APGA Crisis: Vote Of No Confidence on Victor Umeh, Tomorrow

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Information recently made available to 247ureports.com indicates the turmoil within the All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA] may be getting worse. This is as credible information obtained from persons within the inner caucus of the Peter Obi administration in Awka, the capital of Anambra State, confirm that stakeholders of the APGA from across the nation is scheduled to gather in Awka on Thursday October 6, 2011 to cast a vote of no confidence on Chief Victor Umeh’s piloting of the APGA as the National Chairman.

The information gathered does not make clear what will follow after the vote of no confidence but insiders believe the vote of no confidence to be a precursor to the removal of Chief Victor Umeh as the National Chairman of APGA.

Credible but unverified sources revealed to our correspondent in Awka that the embattled Chairman of APGA, Chief Victor Umeh, who recently returned from London where he inuagurated APGA United Kingdom Chapter, is said to have sought the attention of Governor Peter Obi to help plead on his behalf – to reverse the trend of activities that points to his inevitable removal. Gov Peter Obiwas said to be hesitant to intercede.

As a caveat, Chief Victor Umeh and his NationalExecutives are reportedlyfaced with a fierce challenge in Anambra in the hands of Governor Peter Obi’s spiritual mentor, an Uncle and an aide – Chief Nwaobualor. Chief Nwaobualor and Chief Victor Umeh are said to have had a falling out over the manner the APGA is being managed by the present Executives. Resulting from the unresolved squable betweenthe two APGA giants, Chief Nwaobualor launched an intense campaign for he removal of the present National Executives including Chief Victor Umeh. Nwaobualor proceeded to appoint parallel APGA structure in Anambra State and nationally – with Governor Peter Obi’s blessing/support.

Initially, Chief Victor Umeh, who is alleged to have amassed significant financia resources during the April 2011 elections, prepared to battle with Nwaobulor for the control of APGA. He confidently under estimated the reach of Nwaobular and the extent of support from Governor Peter Obi. Nwaobualor is said to have total/complete control of the grassroots in APGA Anambra.

And so as the two APGA giants began their struggle for control, it quickly dawnon Chief Victor Umeh that all was not well. Chief Victor Umeh found himself and his National Executive members having to answer to the interrogating agents of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] over charges of mishandling of N2.6billion of party funds.

Chief Victor Umeh quickly turned to Peter Obi for help. As 247ureports.com learnt, Chief Victor Umeh reached out to Governor Peter Obi pleading with him to help him beg Chief Nwaobualor to let bygone be bygone. But Peter Obi responded to Victor Umeh telling him to go himself and present his case to Nwaobualor. Victor Umeh refused. Victor Umeh then asked that Peter Obi accompany him to go visit Nwaobualor – Peter Obi refused and insisted that Victor Umeh go present his case by himself. It is uncertain whether Victor Umeh gained the access he sought to Nwaobualor.

In reaching to the Victor Umeh camp, a source stated that they are not aware of such vote. They added “Nwaobualor is only making noise. It took the party 6 years to remove Chekwas“.

Stay tuned.

Political Kidnapping: New Details into who Kidnapped the Father of NASS Member in Nnewi

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New details into the Sunday morning kidnap of the father of a member of the House of Representative, Honorable Chris Azubogu representing the Nnewi federal constinuent in the national assembly under the All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA] have emerged, and information available 247ureports.com indicate that the kidnap may have been politically induced, and that the lawmaker may be aware of the identitiy of his father’s kidnappers.

It is recalled that the father to House of Representative Member, Mr. Louis Azubogu of Umudim-Nnewi was kidnapped in his home at Nnewi at minutes after 9am as he prepared to leave for early morning Sunday Service. Mr. Azubogu is a  78 year old business man who is an Anglican by Church denomination. The lawmaker [son] had confirmed the sad news to 247ureports.com on the phone – stating that the family is yet to be contacted by the kidnappers but that they are keeping their phones lines open.

On the first level, in the build up to the APGA primary elections in Anambra State, a period covering between February 2011 to April 2011, the community of Umudim in Nnewi experienced a suspicious level of kidnappings that raised concerns within the State Security Service [SSS]. According to information received from an agent with the SSS, three [3] kidnappings had occurred within a mile radius of the lawmaker’s home. Chief Oformata, Emma Aba, and a renowned medical doctor was abducted by unknown kidnappers immediately following the general elections of April 2011 in Anambra State. And now the kidnap of Pa Azubogu.

Perplexed by the attraction to the Umudim community, security experts in Anambra launched an inquiry into the continued interest of kidnappers with the said community. The security agent in studying the pattern of kidnappings immediately uncovered a similarity in the four [4] kidnappings. It gathered that in all of the cases, the kidnappers did not contact the family of the kidnapped victim until about 5-7days after the abduction – and the abductions were carried out inside the home of the abducted victim.

On the second level, security operatives gathered that the lawmaker may have owed debts to political godfathers -stemming from the activities of the general elections of April 2011. It was gathered that the candidacy of the Nnewi lawmaker was bankrolled [to the tune of N25million] by an APGA stalwart who originates out of the South Senatorial District of Anambra State.  The lawmaker was reported to have promised to repay the loan once he mounts the seat at the National Assembly. And as gathered, the APGA stalwart, who used to be a recent member of the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] before defecting to APGA, is said to have yet received payment in part nor in full. He has not received returns on his investment. Caping matters, the APGA stalwart become particularly angered by the lavish Thanksgiving ceremony held by the lawmaker at his father’s home in Umudim Nnewi – where an estimated N4million was expended – indicating that the lawmaker may “have come into cash“. The lawmaker’s refusal to pay his godfather on the agreed arrangement is believed by the SSS agents to have possibly resulted to the kidnapping of his father.     

