New PDP Alleges Plot to Arrest Obasanjo, Atiku, Crack down on Members

Indications that the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has worsened was further established Sunday as the breakaway members of the party under the leadership of Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje alleged that there was a grand plan by the presidency and mainstream party to arrest former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and crackd on its supporters.

The splinter members of the PDP also wondered why Obasanjo would be linked with the ‘New PDP’, stressing that, “We do not know why General Olusegun Obasanjo is being linked with the New PDP. Let us state unequivocally that this foremost nationalist does not in any way – either directly or by proxy – have anything to do with our existence and operations.

“Ridiculing and plotting the arrest of such a distinguished personality that fought to keep this nation as one entity and contributed immensely in making PDP the most vibrant, virile, versatile and biggest political party in Africa as a nobody is not the best strategy to use to fight the cause of President Goodluck Jonathan, who knows what Chief Obasanjo did to make him President in the first place.”

According to a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the New PDP, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said: “We received intelligence reports that the Presidency was putting finishing touches to what it calls “Operation Total Crackdown on G7 and their allies in the New PDP. When we got details of the plot to arrest and commit the leadership of New PDP to prison without charge we thought it was a joke.”

Eze said the reality of the plot to arrest Obasanjo dawned on them after reading the interview of Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, confirming that President Jonathan was under pressure to arrest Obasanjo and Atiku without any further delay.

The spokesman of the breakaway PDP further said: “The sin of these two distinguished Nigerian statesmen, according to those plotting their “demystification”, is their alleged support for the New PDP, including the G7 Governors. That this evil plot is being conceived by the Presidency confirms that the Abacha days are truly here again with us.”

According to Eze, it was after reviewing the plots to arrest Obasanjo and Atiku and the crackdown on members of the splinter PDP that the national chairman of the new PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, summoned an emergency meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to brainstorm on how best to respond to the situation.

Accordingly, the statement said the meeting concluded that they should not succumb to intimidation for any reason whatsoever.

He said: “Our conclusion at the end of the meeting was that we would not be intimidated for any reason, even if it means death, as we are fighting a just cause of reclaiming, recovering and establishing our party based on the vision of its founding fathers as the party is currently usurped by some members who do not know how it was formed.

“Baraje, knowing how dirty some of the hawks in the Presidency can fight when pushed to the wall, directed NWC members to write their wills immediately after the meeting as we have entered the stage of no retreat, no surrender – fully determined to reclaim what rightly belongs to us.

“The NWC also resolved to urge the G7 Governors that on no account should they be intimidated or frightened by any tactics or strategy employed by State Forces to coerce them to forgo any of the issues they have been asked to present before President Jonathan during the October 7 meeting,” Eze said in the statement.

The New PDP expressed sadness that instead of employing diplomacy to attend to the issues that caused the conflict, the presidency prefers to use force, stating: “We are not disturbed as we are ready for any of its tactics. In this regard, we wish to urge both the presidency and those detailed to attack us not to waste further time or wait till October 7 to start arresting us as there are thousands of Nigerians ready to step into our shoes and fight this cause to its conclusion.”

The New PDP quoting former United States President, Theodore Roosevelt, who said: “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country.

“It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else,” Eze stated.

culled from Thisday

My critics implemented a shoddy privatisation programme – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has berated his opponents, particularly those who handled the past privitisation exercise, saying they are now “opening their mouth wide” to attack his administration.

Jonathan, who said this while addressing Nigerian professionals in New York, United States, on Monday said the privatisation of public utilities by his administration was being done in a transparent manner.

He also said the problem of the Boko Haram insurgency was being exploited to blackmail his administration.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria report, the President said that so far $3bn had been realised without any form of corruption compared to the privatisation that took place in the past.

Jonathan’s critics that played key role in the past privatisation included former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and an ex-minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. Berating his critics, the President said, “In the country’s past privatisation, we know what happened there and yet those who sat over the exercise are the same people who are opening their mouths wide to attack this administration.”

But speaking through his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai said that the Jonathan administration did not understand transparency.He challenged the President to be specific in his allegations.

The former minister said, “President Jonathan is dealing in innuendo as is the tradition of his government. He should make specific allegations against specific persons since he claims to know what went on in the previous privatisation regime.

“We are all witnesses to how rules have been bent in the ongoing power privatisation in favour of investors with close ties to government. This government does not understand transparency, and is in no position to practise it.”

Reacting to the allegation of shoddy performance as the chairman of the National Council of Privatisation, Atiku said he was proud of his achievements.

Atiku who spoke through his Media Adviser, Malam Garba Shehu, expressed confidence that his tenure was not in President Jonathan’s frame of reference.

Shehu said, “(He) acquitted himself well when he held sway at the NCP.

“We are very proud of Turaki’s legacies at the NCP and that his vindication is there for all to see in the reports of the separate investigations by both the Senate and the House. We have our records. Let us see his own.”

On security, Jonathan said that in the past, the major security challenge facing the nation was armed robbery. He said that terrorism had emerged as the major challenge in the country now.

Jonathan, however, stressed that the challenge of terrorism was being seriously tackled by the government.

He stated, “I appreciate that we have a serious security challenge with Boko Haram insurgency. This is the area where the government is being blackmailed, but by the grace of God this will soon be a thing of the past.

“Before now it was robbery, until terrorism took us by surprise. Soon it will be a thing of the past.”

On Nigerians in Diaspora, the president acknowledged that they had excelled in their respective professions in the US.

He stressed “Nigerians in Diaspora are an important group particularly those in the US.”

According to him, the administration needs them to work in different areas of the Nigerian economy.

“You do not have to relocate to Nigeria to make the necessary impact, you can come and establish businesses to create jobs for your brothers and sisters at home,” Jonathan said.

The coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in her remarks said that the country’s economy was growing stronger, noting that the Jonathan’s transformation agenda was helping the economy.

culled from The Punch

Namadi Sambo and PDP Crisis

Those who want Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo’s job should be very happy with the current crisis in the PDP. Reason being that, he has been in the back seat as regards resolving the crisis, despite the fact that the major players in the crisis are governors from the north, the region where he is supposed to be the number one political leader. And it is a common practice in Nigerian politics, that such crises involving major players from a particular region of Nigeria are most times tackled by a political stalwart from the region who is holding the most senior national political position. When Atiku Abubakar and Goodluck Jonathan were vice presidents, they played such roles. Atiku was instrumental in dousing the heat when speaker Ghalli Na’Abba’s leadership of the House of Representatives attempted to impeach former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Similarly, the then vice president Goodluck Jonathan was Yar’Adua’s point-man in stemming the tide of the Niger Delta crisis and he (Jonathan) perfectly achieved the expected results.

