the circumstances leading to the death of the chief. We therefore recommend that that government is accountable.

Other contributors to the report were Reverend Father Hassan Kukah and Dr Mudiaga Odje.

Election Debates

2011-03-31T12:45:00.006+01:00

One of the most interesting qualities Nigerians possess is our incredible communication skills.

Most foreigners would speak of a Nigerian they know who is a charismatic preacher, charming womaniser or inspirational boss.

A western journalist once said that if you see a confident black man walking into a building like he owns it or was there when its foundations were laid, he's most likely a Nigerian.

We're also known for our compulsive desire to acquire as many qualifications as possible and be the best we can be.

My non-Nigerian friends were therefore shocked when they saw clips of the presidential debates and the Lagos governorship debates.

In Lagos, Fashola seemed to be the only candidate with the ability to communicate his thoughts clearly.

The others spoke in terms that would suggest that English was their fifth language. JK Randle who is supposedly a reputable Accountant sounded like a two year old!

The Presidential debates were worse. Buhari was totally incoherent. Ribadu sounded like he was a bull in china shop. Shekarau who people claimed 'won' sounded like one of my useless teachers in secondary school. He won by default.

The others were so bad that the pedestrian teacher was declared winner.

My view is that if you cannot communicate with clarity and inspiration, you should not bother aspiring for an elective position.

If the truth be told, none of the four leading candidates is a communicator, inspirational or possesses any form of charisma.

The absence of media tools in the past, aided the myths that these were men of 'timber and calibre'.

Now that we all have access to televisions and the Internet, it has become plain to all that we are about to be governed by emperors with no clothes.

Femi Fani-Kayode

2011-03-29T15:11:00.007+01:00

I am now convinced that there is something in the air in Nigeria that causes smart men to behave like ‘mumus’.

The air can be the only explanation for our politicians constantly lying even when the truth is widely available.

Femi Fani Kayode is by all standards expected to be a smart man.

His father was a key player in the Awolowo and Balewa period and he studied law at London and Cambridge universities.

It would however appear that the air in Nigeria has gotten to him.

When he was spokesman to Obasanjo, he was known to be very rude and arrogant.

He would respond to Obasanjo’s critics with type of abuse that would be expected in a motor park.

He once called the elderly Sunday Awoniyi senile in response to Awoniyi's criticism of Obasanjo!

Pius Adesanmi, the scholar and columnist had this to say about Fani-Kayode:

From Akin Osuntokun to Bayo Ojo and so many others, the natives of Obasanjoville were ranged in an Orwellian dynamic: everyone was bad but some were disastrously more badder (pardon my deliberate gangsta rap Ebonics) than others.

At the extreme fringe of this Orwellian logic was Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode: he was the baddest of the baddest.

Here is a man whose upbringing and pedigree had the values, tastes, manners, and carriage that went into the genteel Victorianism of his father’s class and generation.

That class can be summed up in three words: culture, finesse, polish - and the inevitable Britico-accented English steaming out through the nose.

Our friend threw all that out of the window when he became Obasanjo’s bulldog.

The incipient agbero he probably didn’t even realise was lurking in him like an Al-Qaeda sleeper terrorist burst out in full force.

Mr. Fani-Kayode rained curses on everyone and abused everybody in language that would make molue conductors at any paraga and shepe joint cringe in consternation.

Not even Wole Soyinka was spared as our friend terrorised the whole country with his endless invectives.

Now, a few weeks ago, Fani-Kayode was having an argument on facebook with Sanimu Turaki, the former governor of Jigawa.

Yes, I said it! The former spokesman to the president and a former governor and current senator were having an argument on facebook!

Fani Kayode attacked Yar’Adua publicy and described him as one of the worst president Nigeria ever had.

The news was reported the following day in the papers and Fani-Kayode denied ever criticising the president.

Now, fast forward a few weeks.

He has written another article on Thisday attacking Yaradua accusing him of setting out to discredit Obasanjo.

Lets hope he doesn’t deny writing this article!

2011-03-29T14:50:00.003+01:00

Why Buhari is not the one

2011-03-18T14:27:00.004Z

Like most young Nigerians, I am not shackled by the chains of tribal and ethnic loyalties which binds the older generation.

I was raised in Lagos and went to school with people from across the country. I only knew them as Junior, Yomi, Yusuf, Ene and Odia.

That’s why I’m often confused when I read about fellow Nigerians hating each other because of tribe.

That’s also one of the reasons I decided that one of the key factors I’ll look out for when voting is whether the candidate loves all of Nigeria.

One thing I know for sure is that Buhari is not that person.

I’ve read articles talking about his so called discipline and his hatred of corruption. But I’ve often found that he applied these traits selectively.

Now, Buhari attended the remembrance ceremony of Abacha and publicly declared that Abacha was not corrupt even though his son had already been convicted by international courts for being a custodian of his father’s loot!

Recently, at the start of his campaign, Buhari paid a visit to his so called arch enemy Babangida.

Only God knows what our saint was doing in the home of the devil!

I’ve just been reading an extract of an interview with Mustapha Jokolo who was the former Emir of Gwandu before he was deposed by Obasanjo for being disrespectful.

Jokolo used to be ADC to Buhari when he was head of state and Jokolo’s father was the Emir of Gwandu when Buhari was Head of State.

Can you see how a section of the North has cornered Nigeria?

Anyway, below is an interesting excerpt from the interview:

He said ‘Mustapha, why don’t you sit down and eat?’ I said ‘I am very hungry sir, but I have no appetite’. He said ‘Is anything the problem?’ I said ‘Yes sir, I have a big problem’. He said ‘What is your problem?’ I said ‘I have just received a report from the SIP which showed that very soon, they are going to arrest Sultan Dasuki and co’. He said ‘Why?’ I said ‘Because of BCCI money-laundering’. He said ‘Well, what is your own there?’ I said ‘There is something sir’. One, he was only the chairman of the bank. He may not be aware of what was going on, especially since it had Indians and Pakistanis. Just being part-time chairman and he is an institution. I told Buhari that he was connected to him because his nephew Mamman Daura is married to his daughter. His son is married to my sister, that is Sambo, and he is married to my auntie. My father is very close to him and he was like my guardian when I was in the NDA. I was always going to his house with Sambo and I added that ‘Sir remember, we plotted this coup with Sambo.

He played an active role in it, even though he was in America on course. I don’t think it will be very nice during our administration, Sir, for members of the board to be arrested.’ Buhari said as far as he was concerned, he was going to do his duty no matter who was concerned. I said ‘No sir, even God Almighty who created us Has people who worship other things other than him. When they pray to him, they will say forgive us and he would forgive them. I will not have you, Sir, arrest them with me here. Please drop that.’ He said ‘Okay, I will think about it.’ That was what saved Dasuki’s board at that time.

In summary, Buhari ran Nigeria like a family business. All his key men were of the Hausa/Fulani sect.

Sambo, his key aide was the son of the Sultan of Sokoto. Mustapha his ADC was the son of the Emir of Gwandu.

Because of these relationships, the Sultan was able to avoid prosecution for the collapse of the BCCI.

The BCCI’s collapse was an international scandal with prosecutions taking place from London to the US.

But in Nigeria, it was swept under the carpet because the chairman of the Bank’s daughter, was married to the Head of State’s nephew.

Buhari is a member of the parasitic elite that has held this country to ransom and he will cause chaos in the south(and rightly so), but will not touch the robber barons of the North who have held us captive.

Pat Utomi is my candidate and I’ll explain why in my next post.

Wikileaks, Turai and Mangal

2011-03-17T11:04:00.001Z

I’ve just been reading the latest update on the Wikileaks cables concerning Nigeria.

The US compiled a list of Nigerians whom they considered to be the key players running the country.

Turai Yar’Adua was described as ‘having a vicious personality; causing great fear among ministers’. It was also revealed that ‘Mrs. President’ begged her husband to stay on when he indicated that he wanted to retire.

Another character who stood out for me was Dahiru Mangal who was described ‘as having close links to fundamentalists in the north’.

Firstly, I am surprised that a woman who had no constitutional role could strike fear into the heart of government officials.

I presume this came about because our government was, and is made up of people who would rather keep their positions than speak up for principle.

This is why I’m often unimpressed when people claim ‘X’ was a good minister because he had a degree from Harvard. My response always is; what did he do with the Harvard degree when he got to the cabinet?

Our current finance minister too, claims to have attended oxford. But he has sat and watched as money was, and is being spent with nothing to show for it!

Dahiru Mangal on the other hand was the right hand man to our ‘servant leader’ ‘rule of law’ president. Yet he was a known supporter of Islamic Fundamentalists!

