All Eyes On American Voter -By John Danfulani

ALL EYES ON AMERICAN VOTER

                              By

                   John Danfulani,Ph.D
                 Johndanfulani@gmail.com
                 +2347082622012

The Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland and Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia wrapped-up a marathon intra-party presidential candidate selection process of the U.S.two major political parties. After observing most of their convention rituals the RNC selected a TV celebrity star and real estate mogul Mr.Donald J. Trump. And the DNC made the former First Lady, a former U.S. Senator and Secretary of State Madam Hillary Rodham Clinton. Madam Secretary is her party's establishment candidate
while Mr.Trump is an outsider that outflanked a horde of establishment candidates during the  GOP primaries.

While canvassing for support of  their party faithfuls, the duo unveiled their economic, immigration, security and foreign policy programmes. Madam Secretary campaigned within the ideological boundaries of her party. Mr. Trump crossed some long standing ideological borderlines of the GOP. Their approaches to core party philosophy reflected on internal party unity or disharmony before, during, and after their conventions. Mr. Trump's  philosophical rebellion made  party juggernauts and former Presidents steer clear the Cleveland convention. As a party with longstanding conservative principles,self acclaimed ideological puritans and constitutionalists, most heavyweights believed attending Cleveland Convention is tantamount to committing ideological suicide. It was so bad at the GOP's front that the convention host state Governor and  Mr.Trump's former rival John Kasich didn't show face. On the other hand, Madam Secretary got total support from her party's heavyweights, President Barak Obama and the First Lady, Vice President Joe Biden, former democratic presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and her archrival during the primaries and democratic populists Senator Bernie Sanders.

With Cleveland and Pennsylvania over Mrs Clinton and Mr.Trump are criss crossing the length and breadth of the U.S. to market their visions and missions to Americans, irrespective of their party affiliations. Before the November 8th Presidential poll, Mrs Clinton and Mr. Trump, as well as their running mates; will engage in Presidential and Vice Presidential debates.They will answer questions on economy, security, and Foreign Policy - either from the anchors of the debate or audiences within the debating arena. These face-offs are guided by ground  rules agreed by the participating parties and the National Council On Presidential Debates.

American presidential elections do attract global attention because of the dominant  influence of the country in the world . Its 2016 poll have a new high record of global attention because of the conduct and pronouncements of leading participants  before their conventions. In their attempts to proffer solutions to the economy, illegal immigration, global and homegrown terrorism, refugee crisis, inter-racial relationship, law and order; some of them (now one of them) pledged a walked-away from some America's bilateral and multilateral commitments with other State Actors and international governmental and nongovernmental organizations. These intentions, by one of the candidate, have triggered reactions from statesmen of other nations like Vicente Fox of Mexico and the head of Catholic Church Pope Benedict XVI. The French President Francois  Hallande added his voice on the ongoing campaigns by saying the GOP candidate's comment sometimes makes him feels retching . A direct interference in the U.S.politics that has no reference point in recent memory.

To ameliorate the menace of illegal immigrants crossing their porous border with Mexico, the GOP candidate proposed building of a Great Wall on the border.And Mexico, not the U.S.who raised the structure will pick the bills. Mr. Trump's solution to ISIS and other terror related palavers is complete banning of all Muslims from entering the country. Breaking trade deals like NAFTAC and bilateral economic relations with countries like China is one of his economic strategy of creating jobs at home and increasing the wealth of his nation. Mr. Trump also threatened to abandon the U.S.obligation to NATO and treaty of mutual and security cooperation with it Second World War foe Japan. His main rival did not make a statement showing any unwillingness to continue to honour any bilateral and multilateral commitments with  states and non state actors at the international level. She proposed some very opposite solutions and strategies with her GOP rival.

When Mr. Trump started advancing his unprecedented proposals to GOP members during their party primaries, the world assumed his words will boomerang and collapse his mission, prematurely. The GOP establishment and ideologues also thought he was a joker stretching his comedy too far. Heck,international community, independent Americans, and GOP establishment misjudged and underrated the resonating gravity of Mr. Trump’s maverick tantrums with GOP caucus goers and primaries participants. When GOP establishment resolved to stop the Real Estate Developer turned politician to save their party from an ideological flip flopper and calamitous invader, their action was; too little, too late.

American voter has two diametrically opposed options starring him in the eye. His 8th November 2016 decision has repercussions that transcends his territorial boundaries.His decision is capable of shattering the internal political system, economic deals, strategic alliances, and resolutions of conventions and protocols that have since become acceptable ethics in the modern world.

The pertinent questions here are:

(a) Is American voter aware of the enormity of the global responsibility on the shoulder of his country?

(b) Is American voter aware that his country is founded on the basic principles of rights and liberty of mankind. And his constitution encourages propagation those ideals in all parts of the globe?

(c) Is American voter in the know of the global security and economic implications of his country's reneging from its bilateral and multilateral commitments?

In contemporary world history, when all hope seems lost ,America always rising to the occasion. America has led the world in spreading the messages of justice, freedom, and liberty. America taught the world the lesson of freedom and liberty by leading the war against slavery and colonial subjugation across the world. America joined forces of good in the First and Second World Wars and defeated axis of evil that set the world in turmoil. The world have great faith in America's democracy and institutions.And sincerely hope that American voter will make an informed decision that will address his internal socio-economic challenges without shying away from their global responsibilities that have been the stabilizing force of the world systems.

Mbaka attacks Buhari, says Nigerians may not vote him in 2019.

Enugu Catholic priest, and Spiritual Director of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu State, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has warned President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians will not vote for him in 2019 if he does not address the high level of hunger and suffering in the country.
Mbaka has been one of Buhari’s most vocal supporters since he asked Nigerians to reject the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party during the 2015 presidential pol and predicted Buhari’s victory.
But, in a surprising turn of events, Mbaka attacked Buhari in a recent message, details of which were obtained by journalists on Tuesday night.
In the message, Mbaka noted that there was too much suffering in the country, and faulted the President for not appointing the right people.
He also accused the President of listening to the wrong advice.
The message partly read, “The issue is that Mbaka is speaking as the Spirit leads him – there is hunger everywhere. My job is to tell leaders the truth, the landlords are crying, the tenants are lamenting, sellers are crying, buyers are lamenting – there is hunger on the streets.
“I can’t keep quiet when things are going wrong.
“I am telling the President to look around him and know those who are advising him rightly and those who are telling him that there is no trouble.
“The President should know that there is trouble – if things continue like this, in the next election, nobody will vote for him.
“Whether they like it or not, I am speaking the raw truth.
“If the President should have somebody like me and he cannot be talking with me, then there is a problem.
“There is a problem somewhere; somebody who can advise you without asking for anything and he is representing the poor masses in the country and he won’t tell you lies.
“He will praise you when you are doing well and when you are not doing well, he will look at you in the face and tell you.”
Continuing, he said, “I don’t need the President; I need God, I need the Holy Spirit, I need Jesus; there is suffering everywhere, people are suffering.
“To feed is now a problem, and an hungry man is an angry man.
“Hunger and anger will lead to danger.
“So, let him know whether he can do away with some advisers around him and bring in the people who are experts in economic revamp.
“There are people who are experts in that; let them begin to empower people, people are not empowered, they are still walking around in vicious circles, planning and planning and planning.”
Mbaka said there were no spaces left in mortuaries across the country.
“Hunger is everywhere, many neighbours don’t eat again, many are being attacked by hunger, hunger is becoming a normal thing and there are people responsible for this.
“Mortuary and ambulance business is now thriving because many cannot afford drugs.
“In today’s Nigeria, many are becoming hawkers, who will buy from you, with what?
“Everyday, more pipelines are being blown, the Avengers are at work and up till now, there is no solution.
“You know when certain things begin to happen, you begin to ask some questions, somebody like me will begin to ask – when will this end?
“If it continues in the next three months, there will be no money to pay salaries – the vicious effect is disastrous and when salaries cannot be paid, teachers will come home, students will stop going to school, there will be more kidnappings, more hooliganism, more armed robbery, more prostitution, immorality will be on the increase.”
He urged Buhari to sit up and stop going after the leadership of the Senate.
Mbaka equally bemoaned the continuous depreciation in the value of the naira.
“So, the President should sit up – there is a red light blinking on the country.
“The issue of Saraki and Ekweremadu, nobody wants to listen to such stories any more, whether Saraki is the President of the Senate or Ekweremadu is not this or that, the countrymen are tired of such stories.
“We need economic experts, gurus, sages that are sincere, who can come in and think about our economic revamp and judicial reformation.”

Former appropriation committee chairman submits petition against Dogara to EFCC, ICPC, , others.

A former Chairman, Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has submitted a petition against the Speaker of the House of Representatives and some principal officers of the House to anti-graft agencies in the country.
Jibrin, who accused Dogara of corruption and budget padding – a claim the speaker denied, said it was now up to the anti-graft agencies to do their job.
He disclosed this via his official Twitter account.
“What a day! Submitted petition against Speaker Dogara and twelve others. Now it’s over to the security and anti corruption agencies,” Jibrin tweeted.