In the present Nigerian political scenario; Vice President Sambo is-or should be-the primary representative of the entire northern block in the Jonathan administration, and the north is his primary constituency. As a sitting vice president, he should have been that most needed point-man for President Goodluck Jonathan in the north, thus he should have been instrumental in appeasing the aggrieved PDP governors from the north. Rather, President Jonathan has seen himself being preoccupied with negotiating with people he does not even understand their language. Why is Namadi Sambo not playing that very important political role?

Before becoming the governor of Kaduna state, Namadi Sambo was not among Kaduna state’s thorough-breed first-rate politicians. His then boss; Senator Ahmed Makarfi made him the governor in an attempt to sideline Suleiman Hunkuyi and Yusuf Hamisu Mai Rago. With the current situation of things, vice president Sambo appears to still be living inside the shell of Kaduna politics. A mere look at his close political aides attests to this. It seems VP Sambo is not a natural aggressive politician in terms of building vast contacts and influence. This has resulted in his inability to establish the necessary political structure in the north. Furthermore, Sambo always tries to play safe as well as be politically moderate to avoid any collision with his boss, but the Nigerian politics sometimes requires a calculated adventurism. Moreover, some Governors in the north see Namadi Sambo as their equal or even see him as a junior when it comes to the art of politicking.

Political pundits and indeed Namadi’s boss, President Jonathan must have been expecting the vice president to be at the forefront in resolving the current crisis in the PDP, even before it escalated into its present market square fight status. The impression in the polity is suggesting that Namadi has not made any calculated political move to pacify the governors and convince them that they are doing more harm to him than to Jonathan. Even if he had done something, it has not yielded any tangible results. 

Well, it is not late for vice president Mohammed Namadi Sambo to do a reality-check on how strong he is in terms of influence and connections in each state of the north. He should reach out and build a strong political base in each state in the north. He should create for himself a political charisma like that of Atiku Abubakar- connect not only to the top ladder politicians but those at the bottom - this can be done via strong connection with the traditional class, experienced politicians and those holding political power including establishing people through government patronage. His boss, President Jonathan is an easy going politician- he would give him some good space to play such politicking.

Coming back to the current crisis in the PDP, vice president Sambo should make a calculated and silent move to reach the aggrieved governors for a win-win solution. He could utilize the elderly personality of Governor Murtala Nyako, being a former military governor and Chief of Naval Staff. Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso- could also be useful due to his vast political experience and influence. Vice President Sambo should see the current crisis in the PDP as a real challenge to his political career and he must stand up to it, except he wants to be continually seen as a political liability to President Jonathan indeed.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980. 

BREAKING: Jonathan orders immediate deployment of troops to Nasarawa

The Federal Government has ordered immediate deployment of troops to troubled Nasarawa state.

The Director, Army Public Relations Department, Brigadier General Ibrahim Attahiru, told journalists in Abuja the troops, will join the police to stem the tide of violence in the state.

The North-central state descended into chaos Friday following clashes between two ethnic groups.

An unknown number of people have died while several thousand others were displaced after their houses were razed in the violence now in its sixth day.

As commander-in-chief, President Goodluck Jonathan must approve deployment of troops to any part of the country.

culled from Premium Times

Police Inspector General weds Zarha, daughter of ex-FCT Minister

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, on Saturday married, Zarha, the daughter of a one-time FCT Minister, Ibrahim Bunu.

The wedding “fatiha’’, which took place at the National Mosque, Abuja, was conducted by the Chief Imam of the mosque, Ustaz Musa Mohammed, who prayed for the success of the marriage.

Dignitaries at the wedding include Vice-President Namadi Sambo, two former Heads of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, the FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed, and members of the National Assembly.

The reception, which was held at the ThisDay Dome in the city-centre, was attended by Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state, the Acting Governor of Taraba, Garba Umar, Senators Andy Uba and Paulinus Igwe.

Others dignitaries at the reception include the former Chief Security Officer to late Gen. Sani Abacha, Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha, business moguls, Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola as well as Akin Oshuntokun, a former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Adamu Bello, who spoke on behalf of the bride’s family, described the turnout for the marriage as “fantastic’’ and expressed gratitude to Allah for the event.

Mr. Bello urged the couple to live according to Islamic tenets for the success of the marriage.

In his remark, Mr. Oshuntokun also noted that the large turnout was a reflection of the goodwill which the I-G had from all the nooks and crannies of the country.

(NAN)

Atiku to Obasanjo: You lied

Former vice president says Obasanjo’s claim that he cannot travel to the US is untrue.

A former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted angrily to a statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in which he (Obasanjo) alleged that Atiku risked jail if he travelled to the United States.

Atiku served as deputy to Mr Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007.

Garba Shehu, Media Adviser to Atiku issued a strong statement Wednesday from Abuja defending his principal, following corruption charges made by Mr Obasanjo in an EFCC magazine, Zero Tolerance.

“The former President is wrong,” Mr Shehu said. “It is widely known that Atiku didn’t enter government broke. He declared his assets at the commencement of his Vice Presidency and did so at the end of his term as required by the constitution, which is a sacred document to Atiku.”

According to him, “Atiku, who is currently returning from China after leading a private economic trade mission at the invitation of the Chinese government, travels often and has a well-documented record of building industries and putting thousands of Nigerians to work. And this record, quite frankly, has been thoroughly investigated.”

While reiterating that Mr Atiku had no case against him by any arm of the law in any country in the world, including the United States, Mr Shehu observed that “President Obasanjo’s repeated ‘jokes’ about Turaki not being able to go to America have become cliché, tiresome and not true.”

The media adviser recalled that in 2006, former Mr Obasanjo sent his National Security Adviser, NSA, to stop Atiku from travelling to the US, saying that the Vice President risked arrest on arrival.

He said that Turaki spurned that advice, left Nigeria to land at the Andrews Air Force Base, the official airport of the US government, to receive the best reception ever on a visit to America.

“So, we are used to those taunts,” he said.

He noted that when Atiku left office shortly before late Musa Yar’Adua was inaugurated as President, the former vice president spent three months in the US, adding that if they (US authorities) wanted him for anything, they would have met him.

“It is time to start dealing in facts. Specifically, the fact is that Atiku’s visa to visit the United States has been recently renewed.

“Another fact is Atiku is one of the most investigated politicians in Nigerian history. And every investigation, whether politically motivated here at home or by the FBI abroad, has yielded the same result every time: not guilty.