At the time when Boko Haram was running riot all over the north, smart people within the country concluded that they were clearly supported by influential Nigerians.

Our government on the other hand, pretended that they did not know how the group got its money or influence.

Unsurprisingly, Dahiru Mangal is a member of the campaign team of our ‘humble’ President Jonathan.

The Nigerian leadership is comprised of the most corrupt, two faced and wicked people ever to touch the face of this earth.

They think that money and power is all life is about. But it’s not.

I remember sitting at the church during Anthony Enahoro’s funeral and coming face to face with the fact that one day we would all die and all that matters is what legacy we leave behind.

There was an indescribable feeling in the church that day that caused me to realise that when all has been said and done, life is meaningless unless it is used as a vehicle for service.

Airforce Secondary School Ibadan

2011-03-16T12:14:00.002Z

I’ve just been reading through a number of comments made about the picture of a certain Peter Shikan who was a legend in my secondary school days.

The majority of the comments have been complimentary about the school. Some have even claimed that the school was responsible for their success.

I disagree.

The six years I spent at the Air force Secondary School in Ibadan, were the worst six years of my life. I hated the school so much that even on my last day there whilst others were hugging each other, I couldn’t wait to get out of the place.

Looking back, it’s clear that we lived in Guantanamo Bay Mac III.

Teachers at the school offered no pastoral or emotional support to people who were as young as 10. If you showed any form of weakness you would be beaten and shouted at.

We were not allowed to watch television or listen to the radio. In effect, we went through a six year period where we received little or no information about the political or social events taking place within the country.

The library was supposed to be a place were we could obtain news papers or read interesting encyclopaedias. Instead, these items were guarded by the soldiers as if they contained the military secrets of Nigeria!

The food was never enough and were not allowed to buy food from the tuck shop. I spent most of my time thinking about food. I was so thin I thought I would die!

We regularly got beaten for offences that were difficult to comprehend. A teacher would detain you in the class long after her lesson was over which would result in you being late to the next class. But you would still get beaten for being late for the next class.

We had this evil teacher Sergeant Tokunbo who in retrospect clearly suffered from severe psychiatric problems. He would beat up students for the flimsiest of reasons. It got to a point that he would beat up Christians if they did not attend church and he would beat up Muslims if they did not attend the mosque. I often wondered why one must be beaten for not attending church!

Interestingly, no one ever saw Sergeant Tokunbo attend a service at the church or mosque.

There is also the fact that he seemed to have a more than friendly relationship with female students at the school. I have it on good authority that he sexually abused some of the girls at the school. If Nigeria was a normal country, the Senate would have launched a full enquiry into the activities that took place at the school.

We had limited or no communication with our parents for periods of over two months. When we received letters, they would be read by the teachers before we received them to ensure that we did not pass on any negative stories to our parents.

I am still haunted by an experience in my first year. A student in the third year was suspected of stealing a camera. He was stripped to his underpants and beaten for more than three hours in the full view of all the students. His body was covered with whip marks and I remember the teacher pouring water over his body as the beating continued. That night I did not sleep, I kept wondering why a human being would do that to another human being.

The only lessons learned from the school were:

1. to succeed in life you have to be violent
2. showing compassion equates to weakness
3. God is a wicked God
4. Control freakery is normal.

A lot more happened at that school that would cause CIA officers to weep. In fact I am not aware of any prisoners even those in Abu Graib who suffered more than we did.

I hated the school then, and I hate it now – that’s why I will never contribute money or support any activity that seeks to promote the school.

It was hell on earth.

Yar'Adua - Our Servant Leader

2011-03-09T14:54:00.001Z

When the ‘Rule of Law’ ‘Servant Leader’ Yar’Adua died last year, a number of people shed crocodile tears claiming that he was a good and humble man.

His town crier, Segun Adeniyi spoke about the goodness of the man like it was Jesus that died.

Segun Adeniyi was a journalist that was held in high regard but upon assuming the post of town crier to the President, he seemed to have abandoned his integrity.

Anyway, I digress.

In the English Courts, a number of characters were convicted for defrauding Nigeria to the tune of $37 million.

One of those tried in absentia was a certain David Edevbie.

David, at the time of the trial, was the Principal Private Secretary to Umaru Yar’Adua.

Yes, I said it.

The secretary to the President was wanted for fraud in England at the time he was serving the President.

Did our servant leader bat an eyelid? Was our servant leader shocked?

I’m sure we all know he answer to the question.

Wikileaks and Nigeria

2011-03-08T11:42:00.003Z

I know the Americans are up in arms about the damage done to their national security by Bradley Manning and Julian Assange.

We in Nigeria, on the other hand are ecstatic. Nigeria is one of the most difficult places to obtain accurate information on government business.

Our politicians will always respond with ‘no comment’ or ‘it’s a family affair’ when asked to comment on key political issues.

During the absence without leave (AWOL) episode of Yar’Adua’s presidency, our politicians pretended that they were not aware that he had not been seen for three months!

The Senate President David Mark was given the nickname Reverend Father David Mark because his only comment was that a ‘Novena Mass’ should be said for the missing President.

Well, thanks to Wikileaks, we now know that the Supreme Court Justices received monetary payments in exchange for declaring Yar’Adua President.

Interestingly, it was also revealed that our man Obasanjo too was involved in attempting to rig the re-run elections in Ekiti.

As I’ve said before, Obasanjo is the most meddlesome character in Nigeria’s history.

Even after leaving office, he seems determined to influence the appointment of all political positions in the country. To the extent that if elections were to be held tomorrow for head boy of a local primary school, Obasanjo would have his candidate for the position!

The speaker of the House who revealed the information to the US Ambassador has denied disclosing the information. It’s fair to say that his denials are not to be believed.

Our ‘humble’ president Goodluck Jonathan will no doubt claim that he was unaware that the Judges were bribed.

Today we have now been told that our ‘Servant Leader’, ‘Rule of law’ late president handed over to the Secretary to the Government instead of the Vice President in breach of the Constitution.

What I find most interesting is that at the time of the AWOL saga, the Secretary to the government and the political adviser both told the public that the President wrote a letter to the Senate with the intention of handing over to the Vice President but the letter was not sent.

When in fact, the President since 2008 had devolved most of his powers to the Secretary to the Government!

No doubt, the secretary will deny that power was handed to him.

Ibrahim Shekarau

2011-02-25T09:52:00.001Z

Ibrahim Shekarau is the Governor of Kano State and a member of the opposition party: ANPP. He is also the party’s presidential candidate for the 2011 elections.

I don’t know much about the man but neither does the majority of Nigerians.

All I know is that he was one of the characters mentioned by Wikileaks in the Pfizer scandal where they conspired with the former Attorney General to divert settlement monies meant for victims into their personal accounts.

He was on BBC Hard talk last night defending his decision to run for president.

Before I address the merits of his arguments, two things struck me:

1. I’m not a doctor but I suspect that he suffers from cataracts. His eyes looked very weird and created the impression that he had just been punched by Mike Tyson.
2. I’m not sure why he was wearing a fleece under his babanriga! Plus, you could tell that he had applied ‘methol rub’ to his lips!

Now moving on to the interview proper, all I can say it that I was shocked. The man sounded totally incoherent.

The interviewer did more talking than he did!

Lets hope he doesn’t get elected because I can confidently say that I don’t think he has anything to offer Nigerians.

What next for Jonathan?

2010-11-23T10:09:00.002Z

The papers are reporting that Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign team are rejoicing at the news that Atiku Abubakar has been selected as the North’s consensus candidate.

I’m not sure why they’re they filled with optimism. Atiku is corrupt but so is Jonathan.

Atiku sounds incoherent when he speaks, but so does Jonathan.

Atiku does not appear to be a principled politician, but the same too can be said of Jonathan.

The choice thus becomes selecting the lesser of two evils.

I would pick Atiku over Jonathan because Atiku has a burning desire to rule Nigeria and I’ve often found that people who are courageous and openly ambitious tend to do better than those who have been persuaded to seek office.

In addition, Atiku has a better organised and media savvy campaign which implies that if he wins the presidency, he would better organise the machinery of government.

Now, if I were Jonathan I would be honest with myself and accept that there was an agreement within the PDP that power would rotate between the North and South every 8 years. I would then step down from the race and seek out a competent Northern candidate to take on Atiku at the primaries.

Nasir El-Rufai would be a good choice. I know he’s not popular with the party ‘elders’ but, in politics all things are possible.

Raymond Dokpesi

2010-10-13T09:47:00.004+01:00

Although I hated my secondary school experience in Nigeria, it provided me with a lot of entertainment. Whenever, something had gone wrong and the soldiers were trying to work out who to cane amongst us, they would zero –in on the person that looked the most nervous.

According to their logic, the person who looked the most distressed was the culprit.

Our man Raymond Dokpesi aka ‘Babangida’s wife’ (according to the commentators on Sahara reporters) has been showing signs of ‘guilty conscience’.

Sometime in September this year he claimed that he was being threatened with assassination by the president. Nigerians were startled. People wondered, where has this bizarre allegation come from.

Suddenly we had the terrorist attacks on 1 October which killed over 15 people.

Our man Dokpesi was the first to claim that the security services were trying to blame him for the attacks. This was even before Nigerians had worked out who had committed the atrocities.

Lo and behold, text messages intercepted by the security services revealed that the culprits had been texting to confirm whether ‘Dokpesi had paid for their services’.

Dokpesi was interrogated by the security services and asked to explain his relationship with the suspects. He denied knowing them – although his explanation raised more questions than answers.

He said he had met one of the men once when he visited his office. He said he heard the ‘visitor’ was a supporter of Babangida and he was so pleased to hear the news that he gave him five hundred thousand naira for his transport fare.

Firstly, what is it with Nigerians and ‘transport fare’. It seems that every time a politician is caught with huge sums of money he always claims it ‘transport fare’.

Secondly, how would a man who Dokpesi claims not to know, end up in his office and why would he give him such a large sum?

Dokpesi has now taken the guilty conscience thing to a new level. He has taken the security services to court and is seeking an order from the court that the security services should be prevented from ‘harassing’ him. i.e. the security services should be prevented from doing their jobs.

And another thing, Dokpesi is the Babangida’s chief campaigner and ‘wife’. He is also best known for being the owner of DAAR communications. Now DAAR communications used to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. It has recently been de-listed because it has not submitted its audited accounts to the stock exchange for two years!

Now, in a civilised country the CEO of a public company that has not submitted its audited accounts would be standing trial for fraud. In Nigeria, he gets appointed chief campaigner for a presidential candidate.

Ribadu is not the one!

2010-10-08T10:58:00.001+01:00

I finished reading the fifth and final series of interviews with Nuhu Ribadu, one of the contenders for the presidency in 2011 and the darling of the Nigerian opposition.

If I had to summarise his interview I would say it was a ‘car crash’.

He does not appear to have a grasp of Nigeria’s problems. He constantly interrupted the interviewer and appeared defensive when his links with corrupt politicians were raised.

He was asked a question about the Niger Delta. In response he rambled on for a few minutes before rewriting history by claiming that the people of the Niger Delta never complained about their living conditions until recently.

His views on the economy were the same. He rambled on about the country being a consumer economy and how he was a member of the economic management team. But did not outline any solutions to tackle our lagging economy.

To be honest, I don’t think Ribadu is presidential material. I don’t question his integrity but leading a country goes beyond having integrity. It requires, intelligence, tolerance, and innovative thinking – none of which in my view Ribadu possesses.

We are the future

2010-10-02T20:13:00.003+01:00

50 years after Independence Nigeria does not appear to be taking her rightful place at the table of powerful nations.

She has been blighted by the curse of corruption, tribalism and recently religious extremism which threaten to lead to her eventual disintegration.

Articles have been written, papers have been published and speeches have been given identifying solutions to the country’s problems.

It’s fair to say that everybody knows the solutions to Nigeria’s problems but what’s missing is the will to implement those solutions.

People are waiting for a mythical leader who will change the country.

I do not share their high hopes. A leader is not going to come from the skies to solve our problems.

Nigeria will be made whole when we decide we want her to be whole.

We are the leaders the country is waiting for. We ought to show leadership by our personal behaviour. As Obama says, we are the change that we want to see.

We each need to decide never to give nor receive a bribe.

We need to decide that when we get to the office, we will work for our employers instead of running our small businesses whilst contracted to work for our employers.

When we become managers, we ought to decide that we will engage the services of independent contractors to provide our office supplies instead of using our relatives as proxies to supply goods to the company.

When we attend social functions, we ought to humble ourselves and shake the hands of everyone we meet instead of standing in the corner and only saying hello to people on ‘our level’.

We all ought to give a proportion of our monthly income to support charitable causes in the country. The 10,000 naira we spend on a few drinks in a club could make a difference to the life of a struggling father in Ajegunle.

In our own way, we can lead the country to where we want her to be.

Kidnapping did not start today.

2010-09-29T09:47:00.001+01:00

Nigerians woke up to the shocking news that 15 school children had been kidnapped by gunmen in the city of Aba, Abia State. Their abductors are demanding a ransom of 20 million naira in exchange for their freedom.

Nigerians are outraged. Even the president and leading politicians have called on the security agencies to track down the kidnappers. Others have called for the execution of convicted kidnappers.

I can perfectly understand why Nigerians are irate and I cannot imagine the anguish that the parents of the kids must be going through.

That said, there is no point in us adopting a self –righteous attitude towards the kidnappers. They are only a reflection of the society we live in.

Nigerians need to understand that when they do things, others watch and learn. Thus when Babangida stole £12 billion from the treasury and wasn’t prosecuted, the poor men watched and learned.

When Chris Ngige was kidnapped from his office and forced to resign because he did not hand over the state’s treasury to Chris Uba, the poor men watched and learned.

When Peter Odili, Nigeria’s most corrupt former Governor was granted a perpetual injunction restraining the police from arresting him for theft, the poor men watched and learned.

When our parents use their influence to bypass procedure and get us jobs in the best companies, the poor men watch and learn.

When our uncles were given political appointments and overnight their houses doubled in size and their fleet of cars increased, the poor men watched and learned.

Was it not in Nigeria that the Ceo’s of banks turned people’s accounts into their private piggy banks? Was is not in Nigeria that Theophilus Danjuma told us that he made over a billion dollars from an oil block that was given to him by the Abacha government?

So my dear Nigerians, we have been raped and kidnapped by our politicians and businessmen for many years. All that has happened is that the poor have learned how to play the game and have joined in the fun!

Atiku Abubakar

2010-09-28T21:01:00.002+01:00

Atiku Abubakar is a former Customs Officer, Former Vice President, multi-millionaire and currently a presidential candidate.

Now, the department of customs is one of Nigeria’s most corrupt government agencies. Its officials engage in smuggling, illegal seizures of goods and bribery. Corruption is so endemic in that department that its employees would feature in the list of Nigeria’s richest people.

Atiku rose to the position of Deputy head of that organisation. So one can say that he has been schooled in the art of corruption. A good student that he was, he applied the lessons he learnt there to his role as Vice President where he ran the Petroleum Development Trust Fund like his personal piggy bank.

Atiku was recently featured in the report prepared by the United States Senate investigation into money laundering. This explains why he hurriedly left his mansion in Maryland and headed for Dubai to avoid arrest. In effect, we have a candidate for president who is not allowed to visit America!

Another skill which Atiku learnt from the School of Customs is the ability to lie. Those familiar with customs officials will be able to confirm how they often seize people’s goods but tell them that their goods did not arrive.

His lying skills were on full display a few weeks ago when he gave a speech in Lagos criticising a fellow crook Babangida for annulling the presidential elections in 1993. Atiku showed up in Yola, the following week and denied ever criticising Babangida ( Babangida was present at the Yola gathering). Atiku went further to claim that he and Babangida were brothers!

What I found shocking was the fact that he gave both speeches in the full glare of the media and he did not even seem bothered by the fact that he had openly contradicted himself.

Now Atiku has said that if he wins, he will run Nigeria like a business. Well, he does have an MBA from the Department of Customs school of business.

I’m not sure I want an alumni of the Customs Business School running my country!

Babangida's rally

2010-09-16T10:13:00.001+01:00

Now that the timetable for the elections have been finalised, all the various candidates are now beginning to outline their policies.

Two things made me laugh. General Babangida said this :

"Corruption of society is the ultimate social cancer since it afflicts every process and every transaction. It defeats the personal goals of most citizens and distorts our values as a nation,"

He further went on to say that he would target

“unexplained and unexplainable wealth in the country”.

Yes, babangida of all people has pledged to tackle corruption and the unexplainable wealth in the coutry. This is coming from a man who worked for the government all his life on a modest salary but is by all accounts one of the richest men in the country. He could perhaps start by explaining the source of his wealth.

The other thing that struck me was the presence of former Senate President Ken Nnamani at the rally. Nnamani had become a champion for civil society because of his principled stance on corruption and abuse of power. He even set up a leadership centre to promote good governance.

There are only two possible reasons for his presence at the rally. 1. he is broke and needs Babangida’s money or 2. he is suffering from the ‘air disease’.

For those who don’t know, there is a theory gaining ground that the air in Nigeria causes otherwise rational people to do very silly things.