Federal government scraps HND programmes.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) yesterday approved a comprehensive reform of Nigeria's tertiary education system, scrapping the award of the Higher National Diploma (HND) by the nation's polytechnics.
In effect, the award of the HND will be limited to only the students currently admitted for the programmes.
Also, all the programmes currently being run by the polytechnics, which are not technology-based, and which are about 70 per cent,
will be scrapped.
Under the new rule, the polytechnics will now become campuses of the proximate universities with the Vice Chancellors of those
universities appointing provosts for the polytechnics, subject to the ratification of the Universities Councils.
The polytechnics will now be limited to award of the National Diploma (ND) while those desirous of further education will be awarded
the Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech) by the proximate university.
To kick-start the new policy, the nation's two most prominent polytechnics - Yaba College of Technology and Kaduna Polytechnic -
will henceforth be known as City University of Technology, Yaba and City University of Technology, Kaduna.
And to give legal teeth to these approvals, the FEC approved the submission of two Executive bills to the National Assembly for enactment into law.
With education being on the concurrent list, the states may wish to consolidate their tertiary institutions. But if they do not wish to follow the federal example, their programmes will continue to be regulated by the relevant agencies of the Federal Ministry of Education.
The first bill will concretise the setting up of the two city universities while the second will approve the preparation and consolidation
of all federal polytechnics and colleges of education as campuses of proximate universities.
The Ministry of Justice will do the preparation and submission of the two bills to the National Assembly.
Minister of Education, Mall. Adamu, told journalists after the weekly meeting of the council that under the reform measures, her ministry would, however, continue to licence private polytechnics and colleges of education for the award of qualification at ND and National Certificate in Education (NCE) levels.
She said: "There will be no more award of HND.
After we have exhausted the current students under the programme, there will be no more award of HND. This means that there will be no fresh admission for HND programmes. And in addition, any programme that is not technical will be out of the polytechnics. About 70 per cent of polytechnic graduates are in the non-technical courses. It is going to be a rigorous implementation programme."
A ministerial committee to ensure the smooth implementation of all that is required for the take-off of the reform initiatives is to begin work immediately.
Mall. Adamu said: "The HND certificate will remain a legal tender in Nigeria and holders of such certificate will continue to be recognised as the equivalent of first degree holders without discriminatory remunerations and limit to progression in the work place.
The NCE certificate will be retained as the minimum teaching qualification at the basic level of education. Any higher qualifications by
these private or state-owned polytechnics will be only affiliation with a university. So, HND is no longer in existence, but existing HND will be respected and considered legal tender."
The council also approved the Federal Government's formal take-over of the Waziri Umaru Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi, which will be the College of Technology campus of the Othman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, as well as the Hussein Adamu Polytechnic, Kazaure,
Bauchi, which will be a College of Technology of the proximate university in the state.
Also, the Alvan Ikoku College of Education, Owerri, Imo State, has been taken over as a campus of the Federal University of
Technology, Owerri.
A state that had never had any federal institution, like Bayelsa, is to have a College of Technology as a campus of the College of Technology of the University of Port Harcourt.
Also, Bali, in Taraba State, is to have a college of technology as a campus of the proximate university.

Why Bank Manager committed suicide - FCMB

First City Monument Bank Plc says its official, Olisa Nwakoby, who committed suicide on Friday in front of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Lekki, Lagos State, had personal challenges and became frustrated.
The bank, however, noted that neither the management nor colleagues of the deceased were aware of the challenges, adding that it was working with Nwakoby’s family and the police to unravel the nature of the challenges.
Forty-four-year-old Nwakoby, said to be the manager of the bank’s branch in Lekki, shot himself in the head over a bad debt estimated at N350m on Friday.
The deceased was said to have given out the sum as loan to a bank customer, who allegedly failed to service the loan.
He was reportedly under pressure from the bank’s management to repay the loan and became frustrated as he could not meet the demand.
But the Acting Group Head, Communications and Brand Management of the FCMB, Lola Egboh, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone on Sunday, said the suicide had nothing to do with the bank, adding that she did not have the knowledge of any loan.
Egboh, who described Nwakoby’s death as shocking, said the bank would have come to his aid if it was aware that he had emotional challenges.
She said, “It is rather unfortunate that the incident happened. Mr. Nwakoby was a member of staff of the FCMB. We are not aware that he was facing personal challenges, which led to the incident. As a bank that caters to the well-being of its workers, we have counsellors who could have helped him. This came as a surprise to us as it was to the public. It is such a trying time for the family; we have been in touch with them. There is a lot of speculations going on at the moment, a lot of them unfounded.
“We are working closely with security operatives and his family to understand what could have led to the personal challenges. I am not aware of any loan. I can’t comment on speculations.”
Efforts to speak with the family proved abortive as of press time. But a source close to the family said, “They were too distraught to speak to the press now.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said a pistol and live cartridges were recovered from the scene, adding that Nwakoby corpse had been deposited at the Lagos Island Hospital’s morgue.
She said, “At about 9.45am on Friday, one Olisa (Nwakoby) allegedly shot himself in the head with a pistol in front of Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church on Northern Foresore Estate, Lekki.
“A team of policemen attached to the Ilasan division visited, examined and photographed the scene. The exhibit, a silver America pistol with five rounds of unexpended ammunition, was recovered to the station while the corpse was removed and deposited at a morgue for autopsy. Investigation is ongoing.”


Credit : The Punch.

cheating does not pay. One bad turn deserve another.. (see those that voted for Buhari: photos)

Cheating does not pay!
Look at those who voted for calamity(Buhari )!

No wonder they're all malnourished just after one year of Buhari presidency! Those malnourished children who survive this calamitous government will not go near the pooling boots come 2019.
Just enter a filling station in the North to take fuel,  you will understand what I am saying. One bad turn deserve another. But I don't blame them, because this children were not around in 1984 and 1985. They are now victims of his voodoo economics!

LET US TALK, NOW IS TIME! - By John Danfulani, Ph.D.

LET US TALK,NOW IS TIME!

                               By

                     John Danfulani,Ph.D
                   Jondanfulani@gmail.com

"A stitch in time saves nine" Ancient Proverb


Even before the lowering of the Union Jack on 1st October 1960,certain  forces have asked pertinent questions bordering the 1914 political solemnization of Northern and Southern protectorates by representative of the Crown Lord Legard.The colonial master's amalgamation hatched a federal entity that its experience can't be found in any pre-existing federal structures in developed and less developed worlds.More to that, reasons that instigates units and constituents to hem a federal political setting are totally absent in Nigeria experience.

Because reasons that gingered the  colonial master's welding of Southern and Northern protectorates were centred on their exploitative economic interest and administrative conveniences, dissenting voices were surprised. After every round of protestation, colonial masters merely convocated constitutional conferences at home and abroad- not with intention of sincerely addressing concerns raised but to cool down tension in other to have a conducive atmosphere for their business of economic exploitation, cultural subjugation, and political domination. After gaining the so-called  political independence in 1960, the political and economic  caste that succeeded the colonial masters ignored commentaries and agitations asking for a dialogue to settle multifaceted questions related to the structure, allocation of powers to layers of authorities, and even existence of Nigeria as a single political entity.

Advocates of this position coined names like National Conference, National Dialogue,True Federalism, and Sovereign National Conference. On each occasion,opponents of this advocacy innovate technical mechanism of evading poignant issues. If communiques of groups included words like Sovereignty and True Federalism, Nigeria unpatriotic and compradorial ruling caste and their apologists dodged through running commentary on technical grounds like; you can't have two sovereigns in a body polity, and there is nothing like True Federalism. While folding up their opposition, they arrogantly pique; Nigeria is indissoluble and indivisible political entity.


The refusal of Nigeria political class and their exploitative and unpatriotic business caste to accept the impeccable realism that there are questions to ask and answer to provide about the entire Nigeria project indirectly triggered a 30 months civil war that annihilated almost a million Nigerians and destroyed properties worth billions of Naira. Till this day, claims from the federal and Biafran sides on whether certain policies that looks genocidal were part of the overall war strategy of leaders of the Federal Government of Nigeria( FGN) are making the rounds. One last major controversy associated with Nigeria civil war narrative came through a book one of the world's greatest writer Chinua Achebe published before his demise.Truth be told, conscious and deliberate refusal to address centrifugal agitations that emanated from political and military brass from South Eastern Nigeria contributed in no small measure to the destructive civil war.

After the civil war in 1970 people with the long history of this agitation muted.Their muteness wasn't masterminded by the fact that the  old questions of the corporate  existences of Nigeria and related matters like the structure of Nigeria's federalism had been settled by the boom-boom of bombs and zing-zing of riffles between 1967-1970. Even though open advocacy was a rarity, academicians in ivory towers and other research centres  busied themselves writing, researching and publishing opinions on the structure of Nigeria Federalism and other national questions thereof. Occasionally, a few media outlets do remind the nation of the existence of uncleared national questions through their editorial opinions.

To say the truth,no region hasn't agitated  for one form of national dialogue or the other, or openly threatened to breakaway from Nigeria. In 1957 the then northern region threatened to permit other regions proceed on self rule if the motion tabled by Action Group for self rule in 1957 materialized. Before this period, the leader of South West region threatened to end the political wedlock if the colony of Lagos is not added to the area under the control of his region.These few instances cited vividly demonstrated that centrifugal disposition was not only displayed by South East region alone.The difference is, others merely issued threats but South East walked their threat through a declaration of a separate republic in 1967.