On the third level, 247ureports.com investigations gathered that the ongoing troubles and factionalization within the APGA in Anambra State may have contributed to the kidnapping of Pa Azubogu. In Nnewi, one of the major political hubs in Anambra, there exits two warring APGA factions – the Victor Umeh faction and the Peter Obi faction. Immediately following the elections, one of Peter Obi’s aides, Chief Nwaobualor, presented to the people of Nnewi a new party Chairman for the Nnewi Local Government Area [LGA] to replace the seating Chairman believed to be from the Victor Umeh faction of APGA. This action resulted to the formation of a parallel APGA structure in Nnewi [and in the other communities of Anambra State]. The lawmaker was reported to be not interested in the activities of APGA in Nnewi nor in the activities of APGA in general.  So he chose not to heed the calls of members of his constinuents who reached out to him to involve himself in amending the fractured APGA or to join forces with one of the factions in Nnewi. His refusal to join issues and his recent appointment as a deputy chairman in one of the lucrative committees in the House of Representatives- raised suspicions among APGA diehards that the lawmaker may have struck a deal to defect to the PDP.  This did not seat well with the many supporters in Nnewi.

In addition, close associates of Pa Azubogu in Umudim tell 247ureports.com that he had no personal emenies who would have kidnapped him in such manner. They strongly believe his kidnapping  to be the result of his son’s politrical activities. In confirmatory manner, they point to his political godfathers and activities sorrounding his electoral victory as responsible for his abduction.

Meanwhile, the lawmaker is yet to be contacted by the kidnappers.

Stay tuned

Nigerian leaders are the best in the world

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Anthony A Kila

At fifty-one, Nigeria is definitely is old; old enough to deal with some hard facts of life regardless of how unpleasant or mind numbing these might be. If Nigeria were human and a woman, at this age her prospects of finding love and conceiving children will belong to realm of tales and miracles. If Nigeria was a man, at this age, his prospects of achieving his boyhood dreams of playing for the national team will be based on a misconceptions of what happens in the Eagles camp.

Whether man or woman, anyone lucky enough to reach the golden age of fifty and then move to fifty-one must also have had encounters with some of the grey and gruesome aspects of life that force one to view life devoid of myths. Everyone at fifty-one knows children are not made the mythical way we were told at five. By fifty-one, most people must have dealt with bereavement, betrayal and witness the triumph of some form of evil. The consequence of all these experiences is of course a healthy dose of realism, mind you, not cynicism please, that will be unhealthy and even immoral I daresay.

Even though most Nigerians are not fifty-one, every Nigerian citizen has the duty to reason like a mature adult that has seen life in its fullest and must be ready and able to deal with civic realities devoid of myths and unrealistic hopes.

In the last few days, a lot has been said and written about the challenges facing the country and how people’s expectations have not been met. In the face of all the well documented painful and irritating challenges the people of Nigeria are facing I am however bewildered by how even some fine minds continue to perceive and judge our governments and those in power. There is an accepted tendency to blame those leading the country for all the woes of the country and a general expectation for them to do better. Just like their counterparts across the globe, Nigerians expect their public leaders to be patriotic, committed and accountable to their people. You might be tempted to say yes, of course, but any assessment based on real analysis or built on of functions of real variables as mathematicians love to say, will quickly reveal that a lot is missing in such assumptions.

When Nigerians lament that their public leaders are not building and managing good roads and schools or hospitals and efficient power stations or cannot secure their lives and properties like other leaders do elsewhere in the world we tend to forget to ask why. We tend to forget that those leaders elsewhere in the world were shaped and are powered as leaders by their people. In those democratic countries where leaders work tirelessly to tackle unemployment and genuinely worry about economic growth, infrastructures and security, they do so not because they are particularly noble or generous, rather they do so simply because they know that the unemployed and users are of bad roads are those that fund their campaigns and vote for them hence their real masters and makers. They do so because they know that if they don’t please their citizens there will be rebellion. They don’t loot their country’s wealth because they live in fear of an irreverent press ready to disgrace them and an independent judicial body eager to jail them.

Under the military, our public holders used their guns to get into power. In this democratic Nigeria, they self fund their way to power, many of them get there without or even against the consent of their people. Once in power, everyone treats them with undue reverence. It is not rocket science to understand that if those that get to be in charge of everybody’s wallet and the right to use force do not owe allegiance to anybody but themselves and maybe the very few that got them into power then the rest of us should expect very little from them.

At fifty-one, Nigerians should all be able to deal with the fact that we cannot reap where we did not sow. By now, we should be mature enough to understand that given how much each private Nigerian has invested in the Nigerian project those that are milking the system to the detriment of others have actually invested more time, money and energy into the Nigerian project and that they owe it to themselves to deliver profits to themselves and their few backers.

At fifty-one, we should be able to deal with the fact that in a system wherein people don’t write letters of complaint, petitions or demand that public holders do their duty rather the poor take money from politicians and the rich stay at home to complain it is out of their generosity and nobleness that Nigerian public leaders even bother to anything at all for the country. Think about it, if they don’t what will happen?

Unlike other leaders in the world who live in fear of their people and constraints of the law, Nigerian leaders are free to do what they like so for the very few good they do Nigerian leaders are the best in the world.

Senate Must Lead By Example – says Senator Igbeke

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From Chuks Collins, Awka

The embattled Senator Alphonsus Igbeke, representing Anambra North on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has charged the leadership of the Senate to lead by example and do the right thing and allow him take his rightful place among the members of the upper legislature at once.

