Why Gov Lamido is moving against Jonathan

Indications emerged, weekend, that Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State had openly rejected the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

Although there had been speculations in the past that Lamido was unhappy with Jonathan over the way he had been treated by the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the president’s unfulfilled promises to the state, Lamido openly voiced his opposition to Jonathan’s candidacy at a PDP rally in Dutse on Saturday.

Apparently to send Lamido’s message loud and clear to the Presidency, the event which was held at the state capital, was transmitted live via a private television station with national coverage.

Again, to prove his anger against Jonathan, the organisers of the PDP event deliberately and carefully avoided displaying the President’s posters throughout the rally.

On the other hand, the campaign posters of the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state and those of other contestants for the state and national elections were conspicuously and generously displayed.

Besides, rather than await the President to present the flags to the PDP candidates as is the custom of the party, the governor went ahead to perform the event, apparently preventing Jonathan from performing the political tradition just before elections.

None of the candidates canvassed for support for Jonathan throughout the rally, which was well attended by the members of the party in the state.

Vanguard learnt from a top source in Dutse on Sunday that Lamido felt bitter and betrayed by both Jonathan and the PDP for not doing any tangible project in Jigawa State after he had risked his life and those of his family members to work for Jonathan’s victory in 2011.

The source pointed out that the refusal or the inability of Jonathan to undertake any of the four key projects, which he openly promised the people during his 2011 campaign had pitted the governor against the political leaders and people of the state.

President Jonathan, it was learnt, had promised to build a cargo airport in Dutse, rebuild broken federal roads abandoned in the state for over 20 years, construct a dam at Auyo and build a major waterworks in the capital, four promises yet to be fulfilled with less than two months to the next polls.

It was also revealed out of the N15 billion spent by state government on the building of the Duste International Airport, which Jonathan commissioned on October 21 this year, the Federal Government had only chipped in less than a billion.

A top source in the state confided in Vanguard that Lamido was being portrayed as a traitor by most of the citizens, who see him as supporting Jonathan for personal reasons but working against their interest.

2015’ll be tough, says Jonathan

ABUJA — IN clear terms, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, previewed 2015 politically and economically and returned a grim verdict: It may be a turbulent year and there is need for Nigerians to pray.

Speaking at the Christ Apostolic Church, Area I, Durumi, Abuja where he joined other worshippers for the last Sunday service of the year, President Jonathan specifically enjoined religious leaders to pray to God to guide him and other politicians in the country aright so that they will not set the country ablaze through their utterances.

On the drop in the price of crude oil, Nigeria’s main foreign revenue earner, Jonathan admitted that the trend will “affect us in one way or the other” but promised that “the economic team is working very hard to stabilise it and we believe that although there may be temporary inconveniences, it will definitely not bring the economy down.”

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate reiterated that the ambition of anybody in the country was not worth the blood of any Nigerian.

The president spoke on a day Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State urged him and Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential standard bearer, to sign a peace accord for the forthcoming general elections.

A tempting year

According to the president, for every office in the country, there are a thousand and one Nigerians who are qualified to occupy such office, so no politician should think that he is the only qualified person for the office.

His words: “Next year is a tempting year for us. Election year in Third World countries is always a turbulent year with all kinds of predictions. I, however, believe that God who brought us to this level will see us through.

“All that I will request of you is to continue to pray for us politicians, myself and other politicians from all political parties, for God to guide us in our utterances and what we do so that we will not sacrifice the lives of Nigerians because of our ambitions.

“Nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. Pray to God to give us that wisdom and mind to make sure we conduct ourselves in a way that will not set the country ablaze because of our personal ambitions.

“There are so many good Nigerians that can hold the offices we are occupying or aspiring to occupy, it is by privilege of God that we are here in positions to ask for the mandates of Nigerians.

“None of us should begin to think that he is the best person to be anywhere from state houses of assembly to the Presidency. There are a thousand and one Nigerians that are super qualified more than those people who are even aspiring to occupy offices.

FROM LEFT CHIEF OF STAFF TO THE PRESIDENT, BRIG-GEN JONES AROGBOFA (RTD) PASTOR MSHELLAOF ASO VILLA CHAPEL; MOTHER OF THE PRESIDENT, MRS EUNICE JONATHAN AND PRESIDENT GOODLYUCK JONATHAN AT A SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICE AT CHRIST APOSTOLIC CHURCH AREA 1 UABUJA (28/12/14)

“Pray for us that God should give us the wisdom to conduct ourselves in a manner that at the end of the day, this country will triumph.”