Having gone through  this compressed analogy of how Nigeria was created,reason for its creation, and persistent calls for restructuring; a careful reader will accept the impeccable and incontrovertible reality that the leadership of Africa's most populous and endowed nation have been playing the ostrich,all along.Nigerians have been swimming in a dangerous pool of deceit through a delusional pretense that they are a country that its existence as corporate entity is unnegotiable.No "Solomonic" wisdom is needed to discern that this pretentious tantrum of the country's solidness and indivisibility is astronomically detached from the realities on ground.

How long can Nigerians cling on these straws of pretense and falsehood? Are Nigerians not wasting  time and consciously postponing evil days that will surely come- sooner or later? From the looks of things, the country is approaching the tip of a perilous cliff, why can't the leaders and the led garner courage and tackle these aged concerns of these assembly of various ethnic nationalities and people of assorted faiths and tongues embedded in a ramshackle political contraption called Nigeria? Nigerians better know that the  only thing they will lose is colonial master's political conjugal ring that is not giving those involved happiness. The more time the country waste the more problems they will confront in due course.

Nigerian's unwillingness to square off with contending issues right now will lead to apocalyptic disaster that the world don't have  capacity to handle due to the country's heavy  population and the nature of its borders. Without claiming to posses mesmerizing  long view of a futurologist, the extensive and intensive nature of the crisis that will germinate from refusal to talk will spread to most West and Central African nations Nigeria shares long porous borders with. And all and sundry knows that Nigeria's  neighbours don't have the economic muscle and sufficient infrastructure to host refugees or immigrants that will flood their small political geographies.

Pretending not to see or hear resource control agitations and environmental challenges of  various communities of Niger Delta will never make them give up.No amount of alliances and giving of political offices to the States of South West will stop their advocacy for a return to a regional political structure akin to the regional order of the First Republic.Nothing will stop Hausa-Fulani Muslims of Northern Nigeria from advocating for incorporating Shariah legal system in Nigeria.No explanation will eliminate the quest of a Southern Kaduna man to have a their own state out of the present Kaduna State.Nothing will stop middle beltern communities of Northern Nigeria from advocating for the right to bear arms because of the activities of the Fulani janjaweeds killing them in their villages and farms like ants. Noting will stop people from South East from advocating for their Biafra Republic despite suffering serious setbacks during the civil war.

Most of the agitations enumerated in proceeding paragraph appeared on the political radar in this dispensation that commenced on 29th May  1999. People will continue to use Boko Haram, Niger Delta Avengers, Odua Peoples Congress, Bakassi Boys, Miss World riot, Refusal of a films Village by Kano people,beheading of a woman under the guise of blasphemy,creating conspiracy theory around polio vaccine, burning of a church because members  prayed on a Friday,killing of a preacher, and others as a reminder that they  have questions desiring answers and aspirations that must be made in Nigeria.

What is to be done? Where do we go from here? The first solution is for members of the National Assembly(NASS)to discard their party differences and set up an inter-party committee to prepare for a serious and sincere constitutional amendment exercise. The exercise must have a timeframe so that the exercise wouldn't be rendered a nullify because of expectoration of the life of the 8th Assembly. Before swinging to action, all the 36 state assemblies be put on notice of these development for their quick response.Members of NASS should rollback to their constituencies to discuss with their constituents  so that they can find a way of including their aspirations in the amendment document. I know that consulting with constituents could generate laughable ideas,with some of their thoughts quite  anachronistic, but that is the beauty of democracy.Democracy has enough space for the good, bad and ugly ideas.

The second option is for the president to send an executive bill to NASS asking them for a permission to directly organise internationally supervised referendum that will ask all Nigerians of 18yrs and beyond questions related to our continued existence,revenue sharing formula and restructuring of the existing political structures. Since real sovereignty lays with the people, their decision stands. And such decisions must not be subjected to further discussions by either the NASS or executive branch. Or any legal interpretation by the highest court of the land. Thankfully, NASS has a tradition of midwifing resolutions under a broader caption called THE DOCTRINE OF NECESSITY. When former President Umar Musa Yar'Adua left the country in 2010 on a medical tourism to Saudi Arabia without an official handing over note to the Vice President, the senate invented a doctrine that saved Nigeria from a constitutional crisis. That can also hold on at this instance!

I have to restrict myself to these two arms of government to block the usual excuses of saying  there can't be two sovereignties  concurrently existing in the same political scape. This short proposals are capable of  blocking all legal gymnastics and similar excuses taunted by ultraconservative and reactionary forces that are converting this dysfunctional and hopeless situation to their parochialistic political and  economic aggrandizements. Unfortunately, these wicked political and economic class will never witness backlashes of their act of refusing all efforts towards nip-budding these serious national questions.

It's time to talk. Now is the right time!

ANARCHISM AND DICTATORSHIP IN KADUNA - BY JOHN DANFULANI, Ph.D

ANARCHISM AND DICTATORSHIP IN KADUNA

                                   By
                         John Danfulani, Ph.D
                         Jondanfulani@gmail.com

"Rebellion to tyranny is obedience to God" Thomas Jefferson

A few months after delivering his inaugural speech in Murtala Square Kaduna, pronouncements and actions of Governor Nasir Ahmed El-rufa'i started signaling the beginning of a strange political culture premised on executive orders, instead of legislations by Kaduna State House of Assembly(KDSHA). Hiding under the canopy of reforms and quests for a slimmer and efficient government,many unethical and unprofessional decisions were taken without pondering on the short and long term negative consequences of his actions.

Take a look at these actions by His Excellency Nasir Ahmed El-rufa'i since assumption of office on 29th May 2015.

1. He retired Permanent Secretaries without observing the State's civil service rules like ;paying them their entitlements,number of years left before hitting their retirement time, and when they were appointed. Interestingly, the purging exercise was not guided by any standard other than irredentism, nepotism and sectionalism.

2. For over a year now he has been screening civil servants by using all sort of consultants. So far, they have not been able to get  a breakthrough. His verification exercise led to non-payment of salaries for some staff for over ten months, and labeling genuinely employed workers ghost workers.Similarly most retirees have 12months arrears to clear from the State Government.

3. In October of 2015, he told critics to head to famous Kufena Mountain in Zaria LGA in Kaduna North Senatorial District and jump down if they can't  accept his definition of the truth. Knowing the altitude of Kufena Mountain, his marching order simply said; go and die if you don't agree with me. His order has every feature of a hate speech....an internally condemned crime.

4. Sometimes in the first quarter of 2016 he told the newly sworn in caretaker of 23 LGAs in the state not to have any dealings with PDP members in their LGAs because they are like viruses. This aptly fits into what is known as hate speech. But sometimes in January, the conclave called State Security Council under his leadership milled a resolution against hate speech.

5. In the second quarter of 2016 he called members of APC factional branch called APC AKIDA ants...and that, he will crush them. He spewed this venom  while holding town hall meeting in Giwa headquarters of Giwa LGA in Kaduna Central Senatorial District. That was akin to the type of speech former Governor of Katsina State gave in 2014. He was adjudged of committing the sin of hate speech. Using the same yardstick,Mr. El-rufa'i too committed the same sin.

6. Some days ago,  he visited a disputed settlement in the southern part of Kaduna city called Gbagyi Villa. While there, he assured his will be victims that he will demolish thousands of structures there. After displaying his dictatorial credentials, he was reminded that there are cases before courts; a kind of reminding him that his action must wait for the the adjudicator(s) to decide who owns the land. Instead of thanking them for drawing his attention on the position of law, he  called them thieves and said no-going-back on his demolition plan.

A survey of issues raised from 1 to 6 hereinbefore shows that, the  tap-root of dictatorship and autocracy has shot down the political soil of Kaduna State. The most dangerous is his disposition of disregarding matters before courts. Those who read George Owell's award winning book titled ANIMAL FARM can see a symbiotic relationship between the narration in the book and what is happening in Kaduna State.

Now that Mr. El-rufa'i through his action and pronouncement has  demonstrated that he is above the law, what are the options left for those he is leading cum victims? Are the people to obey unabashed whims and caprices of a tyrant in a democracy or resist it using means accepted by the constitution? Is there justice for people to resist anarchy using constitutional means while what they are resisting isn't legal? From all indications, there is no easy way out for the vulnerable and helpless masses. This situation can be liken to a title of a book called The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth. 

For those onlookers on the fence, for those timid cold feet, for those weak souls, and for those with the privilege to speak the truth but prefer not seeing or hearing this evil, there turn is lurking at the corner. Lest they forget lessons of famous poem SPEAK OUT by a priest during the Nazi era in Germany. Let nonchalant not also forget Dante's sermon that says the hottest part of hell is reserve for those who mutes in times of moral crisis. For their good and that of democracy they better join all resistance movements against this evil spreading apocalyptic disaster horizontally and vertically in Kaduna State.

Now is time, I mean time to act against this political madness called EL-RUFAISM.

Un Suspends humanitarian aids in Nigeria's North - East after attack.