Igbeke noted that he had passed through all the necessary clearance and protocol in the National Assembly ahead of his inauguration before his political opponents came up with some issues he described as baseless to truncate his chances. To this he said that the Senate leadership appeared to have most unfortunately and sadly acquiesced, “thereby leaving a very dangerous precedence for our democracy”.

Reacting to series of reports on his attempts to take a seat among his colleagues in the senate, Sen Igbeke who sought re-election in the April general elections said, “yes I am not happy because I see a calculated attempt by the Senate leadership again to deny me my seat and I strongly believe that Nigerians know that.

“Thes action was despite the fact that I have my Certificate of Return, passed through the rigorous clearance process in the National Assembly, been issued with my own copy of the Constitution and Senate Rules, given my feeding vouchers and allocated Room 232 at the Chelsea Hotels alongside other senators. All these could only be given to elected members who have satisfied all the requirements and ready for inauguration”, he added.

Flanked by friends and supporters who thronged him on arrival into the state on his way to a social engagement, Igbeke said he believed that he has gone beyond all reasonable doubt to prove his point, with two court orders and one court judgement all in his favour, yet the senate leadership still appear reluctant to comply and take him on board.

According to him it’s no longer about Igbeke but about judicial precedence that could endanger our democracy, “because anyone could use any means to stop the inauguration of anyone including a president tomorrow and go to hide under this precedence”.

But reacting though his media consultant, Clems Aguiyi, one of his opponents Prince John Emeka said he has implicit confidence in the senate leadership and the judiciary to do the right things. He accused Igbeke of fabricating some poll documents and would not fold his hands for that to continue.

Gov Okorocha Denies Dividing APGA

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The mounting task before the knewly sworn-in All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA] governor of Imo State appears grand as the new adminstration recently scaled over the first 100 days in office without significant administrative mishaps. Information available to 247ureport.com indicate that the Okorocha administration has begun a restructure of his approach to the party politics in Imo State, South East and Nationally.

As gathered, the recent noise over the growning divide within the Imo State APGA along with the National APGA believed to be fanned by Gov Rochas Okorocha from behind the curtain is said to have brought about a rethink in the Rochas Okorocha camp of political strategists. It was learnt that Gov Rochas Okorocha does not want the general public to see his priorities as shifting away from the governance of Imo State. A source within the media managers of Okorocha’s adminstration told 247ureports.com that the Governor is nolonger focused on re-structuring of the party structure in the State or Nationally, at least, for now. The source stated that the Governor may revisit the idea in the near future.

Governor Rochas Okorocha had been behind the push for the removal of the Prince Nwaka led APGA executives in Imo State – who originally provided the ticket with which candidate Rochas Okorocha used to contest for the gubernatorial elections of April 2011. Also, Gov Rochas Okorocha had been behind the push for the removal of the Chief Victor Umeh led National APGA executives – for reasons that Chief Victor Umeh and his executive members had preferred to give the gubernatorial ticket to Phil Agbasso rather than Rochas Okorocha. It took the intervention of Ifeanyi Uba and Bianca Ojukwu for Chief Victor Umeh and his executives to back down and hand the ticket to Rochas Okorocha. And Okorocha is said to remain revengeful over the incident.

Our source who is a close associate of the Imo State governor, notes that the recognized APGA Chairman in Imo State remains Prince Nwaka – and that it was only the work of detractors wanting to destabilize the Okorocha administration. The Rochas Okorocha associate denied the allegation that the refined role of the Agenda group [Okorocha’s political structure] as being a replacement of the existing APGA in Imo State. This notion was seconded by the former gubernatorial candidate for APGA in the 2007 general elections, Phil Agbasso who told 247ureports,com that “APGA remains one big family” in Imo State. He continued that there remains only one recognized executice and chairman in the person of Prince Nwaka.

The Chairman of APGA Imo State, Prince Nwaka believes otherwise. In his take, the seating governor of Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha has yet to recognize the party that provided him with the platform to contest for the gubernatorial elections. He added that following his victory at the polls that – Okorocha has only appointed one core APGA member into his administration. He went on to state that following the appointment of the lone APGA member, the governor immediately sidelined the APGA State Executives, and turned to his Agenda group instead for political matters. He adds also that the Imo State APGA has totally been sidelined.

The same appears to be evident in the National APGA. The EFCC was recently reported to have invited/arrested three executive members of Victor Umeh led APGA for interrogation over possible mismanagement of N2.6billion of party funds. Sources within the National executive point to Rochas Okorocha’s push/plot to remove the existing National executive and to replace them with his Agenda group – who are believed to be in waiting to structure a possible president run for Okorocha in 2015.    