Essence of leadership

Emphasising that the essence of leadership is to serve the country and its people, Jonathan said any person seeking to lead would not encourage the killing of people he seeks to lead or the destruction of their property.

He said: “The development of Nigeria is what all of us want. If every aspirant has the mind to develop the people, then you do not need to kill or maim people to get there. You do not need to kill the people you want to develop in order to get to the office you want except if you are aspiring for that office for a different reason.

“If the idea is to help the people, grow the economy and make the people happy, you won’t want to kill, you won’t want to maim or burn down houses, vehicles and property.”

Nigeria’s challenges

Acknowledging that the country is under going a lot of challenges, the president hoped that the country would overcome the challenges.

“We are facing a lot of challenges now as a nation. The challenges did not start today but somehow, instead of abating, the problems started increasing for one reason or the other. But I am convinced that it would have been worse than this but for your prayers. With the prayers you continue to offer to God, God will see us through,” he said.

Jonathan also acknowledged that Nigeria, as a nation, had not reached where it ought to be, saying his administration had put in place policy measures that will begin to bear fruits in the next four or five years and change the face of the country.

He said: “Those who are taking pains to look at what we are doing will agree with us that if we progress as a nation steadily in this manner, in the next four or five years, this country will be a better place.

“Only a few days back, the Vice President was in Port Harcourt to flag off the Eastern railway. The Western one moving from Lagos to Kano has been running. We will start using the modern one from Kaduna to Abuja by the first quarter of next year and the one from Port Harcourt.

“We relied on agriculture before the oil boom or doom and all that died. We are reviving it and the whole world has appreciated that we are moving forward in agriculture. When they start something, people do not see the benefits immediately. We know that as a nation, we have a lot of challenges in terms of getting jobs for our young graduates and we have set up a lot of programmes that can create job opportunities for our young men. The result may not be obvious immediately but God willing, job opportunities will continue to increase and many more young people will be engaged.”

We’ll work hard to make polls violence-free — APC

However, the APC has assured Nigerians and the international community that it will do all in its power to make sure that the 2015 general elections are violence-free, saying the rising apprehension about the polls among the populace is inimical to the conduct of a successful election.

In a statement issued in Lagos, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said its efforts should be complemented by the PDP-led Federal Government, which has a propensity for using the security agencies to harass and intimidate the opposition and ordinary citizens.

It also said the Federal Government should take necessary measures to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible, since rigging and other acts of electoral malfeasance constitute the immediate trigger for anger and violence during and after elections.

It said: ”We have heard from Nigerians who are so afraid about possible violence during the forthcoming elections that they are even willing to relocate to other countries until after the elections. But, as the biggest opposition party in Nigeria and a major stakeholder in our nation’s democracy, we are assuring, on our part, that there will be no violence.

”Though our party has no history of violence, we have commenced a nationwide effort to sensitise our members and supporters to the need to eschew rancour and embrace non-violent methods, even in the face of the kind of provocations to which we were subjected during the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, when our members were needlessly harassed, arrested and detained by partisan security agencies acting under orders from the Federal Government.

”If the Federal Government allows a level playing field for all contestants, if the security agencies stop acting as the armed wing of the ruling PDP, if the electoral umpire will carry out its duties without fear, favour or bias and if citizens are allowed to exercise their franchise unmolested, the stage will be set for a non-violent, free, fair and credible polls. In other words, the government has a major role to play in making the forthcoming polls peaceful.

”On our part, in addition to other efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful election, we pledge to accept the result of an election that is not only free, fair, credible and transparent, but one that is also seen to be so. We hope other parties will make a similar pledge.”

The party said it demonstrated, during its recent rancour-free and festive national convention in Lagos, that elections should be a celebration of democracy, rather than a moment of fear, violence and threat to lives.

It said far from mere rhetoric, it had taken practical steps, as far back as May 2014, to work with the PDP to ensure violence-free polls in 2015.
APC said: ”Following up on a meeting of representatives of both parties in Washington, DC, US, April 7-8 2014 under the auspices of the CSIS Nigeria Election Forum, at which it was agreed that a joint meeting of both parties be convened to discuss and agree on the crucial issue of a Code of Conduct for the campaigns and the elections, we wrote a letter to the PDP suggesting a bipartisan meeting to address the issue.

”The PDP agreed to the proposal and suggested that it should be expanded to include the leadership of other political parties in the country. However, problem with logistics meant that the meeting did not hold.