The United Nations has suspended its humanitarian assistance mission in the North East epicenter of Boko Haram terrorism following a bloody attack on humanitarian convoy by the Boko Haram insurgents, which left several officials of aid groups seriously wounded.
The suspension will be in place pending the review of the security situation in the Northeast.
A statement issued by the UN reacting to the attack said, “Today (Thursday) unknown assailants attacked a humanitarian convoy that included staff from UNICEF, UNFPA and IOM.
The convoy was traveling from Bama to Maiduguri in Borno State, Nigeria, returning from delivering desperately needed humanitarian assistance.
“UNICEF can confirm that a UNICEF employee and an IOM contractor were injured in the attack and are being treated at a local hospital. All other UNICEF, IOM and UNFPA staff are safe.
“The convoy was in a remote area of northeastern Nigeria, where protracted conflict has caused extreme suffering and has triggered a severe malnutrition crisis.
“This was not only an attack on humanitarian workers. It is an attack on the people who most need the assistance and aid that these workers were bringing.
“The United Nations has temporarily suspended humanitarian assistance missions pending review of the security situation.”
Continuing the statement said, “UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.
The Army headquarters while confirming the attack on the UN bodies in a statement titled “Boko Haram Terrorists Ambush Humanitarian Escort Convoy” said, “Troops returning from Bama on humanitarian escort duty, were ambushed enroute Maiduguri by suspected remnants of Boko Haram terrorists hiding in Meleri village, a few kilometres from Kawuri.
“The gallant troops however, successfully cleared the ambush and exploited up to Afunori.
“Unfortunately, 2 soldiers and 3 civilians were wounded in the ambush, among who were staff of United Nations agencies and other international humanitarian organizations.
“The wounded have been evacuated to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri and they are in stable condition.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to sympathize with our wounded colleagues, the United Nations and other Non-governmental organizations whose personnel were also injured in this sad incident.
“We wish to reiterate our determination and commitment to ensuring safety and security in the North East and safeguarding the lives of all persons.
In another development, the Army said early today that Multi-National Joint Taskforce (MNJTF), has finally captured and occupied Damasak town.
Damasak is a boundary town between Nigeria and Niger Republic and is located in Northern Borno. It is one of the last frontiers of Boko Haram terrorists.
A statement signed by Public Information Officer and spokesperson of MNJTF, Colonel Muhammad Dole, said that the troops have also cleared the terrorists from the surrounding villages
“In continuation with clearance operation of the towns and villages by MNJTF, the troops of the Sector 4 in Diffa Niger Republic have successfully cleared Sure village, captured and occupied Damasak town today by 1000hrs.
"The forces are coordinating to stabilize the immediate environs. The gallant troops fought their way into the town with Close Air support by combined Air Operation from MNJTF member states."
He added that: "While Operation Lafiya Dole is conducting operation to link up with Sector 4 at the location, the troops' morale remains very high."
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) is the combined multinational formation, comprising units, mostly military, from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. It is headquartered in N'Djamena, Chad and is mandated to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency.

Flashback: July 29, 1966 counter-coup: Africa's bloodiest coup d'etat - By Chucks Iloegbunam.

The first shots shattered the peace of the night at the Abeokuta Garrison of the Nigerian Army a few minutes after midnight on July 29, 1966.
Three casualties lay instantly dead in the persons of Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Okonweze, the Garrison Commander, Major John Obienu, Commander of the 2nd Reece Squadron, and Lieutenant E. B. Orok, also of the Reece Squadron. It was the beginning of the much-touted revenge coup of Northern Nigerian army officers and men against the regime of Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi.
By August 1, when Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon assumed power in Lagos as Nigeria’s second military Head of State, the bullet ridden bodies of both Ironsi and his host, Lieutenant Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, the military Governor of Western Nigeria, lay buried in shallow graves at Iwo, outside Ibadan.
“Within three days of the July outbreak, every Igbo soldier serving in the army outside the East was dead, imprisoned or fleeing eastward for his life”, observed Professor Ruth First in The Barrel of a Gun: The Politics of Coups d’Etat in Africa [Allen Lane The Penguin Press, London, 1970, p317.]
But Africa’s bloodiest coup did not stop at that stage, despite the shooting deaths of 42 officers and over 130 other ranks, who were overwhelmingly Igbo. The killing sprees and ever-expanding killing fields spread like wild fire across most of the country. There were three phases to the coup – the Araba / Aware massacres in northern Nigeria pre-July that called for northern secession, the July Army bloodbath, and the ethnic cleansing that went on for months after Ironsi had been assassinated and his regime toppled. The maelstrom prompted Colonel Gowon into making a radio broadcast on September 29, 1966.
This was the kernel of what he said: “You all know that since the end of July, God in his power has entrusted the responsibility of this great country of ours into the hands of yet another Northerner. I receive complaints daily that up till now Easterners living in the North are being killed and molested, and their property looted. I am very unhappy about this. We should put a stop to it. It appears that it is going beyond reason and is now at a point of recklessness and irresponsibility.”
Salutary intervention
But Gowon’s salutary intervention changed nothing, as the massacres continued unabated. Northern soldiers and civilians went into towns, fished out Easterners and flattened them either with rapid gunfire or with violent machete blows, leaving their properties looted or torched.
According to the Massacre of Ndigbo in 1966: Report of the Justice G. C. M. Onyiuke Tribunal, [Tollbrook Limited, Ikeja, Lagos] “…between 45,000 and 50,000 civilians of former Eastern Nigeria were killed in Northern Nigeria and other parts of Nigeria from 29th May 1966 to December 1967 and although it is not strictly within its terms of reference the Tribunal estimates that not less than 1,627,743 Easterners fled back to Eastern Nigeria as a result of the 1966 pogrom.”

Counter-coup

This is contemporary Nigerian history, only 50 years old. But when experts like Dr. Reuben Abati and Professor Jonah Elaigwu write about it, they lose all sense of numeracy and statistical acuity, and glibly state that the July 29, 1966 counter-coup cost “many” Igbo lives.
Well, the truth is that the July 29 counter-coup appears to be the bloodiest in the world’s recorded history because the casualty figures it posted far outstrip those registered in decided bloody coups like the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which King James II of England was overthrown by an invading army led by William III of Orange-Nassau; the 18 Brumaire of 1799 coup in which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory on November 9, 1799; the Wuchang Uprising of 1911 that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and led to the establishment of the Republic of China; the Bolsheviks October Revolution of 1917 that led to the creation of the Soviet Union; and the Iraqi coup d’état of 1936, the first among Arab countries. Each of these coups/revolutions led to war. But none of them managed anything near the sea of blood occasioned by July 29, 1966.
Giving their interest in posting photographs and videos on the Internet by Instagram and Snapchat, and advertising mostly poor language on Facebook and other such portals, today’s Nigerian youths may know next to nothing about what led to the catastrophe of July 29. But the details follow here for those of them interested in learning.
The problem sat rigidly on the superficiality of Nigeria, a geographical expression contrived by colonialist Britain. At Independence in 1960, the country operated a federal system of government with three powerful regions that didn’t take dictation from Lagos, the nation’s capital. A fourth region, the Midwest, with capital in Benin City, was created in June 1963.
But destroying the very fabric of the artificial political entity were tribalism and corruption, corruption which by today’s standards, would seem like cloistered nuns delightfully engaging in a game of Ping-Pong!

Controversial census

There were the 1960 and 1964-1965 uprisings in the Tiv country of the Middle Belt, and fractious elections in Western Nigeria in 1964 and 1965. There was the highly controversial national census exercise of 1963, and there was the military action of Isaac Boro’s Niger Delta Volunteer Force.
Then, the military moved in on January 15, 1966, having contracted the germ of the idea of military putsches running riot across the world. In Algeria, for instance, Colonel Houari Boumediene and Ahmed Ben Bella overthrew Benyoucef Benkhedda on July 3, 1962.
Three years later, on June 19, 1965, Boumedienne overthrew Ben Bella. More: In Argentina, General Eduardo Lonardi overthrew President Juan Domingo Peron on September 16, 1955. On March 29, 1962, General Raul Pogi overthrew President Arturo Frondizi. In Brazil on March 31, 1964, Humberto de Alencar Castelo Branco overthrew João Goulart to set up a 21-year-long dictatorship. In Indonesia General Suharto overthrew President Sukarno on September 30, 1965.

First West African coup

Inside Africa itself, coups were also trending. Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser had overthrown Muhammad Naguib as far back as February 27, 1954. The first coup in West Africa was on January 13, 1963, when Etiene Eyadema overthrew Sylvanus Olympio. Colonel Joseph (later Mobutu Sese Seko) toppled Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba on September 14, 1960 and “neutralized” all political parties in Congo-Kinshasa. In neighbouring Benin Republic, Christophe Soglo overthrew Hubert Maga on October 28, 1963. Soglo carried out another coup on November 27, 1965, toppling Sourou-Migan Apithy.
Both coups happened when the country still bore the name of Dahomey.
On New Year’s Day of 1966, Colonel Jean-Bedel Bokassa overthrew his cousin, President David Dacko in Central Africa Republic. Two days later, Lieutenant Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana overthrew President Maurice Yaméogo in Upper Volta, which was renamed Burkina Faso in 1984 by Marxist revolutionary Captain Thomas Sankara.
But there was a difference between the rash of coups that occurred elsewhere and the one of January 15, 1966 in Nigeria. The Nigerian coup took an immediate ethnic colouration, and for reasons that were all too obvious. Of the five Majors that formed the innermost circle of the plotters, four were Igbo – Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna, Donatus Okafor, and Chris Anuforo. But there was also among them Major Adewale Ademoyega, a Yoruba. Then, there was also the more disturbing fact that most of the coup’s casualties were non-Igbo, like Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Northern Premier Sir Ahmadu Bello, Western Premier Chief Samuel Akintola, and Federal Finance Minister Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh. No Igbo politician had lost his life in the bloody action.
Further, in executing the coup, the military had turned against itself in the killings of the following Northern military officers: Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari (Commander 2 Brigade), Colonel Kur Mohammed (Chief of Staff, Army Headquarters), Lieutenant Colonel James Yakubu Pam (Adjutant-General), and Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Colonel Abogo Largema (Commander 4th Battalion, Ibadan). Two Yoruba officers were also victims: Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun (Commander 1 Brigade), and his deputy, Colonel Ralph Sodeinde. The coup was, in effect, as bloody as they come. Its very nature fanned the fiction that it was an Igbo coup.


