US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns arrived in Tripoli, a week after a deadly attack on the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.
Burns flew into the Libyan capital where he was due to meet new Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagour and Mohammed Magarief, head of the national congress, Libyan government officials said.
He was also scheduled to attend a ceremony commemorating U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, who died in last week’s consulate attack in Benghazi, they said.
Stevens and three other Americans died when gunmen attacked the U.S. consulate and a safe house. The attackers were part of a crowd that blamed the United States for a video posted online that mocks the Prophet Mohammad.
A top U.S. counter-terrorism official told Congress on Wednesday the assault on the consulate was a “terrorist attack” that may have had an al Qaeda connection.
Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speak at campaign stops in Iowa
MADISON — President Barack Obama has widened his lead over GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Wisconsin, according to two polls released Wednesday.
Obama dramatically expanded his lead in the new Marquette University Law School Poll, which showed him leading Romney among likely voters, 54 percent to 40 percent. The same poll showed Obama with a much narrower 3-point lead over Romney in late August, 49 percent to 46 percent, before the two parties’ political conventions but shortly after Romney had picked U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville to be his running mate.
Another poll by Qunnipiac University, the New York Times and CBS News, also found Obama widening his lead in Wisconsin, which is widely considered a tossup state. Obama led among likely voters in that poll by 6 percentage points, 51 percent to 45 percent. Late last month, the same poll showed Obama with a narrower 2-point lead over Romney, 49 percent to 47 percent.
The Marquette poll surveyed 601 likely voters from Sept. 13-16. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points among likely voters.
The Quinnipiac poll surveyed likely voters in three states — Wisconsin, Colorado and Virginia — between Sept. 11-17. It found Romney was running about even with the president in Colorado, while Obama held a 4-percentage point advantage over Romney in Virginia. That poll surveyed 1,485 Wisconsin likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percent.
Both polls featured live interviewers who called cellphones as well as land lines.
Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette poll, cautioned that the partisan makeup of those polled had shifted from previous polls. He said that in September, Republicans made up 27 percent of the likely voter sample, a decrease from about 30 percent in previous Marquette polls, while Democrats made up 34 percent, up from an average of 32 percent previously. Independents made up 37 percent of the September participants, the same as their average for the year.
The Democratic polling firm Public Policy Polling (PPP) found Obama leads Romney among likely voters by just 1 point, 49 percent to 48 percent, in its latest poll, released Monday. The PPP poll surveyed 959 likely voters.
“Across the three polls we have seen so far this week, the Obama lead has increased,” Franklin said.
The Obama campaign said Wednesday it continues to expect Wisconsin to be a battleground.
“We have always said that Wisconsin will be more competitive than it was in 2008 at the presidential level, and that assessment has not changed,” said Gillian Morris, spokeswoman for Obama’s Wisconsin campaign. “Neighbor to neighbor, door to door, we have been discussing the clear choice in this election for months and will continue to do so in the final weeks of this campaign.”
But Republicans pointed to Obama’s upcoming visit to Milwaukee on Saturday, saying it proves his campaign is floundering here.
“President Obama’s upcoming visit to Milwaukee, paired with ad buys to be released next week show a President desperate to hang on to a state his campaign once thought was safely in their camp,” said Nicole Tieman, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee. “In November, Wisconsin voters will choose a new direction and prove them wrong.”
It seems unbelievable, yet it is true. History has been made, with a teenage secondary school graduate winning election to become the youngest ever parliamentarian in African history.
Proscovia Alengot Oromait, 19, last week won election to become a member of the parliament of the east African country, Uganda. She is also the second youngest in the world, according to NTV. New Vision reported that the youngest-ever elected MP was Anton Abele, an activist who was elected to Swedish Parliament at age 18.
Oromait (shown in photo) was planning to go to the university but changed her mind and went into politic after her father, Michael Oromait, a member of parliament in Usuk County, eastern Uganda, died last July.
A report in Ugandan news website New Vision said that the young girl beat eight other candidates to win the seat in last week’s ballot, earning more than double the votes of the nearest runner-up.
The Associated Press (AP) described Oromait Junior’s election as a boon to President Yoweri Museveni’s ruling party, the National Resistance Movement. The international news agency however quoted some Ugandans as describing her election as inappropriate since she is just out of high school.
“I don’t think she was prepared for this. She had even never voted,” Nicholas Opio, a political analyst in Kampala, told the AP.
