Rescue Nigeria, save us from another civil war, Igbo leaders tells Buhari

Ahead of next week presidential election, Igbo Leaders
in the 19 northern States yesterday declared support for
the presidential candidate of the All Progressives
Congress, APC, General Mohammadu Buhari, urging him
to rescue the country from being run aground by
President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Leaders who paid a courtesy visit to Buhari at his
presidential campaign headquarters in Abuja noted that
impunity and indiscipline had become a common
phenomenon in today’s Nigeria.
Coming under the umbrella of Igbo Delegates Assembly,
IDA, the group which was led by its President-General,
Chief Sam Demian Enyama also had the Eze Udo, its
traditional arm made up of the traditional rulers of Igbo
communities both in the north and the Federal Capital
Territory, FCT, Abuja.
Speaking at the occasion, the presidential-General, Chief
Eyama described Buhari as a man of impeccable
character who is disciplined and result- oriented.
Dispelling religious sentiments against Buhari, Eyama
urged Ndi Igbo nationwide to rally round Buhari and
vote for him on March 28, saying that he would address
most pressing needs of the regions in the country.
Speaking on behalf of Eze Udo, Eze Uche Egenti said
that Nigerians especially the Igbo would not want to
experience another civil war.
Observing that the country was heading to the brink of
collapse under president Goodluck Jonathan, Egenti
asked Buhari to come to its rescue.
He said “ We are here to support your aspiration to
become the president of this country. We know that it is
easier to work with you because of what you stand for.
We are not ready to be plunged into another civil and
we are pleading with you to help us organize Nigeria
again. We want discipline to reign again.
“We want to plead with you to help galvanize Nigeria
once more. Let discipline reign again in Nigeria. Let the
polity be sensitized. A lot of people have complained
that the issue about you is religion but we know you are
not a religious bigot. You are a very firm articulate
officer of the Nigerian army. In 1983 when Nigeria was
at a verge of collapse, you came in and rescued it.
“We are here to affirm our support on the use of the
permanent voters card, because it will bring credibility
to the election. We are here to tell you that the Igbo’s
are behind you.”
A notable Igbo leader and chieftain of APC, Chief
Ogbonnaya Onu who also spoke at the event that
attracted the presence of the party’s national chairman,
Chief John Oyegun and other senior party officials said
that the essence of the meeting was to reassure Buhari
of the support of Igbo people.
According to him, the train of APC was in motion and
could not continue without the input of the Igbo.
Onu also dismissed the insinuations that Buhari was a
religious bigot whose interest was to Islamize the
country if elected president.
Affirming Buhari’s forthrightness, Onu who was a former
governor of Abia State stated that the APC presidential
candidate has distinguished himself with his track
record and offices so far held.
Meanwhile, in a manner seen by many as unseal,
Buhari, while responding to the plea of the visiting Igbo
leaders took time to explain what the meeting meant to
him.
He also, perhaps for the first time, revealed why he
joined politics and at such the opposition.
The former military Head of State who went memory
lane revealed how the military government saved a
fortune for the country only to be squandered by the
ruling People’s Democratic Party.
Buhari who also preached peace and unity among the
tribes in the country recalled how property and shops of
the Igbo communities in the north were secured during
the civil war, also dismissed the speculations that he
was a religious bigot.
Below were his responses on most of the issues raised
at the meeting:
How the meeting was brokered
“This meeting is an act of God because we had agreed
on our programmes since but Chief Ogbonnaya Onu
came to me and said that this meeting must take place.
I tried to get out of it by going through the programmes
with him and telling him that I have visited 35 states
excluding Yobe and because of the additional unsolicited
six weeks grace granted, another programme was drawn
to conduct some town hall meetings.
I told him that, we were scheduled to go to Owerri and
Onitisha to meet the Igbo leadership and business
community. So, why not let us merge the two events?
He said no, these are Igbos from the 19 Northern states
and eventually, I gave up and said let it be done at the
expense of our break.
I have no regrets holding this meeting because he
educated me about this organization in the respective
states which I was unaware of. He told me the details
and I appreciate this organization because of your
experiences especially when crisis happened in this
country.
