Gowon’s challenge and Femi’s infamy – By John O. Kalu

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I was enjoying my largely quiet and uneventful weekend until I checked my facebook messages and saw as much as 8 messages from friends alerting me about two different issues trending on facebook. At least Nigerian facebook community.

Given the bombing of a catholic church in Kaduna that killed more than 4 worshipers, I couldn’t help but finally agree with President Jonathan that terrorism may have come to stay with us and hence not deserving of headline attention. People have come to expect one church or the other to be bombed in Northern Nigeria every sunday. What continues to surprise me is how the government is able to protect all the mosques in the volatile middle belt of Nigeria every friday but cannot protect churches every sunday.

Even the recent Eid celebration was without violent incidence and the govt is poised to take the glory for maintaining peace and preventing terror attacks. Yet I wonder if the govt was sleeping when Madalla catholic and other churches were bombed last christmas. Does the federal government of Nigeria place more premium in securing Islamic lives than Christian lives?

We are waiting for answers.

The first message I received in box caused me to celebrate and sing for joy in my mother tongue. “Obu otu olu gi di, Chineke obu otu olu gi di, o mara nma”. (Is this how thy works are, your work is wonderful, Almighty God). The report in the media that General Yakubu Jack Gowon of Nigeria Prays fame has agreed to go to the international criminal court at the Hague to defend himself of charges of genocide against Igbo children elicited that song of praise from my lips.

“I am ready to face the International Criminal Court of Justice at the Hague for prosecution over roles played by me when the war ended”-Yakubu Gowon

Just so that you understand why am celebrating, permit me to state that the only elder brother I had from my mother’s great womb died of kwasiokor during the Biafran war. Up to date nobody has been held accountable for that. In 1983, Chief Awolowo claimed the credit for authoring the starvation policy of the Gowon regime when he stated in a widely circulated interview that he personally decided to use hunger and starvation as a weapon of war knowing that civilians will die but (in his mind), soldiers will die too. In the “great” man’s mind it doesn’t matter if 3m civilians die as long as he is able to defeat 50,000 emergency Biafra soldiers Over 700 unarmed men and women were executed at Asaba, and nobody as much as faced court martial, rather the man that led and orchestrated the heinous crime, Murtala Muhammed, has since been rewarded with an International Airport named after him and his face inserted into our currency. I am also not aware of anyone being punished for the massacre of over 5000 Igbo after the war in Benin and a further 7000 in Calabar. All murdered in cold blood.

That the Holy Spirit moved Gowon to agree to present himself before the ICC at Hague is something marvelous in my eyes. If the leaders of Ndigbo summon the courage and resources necessary to take up this Gowon’s challenge, Nigeria and humanity will benefit. Gowon will get the chance to clear his name “tarnished” further by the publication of Achebe’s “There was a country”. The inheritors and defenders of Awo’s estate will also get a chance to defend the legacy of their man. As long as Achebe’s book is circulating all over the world (I heard Amazon and the publishers have run out of stock because of overwhelming demands) generations will question Awo’s humanity and will discuss him in same breathe as Adolphus Hitler of Nazi Germany. In terms of number of children killed, Awo trumped Hitler by a massive 1m souls. Hitler was credited with killing 6m jews, including 1m children, using all manner of tools and policies whereas the Biafra war killed at least 3m Igbo including 2m children killed directly by the use of starvation as a weapon of war. In football parlance, Awo defeated/outscored Hitler 2:1.

Clearly, the employment of hunger as a weapon of war and execution of unarmed civilians violates the fourth Geneva Convention and is a war crime. That some were ignorant enough to advance the view that Nigeria was not a signatory to the convention is shameful. As at the time the convention was signed in 1949, Nigeria was a British colony. Britain was one of the signatory. At independence we “inherited” the convention. There was clear and unambiguous legal obligation on Nigeria as at the time of the conflict to respect the convention. Gowon knows that, hence his decision to go to the Hague and defend himself, if called upon. All others who participated in that war should also be ready to defend themselves.

The ball is now in the court of Igbo leaders to do the needful and institute this mother of all genocide cases. Ohaneze Ndigbo should lead the way and reconfirm their relevance to ordinary Igbo men and women. A good starting point will be to dust up their presentation at the defunct Oputa panel and assemble Igbo lawyers from home and the diaspora. Other Igbo groups will support them with relevant data.

Ohaneze and Igbo leaders have no reason to shirk their responsibility to our people. This is by no means a quest for secession but rather a move to correct and prevent future genocide in Nigeria. If this case is not instituted then Achebe’s book should be thrashed as lacking in fact and substance, at least as regards the issue of genocide. Ndigbo should also know they can no longer complain when Igbo in the North are isolated and murdered by Boko Haram and their civilian accomplices. A unique opportunity has been presented by Gowon to end acts of genocide in Nigeria, albeit it by accident.

The other story that made me sing was the one by one Femi Fani Kayode titled “Who introduced tribalism into the politics of the south? The Yoruba or The Igbo?”. It reminded me of Dillinger’s “I’ve got cocaine runnin’ around my brain…” It is all well that I don’t know this revisionist, FFK, personally. That’s apart from his (dis)service to Nigeria as Minister of culture in the obtuse Obasanjo regime. All other contacts with him have been through his facebook comments made either using his name or numerous aliases.