Chuks Iloegbunam (iloegbunam@hotmail.com ), is the author of Ironside , the biography of General Aguiyi-Ironsi.

KANO FILM VILLAGE: A LESSON FOR OTHER NIGERIANS - BY JOHN DANFULANI

KANO FILM VILLAGE:A LESSON FOR OTHER NIGERIANS

                                 By

                    John Danfulani,Ph.D
                   Jondanfulani@gmail.com

Not long ago,the old and new media told Nigerians that the Federal Government of Nigeria(FGN) is nursing the ambition of establishing a film village in Kano( North Western Nigeria).It must be part of FGN's effort to support the infant film industry to enable it compete( in quality not quantity) with the U.S.Hollywood and India Bollywood film industries.That goes with the anticipation  that the industry will provide employment opportunities to Nigerians and open a stable source of revenue to Governments.

Kano was chosen because there is already a crawling Hausa movie industry there called Kaniwood. Kaniwood  is competing with other films milling centres of South Eastern and  Western Nigeria.Today, DSTV through its portal called AFRCA MAGIC is broadcasting Yoruba films from South West, Ibo films from South East and Hausa films from North.Statistic shows that most of the films from the north were produced  and promoted by  Kano based industries.

On hearing the news of the FGN's intention, a thick mushroom cloud of opposition rose from some Kano elites in league with some powerful Islamic clerics and feudal lords.Their opposition was not premised on legal or economic grounds but faith related factors.The summary of their position is;such a centre will breeds attitudes that are unislamic.On hearing the rumples of opposing voices, the FGN folded its tail in between its two legs.There was no single effort from FGN to school the people of Kano the economic and social values of the vision. FGN took to the tallest political grasses.

Once more,Kano people have demonstrated the awesome power of a people in a democracy.Even before the lowering of the Union Jack on 1st October 1960 Kano is always a history making zone and a clime with the capacity to rebel against the status quo.In the First Republic(1960-1966),most northerners supported NPC but Kano people were with NEPU. History repeated itself in the Second Republic(1979-1983)...most of the northern Nigeria states went to NPN but Kano went to PRP. KANAWA(Kano people) simply have a reputation of saying NO to what they don't like.

Now,the KANAWA'S rejection of a proposed films village has opened the eyes of others communities/states in Nigeria.The point yours sincerely is labouring to establish is; any community/state  with an FGN project that isn't palatable to either their economic, social or cultural mores and values is at liberty to kick against it.For example, all the middlebeltern and Southern Nigeria States opposed to FGN's intention of creating grazing reserves for Fulani wanderers, they now have a golden opportunity to oppose without fear of the Leviathan.The oil producing communities now have the moral courage to protest against some decades old drilling of crude oil that is spillaging their environment and causing health related illnesses to them.

If others don't seize this good opportunity to make their case(s) against everything under the political sun of Nigeria-especially now that PMB has a listening ear,they better hold their peace because some of us will never believe their "tantrums" anymore. The KANAWA'S  have set the pace(as usual), therefore there shouldn't be any problems if people choose to disagree with any proposed policy of the FGN. The KANAWA'S  decision was a kind of democratic revolution that expanded the frontiers of freedom and liberty for all and sundry.

However, I make bold to tell PMB and his surrogates that, on no account should he threaten any community/state with the use of force should they decide to also benefit from the freedom of rejecting what they don't want like the KANAWAS. PMB must know that what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

EMPEROR DEMOLITION'S VISIT TO GBAGYI VILLA - By JOHN DANFULANI, Ph.D

"Every despot must have one disloyal subject to keep sane" BERNARD SHAW

On 21st July 2016 Governor Nasir Ahmed El-rufa'i of Kaduna State rolled his motorcade to a Southern Kaduna people's dominated settlement called GBAGYI VILLA to tell the residents of the community his resolution to turn all structures there to debris. While stating his commitment, he said; no amount of pressure and appeal will make him renege on his mission.

After his fascistic and autocratic display of might, some of his will be victims summoned courage and drew his attention to the fact that, the land in question is a subject of litigations in various courts in the State. And closed their candid observations with the point that, is it not commonsensical to allow the courts to rule before embarking on an action that has apocalyptic consequences? Because of his malnutrition in democratic ethos and civility, he sarcastically said; you can't steal something and rush to court for protection. His statement is simply saying, he isn't a  respecter of provisos of the constitution and natural justice that piqued; parties in a dispute must stay action when their case is before a court for adjudication.

Mr. El-rufa'i's decision and action is akin to a contempt of court and a direct assault to the  1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His pronouncement is also a catalyst for anarchy and lawlessness because once leaders go lawless followers will resort to self help. Still,his action signaled the arrival of dictatorship and autocracy because the setting has shifted from the basic tenets of rule of law - a principle that said all men are equal before the law. Mr. El-rufa'i's action has collapsed the trust between leaders and the led in the state. It wouldn't be extreme if one asserts that his action is tantamount to a coup against the constitution.

Where is it stipulated in Nigeria's 1999 constitution that a State Governor has the right to act on a property belonging to federal government? Cases in courts are between residents and management of Kaduna Polytechnic- a federal government school located in Kaduna. Apart from the land been in Kaduna, where is the link between the Busy-body Governor and the land? Is Mr. El-rufa'i the Minister of Education or Director of National Board for Technical Education? This is indeed a classic paragon of busy body. There is no reason whatsoever for him to delve into what doesn't concern him. He isn't even a party to any of the suits institutes in the courts.

Here is a man who promised much to the people of Kaduna State and is yet to take a first step towards redeeming his pledges. Instead of focusing on how to deliver on his promises or untangle himself out of quagmires his actions and inactions crested, he is busy creating novel troubles for himself. When shall his hands get full of troubles? It's on record that he advertised and awarded contracts for construction and renovation of clinics in all the electoral wards in the state. Nothing has been done for lack of take off grant. It's on record that all other contracts that aren't services providing in nature have not started. One can state without any fear of contradiction that he is yet to flag off one single peoples oriented project in the state. The only project stating on his record is: CONTROVERSY.

In spite of these glaring failures and monumental letdown, he wants to add salt to injury by pulling down structures people toiled and used their life savings and put in place. Over 95% of GBAGYI VILLA'S residents are retirees that rendered various services to the nation in their prime. Among them are people that fought the 30 months old civil war that saved Nigeria from balkanization. How can a man who haven't raise a single structure since assumption of office on 29th May 2015 take delight in pulling down structures? Is there any better situation for one to deploy the word saddism? While inventing the word saddist his irks must have been existing in that era.

Since he has turned Kaduna State to a Hobbsian State of Nature, residence of Gbagyi Villa and surrounding settlements like Romi, Television, Sabon Tasha, Buwaya, Trikaniya, Highcost, Nafdac, Ungwan Boro, Sabo GRA, Mahuta, Ungwan Sunday, down to Mararaban Rido better come out and resist this move.They must resist any attempt by whosoever to pull down a single block  off another. If he succeeds in Gbagyi Villa, he will roll down his bulldozers to other areas like Nepa Field Romi, Federal Housing Abuja Road, Nafdac in Narayi, etc.

This is no time for timidity and fearing of a diminutive dictator.All lovers of democracy, liberty, and freedom must square off with this bullyism and brazen dictatorship. On 11th April 2015 people voted for freedom and nothing more. Saddistic pulling down of structures-for the joy of seeing accompanying sorrows, tears and blood wasn't part of the social contract the good people of Kaduna State entered with Mr.El-rufa'i.

Enough of this madness in Kaduna State.