”Even with the little time left for the election to hold, we strongly believe that a meeting of the leadership of the two political parties, the APC and the PDP, will send a powerful message to our compatriots and indeed the international community and douse the tension that is building up ahead of the election.”

Jonathan, Buhari should sign peace accord — Lamido

In like manner, Governor Lamido advised Jonathan and Buhari to sign a peace pact on 2015 election.
The governor made the clarion appeal in Dutse, weekend, while formally launching campaigns for all PDP aspirants of the state at Aminu Kano Triangle.

Stressing that Nigerians are over-stretched and should not be victims of political violence again, Lamido said the two candidates should sign that in case anyone of them lost 2015 general election, his followers will not throw the country into anarchy and should anyone fail to keep the pact, he will be liable on conviction.

His words: “Nigeria and Nigerians are over-stretched and tired of political crisis, they are saying they can no longer tolerate any political unrest because of the interest of two persons. I want General Buhari (retd) and President Jonathan to commit themselves in writing in case there is crisis in any part of the country after the presidential elections.”

Lamido said the 2007 post-election crises which claimed many lives and property should serve as a lesson.

On Clark, Dokubo Asari

The governor further expressed concern over unguarded and inciting utterances from people like elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark and Alhaji Mujahideen Dokubo Asari, saying their utterances were threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria and the peace and security of the nation.

“On many occasions, when Clark or Dokubo talked, they threatened that if President Jonathan did not win 2015 presidential election, Nigeria will break, and they always regard Northerners as parasites.

“Let me warn that nobody will intimidate us no matter the position he is holding or his influence in the society. Our people have been killed, our economy has been destroyed, we have been pushed to the wall. Whoever touches us again, we shall march and dare him, to protect our interest and our region.”

Sack Keshi now — Taye Taiwo

Super Eagles defender, Taye Taiwo, has made an unusual declaration saying Coach Stephen Keshi is not fit to continue as the national team coach especially after his failure to qualify the country for the Africa Cup of Nations starting next month in Equatorial Guinea.

The Turkey-based defender said based on precedence, it was only normal for the Big Boss to be relieved of his job after the AFCON miss.

“Everybody in Nigeria knows that when Siasia did not qualify everybody from the media, the fans insisted that they have to sack him, so it is normal that when a coach does not qualify for the Nations Cup or the World Cup he is not allowed to stay on. I am sorry to say that; they have to sack him (Keshi),” Taiwo said.

“Nigeria is not just for one person, if a coach does not qualify you for a competition why do you have to keep him?” he questioned.

While many will be quick to conclude that the hard stance of Taye Taiwo on Keshi may be linked to his exemption from national team duties, the former Olympique Marseille of France stalwart claimed he had no grouse with anyone over his national team snub, but insisted that if it pleases God for him to still represent Nigeria he would definitely do so.

“Please don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with Keshi, Amokachi or even the NFF. The players that have been called are also doing fantastically well, everything is in the hands of Allah. If I get the chance to play for Nigeria I will, if not, life goes on,” Taiwo said.

Indeed the debate for Keshi to remain as the national team handler is one of the most controversial issues in the Nigerian sports circle in 2014.

It is not yet known how the situation will finally pan out as there have been conflicting signals coming from the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, which is evidently foot-dragging on whether to give Keshi  a new contract or hire a new hand to steer the national team.

For now, Assistant Coach Daniel Amokachi is in the saddle having been given the mandate to lead the Super Eagles team in the two upcoming friendly matches against Ivory Coast and Mali in Abu Dhabi in a fortnight.

How my father made me a suicide bomber — 13-yr old suspect -

KANO—The ancient city of Kano was thrown into shock yesterday following the confession of a 13 years old suicide bomber arrested by the police at the wake of twin bombblast that rocked the city textile market over how she was conscripted as suicide bomber by his biological father.

14 years old suspected suicide bomber

The suicide bomber who identified herself as Zaharau Babangida told a bewildered city dwellers that ‘it began one day when my father took my mum and I to a forest in Bauchi where we met people claiming to be working for God”.

In her confession, the frail looking Zaharau said “in the Bauchi forest I met some other girls who I guessed were my age mate and their leader told us to give our lives to God and enjoy the bounties of heaven’.

I was not moved by the soul searching preaching of bounties in the heaven and it was at this point, their leader resorted to threat and intimidation to obtain my consent. We were shown a deep hole where the leader of the group threatened to bury us alive at a point if any of us refused to play along, and at another time he picked a big gun and threatened to shoot anyone who fails to obey his command.”