North/south relationship during the war
I could recall the good old days. When it was Christmas
and new year, virtually, all businesses closed up in the
north especially in Kano. Business would not resume
until the Igbos return to their businesses. After the
interruption of the civil war, I must admit that the
elements of the first republic civil service were good
because to the best of my knowledge, wherever Igbos
had property in town, there were committees in the
respective towns.
The properties were repaired, given for rent, an account
opened for them. After the war, the Igbos came back
and claimed their property and the savings made.. I
thank the civil servants of those good old days because
the committees were developed with very clear and firm
terms of reference and the properties of the Igbos were
looked after and they claimed them back. I think they
did well. I think that I am the only Army officer to
command three of the four Nigerian Army divisions.
Again, from 2nd Lieutenant, all the Command and Staff
appointments I don’t think I missed any.
My colleagues were Col. Ugokwe, GC. Ojukwu and they
can bear testimony to that. On the political side, I
became governor of the north east which is now six
states and spent three and half years in Ministry of
Petroleum, twenty months as Head of States and 40
months in detention eventually. I think I have seen quite
a lot in Nigeria.
Why I joined politics
After going top and sliding down, why did I join politics?
There were two reasons which I have mentioned on
several occasions. I have to bore you with this because
I don’t want you to slow down on whatever you are
doing. Keep on trying, God will repay you one way or the
other. I was sitting at home after I got out of detention
and thought people would leave me alone. I didn’t even
build a filling station, not to talk of owing an oil block
and so I thought I had lost their sympathy.
But they kept coming to me and there was nothing I
could do and then I speculated that maybe when I get
into partisan politics, I would get into a position to be
heard and then something happened in 1991 and the
Soviet Union collapsed. They were the first to go into
space and in terms of nuclear war heads and
conventional forces, they were superior to NETO .
It just collapsed and people just went home and now,
there are 18 Republics in the old Soviet Union. That was
when I decided that the best form of governance is
multi party democratic system with a big proviso that
elections must be free and fair. Other wise, the whole
thing will be a sham and it is in pursuit of that, that I
am on my fourth attempt to get the highest office.
I am not a religious bigot
In the fist three attempts, I ended up at the Supreme
Court because I believe in the system. There is no point
believing in a system and conducting yourself
haphazardly. I am telling you that I am fulfilled because
when I decided to join politics in April 2002, I joined APP
even though there was PDP and they were in
government.
But I went into the opposition even though there were
governors, senators, members of the House of
Representatives in the party, but the following year, they
gave me the ticket and what did I do with the ticket? I
got the late Chuba Okadigbo to be my running mate and
by that, I blew the mind of people about my tribal or
religious position. In 2007, I picked Chief Ume Ezeoke
and again, he was Igbo.
So, I dispel any question about my being a religious
bigot or a tribalist. Later I picked Pastor Bakare and
now, I am running with a Pastor, Prof. Osinbajo. The
issue of religion has been taken into account in this
country.
Why we insist on free and fair polls
I am very grateful to Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu for organizing
this meeting. I am even more grateful that the
leadership of the Igbo community in the north decided
to turn up. It is important that we continue to make
sure that we are broadminded. The beauty of this
system is what I have mentioned already.
Let the government respect Nigerians and individuals
and allow them to choose and elect those they want to
lead them. If that is done, Nigerians will be surprised
about how peaceful this country will be. I think that in
every human being there is an element of rebellion. If
you try to force a human being to do something he
doesn’t like, he will develop a way of resisting it.
But if you develop a system and persuade him to accept
the system, then, Justice must be done and you will be
surprised how peaceful you will live. But if you try to
force it, I am afraid that you will keep on suffering.
PDP has destroyed Nigeria
Look at what we have suffered in the last 16 years.
Most of you are business people and always out there.
Maybe you don’t even need computers because your
head is just like a recorder. You import and know the
exchange rate. Where were we 16 years ago when PDP
took over this country and where are we now?
How much was the Naira to the Dollar then and how
much is if now? Does it mean that you will not sell the
things that you have in your shop now because people
cannot afford them because the Naira is now about
N230 to the dollar? I think that as a community, You
are more affected in Nigeria than anyone else. You are
the ones that go from Singapore to China and all over
the world to make the contacts and order things.