NIGERIA'S PRESENT PREDICAMENT &THE CHALLENGE OF EXCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE- BY MIKE MAIKARFI

Why are we here? I mean, why is our country where it is now?
In my own view, four major factors are responsible for this sorry state of our nation. Startled by the current situation staring us at the face, many pundits have tried to examine the state of the nation from various angles and to proffer solutions.
We all know how we have most often than not being engaged on discussions over national affairs in various fora. Yet, it is clear our nation is daily drifting far away from our desired destination.
I was making a trip to a town where one of the ancient railway stations was located in North-Western Nigeria. The day was cool and cloudy as I navigated my way on the tarred road with thick forest on both sites enveloping the whole atmosphere into a serene and calm climate for meditation. This happened to be the day that Mr. President flagged off the Abuja – Kaduna modern railway line service.
As I meditated along that trip, then it got dawned on me that these four factors have been key forces that have dragged our nation to where it is now. These are the things I set out to discuss here. And they all revolve around President Muhammadu Buhari and his style of leadership.
The first is the campaign on the war against corruption, not the war itself. Immediately after the swearing in ceremony at the Eagle square Abuja on 29 May, 2015, Mr. President declared a war against corruption which he set out to fight.
Corruption is a social and economic cancer that has the potency to destroy and ruin nations. It is a monster that should be detested and fought with every muscle a leader could muster. However, the fight needs to be total, tactful and systematic.
Unfortunately, the style of President Buhari’s war against corruption which has now affected the nation adversely has been his international publicity of his anti-corruption war as he traversed transnational boarders which have only succeeded in portraying Nigeria and Nigerians as the most corrupt nation and people of the world. Mr. President has ended up sending such awry signal across the globe and now only the stench of Nigeria is felt everywhere. With this, which multi-national corporation would like to come invest in a nation that is infested with high profile corruption like Nigeria? This is why we are here now in the world of business and investment.
The second factor has been Mr. President’s utterances and body Language. When he mounted the saddle of leadership as a president, he immediately declared that, “I am for everybody and I am for nobody”. But no sooner than later, he reneged on this statement by stating that, he will give 97/5% preference and treatment to regions according to the way he was voted.
Many pundits have adjudged the above utterance as unsavoury, undemocratic and a prime factor that has triggered the militancy that erupted in the Niger Delta.
As a matter of fact, the Igbo council of elders, Ohanieze at a time viewed such statement from Mr. President and other utterances he made as a Military general who is still fighting a Nigeria - Biafra war. His body language as a leader and looking at the type of people he chooses and brings around him also betrayed him. With this, we now have a serious situation at the Niger Delta that has drastically reduced our crude oil production capacity as a nation.
Thirdly, is the case of exclusive & sectional governance which is closely linked to the 97/5% selective treatment. Mr. President’s mode of appointments have attracted outcry from regions and ethnic groups across the nation. It is no news that primordial sentiments bordering on ethnicity and religion have been, among other factors, the president’s guide to his appointments. And with all these outcries the trend has continued. Federal character has been thrown to the wind and Nigeria is been governed like a monarchy or an enclave for a selective few.
The delay in appointing ministers in this administration was another factor that has dragged our economy to its present sorry state. The time that the campaigns were on to the time the presidential election was held and won; and down to when Mr. President was sworn in was enough time to have assembled those who should be part of his cabinet. This would have set the ball rolling well for the good of the nation if capable hands were engaged earlier to craft a financial blueprint for our nation. Unfortunately, it took us six months to have our ministers in place who, up till now, don’t seem to know where our nation is headed economically. All these have been factors that have dragged us to where we are now as a nation.
In summary therefore, Mr. President has over time been engaged in a negative publicity of fighting corruption on one hand, while on the other hand frustrating our economy by faulty economic decisions and inactions as he stands on an elevated platform of polarized government that is fueling the disintegration of the nation through nepotism and exclusive governance where some sections are to a very great extent, estranged from the affairs of the state.
For us to make any meaningful progress towards development as a nation at this time therefore, the ruling class must take a look at the factors enumerated herein and take drastic steps to urgently address them.

Flood will affect Lagos, Imo, ,Yobe and 11 others - NIHSA

The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency on Monday announced that there would be flooding in 14 states and urged residents living in flood-prone areas of the states to relocate.
According to the agency, most cities would experience heavy floods due to the rise in sea levels and tidal surge.
The agency added that Lagos, Rivers, Calabar, Benue, Sokoto, Anambra, Imo, Cross River, Yobe, Ogun, Osun, Kaduna, Oyo and Yola were the states that would be affected by flooding this year.
The Director-General, NIHSA, Mr. Moses Beckley, said this during the public presentation of the 2016 Annual Flood Outlook in Abuja and warned that this year’s flooding would be higher than the one experienced in 2015.
He said, “The expected inflows in the country for this year will be lower than that of 2012. Meanwhile, the predicted probable flood area coverage in 2016 is expected to be higher than the predicted probable flood as well as the observed value of 2015.
“The expected areas of river flooding this year are located in the following river basins, Niger, Benue, Sokoto-Rima, Anambra-Imo, Cross River, Niger Delta, Komadougu-Yobe, Ogun-Osun and several other sub-basins of the country.
“Some coastal areas such as Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, etc, are expected to experience flooding due to rise in sea level and tidal surge, while flash and urban flooding are likely to occur in Sokoto, Ibadan, Kaduna, Yola, Maiduguri, Makurdi, Hadejia and settlements/cities along the Nigeria coastal line.”
NIHSA urged those living along those places to keep safe distances and “those in the areas where you have dams constructed to also be careful about erecting structures close to where the dams was.”



Credit: The Punch

Buhari scraps N3b Kannywood film village.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration may have cancelled its plan to build a massive film village in Kano State, following social media outcry and opposition from Muslim clerics, reported the BBC.
More than N3 billion was budgeted for the project as part of the government’s efforts to improve the Hausa language film industry known as Kannywood. The government argued that the village would create thousands of job opportunities and promote cultural activities.
But Muslim clerics argued that it would promote immorality and people on social media also called on the government to stop the plan.
An aide to Buhari said the president has listened to the people’s concerns by deciding to scrap the project.

Nepotism in Buhari's government, the worst in Nigeria's history - Junaid Mohammed.

Former Joint House Leader of the defunct Peoples Redemption Party and Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, as well as a member of the Defence Committee in the Second Republic, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, speaks about the Buhari administration’s anti-corruption war, the arms probe and other national issues. Excerpts:


Critics of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration have latched on to the recent arrest of former Army Chief, Azubuike Ihejerika, to accuse it of partiality. What is your take?
If Nigerians can remember, I said recently week; when one of the four service chiefs, who are being investigated, namely: General Azubuike Ihejirika was arrested by the DSS. I said while the arrest of Ihejirika was a very positive development, it was none the less, inadequate. It was partial and certainly sends a very wrong message. One, Ihejirika took over power from somebody called Lt. General (Abdulrahman) Dambazau. If Ihejirika was guilty; it stands to reason that Dambazau is equally guilty because Ihejirika took over from him. In any case, information coming out from the investigation panel set up to probe arms deals indicates clearly that Dambazau has a case to answer. In addition, Dambazau is today falsely being made to represent Kano in the government by Buhari, which is very unfair and unjust because this man was not born in Kano. He is today Minister of Interior and in addition to which, he is Minister in-Charge of Police Affairs. Under the British norms of Public Administration and Management, if you are under investigation, you are normally asked to step aside. Dambazzau has not be asked to step aside, which means he is being allowed to interfere with the investigations by the EFCC which is in fact, a police organisation. Another person who I also understand has been indicted and should be arrested like Ihejirika is Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah. Minimah was not given that job on merit, he was given that position on purely tribal consideration and in appointing him as Chief of Army Staff, several of his colleagues who are better tested and more refined and in fact, better recommended were not only shoved aside, they were also prematurely retired. He should also be arrested like Ihejirika. After Minimah, we now have Buratai. Buratai is an interesting case not because he is not guilty but because Buratai and the circumstances surrounding his appointment and the scandal he is now enmeshed in; are typical of the disastrous sense of judgement of General Muhammadu Buhari and the way he stubbornly refuses to admit when he makes a mistake.
Since you’ve brought in the alleged scandal involving Buratai, what do you make of the whole thing?
It is now clear beyond any reasonable doubt -like we see in the media – that Buratai was the Director of Procurement at Defence Headquarters. There can never be any reason why other chiefs of Army Staff who are involved in malfeasance and grand crimes in procurement should be arrested and taken to court while Buratai is allowed to remain scot-free. Secondly, his position as Chief of Army Staff is something nobody can explain; only Buhari can explain. It has now been discovered that this man is filthy rich like his cohorts. Thirdly, that he has property in Dubai among other places and that while the Army tries to cover one of their own, their Chief of Army Staff; by saying that he acquired these through the savings of his family- I don’t know what his family was earning, what about what he acquired when he became Chief of Army Staff? How does Buhari explain that? Nigerians deserve an answer and the answer must come quick because Nigerians cannot be taken for a ride by either Buhari or any army officer. The days when Nigerian Army officers can tell lies and get away with it or pretend to be messiahs in Nigeria is now gone. Every soldier must prove himself to be clean before we take them to be clean. We do not take anybody from Buhari to be clean simply because he says he is clean or his public relations men who are paid to say so, say he is clean, that day is gone and gone forever.
There has been this talk about a cabal hijacking the Presidency, a charge the Presidency has denied. We will like your thoughts on this?
Let me say straight away that whether one calls it a cabal or a mafia or some kind of cult or whatever, there is a group of people who are wielding power within the Presidency under Buhari. Whatever you say it is; it is and a lot worse. First, the most influential person in the Presidency today is one Mamman Daura whom as you know, is a nephew of the President. His father was Buhari’s elder brother. In addition, Mamman Daura was the one who single handedly brought up Abba Kyari, the current Chief of Staff to the President. In fact, Abba Kyari knows Mamman Daura more than he knows his own father. Next, the Personal Assistant to Buhari himself is the son of Mamman Daura, next is what they call SCOP, State Chief of Protocol, and is also a son-in-law to Mamman Daura because he is married to Mamman Daura’s daughter. Next, the Minister they unilaterally chose, against the interest of the party and against the wishes of Sokoto people, happens to be the daughter of the younger sister of Mamman Daura’s wife. Both of them are daughters of Sultan Dasuki, who was sacked by General Abacha. We have the Aide De Camp to Buhari himself, Colonel Abubakar. He is married to the granddaughter of one of Buhari’s elder sisters. Next we have the woman who represents Kaduna in the Federal Executive Council, she is a cousin to Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai. It is well known that el-Rufai is one of the closest governors to Muhammadu Buhari. Next, we have the Minister for the Federal Capital Territory. The Minister of the FCT is the man called Musa Bello, who used to be the Managing Director of the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation, which used to be the biggest holding company that belonged to all the northern states. His only qualification to be FCT minister is the fact that his father has been Buhari’s friend over the years. Now, there is a young man called Sabiu Yusuf, nicknamed Tunde – probably because of late General Tunde Idiagbon. He is another PA to President Buhari. He is also a grandson of another sister of Buhari. This is enough to prove to you that this is shamelessly the worst form of nepotism in the history of government in Nigeria. In fact, in the history of Africa, let me make bold to assert that I have never seen any level of nepotism that has equalled or surpassed this in my entire life – I am now in my 67th year. Another thing I also want you to know is that, Amina Zakari, who was and still a national commissioner in the Independent National Electoral Commission representing the entire seven states in the North-West. It is being claimed that Buhari knows nothing about her appointment (before he became President), it is a lie. When President Goodluck Jonathan was re-organising the INEC and he was bringing in Prof. Attahiru Jega, he reached out to Buhari and asked Buhari to nominate somebody from the North-West so that that person would be a national commissioner. Of all the people in the North-West, Buhari decided to nominate his own niece, the daughter of his elder sister- Amina Zakari. She has been there; when Jega left, Buhari was determined to make her chairman, it was because of the massive backlash that he dropped the idea like hot potatoes. As we are talking today, that woman is a national commissioner which means she is one of the principal election umpires. Throughout my reading of history, political science and social sciences generally, I have never heard of any dictator or any tyrant under any system of government whether totalitarian or fascist, appointing his own niece to conduct elections in which he was either a party or going to be a party to; Buhari has done that. The immediate younger brother to Amina Zakari is currently the Minister for Water Resources representing Jigawa State in the same Buhari government. In addition, even though they are from Kazaure, Kazaure is contiguous to Daura. The eldest sister of both of them is now the Commissioner for Education in the All Progressives Congress government in Jigawa State. If this is not nepotism, then I don’t know what is nepotism and anybody who has the guts, the brutal arrogance to appoint these relations not bothering about public opinion, about the sense of justice, about competence, then you can see that he has a very serious question to answer. There are two mysterious cases.
Which cases are you referring to?
The case of the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emeifele and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu. It was Buhari himself who said that he knew when the governor of the CBN picked a piece of paper and gave an instruction that N14bn should be withdrawn from the CBN and that money was withdrawn. That was nearly a year ago and up till today, Buhari is still retaining Emefiele as CBN governor. The Buhari I know is an economic illiterate and anybody who knows anything about currency movement and foreign exchange and fluctuations knows that the Naira has been effectively devalued. It was the same Buhari who boasted that the Naira would never be devalued under him for as long as he remains President and even threatened the governor of the CBN that he was going to sack him if he devalued the Naira. He (CBN governor) is still there. In the case of Kachikwu, he is the mystery man in the cabinet. No one can actually tell you who nominated and brought in Kachikwu. We knew that he was friends with Abba Kyari when they both worked in Mobil but none of them had the influence to bring him in and make him Minister of Petroleum Resources. Forget the nonsense about him being the junior minister because he is the senior and junior minister in addition to being the Managing Director of the NNPC (until recently when he was replaced. This again confirms the arrogance of President Buhari in putting two positions together; one purely civil service and technocratic position which is the Group Managing Director of the NNPC and the other one which is purely political- a minister.
What is wrong with the President merging these portfolios in the light of the administration’s desire to cut the cost of running government…?
Since this man became minister, there has been nothing good coming out of the oil industry rather than confusion, crisis and corruption. That again is an indication of the decadence we have in this government. People who are being accused and arrested for corruption as it should be, we are also aware that some of these cases that the DSS is getting involved in are shady because they have no experience whatsoever in prosecution. That is why from the famous case of Farouk Lawal, a former member of the House of Representatives who was involved in getting money and putting it under his cap and what have you which was captured on camera. They arrested that man; it was a clear cut case long before Buhari became President. Till today, the DSS has not been able to prosecute Farouk Lawan. He is still sitting at home; his house is about 200 metres from my house. That shows you that when you hear that the DSS is arresting somebody for corruption, it is clearly political and maybe there is money or corruption involved. We also know that there are people from within the DSS from the very top who are even threatening that they will soon arrest the Chairman of the EFCC and the National Security Adviser.
These are serious allegations. Why would they want to do that?
The main reason is these people have refused to cooperate with them: Mamman Daura, Abba Kyari and the DG DSS, who is also part of the Daura cabal they want to take over the anti-corruption war so that it will be under their hand and they can cut deals and render the anti-corruption war useless. I know who they propose to take over, it didn’t work. I think Buhari resisted- which is miracle. They are now proposing somebody. The person who they proposed was a retired DIG, he, myself and Magu (current EFCC boss) had worked in Port Harcourt during my years in OMPADEC. Now they are thinking of a retired Commissioner of Police. The only qualification they are looking for is someone who can be controlled by them. This is the situation we find ourselves.
In the light of what you have said, what would you say has changed in government?
I will put it this way, we have exchanged one thoroughly corrupt government for one that pretends to be honest and is doing an honest job while in reality, it is business as usual.
…But for the first time, alleged malfeasance in the purchase of weapons is being investigated. Is this not progress?
Recently, an interim report was submitted to President Buhari. The report had to do with the on-going investigation of the Nigerian Army which is the primary consumer of the money that was used to prosecute the war on Boko Haram and of course, the Niger Delta insurgency. I have been reliably informed that the report even though partial, has already indicted the following: General Ihejirika and the current Chief of Army Staff, Buratai. What was strange about the report was the fact that it was silent about General Dambazzau who was Army Chief before all of these people. The report was silent about his own role which goes to confirm that the Mafia or the cabal in the Presidency consisting of the Chief of Staff, DG DSS and of course, their godfather, Mamman Daura, have an interest in making sure that by hook or by crook, General Dambazau is protected even though he was supposed to come first. For some reason, the Buhari administration which prides itself with its anti-corruption war has decided that the report is not going to be published because he has been persuaded by the three that publishing the report will embarrass the government. This is very strange and at best laughable because Buhari’s first administration in 1984 got into a lot of trouble with the media because of Decree 2 which makes it a crime to embarrass any public office holder. That made Buhari and his administration back then very unpopular. These characters in the Presidency, the cabal or the mafia or whatever you call them, are determined to make Buhari make the same mistake again. For Buhari to ask a report not to be published because some people in his government will be embarrassed is a very strange manifestation of the Buhari we knew and is likely to cause a lot of problems. In the case of Dambazau, it is clear that the years 2007-2010 are critical (to the arms probe) because these were the years when he was supposed to be in charge but again, he is being protected by the DG DSS and co. Nigerians demand that the interim report be made public and that there should be no sacred cows. In any case, anything they try to hide will be made public in due course because nothing remains permanently secret in Nigeria, Buhari himself knows that. Others who have been in that position also know that. In addition to what was contained in the report as it concerns uniformed persons, we are reliably informed that some permanent secretaries, civilians and civil servants have been implicated and it is important for the report to be made public for Nigerians to decide who can be trusted. When crimes are committed, it is not only soldiers that are implicated, without the collusion of Permanent Secretaries and others within the civilian administration. Nigerians are watching and watching carefully and demand that these things be made public.
Is the cabal, like you said, not working to protect the interest of the President?
No. According to very reliable sources, the cabal in fact has a problem with the National Security Adviser and the Chairman of the EFCC. The problem the cabal has with the NSA is not the same they have with the acting Chairman of the EFCC. The problem they have with the NSA has to do with what the office of the NSA and the security establishment generally determined was going to be a danger to the President himself. They found that the contractors supplying aviation fuel to the Presidential fleet were actually appointed -they are cronies to Jonathan Goodluck and his wife, Patience. And the security services felt that retaining them under the new dispensation would be dangerous, unhealthy and poses a direct danger to the President, members of his family and other members of the government. They made the determination and submitted a report to the President through the NSA recommending that a new supplier be sourced to supply fuel for the Presidential fleet. Buhari agreed with their recommendations and signed off on it. He agreed with the new contractors to supply after it was done in the process of implementation, Mamman Daura was claimed to have said the former supplier was his friend therefore nobody can take the contract away from them. All efforts to explain the implications to him failed. He raised issues first; with the NSA then with the President but he did not get his way. That was when he raised the issue with the DG DSS on what to do with the NSA. It is noteworthy that when Obasanjo was President, all the service chiefs including the Inspector General of Police and the DG DSS were reporting to Obasanjo through the NSA. That was how the system worked and no bloody civilian ever got involved with security matters. If Nigerians hear that there is a threat by a civilian to arrest the NSA, they should know the reason why. Nigerians should not underestimate the danger posed by the cabal because if Nigerians are not careful, the cabal will inadvertently bring down the government or destroy Buhari’s reputation.

 Credit: The Punch.

OPEN LETTER TO MR PRESIDENT, MUHAMMADU BUHARI

OPEN LETTER TO MR PRESIDENT
"Let your moslem brothers know that the people they are killing and calling  "infidels" also voted for you!"

#DearMrPresident

Dear Mr President,

Over one thousand Christian farmers have died in the hands of muslim fulani herdsmen. Two months ago Mrs Bridget Agbaheme, a Christian was stoned to death, her head decapitated in a busy market in Kano. Her offence she told a muslim not to wash  his feet  in front  of her shop.