His August 13th post particularly interested me.

“I went through this and I must confess that the Elder from the north that spoke called Alhaji Usman Faruk is talking absolute nonsense and he has got his history completely wrong. It was the 98 per cent yoruba Third Marine Cmmando under the command of Brigadier General Benjamin Adekunle that liberated the mid-west and the southern minorities from the igbos and NOT the north. Secondly the north literally begged Awolowo not to declare Oduduwa Republic and go the way of Biafra even though that was his original intention. Thirdly if it hadn’t been for Col. Obasanjo (as he then was) in Ibadan the Biafran forces, under the command of the gallant yoruba officer Col. Banjo, would have entered and swept into the west at Ore and the war would have been over very quickly. They asked for safe passage and Obasanj refused. Fourthly it was the support that the south west gave to the north that allowed Nigeria to win the war. Fifthly it was the lie that Gowon and the northern leaders fed to Awolowo that he would be made President of the country after the war and after being effectively being made de facto Prime Minister under Gowon during the war that got Awoloo to support them. Had it not been for that strong support from the yoruba and particularly the efforts of the third Marine Commando who pushed the Biadfrans out of the mid west, the south south and back into the east and who evenually went into igboland, occupied it and took the surrender of the igbos, there is no way that Nigeria could have won the war. No maer what sid of the divide we are on in this matter we must get the history right. The arrogance of Faruk is sickening.”

Please note these points made by this self confessed student of history
1. “…the north literally begged Awolowo not to declare Oduduwa Republic and go the way of Biafra even though that was his original intention.”
2. “…it was the lie that Gowon and the northern leaders fed to Awolowo that he would be made President of the country after the war and after being effectively being made de facto Prime Minister under Gowon during the war that got Awoloo to support them.”

Anybody familiar with recent writings of this man since Chinua Achebe’s “There was a country” was launched will not believe that he wrote those lines. Permit me to supply the evidence here. https://www.facebook.com/femifanikayode/posts/342407195846984?refid=12

For those who can read English language, please what exactly is the difference between Achebe saying Awo authored and executed genocide against Biafra for personal interest in the Presidency of Nigeria and what this man wrote? Even Awo accepted he authored the policy when he said “so I decided….”. Yet this character took out time to abuse Achebe in newspapers and his facebook wall. But on the question of Awo committing suicide in 1987 to avoid treason trial by IBB, Femi is mum.

In his defense of his latest obnoxious post I read this funny and treasonable comment from him. “@Uche, that has been my position for the last 22 years. Read ALL my essays and watch ALL my television interviews. I even took that position when I was in government. Perhaps you didnt know that I was very active in NADECO and when I was your age I was busy smuggling arms into the country to help in our secession bid whilst Abacha was in power. I have always believed in an SNC and I always will. I have also always believed iin the right of every nationality in Nigeria to ”self-determine”. If you don’t know that about me then you never knew what I believed in and the cause that I have been championing all these years. I am a member of the Steering Commitee of thePolitical Summit Group today . Believe me when I tell you that I am more radical than you could ever be when it comes to this matter.” FFK
https://www.facebook.com/femifanikayode/posts/3555138246573?refid=12

I have not stopped wondering if this man is promoting armed struggle against Nigeria. All I can do is keep singing “I’ve got cocaine runnin around my brain”. I just hope Dillinger and his later day clone got a detoxification treatment before embarking on another journey to twist history. Even if the West needs a clone of El Rufai, surely they can do better than this man.

FFK’s basis for alleging that Igbo introduced tribal politics is an unverified comment purportedly made by one private citizen he called Charles Onyeama in 1945. ’Igbo domination of Nigeria is only a matter of time’. According to him, this was reported by a Kenya news medium. If I may ask, how many Nigerians in 1945 had access to Kenyan publications? How on earth can this alleged obscure comment lead the famous Yoruba nation to form a tribal organization as claimed by FFK? I just hope that the founders of that development union called egbe omo oduduwa won’t sue FFK for such monumental misrepresentation of facts. In any case, if that statement was actually made, it must be viewed in the context of the time. As at 1945 Nigeria only existed as a British colony with each ethnic group struggling to motivate their people to move ahead in life. Am aware that in marketing there is something called puffry. That Etisalat said they are the best network does not automatically translate to fact. Other networks are permitted to make similar claims. Anyone can puff. Even in my village it is acceptable to say we are the best in the world. Of course that doesn’t mean we are introducing “tribal” politics among Igbo. The key remains if actually the alleged comment by Mr Charles translated to negative action at the national level to dominate others. I will be surprised if there were no Yoruba and Hausa private citizens making similar comments before or at that time. Competition drives innovative excellence and the current federal structure is designed to engender healthy competition among the federating units. We will soon find out who actually attempted to actualize tribal politics in Nigeria.

His second quote credited to Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe is another attempt to deceive.
‘It would appear that the God of Africa has created the Igbo nation to lead the children of Africa from the bondage of ages …’ – Dr Azikiwe, President of the Pan-Igbo Federal Union. (The West African Pilot of July 8, 1949). As a member of Igboville we reviewed the full text of the presentation made by Zik at Aba in 1949 and did not find that line. We reasoned then that elements from the SW inserted that line to discredit Zik and place him where Awo and Bello reside with tribalism. FFK has just confirmed that.