You don’t order them in Naira, but in Dollar or Pounds
Sterlings or Yen. Now, you need trailer load of Naira to
maintain your businesses. Remember what we earned
from 1999 till now. But then, where is the Nigeria
Railways that we have been talking about? Where is the
Nigeria Airways?
Where is the Nigeria Shipping line? Where are the roads
and where is the money we earned? There are States
now that haven’t paid salaries for months. Corrupt PDP
governors cannot even pay salaries. I don’t think you
can support this type of government anymore. It will be
impossible because the worse has almost happened. If
everybody is impoverished, what do we do? Do we eat
grass?
Three things APC government must do
What we identified in APC are three fundamental things
that are relevant. We hope, God willing, if we get into
government, having campaigned on those three
fundamental issues, we will deliver on those three
fundamental issues so that you can physically see. I
think that those who are really poor and live in the rural
areas hardly have anything to lose, but you who criss-
cross the world using your resources, when you are
grounded, you feel it harder. It is a fact of life.
What are the three things we identified? First, security,
then the death of the economy as a result of which
there is mass unemployment and; third one is
corruption.
Throughout my visit to 35 states, I mentioned these
three things and nobody ever challenged me on them.
We cannot continue like this because this is our
country. No sentiment and nothing should make us
change our mind. We just have to get rid of PDP and
start building Nigeria again.
How military saved economy
In 1983, when we came in, we felt that change had to
take place because I was involved in the military
government that handed over to the second republic and
as Minister of Petroleum, I was holding one of the most
important appointments. The military handed over a
relatively, materially and physically secured country to
the second republic.
In four years, three months, if anybody told you that he
knew how much debt Nigeria incurred after spending
what the military left, he was telling you a lie because
when we came, because of the debt Nigeria had
incurred, we had to put in place two committees, one
local and one foreign to help find out how we incurred
the debt and how we were going to pay for it.
Together we will rescue Nigeria
So really, the question of patriotism is a very serious
issue. The damage has been done. You are in a position
under the system to make a difference and I am
appealing to you to make sure that this difference is
made. We are not doing anybody any favour. We are
doing a favour to ourselves because we have no other
country than Nigeria.
I am very happy with your kindness in coming to Abuja
to see me and to support the APC. I assure you that
you will not regret it. We are patriotic. Nigeria is our
country. We have no other country, but
Nigeria.Together, we will salvage it.

LAGOS 2015: WHO HOLDS THE ACE? SEE THE RESUME OF AMBODE AND AGBAJE

But for the desperate, last minute shifting of the polls
earlier scheduled for this month at the behest of
Nigeria’s military high command, acting obviously on
behalf of an embattled President Goodluck Jonathan and
his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), state governorship
and House of Assembly elections would have been
taking place today across the country including Lagos.
The electoral battle in Lagos would have been a two-
way affair between Mr Akinwumi Ambode of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr Olujimi Agbaje of
the PDP. Both men are household names in Lagos. Their
posters, billboards and other souvenirs dot the
landscape of the Centre of Excellence. Their variegated
messages dominate both the electronic and now
ubiquitous social media. They have a new date of
engagement scheduled for March 11th if the electoral
magicians do not abort the elections once more.
Jimi Agbaje is not new to the Lagos State governorship
race. In 2007, he contested for the position on the
platform of the Democratic Parties Alliance (DPA).
Despite having run what was widely considered a
brilliant and innovative campaign, he emerged a distant
third in that election to the incumbent, Mr Babatunde
Raji Fashola (SAN). The latter’s widely adjudged two-
term brilliant tenure comes to an end this May. Some
analysts contend that Jimi Agbaje is contesting on a
firmer, surer, more solid platform this time around. Even
though, the PDP has never succeeded in supplanting the
progressives from power in Lagos since 1999, it is still
perceived as a more viable dais for competing
effectively in Lagos than Agbaje’s defunct DPA.