Zaharau who told reporters that she hailed from Damaturu, the capital city of Yobe state explained that “it was at this point my father stepped forward to persuade me to play along, and told me to prepare to die as martyr and clear the way for him to join me soon”.

The 13 years old girl who spoke fluent Hausa dialect further said “when I was confronted with option of death, I chose to play along hoping to find an escape route one day”.

Speaking on the Kano bomb blast, Zaharau Babangida said “I and two other girls were conveyed to Kano and quartered at the outskirt of the city by a man I could hardly remember his name, and this same man conveyed all of us to the market square and deployed us at strategic positions at Kwari market on the day we struck.

“I was taken aback when my partners were shattered to pieces barely a second after they detonated. I then rushed out of the scene to pick a commercial rickshaw to a hospital in Dawanau area of the city for medical treatment, and doctors were already attending to me when the driver of the Keke NAPEP resurfaced and showed me a metal object and requested to know whether it was mine of which I answered in affirmative.

“I told him the object he dangled before me is a bomb and its mine, and in no time armed soldiers picked me from my sick bed to their headquarters.”

Earlier in the day, the Department of State Security Services and the Nigerian Police had paraded her as one of the suicide bombers that attacked Kano textile market December 10.

The Commissioner of police, Adelenre Shinaba who was flanked by the state Director of SS, Mr. Basey Ettang explained that the arrest was as a result of synergy among the security agents in the state.

Meanwhile, a suicide bomber who rammed into a military check point in Bajoga, Gombe State in an attempt to perpetrate mass killings of troops and innocent civilians, yesterday failed to accomplish his mission, the Defence Headquarters’ has said.

According to a statement signed by the Director of Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade, the attempt by the terrorist to escape also failed as he was brought down by vigilant soldiers when he tried to flee after hitting a military Amoured Personnel Carrier with his IED laden Honda car.

The explosives which failed to detonate have been evacuated and handed to the police.

Also in Kano, security forces have raided the terrorists’ hideout in Nasarawa Local Government Area leading to the arrest of bomb making experts who are already helping in the investigation into activities of bombers lately.

Officers believe that the efforts will yield useful clues.

Meanwhile, the Military High Command has directed troops deployed in all locations of the counter terrorism campaign to sustain the tempo of operations all through the period of seasonal celebrations and ensure that the intention of terrorists to attack civilian target while avoiding troops is duly frustrated.

Bloody Monday: Bombers hit Gombe, Bauchi, kill 30

IG orders deployment of strike units for Christmas

GOMBE—NO fewer than 20 people lost their lives with 25 others sustaining various degrees of injuries in yesterday’s bomb blast at Dukku motor park in Gombe.

In like manner, 10 people were killed yesterday evening in a  blast that occurred at the ever-busy Central Market in Bauchi with scores sustaining serious injuries.

Eyewitnesses said a female suicide bomber carried out the act as a fully loaded bus was about to depart. The bomb was planted near the bus, filled with passengers, said Mato Yakubu of the National Orientation Agency.

We evacuated 20 dead bodies –Red Cross
Malam Abubakar Yakubu, Secretary of the Nigeria Red Cross Society, Gombe State branch, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe that members of the society evacuated 20 identified dead bodies and deposited at the Gombe Specialist Hospital mortuary.

He said the 18 that sustained injuries were admitted at the specialist hospital and at the Musaba Clinic.
Abubakar Yakubu said his staff sent 20 body bags to the scene and “they have all been exhausted. We are still looking for more bodies in the carnage,” he told AFP.

BOMBING—Scene of the bomb blast at Dukku Motor Park in Gombe where 20 people died and 25 sustained various degrees of injuries, yesterday. Photo: NAN.

How a lady detonated the bomb –Witnesses
Malam Ibrahim Mamuda, an eye witness and driver at the park, said the bomb exploded around 11 a.m. According to him, the bomb exploded in a  Volkswagen Sharon car and before they realized what was happening, two cars were also burnt.

His words: “We started seeing human parts and blood everywhere, as you can see, there is blood everywhere.”

Malam Ibrahim Labibi, a commercial bus driver at the park, said he saw a young woman who came along with a boy and dropped her bag in the Volkswagen Sharon car.

“It was after she dropped the bag that the car exploded and I myself counted about 21 dead bodies,” Labibi said.