 Stay tuned

Collapse State Boundaries, Create 6 Regions, Devolve Powers

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The 36-State structure of Nigeria is clearly not going to take us far. Several issues can be cited in support of this assertion. The latest is the N18,000 minimum wage which many of our States cannot pay. Many of them have over bloated staff profiles which their State Governors find difficult to downsize. The recurrent expenditure of some of these States is already as high as 80%. Paying the new minimum wage would take this up to 100%, leaving not a kobo for development, a very sorry situation.
Many of our States are also not economically viable. They generate very little revenue internally and therefore depend heavily on Federal subventions. They have neglected revenue collection and the making of investments in commercial ventures because the Federal Government has become a Father Christmas doling out easy money regularly. The ‘black gold’ blessing has been turned into a curse by some State Governments.
The duplication of administrative structures 36 times is a most wasteful arrangement. Having 6 Regions will reduce the cost of running government to one sixth of what it is presently. Talk about taking government nearer to the people is mere talk which is never walked. It only succeeds in benefiting a few lucky government officials and their contractors.
The agitation for the creation of more State in the country is the most irrational demand any of us can make. It’s an ego trip not carefully thought out. I am always shocked when I see Senate President, David Mark, promising Nigerians that the National Assembly will create more States.
When General J. T. U. Ironsi abolished Regional Governments in 1967, his hope was to cage ethnicity, which was then tearing the country apart. The distrust between the four regions was palpable at the time. In the same flawed belief, General Gowon created 12 States in 1968 in attempt to bid farewell to the hydra-headed scourge of ethnicity and regionalism. Today, with the benefit of hind sight, we can say, how mistaken they were.
A close look at the voting pattern in the 2011 elections reveals that regionalism is alive and well in Nigeria. The East, the West and the North displayed block voting tendencies. The North showed a preference for the CPC, the West for the ACN and the East for APGA. This is not surprising because regionalism comes naturally to us. Our colonial master saw these preferred lines of cleavage and entrenched them in their administration up to 1960. The Mid-Western Region was added to the 3 existing Regions as a genuine and natural need of he people who were not comfortable in the West nor in the East.
There was nothing wrong with the 4-regional Federation except that the regions were very unbalanced in wealth, education and population. While the Northern Region had the largest population, it was the least in wealth and education, but has a lot of agricultural.. The West was the most advanced in commerce and education while the East was ahead of the other regions in entrepreneurship.
I see regional proclivity as a natural phenomenon to be encouraged and exploited to our common good rather attempting to kill it by artificial State boundaries that have lumped strange bed fellows together causing unnecessary internal acrimony. For example, I see no hegemony now or in the future between the people of Southern Kaduna and the rest of that State.
A ruling elite is slowly emerging in the country and it is working assiduously towards perpetuating itself in power. Wives, children, and contractors to those in power are the ones always propped forward in elections and for appointments.
Mentors and protégés are appearing on our political scene. This is what is referred to as god-fatherism. Oath-taking and fetish practices are used to bind members. The use of money is also rife in our politicking. New comers therefore have an uphill task trying to join the political process. This is most unhealthy for democracy.
We are supposed to be a federation, yet we are practicing unitarism by all definitions of the word. The Federal Government is too big, too strong and too rich, to the detriment of the federating units who are forced to crawl daily to the doorsteps of the Federal Government to beg for stipends in order to survive. In a true confederation, the federating units enjoy a high degree of autonomy as found in the USA. This ensures rapid infrastructural development.
In Nigeria, affinity, cohesion and integration is strongest at the regional level among peoples of similar culture, tradition, religion and language. Self determination is best defined in this context and not in a central federal government. The manner in which our 36 States boundaries have mutilated hitherto happily co-existing communities should be redressed.
With the emergence of Shariah as a State religion in some northern States, security, even development and egalitarian societies can no longer be more be guaranteed in such States. Those who belong to the State religion have an upper hand. Others in such States are minorities and highly disadvantaged. Such States should be allowed to form one regional government so as to achieve their aspirations. Why is the whole country thrown into a quarrel about Islamic Banking when such regions, if created, will be free and very happy with it? The demands of Boko Haram may be satisfied in a region that they dominate. The unitary government system has failed us and should therefore be abolished.
The agitations for and the proliferation of States may see no end. As at the last count towards the end of the life of the sixth NASS, there were 34 requests for the creation of new States across the country. I recall that when Gen. Murtala Mohammed created 7 more States atop Gowon’s 12, he said,” There should be no jubilation for or against the creation of any State and there should be not agitations for any more.” Subsequently, Obasanjo, Abacha and Babangida created more States, not because it was economical, but just to try and correct perceived imbalances in the number between the north and the south, the east and west, etc. Yet the problem has not been solved. The South East today is disadvantaged in that it has the fewest number of States in comparison to the other 5 geo-political zones. The North East has 7 States while the remaining 4 zones have 6 States each. Achieving a balance would require the creation of one State in the South East and abolishing one in the North East. Can anyone honestly see this happening?
The 774 Local Government areas in the country are also not equally distributed between the federating units. While some States have as many as 40, others have only 17. Remember that these numbers translate directly to the share of federally accruing revenues and the number of representatives in the House of Reps. How can we best achieve a balance in the number of LGAs across the country?
The revenue sharing formula enshrined in our laws has been challenged and it is still being challenged. Its basis is obscure. Were the percentages fixed as the revenue sharing formula arrived at on the basis on somebody’s selfish motives? Those whose regions generate the larger chunk of federal revenues feel they should receive a bigger share on the basis of derivation and they have a valid a point.
Security challenges can only get bigger in a centralized governmental structure as we are operating. The disadvantages of over-centralization of powers in the Nigeria Police are becoming apparent. That is why the States Governors are agitating for State Police to be allowed. As chief security officers in their States, the Governors do not command “even a fly” (in the words of Gov. Jang of Plateau State). Obviously, 36 State Police formations will amount to a colossal waste of resources and create party-loyal or Governor-loyal police outfits. If we operate a few regional governments, then regional police will become a workable, natural preference, thus freeing the central government to focus on the military and wading off external aggression. Just imagine has the Nigerian Army has been dragged into local politics and religion in Borno, Bauchi and Plateau States. An Army General is currently facing a Court Marshall in Maxwell Kobe Cantonment, Rukuba, for his alleged partisanship in the release of Boko Haram terrorists from Bauchi prison.
Many of our constitutional provisions and other statutes are obnoxious to the people of some parts of the country while highly welcome in otherst. For example, the Land Use Act provides for the allocation of grazing land to nomadic cattle rearers. Though this provision may be necessary in Adamawa State, of what value is it in Lagos State? The Constitution specifies 3 Senators per State irrespective of population. Why should Lagos State with 10 million registered voters produce the same number of senators as Bayelsa State with only 0.8 million voters? The Constitution has an Exclusive List reserved for federal legislation and a Concurrent list for both States and the Federal Governments. Labour matters are on the Exclusive List, so States cannot legislate on them. No wonder, the minimum wage issue is bound to create unnecessary acrimony. It’s unfair that the Federal Government should fix minimum wage while States pay it. I expect the Exclusive Legislative List to be very short and nothing like a Concurrent List.
The sum total of all these is that we are operating an unfair governmental structure which is stifling development, misallocating resources, dislocating communities, creating a ruling class, killing nationalism, promoting mediocrity, ethnicity and corruption. In order to free resources for appropriate allocation to ensure rapid economic development and grant political self-determination to all peoples in this country, I have the following suggestion to make. It is a three-pronged approach designed to be implemented simultaneously. My sincere belief is that, if implemented, it will substantially satisfy yearnings, aspirations and agitations by all Nigerians;
1. COLLAPSE STATE BOUNDARIES. By this I mean that all the 36 six State Governments should cease to exist while the 774 LGAs are retained.
2. CREATE 6 NEW REGIONS. These will immediately replace the 36 States. They should be called Regions (not States) so that we can mentally move away from the States structure and begin to imbibe regionalism which promotes greater patriotism in Nigerians leading to a reduction of corrupt tendencies. These regions should receive at least 50% of all centrally generated revenue while the LGs receive 25%. The Federal Government should be left with just 25% to take care of a vey lean Presidency.
3. DEVOLVE POWERS. A lot of the responsibilities currently placed on the Federal Government should be transferred to the 6 new regional Governments. For example, policing, education, agriculture, tourism and culture, etc. should be regional government affairs. All legislative functions should become part-time activities while the size of the legislature at all levels should be trimmed down to no more than 25% of its present size.
It goes without saying that these measures will necessitate the review of our Constitution and statutes. Regional groups freely formed should volunteer immediately to start the process of drafting their ideas of a new Constitution for their regional governments. A Constitutional Conference should convene to adopt a new Nigerian constitution which recognizes the new governmental structure for the country. The new constitution can then rightly start with the words, “We the people of Nigeria …”
James Pam, University of Jos, jamespam2004@yahoo.com

Gov Kwankwaso’s Drug Abuse, Assault on Cabinet Members, Corruption & Ibrahim Shekarau

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Gov Kwankwaso

A cantankerous fete in the Kano State Government under the tutelage of Governor Kwankwaso appears on the heels of anarchy amidst ill conceived conspiracies unapologetically rocking the pillars of the administrative cabinet. This is as information available to 247ureports.com reveals all is not well with the Governor and his administration.

On the late Monday evening of September 26, 2011, an incident [assault] occurred in the Government House in Kano State that may change the face of Kwankwaso’s administration for the remainder of Kwankwaso’s tenure as governor. The governor was reported by credible sources to have verbally and physically assaulted one of his commissioners while at a closed door meeting with other inner caucus members of the administration. It took the intervention of the Chief of Staff and Perm Sec Special Services who prevailed on the Commissioner not to resign there and then.

Close associates of the governor who opened up to 247ureports.com express concerns over the governor of Kano State. They state that he may have reverted to old habits of hard drug abuse. In the words of one of the associates, “the man has sunk lower by resorting to hard drugs. Apart from the cannabis that he was known to indulge, the governor of the most populous state in Nigeria is on heroin and perhaps cocaine. He collapsed twice since his assumption as governor and it may perhaps explain why his Chief of Staff, Dr Yunusa Dangawani, whose only experience in life is having once served as an executive secretary at the state Health Services Management Board is ranked above all political appointees including the SSG, HOS and Kwankwaso’s deputy governor. He is an Urologist”.

According to information gathered, the assaulted Commissioner goes by the name Abdullahi Abbas, a cousin brother to the Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Abbas oversees the affairs of the State Ministry of Environment. He is regarded as one of the fieriest critic of Shekarau administration and a major financier of the fanatical Kwankwasiya movement. He was an All Nigeria Peoples Party [ANPP] stalwart during Governor Kwankwaso’s first tenure. He had fallen out with Ibrahim Shekarau after his failed bid to see that Ibrahim Al-Amin Little emerged as ANPP’s flag-bearer prior to 2003 polls, in which Shekarau emerged victorious after trouncing the much maligned Kwankwaso.

Further inquiry indicates that Abbas had pitched his tent with Kwankwaso prior to the 2011 gubernatorial elections of 2011 and participated actively in the overall activities of Kwankwasiya [of which many observers believe was the Kwankwasiya movement as not a PDP movement], curiously promoting a fanatical political group bent on unleashing mayhem if they fail in their bid to clinch Kano. Sources cite the Kwankwasiya movement as a blood thirsty group – as they movement openly campaigned for violence and bloodshed against any group who would be a stumbling block to their desire to wrest Kano from the ANPP. Their main slogan, during their campaign a year before the 2011 gubernatorial elections was “Sabon Sarki, Sabon Gwamna“, meaning “New emir, new Governor” a euphuism for Kwankwaso’s plan to dethrone the Kano emir, ostensibly for supporting Ibrahim Shekarau in his pet project, a societal reorientation program: A daidaita Sahu.

Part of Kwankwaso’s present troubles is traced to the activities surrounding his controversial victory at the polls in 2011. Kwankwaso, according to his close associates, appointed many unqualified persons to his cabinet. “Most of them lacked the pedigree to question Kwankwaso as he is widely perceived to have disdain for criticism” – stated the close associate. The associate also noted that Kwankwaso’s appointment of Abbas as the Environment Commissioner struck a lone chord in that Abbas was considered “his own man” and not a “praise singer”, and that he normally speaks his mind and is not afraid to take a stand. Abbas is reported to be the only cabinet member that questions Kwankwaso on certain issues – and it was widely believed among cabinet that Abbas’ liberty at questioning Kwankwaso so freely was largely due to the supposed closeness between him and Governor.  One amongst the slew of questions raised by Abba was the promise by Kwankwaso to continue to pursue the agenda to remove the seating Monarch. At the time, Kwankwaso appeared happy and at ease with the manner the cabinet was sailing.

Then suddenly one evening, in a manner deemed abrupt and uncharacteristic, by keen observers of the Kano State government, Kwankwaso summoned his cabinet members to the government house. And then began a tongue lashing. Two of the Commissioners present told 247ureports.com that the Governor appeared “clearly stoned.  He accused all us as having a mindset of perfidy and that he would not tolerate any one of us who came in with the intent to steal. He insulted us and alleged that most of us were “jobless” and that he saved us by offering us to serve him [not the state]”.  And in Kwankwaso’s words, “most of you, look at you fools, are entertaining friends and relatives, in anticipation of making money in this government, I will not tolerate it. I will sting anybody who dares to challenge me on this“.

In a timely manner, the abrupt tongue lashing by Kwankwaso of his cabinet members brought to anchor the unraveling of the Kwankwaso’s administration.

Its symptoms began exhibiting outwardly with the flood of June 2011 which wrecked havoc on the hapless community of Feggae in Nassarawa Local Government Area [LGA] – where the Kwankwaso administration was reported to have responded unimpressively. Gov Kwankwaso then directed the Ministry of Environment to proffer advice and offer a palliative solution to the crisis – of which Abbas complied. The Environment Ministry drafted and submitted a plan to evacuate the drainages in the LGA of Nassarawa – with a cost appendage of N10million. But the Governor responded to slash the cost to N1million without discussions/consultations with the technical experts or the Commissioner.

Abbas became unhappy and somewhat disgruntled partly following the unprovoked tongue lashing by the governor. Abbas began considering abandoning the Kwankwaso administration when he discovered that he was not alone. In his brief interaction with the other cabinet members, he learnt that nearly all of the Commissioners were experiencing similar fate with the governor. The Commissioners who spoke to 247ureports.com revealed that all contractual submissions that are lucrative are reserved by the Chief of Staff of the Kano State Government, Dr Yunusa Dangawani, for the brother of the governor, Garba Musa Kwankwaso. As a result, the commissioners chose to stop forwarding their submissions with financial implication or suggesting any company to be considered.

Unrelenting in his “induced rage”, Kwankwaso announced the abrupt suspension of over 5,000 street cleaners without consulting with the Ministry of Environment – under the care of Abbas. This led to Kano streets being overtaken by refuse. Reports from Kano metropolis indicated that the public were angry as most of the “Yanshara” [street cleaners] were widows, poor and undeserving of the abrupt sacking. But a source close to Kwankwaso defended the governor’s actions stating that the street cleaners were suspiciously too many – and that the governor suspected foul-play so he decided to act to reorganized the street sweeping program. The associate indicated that Kwankwaso is determined to fight corruption in his government.

But the activities of Kwankwaso’s brother-in-law, Babangida Sule Garo poses a contradiction to the fight against corruption in the Kwankwaso administration. As investigations uncovered, Sule Garo has been having a field day as the Chairman of Sabon Gari Market [a lucrative South East majority Market]. Sule Garo recently sold the Market Union building at N54m while renting a N10m office along Sani Abacha Way. This is while reviewing upwards the tenement rent of Market shops, including that of First Bank of Nigeria, situated within the market without the knowledge of the Ministry of Commerce that oversees the affairs of the Markets in Kano. The Bank’s rent was increased from N950,000 to N5 million annually – and was asked to pay for five years upfront [N25 million]. The payment was made directly to the governor, sidelining the Commerce Commissioner, Hon. Danburan. [Danburan, a former Finbank employee, is said to be a wealthy business man who amassed tremendous wealth and splashed some on Kwankwasiya movement, financing most of the movement’s illicit deals and sheepishly believing that Kwankwaso would reward him with finance ministry so that he can recoup his “investments” He was disappointed when given the Commerce Ministry, a Siberia of sort in Kano.]

Then came the altercation that followed between Kwankwaso and the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero [see Kano State Gov, Dr. Kwankwaso & Vice President, Arc Sambo at war path – for a brief on the altercation]. Kwankwaso, acting under what his commissioners referred to as an “induced rage” ordered Abbas to issue a warning threat to the Emir through his father [Abbas] that the Emir risked being dethroned if he dare do the traditional Sallah ceremony. Abbas’ father, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, seats as the Senior Councilor [Wambai] in the Kano Emirate Council. The altercation between Abbas’ boss and the Emir placed Abbas in a “Catch 22”. The emir defied Kwankwaso and to go ahead with the ceremony. Disaster was averted when eminent Nigerians cautioned Kwankwaso against plunging Kano into another crisis reminiscent of July 1980 rampage.

Clandestinely, the band of disgruntled cabinet members has since decided to join forces to fight the governor. Having decided to abandon the Kwankwaso administration, at a time deemed appropriate for maximum impact, they also have opened talks with the former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau for possible collaboration. The disgruntled group, as our source reveals, feels emboldened by the dwindling fortune of Kwankwaso – his popularity rating is at its lowest, he is presently contending with what experts believe as an unwinnable trio of litigations, all capable of upturning the results of the April 2011 gubernatorial elections.

The disgruntled cabinet members are said to be increasing in number – to five [5] confirmed Commissioners and five [5] Special Advisors – with Abbas as their leader.

It is certain the State Governor, Kwankwaso finds himself in a precarious situation. He appears waging a battle against the Vice President of Nigeria, Arc Sambo, the former governor of Kano, Ibrahim Shekarau, the members of his cabinet – all within the first 120days in office. His close associate who have expressed fear over his return to drug abuse, indicate he has launched a battle against himself. They fear the unspoken may result if caution is thrown to the wind.

Corruption, bad leadership destroyed our economy – Abatemi-Usman

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Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman representing Kogi Central on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has identified corruption and bad leadership as the major factors responsible for the country’s backwardness in terms of economic growth and development.

In a statement signed by his Media Assistant, Michael Jegede, the Senator noted that after 51 years of Independence Nigeria would have been among the Newly Industrialized Countries (NIC) with considerable level of economic advancement, if not for corruption on the part of past leaders.

Abatemi-Usman, who was a Special Assistant to ex-Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, maintained that Nigeria can only get to the Promised Land when politicians and other public office holders shun corruption and work with every sense of morality and rectitude.

“Today, we are 51 years old as a nation with numerous human and natural resources at our disposal; yet, we are still very backward as far as economic development is concerned. We have not been able to utilize our God-given abundant and unlimited resources to the advantage of our people as a nation. Some few individuals have continued to corner the country’s resources at the detriment of the populace. Corruption and bad leadership have destroyed our economy. As we mark our 51st Independence Anniversary, we must have a rethink and work together to advance the course of the country for the benefit of all of us,” Abatemi-Usman appealed.

The youngest Senator in the Seventh Senate called on Nigerians to key into the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan in order to ensure that the country is lifted to the expected height of development, while observing that incessant crises and bombings would not help Nigeria in any way.

BreakingNews: Father of NASS Member [Nnewi, Anambra] Kidnapped

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The father to House of Representative Member, Honorable Chris Azubogu, Mr. Louis Azubogu of Umudim-Nnewi was kidnapped in his home at Nnewi at minutes after 9am as he prepared to leave for early morning Sunday Service.

Mr. Azubogu is a  78 year old business man who is an Anglican by Church denomination. His son, Chris Azubogu is a representative of Nnewi federal constinuent in the national assembly. He is a member of he All Progressive Grand Alliance [APGA]. The lawmaker confirmed the sad news to 247ureports.com on the phone – stating that the family is yet to be contacted by the kidnappers but that they are keeping their phones lines open.

stay tuned

Independence Day Speech by President Jonathan

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Address To The Nation By President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Gcfr, On The Occasion Of Nigeria’s 51stindependence Anniversary

1st October 2011 

Fellow Compatriots,

On this day 51 years ago, the British Union Jack was lowered and replaced by our national Green-White-Green flag, heralding the independence of our nation. The 1st of October remains a special day for us, for Africa, and indeed the world.

As we celebrate today, we remember with pride, the nationalism and patriotism that inspired our founding fathers and the Nigerian people. They set aside their differences, to secure the unity and independence of our great country.

That is the Nigerian spirit! For the Nigerian spirit cannot be broken. We are a resilient nation, determined to chart a course, through the turbulent waters of nation building. The Nigerian spirit is vibrant today in the world.

Our citizens at home and abroad, are making their mark in all fields of human endeavour. These hard-working and committed Nigerians, remain a source of pride to us and a beacon of what is achievable, if we remain focused and determined.

I know that a great number of you are joining hands with me and the Administration, in the great task ahead.

I value all Nigerians. I see our youth who are looking for jobs and yet remain hopeful. I see the farmer, and fisherman, toiling everyday to earn a living. I see the teacher, working hard, to train our future generations, with much sacrifice. I see the market women whose entrepreneurial spirit helps to generate income for their children and families. I see our sportsmen and women training hard to bring glory to our nation.  I see our resilience and commitment, as a nation, to defend our democracy and secure our future.

I see every single profession and vocation, making positive contributions to national progress. I value you all!

Together, we shall work for a Nigeria in which democracy and the rule of law are sacrosanct.

A country where corruption and its attendant vices, are banished. A country where human life is sacred and respected, and where the rights of the individual are protected.

Nigeria is a young entity in the comity of nations and yet in her 51 years, she has made significant strides in making her presence felt all over the world. Our diplomatic and peacekeeping efforts, in various parts of the continent, have helped to end conflict and avert crises. In sustaining global security, our intervention has been crucial to peace, progress and democracy for the citizens of the affected countries. 

The journey to nationhood always has its own challenges. Nigeria has had her own share. Our growing pains as a nation have included the civil war, the June 12 election crisis and restlessness in the Niger Delta. But Nigeria has always overcome each of these challenges. We overcame before. We will overcome yet again.

Today, as a nation, there is much for us to celebrate. We celebrate our diversity. We celebrate our entrepreneurial spirit.

We celebrate our resilience and ability to turn adversity into hope. We celebrate our culture. For the labours of our heroes past, shall never be in vain.

As your President, let me reassure all Nigerians that I remain resolutely committed to the ideals and dreams of our founding fathers. Let me also reassure Nigerians that I will strongly defend the peace and stability of our nation.

My administration will spare no effort in fighting crime, building peace, and securing our homeland against internal threats and infiltration by violent groups, from outside our borders.

We condemn all acts of violence and declare that such acts of mindless savagery shall not be allowed to define our country. We will not be deterred. Our resolve is strong.

I have put in place a new and reinvigorated national security strategy, to combat the threat to our safety. Yet, no matter what I do as your President and no matter what we do as your elected leaders, at all levels, the peace and security of our nation rest also on our collective efforts as citizens, in our various communities.

All leaders and citizens, in every community, must therefore make peace the number one priority of their daily routine.  This is because, without peace, no community can realize its objectives or achieve a happy and productive life for its members.

The current incidents of violence and terror, in parts of the country, will surely be overcome. We will secure the safety of our citizens for only when we do this, will we be able to build the needed peace and tranquility in all parts of the federation.

Securing our peace and stability will ensure economic growth and prosperity for all. 

Since I assumed office, as the President of our great country, I have continued to focus my attention on the economy.  I have taken several measures to address structural weaknesses which stand between us and economic growth and prosperity for all.

We are growing our economy, to generate employment opportunities for our teeming youth and enhanced prosperity for every citizen. This remains the main focus of my administration.

In a few days time, I shall launch an innovative competition for our young entrepreneurs to come up with ways to expand their businesses, create more jobs, and sharpen their business skills.

Now, it is very clear that without fundamental reforms in the key sectors of our economy, we will not be able to fully unlock our potential as a nation. We must manage our resources more prudently and efficiently. We must provide stable electricity to our citizens to help drive economic activity.

I call on our political leaders to put aside partisan politics, for united action towards the advancement of our nation. We must build together.

Because of the measures we have taken on the economy, our GDP is today one of the fastest growing in Africa.  We are currently growing the economy at 7.8%. We expect to sustain an 8% growth rate and a better GDP in the medium term, on our journey towards realizing our Vision 20:2020 goal.

We shall strive to make this growth, job creating and inclusive.

Growth in agriculture and other non-oil sectors are crucial, to help diversify the economy and to generate much needed jobs. Agriculture remains one of the highest priorities in my government’s Agenda for National Transformation. We have set out clear, agricultural, transformation action plans and policy measures, to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of rice, cassava, maize, sorghum and other staple foods.

Self-sufficiency in rice alone will save us the 356 Billion Naira that we currently spend annually importing rice. We will revamp the way we distribute fertilizers, taking government out of distribution of fertilizers.

We plan to reach 20 million farmers with private-sector distributed fertilizers over the next four years. We will improve the investment environment and incentives for the private sector across the agricultural value chains. Our agricultural transformation plan will generate 3.5 million jobs and an additional 20 million metric tons of food.

But we must all show pride in our farmers. We should eat what we produce. The increasing popularity of local products, like ‘Ofada Rice’, ‘Badegi rice’, and ‘Abakaliki Rice’, attest to the fact, that the populace will readily embrace locally grown produce.

We must also take pride in our scientists. This week, Nigeria released 8 new high yielding cocoa varieties. This will help to transform cocoa production, across the 14 cocoa producing states in the nation.

We have put in place implementable programmes to transform our Nation from an importer of petroleum products, to the regional  hub for exportation of value-added petroleum and petrochemical products. We are revamping existing refineries and building three new ones.

We are effectively supporting the private-sector led construction of world scale petrochemical and fertilizer plants. This will for the first time in our history, result in effective monetization of our abundant natural gas resources while at the same time, creating over a million jobs.

Our potential is huge.

We have the requisite market volume.

We have a youthful, energetic, and hardworking population.

The structural and managerial bottlenecks, that have obstructed our economic growth, are being addressed, to unleash the energy and potentials of this nation.

To achieve this, I am determined to ensure that Nigerians have reliable electricity. Our economy will grow faster, and our hard working small businesses will thrive, when we finally fix the power challenges we face. We are fast tracking power reforms, to improve the generation and distribution of electricity.

Already, we are beginning to do things differently. I believe that integrity, honour, patriotism, selfless service and fear of God, must be the hallmarks of leadership at all levels.

A nation is sustained by its institutions and systems. I have taken strong measures to improve on governance.  It is in this regard, that I signed into law, the Freedom of Information Act. I will further strengthen all institutions, to ensure greater transparency, probity, and accountability at all levels.

Last year, I promised to restore confidence in our electoral system and pledged to deliver free and fair elections. To achieve that, we initiated some electoral reforms and strengthened INEC and other related agencies.

 As a result, our April 2011 general elections was adjudged by Nigerians and the international community as the most transparent and credible elections, ever conducted in our country. Indeed, post-election petitions reduced by over 50%.

Let me assure all Nigerians of my resolve to lead our nation into a safer, more peaceful, and prosperous future for our children.

For the time has come, to rise above ethnic and religious divisions;

The time has come, to unite against violence, in all its ramifications;

The time has come, to secure our peace, and unite against suffering, and deprivation;

I see a new Nigeria rising. A Nigeria, that is economically strong. A Nigeria, that takes its rightful place of leadership in the world. A Nigeria, that uses its diversity to reinforce its strength. A Nigeria, we all can be proud of.

This is the Nigeria we need and this is the Nigeria, we all must build.

As we celebrate today, let us resolve to build the Nigeria of our future.

I thank you.

God bless you all.

And God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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