Michael Mukula, an MP and one of the ruling party’s deputy chairmen, told the AP: “I am a bit concerned and taken aback because of her lack of experience and lack of exposure. This is not a constituency you want to give a child of that age to shoulder.”
Arik Air the nation’s largest carrier has suspended further operations within the Nigerian airspace indefinitely over what it describes as incessant harassment by officials of the aviation ministry and Federal Airport Authority of Nigerian, FAAN.
The airline will be relocating to Sierra Leone and Niger Republic where it will operate as their local/national carrier. Following this development, the airline has grounded all aircrafts in her fleet leaving air travellers stranded across the nation in the absence of a national career.
What this means is that only AERO CONTRACTOR & IRS airlines are available for commercial air travelers in the whole of Nigeria.
I hope Mr Labaran Maku and the army of journalists undertaking the “Good Governance Tour” in order to verify the much talked about dividends of democracy will make time out of their busy schedule to visit the airport in order to access the level of transformation!
Some analysts say that exports had fallen in July by as much as 40 per cent, hitting a sector that counts for four-fifths of Iran’s foreign revenue.
Iran’s Oil Minister said on Wednesday that crude oil exports are rebounding after being hit by a European embargo in July, describing for Parliament the strategies by which the Islamic Republic says it is countering punitive measures imposed by the West over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Rostam Qassemi did not provide figures. But some analysts say that exports had fallen in July by as much as 40 per cent, hitting a sector that counts for four-fifths of the country’s foreign revenue. His comments carried by the semi-official Mohr news agency appear part of wider efforts by Iranian officials to show that Iran can ride out the sanctions.
“We have no problem selling our oil,” Qassemi said. “Iran’s crude oil exports are increasing. With the increase in exports, the way has been paved for more currency income.”
The minister told legislators that Iran has found ways to provide insurance to tankers carrying Iranian crude oil to Asian customers, bypassing one of the legal obstacles aimed at discouraging companies from buying and trading in Iranian oil.
“Foreign contractors imposed insurance sanctions on oil tankers. Now we have bypassed those sanctions. Currently, there is no problem to providing insurance to tankers carrying Iran’s crude oil,” the semi-official Mohr news agency quoted Qassemi as saying.
He did not provide details, but Iran had earlier said it was setting up private insurance companies — a possible way by which the country is using its ample oil earnings to offer incentives to offset sanctions.
The US and Europe have imposed a range of sanctions on Iran over nuclear activities that the West claims are aimed at developing a weapon. Iran says its programme is for peaceful purposes.
The International Energy Agency says Iran’s oil exports plunged to 1 million barrels a day in July from 1.74 million barrels a day in June after an embargo by the European Union, which accounted for around 18 percent of Iran’s exports.
Crude oil exports account for about 80 per cent of Iran’s foreign revenue.
The 27-nation European Union stopped all contracts with Tehran on July 1. Meanwhile, the US has been pressuring Iran’s key Asian oil customers such as China, India, South Korea and Japan to look to other suppliers.
China, India, Japan and South Korea are among Iran’s most important oil export markets. The US has exempted its allies South Korea and Japan from US sanctions after they significantly reduced their imports of Iranian oil.
India and Japan are already offering government-backed insurance for ships carrying Iranian crude in order to bypass European sanctions.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Kano state chapter has observed and identified some laudable infrastructural projects going on in the metropolitan area of the commercial city of kano state. We have also looked at other human development projects being championed by the Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso’s government. In as much as we commend the Governor for his desire to transform Kano, we are taken aback by what has been proven to be absolute abandonment of Sabon Gari axis, an enclave exclusively reserved for the non-natives in kano.
As the apex Igbo cultural organization in Kano, and taking cognizance of the fact that over 90 per cent of the inhabitants of Sabon Gari in Kano are Igbos, we frown at the Kano state government’s tactical refusal to arrest stark lack of infrastructural facilities in Sabon Gari where its inhabitants contribute to about 40 per cents of tax generation and other levies in Kano State, with high concentration of commercial activities.
Over the years, Sabon Gari Kano has been relegated in terms of infrastructural and social facilities such as public schools, government hospitals, portable water and good road etc.
We can recall that there used to be about 10 public schools within Sabon Gari. But now, they have been abandoned and converted to commercial shops under the supervision of government agents. It is, indeed, worrisome that today, there is no single functional public school in Sabon Gari. As a result of this, our people pay through their nose to see their children through primary and secondary schools. Even at occasions where the state government runs scholarship programmes, none of our people benefit from the scheme. This is so because it is difficult to send our wards to public schools outside Sabon Gari because of their curricula which are guided by the dictates of Islam.