Yet, others argue that the PDP platform is indeed Jimi
Agbaje’s albatross. Agbaje is often described as a good
candidate running on a rotten platform. The PDP has
monopolised power at the centre since 1999. In the
period, it has controlled the bulk of the country’s
resources. Yet, all the country has to show for it is
illusory statistical growth without concrete content in
terms of their material well-being. Indeed, under the
PDP’s watch, Nigeria lies humiliatingly prostrate and
subject to mass poverty, hunger, chronic insecurity,
monumental corruption, unbearable unemployment,
unbelievable impunity and utter ignominy in the comity
of nations. Can Agbaje convince the people of Lagos to
entrust their fate in the hands of a party with such a
deplorable record of performance especially given the
undeniably impressive strides the state has taken under
the guidance of the progressives in the last 16 years? It
is improbable.
It is possible to argue that there is really no big deal
about Agbaje jettisoning his professed commitment to
structural change in Nigeria throughout his political
career only to pitch his tent with a PDP so obviously
committed to maintaining Nigeria in her current
dysfunctional shape and structure. After all, political
vagrancy and promiscuity have become part and parcel
of our political culture and no party can self-righteously
cast the first stone against the other. In any case, have
the Afenifere old guard not assured us all that President
Goodluck Jonathan will implement the recommendations
of the moribund National Conference if he is re-elected
for a second term in office? Of course, this is sheer
baloney.
The Jonathan National Conference was an illegal and
illegitimate contraption, a sheer waste of time and
resources and a wily tactic for an administration running
out of options to buy time. If the Jonathan presidency
could do nothing concrete with the National Conference
report when it had near total dominance of the National
Assembly, is it now that it is much more considerably
weakened in both chambers that it will get the
recommendations of the conference through the national
legislature? Anyone who cannot see that Dr Jonathan
enjoys the centralized and excessive powers of the
Nigerian state and presidency as it currently exists to
genuinely desire any meaningful structural change in the
country deserves a doctoral degree in political naivety.
But then, the thrust of this piece is to seek to find out in
who’s hands – Agbaje or Ambode – it will be safer and
wiser to entrust the almost one trillion dollar economy
of Lagos State especially at this crucial period of the
state’s evolution? A careful examination of the
curriculum vitae of the two candidates as gleaned from
their respective websites should give us a clue. Let us
start with the PDP candidate, Mr Olujimi Kolawole
Agbaje. He was born on March 2, 1957, to late Chief
Julius Kosebinu, a banker and Mrs Margaret Olabisi
Agbaje, a teacher. Agbaje obtained his secondary school
education at St Gregory’s College, Lagos, and graduated
as a pharmacist from the then University of Ife (now
Obafemi Awolowo University). Agbaje’s CV does not tell
us what he did between his graduation from Ife and the
setting up of his company, JAYKAY Pharmaceutical and
chemical company in 1982. However, he was Managing
Director of the drug manufacturing and distribution
company between 1982 and 2005 when he decided to
venture into politics. Again, we have no indication of the
net worth of the company or the expansiveness or
complexity of its operations under Agbaje’s guidance.
Agbaje served as a Member, Pharmacists Council of
Nigeria (1999-2006); National Secretary, Nigerian
Association of General Practice Pharmacists
(1987-1990); National Chairman, Nigeria Association of
General Practice Pharmacists (1987-1990) and
Chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Lagos
State Branch (1994-1997). Other non-executive public
service appointments Agbaje has held include Member,
Lagos State Task Force on Fake and Adulterated Drugs
(1989-1993); Member, National Drug Formulary and
Essential Drugs List (1986-1993); Member, Lagos
Hospitals Management Board (1994-1999). In addition
to being a Faculty Member of the African Centre of
Leadership, Strategy and Development Centre, Agbaje is
a Merit Award Winner of the Lagos State Chapter of the
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Fellow,
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Fellow, West
African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists. Agbaje
has participated in various international programmes
including the Executive Management Programme at the
Wits Business School, Johannesburg, Cape Town
Business School, South Africa and the World Health
Organization training course on good manufacturing
practice in the pharmaceutical sector.