If truly Zik said so, I can only be prouder of his vision and pan Africanism. It is a known fact that Zik’s portrait is one of only 5 African leaders currently at OAU secretariat. He is a recognized pan Africanist. If his wish was for Ndigbo to lead Africa out of bondage does that make him the champion of tribalism in Nigeria? Does the man FFK know that of all the founding fathers of Nigeria Zik remains the only person who wanted one Nigeria? Even to date, younger Igbo elements condemn Zik for his vision of “United States of Nigeria” at a time Awo and Bello were grabbing all grab-ables for their tribes. He virtually sacrificed everything, including Prime Ministership of Nigeria, to ensure that we carry along the reluctant North to achieve independence. To date, Zik’s people (Igbo) are the only ones with investment all over Nigeria. Others are only interested in milking Nigeria’s oil resources to develop their area. If anyone is looking for evidence of inclination and propagation of tribalism in Nigeria, stop your search with FFK’s people.

The champions of tribal politics is well known to all of us. It wasn’t Zik that said you cannot be a good Nigerian without being a good Yoruba man. FFK must know who said it and propagated it.
On 1966 coup, I can only refer FFK to the May 5, 2007 interview granted by Odia Ofeimum (Awo’s private Secretary) to the Guardian newspaper in which he stated as follows:
“People were told that it was an Igbo coup but that is not correct. It is a very interesting part of the Nigerian story. In the first place, there have been many serious lies that have been told by our leaders in the last 45 years of Nigeria’s history. Our leaders have not been bold enough to tell us the truth.”
I guess Odia must have included FFK as one of the known liars of the Federal Republic.

If anyone truly want to know when and how tribal politics was entrenched in southern Nigeria, look no further than operation wetie (carpet crossing) executed at then Western House of Assembly at Ibadan. Regardless of the attempt at distorting history, it is safe to say that Zik and his party convincingly won elections in the West, North and East. It must have been the same bare faced lies that Femi is trumpeting that was used to convince Yoruba parliamentarians and people to turn against Zik. This singular act of using lies and deceit to achieve personal parochial political ambition is known to be the precursor of the first military coup and Nigerian civil war. It is still responsible for the East-West political divide in Nigeria and shaped the minds of generations of Yoruba politicians towards the politics of tribe first. Until Obasanjo used state power to rig PDP into the South West, the Yoruba nation never voted for non Yoruba Presidential candidates. Even when non-Yoruba parties won elections in the south west, as in the case of Akin Omoboriowo’s NPN victory in Ondo against UPN’s Bola Ige, violence and subterfuge were employed to scuttle such political gains.

Those who know Femi Fani Kayode should remind him to stop dancing naked in the public square and focus more on detoxifying his head. Ndigbo have a proud heritage of being the only true Nigerians in words and in deeds. Our investment and politics bear witness to the fact that we are truly believers in the one Nigeria project. Let Femi point to one investment owned by him or his immediate family in Igbo land as proof of being detribalised. Otherwise he should shut up and take his drugs.

Ajimobi’s Wife in London Police Net for Laundering N500m …..Oyo Gov. stands surety for wife

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By Segun Ayedaade, Lagos – NewsAXE
Junketing wife of the Oyo State governor, Chief (Mrs) Florence Ajimobi, has finally jumped into the net of London police authorities.
Her offence: she was found in possession of Pound Sterling and United States Dollars totalling N500million about two weeks ago.

Mrs Ajimobi was arrested by the Met Police during her 52nd trip outside Nigeria in the last 17 months that her husband became the chief executive of the Pace-Setter state.
The development came barely a few months after Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State was arrested also in London on money laundering charges and was held for about 26 days in the United Kingdom.

Governor Abiola Ajimobi has equally been out of the country for about 42 times on personal and official trips that have cost the people of the state fortunes in estacode and denied them the opportunity of a responsible government during times of sorrow, like the August 26, 2011 flood disaster that ravaged the state.

The governor’s wife was held for a few days in London before she telephoned her husband who immediately flew out to the United Kingdom to save his wife and his administration from the embarrassment that the arrest could cause.
NEWSLEAK gathered that the governor had to stand surety for his wife before she was temporarily released the weekend on her arrest.

To ensure that the news does not get to public domain, Governor Ajimobi had to lie that he was travelling to Taiwan for “an emergency business trip”, and headed for London to stand surety for his wife.

Met police authorities accept the surety-ship of a sitting high profile government official in cases of money laundering without which Mrs Ajimobi would have been declared wanted and Interpol sent after her.

When Mrs Ajimobi returned to Nigeria two Sundays ago, she avoided public gathering, never honoured any invitation and cancelled all previous appointments.
A community newspaper in London published the news of Mrs Ajimobi’s arrest with her picture lavishly used by the local daily.

NEWSLEAK is making effort to get the photograph and use same on this website.
According to investigations, Mrs Ajimobi is literally the human bank in charge of funds illegally deducted from the 33 local government councils in the state as well as the N110million security monthly security vote of her husband.

Rumours that Mrs Ajimobi is the courier for public funds running into billions of Naira allegedly stolen so far by the Action Congress of Nigeria-led government in the last 17months were reinforced by the several contracts awarded to Mrs Ajimobi, including the poorly executed beautification project given to her for N1billion of taxpayers’ money.