Also, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is concerned over the inability of successive governments in Kano state to build even one maternity hospital within the area. This is, indeed, a bad situation in an area that has about two political wards. We can recall that in 1988, there used to be a maternity hospital located on France/Court Road Sabon Gari Kano, but was later demolished at the orders of Government agents and was bought over by a certain Kano business man who converted the maternity hospital to commercial shops.
Pregnant women within Sabon Gari are subjected to the exploitation of private hospitals who continue to hike their bills; and those who cannot afford it take risk as they are forced to trek to the city hospitals, even in the night or live at the mercy of quack local doctors or nurses. As a result of this, the rate of maternal mortality continues to rise among non-indigenes resident in the state.
Kano has one of the biggest water treatment plants at Tamburawa axis, very close to the city. We are aware that the Kwankwaso government has taken steps to improve water supply within the Kano metropolitan city, but what beats our imagination is the inability of the government to include Sabon Gari in the water scheme. In Sabon Gari Kano, the taps are dry; and residents have resorted to other alternatives like bore-hole and water vendors who charge and over-charge buyers. Conservatively, Sabon Gari residents spend over N50 million on daily basis buying water which ought to have been one of the obligations of the government.
Motorists in Sabon Gari Kano see hell on the roads every day, despite the fact that the master plan of the area was among the best designed by the late Commissioner of Police, Audu Bako’s government who was the first military administrator of Kano state in the late 60s. Since after the Audu Bako regime, successive governments in Kano have not rehabilitated one single road inside the heart of Sabon Gari, except Igbo Road and Festing/Burma Road which are usually used by politicians to campaign in the area during elections.
Over 50 roads within Sabon Gari have been in deplorable condition, despite the billions of Naira being generated by both Fagge Local Government and the State government from the area. Whenever it rained, motorists and pedestrians in the area go through pains as they struggle to maneuver waters lodges, floods and pot-holes. Drainages in Sabon Gari are in bad shape; and anytime it rains, resident are exposed to communicable diseases, as dirty running water over-flow and flood the compounds. Motorist in Sabon Gari change tyres on weekly basis owing to consistent punctures because of bad roads. Even in the face of this neglect, agents of Kano State Environmental Agency storm the area on daily basis with intimidating security, destroying people’s property with reckless abandon.
We can also recall that during the Governor Kwankwaso’s electioneering campaign in 2011, he had taken residents and stakeholders of Sabon Gari in confidence, promising to alleviate all these problems facing the area; but to our greatest surprise, for over one year running, the Kwankwaso government has not done anything in this direction, even when it is too glaring that residence of this area are suffering. We had expected that the Sabon Gari problem would have been included in Kwankwaso’s maiden budget owing to the fact Sabon Gari residents gave him the votes that gave him victory over the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) government.
Then the pertinent questions remain: has Governor Kwankwaso forgotten so soon, the promises he made to non-indigenes, particularly, Sabon Gari Kano residents? Why is it that successive government in Kano has refused to address the nagging problems facing non-natives in the state? Or is it that the Kwankwaso has special hatred for non-natives in the state, because by this systematic marginalization, one cannot but conclude that the Kano state government is deliberately suffering inhabitants of Sabon Gari simply because they are non-natives?
From our observation, the only ‘good thing’ the Kwankwaso government has done is to appoint non-native Special Advisers without recourse to the relevant of the characters to the community they ought to represent. Taking the Special Adviser of South-East Affairs as a case study, Ohanaeze Ndigbo can categorically state that such appointment was not made in faithfulness and sincerity. We say this because we have not seen any single project being under taken by the Special Adviser that can have direct impact on the Igbos in Kano. Most Igbo stakeholders in the state do not even know that they have a representative in the state government; and Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Kano officially declare such appointment as a ploy to deceive the Igbos and make it look as if we are part of his government. whereas we are not.