Now, what about Mr Akinwunmi Ambode? Born on the
14th of June, 1963, at Epe General Hospital, Epe,
Ambode had his primary school education at St Jude’s
primary school, Ebute Meta. His father served as a
teacher in Lagos State before retiring after 34 years in
service. Ambode passed the National Common Entrance
Examination in primary five and gained admission into
the Federal Government College, Warri. Ambode
recorded the second best result in West Africa in the
Higher School Certificate Examinations in the Social
Sciences in 1981. At the age of 21, Ambode graduated
with honours in Accounting from the University of Lagos.
He scored a double when he both qualified as a
Chartered Accountant and completed his M.Sc degree
programme in Accounting from the University of Lagos
specialising in Financial Management at the age of 24.
Ambode started his public service career in November
1985 as Accountant Grade 1 at the then Lagos State
Waste Disposal Board (now Lagos State Waste
Management Authority). Over the next 10 years, Ambode
acquired considerable experience serving as Council
Treasurer in several Local Government Areas of Lagos
State including Alimosho, Shomolu, Mushin, Epe,
Badagry and Ajeromi-Ifelodun. In 1988, Ambode earned
the award of the United States Fulbright Scholarship for
the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program in Boston
University, Massachusetts, on Public Leadership with
emphasis on Finance and Accounting. In 2000, Ambode
was appointed as the youngest ever Auditor-General for
Local Government in Lagos State. Thereafter, he was
elevated as the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of
Finance in January 2005 and in February, 2006 he was
given the additional responsibility of Accountant General
of Lagos State. At the time, he was the youngest
Permanent Secretary in the service and only the second
person to hold both positions of Permanent Secretary
and Accountant General at the same time.
Under Ambode’s leadership, the State Treasury Office
(STO), raised the state’s budget performance at an
average of 85% annually, ensured payment of civil
service staff salaries before the end of each month,
launched the e-platform for the payment of monthly
staff salaries, ensured prompt payment of gratuity and
pension arrears of the State Universal Basic Education
Board and Local Government old pensioners. Apart from
initiating and sustaining the annual retreat for Heads of
Accountants in the Lagos State Public Service as well
as Local and International training for staff, Ambode co-
organised the first ever National Tax Retreat in
association with the Joint Tax Board/Federal Inland
Revenue Service in 2005. He was the Chairman of the
Technical Committee that produced the Lagos State
Economic, Empowerment Development Strategy (LEEDS)
document and helped achieve the feat of clearing and
publishing arrears of statutory audits of Local
Governments in Lagos State from 1995 to 2004 within
12 months. His financial ingenuity has been publicly
acknowledged as a key factor that enabled Local
Governments in Lagos State survive the illegal seizure
of their statutory allocation for over one year by the
Obasanjo administration.
Ambode is an Alumnus of Wharton Business School and
also attended courses at Cranfield School of
Management, Cranfield, England, Institute of
Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland,
INSEAD, Singapore and the Harvard Kennedy School of
Government, Boston, Massachussetts, USA. On
voluntarily retiring from the Lagos State public service
in August 2012, Ambode successfully transited to the
private sector by establishing Brandsmiths Consulting
Limited, a company that is presently consulting for
Federal, State and Local Governments on the transition
to the new International Public Service Accounting
System and offering other financial advisory services.
These then are the profiles of two illustrious and
accomplished sons of Lagos State seeking the consent
of Lagosians to pilot the affairs of the state after
Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola’s distinguished tenure.
Who has the requisite experience and expertise to build
on current achievements and lift Lagos to a new
pedestal of excellence in a world characterised by
unpredictable financial and economic turmoil? I leave
the answer to you, dear reader.

NIS recruitment exercise! At last, President Jonathan fulfills his promises

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Friday in Abuja
presented letters of employment into the Nigerian
Immigration Service to members of the 15 families who
lost sons and daughters during the Service’s recruitment
exercise last year.
At a brief ceremony in the Presidential Villa, President
Jonathan gave letters of employment to 33 members of
the bereaved families. Employment had been offered to
three members of each bereaved family, but some of the
bereaved families are yet to present qualified members
to take up the offer.
In his remarks at the occasion, the President said that
he was deeply saddened by the death of their relatives
in circumstances that were completely avoidable and
unwarranted.