Anyhow, let the games begin!

My concerns about Ribadu

2010-09-09T10:03:00.002+01:00

Before I start, I wish to make it clear to all that I have not decided which candidate I will support for president and I have no affiliation to any of the other candidates for president. I am merely writing from the perspective of an undecided voter.

Nuhu Ribadu, from what I’ve seen gives the impression of one that is passionate about his country and is keen to ensure that she achieves greatness. He however, also comes across as one who is unwilling to challenge the powers that be.

For example, after all his talk about anti-corruption and change, Nuhu Ribadu returned to Nigeria and said he would be willing to accept whatever position given to him by Goodluck Jonathan because to turn down such a job offer would be disrespectful – the same president who’s wife you indicted for money laundering! When I read reports of his comments I was shocked. I thought to myself, you mean after all this years in oxford you are still so subdued by power and glory?

But it does not stop there. It was clear to all from the beginning of Yaradua’s tenure that the corruption battle was going to take a back seat. But Nuhu Ribadu refused to resign. Even after he was sent to NIPSS in Kuru, under the pretext of a course, he still refused to resign.

He knew that his persecution came from the top. In fact Yaradua gave an interview with the Guardian where he stated that Ribadu showed disrespect to the Police authorities by taking them to court. Yet in his public pronouncements, Ribadu’s criticisms of the government remained circumspect. You would never hear him criticise the president. In my view, this was because the man was holding out for a position in Government and he did not want to jeopardise his relationship with Yar’dua.

Aside from the above, I also have concerns about his level of understanding of Nigeria’s needs. He has spoken about anti corruption but leading a country is more than talking about corruption. He needs to outline what plans he has to develop our schools, our roads and our economy. Some would say that he has not yet declared for president and thus does not need to comment on these issues.

I beg to differ. The elections are to be held in January. A serious candidate for office should by now have been able to outline and communicate his vision for our country.

Ribadu has not done so. I’ve read Buhari’s interview on NVS, he too does not appear to have outlined a vision apart from the fact that he claims he is not corrupt.

It is sad to say that the only people that seem to have a plan are Atiku and Babangida, the two most corrupt people in the race.

Ribadu has studied at the best institutions at home and abroad but it does not appear that their education has changed him. I hope he can change before the primaries but at this stage, I would be lying to myself if I said I thought he has shown signs of a man prepared for the presidency.

IBB meets the press

2010-08-22T14:21:00.004+01:00

Well, well! When I initially heard that Babangida was running for office I was concerned that he would seduce his way into the hearts of Nigerians. But, I then remembered a previous encounter with a government official whom people labelled ‘intelligent’. I discovered that the more he spoke, the more he exposed his ignorance.

Since then, I’ve been more than excited every time I hear a ‘blast form the past’ is running for office. My policy is: give him the microphone so that he can expose his ignorance.

The self-styled ‘evil genius’ (what kind of name is that?) was interviewed by the guardian newspaper today.

If I was one of his advisers, my only advice to him would be ‘Oga when they ask you a question, you either talk about the pain you felt from the loss of madam or you talk about the will of Allah shikenah!’.

I’ve decided to publish my response in red to his comments.

FORMER Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, has explained the significance of the ethnic card he reportedly played recently with a strategic meeting with some Igbo leaders.

He had declared at the widely advertised parley that he would run for only one term, if elected, and leave the presidency for the Southeast zone in 2015.

Babangida, who on Sunday, August 15, declared his intention to contest the 2011 presidential election against President Goodluck Jonathan, spoke exclusively to The Guardian editors in his Hilltop expansive home in Minna, last Wednesday.

How much did you guys receive for the interview plus did you guys ask about the source of the funds to build the ‘expansive hilltop home’?

According to him, he organised the forum with the Igbo leaders because he was fully persuaded that the pang of the Civil War the Igbo nation had with the Federal Government over 40 years ago would not be healed “unless a President of Igbo extraction is elected in Nigeria.”

So why don’t you give up on your campaign and support an Igbo man for 2011?

He also said that “only Abiola and his family” deserve an apology over the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the head of the family, Chief MKO Abiola.

Have you apologised to them? Do you mean that people who were murdered during the protests are insignificant. Was is not our money you spent on the elections?

Babangida, as head of the military government in power in 1993, annulled the election that was adjudged the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history till date.

Many Nigerians are up in arms against Babangida’s bid for the presidency, ostensibly on the strength of the voided June 12, which revalidation led to the death of many Nigerians including Chief Abiola and his wife, Kudirat.

On his intentions for playing such an ethnic card with Igbo leaders in a nation struggling to enhance its national outlook, Babangida said:
“I hope you know that everybody (presidential aspirants) is following me now? There are two or three now who say that they would run for one term, including even some PDP aspirants. So, at least I am happy.

Sorry! Please explain that point again?

“I am the originator of the four-year- one-term slogan. The fact of the Nigerian situation is that there is no way — you better believe it — there is no way you will run this country without jaw-jawing with other parts of the country. That is the fact of the Nigerian political life.

Ooh genius! You don’t say! Where in the world do you run a country without 'jaw-jawing'

“I became interested in the Southeast for only one reason: an imminent Igbo presidency. That puts end to the Nigerian Civil War. It is finished.”

I think the surrender of General Effiong in 1970 put an end to the war. But maybe you know best.

He continued: “You know why we went to the Civil War. I want Nigeria to go as one country that fought a civil war in less than 50 years, the people that fought and settled so much that even one of the contestants is a president of this country.

So why not end the ‘war’ sooner by campaigning for an Igbo president now?

“You can never have anything that would demonstrate that the Civil War is closed if you don’t have an Igbo man as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

I thought the fact that shooting stopped in 1970 was a good demonstration of the fact that the ‘war’ was over.

In the same vein, General Babangida said in an emotion-laden moment that despite the cacophony of voices on the 17-year-old June 12 saga, he believes that, indeed, the Abiola family deserves an apology for the dark episode he has (Babangida) taken responsibility for.

On what he would say to voters on the Okigbo Panel report, the death of Dele Giwa, Abiola and June 12, Babangida said:
“The good thing is that 90 percent of the population has no clue about what you and I are talking about Okigbo, about Dele Giwa. 90 per cent of Nigerians haven’t heard these things at all. They don’t know what they are about.

I am speechless!

“It is just about okay. They said I killed Dele Giwa. For June 12, I accept collective responsibility for that. I wasn’t on seat when Abiola died but if there is anybody who deserved a personal apology, it was Abiola and members of his family.”

Babangida, who fielded questions for two hours despite the fasting period in the early hours of Wednesday, last week, also clarified his position on the reported reliance on Southwest for supports for his presidential bid.

He disclosed that he only said because of the sophistication of the Southwest political leaders and elite, it would be easy for them to appreciate all the complications that opponents may want to use against him in these times.

His words: “I saw the report that, ‘IBB Relies on South West.’ Everybody, who wants to win election, would rely on the Southwest, would rely South-South, Southeast, North Central (where I am); would rely on Northwest and so on. This is the beauty of this game.

“What I said, we were talking about June 12, the Southwest, as far as politics is concerned, are more sophisticated than us. The reasons are not far-fetched. They were earlier in contact with civilisation... So, I will give them that in terms of sophistication.

“And because they are sophisticated politically, they will not get bogged down by mundane arguments about June 12. Their level of education, their level of politics transcends June 12.
“They know in politics, nothing is permanent; they know in politics, somebody matches you round, somebody matches back. It must be accepted. It must be corrected and the country moves on. I think they have the (political) sophistication. This was what I was trying to say.”

To honest, I don’t understand what you’ve just said. Could you please explain your comment about the southwest?

Mediocrity in high places

2010-08-14T16:13:00.001+01:00

I've got a few days left of my '16 days and 16 nights' trip to Nigeria. I must admit that i've had a good time and it’s been a good experience hanging out with people from my home land.

One thing that has struck me about this trip is that the young people in the private sector are punching above their weight. They are developing cutting edge solutions to the country’s problems. In Lagos, you will many successful businesses run by people under the age of thirty. Some of them are my friends and I am very proud of the work that they are doing.

On the other hand, the people in the public sector are as mediocre as ever. They genuinely do not seem to know what they are doing.

I was shocked to read in the papers that civil servants had dragged the government to court for daring to suggest that they sit for tests after training courses! I asked a few people in government what the real issue was. I was told that civil servants attend training courses that last up to 7days. They receive cash allowances for attendance. A significant number only turn up on the first day to collect their money after which they go home until the course is over. Any attempt to introduce testing would prevent them from skipping classes or as they say in Nigeria: ‘spoil their runs’.