Last week a member of my church, sister Eunice Elisha was exterminated  and broken in part under 6 inch cement blocks, silenced by practitioners  of religious fascism in Kubwa, Abuja.

Her transgression, proselytising with  a megaphone, it didn't matter, that at the time her assailants were snuffing her life out, a  megaphone strapped to the minaret of a mosque, was thundering across the Kubwa valley, drowning out her cries for help. Two religions using megaphones, and one religion murders the other.

 Last Friday a Catholic church, was besieged and attacked in Niger State because it's doors were opened on a "muslim Friday".  What is happening to Nigeria?

The unvarnished truth is hard  to swallow but death now prowls in once temperate communes camouflaged  in placid hate, with ready hands lusting to annihilate those labeled infidels. A morbid  savage rage has suddenly found its vent, extinguishing anything zealously different. How many have fallen, we've lost count. Sister Eunice fell a martyr , not  bomb strapped  but professing what she was immersed in, holding nothing but a  megaphone the same way the mosque  behind her house blared its morning call for prayer at 5am.

Shouldn't  we start appropriating blame and stop pretending? Where do we start? Should we accuse the Imam with his army of almajaris who extinguished our sister's life!? Or should we rather blame  Christians, who knowing ignorant zealotry lurks, still brave their faith under the cursing of infidel.

It's now typical  to hear moslems call 'others' infidel  on social media ( I have had my own fair share ) and on the  streets of Abuja. Nigerian Christians are being condemned by some moslems  and called  infidels or Kaffir  for their faith, they claim the Qur'an has declared certain aspects of Christianity polytheistic.

Mr President, what has encouraged the recent religious impudence and effrontery, many are saying it's your aloof indifference?

Mr President  your land is bleeding, with  believers on one side and "infidels" on the other. How can you remain silent over these murders? This cannot be  your vision for  "One Nigeria!!??"Let your moslem brothers know that the people they are killing and calling  "infidels" also voted for you!  I am afraid to say this , but your indifference and detachment about reports of Christian deaths and persecutions  is washing away your neutrality in this affair.

Before you became President you were accused of being a closet extremist and an Islamic bigot, your passivity and indifference  is slowly soldering this tag on you; it doesn't matter if these accusations  are true or false, if you remain passive, think of what history will say about you.

 Eunice was not  felled by the rocks of rabid fanatics but by a certain change in Executive attitude, prove us wrong, I dare you to attend her funeral and send a  strong message to her assailants.

From Kaduna, Abuja,  Benue, Anambra, Enugu, Delta State, from the violent insurrection of moslem herdsmen, to violence against  Christians in our suburbs; we have lost over a thousand Christians  since you took over the reins of power from your Christian predecessor and you have said NOTHING on the growing intolerance - nothing, Mr President!!!

This perceived Executive ambivalence is pollinating extremism and breeding more corpses;  your executive silence is lighting embers of hate across the land, are you waiting for dry figs to ignite! You need to urgently address the nation on this matter, your body language maybe emboldening extremist attitudes and sending the wrong signal.

In my reckoning, you are innocent, but innocence and truth are strange bedfellows - you must communicate your position clearly and  publicly to the Moslem and Christian communities.

Perhaps a good time to establish, " A Presidential Committee on Religious Tolerance", made up of Pastors, Reverends, Imams & Mullahs, presided over by you!

Thank you for taking out time from your busy schedule to read this letter.

A concerned Patriotic Nigerian.

Yours Truly
Ata Ikiddeh

ataikiddeh@yahoo.co.uk

Buharia worse than Diarrhea - By Ken Ugbeche ( A must Read)

A colleague helped to coin this headline. It stemmed from our conversation on the state of the nation; the anger on the streets; the dismay and distraught that drape the faces of the people, the frustrations that barb the souls of men, the bitterness that attends otherwise cordial relationships, the Hobbesian vitriolic angst that separates neighbours these days.
Our talk centred on the economy, the erosion and degradation of the purchasing power of Nigerians; the stripping of men of their manliness, the corrosion of the pride of women; the savagery of employers against their employees to the point of sacking them in hordes and driving them into the streets of stress, into the paths of pain. It was then my dear colleague, an economist and Chevening scholar, averted my mind to a trending disease on social media. It is called Buharia, some dubbed it Buhariasis. And someone even added that it is worse than diarrhea.
The disease is reportedly fatal, more dangerous than HIV/AIDS, heart attack, malaria or any of the mortal ailments that have continued to assail the nation. Buharia is the latest malady in town and its hatchery is the President Muhammadu Buhari government. It should be expected. Every government in Nigeria comes with its peculiar manifestations. The Umaru Yar’Adua government was notorious for its self-inflicted inertia, a government that did not move, could not move and did not even attempt to make any motion. It was simply inert. The circumstantial Goodluck Jonathan government was itself bogged down by circumstances of its birth. The man from Otuoke all too soon lost his streak of good luck and moulted into a socio-economic gridlock. Both Yar’Adua and Jonathan were weak leaders and the locusts capitalized on their weakness to feast on the national patrimony. But even in their weakness, life was still tolerable under both leaders.
Unlike Yar’Adua and Jonathan, Buhari comes as a strong man of steely fibre. He comes with a perception of being squeaky clean, reticent, ascetic and someone who would not condone the feast of lucre or drink from the broth of corruption. This is the profile that brought him to power. And he knew it, and made good use of it when he hinged his campaign on the ramparts of anti-corruption.
But Buhari has a dark side which many of his admirers never factored into the mix. He is a poor manager, lacking in peoples skill and void of the cerebral aptitude required of his office. He has yet another weakness. He is an unrepentant nepotist, parochial in his worldview of the concept of federalism and nationalism.
It is the clash of the dual personalities in one man that has created the social discontent that attends his administration. Yes, Buhari the upright man is fighting corruption, but it is a clearly lopsided fight that tends to hypocrisy. Buhari is vigorously probing how the Jonathan government pillaged the national treasury to execute their agenda in the 2015 general elections but he has failed to disclose the sponsors of his own election and how such sponsors made the billions of naira splashed in the electioneering that brought him to office. I commend Buhari’s courage to tame corruption but it would just be fine, even better and justiceable, if he starts from his closets.
Buhari’s proclivity to nepotism beggars belief. Nigeria is yet to witness any leader that has acted in a manner that shows scant or no regard for federal character. Not even the late General Sani Abacha at the height of his tyranny was this nepotistic in his appointments. Indeed, President Buhari deserves an Oscar in this regard.
A more darkling and troubling part of the President is that he is horrendously a poor manager, an unwilling even unprepared administrator. Buhari is a slow actor. And even when he acts, his actions do not justify his slowness because in most cases, so far, they lack thoroughness.
Theresa May became the British Prime Minister, the second female to hold such position after Margaret Thatcher, on Wednesday, July 13. Same day, she named six key cabinet members with a promise to unveil her full ministerial team in a matter of days. Now compare with Buhari’s style of leadership. He was sworn-in as President on May 29, 2015. He named no aide with immediacy, had no ministers and trudged on without a cabinet for six months. Such lethargy from a leader; such inclination to walk and work alone does no good to productivity. In fact, it is anathema to productiveness.
But that is the character and nature of Mr. Buhari, the lone ranger. As you read this most parastatals are without the full complement of their boards. Till this day, about 38 parastatals do not have budgets; their budgets are yet to be passed and we are in the second half of the year. It is a carry-over from the Buhari style. Remember the national budget suffered the same delay. First, it was submitted to the National Assembly very late, then it got missing, underwent mutilation and later resurfaced before it was passed.
Newton’s law says “action and reaction are equal and opposite”. This means that for every action, there is a commensurate consequence. In the case of Buhari, Nigerians are already paying for his slowness and inertia. The delay in passage of the budget, the non-composition of boards of parastatals resulted in the delay in the execution and payment for jobs requiring the ratification of a tenders’ board. Up till this day, President Buhari is still grumbling over the recent devaluation of the naira by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Yet, conventional economics and wisdom suggest otherwise. He would rather no action is taken at all to save the naira.
This type of logic is what has kept the national economy down. It is the root cause of Buharia, the trending disease in Nigeria. Its symptoms are manifold. High cost of goods and services, massive job cuts to the extent that the Minister of Labour and Productivity tried to use fiat to halt the job loss, avoidable social discontent typified by the actions of the pro-Biafra agitators, the Niger Delta Avengers and other upheavals across the nation.
The Nigerian economy is in stasis but it is not solely down to the dip in crude oil receipts. It is even much more a function of lack of creativity and inventiveness in the management of the little drops that still accrue from the oil and gas sector. President Buhari has demonstrated enough evidence to show his poor understanding of how to manage scarce resources. To use the words of President Olusegun Obasanjo: “Buhari is not a very hot person on the economy and foreign affairs. But he will do well in matters of military and he will do well in fighting Boko Haram”.
Yes, Buhari may have done well in fighting insurgency, but he has done a terrible damage to the nation’s economy, first by his inertia and now by his lack of understanding of the dictates of modern economics.
Way out: Mr. Buhari should reform his ways, be more inclusive in his appointments; learn to trust people including those he appointed. He would do well to arrest the drift to anarchy especially by assuaging the anger of the various agitators. The consequences of Buharia are damaging enough; he must not add to the distress that hounds the people.