Female bomber disguised as a passenger –Witness
Another eye witness told journalists that the female bomber who disguised as a passenger took advantage of a fully loaded bus which was  departing for its destination.

The source added that she kept a bag filled with explosives in a Volkswagen Sharon car, later left the scene and detonated the explosives from a distance, killing scores of people.

Those who died included hawkers while a couple of vehicles were burnt in the fire that ensued.

19 persons died, 25 injured —Police
Police authorities in Gombe, capital of Gombe State said 19 persons died while 25 were critically injured. Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, of the state police command, DSP Fwaji Atajiri stated that the area had been cordoned off, adding that those taken to the state specialist hospital in the town were responding to treatment.

Violence in the North-East is escalating ahead of the February 14, 2015 general elections, with many concerned that voting might be impossible in large parts of the region.

Gombe was hit by a triple bombing blamed on the Islamists on October 31. The state shares a border with Borno and Yobe, two of the states worst affected by Boko Haram’s five-year insurgency which has cost more than 13,000 lives.

Boko Haram gunmen stormed Geidam in Yobe on Sunday, setting fire to several buildings and forcing residents to flee to the bush, witnesses said.

“They were chanting Allahu Akbar and firing shots and throwing bombs,” said a resident, Adamu Shehu.

“We spent a night in the bush but from afar we could see in the darkness flames and smoke coming from the town,” he said. Geidam is the home town of Yobe’s Governor Ibrahim Geidam and his home was also razed, witnesses said.

The attackers rampaged late into the night and reportedly faced no resistance from the military. While some people fled, others locked themselves in houses that were later torched and locals were going door-to-door to see if any lives were lost.

“Our town is a mess,” said resident Brema Umar, who reported that scores of people had fled overnight, many towards Yobe’s capital, Damaturu, 180 kilometres (110 miles) to the north.

Details of attacks in the remote region often take several days to emerge due to the poor mobile phone network.

10 die in Bauchi market blast

Vanguard gathered that the Bauchi market blast occurred a few minutes before 6pm when people were preparing to close for the day in a shop where the bomb was planted.

At the scene, tension was very high as security agents fired gun shots to scare away angry youths who had started pelting them with stones and other objects.

An eyewitness, who identified himself as Mu’azu Musa, said that he saw charred bodies of victims as they were being evacuated from the scene.

Musa, who said he was an Okada (commercial motorcycle) rider and was by the roundabout near the market when the blast occurred, said that he fell down from his motorcycle when he saw the charred bodies of the victims, adding that he lost consciousness as a result of the fall only to see himself in the hospital.

Red Cross officials evacuated victims to the Trauma Centre of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH).

Speaking with journalists at the hospital, the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Council (CMAC) of the hospital, who is in charge of clinical matters, Dr. Saidu Abubakar Kadas, stated that the actual figure of thecasualties could not be ascertained yet as victims were being brought in.

He, however, assured that the teaching hospital was in a better position to handle the situation as most of its health workers had been mobilised to attend to the victims.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the ATBUTH branch of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals, Idris Ado, a pharmacist, said that the incident was unfortunate and regrettable.

According to him, the health workers who were currently on strike had been directed to report for work tomorrow (today) to take care of the victims.

It’s barbaric — Yuguda
Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, condemned the bomb blast, describing it as an unfortunate and barbaric incident aimed at disrupting the peace being enjoyed in the state.

The governor, according to a press statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Deacon Ishola Michael Adeyemi, condemned the perpetrators of the heinous act, describing them as cowards who were always happy to spill innocent blood without any justification.

He, however, reassured the people of the state that his administration would not relent in its efforts to ensure that lives and property of law-abiding citizens were protected at all cost, adding that the administration had always collaborated with security agents to maintain peace and peaceful coexistence among the diverse people of the state.

I-G orders deployment of strike units, tasks AIGs, CPs on visibility policing for Chirstmas
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, has ordered a nationwide deployment of police strike units for a water-tight security throughout the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Force Spokesman, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, yesterday, in Abuja.

The affected units are Police Mobile Force, Special Protection Unit, Counter-Terrorism Unit, Explosive Ordinance Department, Dog Section and Mounted Troops.

Abba also ordered the police air wing to carry out air surveillance patrols, while the Marine Police should ensure a sustained patrol of all the water ways.

He directed all Zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police in charge of state commands to put in place extended “police visibility and patrols.”

The IG enjoined them to do this taking into consideration the peculiar security situation to enable them protect the citizens as they celebrate.