President Jonathan said that the Federal Government
was fully committed to ensuring high standards for
recruitment processes into the public service, and the
provision of safety measures to avoid the recurrence of
the March 15, 2014 incident which claimed many lives.
“Today is a sad day for all of us. First, let me convey
our deepest condolences to the families who lost very
young people during the recruitment exercise into the
Nigeria Immigration Service. “It is quite regrettable and
we promise that such a thing will never happen again,”
President Jonathan said.
President Jonathan apologized for the delay in fulfilling
the promise of employment to members of the bereaved
families, explaining that employment into the public
service must go through some processes.
Cheques for an undisclosed amount were also given to
each of the bereaved families at the occasion. “The
cheque is not for compensation. You cannot replace
somebody with any amount of money,” the President
said.
Speaking on behalf of the bereaved families, Yunusa
Imam thanked President Jonathan for the cheques and
letters of employment. “We thank you, Mr. President for
the promises that you have kept. We are profoundly
grateful,’’ Imam, a guardian of one of the victims, said.
Reuben Abati Special Adviser to the President (Media
and Publicity)

I have no plan to sack workers in Osun’ —- Governor, Rauf Aregbesola

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of
Osun has debunked the rumour that Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola is planning a massive retrenchment of senior
civil servants on grade level 12 and above, including
other workers above the age of 50 from the state’s
employment after the general elections.
In a statement from the party’s Directorate of Publicity
Research and Strategy, the APC described the rumour
as, “the usual silly spin of falsehood characteristic of
PDP’s evil genius for manufacturing and propagating
wicked lies especially in the State of Osun.”
According to the APC, “at no time did Aregbesola
contemplate to retrench any staff of any grade or age,
and no such thing will be allowed to happen any time
soon or in the future.
“From day one, the policy of “gainful employment” of the
APC governor, Rauf Aregbesola, had been, continues to
remain and will be the intensified mantra of the party in
the months and years ahead.
“The only monstrous obstacle to this policy,” the APC
contended, “is the evil construct of the PDP-led federal
government in starving Osun State of its legitimate
statutory funding.
“Not many people knew, until Governor Fashola of Lagos
State revealed recently, that to further starve APC
states in particular of funding assistance, the PDP
Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala ordered the
banks not to help fund state government projects.
“This kind of frustrating impediment is what the PDP is
using to force states of the opposition to look for ways
to overcome deliberate strangulation, through forced
retirement of workers.
“But the APC government is more innovative and
constructive than the PDP had imagined.
“Rather than contemplate retrenchment as the PDP was
scheming, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is planning the
creation of more jobs for the people; and one of the
ways, indeed the most effective way to achieve this for
Nigerians is to defeat the PDP on March 28 and April 11
Presidential and general election,” the APC said.
“The evil that the PDP has become, through its
promoting of massive corruption in the system, has
brought Nigeria to its knees,” the APC argued, adding
that, “Unless Nigerians as a people remove this obstacle
to their progress and well-being, their suffering will
deteriorate.”
The APC therefore, alerted the people of Osun not to fall
for the lies of the PDP because their purpose is to
mislead, confuse and confound the masses to get them
to vote for this same party that has turned Nigeria into
the hell of a place that it is today
source the nation

Oath of neutrality! 12,000 Ad-hoc staff administered in Taraba state — INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
in Taraba on Saturday administered the oath of
neutrality on the 12,000 ad-hoc staff it trained for the
March 28 and April 11 polls.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that
Magistrate Yazeedu Aliyu of the Chief Magistrates’
Court, Jalingo, administered the oath on behalf of the
commission.
Speaking at the occasion in Jalingo, Mr Fabian Yame,
INEC’S Head of Public Affairs in the state, explained
that the exercise was aimed at ensuring that the ahoc
staff were unbiased.
Yame said the exercise was being carried out in all the
local government headquarters across the state.
The spokesman, who also disclosed that INEC was fully
prepared for the elections, urged all stakeholders to
collaborate with the commission to ensure a peaceful,
free, fair and acceptable polls.
the nation: