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The Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, yesterday, at a public lecture at the
University of Lagos, urged students of Nigerian universities to get
involved in governance.

The event, ‘A day with an icon’ drew a
lot of students from the institution and other schools, filling the
main auditorium of the university to the brim. Mr Bankole, who spoke on
the topic, ‘The challenges and prospects of transforming the Nigerian
democratic polity’, told the students to get involved in politics in
order to chart a better course for the country. “We need the youth
working hand in hand with only mature and responsible adults,” he said.
“Adults with vision, sense of purpose and maturity that could chart a
course for the future of Nigeria. You have to stand up, you have to
defend democracy. You have to become real actors and not just
spectators on a national and political level. A frightening high
percentage of Nigerian youth are totally disconnected from the society.
They are alienated, they are annoyed. It is this sense of alienation
that led to the growth of Niger Delta militants. It is this that has
led to armed robbery and much more.”

Youth as spectators

The speaker accused most of the youth
of being spectators in national affairs and refusing to get directly
involved in governance or speak out on any injustice done to them. To
buttress his point, he asked the students how many of them knew the
names of their local government councillors and House of Representative
members and less than 10 hands were raised among the hundreds of
students present. “We don’t even know who represents us at grassroots
level and we don’t even care,” he said. “In Nigeria this year, we spent
N2.3 trillion on local government level and councillors are going to be
in charge of this money. And you don’t care how this money is spent?
And you people just sit quietly in the university and take it, and you
accept it.”

Mr Bankole recounted the early years of
Nigeria’s independence under the leadership of people like Nnamdi
Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello. He recalled how these leaders had formed
enduring educational institutions like University of Nigeria,
University of Ife and University of Lagos while lauding their
initiatives. But 50 years after, he said, Nigeria is faced with a
myriad of problems. “It is a problem that has taken 50 years to build,”
he said. “It is an inherited problem. Nigeria is the sixth highest OPEC
crude oil producer in the world, yet we import petrol and diesel. We
are now experts at exporting what we do not have and importing what we
have. We have doctors and nurses in government hospitals who fail to
attend to patients after receiving salaries. We have lecturers who fail
to teach students after receiving salaries. We have universities that
give degrees and certificates to people of questionable character.”

The way forward

He pleaded with the students to stop
being spectators but to turn their institutions into recruiting places
for future leaders. “I’m begging you, I’m pleading with you not to be
spectators anymore,” he said. “I am pleading with you to turn your
universities and those of your friends from other universities to a
recruiting ground for future leaders in this country. You have to form
a movement. It is important because you can’t have this kind of people
continue to run the affairs of this country directly or indirectly and
make decisions that would affect you. We should stop sending our worst
to represent this country. We must be vigilant, we must protect our
democracy. I charge the Nigerian youths to use your collective strength
of about 70 percent of the entire population to contribute towards the
transformation of our democratic polity.”

Some of the students also had an
opportunity to ask the Speaker some questions. Oluwaseun Clement asked
him how much senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria earned. “The
only commission that can state the salaries and allocation of any
public office holder is the Revenue and Mobilisation, Allocation and
Fiscal Commission,” he said in response. “Go to the Revenue
Mobilization, they would give you the list of allowances. And do not
confuse allowances with mobilization and constituency allowances. Our
job is to make laws and follow the money not to spend it.”

Also in response to a question on the plea bargain undertaken by
corrupt officials when found to have embezzled government funds by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Bankole said the
suggestions of the students were welcome. “It is only the beginning and
we welcome any idea from this intellectual capacity,” he said. “You
have to intervene and the only way to intervene is to probe. I’d
welcome from the Law Faculty any idea that would enhance our
performance.”</

One person is
feared dead, following a clash between rival political camps in the
Keffi local government area of Nasarawa State on Sunday.

Supporters of state
lawmaker, Tahir Alayi, and senatorial aspirant, Mohammed Abdullahi,
clashed on the street outside the Nasarawa-West campaign office of
Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma while the governor was inside commissioning
the office.

According to an
eyewitness who was at the scene, the two groups of youth set fire to
campaign posters and an unidentified member of one of the groups was
stabbed in the clash. He was said to have been rushed to the hospital,
but he died on the way.

There was no official confirmation from the police in Nasarawa
State, as the command spokesman, Richard Akoji, refused to comment.

The Petroleum
Tanker Drivers wing of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers (NUPENG), yesterday, embarked on a nation-wide warning strike
to protest what they term the “indiscriminate victimisation” of their
workers by soldiers and the “mysterious” disappearance of petroleum
products.

NUPENG’s Lagos Zone
chairman, Tokunbo Korede, said the seven days warning strike is coming
after a 21-day ultimatum elapsed on November 26, 2010, following a
meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, the Director-General of the State
Security Service (SSS), the Minister of Labour, and the management of
the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Mr Korede said the
failure of the government officials at the meeting to apprehend and
prosecute the army officials behind the assassination of a tanker
driver in Jos and the disappearance of several tankers, along with
their petroleum products, within military installations has
necessitated them to push their case.

Litany of intimidation

“It is true,” he
said. “It started this morning (yesterday) after the 21-day ultimatum
we gave elapsed. It is a nationwide action with only PTD on strike now.
Our member died instantly at a joint check point of army and police
officers at Jos because he refused to be extorted. The culprits ran to
Bauchi Garrison Command, where our truck was taken. But up till now the
culprits have not being brought out and the tanker and the product are
no longer to be found.”

The union leader
mentioned other incidents, in the month of November, in which tankers
and products were seized by army personnel, only for them to vanish
“with no trace”. “In Ibadan, the army seized our truck,” he said.
“After a week our truck disappeared with no trace. Also, this November
in Port Harcourt, the army and police stopped a luxurious bus on the
road and that is how the tanker driver ran over some people. The army
immediately took our truck to the barracks. We even paid compensation
to the people that died. But after some time the truck and the product
were no more to be found.”

The NUPENG boss says if the federal government does not take the
warning strike serious, it could affect the 2011 general elections.
“For how long are they going to take to fish out those criminal
uniformed men who are behind all this?,” he said. “This is a seven-day
warning strike for those saying we are working on it to bring out a
solution. They need to take us serious because it will be too
disastrous for the coming elections.”

Reports that the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has launched an
investigation into the 2009 rerun election in Ekiti State has been
applauded by Nuhu Ribadu, an Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
presidential aspirant.

Mr. Ribadu said in Abuja yesterday that monitoring INEC officials will ensure free and fair elections in the country.

“It is the right
step in the right direction. The only way to ensure free and fair
election is when you have a system in place to check the excesses of
all officers,” he said.

Over the weekend,
a national daily reported that the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) under the leadership of Attahiru Jega, has concluded
plans to begin probing the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in
charge of Ekiti state at the time of the elections, Ayoka Adebayo.
According to the report, INEC had set up a three man committee to begin
this probe as a first step to cleaning its house in preparation for the
upcoming 2011 Elections.

Protect your vote

The results of the
controversial April 2009 rerun elections in Ekiti State were widely
believed to be a result of coercion. Six months later, the results
which saw Segun Oni of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) returned as
Ekiti State governor were upturned and Kayode Fayemi of the Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was sworn in as the new governor of the state.

Referring to the
upcoming 2011 elections, Mr. Ribadu, the former chairman of the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), urged Nigerians to
resist voters’ intimidation.

“Stand up against intimidation, protect your vote, and do what is right,” Mr. Ribadu said.

Meanwhile, the
presidential bid of the former anti-graft boss has been endorsed by the
youth wing of the Ohaneze Nd’Igbo, the World Igbo Youth Congress
(WIYC). The group, led by Ronald Okechukwu, paid a courtesy visit to
Mr. Ribadu in his campaign office in Abuja yesterday assuring him of
their support.

“There must be a 360-degree deviation from ‘Chop – I – Chop’ stance
by Nigerian political gladiators for Nigeria to really move forward.
Without fear of contradiction, I want to say that Nigeria is in dire
need of an emancipator that can save her from the current state of
abject penury,” Mr. Okechukwu said.

The people of Osun State did not only celebrate the victory of
their newly sworn in governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in addition, there was
declaration by many individuals to decamp into the new governor’s party, the
Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Dramatically, the Technical School playground, Osogbo, where the
swearing-in event took place last Saturday was not only visited by the party
faithful but also loyalists to the former governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

The chairman of the ACN, who is an indigene of Iwo, Moshood
Adeoti, said the “era of deceit is gone in the state. Oyinlola is gone and as
you can see, we don’t have to start telling you the strength of our popularity
around here. Even our enemies are here to celebrate with us. We are ready for
them if they so wish to repent and meanwhile, this is a government of the
people and not just a military painted green and white,”

Supporters trooped in from all parts of the state and converged
in the state capital, holding brooms. All roads were blocked and the venue of
the swearing-in filled to its brim. Even children were not left out in the
broom holding ritual.

Apart from the words of promises and position of Mr. Aregbesola
on Mr Oyinlola’s tenure in the state, many individuals and groups who had
besieged the venue, told NEXT their expectations from the new government.

An official of the state’s farmers association, Bode Omoloye
accused the former governor of hijacking the cassava plantation fund that was
provided to the state by the federal government for use on his own private
farms. Mr Oyinlola was accused, alongside his deputy, Erelu Obada of diverting
the entire state agricultural machineries into their private farms, “He must
go, there is nothing to do about that. The buildings that Awolowo built for us
at the farm settlements were taken away from us and no one has compensated us for
that,” he said.

Olasunkanmi Adebayo, the chairman of the farm settlers, said the
former governor had the opportunity to perform miracles in the state, but “he
has done his own part and we are waiting on the new governor to turn things
around for good in the state.”

The swearing-in of the new Governor by the state Chief Judge,
Olaniyi Ojo, was held amidst huge funfair. Mr. Aregbesola received the
imprimatur of office in the company of his wife, Sherifat Aregbesola and the
Deputy Governor, Titilayo Laoye-Tomori.

Celebrating what he described as the new beginning for the
state, the party’s leader and a former governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu
said: “the charge,

‘never give up’ is a spirit we must all seriously embrace from
now on and across the length and breadth of Nigeria. For us in the Action
Congress of Nigeria, it has become a cardinal aspect of our party culture.
…And this is why I must congratulate our great party, ably led by Bisi
Akande, who incidentally is the last progressive governor of this state. I
celebrate with you the beginning of a new era after seven and half years of an
era of locust, during which the clock of progress restored in 1999 by our own
indefatigable Akande was set backwards by the People Destructive Party of Nigeria
(PDP).”

The new governor, in his speech, promised to provide 20,000 jobs
within his first 100 days in office,adding that within the first 150 days, he
will turn Osogbo into a commercial hub, where goods would be sold for the same
price they are sold in Lagos.

Inglorious exit

At exactly 1:50PM last Friday, power changed hands in the state
and jubilation spread across the state while some of the former governor’s
associates and friends left the state in disgrace. Vehicles bearing some top
government functionaries were seen making ways out of the state government
house, all in a move to prepare for what seems like an inglorious exit.

Several, including Mr. Oyinlola, were not only openly mocked,
they were booed and some stoned in a desperate revelation that shows the
people’s feelings about their performance while in power.

Police officers stationed at the government secretariat arrested a
photographer who claimed to be working for a journalist. They said some
documents linked to the governor’s office were found on him, but they declined
to tell NEXT what the documents were.

The special adviser to the president on power,
Bart Nnaji, at the weekend said a developmental miracle would occur in Nigeria
once the federal government concludes its power sector reform.

Speaking at the fourth Universities Research
& Development Fair (NURESDEF) event at the University of Nigeria at Nsukka,
Enugu State, Mr. Nnaji said, “Nigeria is a development miracle waiting to
happen,” adding that the key to the ‘development miracle’ is the modernisation
of the nation’s power sector, as contained in the Road Map for the Power Sector
Reform, which the President, Goodluck Jonathan, launched recently.

The road map provides a detailed analysis of how
the power crisis would be resolved within five years, with a plan to unbundle
Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) into a transmission company, six
generations, and 11 distribution firms.

The presidential adviser said the conclusion of
the reform agenda would automatically end “the perennial electricity blight in
our nation, which has stunted Nigeria’s development, as manufacturing firms
have collapsed or relocated to neighbouring countries and those which are still
in business here are operating with difficulties. The reform will end the de-industrialisation
of our country.”

Darling of investors

He disclosed that the federal government’s
decision to become a minority shareholder in the generation and distribution
companies, by reducing its interests to 49%, has been welcomed by both local
and local investors.

“Apart from various state governments and the
labour movement, which have indicated interest,” he told the audience,
“high-minded international entrepreneurs have displayed great commitment to
investing in the power sector. An example is Aser of India, which has pledged
to invest $2billion if we sustain the reform programme. And a group of
investors have approached the vice president, with a view to investing $20
billion in the sector.”

Describing Nigeria as “perhaps the best place on
earth to invest in infrastructure development because of the virgin market, the
huge market and the generally high yield,” Mr. Nnaji said foreign investors
have learnt from the success achieved in the reform of the nation’s
telecommunication sector.

“International businesses have learnt from the
experience of companies like Vodafone, which refused to invest in Nigeria’s GSM
market in 2001, only to bite their fingers when they saw the fortunes firms
like MTN began to make out of Nigeria no sooner than they commenced operations.

“Nigeria is so good for infrastructure investors, and that is why Bharta of
India paid billions the other day to acquire a controlling interest in Zain,
the international GSM operator,” he said.

Governors elected on
the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are to take a stand
soon on the emergence of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, as the
consensus candidate for the northern region to contest against President
Goodluck Jonathan in the party’s primaries.

The Akwa Ibom State
governor, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja at
the weekend. Mr. Abubakar emerged the north’s consensus candidate last
week, after beating three other aspirants in a screening carried out by
the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF).

The governor said that the choice of Mr. Abubakar will brighten Mr. Jonathan’s chances in the primaries.

“The outcome of the
consensus brightens the chances of the Jonathan/Sambo success in 2011. I
do know that in politics we cannot underrate anybody, but one thing is
certain; that President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namani
Sambo are both grounded in the PDP; seriously grounded in the PDP, and
the consensus candidate just thrown up, clearly will find it difficult
to find his feet within the PDP,” Mr. Akpabio said.

He noted that it is
not certain if due process was not followed in granting Mr. Abubakar a
waiver, but that it will become clearer when the aspirants face the
screening panel to be set up by the PDP leadership.

He alleged that the
picture that was shown immediately after the former vice president was
announced as the consensus candidate by the Adamu Ciroma-led committee
was bearing a bundle of broom, which is the logo of the Action Congress
of Nigeria, from where he came from.

The governor said he
is neither for nor against zoning of the presidential slot, but
insisted that peace, unity and progress of the country are paramount,
stressing that the Jonathan/Sambo tickets will offer them.

Mr. Akpabio said
both the president and his deputy have been governors and that this
places them in good stead to fully understand and tackle the
multifarious challenges facing the country.

He described the
incidents of violent crimes, especially kidnapping in Akwa Ibom State,
as unfortunate, and said that his administration will do all within its
power to ensure culprits are made to face the law, irrespective of who
they may be.

Former Inspector General of Police and one time presidential
candidate of the Movement for Democracy and Justice (MDJ), Muhammed Yusuf
yesterday called for the prosecution of political office holders removed by the
court because they rigged their way into office.

Speaking in Abeokuta as Guest Lecturer at the 2nd Sobo Sowemimo
Annual Lecture held in the premises of Abeokuta Club, Mr Yusuf said such people
should be made to refund all salaries and allowances collected by them while in
office.

“Yes I support their prosecution and refund of all salaries and
allowances they have received while in office, because it was later established
by law court that they got to power fraudulently,” he said.

He also opposed the candidacy of President Jonathan.

“I think it is important to point out that the current effort by
President Goodluck Jonathan to continue in office after ending his tenure on
29th May 2011, instead of ensuring we have free and fair elections in this
country, is a reflection of the governance crisis,” Mr Yusuf said. “We have a
President who is trying to self succeed himself through a process which amount
to a political coup in his own political party.” A leader of the Arewa
Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr Yusuf faulted some supporters of the president who
said recently that if Mr Jonathan did not emerge as President in 2011, there
will be crisis in the country.

“In a democracy nobody should think that he/she has to be president or there
will be no Nigeria,” he said. “I have to make this point because a Minister had
warned that if Goodluck Jonathan does not emerge as President there will be
crisis in Nigeria, so if this is the case what is the point of conducting
elections?”

Gaius Ihejimaizu, a surety for the former governor of Abia
State, Orji Uzor Kalu, has asked a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, to
discharge him as he no longer has confidence in the former governor.

Mr Kalu is facing a 107-count charge of money-laundering,
brought by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the
misappropriation of N5 billion belonging to the Abia State government.

The surety was acting as a character reference as part of Mr
Kalu’s bail conditions. Mr Ihejiamaizu, a traditional ruler in the state, said
that he was no longer in contact with Mr Kalu and could not vouch for his
actions or whereabouts. “I no longer have confidence in the 1st accused person
and will not stand as surety for him anymore,” he said in a court statement.
“It would be in the interest of justice to discharge me as a surety to the 1st
accused person and return my said certificate of recognition to me.”

Mr Ihejiamaizu’s lawyer, Anthony Agbazure, told journalists in Abuja, that
his client wanted to be discharged from the burden of being his surety to the
former governor because he would be held liable if the governor elopes. The
court, presided by Adamu Bello, will decide whether to discharge Mr Ihejiamaizu
as surety on December 20, 2010.

“The West has an
obsession with the Greek democracy and that obsession they want to
impose on the third world in a hurry” however this will not work in the
third world countries where many democratically elected governments are
running their countries aground.

This was the focal
point of former Pakistani president; Pervez Musharaf as the keynote
speaker at the 12th session of the Osigwe Anyiam Osigwe lecture series
in Lagos on Friday, titled Democracy as holism: that the dove may be
set free in our land (Political stability, security, peace and
socio-economic development as integrals of democracy).

Mr Musharaf
explained that “democracy must be tailored to the dictates of the local
terrain of a country,” warning that “democracy does not end at the
conducting a free and fair election, as the West always supports.”

“Democracy is about ensuring security, equity and balance of welfare for the people in a state” he said.

Citing Pakistan as
an example, he noted that due to series of war the country has fought
in its history, the Pakistani army wields enormous power and control of
the country till this day.

“The army is such
an institution that ordinary Pakistani run to whenever there is a
problem.” He therefore called for the Pakistani military to have “a
constitutionally instituted role in the governance of the country where
it can make its voice known in issues affecting the country. This he
claimed was the reason why he set-up the National Security Council
(NSC) which was composed of the President, Prime Minister, four
military chiefs, members of the opposition parties and key economic
drivers.

The former military
ruler who seized power via a coup d’état stated that “I have been the
most adamant supporter of democracy in Pakistan” claiming that his role
in the last nine years has been to institute sustainable democracy in
Pakistan and national security.

Militancy, extremism, terrorism and conflict with India

Comparing Nigeria
with Pakistan, Mr Musharaf noted that both nations shared number of
things in common with the challenges of ethnic, tribal and religious
diversities. He noted that these diversities have warranted the
development of militancy in the countries. He said militancy can only
be addressed by “developing the underdeveloped regions using a holistic
approach by striking the root-cause of the unrest else the militancy
will continue to brew. The military tactic can be used for those that
are rebellious it will not work sustainable.

On terrorism, the
former president highlighted the failure of the coalition forces (US,
NATO and Pakistan) to consolidate on the success achieved with the
defeat of the Taliban in 2002, has led to the resurgence of the Taliban
and pockets of Al-Qaeda forces around the world.

As the nation
prepares a general election in the next six months, Mr Musharaf who
recently launched a new political in the United Kingdom-where he is on
a self-imposed exile-made it known that to address the issue of voter’s
apathy, he will be “reaching out to the over 60 per cent of eligible
voters in Pakistan who do not vote.” Noting, that this range of people
consists of women and youths who are predominantly from the
middle-class, he stated that these are the class of people he will be
reaching out because “these people will not vote on tribal or ethnical
prejudice but make a sound decision on who is right to get their vote.”
He enjoined the developing world to reach out to these voters who will
not willingly vote. He suggested that Nigerian politicians too should
employ this strategy.

The Nigerian
President, represented at the lecture by Minister of State for
Information, Labaran Maku, used the occasion to again affirm that his
administration will ensure that the forth coming polls will be the
cleanest and freest election in the history of the poll.

Explaining why a former military leader who seized power through a
coup d’état was brought to speak on democracy and security, Mike Anyiam
Osigwe; the coordinator of Osigwe’s foundation stated that “most
leaders are more sober and reflective outside their terms in office;
hence the use of the insights of these leaders will be beneficial to
the world.”