Abba advised operators of public places such as hotels, viewing and recreation centres to be vigilant and ensure that they properly screen all visitors/users of their facilities during the period.

“Members of the public are also urged to report any suspicious movement in their areas to the police,” he charged.

Police begin sale of admission forms
Meanwhile, the force has announced the commencement of sales of forms for admission into its degree awarding institution in Kano, the Police Academy, Wudil.

A statement signed by the force spokesman, Mr Emmanuel Ojukwu, yesterday, said the sales of the forms began on Nov. 12 and was expected to end on March 31, 2015.

Bill Gates hails Jonathan, Nigeria in fight against polio -

American business magnate and philanthropist, Bill Gates, has lauded the Goodluck Jonathan administration for recording significant success in its fight against the endemic polio virus disease.

The co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, took to his official twitter handle, @BillGates, to celebrate the success, noting that it is one of his favourite stories of the year.

His tweet with an accompany diagram and a website link, reads, “One of my favourite stories of 2014: In just one year, Nigeria went from 50 polio cases to 6…”

Commenting further on his personal note of “Good news you may have missed in 2014”, Gates stressed that ‘Nigeria had a pretty good year’, projecting that the country will be polio-free in no distant time. He said that the infrastructure Nigeria has built to fight polio actually made it easier for the country to contain the dreaded Ebola virus disease (EVD).

“A lot of the media coverage about Nigeria this year focused on two things: Ebola and terrorism. Both are frightening, and they masked the fact that from a global health perspective, Nigeria actually had a pretty good year. Although it’s one of only three countries that have never been free from polio (Pakistan and Afghanistan are the other two), I don’t think it will be on that list for long. Nigeria has reported only six cases of polio this year, compared to more than 50 last year. What’s more, the infrastructure Nigeria has built to fight polio actually made it easier for them to swiftly contain Ebola. The fact that Nigeria is now Ebola free is a great example of how doing the work to fight things like fighting polio also leaves countries better prepared to deal with outbreaks of other diseases,” the co-founder of Microsoft said.

His foundation is at the vanguard of the campaign to end polio in Nigeria.

The Special Assistant to President Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokri, has thanked Bill Gates for acknowledging the bid of the government to end polio in the country, noting that it is one of the transformation promised by his principal. He made this known via his twitter handle, @renoomokri.

Nigeria has not recorded a single new case of the wild polio virus since July. Only six cases have been recorded in Nigeria this year – a dramatic 90-per-cent decline from last year.

This is crucial progress, since Nigeria has been the sole reservoir for the spread of the virus to dozens of other African countries. It would leave Pakistan and Afghanistan as the only remaining countries in the world where polio is still endemic.

A decade ago, the campaign was in serious trouble, as northern politicians and religious leaders spread rumours that the polio vaccine caused AIDS and infertility. In February, 2013, disaster struck again when gunmen killed nine vaccination workers in the northern city of Kano.

Oyo: Why our people are angry with Gov Ajimobi — Teslim Folarin

Immediate past Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin was a two time senator who rose to become the Senate Leader between 2007 and 2011 during which time he was the highest elected office holder from the Southwest. Senator Folarin’s drive for public office, according to him, was stimulated by the relative efficiency of service delivery he saw during his fourteen year stint in the British public service.

In that direction, he was recently adopted as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for the forthcoming governorship election in his native Oyo State. In a session with newsmen in Ibadan at the weekend, Senator Folarin gave an insight into his policy, plans and the political permutations that put him in good position to win the forthcoming election. Excerpts:

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

It is perceived that your party in Oyo State is enmeshed in crisis and that would be a disadvantage to you in the election.

I totally disagree. Can you tell me which party in this state that is not in crisis? The APC which is the ruling party has lost all its senators, literally lost most of the House of Representatives members and everyone is leaving the party but no one is talking about that.

Politics is a game of interests and that is why the battle for the control of the soul of the party has been very fierce.

Yes, some people have left, but some people have also come into the party. This season is like the transfer window among football clubs, there is a merry go round, people are going out, people are coming in.

We are very sad to see people go, but they exercised their fundamental human rights which we respect. Yes, we are also making moves towards reconciliation and I can tell you that it is going very, very well. We plan to call a stakeholders’ meeting next week, to carry people along, to let them know that it is a project for everyone and that it is not a Folarin thing, but a PDP thing.

There is a perception that with the crisis that you now have to compete with Rasheed Ladoja, Seyi Makinde and the governor for Ibadan votes while Alao-Akala would be left to harvest the Ogbomoso votes. Are you worried?