“If Atiku is guilty of anything, it is crushing persistent attempts at re-writing our constitution.

“Atiku has chosen the path of optimism and hope. Moving forward, he will continue working to fuel Nigeria’s economy through investment and job creation, while also passionately and persistently defending our young democracy,” Mr Shehu said.

culled from Premium Times

‘Why President sacked ministers’

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan’s dismissal of ministers Wednesday was said to have political undertones, especially coming at a crucial time in the life of the administration and the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) currently embroiled in a crisis.

Observers noted Wednesday night that virtually all the sacked ministers had links with state governors or powerful leaders opposed to the leadership of the party and the president in the run-up to the 2015 elections.

They discountenanced the government’s stated need for enhanced performance, transparency and accountability in governance as reasons for rejigging the cabinet. 

In August, Jonathan made public a rating procedure known as Performance Contract Agreement for ministers. 

Watchers of the polity then assumed that the rating would be used to weed out many of the ministers perceived to have under-performed since some of them joined the cabinet under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration.

But Jonathan dispelled such an expectation, promising that rather than use the result of the assessment to consider whom to relieve of their portfolios, it would be employed to review his administration’s performance and delivery of set targets to Nigerians.

“I read all kinds of things in the media, that the president wants to assess the ministers so that he would know who would go and who would stay. That is not the purpose of this.

“We would have done it probably in the first week when we came on board, but the key thing is that we have given ourselves points that we think we will get at. 

“We believe that if we get at those points or even if we achieve 70 per cent of that, at least it will be better off for our own country.” 

The president reiterated that the assessment was to ensure enhanced performance, transparency and accountability in governance.

“I want to assure every one of you (cabinet members) who has taken part in the exercise that this is not a witch-hunt targeted at anybody,” the president said.

However, just as they had concluded following the ministers’ signing of the Performance Contract Agreement, observers easily said yesterday that Jonathan had done the exact opposite of his promise not to witch-hunt with the cabinet shake-up.

With the exception of one or two, the sacked ministers, observers believed, have links with those regarded by the movers and shakers of Abuja as opposition to the president in regard to the 2015 elections.

For instance, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyat Rufa’i, is from Jigawa State. She was nominated by Governor Sule Lamido, one of the arrowheads of the group of governors bent on stopping Jonathan in 2015 and linked to the New PDP. 

The same is true of the other dropped ministers. Samplers: 

• Olugbenga Ashiru (Foreign Affairs) from Ogun Sate: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo reportedly recommended him for the cabinet post. 

Although he is leading a reconciliation effort in the fractured PDP, Obasanjo was said to have stoked the fire of rebellion in the party ahead of the 2015 elections. State House sources told The Guardian that the former president is not regarded as an innocent bystander in the PDP-New PDP crisis.

During last Democracy Day ceremonies, rather than join Jonathan in marking the day in Abuja, Obasanjo was guest of Governor Lamido in Dutse, the capital city of Jigawa State.

There, he was quoted as praising the developmental strides of the state administration and prayed that Lamido should extend the same to the national level from 2015.

• Ama Pepple (Minister of Lands) from Rivers State: She was the nominee of estranged Rivers governor, Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who also claimed to have nominated the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, who is today Amaechi’s nemesis.

Those in the know said Pepple was recommended along with Dr. Tonye Cole, son of Dr. P.D Cole, but the former was chosen for the cabinet post owing to Amaechi’s insistence.

As a source noted last night, “if President Jonathan had only one person to remove from the cabinet today (yesterday), that person would surely have been Ama Pepple because of her relationship with Amaechi.”

• Shamsudeen Usman (Minister of National Planning) from Kano: He was made minister under the Yar’Adua administration. Yet, he is reportedly close to the Kano State governor, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

The governor, according to Abuja minders, is next to Amaechi in the hierarchy of “enemies of the President,” politically.

Kwankwaso’s role is well documented in the scuttling of alleged plan of the presidency to install Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State as the “chairman” of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF). 

The governor is one of the anti-Tukur elements of the PDP reportedly earmarked for “severe punishment” in the ongoing schism in the party.

• Erelu Obada (Minister of State, Defence) from Osun: She was a nominee of former Osun State governor, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola, who is one of the leading lights of the Kawu Baraje-led New-PDP that is threatening to derail the ambition of Jonathan for a second term in office. 

A source revealed that Oyinlola nominated Obadan, a deputy governor under him, after he learnt that the portfolio of Minister of State, instead of a full cabinet post was allocated to Osun.

• Zainab Kuchi (Minister of State, Power) from Niger: She has links with the state governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, another vocal campaigner for a Northern president in 2015 

Sources said the governor was the “most slippery” of the governors advancing the interest of the North in 2015. 

“When he (Babangida) sees the president or his handlers, he will say ‘I’m with you.’ But when he turns back, he will say a different thing. So, the presidency people fear the man as they fear ‘Maradona.’” 

Other ministers affected in the shake-up are either from states controlled by the opposition and thus, seen as sympathetic to their cause, or that they had issues with the leaders in those states. 

But the acting Chairman, Caretaker Committee, South West People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Adedeji Doherty, dismissed insinuations that Jonathan was being influenced by the ongoing crisis within the ruling party.

The Lagos and Oyo state chapters of the PDP and the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) commended Jonathan’s cabinet shake-up. 

Reacting to the speculation that the likes of Ashiru and Obada were sacked by the President as a result of their closeness to Obasanjo and Oyinlola, who is one of the principal actors in the New PDP, Doherty said such thinking was not only wrong but anti-development.

Speaking with The Guardian on phone yesterday, Doherty said the shake-up was a prelude to the general one that is on the way and it is also long over-due.

culled from The Guardian 

New PDP: What Jonathan Should Do

   

   

The fact is, the root and the hidden-strength behind the PDP Governors at the center of the current crisis in the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) can be linked to former President Obasanjo. Obasanjo feels marginalized in Jonathan’s administration and it is obvious.The crisis, which has now gone beyond Obasanjo’s grievances, has transformed into a nexus of Obasanjo’s anger; Atiku Abubakar’s ambition and some PDP governors’ resentment. The bubble is about to bust. President Jonathan’s 2015 ambition is facing its toughest moment.

The array of demands tabled by the aggrieved members of the PDP- that the President drop his 2015 re-election ambition; removal of the PDP national chairman, Bamanga Tukur and restoration of the party executives in Adamawa and Rivers states including some PDP national executive members, Sam Jaja and his likes, who were disqualified from contesting at the just concluded PDP special national convention makes approaching the crisis quite dicey. President Jonathan has two options in approaching the crisis viz-the hard or the soft. As it appears, President Jonathan and his handlers seem to have chosen the soft approach for now. But is the soft approach -the current reconciliation going on, the best option? It seems the soft approach would be painful, while the hard approach may result into a deeper political crisis. 