But the mediocrity doesn’t stop there. I read today that the excess crude account which was set up to save money for the country has been depleted from over 5 billion dollars to 467million dollars in less than a year. A member of the media challenged a government official on such reckless spending especially when there are no tangible benefits of the spending. His response was to argue that even America was facing a recession!

I’m not sure how his answer relates to the question asked. But then again it has never been a requirement that a government official’s answer must relate to the question!

In conclusion, the private sector is moving forward whilst the public sector is sprinting backwards.

When I return, i shall give a full account of my trip to the Niger Delta.

Meet the Chief of Police

2010-07-24T16:46:00.005+01:00

Whenever Nigerians gather together in groups, they often tend to talk politics. One question that is often asked is: how did our country this bad?

In my view, Nigeria is where she is because people in positions of authority are not subjected to scrutiny. What tends to happen is that as soon as a man gets appointed to a position of power, he is surrounded by sychophants who tell him that he can do no wrong. This leads to what some call a lack of ‘self awareness’, which is in effect, the inability to independently assess the suitability of one’s conduct.

Such traits were present in former President Obasanjo who would explode with anger if anyone dared to question his policy decisions. Many other Nigerian leaders suffer from this disease but our man of the week is the current chief of Police Ogbonaya Onovo.

For those who don’t know, Nigeria has become the hub of kidnapping, robbery, corruption and murder in Africa. Our Chief of police was appointed to tackle these problems. However, under his watch, things have taken a turn for the worse. We had the killings of hundreds of people in Jos, the daylight robbery of two banks in Western Nigeria where the Police failed to show up even though the station was 20 minutes away from the scene, and many other examples.

For reasons which no one can understand, our President decided to give a National honour to the Police Chief(although in the presidents defence, the majority of people nominated for honours were crooks as well!).

Nigerians were rightly annoyed. Mr Onovo on the other hand, felt that he was entitled to the award. After the award ceremony, Mr Onovo was asked by a journalist if he thought he deserved such an award given the high level of crime in the country. Mr Onovo exploded with rage. A reporter from Next Newspapers recorded the exchange:

Ogbonaya Onovo, the Inspector General of Police, was among 186 Nigerians from different strata of the society who were honoured with the 2009 National Award by President Goodluck Jonathan.

But Mr. Onovo, who said he was quite happy at the honour done him, was not impressed with the question from NEXT about whether he thought it was justified for him to get such an award in the face of the rising crime and insecurity in the country.

The police boss, who refused to answer the query, said it was a stupid question meant to provoke him, rather than one “borne out of genuine journalistic curiosity.” He said members of the public should decide if he deserved the award or not.

“Answer it for yourself,” he said. “You are a member of the public. If I don’t deserve it, say so.
"I can’t answer stupid questions, because insecurity is all over the world. There is no society where there is no crime. You can’t tell me of any society, if you know one, tell me. So, I think it is not a proper question and I will not answer it.

“You have come to provoke. You haven’t come to ask questions as journalists who want to know and who want to disseminate information,” adding, “Your question had spoilt my happy mood.”

When I read the report, I laughed. Only God will save this country!

Why I pity Dele Momodu!

2010-07-17T11:24:00.004+01:00

There’s this journalist in Nigeria called Dele Momodu. He can be likened to the Keith Vaz of Nigerian politics.

Dele made his money from his magazine Ovation which celebrates the wealth of our corrupt leaders. Its feature stories take sycophancy to a whole new level.

It therefore came as a surprise to me to read an article he has written today claiming that our politicians corrupt. The article is titled ‘why I pity Nigerian politicians’. In response I have named this article ‘why I pity Dele Momodu’.

It appears that Dele has forgotten that he made his money from singing the praises of these corrupt politicians.

But then, Dele (of all people) is planning to run for president in 2011 and has thus decided to paint himself as a defender of the people.

The only problem with people like Dele is that they can never change. They will always return to their old habits. Although I must confess that even though I expected Dele to return to his old ways, I did not expect him to do so in the same article!

You see, the first half of his article accuses Nigerian politicians of corruption and greed but at the end of the article, he starts praising the exploits of Femi Otedola, Nigeria’s ‘diesel baron’ who was cut down to size by the new Central bank Governor. Dele is dressed in the blue robe and femi is dressed in the white attire.

Femi, made his money through his corrupt relationships with Nigeria’s leaders and is now apparently the President’s best friend. Well, that’s according to Dele, the chief praise singer of Nigeria’s oligarchs.

Dele is so excited about the new relationship that he’s forgotten that he’s supposed to be running against the President next year!

Something in the air makes these men go crazy! – The Ibrahim Babangida example

2010-07-03T23:30:00.005+01:00

I often explain to my non-Nigerian friends that I suspect that there is something about the air in Nigeria that makes men who would ordinarily be intelligent say very stupid things.

Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) is a classic victim of the ‘air disease’. For those who may not know him, he ruled Nigeria from 1985 to 1993 and was widely regarded as corrupt and deceitful. CIA reports directly indicted him in the drugs trade which was booming in West Africa and his estimated wealth is reported to be in the billion dollar region.

It is not his corrupt nature that Nigerians find nauseating. No, it is his genuinely held belief that he is the smartest man in the country that Nigerians cannot stand. His smug look invites us to give him a ‘dirty slap’.

He annulled the freest and fairest elections ever held in Nigeria and was asked a few years ago why he annulled the election. He smugly responded, that he did not ‘annul’ the elections but ‘cancelled’ them. He sounded as though he was a linguistics professor teaching advanced English to his students. To this day he has yet to explain the difference between ‘cancel’ and ‘annul’.

In early 2008, IBB announced that Nigeria needed to rid itself of the ‘federal character principle’. For my non-Nigerian friends, this is the principle whereby every tribe in the country must have an equal representation in government departments regardless of whether or not that tribe has sufficiently skilled people to fill those roles. Some have suggested that Sani Kaita the Nigerian midfielder was a beneficiary of that principle!

At the time people applauded him but we suspected that he had something up his sleeves. Nigerian leaders are not known to make intelligent arguments. How right we were.

You see, in 2008 IBB knew that Yar’Adua (the former president) was terminally ill and he was in a strong position to take over power. He therefore decided that the best way to obtain the support of the Nigerian people would be to say something intelligent.

Fast forward to 2010. Yar’Adua died and Goodluck Jonathan now appears to be in a very strong position to retain power at the next elections. IBB has now done a 360 degree manoeuvre.

IBB organised a meeting of Northern leaders and orchestrated a declaration that it was the North’s turn to rule Nigeria until 2015!

What happened to his initial suggestion that leaders should be elected on merit? IBB’s spokesman said that ‘Nigeria is a complex country’. End of explanation!

That’s the miracle of Nigeria’s leaders. The ability to present conflicting arguments whilst maintaining a straight face or as my fellow Nigerians would say: our leaders are able to talk from two sides of the same mouth!

Super 'Goodluck' Eagles

2010-06-14T13:12:00.002+01:00

Nigeria’s Super Eagles are the embodiment of the problems facing Nigeria. I have nicknamed them Super ‘Goodluck’ Eagles because the team is just as prepared for the tournament as President Goodluck Jonathan is prepared for leadership.

In Nigeria, we do not plan for events. Instead, we hope that by virtue of luck we will succeed.

Mr President is a good example. He said when he appointed Professor Jega as chairman of the electoral commission, he said he knew nothing about the man’s background. It was only after he had been appointed that he read articles about Prof Jega’s relationship with the student union movement.

So, our President has admitted (without any hint of embarrassment) that he appointed a man to a sensitive position but knew nothing about the man’s background!

The super Eagles too, were aware that the was a world cup 4 years ago but only decided that they wanted a world class coach 4 months to the start of the tournament. I’m not sure how the coach was expected to prepare the team for the tournament with only four months to go.

In addition, whilst others selected the best hotels for their players, ours were to be camped in a motel by the roadside. I presume that was because an official had decided to embezzle the money meant for the players instead of providing them with first class accommodation.

Yet, we wonder why our team fails to impress.

I do not expect us to get beyond the first round but if we do, I wish the team all the best!

As far as I’m concerned, Nigeria will continue to lag behind other countries on the global stage until our people plan for events instead of hoping that ‘goodluck’ will see them through.

In defence of Obasanjo

2010-06-12T11:33:00.003+01:00

Obasanjo is a schmuck. There are many reasons why I think he is. Firstly, he seems to think that he is the only one with the solutions to Nigeria’s problems. Secondly, even at the official age of 71 he meddles with the appointments of officials from class prefects to government ministers. To crown it all, the schmuck decided that he would seek a third term despite the fact that he had pranced around the world like he was democracy’s first son.

Despite all these, he did some good things for Nigeria:

1. he created the environment for the telecoms sector to blossom into a multi billion dollar industry.
2. he created the environment for young people to pursue develop their talents in the fields of acting, music and comedy.
3. he gave Nigeria the self confidence to make decisions on the international stage.
4. under his administration, people who we thought we untouchable were humbled.
5. he developed Nigeria’s financial sector.

I know certain sections of the media enjoy attacking the schmuck and yes, they have a point but they must also remember that he is probably the best president Nigeria has ever had.

The Quality of our leadership

2009-05-04T21:09:00.002+01:00

How did it come about that these people are our political leaders?

Mcbride - a man out of a job.

2009-04-12T20:43:00.002+01:00

Whilst I am disappointed with the conduct of Mr Mcbride, I also feel very sorry for him. The man is out of a job. How is he going to care for his family in these difficult times?

I hope he spends this time reflecting on his conduct.

Tory Hypocricy

2008-10-28T17:20:00.002Z

It appears that 'Barack Hussein Obama' is headed for a landslide in the US elections. Whilst British conservatives might despair at such a result they must remember that such feelings would be hypocritical.

After all, Brown has been hammered by the Tories for his failure to mange the economy and yet they praise George Bush who also presided over the mismanagement of the US economy.

Some have argued that their primary motivation for supporting Bush was his strong leadership in the war on terror. If that is the case, they should have voted Labour during the 2005 elections. Tony Blair was still the Prime Minister and he was Bush’s staunch ally.

In my view, I think the key issue is selfishness. Tories care so much about the British economy that they believe that a government should be judged on its economic competence. However, they don’t mind if the Americans destroy their own economy as long as the American leader is a ‘hawk’ on issues to do with foreign policy.

Note: I too, am a Tory

Intellectual integrity from the Right

2008-10-12T20:18:00.002+01:00

Iain Dale has rightly decided to support Barack Obama in the upcoming elections. Not that his vote counts! He is right to highlight the fact that Sarah Palin’s nomination was a grave error of judgement on the part of John McCain. He is also right to highlight the fact that the Republican Party has been hijacked by a narrow sect or as Andrew Sullivan puts it: ‘christianists’.

I look forward to hearing the candid views of Donal Blaney and Tim Mongomerie on the current state of the Republican Right and the choice of Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate.

Deception and Politics

2008-09-20T17:33:00.002+01:00

David Frum described a personality trait which plagues a significant number of politicians. People with such personalities tend to conflate the national good with their personal prejudices:

South Africa

I’m sure Thabo Mbeki had good reasons for opposing Jacob Zuma’s candidacy but there can be no justification for using the state’s power to pursue one’s personal agenda.

USA

Cheney and Bush are known to have supported the torture of terror suspects. Their total disregard for the laws of the land were excused on the grounds that they had an obligation to protect the American people. People who tried to question their actions were often described by their supporters as enemies of America.

Nigeria

President Yar’adua left the country for two weeks claiming that he was attending the lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia. Although reports in the international press suggested that he had travelled abroad for medical treatment. A hospital in Saudi Arabia even confirmed that he was in their custody. However, his advisers continued to deny that he was unwell. Their supporters argued that it was in the national interest to protect the truth about the president.

Obama vs McCain

2008-08-07T16:44:00.000+01:00

A big thank you to Tim Montgomerie for highlighting the positive aspects of an Obama presidency.

I must add that whilst I am sympathetic to Obama’s cause, I do not really have a favoured candidate. However, I am concerned that some conservatives are so partisan that they fail to see that America’s enemies do not speak of ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative’. They hate the ‘great Satan’ full stop.

In my view, it is therefore unwise to back one candidate over the other. We should instead focus on encouraging both candidates to champion policies which promote human rights and respect for the rule of law. This will also put us in a position where we can work constructively with whoever is in the White House to promote a positive image of America.

Nigerian Army Revolt

2008-07-05T09:10:00.002+01:00

The Guardian is reporting an attempted revolt by men of the Nigerian Army. Their anger is as a result of the failure of the government to pay them their peace keeping allowances.

They were expecting to be paid $1,228 per month for the duration of their tour in Liberia. However, the government chose to pay them $3,000 every six months.

I fear that corruption will lead to the ultimate collapse of the country.

Iran's Nuclear dispute

2008-06-21T10:29:00.003+01:00

It's great to know that Israel is strong enough to defend herself from external threats. Her recent military exercises attest to this. It would however, be advisable that before any military strikes are considered, ALL diplomatic options are explored.

War is a terrible experience and should therefore be used as a LAST resort to settle issues.

Major Jokolo

2008-06-16T18:14:00.000+01:00

A response to Major Jokolo's interview.

June 12

2008-06-15T10:41:00.001+01:00

A review of Humphrey Nwosu's account of June 12.

Interesting Interview

2008-06-09T18:58:00.002+01:00

An interesting interview with Mustapha Jokolo former ADC to General Buhari (Nigeria's former Head of State).

It was all a dream!

2008-06-09T10:37:00.001+01:00

Apparently, General Abacha was a good man after all. All the allegations of corruption, torture and murders were all made up!

I love these songs!

2008-06-06T21:11:00.002+01:00

I know i'm a year behind but I love these songs!

Crying racism?

2008-06-03T13:44:00.003+01:00

Often times, people cry racism when no racist comment has been made. It appears that the Telegraph has fallen into this trap. They accused President Ahmadinejad of Iran of attacking Jews. However, when you click on the story, you find that he criticised Zionists.

Whilst I detest the politics of Mr Ahmadinejad, I believe that it is unfair to accuse him of racism just because he criticises the ideology of Zionism.

When will Africa learn?

2008-06-03T01:11:00.002+01:00

I cannot believe what I am hearing! Another famine is about to break out in Ethiopia!!

What I find most puzzling is how her government is always caught unawares even though she has a history of famines. Please Lord, save us from these incompetent rulers!

Dishonourable politics

2008-06-01T14:32:00.002+01:00

Donal Blaney has just written an article arguing that Hillary must terminate her campaign if she wants to boost her chances in the 2012 presidential race. I can see the rationale for his case. However, I am more concerned about the nature of the politics which Clinton espouses. The fact that she is willing to destroy her party for the sake of being nominated is dishonourable.

Politicians of both parties must root out this type of behaviour if they want to improve their standing amongst the electorate.

The right kind of leadership

2008-05-31T18:00:00.003+01:00

David Frum, Bush's former speech writer has given some insight into the art of leadership in this article.

America's chickens coming home to roost?

2008-05-31T12:10:00.008+01:00

Here's what Simon Heffer of the Daily Telegraph had to say on terrorism:

"After those same twin towers were attacked in 2001 the supply of money from idiotic Americans to the IRA more or less dried up. Suddenly, those in the bars of Boston and New York who had raised money for the fight against "the bloody British" realised that terrorism wasn't so nice after all."

Old school African politics

2008-05-30T10:35:00.004+01:00

Nigeria's Foreign Minister argues that the development of bio-fuels will threaten Nigeria's economy. In his view, our oil will become worthless and Nigerians will die of starvation because the world's food will be diverted to make fuel.

This man's argument highlights the problem with the old school of African politicians. Whilst others would see this as an opportunity to develop Nigeria's non-existent agricultural sector, the Foreign Minister seems to be more interested in maintaining the status quo. He seems to be happy with our oil dependent economy.

Deception in the White House

2008-05-28T10:17:00.002+01:00

Scott McClellan, Bush's former press secretary has given an insider account of how senior members of the government colluded to mislead the public on a range of issues.

Being a fan of Bush, I hope these stories aren't true. If they are, it is clearly a fulfilment of the wise saying: power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Is Obama a good choice?

2008-05-25T16:46:00.007+01:00

I must admit that I was not an enthusiast of Obama's campaign. After reading his book 'Dreams from my Father' sometime in 2005, I was very impressed with the warmth and honesty of the man.

However, I believed that he was being hyped up because he was a black Senator. I also believed that he was inexperienced. I concede that I was wrong on both counts.

Having watched his speech after 'Super Tuesday' and his other speech on race, I was impressed with his level of persuasiveness and his ability to inspire. I have always admired Presidents like JFK, Clinton and Reagan who had such inspirational qualities and have come to the conclusion that Obama is a member of their group.

It was wrong of me to assume that because he had only being a state senator in Illinois, he would be unprepared for office. I should have paid more notice to his work as a university lecturer and his intelligence. Nothing prepares you for the office of president but, showing the right character and temperment are signs that one is capable of holding such office. On both counts, Obama has my vote. Most importantly, as Andrew Sullivan argues, his ability to organise one of history's best campaigns is evidence of his leadership potential.

I am still not persuaded by his calls for the US to renegotiate NAFTA or his calls for keeping jobs in the US. However, if he is elected President, I believe that America will have made an excellent choice.

Christian fundamentalism in Nigeria

2008-05-25T11:24:00.002+01:00

I have always had reservations about the workings of Covenant University but even i did not expect them to behave in such an unfair manner. A third year accounting student was expelled from the university for failing to bring his bible to the assembly hall!

I didn't realise that universities had morning assemblies! More importantly, I am worried about the spread of American style fundamentalist teaching in our education system.

Political Diversity in Nigeria

2008-05-25T10:35:00.004+01:00

As Nigerians join the rest of the world in excitement over the possibility of the election of an African-American as President, we should perhaps look closer to home.

It is time that we ask ourselves whether minorities have the same opportunities in our home country? Would it be possible for a woman to rise to the position of President of Nigeria? Would an ethnic minority ever rise to the position of President of Nigeria?

I am proud that in Nigeria, our Heads of State have not always come from the three 'major' tribes: Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo. General Babangida was a Gwari from Niger State. General Abacha was a Kanuri and General Gown was a Christian Angas from Plateau State.

We may not have had a woman Head of State but we have had women hold key positions in Government and to their credit, the majority have outperformed their male counterparts. Dora Akinluyi, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Oby Ezekwesili spring to mind.

Nigeria still has problems with corruption and poverty but it is remarkable that she has been a pace setter in promoting political diversity - An area where many developed and richer countries still struggle.

Against racial profiling

2008-05-22T21:42:00.004+01:00

Apparently, the suspected terrorist in the Exeter blast was a young white male. This will surely silence the advocates of racial profiling in Britain.

Kanu and Utaka make me proud

2008-05-22T20:56:00.006+01:00

My brothers in Portsmouth FC - Kanu and Utaka are to be congratulated for raising the profile of Nigeria. Their FA Cup victory has done more for Nigeria's image than our politicains have sadly been able to do.

Religious riot aborted

2008-04-21T09:29:00.002+01:00

The Guardian Newspaper has just reported that a major riot in the Islamic City of Kano was aborted due to the quick intervention of the police. Christians attending church services accross the state ran for their lives as word spread that a mob of extremists were on the rampage.

As usual, the protests started because word spread that a Christian had desecrated the Koran. Thanks go to other Muslims in the state who prevented the mob from beating a Christian trader to death.

Corporate fraud in Nigeria

2008-04-20T10:27:00.004+01:00

I have always been concerned about the reliability of accounts posted by Nigerian companies. The Guardian has just written an editorial which adds to my suspicion.

Cadbury, which is one of Nigeria's leading companies, was fined for publishing misleading accounts for a number of years in order to boost its profits. The suspicion is, it is not the only company engaged in this practice.

I don't have any shares in the country but, I would be very worried if i did.

One party state

2008-04-18T08:17:00.002+01:00

It seems that the chairman of PDP, the ruling party in Nigeria has a poor knowledge of Africa's political history. He said his ambition is for Nigeria to become a one party state.

Whilst I don't blame him for wanting his party to succeed, I worry if he understands the implications of a one party state.

God bless America

2008-04-15T09:30:00.002+01:00

As one who always tries to be fair, I must acknowledge the good work which President Bush has done to help Africa.

Today, it has been announced that his government will donate 200 million dollars to allieviate food shortages across the continent.

God bless America!

Mr President is unwell

2008-04-15T08:23:00.002+01:00

The Nigerian President left the country for Germany last night for a 'medical review'. According to his spokesman, he is being treated for an allergic reaction.

I hope this is not an attept to cover up a major illness. Get well soon UMYA.

Race in America

2008-04-14T11:39:00.002+01:00

I've just read this interesting article about a white female who was Michelle Obama's roommate at university. She talks about her mother's objection to the pair sharing a room.

Every thing that we do has a consequence

2008-04-13T21:51:00.005+01:00

I came across the video below on Youtube and it made me reflect on the consequences of my beliefs.

I believe that as a country, we have an obligation to pursue a foreign policy that is as ethical as possible. This is because, the lives of millions of people are affected by our conduct. Most importantly, the consequences of our actions tend to be felt by generations who were not responsible for the original decisions.

I believe that it is time that our leaders ceased their unquestioning support for Israel and criticise her when we believe she has done wrong. After all, that is what friends are supposed to do.

In fact, we have been better friends to the Palestinains because we criticise their leaders when we disapprove of their conduct. I only wish that whilst we call on the Palestinians to cease their support for terror and recognise Israel, we equally call on Israel to return to her original 1948 borders and cease her immoral building of settlements on Palestinian land.

God Damn America

2008-04-11T11:43:00.005+01:00

As someone who has been supportive of the US led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is sad to read that the harshest interrogation techniques were used on suspected terrorists.

One of the reasons why I became a conservative is because I was inspired by their healthy scepticism of Government. Why should I trust the government to torture people it believes are terrorists? If we could not trust their claims about weapons of mass destruction, how are we to believe their claims that these people are truly terrorists?

In addition, how can we trust the information provided through these techniques? The Mail reports that when water-boarding was tested on CIA operatives, they broke within 14 seconds. Is it wise therefore, to believe that inncocent people wouldn't admit to crimes when put through these techniques?

Most importantly, the war we are fighting is between those who believe in universal human rights and those who don't. Once we begin to adopt the techniques of our enemies, we have lost the war.

Once again, our leaders have spoken with righteous words but acted with evil means. God damn America.

Lesbians flogged and jailed in Kaduna State

2008-04-11T08:44:00.003+01:00

At a time when our country is grappling with the evils of corruption and incompetence, the Sharia courts in Kaduna have found time to flog and imprison a female couple for the offence of lesbianism.

Setting aside my soft spot for lesbians, Nigeria is a country which is signitory to all the UN conventions on Human Rights. How can she justify the punishment of homosexuals?

The usual response is: 'this is a muslim-christian country'. These same people are quick to cry 'neo-colonialism' when the US or Britain criticises Nigeria. Have they forgotton that both religions were brought to us by foreigners?

We practised traditional religions before the coming of the 'white man' and it is known that lesbianism and homosexuality were practiced by certain traditional religions. Why should we allow these 'neo-colonialist' religions tell us that lesbianism is wrong?

I hope the ladies are given access to good lawyers who will appeal this unjust sentence.

Nigerian troops in Darfur threaten to revolt

2008-04-10T17:59:00.003+01:00

It has been reported that a minor mutiny of Nigerian Forces was aborted at the last minute. The soldiers threatened to strike because they had not been paid their allowances whilst serving in Darfur, Sudan.

One wonders when Nigeria will finally get a grip! Why do employees have to wait for months to obtain their salaries? Does the Government realise that these soldiers have dependents to look after?

Mr President has declared his willingness to tackle corruption. If he is sincere, he needs to investigate the circumstances surrounding this matter. Word has it, that the reason for such delays is that senior officials keep the funds in their private accounts to yield interest which they share amongst themselves.

Mr President must investigate if that is what has happened and the guilty individuals must be brought to book.

Senator Obasanjo is missing

2008-04-09T13:13:00.002+01:00

Things are getting more interesting on Nigerian scene. The papers are reporting that the former President's daughter who was charged yesterday for corruption is 'at large'.

Senator Obasanjo, where ever you are, please come out and face the police!

Former President's daughter charged!

2008-04-08T21:38:00.002+01:00

The EFCC has just charged Senator Obasanjo-Bello with conspiracy to defraud the government of 10 million Naira!

This is a really sad indictment on the legacy of our former President. I sincerely hope she is innocent as I was one of those who believed that she would provide leadership in the Senate.

Nothing seems to be going well in the life of Aremu of Otta!!

Oh my Lord!

2008-04-03T11:04:00.002+01:00

The former Nigerian police affairs minister Chief Broderick Bozimo who happens to be an alumni of the great University of London has been arrested for corruption in Nigeria.

What is it with these former alumni who seem to be making mischief around the world. Yesterday, I blogged about Mugabe who is also a former alumni of the University.

Things are not looking good. I hope i'm not next!

Why Mugabe became a monster

2008-04-02T12:43:00.004+01:00

African parents are known to teach their kids that education is the route to success. Whilst one does not dispute this view, one wonders why the same principles do not apply to African leaders.

Robert Mugabe, the current ruler of Zimbabwe holds 7 university degrees. He even holds a degree in economics from my Alma mata: the great University of London. These degrees seem to have done nothing to quench his thirst for corruption and destruction.

It is interesting to note that leaders like Mugabe started off with the desire to fight oppression and injustice but along the way, change tact.

In my opinion, Mugabe's downfall was caused by the great drug called power. Human beings have a propensity to view all their actions as right. The only means to check this tendency is the existence of a strong counter weight.

In the UK, the prime minister is held to account by parliament. This ensures that even when he feels the need to flex his muscles, he is mindful of the need to get parliamentary support.

In Zimbabwe, no such mechanisms exist. This had the effect of turning a man who could have been another Mandela into a monster.

If the west wishes to help Zimbabwe, her focus must be on strengthening institutions otherwise, her work will be in vain.

Why Obasanjo? Why?

2008-03-28T15:40:00.005Z

Our former president seems to have got himself into a huge mess. Everywhere he turns, scandals seem to follow him. One wonders why he did not choose the honourable path and focus on tackling corruption?

In fact, I know why. He was an all powerful president. Such is the fate that befalls a man who is accountable to no one and takes instructions from no one. All the other arms of government who were meant to keep him in check abdicated their responsibilities and have consequently created a huge financial scandal.

I read the articles in today’s papers where former ministers claimed that the president approved the waiver’s which allowed contracts to be awarded without following due process. They all said they disagreed with the former president’s approach but said nothing.

I cannot believe that supposed women of integrity who work for the World Bank kept silent as their boss performed acts which they knew were Illegal. If Obasanjo is looking for scapegoats, he should look no further. His so called trusted advisers let him down in his hour of need.

Our future leaders must learn that if they want to survive with their reputations intact, they need to empower institutions to keep their powers in check and appoint advisers who will tell them the truth.

Can democracy thrive in Africa?

2008-03-12T11:17:00.005Z

Alan Mendoza has just written an article on CentreRight describing the success of democracy in Mauritius. He is impressed with their respect for the rule of law and argues that this should be replicated across Africa.

I agree that all Africans should be able to enjoy the benefits of democracy. However, it is often the case that Africa is treated differently from the rest of the world when it comes to issues of democracy.

For example, in any other part of the world, if a party was found to have rigged an election, there would be calls for its leader to be imprisoned. However, in Kenya where it was accepted by the west that the ruling party led by President Kibaki rigged the elections, the international community led by Kofi Annan pressured the opposition leader Raila Odinga into accepting a power sharing agreement.

Such conduct teaches the thugs in Africa that cheating does eventually pay and, does not in anyway encourage Africans to learn that democracy is not a fight to the death.

Obasanjo should have taken the graceful route

2008-03-10T10:28:00.002Z

ThisDay newspaper gives a first hand account of how former Nigerian President Obasanjo was out-manoeuvred in his quest to ensure that only his loyalists were elected to key positions within the ruling party PDP.

It’s quite sad to see a man who used to be the most powerful in the country unable to control his party. He has himself to blame.

In other parts of the world when a powerful leader retires, he leaves the stage and avoids politics. He assumes the role of an impartial confidante to the new rulers.

In this instance, it appears that our former President is unable to come to terms with his retirement and still believes he can rule the country from his farm in Otta, Ogun State.

My humble advice to Obasanjo is to focus on his university degree and enjoy his retirement. In my opinion, he was Nigeria's best performing President and it would be sad if he loses this title due to his meddlesomeness.

Patrick Mercer's unfortunate comment

2008-03-09T09:48:00.007Z

British Conservative MP Patrick Mercer whilst commenting on the risks of infiltration by Alqaeda into the Police Force had this to say:

"Recruiting ethnic people into key public sector organisations— in place to protect us—is a risk."

One wonders if he is capable of distinguishing between Islam and race! The fact that one is 'ethnic' does not mean that one will be muslim, and the fact that one is muslim does not mean that they will be 'ethnic'.

It is comments such as these which make people wonder whether they can ever be fully accepted as British by the so called 'white' establishment.

Africa's richest man

2008-03-08T20:41:00.003Z

Forbes has named a Nigerian Aliko Dangote as Africa's richest man. According to the story, Aliko initially obtained a loan from his uncle Usman Dantata, before setting up his numerous businesses.

Anyone familiar with Nigeria's political scene can easily detect that the story doesn't add up. Aliko has admitted that he is always interested in ensuring that the President is one who will support his business.

One cannot help but wonder if he is not being used as a 'front' for the numerous corrupt retired Generals.

I'm sure as our past leaders begin to write their memoirs, there will be more revelations about the source of his wealth.

'Nigerians dont have enough sex'

2008-03-04T13:46:00.004Z

Who would ever believe that Nigerians are the most under-sexed people on the planet? Well, a recent survey conducted by Durex suggests that we are!

This is remarkable, given that our men are known for philandering. On the other hand, it's not surprising. Since the retirement of men like MKO, OBJ and Fela, the market has not been as active as it used to be!

Tithing in Nigerian Churches

2008-03-04T09:59:00.003Z

I am pleased to see that the sensible people of Nigeria are gradually beginning to revolt against the twisted teachings of their 'Pentecostal' preachers.

I have long believed that these Nigerian preachers use the tithe as a means of enriching themselves. I also believe that tithing has no basis in Christianity.

I wish to thank the author of this article in The News Magazine for exposing the illegality of tithing.

Sudan is on the brink

2008-03-02T19:15:00.004Z

Having seen all kinds of atrocities taking place around Africa, one can accurately predict when a country is headed for melt down.

Sudan is one country headed in that direction. It's not just the Darfur issue. There is also an uneasy peace between the governments in the north and south of the country. The key factor in all this is Oil (who would have ever guessed!).

The AU and UN or any other willing powers need to reassess the viability of sudan as a single entity.

Mr Rule of Law

2008-03-02T19:08:00.002Z

I see that Mr Rule of Law has refused to abide by a court order requesting that Mr Okah of MEND be allowed access to his lawyer.

How long are we going to be deceived by this sweet talking President?

Yar'adua and Transcorp

2008-03-01T15:36:00.002Z

I see that our president is up to his usual antics: one step forward, two steps back.

I cannot understand why his government would announce the revocation of the sale of Nitel and then reverse itself!

I had assumed that Mr Segun Adeniyi would take up the role of UMYA’s Alastair Campbell and actively manage the dissemination of Government information but it appears I was mistaken.

It took the Government two days to issue a statement denying that the sale of Nitel had been reversed. Two days! A government with a functioning information management strategy would have immediately issued a statement denouncing the alleged rumour.

One wonders if our President and his advisers understand the workings of a free market economy. Do they realise that the stock markets respond to such stories and millions of dolarrs in capital could have being removed from the markets by investors who were worried about the safety of their funds? Conversely, does our government realise that millions of Nigerians have invested their funds in Transcorp and panicked at the news of reversal?

My humble advice to UMYA is that he seriously considers his government’s communication strategy and ensures that before any of his renegade ministers issue a statement, they clear it with Mr Adeniyi.

By the way, when are Nigerians going to do away with our hierarchical mentality? Why is it that it is only a former ruler that can be awarded the honour of GCFR whilst real achievers are given the titles of MFR, OON etc? In every other country, it is the men/women who have brought recognition to the country that are given the highest awards. In my opinion, sports men/women like Kanu and Chioma Ajunwa; poets like Soyinka and Achebe; and musicians like Tuface and Fela should be given the GCFR awards before we even consider honouring our former rulers.

We shall get there some day!

Kenya has taken a step in the wrong direction

2008-03-01T15:25:00.005Z

Am I the only one who is annoyed with the fact that Odinga and Kibaki have decided to form a unity government?

How are we ever going to develop a democracy if no one ever accepts defeat? There's only one lesson to be learned from this crisis:if you want to taste power, start a riot!

Kofi Annan should have insisted that there was either a recount of the votes or, the winner should be determined by the judiciary.

kenya's democracy can survive only if she has a vibrant opposition and not one that is willing to sacrifice principle for the spoils of office.

Arranged Marriage

2008-03-01T15:19:00.008Z

I see that arranged marriages are still alive in Nigeria!

Our former 'President's' daughter is getting married to the Governor of the Sharia state. I hope this marriage lasts longer than the previous one.

Good luck Aisha.

Yar'adua's narrow escape

2008-02-26T12:55:00.004Z

I find Yar'adua's judicial victory puzzling.

The last time I checked,the international observers confirmed that the elections were rigged!

I've read the BBC's report on the results but I fear that the judges ignored some of the key issues surrounding the elections. In particular, they failed to explain how the elections could be valid when they were conducted without serialised ballot papers which is contrary to the electoral act.

I'm sure Atiku and Buhari will appeal. I just hope their supporters don't start kenya style protests!

My First Post!

2008-02-25T22:03:00.000Z

Hey Guys,

this is the first of what i hope will be many years of blogging on international and local Nigerian politics!

Please feel free to make comments no matter how abusive they migt be.

One love

Gege