In addition, she has appropriated the State Action Committee on AIDS (SACA), which was hitherto under the purview of the Ministry of Health to her office and through this, she is sitting upon the $15million-Dollar World Bank funds released early this year for the control of AIDS in the state.

To wriggle out of money laundering and sundry charges against Mrs Ajimobi, her husband has engaged the service of three Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) led by Chief Wole Olanipekun.
Following the expiration of the week-long bail granted Mrs Ajimobi to prepare her legal team as the case will be charged t court soon, she left the country for London early on Sunday, October 28 (that is yesterday).

Governor Ajimobi, it was scoped, has been running from pillar to post for face-saving strategies against the damning incident.
He was said to have expressed determination to pay any price quoted by anyone that could be of help in preventing the scandal from becoming public knowledge as well as getting the “greedy wife” off the hook.

The governor, NEWSLEAK is told, will be travelling out of the country this week to stand by her wife.
It was also gathered that the senior lawyers are on their way out of the country for the legal fireworks in defence of Mrs Ajimobi

–

Source: Newsleak

Two killed in a jailbreak in Rivers State

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Two prisoners of the Ahoada Federal Prison in Rivers state Nigeria have been killed over the weekend while trying to escape in a jailbreak.

Other 11 inmates who also tried to escape sustained various degrees of injuries while two of the prison staff who tried to stop some fleeing inmates were beaten to coma by the inmates with machetes and other harmful instruments

Although 4 of the inmates managed to escape and security agents had already launched a man hunt for them. Eyewitnesses told our correspondent Precious Ahiakwo that on the fateful day, only three prison staff out of 18 were on duty, thereby making it easy for the inmates to escape.

Inmates’ record and money kept in the administrative office were carted away by the escaped inmates, and files containing their records and some other vital documents were also burnt.

So far, Government has beefed up security around the prison to restore peace and order in the area. Ahoada prison like other prisons in Nigeria is heavily overcrowded with 502 inmates in a space meant for 202 inmates..

Meanwhile the Rivers State Police Public relations Officer Ben Ugwuegbulam has confirmed the incident stating that the situation is under control.

Kwankwaso to Name Kano Government House in his own Name

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From Citizen Reporter, Kano, Nigeria

When the matter of illegal inscription of “Kwankwasiyya” on public properties of Kano State by Governor Kwankwaso came up for mention before Justice Lawan Wada Mahmoud on Monday, the Attorney General and Kano State Commissioner of Justice, Mr Maliki Kuliya Umar insolently threatened that Kano State Government House may also be named “Kwankwasiyya House”. The Kano Government House was named after the Late Sani Abacha by the past military government until the same Kwankwaso removed the name and revert it to what it is today during his first tenure.

Kwankwaso is the only governor in Nigeria to be accused of creating personality cult by inscribing public properties in his name. He is alleged to be defacing public properties by inscribing “Kwankwasiyya” on public buses, roofs, pedestrian interlocks, parameter fence, schools etc

Governor Kwankwaso and his administration have been dragged to court by some aggrieved Kano citizens challenging his attitude of inscribing the “Kwankwasiyya” acronym on properties belonging to the public. The suit filed since 9th July, 2012, came up for mention this Monday. The Plaintiffs, Abdullahi Maraya Barkum, a PDP stalwart and a former Deputy Speaker; Hamisu Danwawu, a renowned politician and an ANPP bigwig; and Hassan Sani Indabawa, a business man, activist, and good governance advocate all claimed that Kwankwaso’s action of promoting his personal ego by using public fund is illegal, unconstitutional, unlawful and promotes disaffection, disharmony and may ultimately cause bad blood among the people of Kano State. They therefore urged the court to declare Kwankwaso’s action as unlawful, illegal, unconstitutional and discriminatory. Kwankwaso may face impeachment if the court grants their reliefs.

The sitting of the court conducted inside the hallowed Chamber of Court 12 of the Kano State High Court of Justice, had Maliki Kuliya standing for the State. In an incoherent manner, Maliki revealed before Justice Lawan Wada that the Kano Government House may equally be renamed. To the amazement of all those present, Maliki, who appeared visibly stoned from a substance suspected to be cannabis, told the court that “We would rename the Government House (too) to Kwankwasiyya House”. Maliki and Kwankwaso are widely believed to be on hard drugs. As the state Chief Law Officer, his vituperations before the court suggest his government’s contempt of court and Kwankwaso may after all continue with his illegality.

Aliyu Umar (SAN), counsel to the Plaintiffs saved the embarrassing situation by continuing with the matter and moved a motion seeking to file an application on Pre-trial session within time. The Court conceded to his request and adjourned the matter until 22nd November, 2012 for a Pre-trial session.

Rivers ACN Condemns Amaechi’s Acquisition of Bombardier Jet

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…Blames State’s Slow Pace of Development On Misplacement of Priorities

The Rivers State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, says the slow pace of development that characterizes Gov. Amaechi administration is as a result of misplaced priorities.

The party made this observation through a statement issued and signed by its Publicity Secretary Jerry Needam while reacting to the $50 million Global 5000 Bombardier Jet just acquired by the Rivers State Government.