It amazes observers of PDP politics that, President Jonathan always finds it tough to solve an internal political crisis within the party; particularly those that involve northern governors, despite having a vice president, PDP national chairman and a senior special adviser on politics from the region.This cannot be far-fetched from the fact that Vice President Namadi Sambo does not have a solid political influence in the region, unlike Atiku Abubakar when he was Vice President to Obasanjo. Bamanga Tukur has vast political experience and is very conversant with politics of the north, but has for long-time lost contacts within the cycle of Nigeria’s thorough-breed politicians, while Ahmed Gulak is just a local politician in Adamawa state, who even lost the PDP primaries for House of Representatives, he does not have ample knowledge of the politics of northern Nigeria let alone that of complex Nigeria. One interesting point here is, Obasanjo, despite his shortcomings, carries more political weight in the north and in behind-the-scenes politicking than the above three. So, he is smartly utilizing it to play politics.

As a typical Nigerian politician, coupled with the history of his party, the PDP, President Jonathan definitely has the hard approach on his table to tackle the current crisis. But the best option for President Jonathan is to employ same strategies that brought him to power in 2011.The strategies that granted him victory from the PDP primaries to the general elections- negotiations and the spirit of give and take. Nevertheless, President Jonathan has to do what he has to do in order to do what he wants to do.The smartest way out for Jonathan is to approach the crisis using ‘reductionistic tactics’ –tackling the aggrieved group by tackling each member of the group. Each of the major players in the formation of the faction, ‘New PDP’ has a particular reason for being aggrieved. Jonathan should take this to his advantage to soften the gang-up, and then face the group as a whole.

Anyone conversant with Nigerian politics knows that the demands laid down by the aggrieved members of PDP were meant to be leg-pullers for President Jonathan and his political team. The aggrieved members know that any miscalculated move in pursuit of his 2015 re-election ambition would be the end-of-the-game for Jonathan. Hurriedly succumbing to the demands to remove Bamanga Tukur as the national chairman of the PDP would be a political suicide, while blankly yielding to the governors’ demands would mean Jonathan completely losing of control of the PDP. Jonathan and his handlers must avoid prolonging the crisis, a failure to bring those aggrieved governors back to the PDP fold would seriously hurt the PDP in states it controls and those it does not, because those aggrieved governors have comfortable party platform options readily available for them- the PDM or the APC. 

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980. 

PHOTONEWS: The 'Power Sharing Deal' in Taraba

Hauwa Suntai, the leader of the Suntai cabal evidently happy with the power sharing deal



Senator Uzodinma and his crew arrives Jalingo


Acting Governor hugs Senator Uzodinma upon arrival at the Jalingo at the airport


Governor Danbaba Suntai being introduced to his deputy, Garba umar yesterday at the Governor's Lodge


Hope Uzodinma and "Acting Governor" Umar Garba


Hope Uzodinma presiding over the resolution of the Taraba crisis with Mrs. Suntai representing her hubby

courtesy sahara reporters 

Bamanga Tukur Talks Tough, Says Any PDP Lawmaker That Joins New Faction Will Lose Their Seats

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bamanga Tukur, has declared that the party would deal with members parading themselves as factional executives.

Mr. Tukur, who addressed the press in Abuja, said the National Working Committee he heads is the only recognized executive.

He said anyone parading themselves as factional executives will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

“Anyone who also identifies themselves with the impostors will be made to lose their seats as required by law,” the party chairman said in Abuja on Wednesday.

Suntai Heads to Court as PDP Affirms Umar Acting Governor

The Taraba State Governor, Danbaba Suntai, Tuesday instituted a law suit against the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Haruna Tsokwa, and members of the assembly challenging their refusal to allow him resume duty as governor.

The law suit by the governor coincided with the intervention of the Senator Hope Uzodinma-led Committee and the unanimous agreement reached by the committee and stakeholders in the state that the acting Governor of Taraba, Alhaji Garba Umar, should continue to run the state until Suntai is strong enough to resume duties.

Suntai had on August 26 transmitted a letter to the speaker notifying him of his return after a 10-month absence and his readiness to take over his office as governor and the responsibilities thereof.

But the speaker had rejected the governor’s request on the premise that it had to be deliberated upon by the assembly before a decision could be reached on it.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the speaker and assembly, Suntai Tuesday approached the High Court in the state through Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), who filed the originating summons seeking redress.

In a copy of the originating summons obtained at the lawyer’s chambers in Abuja, the governor argued that Suntai’s letter notifying the speaker and the assembly of his return and intention to take over was not subject to the exercise of their discretion to accept or reject it, as it was “mandatory” for them to do so.

Izinyon, on behalf of his client, is, therefore, seeking a declaration by the court that the letter transmitted by Suntai was “absolute, mandatorily obeisant, immutable and cannot be debated or contradicted by any means whatsoever as the 1st and 2nd Defendants lack any discretion in the circumstance and that upon transmission of the said letter, the Plaintiff has automatically assumed his powers and responsibilities as Governor of Taraba State.”

He also wants the court to declare the press statement issued by the speaker and other lawmakers directing Umar to continue as acting governor, “null and void ultra vires and constitutionally void and of no effect whatsoever.”

Accordingly, he is seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the speaker and assembly from “debating, interfering with, doing anything in connection with or in relation to the letter transmitted by the Plaintiff to the 1st Defendant pursuant to Section 190(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”

The law suit, notwithstanding, the crisis over who is in charge in Taraba State appeared to have been finally laid to rest yesterday, after all stakeholders in the state unanimously agreed that Umar should continue to run the state until Suntai was ready to take over the reins of state.

The decision was reached at the end of the peace meeting brokered by the Uzodima-led committee set up by the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to find a lasting solution to the political crisis in the state.

Other members of the committee are Alhaji Buhari Bala, Alhaji Kabir Shittu Mohammed, Senator Abubakar Umar Gada, Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Matters, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak; Prof. Richard King and Mrs. Bolajoko Doherty.

Briefing the journalists after the meeting, which had in attendance the wife of the governor, Hauwa Suntai, the acting governor, Senators Emmanuel Bwacha and Abubakar Tutare, Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ishiaka Bawa, Hon. Jerry Manwe, Hon. Aminu Male, Hon. Ibrahim Elsudi, members of the assembly led by Tsokwa and other PDP stakeholders in the state, Uzodima said the resolution was agreeable to all the parties. Stressing that there was no disagreement between Suntai and the acting governor, Uzodima said: “We don’t have a crisis in Taraba. The state governor, Danbaba Suntai, is relatively very healthy and there is no disagreement between him and his deputy who is now the acting governor.

“He’s (Suntai) also in support of the fact that the acting governor should continue to act and that he should always consult him and clear with him on major issues pending when he’s ready to fully take over the governance of the state and this is agreeable to all parties.

“So, Taraba State is now one united, strong government and PDP is still in control of this government.”

Corroborating Uzodima, Umar, who expressed gratitude to President Jonathan and the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, for making it possible for the committee to come and resolve the crisis, said it had been agreed that he should continue piloting the affairs of the state until Suntai was fully fit to resume duties. He said: “Today, let me assure you that we have been able to tell ourselves the truth, we have been able to resolve our differences and today, I am assuring you that Taraba State is one.

“Let me also add that all of us here, we‘re witnesses to the fact that few days ago, there were insinuations about Taraba State, and Taraba became a household name in this country. But today, we thank God that all our differences have been resolved and we are one and it was agreed that I will pilot the affairs of the state until my principal is able to come back and resume duties as our governor.

“And in doing that also, there must be consultation between me and my boss in carrying out my duties as acting governor of the state.” When asked whether the issue of the dissolution of the State Executive Council (SEC) as well as the appointments of a Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chief of Staff had also been resolved, Umar maintained that all the contending issues had been fully resolved.

“As I said earlier, all issues have been resolved and when I say the issues have been resolved including the issue of the executive council, there is nothing to worry about.”

He explained that he was in consultation with his boss on the reconstitution of the exco and it would be announced as soon as he has concluded consultations.

Addressing stakeholders before the commencement of the meeting, which was held behind closed doors, the committee, which arrived Jalingo at 11.55 a.m. in a chartered aircraft, said they were in the state to interact with the critical stakeholders with a view to identifying the causes of the crisis and properly locating them where they’re supposed to be. In the meantime, a political pressure group, Taraba Justice Forum, yesterday dismissed the accusation leveled against the acting governor by Bwacha of trying to grab power, describing the statement as false and a misrepresentation of reality.

In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Mr. John Ambulus, the forum said: “With our experience, since we launched this struggle for justice early this year, we can affirm that Bwacha, and not the acting governor, is the one that is power thirsty.” The group accused Bwacha of nursing governorship ambitions, “which he believes may not materialise except a sick governor is foisted on the people of Taraba State.

“Bwacha was elected to serve in the Senate and he should face his mandate and allow the governor or his aides speak on executive issues in the state.”

culled from http://www.thisdaylive.com

Nigerian Army retires 10 generals

The authorities of the Nigerian Army have retired some top generals of the Army. It was gathered that those retired were ten in number. Among those affected were the former Director of Training and Operations, Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Lawrence Ngugbane, the former Commander of Training, Doctrine and Command, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Mungonu, and the former Chief of Research and Development, Maj.-Gen. Obinali Ariahu.

A top military source said on Wednesday that the generals were retired because they had put in the maximum years in service. The source said that the retirement exercise was routine and not punitive.

The source added that the retirement exercise was expected to take place every quarter of the year. The source couldn't give the names of the others affected in the exercise.

“It is true that some of our generals have been retired. The exercise is a routine one. It is not a punitive retirement, they have reached their terminal level. “Some of them were asked to proceed on the compulsory terminal leave in June this year,” the source said.

Our  (the Punch Newspaper) correspondent could not contact the Director of Defence Information, Brig.- Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, for comments as the calls placed to his mobile telephone line indicated that it was switched off or in an area outside network coverage.

culled from punch newspaper

Breaking: PDP crisis could be resolved Tuesday- Metuh

The newly re-elected National Publicity Secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, has stated that the party is working to resolve the crisis that followed Saturday’s Special National convention which led to the factionalisation of the party.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and seven governors walked out of the convention and later formed a parallel executive on Saturday.

The chairman of the parallel faction, Abubakar Baraje, had informed PREMIUM TIMES over the telephone on Monday that the faction he presides over will open its new secretariat on Tuesday.

But Mr. Metuh while addressing the press shortly after the maiden meeting of the new members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, at Wadata Plaza secretariat said the leadership of the party and all other stakeholders will meet on Tuesday and ‘find a solution to the problem’.

“Consultations on what happened on Saturday and all issues therein are ongoing at the highest level of the party in this country. We are going to take the decisions and the reasons behind the decision after tomorrow’s meeting,” he said.

culled from Premium Times

Suleiman's Blog: Why we produce illiterate graduates

Suleiman's Blog: Why we produce illiterate graduates: Salisu Suleiman. In a country where a staggering N2.6 trillion was openly stolen in the name of fuel subsidies – including billions...

Why Atiku Register the PDM as a Political Party

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has debunked claims he is behind the recent registration of the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM)as a political party by INEC, but his political associates.Many people do not believe him, it seems.

The PDM has been in existence for nearly 30 years. Atiku was not its founder; he assumed its leadership when the founder, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, passed away. Why do many people including People’s Democratic Party (PDP) supporters believe that Atiku was the main architect behind the registration of the PDM as a political party? It is believed that, it is part of the calculations to realize his 21 year-old-presidential ambition. But if Atiku is truly behind the registration of the PDM as a political party, what could be his main reasons for doing so?

The merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to form the All Progressive Congress (APC) has certainly narrowed political party platforms in Nigeria; PDM registration is an attempt at widening the political space. Atiku is well-known for his plan B tactics in pursuit of political ambitions. Thus, having anticipated that defeating an incumbent Nigerian President in his party primaries is nearly impossible, the PDP not likely to offer a level playing field for its 2015 presidential primaries- recollecting what took place in the PDP 2011 presidential primaries and with the PDM being controlled by his political associates, Atiku would find the PDM as an alternative platform.Besides, with the current crisis in the PDP, the bubble is expected to burst and aggrieved members who can not join the APC would have the PDM readily available for them.

The registration of the PDM may not be far from an attempt to use the science of politics- apply the42nd Laws of Power- ‘strike the shepherd and the sheep will scatter’. PDM’s registration as a political party may have been a calculation to send a political message to surprise the ruling PDP. To convey to the PDP, that its battle for the2015 general elections would be from many fronts- apart from the APC, it would also have to face the PDM, including losing some of its important members, who are already a fraternity in the PDM. A situation, the PDP, would wish to avoid.

The registration of the PDM may also be on the premise that Atiku intends to smartly use the PDM as a negotiation weapon to gain some political point, if not the PDP presidential ticket. The recent reported meeting between Atiku and PDP national chairman, Bamanga Tukur might have been the upshot of the emergence of the PDM as political party.
Atiku’s home state politics can also be connected to the registration of the PDM as political party. There is a bitter power struggle within the PDP in Adamawa State. Atiku may not want to take chances, despite the fact that, there are many of his loyalists holding positions in the PDP in Adamawa state.

The implication of the emergence of the PDM as a political party would be felt more by the PDP than the other political parties. The PDM is one of the most organized and consistent groups still in the PDP, it has both its conservative and liberal members occupying some sensitive positions in the PDP at national, state and local councils levels. Furthermore, the PDP knows that Atiku is a strong candidate who is already ahead of many would-be presidential contestants in terms of political structure, thorough understanding of national political terrain as well as the capacity to single-handedly take on President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential elections.

Would the PDM as a political party make any impact in the Nigerian political space?-The strength and future prospect of the PDM as a political party would only emerge in 2014, by then, many political events would have unfolded and things taken shape.Though, many people believe, the PDM wouldn’t make any impact,saying its registration as a political party is blatted, considering the current political scenario. That the PDM would have remained relevant if only it had maintained its previous status- a political movement with united and diverse political minds. A PDM as a political party would for sure face crisis and internal power struggle, similar to that of all the political parties in Nigeria. The registration of the PDM at this particular time will give the party a ‘sole face’- PDM= Atiku’s presidential ambition, which is a bad start for a truly political party.

If Atiku is indeed behind the registration of the PDM as political party- would its platform help the former Vice President realize his presidential ambition? It may or may not. Atiku has immense war chest that easily scares off his opponents, vast political network and connections. The PDM has been in existence for nearly 30 years, it is highly organized with topnotch politicians, but time and Nigerians’ belief that all political parties in the country are same, may be against the PDM.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980.

What is wrong with the Ijaw ethnic group?

By Sabella Abidde 

Several decades before what eventually came to be known as Nigeria emerged in 1914, the Niger Delta region was known for its revolts and protests against iniquities. The British, the Portuguese, and other Europeans who came to the region in search of holy and unholy enterprises had a first-hand experience of the people's anger. But as the country marched toward independence, it became clear that many of its disparate nationalities wanted a different political arrangement- not what colonial-Britain was designing.

Many - especially the Ijaw - did not want to be part of the new nation. They wanted autonomy. Their fears, and the fears and misgivings of many minority groups, can be found in the 1957/58 Willinks Commission Report which detailed the concerns of these groups. Regrettably, post-colonial Nigeria did not fully address many of the problems and challenges expressed. Consequently, almost fifty-three years after independence, many groups still feel stifled and cheated.

The Igbo are not a minority group, nonetheless, many of the factors that led to the 1967-1970 Nigeria-Biafra War can be traced to the inequities expressed in the Willinks Commission Report. One of the absurdities of the Nigerian situation is that 43 years after the war, many of the grievances that were expressed by the Igbo have yet to be fully addressed. It is as if nothing happened: As if there were no grievances and no dehumanising war that brutally claimed untold number of lives and possibilities.

And of course there was the revolt and militancy of Isaac Adaka Boro in the 1960s. He did not think the region and its people were being fairly treated. In the forty-five years since his death, the region has witnessed several cases of peaceful and violent agitation. The most violent of these was the 2005-2009 low intensity conflict between the Ijaw-dominated group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, and the Nigerian government. We seem to have forgotten that about a dozen Ijaw-dominated militant and semi-militant groups preceded MEND.

Because the Ijaw are housed in several federating states (Ondo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Rivers, and Bayelsa), it is difficult for them to speak with one voice. They've never truly had a central figure like the Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo. Hence, articulating their grievances through a central body or leadership has been difficult. Nonetheless - since the 1970s at least, their complaints have revolved around (1) the suffocating environmental condition caused by oil and gas activities; (2)The high rate of unemployment; (3) the question of oil ownership and how to share the oil wealth; and (4) the lack of federally funded infrastructure.

What's more, there was this unending sense of exclusion and marginalisation when and where political and economic goods are being shared. And of course, there was the issue of state creation. They want more Ijaw states. Added to this mix were the high-handedness, the indifference, and the arrogance of the oil companies.

Despite the creation of the Ijaw-dominated Bayelsa State in 1996, the Ijaw grievances remain the same. In many instances, the local problems have worsened. For instance, the militancy and the subsequent presidential amnesty have given birth to many unanticipated problems, i.e. greed and materialism; kidnappings and assassinations; and social dislocations and general disorder. The militancy/amnesty also gave rise to shady characters.

For instance, we now have men and women who should be hundreds of miles away from the seat of power, but became governors and ministers and commissioners and advisers of some sort. In many Ijaw enclaves, you see half-educated men or stark illiterates with money and new-found power, holding court and dispensing justice or lording it over their superiors. Many more have gone on to become instant millionaires. It is freaky! Years after the militancy "ended," and years after the presidential amnesty began, nothing has changed for the better.

What was the purpose of the MEND-led agitation if the Ijaw were not going to do the right thing afterward? Why did Isaac Boro give his life? Did he die so the Ijaw could betray future generations? Did he and countless Ijaw nationalists sacrifice their lives so malfeasances and avarice can align with Ijaw culture? Today, the Ijaw elite and moneybags are doing to the common man what they accused others of. The theft, the waste, and exploitation of the underclass are at a grander scale than it was in 1999.

In spite of the several billions of naira that have been allocated to Bayelsa State, infrastructure and industry of any kind are negligible. And amongst the states that were created in 1996, it has the least passable roads and the least of the seven elements of basic human needs. Today as it was in 1900, 1945, 1960 and 2000, a sizeable number of the people still drink and bathe from the same river they vomit and defecate in. Where has all the money gone?

As bad as things are for the Ijaw, they have taken on a new persona: unflinching support for their leaders who also happen to be their oppressors. No dissent is allowed. No criticism is allowed. If you do, well, you do so at your own peril. The penalty is usually swift. Otherwise, they assemble a group of foot soldiers to rubbish your good reputation.

For the Ijaw at the federal level, there is a new mantra: "It is our turn to chop and chop and chop." And what if there is no "2015-2019"? Well, the strategy is simple: "A return to the creeks...lower or stop oil production until they acquiesce to our demands." What type of development strategy is this? And who is going to do the next round of fighting? I know this for sure: It won't be the children of the elite who are safely ensconced in Abuja, Lagos, or overseas.

With no short or long -term strategy for development, what will happen to the Ijaw when the oil dries out? And assuming Nigeria breaks up today, what will the Ijaw do the day after? What is their survival and development strategy? After all, grumbling is not a winning strategy; unbridled militancy is not a development strategy; and misguided support and sycophancy have no real place in the modern world.

And so I ask: What is wrong with the Ijaw ethnic group? Have the Ijaw forgotten so soon why they started the protests and the wars? Have their problems gone away? Are the problems being solved? Well, keep stealing and keep misleading the people, the day of reckoning is fast approaching!

culled from www.nigeriavillagesquare.com

The first lady has gone mad again!

By Salisu Suleiman.

The ability to forget is one of the most important, if least acknowledged gifts of man. It is because we are able to forget things that we can go one with life, putting aside memories of lost ones as well as painful recollections of events that would otherwise make the very act of staying alive a struggle, and life, a running agony.

But while the ability to forget has its benefits, not many people learn lessons from life’s experiences. Some – either because they are essentially dense or deliberately obtuse – choose to dare fate. How else can one explain the actions of the president’s wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan who thought it fit to close Nigeria’s capital down for an entire day, in what basically amounts to a brazen continuation of the campaign for her husband’s reelection?

For someone, who by her account, only just managed to come back from the dead after multiple surgeries and relapses, it seems that Mrs. Jonathan has not learned any lesson from that experience. Or it may be that the gift of forgetfulness has obfuscated her reasoning faculties. For anyone who had anything meaningful to do (like reporting to work to earn legitimate livelihoods) in Abuja, last Thursday was a commuter’s hell. The impunity with which major roads were closed off is a pointer to what Mrs. Jonathan would do if she were to remain in the villa beyond 2015.

As it were, many observers would say Mrs. Jonathan never really stopped campaigning after 2011, but has only changed styles. About two years ago, her attempt to share bags of rice in Abuja ended in fiasco when about 20 Nigerians were trampled to death in the mad struggle that ensured. She has been on a ‘thank you’ tour since the last election, distributing food items, clothing and cash at every stop. Her message: There is more where this came from. Reports suggest that each of the 30,000 women that participated in the Abuja jamboree with a mint-fresh bundle of N100, 000.

If Nigeria were a different country, we might ask where and how Mrs. Jonathan gets the huge funds to oil her ‘generosity’. Did the first lady win a jackpot, or is the jackpot personified in President Jonathan? Did she get an oil license or is she, like her husband, a ‘godmother’ of the oil thieves in the Niger Delta? But those questions would be incredibly naïve, considering that the President’s septuagenarian mother, who could not buy shoes for her children only just recently, donated a multimillion naira hostel to the Federal University, Otuoke.

Whatever the sources of the funds that the president’s wife is using for her nationwide political inducement and from which his mother built and donated a hostel to the university, the conspiracy of silence in the media, civil society and even some opposition parties would only lend moral authority to this mentality of ‘it is my time, and there is nothing you can do about it’.

The first lady might also mistake the silence for a mark of approval and take even more blatant liberties with public funds. Perhaps, with this level of extra-budgetary, or is it unbudgeted expenses, it should not be surprising that President Jonathan’s government has consistently failed to implement budgets even with unprecedented borrowings.

If Mrs. Jonathan could stop and reason for a while, she would reflect on the examples of other equally domineering wives of presidents and how they ended. Perhaps, even the president would learn a thing or two from former president Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines. His wife, Imelda was a manifestation everything a first lady shouldn’t be. Though from a deprived background, she met and married politician Ferdinand Marcos who later become the president of the Philippines.

As first lady of the Philippines for over 20 years, Imelda Marcos held several government positions in her own right, including governor of the metro Manila area and later served as a minister. (Mrs. Jonathan is now a permanent secretary). And just like Nigerians, while many Filipinos lived in poverty, Imelda Marcos became known for her lavish spending, including her famed ‘3000’ pairs of designer shoes (What it is about poverty and shoes?) In the end, Imelda and her husband fled the country, where he died. If that example is too distant, she should simply ask herself, ‘Where is Turai, today?’

Since the title of this piece was inspired by Olu Rotimi’s Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again, I might as well end it by quoting Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, who wrote, in a thinly veiled reference to the first lady, “Unlike crude oil, which can be refined, you can extract a hippopotamus from the swamps, but you cannot take the swamp out of the hippopotamus”. This may explain the futility in attempting to counsel anyone that is so completely at home in the muddy waters of presidential politics, power and patronage in Nigeria.

culled from http://suleimansblog.blogspot.com/

Between Nasir El-Rufa’i and Goodluck Jonathan

Goodluck Jonathan is the President of Nigeria, while Nasir El-Rufa’i is a former FCT Minister. The duo are not equal. However, Nasir El-Rufa’i is an ardent critic of President Goodluck Jonathan and his administration. El-Rufa’i is so passionate about his criticism of Goodluck Jonathan’s style of governance, to the extent that he coined the word ‘Jonathanian’. 

What is really the motive behind El-Rufa’i’s tireless criticism of President Goodluck and his government? Is it the extension of El-Rufa’i’s no-love relationship with late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua’s administration? Is it because El-Rufa’i has not been offered any position in the government? Is it that El-Rufa’i is being pushed by his zeal for national development and the only option is to criticize those in authority to make amends? Or is it just politics, (El-Rufa’i is a member of the opposition- now, the Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressive Congress, APC)? Supporters and opponents of both President Goodluck Jonathan and Nasir El-Rufa’i have different views on the reasons why El-Rufa’i enjoys criticizing President Goodluck Jonathan.

El-Rufa’i critics- Jonathan sympathizers, are of the view that, El-Rufa’i’s persistent lampooning of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is borne out of El-Rufa’i’s anger of not having been offered any position in the administration. They observe that El-Rufa’i had thought he would be a major player in the Jonathan government having actively participated in the struggle to make Goodluck Jonathan the Acting President. Thus, El-Rufa’i is seen to be angry at being snubbed by Jonathan, despite that he El-Rufa’i have admitted that, they sold to the nation the impression that a cabal was behind the blocking of the emergence of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President, even though the cabal didn't exit. 

Jonathan’s supporters also see El-Rufa’i as part of a group of some members of former President Olusegun Obasanjo Administration who are avidly committed to criticize anything of Goodluck Jonathan administration. El-Rufa’i’s relentless condemnation of Jonathan’s administration is also seen, by some quarters, as an expression of bitterness as a result unfulfilled personal ambitions; politics with hatred and seeking avenue for cheap publicity. They ask; is it not same El-Rufa’i that barraged Muhammad Buhari with criticisms in the run-off to the 2007 Presidential election that has now turned around to be a Buhari supporter? Well, criticism of one another by politicians is nothing new- it is just politics! El-Rufa’i and Goodluck Jonathan were once members of same political party- the PDP. It will not be surprising to see the two men on same page, probably in the same political party- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-or APC, afterall anything is possible in Nigerian politics.