Your assumption is wrong. Sometimes in politics, two plus two doesn’t give you four. Sometimes it gives you ten, sometimes it gives you zero. With all due respect, in Ogbomoso zone who left with Governor Akala? It is not just about names, you must have followers.

There are two members of the House of Representatives in Ogbomoso Zone, the House leader and Odebunmi, they didn’t go with him. The House of Assembly members didn’t go with him. The structure of the party did not go with him.

I was with the leader of the party in Ogbomoso, Dr. Saka Balogun, he didn’t go with him. I don’t want to talk about his move, but I think it is a miscalculation and I really do. But you will be shocked with what happens in Ogbomoso. Let me also note that my deputy is from Ogbomoso, a two time local government chairman and a very popular man. No one really went with him (Alao-Akala).

Why do you want to be governor of Oyo State?

It is something I have always wanted to do to change things. I lived in England for fourteen years and there you see how orderly things are done and you begin to wonder why are things not like this in my country and that was what drove me.

I was doing well in England and I have seen successive governments in Oyo State and for me, they have done nothing, because they didn’t come with plans, they don’t put people in the heart of their policies.

We have the recipe for change. As senator I could only attract projects to my constituency, I didn’t have a red pen, but as governor you could make things happen and make a difference.

One of the things I feel strongly about is education because if you fail there, you miss the boat completely. The other day somebody invited me to a party in a high school and you would think you were in a piggery. I couldn’t believe I was in a school.

We feel very strongly also on the issue of youth unemployment because that was one theme that resonated very strongly during my travels across the state. We have been thinking what would we do? We wont waste our time travelling the whole world looking for investors like previous governments have done.

Enabling environment

We would create the enabling environment, we would create a small and medium enterprises unit in one of our ministries that would focus on how to help small businesses, help the youths. We would also generate a lot of jobs in the agricultural sector.

In Oyo State today, infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the country and it is quite unacceptable. For a population of seven million we have about 135 doctors. So, I think if you ask me, it is down to the government.

Though you were discharged and not found guilty in the killing of Eleweomo, but don’t you think the issue could hurt your aspiration?

The issue of Eleweomo was something that used to make me very angry before, but not anymore. I just feel disappointed that we would stoop to this level where we would play politics like this.

The former governor (Akala) wasn’t inclusive, he excluded me and good people like Senator Balogun, Chief Adejo, Senator Ladoja and he drove Ladoja out of the party.

And because of my position as the arrowhead of the opposition to him….and we were not asking too much from him, just include us and they came up with this plan to frame me. I thought it was very, very unfortunate because I was nowhere near the scene of the incident and I ask, as Senate Leader what was my business with NURTW thug? It just didn’t make sense, if you want to frame somebody do it in a more tidy way. In these days of telephone camera, not a single person has any evidence to say that I did it.

Secondly, they rushed to the press and said that I shot the guy and immediately the autopsy report came, they said he was stabbed. Do policemen stab people?

This government, you have to give it to them, when Ajimobi came to power, he called the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) and asked for the file and he, the DPP said Akala asked them to frame me up and he asked him to go and write the correct report and after he wrote the report, he (Ajimobi) sacked him and told him we don’t want to play this kind of politics in this state again.

Government without plan

I am not a violent person and even for my orderlies I don’t tolerate it when they harass motorists and they know it. I have never killed a chicken in my life. It was all a set up and they locked me up in Agodi Prisons all because they wanted to do their primaries.

Now you have cited the good side of Governor Ajimobi could you please tell us some of his other good achievements and then point out his failures?

I just said what he did about that unfortunate case, but I think that since then he has since completely missed the boat.

If you ask me, I will score him 1½ out of 10 because he came into government without any plan, without any clue of what he wants to do and you can see that all he does is travel to Lagos and when he comes back, he will now say Fashola has built one bridge, let me go and build one too. He goes to Lagos again and comes back and says, they are planting some flowers there, let us plant followers.

That is all he does. Look at critical areas of people’s lives, he hasn’t done anything. Go to our hospitals, they are not fenced, our schools are not fenced. Oyo State, the pacesetter state came 23rd in WAEC!

Even this infrastructure they are talking about, they got it wrong. I was the first person to raise the alarm and when I did it, it was with all sense of responsibility thinking that they will change and this government is so insensitive, lacks human face and basically they are clueless.