As stakeholders in Kano, Ohanaeze Ndigbo demand from the Kwankwaso Government, the plans he has for the Igbos and non- natives in Kano. We control a reasonable percentage of commercial and business activities in the state. Kano is estimated to be the highest population in the country and this is not by accident because Ohanaeze can boast of four million Igbos resident in Kano, despite another huge number of our people that visit the city on daily basis for business activities. We believe that we belong here. Kano gets huge amount from the Federal Government monthly allocation to states, and this is due to its acclaimed huge population of which our people are part of.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo, hereby urge the Kwankwaso government to map out a project for the Igbos and Sabon Gari residents in terms of road construction, provision of portable water, security of lives and property, health-care centres and schools for our children etc. We make an urgent call on the governor to alleviate the sufferings of our people. We chose to use the media because Governor Kwankwaso does not give listening ear to non-indigenous stakeholders. We have severally written him for a meeting to discuss issues such as these without getting a reply from him. We do not know if it is part of his policy to shun talks with non-natives or that his handlers deliberately and consistently shield the letters addressed to him.
Yours faithfully,
For and on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo,Kano State Chapter.
The recent caricature of Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in an American video has provoked anger across the Muslim world. Demonstrations of disapproval of the caricature continued throughout last week. The violent one recorded was in Libya where the American consulate in Benghazi was attacked and the Ambassador there killed.
Reactions of Muslim leaders and commentators throughout the Muslim world are unanimous in condemning the use of violence as tool for expression of opinion or anger in this case. So we also join them to express our disapproval on the violence that led to the killing of the Ambassador and his staff. The blasphemy was the act of an individual, not the country.
This will certainly not be the end of blasphemy against the Holy Prophet by people who have the least regard for his noble personality. It has been a recurring decimal since the advent of Islam. The Qur’an itself has predicted its tenacity to the present time and beyond:
“You (Muslims) shall certainly be tried and tested in (the loss of) your wealth and lives and you certainly receive from the People of the Book and the polytheists a lot of insults. But if you are patient and God-fearing, that will be the most determining factor (for your success).” (3:186)
There are, therefore, bound to be further expressions of anger in any such instances from the Muslim world in the future. This was not the first. The Danish and French cartoons of the Holy Prophet in the early 2000s, and before them Rushdie’s Satanic Verses in 1989, are still fresh in our minds. This will certainly not be the last, especially given that the reaction of Muslims is now predictable from the trend that emerged since the Satanic Verses. Far right and extremist groups that are interested in widening the gap between the West and the Muslims world have now in their hands an assured recipe for provoking havoc.
Whenever such reaction occurs in the future, we pray that it will not lead to further loss of life or property. The Holy Prophet himself would not have approved the killing of a diplomat in his domain. His heart was certainly bigger than that. He has received diplomats even from hostile countries but never has he ordered the execution of any. As President Mursi of Egypt said, diplomats are guests and they deserve our utmost protection.
America on its part should see the loss of the Ambassador as an unfortunate incident and play restraint. Libya is still volatile, very unstable. Anything can happen to anybody there. Gangs still have a free hand. Personal safety measures are paramount, but especially among foreigners. Where an established, stable central government is absent, the posting of diplomatic staff need to be seriously evaluated not only on the balance of strategic interest but also on that of personal safety of the diplomats that will be posted there.
Now, beyond the condemnation of violence, one could say, after listening to several commentators in several English and Arab channels that the whole world, including the American government as clarified by its foreign affairs spokesman on BBC Arabic television channel last night, recognizes the right of Muslims to demonstrate as an expression of their anger against the blasphemy. This is an era of democracy and no opinion should be suppressed.
The point, however, is not much about the expression of opinion by Muslims only. Their anger is mainly directed at America – even among those who do not support al-Qa’ida or Sheikh Omar Abdurahman – because they perceive that it has not shown any resolve to stop the rising tide of blasphemy against the Holy Prophet, the Qur’an and Islam generally in its territory as it stood firmly behind the UN resolution against anything that disputes the Jewish narrative of the Holocaust. As an Egyptian commentator said on BBC Arabic, a way of getting round the problem is for Muslim countries to propose a UN resolution that makes blasphemy against the Prophet a crime. Would America support it or veto it?
However, such a resolution, I suggest, should include the protection of all holy places and personalities belonging to all religions. Here, the Muslim world itself, to tell the bitter truth, has some unfinished work in its domain. We have recently witnessed the most unfortunate destructions of Muslim tombs in Somalia, Mali and Libya in the name of Monotheism. An historic idol of Buddha in Afghanistan was also destroyed under the Taliban regime in 2000. The mutual respect and tolerance of Islam for divergent beliefs and ways of worship are what made such sites and structures to survive in the Muslim world for the past 1400 years. Respect is a three dimensional: the one we have amongst ourselves, another we give to others and the third we expect from them.
Yesterday, MBC 2 showed the Da Vinci Code in which Jesus was portrayed as having a relationship, and even a child, with a female disciple of his. MBC is Saudi financed channel, if I am not mistaken. When the Satanic Verses were published, the Kuwaiti government had substantial shares in the Penguin Books that published it. I am raising these points just to plead for prudence on the part of the Muslim World.
The blasphemy of Basil is not different from that committed by the Danish and French journalists before. When the debate over the Danish cartoons broke out, I published a discourse titled In Defence of Muhammad. Though it was Eurocentric in its references, I think there is no need to rephrase the arguments again. I hereby reprint it for the benefit of my new readers. Those who have read it before may also wish to refresh their memories on its contents.
The Action Congress of Nigeria has described President Jonathan as blinded by power and insensitive to the sufferings of ordinary Nigerians.
In its reaction to President Jonathan’s condemnation of last January’s fuel hike protests as sponsored by the opposition, the party in a statement issued in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, wondered how a President who enjoys everything free at the expense of tax paying Nigerian can insult the sensibility of suffering Nigerians on their right to protest an unjust fuel hike.
According to the party the President’s attack on Nigerians who resisted the imposition of unjust price hikes and the organisers clearly portrays him as a President who is hostage to his thoughts and one completely out of touch not only with ordinary Nigerians but also with universal trends, because in Egypt during the Spring protests, in Thailand when the Red Shirts took over Bangkok, in the the United States of America during the Occupy Wall Street, protesters were fed and provided with water blankets and medicine.
It may interest President Jonathan and his minders that those involved in the January fuel hike protests were lawyers, doctors , businessmen, bankers journalists, artistes, the clergy and other accomplished Nigerian professionals from all walks of life.To claim that this class of Nigerians were lured to the protest ground because of a bottle of water and food is to say the least not only uncharitable but also a reflection of the shallowness of the thought process of the President’s advisers and handlers, the party said.
In conclusion the party admonished Nigerians not to be bullied into submission by a government who is always too ready to find a scapegoat for its incompetence and to be ever ready to protest and speak out against any unfair and unjust government decision, and if President Jonathan’s government feels uncomfortable with this, it should organise its own solidarity protests and supply the rented crowd truckloads of water and expensive food.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Azubuike Ihejirika has commended the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for strengthening the cordial relationship between the military and the civilian populace in the state, saying he is committed to partnering with the state government to enthrone good governance in the state.
Speaking at the commissioning of a number of projects built by the state government and donated to the Nigerian Army, including a network of roads at the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army; five blocks of twenty-five classrooms including a hall, ten toilet facilities and a borehole at the Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport, also in Benin City, the Army chief said “the President would be happy that while he is transforming the country, you are transforming the state.”
According to General Ihejirika, “we have commissioned a series of projects built by Edo State Government and donated to the Nigerian Army. The group you have targeted are the leaders of the nation. By transforming the school, you have transformed their lives.
“The excitement demonstrated by the pupils and parents also demonstrates the excitement in the Army. It is impossible for the federal government to rehabilitate all the schools in the barracks. It is against the background that we appreciate what the governor is doing in the barracks and in Edo State.
“The commissioning is a representation of other projects in other barracks. We have also seen the furniture and the governor has promised to build the primary school. I have no doubt about his ability to do it because of his antecedents.”
On his part, the Governor noted that the military are part of the society and are entitled to benefit from what the Government provides for others in the socirty.
He said he is convinced that a soldier would perform his duties better in ensuring the security of lives and property if he is assured of quality education for his children, saying “I believe the least we can do for the future of Nigeria is to give our children quality education.
“We must restore integrity to public schools so that children of the poor will not have inferiority complex on account of his attendance of public school.”
The Army Chief also commissioned a network of roads in the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army and 4 Brigade Medical Centre.
Among those who joined the entourage of the Army chief were the General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Major-General MD Abubakar; Provost-Marshall Nigerian Army, Major-General Raphael Isa, Commander 4 Brigade, Brig-General Abel Umahi, Commander 81 Air Maritime Group, Air Commodore Umar Atiku; Commanadant Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport, Benin, Brig-General Nienge; Director, Miltary Intelligence, Major-General Tijani Jubrin, the Commissioner of Police, Edo State, Mr Olayinka Balogun, among others.
The All Nigeria Peoples Party [ANPP] National Chairman, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, last weekend received the Certificate of Incorporation of the ANPP, United States of America Chapter, in Newark, New Jersey, presented to him by the Chapter’s Protem Chairman, Chief Mike Okey Amuzie.
While speaking at the occasion, Dr Onu revealed that based on findings arising from contacts made and visits to some States, it was clear that many Nigerians resident in the USA are interested in joining the ANPP, and then charged the ANPP USA Chapter to continue to work hard until the ANPP becomes a household name among Nigerians resident in the USA.
His said, ‘‘I am particularly happy to be physically present in this historic City of Newark in New Jersey, United States of America to personally receive a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation of our great Party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the USA. On behalf of all members of our great Party, I congratulate you for this achievement and urge you to work hard until the ANPP becomes a household name among Nigerians resident in the USA. I also commend you for acquiring an office premises for the Party.
‘‘I am confident that if you continue to work as hard as you have done, you will be able to build a very strong chapter of the Party in the USA. Based on findings arising from contacts made and visits to some States undertaken by me, it is clear that many Nigerians resident in the USA are interested in joining our great Party. You should open your doors wide to bring in men and women of character and integrity to help us build a great Party. You should also look out for those who left the Party and urge them to return to their political home.’’
Dr Onu also assured the ANPP party men and women in the USA that the party is now in ongoing talks with other opposition parties in a bid to wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], while the new ANPP is also spearheading a shift from politics of personality to issue-based and ideas-driven politics in the country.
His words; ‘‘The ANPP is a great Party. We were born with great expectations. We have had our problems, but by the grace of God we are on our way to recovery and growth. We will not rest until the ANPP is turned around and working with other opposition political parties is able to form government at the Center for the good of our people and the greatness of our nation.
‘‘For too long, the politics in our country has been based on the politics of personality. This has unfortunately emphasized the things that divide us instead of the many and noble things that unite us. This regrettably has introduced instability, disunity, intolerance, chaos and disorder. The ANPP does not support this. We want politics to be issue-based and ideas- driven such that Nigerians will once more be one people in one nation under God.
‘‘Our great Party believes in a stable, united, peaceful and prosperous country. We do not support violence in any form. We want all Nigerians to be below the law such that no Nigerian can be above the law. We believe that no Nigerian home should have anyone who is unable to read or write. We believe that the primary responsibility of government is to provide security for its citizens such that Nigerians should be able to go to bed with theirs eyes closed.
‘‘We believe that the greatness of our nation should be measured by how well we look after the weak, the disadvantaged and the poor among us. We believe that justice breeds peace and peace breeds prosperity. We believe that government ought to concern itself with the provision of the necessary conducive environment needed for all Nigerians to exploit their talents and potentials to the fullest.
‘‘Our great Party is fully aware that the Nigerian public will not take us seriously if we criticize the ruling party in the morning, only to go ahead in the afternoon to do the same thing we consider improper. Hence in our primaries and conventions we have been fair and just allowing our Party Constitution to remain supreme. Those who have been allowed to fly the flag of the Party in the various elections have been the choice of members of the Party. This explains why intra Party conflicts and cases in court involving our members have been reduced to the barest minimum.’’
The one-time Presidential aspirant and former Executive Governor of the old Abia State recognized that the root of Nigeria’s political problems is inability to conduct truly free and fair elections, as he also expressed his optimism that the country’s current myriads of problems is surmountable when Nigerians, both home and abroad, come together to work for the common good while not wavering in a belief in the integrity of the country and not losing respect for each other.
‘‘ I urge you, in your membership mobilization exercise, to encourage all Nigerians resident in the USA who are interested in contesting elections in Nigeria and would want free and fair primaries devoid of manipulation, to join the ANPP. We are interested in instituting internal democracy in our Party as a way to reassure Nigerians that our Party is ready to run government efficiently at the federal level, afterwards you can only give what you have. We know that our inability as a nation to conduct truly free and fair elections is at the root of many of our problems. When we are able to fix our political problems, we will then be able to fix many of the other problems that confront us as a nation.
‘‘For our country to realize her full potentials and win the admiration and respect of other nations, Nigerians living both at home and abroad must come together, think together and work together for the common good. No matter how bad the conditions at home may be, those of you resident abroad should continue to believe in our country. There is no problem which our dear country has, that we as Nigerians working together cannot solve. We should also never forget that in the end it is all of us, Nigerians that can truly solve the problems of our country. Let us all believe in our country, because no matter how dark things may appear today, once we can do the right thing the brightness of tomorrow will certainly shine. The Protem Chairman, Chief Mike Okey Amuzie, should not relent. We wish him and his team God’s continued blessings.’’