El-Rufa’i sympathizers enjoy mentioning the word ‘Jonathanian’. They say, it perfectly defines Jonathan’s under-performance so far. El-Rufa’i’s fans are of the view that, his criticisms of Jonathan is borne out of his desire for a Nigeria with a well-run economy that supports practical growth in all sectors. A Nigeria with a leadership that is well-read and competent with the right leadership skills, exposure and behaviour.

El-Rufa’i’s fans also say, if he is being motivated by politics for cheap popularity; he could have chosen to be a promoter of the government- because that is the easiest way to get government patronage and recognition. But he took the hard way- identifying with the opposition. They also said, El-Rufa’i is an established professional with international repute who can survive anywhere in the world, wealth is not his problem. El-Rufa’i admirers further said, Jonathan’s flaws are so many and perpetual, hence, talkative and social media savvies like El-Rufa’i find it hard to keep their mouths shut and their hands off the keypads; after all, the social media does not have gatekeepers. El-Rufa’i supporters see him as open minded, fearless and one who says things as they are.

Those sitting on the fence are of the view that, intelligent and fluent El-Rufa’i would always comment on issues, especially those that affect the governance of the country. It is true that, constructive criticism by those whom the government must listen to when they speak, helps the government to see the bigger picture, as well as give the common man a voice. So, whether El-Rufa’i’s criticism of the Jonathan government is politically motivated or not, the constructive ones could help the government.

The big question is what would make El-Rufa’i end his passionate criticism of Goodluck Jonathan and his administration? -A lucrative position/contract in the government or sterling performances in all sectors of the economy by the Jonathan administration? The typical Nigerian politician El-Rufa’i could go for the former, 

while the technocrat and development-activist El-Rufa’i could go for the latter. But which is the real El-Rufa’i?

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980. 

The Challenges Facing Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF)’s Aquila Project

The Aquila Project is one of the best things that has happened in the Nigerian downstream oil industry in recent times. But few months after its commencement, the project is facing its difficult and test moment. Cases of theft and tampering with the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags affixed on trucks, especially in the Lagos area, some petroleum marketers and haulers having little or no understanding of the workings of the project, acute shortage of the RFID tags are among the various difficulties facing the project.

The Aquila Project is an excellent electronic business solution designed to track the movement of regulated petroleum products throughout Nigeria -confirm loading and delivery of regulated petroleum products at all depots and retails outlets.  PEF believes the Aquila project, would bring efficiency in the management of volume of regulated petroleum products bridged across the country, it would also ease bridging claims payment to marketers and transporters; as well as eliminate the massive corruption that has hitherto characterized the payment of the bridging claims. Building a reliable data base for the downstream petroleum sector distribution is also one of the advantages of the project, according to PEF. Indeed, an excellent project. However, the emerging problems facing this innovative project, if not tackled, would rubbish it.

Before the introduction of the Aquila project, the PEF has been battling hard with so many challenges: rampant petroleum product diversion by haulers and marketers; absence of reliable data, fraudulent bridging claims (claims on waybills of undelivered products, popularly called bridging by air), cases of multiple registration numbers (plate number) for a single truck and insider abuses were also challenges in the management of the regulated petroleum products distribution system. However, with the introduction of the Acquila Project, all these problems were already being tackled, with reasonable success being achieved. For example, it has helped in the elimination of fraudulent claims and has put ‘vendors’ of petroleum products waybills out of business. But with the emergence of the aforementioned challenges, the project is under serious threat.

What then can be done by the Petroleum Equalization Fund Management (PEF) Board to safeguard and continuously improve on the project, taking into consideration the Nigerian mentality - the tendency of most people to try to circumvent laid down procedures.

Firstly, massive education and advocacy, including continuous publicity and advertising can be a strong tool in safeguarding the project.  For instance, some people were led to wrongly believe that the RFID tags affixed on trucks  contain mercury and SIM card for making free calls because some important targets  were left out in PEF’s  public relations and enlightenment  strategy - all people doing business in the depots regardless of their status should have been targeted in the enlightenment  programme. For example, drivers and motor boys who are always attached to the petroleum trucks can become bottleneck to the project.  If a driver, a motor boy, or a gate-man in the depots believe the RFID tags have mercury or SIM card for free calls, they would be tempted to steal it. 

All information technology business solutions have provisions for producing advanced versions;the Aquila Project cannot be an exception. Therefore, PEF’s IT support staff and service providers should search for more advanced ways to replace the physical RFID tags to either infrared or Blue-toothed entire truck. This would eliminate the cases of theft of the RFID tags, as well as render less-important, the RFID tags and truck’s registration number plate.

Another way of improving the solution is; the PEF management should be a more flexible with its representatives at the depots- it has been observed recently that PEF’s representatives at most loading depots in country are jittery to correct errors they make- either a  captured  wrong destination, quantity, marketers name or product type. Human errors are found in running any application, including I.T. business solution. If PEF continues to be unnecessarily strict with its personnel at the depots for cases of ‘innocent’ error corrections, it risks losing one of the most important aspects in achieving efficiency- full disclosure. Its depots representatives would hide errors made, which in the long run, would harm the entire project. PEF should allow its representatives at the loading depots to do corrections on errors made, but with full disclosure, this would immensely help it in the continuous improvement of the project.

PEF should also restructure its collaboration strategy with major stakeholders. For instance, the six major oil marketers and NNPC Retails control the bulk of trucks and retails outlets in the Nigerian downstream oil industry. A stronger partnership with these major stakeholders in the area of tagging of trucks would relieve PEF of the burden of management of the tags, especially of new trucks coming into the system.

Any electronic business solution has its challenges.  If all the challenges facing  the Aquila project are surmounted; the project can serve as  vehicle in providing the Nigerian government some vital information and data on  regulated  petroleum  products-  the exact litres loaded and exact litres received at each retail station in the country; the consumption pattern state by state or region by region, in addition to information on heavy truck movement on the Nigerian roads, including data on the actual national consumption of regulated petroleum products subsidized by tax payers money.

Nonetheless, PEF must be commended for this innovative solution to long-term national problems- irregularities in the management of the distribution and claims on bridged regulated petroleum products.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Jimeta, Adamawa State, zaymohd@yahoo.com, 08036070980.