Poultry without chicken

I said it is basically like having a poultry that stinks and you say you want to get somebody to help you clean it up and somebody now applies, Ajimobi to be specific, and we say we will give you four years to do it and after two years, his supporters say if you go to the poultry you wont believe how clean it is and we ask what is the magic and we check, the poultry is clean but the chicken are not there!

The chemicals he used have killed all the chicken! But you cant have a poultry without chicken. He hasn’t paid compensation, he hasn’t provided alternatives and that is the truth of the matter.

What we are saying is that they got their balance wrong. He forgets all the time that being in government is about serving the people.

If you are going to plant flowers, yes, it makes everywhere look nice, but if it means that it is going to make some people unemployed, then don’t plant the flower.

Once you dislodge them, not only do you cause economic dislocation, you also cause social dislocation and that is the story right across the state and that is why everybody want him out.

Transport management

Even the bridge they built at Mokola, you get the impression that they only built the bridge so that they can say that Ajimobi built this bridge, but it has caused more misery to people living in that area when simple transport management would solve the problem. You are expanding all the roads, but go to England, they have narrow roads, they have traffic lights.

The point I am making is that you can do the right thing the wrong way. I have given you the analogy of the poultry.

You don’t have to use very strong chemicals to kill the chicken. There is nothing wrong with urban regeneration, in fact, it is something we will continue, but we will do it with a human face.

Do you see the incumbency factor as a challenge to your aspiration?

Incumbency in Oyo State has always been a minus! It means nothing in our state if you look at our history. In other states it is a big factor but in our state if you say you are the incumbent it makes it much easier.

Are you worried that Ajimobi could get on the coattails of Gen. Buhari to get to a second term?

What is our business with Gen. Buhari in the Southwest? All we care about is Ajimobi who has demolished our livelihoods. People are angry that Ajimobi has deprived them of their livelihoods, deprived them of their homes. Look, they have built bridges and all that but why haven’t they conducted local government elections? It is because they know that they will lose.

Are you worried that you would be confronting two former governors and an incumbent governor?

Let me tell you that PDP has the strongest platform whether we are in government or not. This thing you mentioned about the former governors, that is the advantage for me. I am going to tell the people that these people have done it before and they failed you, give me a chance.

Is he loving or possessive? pls answer this great question.

He accesses your social networking accounts, phone calls and text messages on a regular basis. He curbs your freedom and everything becomes subjective to his approval.  He double checks everything you say to be sure you’re telling the truth. He feels extremely jealous about your relationship with other members of the opposite sex and even your male boss. He is in touch throughout the day to be constantly informed about your entire activities.

Now, would you call that true love or possessiveness and jealousy? But what if this ‘true love’ or ‘possessiveness’ goes too far and hinders a woman from living her own life, as it has for most women?

Admitted, every woman wants to feel loved and special, and as such find the aforementioned traits in their partner really exciting- but only at the beginning, as history has shown that it soon cascades into frustration for many.

According to relationship experts who say there is a thin line between love and possessiveness, the latter could be extremely unhealthy for any relationship and often has close to nothing to do with true love.

“Those traits are sheer jealousy and possessiveness, and as such, are part of abuse. They’re indicative that a person feels they own and can control another person. It’s perfectly fine to expect commitment, boundaries, etc., but these feelings are different.  Being uneasy about your partner’s relationship with the opposite sex for example shows a lack of trust, and trust is a vital part of any relationship,” says a relationship counselor.

“Love has very little to do with most people’s possessive nature. More often than not, it’s a man’s insecurity that makes him jealous and possessive. And each time he displays his possessiveness and gets to control his partner’s behavior, it makes him feel more powerful in the relationship,” Peterson, a young man in his mid forties who advised that women should confront every form of possessiveness from the onset added.

In spite of popular belief that partners save themselves a lot of grief and squabbles when they trust concurrently without excessively monitoring one another, some lovers still claim it is very normal to feel jealous and possessive for those they truly love.

“Every partner has all the right to be possessive. If you are in a relationship then you have some responsibilities towards the person you love. And then there are expectations. If you are committed to someone then you are like a part of their soul and a little space in their heart is meant just for you, and it is perfectly justifiable if you do not want to share that space with anyone else. People say that possessiveness can never be a part of true love but I say if you are not possessive of the person you truly love then you actually not love that person truly,” declared a young, married man in his late thirties.

It is however not in the tradition of Woman to Woman, WW, to judge. But whatever your verdict on true love and possessiveness is, we simply advise that a partner be made to understand the need to not suffocate another, right from the onset, as this could enhance stability in any relationship.