The ACN spokesman, Jerry Needam described the acquisition of the Aircraft as ostentatious, unnecessary luxury and gross extravagance on the part of Gov. Amaechi.

Jerry Needam queried the rationale for spending such a stupendous amount of money on an aircraft for the exclusive use of the governor when virtually all the internal roads in the state have been washed away by water and over 183 communities across four local government areas sacked by ravaging floods.

The ACN expressed surprise that same government that has raised alarm, calling on public spirited individuals to support the flood victims in the state because of government’s inability to provide for them alone could embark on such adventurous purchase of a cruising Jet.

Describing the action as insensitive and inhuman, the ACN said the $50m Bombardier Jet if converted to local currency amounts to billions of naira which is enough to fix all the dilapidated roads in the State.

“An administration that cannot balance its priorities on a scale before embarking on action such as expressed in this thoughtless venture could be likened to an unfaithful father and is worse than an infidel”, the ACN remarked.

The ACN recalled the comments and uncomplimentary remarks of Gov. Amaechi over a similar purchase of a private jet by a preceding govt part of which reason he traded off the aircraft at a give away price of about $6m to a neighbouring state on account of its high cost of maintenance only for him to go for a far more expensive brand new Canadian made Bombardier Jet.

The ACN mouthpiece, Jerry Needam challenged the self-acclaimed prudent and transparent Gov. Chibuike Amaechi to convince Rivers people how the acquisition of $50 million Bombardier Global 5000 Jet takes precedence over the reconstruction of impassable roads in the state and providing for the welfare of hundreds of thousands of Rivers people rendered homeless by the floods and who are now living in shanties called camps across the state.

‘We also want to know what finally became of the controversial selling of the Dash 8 – Q200 aircraft and the AW139 helicopter supposedly leased to Aero contractors’, the ACN demanded.

 

Signed

 

Jerry Needam, JP

Publicity Secretary

Action Congress of Nigeria

Rivers State.

Iran expands military & intelligence activities in Afghanistan

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TEHRAN – The Islamic Republic of Iran has increased its military and intelligence influence in Afghanistan besides cultural influence in parts of Afghanistan, through Imam Khumaini aid committee.
Afghan officials believe that the aid by Imam Khumaini Aid Committee directly goes to those individuals who are committed to Iran and are celebrating the religious and national ceremony related to Iran.
The officials also believe that Iran is funding a number of media agencies in Afghanistan in a bid to preach the cultural and political targets of Iran in Afghanistan.
An Afghan official in presidential palace quoted by Wall Street Journal said that Iran has truely influenced a considerable number of Afghans in the country and can easily gather more than 20000 Afghans for any act, which is more than risky than suicide bombers coming from the neighboring Pakistan.
The official further added, several Afghan officials including those working inside the presidential palace are funded by Iran.
The Imam Khumaini Aid Committee is a secret organization which is also actively operating in a number of other countries.
According to an Afghan journalist who has worked several years in Iran, the Imam Khumaini Aid Committee is a governmental organization which is operated by the Revolutionary Forces of Iran.
In the meantime Afghan and Western officials believe that Imam Khumaini Aid Committee directly provides funds in Afghanistan which in return provides them with the intelligence information however US funds are provided to Afghans through subcontracts.
A number of Afghans who receive aid from Imam Khumaini Aid Committee in interview with the Wall Street Journal said the Iranian Committee asks them regarding their background and family before providing them any aid.
US officials believe that Iran wants to provide aid to those Afghans who are loyal to Iran by interviewing specific individuals.
The Afghan journalist who has spent time in Iran also confirm this however a US official said that the efforts by Iran is a failed attempt since most of the Afghans are doubtful regarding Iran’s commitment towards Afghanistan.
According to Wall Street Journal, a number of Afghans who are receiving aid from Iran or working on projects funded by Iran are saying that Iran urges them to celebrate the anniversary of Imam Khumaini and Islamic Revolution of Iran in Afghanistan.
In the meantime Iran is struggling to implement its culture in Herat by constructing a major library and cultural centre in this province despite providing funds to Afghan media agencies.
Local officials in wesern Herat province also confirmed that the number of activities supported by Iran is increasing in this province.
Herat provincial governor said that the individuals who are supporting Iranian activities are having their homes in this province and are looking to act against the Afghan government.
The Wall Street Journal back in the month of August also reported that Iran allowed the Taliban leaders to have office in Iranian soil.

 

Press Statement Issued After The Action Congress Leadership Meeting In Lagos On The Outcome Of The Ondo State Election. October 29th, 2012

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1. Last week I issued a temporary statement on the reaction of my party, the Action Congress of Nigeria, to the outcome of the Ondo State election. Then I promised that the party will come back with a more detailed position after a careful interim review of the conduct and outcome of the October 20, election in Ondo State by the party leadership.

2. The Governorship election in Ondo State is over and the ballots received by INEC have been tallied. Some people have urged us to reject the INEC results outright because they do not favor my party. This we shall not do. We refuse to cynically treat our democracy as a thing to be discarded when its processes do not favor us. We believe in the long-run, the genuine processes of a genuine democracy shall favor all of us, even the loser of an election. We are prepared to lose elections if the contest is free and the process is fair and transparent. We know that in this manner our democracy is strengthened. No one race or political contest is worth damaging our democracy. We would rather lose the race and gain democracy than win the race and lose democracy in the process.

3. On the opposite side of the spectrum, other people are trying to pressure us to concede defeat as if all was perfect with the election. They do so not because they love democracy but because they are the political opponents of our progressive party. Their interests are not in justice but in appearing to be concerned about justice.  They have never exercised any degree of political conciliation or bipartisanship in their exercise of public affairs. It stands as exceedingly hypocritical that they seek from us a gift they would never give. Thus, we see no reason to entertain their counterfeit expressions and the motives behind them.

4. This is our position. We believe in the right of the people of Ondo State to determine who leads them. For us in the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Ondo State election is a battle in a larger war; the war of deepening democracy and ensuring accountability in our country. We are therefore resolved to put the elections behind us whilst pursuing the task of providing leadership to our people effectively.

5. However, we have started an accurate but swift assessment of the entire election, from the vote count to the many and several irregularities and instances of thuggery and violence that occurred. Should we find ultimately that the misconduct and lapses were not sufficiently material to alter the outcome, we shall do the honorable thing and respect what has been announced.  Should we find ultimately that the irregularities and wrongful actions materially altered the result, we shall contest the transgression as is our right and duty in a democracy. As leaders of a party and of people who trust the democratic process, we have a solemn obligation not to be swayed by emotion on one side or by intimidation on the other. We owe a duty to ourselves, to the people of Ondo State, and to this nation to vigorously protect the integrity of the process both during and immediately after an election.

6. We wish to state categorically that we would protect and defend members of our party from the unconscionable harassment and intimidation currently going on in Ondo State against our party members and communities that voted against the Labour party.

We take this opportunity to thank our candidate, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, and the entire party for a valiant, dedicated and inspiring effort. We have nothing but accolades for what they did in Ondo State. They fought a good fight. As a party, we shall remain true to our pledge to resist any attempt to thwart the democratic process in Ondo State or any other part of Nigeria.

–

Chief Bisi Akande

National Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria.

Signed

$15m Ibori’s Bribe: EFCC Raises Alarm over Clark’s Call for Lamorde’s Removal

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has expressed reservation over comment made by elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, calling for the removal of its Executive Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde over the Commission’s handling of the Ibori bribe saga. Clark had on September 25, 2012 addressed a press conference in Abuja where he called for the removal of the EFCC boss on the grounds that he lied in the sworn affidavit he deposed to as Director of Operations regarding the Ibori bribe.

At the resumed hearing of the case seeking the forfeiture of the alleged $15million Ibori bribe to the federal government before the Federal High Court, Abuja presided over by Justice Gabriel Kolawole,the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, described the comment by Clark as published in the National Mirror newspaper as prejudicial, judgmental and subjudice.

“My Lord, his statement was a judgment passed on this case which only this court has the right to pass. This will erode the confidence of our people on our judicial system and I urge your lordship to summon him to come and explain why he should not be committed for contempt; why he has taken over from the court.” Rotimi said.

He said he prevailed on his client not to reply Chief Clark as doing so would amount to disrespect for the court.

But Delta State Attorney General, Charles Ajuya, SAN, who described Clark as a well-respected senior citizen, legal practitioner and recipient of two national awards, urged the court to discountenance Jacobs’ submission since His Lordship has said he didn’t see the publication.
“ Your Lordship has said you have not seen this publication, I feel you should not be in a hurry to make this order, let us carry on with the business of the court as the said statements did not in any way impinge on the integrity of your lordship nor that of the court”.
Jacobs however countered, arguing that the fact of Clark being a prominent and well respected person, makes his summon compelling as his comment should not be taken lightly.

Rotimi stated that section 36 of the 1999 Nigeria constitution, offers everyone a right of fair hearing and that Clark should be summoned to come and defend himself.

In his ruling, Justice Kolawole, said he could not form an opinion on the issue having not read the said publication. He said the application by Jacobs was rare as he has never had the possibility of inviting someone who is not a party to a case pending before him.

Kolawole however noted that it was an abuse of court process to make pre-judicial comments and that the freedom of expression is not an absolute right.

Two applications are pending before the court, one brought by counsel to Delta state seeking for extension of time to respond to an application and another by Femi Aina on behalf of Olalekun Bayode, seeking to be joined as a party to the case in ‘public interest’. Bayode through his counsel said he wants the money held in trust because all the recovered loot had not been accounted for by the federal government.

The case has been adjourned to November 19, 2012 for ruling on the pending applications and continuation of hearing.

Justice Kolawole had on July 24, 2012 granted an interim order forfeiting to the Federal Government $15m said to have been received by the EFCC from an undisclosed agent of former Delta State Governor James Ibori in 2007 as a bribe to compromise its investigation.

The money has been kept in the strong room of the Central Bank of Nigeria as an unclaimed property since August 2007.

The order which followed an ex-parte motion brought by Federal Government triggered a rash of claimants after the publication of the order pursuant to the hearing of the motion on notice for the final forfeiture order.

The Forces against Reform – by Gabriel Zowam

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Aliko Dangote

This year, 2012, our entire Federal Government budget (which has continued to depend only on oil) is about N5 trillion, while India is expecting $70 billion (N10.5 trillion) from software exports alone (mind you, not all exports, just software exports)!

Perhaps we should remind ourselves of where both India and Nigeria are coming from! In the 1980s, when the Delta Steel Company (DSC) was being built by a consortium of European companies, and Mecon of India was serving as consultants to DSC, Mecon seconded many of its experienced engineers to DSC, who were helping to groom their Nigerian counterparts. While these highly experienced expatriate Indians were chauffeur-driven in brand new, air-conditioned, official Peugeot cars, people in DSC were usually surprised to hear of how some of them were receiving letters from their home office, informing them of the approval of their motorcycle loans! This was at a time fresh Nigerian graduates looked forward to buying new cars after just a few years of working. This was before our present “tokunbo” mania!

India has since then transformed into one of the sensational BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies, while Nigeria is retrogressing deeper into poverty, which according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has worsened from 54.7 in 2004 to 61.9 in 2011! Our State governors are busy bickering over statutory allocation, while their counterparts across the world are aggressively harvesting the infinite opportunities created by globalisation! While we remain on revenue allocation, the world is already witnessing the emergence of a new set of “MIST” economies, which includes Indonesia!

The real tragedy is that even with the pitiable state of our nation, our entrenched interests are still fighting viciously to ensure that nothing is changed! More tragic is that they are using the rest of us, to bring down anybody that tries to change things! As we shrug at, or even support, the troubles of Aruma Oteh and her reforms at SEC, Bart Nnaji and his power-sector reforms, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and his monetary reforms, and Deziani Alison-Madueke and her oil-sector reforms, what are we really doing? We are helping our entrenched interests to ensure that nothing changes, and to deal with each officeholder that refuses to toe their line!

I would like to take us back to the CBN’s banking industry reform of 2004 (under Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo) because of the enduring lessons it seems to hold for our situation today! The most significant aspect of that reform was the decisive deadline it gave to our grossly undercapitalised banks, to recapitalise to at least N25 billion, or lose their licences! Prof. Soludo was almost hounded out of office for daring to advance that policy!

The criticisms that greeted the policy were unusually scathing, with merciless and often hateful condemnations raining on Soludo from all sides, and questioning his competence for the CBN job! Ironically, the attacks were coming from us, not directly from the threatened bank interests. For example, in a very powerful essay, “The Facts that Soludo Left Out”, by Dr. Ayo Teriba, one of Nigeria’s most influential financial experts, after attacking the policy, had charged: “… As a highly respected scholar, the CBN governor will do well to publicly retract his utterances in these regards, in the spirit of academic humility. Consequently, he should withdraw his proposal that all banks must raise their capital bases to N25b …” Similarly, one of Nigeria’s most respected columnists, Simon Kolawole, in a piece titled “Soludo, Banking is not Ludo” charged: “The impression I get is that Soludo has just entered a new terrain, and without acclimatising, he has dived headlong into the unknown …”.

In the end, it was only President Olusegun Obasanjo’s “stubborn” backing of his reformer that saved Soludo and that reform at that critical time, in clear defiance of the National Assembly and all opposition! This not only sent a clear message of the President’s seriousness with reform, but also served as a Presidential inspiration to his reform team that was daring to say “enough is enough!”

That recapitalisation or consolidation ended up changing dramatically the incentives driving our banking sector, and not minding the abuses that later occurred, making a profound impact on our nation, some of which I need to recall here! Our banks that had previously lacked the capacity to meet the funding requirements of serious businesses causing the likes of MTN and Econet to source most of their funds overseas, could now come together to offer local syndicated facilities to blue chips! CBN data showed bank credit to our core private sector rocketing from N1.19tn in 2003 to N4.9tn in 2007! Banking in Nigeria moved from the realm of rent-seeking and “glorified trading in foreign exchange”, to real banking! The consolidation also capacitated the industry to make required investments in modern technology, which heralded new banking platforms that finally moved us to a new era of any-branch banking (where you could now walk into any branch of your bank, and get served as fully as if in your own branch)!

It was also the consolidation that capacitated the banks to achieve the nationwide branch expansion that the government had been demanding since the 1980s. We saw bank branches exploding nationwide, with brands such as Zenith and Oceanic particularly expanding phenomenally! The impact of this was phenomenal on the economy. The number of depositors surged! Bank deposits surged to N5.4 trillion in 2007, from only N1.4 trillion in 2003 (CBN figures)! New ancillary businesses mushroomed overnight to meet the swelling needs of these expanding banks (in the areas of networking, systems integration, media and branding, security services, etc).

Qualitative employment naturally exploded for Nigerian youths, as the expanding banks and their ancillary-service providers snapped up young Nigerians in large numbers! The story was the same in our capital market, where the recapitalisation spurred a spate of public offers, private placements, and daily transactions that drove the market to unprecedented indices, boosting business, industry and employment; and creating wealth for investors. All the earlier apprehensions of labour unions about consolidation became unfounded! Instead, we saw the gradual re-emergence of Nigeria’s middle class!

So optimistic did our national outlook become, that Goldman Sachs’ research report for 2007 listed Nigeria among its ‘Next 11’ group of countries expected to catch up to the fastest developing BRIC economies! That reform might even have been most providential, considering what could have become of the Nigerian economy if the global meltdown that soon followed had met us with a financial sector driven by fragile, undercapitalised banks!

I am sure the people at CBN will have a lot more to say about the benefits of that consolidation; but the point of highlighting them is to help us see the kind of progress the nation is denied each time our powerful vested interests hound and bring down any officeholder that dares to change things! The scenario is replaying itself with many of our present officeholders that are trying to change things- Aruma Oteh, Bart Nnaji, Alison-Madueke, etc!

For example, consider our oil sector: Some of the most transformational initiatives of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (where exciting clouds with real earth-shaking potentials are gathering) are coming from that sector! For the first time, an industry that had operated in the darkness of powerful untouchables is being fundamentally ripped apart! What many Nigerians don’t realise is that all the unprecedented revelations and debates we are seeing today in that industry are coming because somebody, rather than simply toeing the old line, is daring to change things! In January this year, we almost dramatically deregulated the downstream sector, in an initiative whose impact (had it succeeded) might have liberated the industry from the grip of a few individuals, and dwarfed our Soludo and telecoms reforms! Although Nigeria temporarily lost that battle, it was still a highly significant ministerial initiative!

Similarly, the all-important Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which had clearly forgotten the destination of the 12-year journey it started since 2000 with President Obasanjo’s “Oil & Gas Reform Implementation Committee” (OGIC), is now suddenly contemplating reality! This means that all those years of regulatory uncertainty, blocking billions of dollars of oil-sector investments, are coming to an end! Again, for the first time in our petroleum history, we now have a “Nigerian Content Development Act”, which has transformed the capacity for local participation in the sector. All these are happening simultaneously with other reforms, including the quiet construction of a massive, unprecedented gas distribution infrastructure, which among other things, is bringing reality to the power plants that previous governments had constructed across the country without provision for gas supply (it is only in Nigeria we can do that)!

The budget for that infrastructure project did not disappear into private pockets, as with our past turn-around maintenance projects! Nigeria’s new emerging gas infrastructure now includes one of the biggest pipeline projects ever in this country, which supplies gas to the 700 megawatts power plant at Olorunsogo, Ogun state! Clearly, our oil industry is seeing something more serious than the cosmetics it was used to! Perhaps, the next round of public hearings will finally unearth the identities of the powerful individuals that allocated Nigeria’s oil wells to themselves and their children!

I have never met our Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Deziani Alison-Madueke, nor any of her assistants; and it is not for me to make her case. But if transformation is what Nigeria desperately needs, Madam Minister has shown unprecedented guts in taking it to our hitherto untouchable oil industry! The vested interests are highly alarmed and fighting back, trying to cow her with denigration and vicious criticisms! Of course, she cannot be this daring, and expect anything less! But all of us should know that Nigeria’s future is crying for her success!

Above all, the President must continue to boldly support the few members of his cabinet who are daring to change things! The transformation of our nation and even the legacies of his Presidency will come from them! He deserves our commendations for his efforts on Aruma Oteh, whose untold sin could be her reforms at SEC, which have so much upset the establishment.

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•Gabriel Zowam is a reform & process improvement expert.

PDP Members On War Part With Tukur Over ‘Briefcase’ Politicians, Need To Defeat APGA

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*congress re-affirms state exco

The Anambra state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has
told the party’s national chairman, Alh Bamanga Tukur to be wary of
those it described as “briefcase politicians” who have no positive
political value or essence, if the fortunes of the party in the state
would be restored.

Addressing the delegates at its mid-term state congress at the Emmaus
House, Awka auditorium at the weekend, the state chairman, Prince Ken
Emeakayi whose executive was re-elected said they have taken the
onerous task of re-positioning, refocusing and repackaging the party
for future challenges. He reiterated the need to rout the All
Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) form the Awka Government House in
the state in the next election.

The chairman cautioned the leadership of the party at Wadata House
under the watch of Tukur to avoid the mistakes of the past which
eroded the hitherto overwhelming popularity and successes of the party
in the state/zone. This, he noted was as a result of listening to
self-made elders, leaders, stakeholders, sponsors, conveners and or
such high-sounding empty names who serves no proper use to the
collective interest of the party.

The chairman charged all elected ward and council executives to work
hard to return the party to its winning ways in the next round of
elections in the state. He also urged them to disregard any story on
the direction the party is going in the state, stressing that all the
political parties in the state, including PDP are facing one form of
challenge or another.

He reiterated that the emergence of his exco when the former chairman,
Chief Emma Nweze resigned on July 15, 2011. That since then it has
been a hectic battle to liberate the party’s grassroots from the hands
of the ‘briefcase politicians’ who had held it hostage for so long.
That attempts by political traducers to discredit his exco have come
to naught, adding that that two separate court verdicts affirmed the
validity of his exco none of which was appealed against and that the
party headquarters, the Police and the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) were formally written on the midterm ward, council
and state congresses, without objection.

Chairman of the congress committee and one of the founding fathers of
the party, Chief Okey Muo-Aroh went down memory lane on the
the emergence of PDP in the country. He observed that majority of
those now having stranglehold on the party were never members of the
party until recently. But that unfortunately they are now the regular
faces in PDP offices and governments.

He charged both the Tukur leadership and the members to ponder on the
irrelevance of the briefcase politician and where they were when PDP
lost the occupancy of the state’s Government House for about 8 years
now.

 

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