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Letters to the Editor
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Editor,
Ngige about to achieve what Obi
did to him
The stage is almost now set for Dr.
Chris Ngige to challenge the
declaration of Governor Peter Obi as
the winner of the just concluded
Anambra gubernatorial election. Ngige
has done his home work properly and
has come out with the fact that the INEC
did not obey the constitution as it
concerns the electoral act before
declaring Obi the winner.
The electoral act stipulates that a
candidate must win 25% of total vote
cast in at least two-thirds of the local
government of a particular state. In the
case of Anambra that has 21 LGAs, it
would translate to 14 LGAs; but Obi
obtained that feat in only 13 LGAs. This
is not the only basis that Ngige would
use in contesting the INEC declaration
Obi as winner; there were ballot box
snatchings and physical assaults on his
polling agents. In that wise, the
electoral act provides that the first two
highest scorer of the votes cast should
go for a run-off. These are the basis
Ngige would go to the tribunal just as
Obi did against him after the 2003
elections that led to Obi getting back
his mandate. But this time around,
Ngige is challenging to get a due run-
off between him and Obi.
Professor Soludo who earlier was
reported to have conceded victory to
Obi is now singing a different tone
which has it that Obi did not win but was
helped by INEC to get to the present
situation of the election’s outcome. All
this put together should send one
message to Obi: It is not yet over and
should expect what he did to Ngige at
the wake of the 2003 election.
Chief Chikelu Ogbuagu
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
Ngige about to achieve what Obi
did to him
The stage is almost now set for Dr.
Chris Ngige to challenge the
declaration of Governor Peter Obi as
the winner of the just concluded
Anambra gubernatorial election. Ngige
has done his home work properly and
has come out with the fact that the INEC
did not obey the constitution as it
concerns the electoral act before
declaring Obi the winner.
The electoral act stipulates that a
candidate must win 25% of total vote
cast in at least two-thirds of the local
government of a particular state. In the
case of Anambra that has 21 LGAs, it
would translate to 14 LGAs; but Obi
obtained that feat in only 13 LGAs. This
is not the only basis that Ngige would
use in contesting the INEC declaration
Obi as winner; there were ballot box
snatchings and physical assaults on his
polling agents. In that wise, the
electoral act provides that the first two
highest scorer of the votes cast should
go for a run-off. These are the basis
Ngige would go to the tribunal just as
Obi did against him after the 2003
elections that led to Obi getting back
his mandate. But this time around,
Ngige is challenging to get a due run-
off between him and Obi.
Professor Soludo who earlier was
reported to have conceded victory to
Obi is now singing a different tone
which has it that Obi did not win but was
helped by INEC to get to the present
situation of the election’s outcome. All
this put together should send one
message to Obi: It is not yet over and
should expect what he did to Ngige at
the wake of the 2003 election.
Chief Chikelu Ogbuagu
Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
The Editor Sir,
So they really want to kill Jonathan?
It beats one’s imagination that for
accepting to make Nigeria come out of
its doldrums created by the ailing
President Yar’Adua’s indisposition, the
acting President Goodluck Jonathan
now becomes the target for elimination
by a cabal.
It is no more news that an ex-governor
of one of the Niger Delta states has
been fingered by the acting President’s
sources as the arrowhead of the
devilish planners. Nigerian Tribune
newspaper of last week was the first to
alert the nation that Jonathan’s life was
in danger. The acting President himself
thereafter accused a cabal of launching
all forms of attacks and plans against
him, all aimed at giving the wrong
impression that he is not capable.
Apart from the ex-militants warning
those behind the plan, the south-south
elders, including Chief Edwin Clarke and
retired Admiral Akhigbe, have also
raised such warning. They have
threatened that the Niger Delta area
would go separate way should anything
untoward happen to the acting
President and his government on
account of the evil plans.
The identity of this south-south state ex-
governor (arrowhead) of the anti-
Jonathan stance is becoming clearer
with each passing day but the antics
applied by those against the acting
government are being exposed and
very soon their efforts would wane. All
one is saying is; they should allow
peace to reign in this country.
Chief Pius Umukoro,
Warri, Delta State
So they really want to kill Jonathan?
It beats one’s imagination that for
accepting to make Nigeria come out of
its doldrums created by the ailing
President Yar’Adua’s indisposition, the
acting President Goodluck Jonathan
now becomes the target for elimination
by a cabal.
It is no more news that an ex-governor
of one of the Niger Delta states has
been fingered by the acting President’s
sources as the arrowhead of the
devilish planners. Nigerian Tribune
newspaper of last week was the first to
alert the nation that Jonathan’s life was
in danger. The acting President himself
thereafter accused a cabal of launching
all forms of attacks and plans against
him, all aimed at giving the wrong
impression that he is not capable.
Apart from the ex-militants warning
those behind the plan, the south-south
elders, including Chief Edwin Clarke and
retired Admiral Akhigbe, have also
raised such warning. They have
threatened that the Niger Delta area
would go separate way should anything
untoward happen to the acting
President and his government on
account of the evil plans.
The identity of this south-south state ex-
governor (arrowhead) of the anti-
Jonathan stance is becoming clearer
with each passing day but the antics
applied by those against the acting
government are being exposed and
very soon their efforts would wane. All
one is saying is; they should allow
peace to reign in this country.
Chief Pius Umukoro,
Warri, Delta State
Dear Editor,
Yar’Adua: Even mother could not see son
The truth seems to be emerging on how this
nation has been and is being run by the Yar’
Adua Presidency. Reading how tough it was for
all the groups that wasted our nation’s resources
used in travelling to Saudi Arabia without setting
their eyes on our President, one does not need
to look too far to understand what has been
going on.
Starting from the so-called signing of the
Appropriation Bill by ailing Yar’Adua, to the
purported BBC interview and including those
fruitless journeys by government officials, to what
Yar’Adua’s media adviser, Adeniyi, said and
counter-said as being a statement from Yar’Adua
himself concerning Jonathan as Vice President
and Acting President respectively, are all
falsifications. Then one asks; why should a whole
country like Nigeria be so in disgrace as if we
have empty heads.
Since the President Yar’Adua’s purported return
to Nigeria, no one, I mean no one has been
allowed to see him: the acting President
Jonathan has not been allowed; Hajia Dada Yar’
Adua (Umaru Yar’Adua’s mother) who came with
some other members of the family was not
allowed to see her son; the masses who would
have loved to see their President on television
even in a bad situation so as to cull some
sympathy; nobody has been allowed except
Turai who people have started labelling ‘Queen
Jezebel of the Bible’. She should save herself
that name because persons that read Bible know
how Jezebel behaved and ended.
This now brings to fore the rumour making the
rounds that Turai was originally the wife of Shehu
Yar’Adua and not Umaru Yar’Adua and that all
the daughters being paraded were of Shehu as
the rumour insisted that Umaru has two sons only
from his real wife who are never heard or seen.
Poor Mama Yar’Adua; she has to contend with all
these because she had both Shehu and Umaru
as sons. But why should Turai refuse mother
from seeing her son? Hajia Dada has in Nigeria
Tribune of 1/3/10 appeal to Hajia Turai that her
son must not die. She requested Turai to release
her son and promised to meet with Obj and
Gowon to help beg Turai for her.
Dr. Jerome Jiga, Zaria, Kaduna State
jeromejiga@yahoo.com
Yar’Adua: Even mother could not see son
The truth seems to be emerging on how this
nation has been and is being run by the Yar’
Adua Presidency. Reading how tough it was for
all the groups that wasted our nation’s resources
used in travelling to Saudi Arabia without setting
their eyes on our President, one does not need
to look too far to understand what has been
going on.
Starting from the so-called signing of the
Appropriation Bill by ailing Yar’Adua, to the
purported BBC interview and including those
fruitless journeys by government officials, to what
Yar’Adua’s media adviser, Adeniyi, said and
counter-said as being a statement from Yar’Adua
himself concerning Jonathan as Vice President
and Acting President respectively, are all
falsifications. Then one asks; why should a whole
country like Nigeria be so in disgrace as if we
have empty heads.
Since the President Yar’Adua’s purported return
to Nigeria, no one, I mean no one has been
allowed to see him: the acting President
Jonathan has not been allowed; Hajia Dada Yar’
Adua (Umaru Yar’Adua’s mother) who came with
some other members of the family was not
allowed to see her son; the masses who would
have loved to see their President on television
even in a bad situation so as to cull some
sympathy; nobody has been allowed except
Turai who people have started labelling ‘Queen
Jezebel of the Bible’. She should save herself
that name because persons that read Bible know
how Jezebel behaved and ended.
This now brings to fore the rumour making the
rounds that Turai was originally the wife of Shehu
Yar’Adua and not Umaru Yar’Adua and that all
the daughters being paraded were of Shehu as
the rumour insisted that Umaru has two sons only
from his real wife who are never heard or seen.
Poor Mama Yar’Adua; she has to contend with all
these because she had both Shehu and Umaru
as sons. But why should Turai refuse mother
from seeing her son? Hajia Dada has in Nigeria
Tribune of 1/3/10 appeal to Hajia Turai that her
son must not die. She requested Turai to release
her son and promised to meet with Obj and
Gowon to help beg Turai for her.
Dr. Jerome Jiga, Zaria, Kaduna State
jeromejiga@yahoo.com
The Transformation of Akwa-Ibom State
As a keen watcher of Akwa Ibom State, I took
great interest in the Daily Independent’s Man
of the Year 2009, Governor Godswill
Akpabio: “A Transfortive Force”, page 33,
January 1, 2010. It is a balanced effort to
address issues which have shaped the state’
s growth and development in the past
decade. Any fair-minded analyst will agree
that since 1999 the image of Akwa Ibom has
been largely spruced up and its citizens now
walk tall across the federation, while
migration to distant cities has drastically
reduced. It is no longer easy to find domestic
servants from both Akwa Ibom and Cross
River States as used to be the case,
especially male cooks, stewards and
gardeners. These new trends came as a
result of deliberate measures taken by the
state’s leaders.
After visiting Akwa Ibom state in the closing
years of Obong Victor Attah’s administration,
witnessing what a former British High
Commissioner commended as “a massive
construction site”, I was greatly inspired. I felt
sorry for my own state, Anambra, after seeing
how modern facilities such as abattoirs, motor
parks, shopping plazas, woodwork markets
and saw mills (complete with restaurants,
post offices etc.), housing estates and ultra-
modern schools blended with gigantic
development projects in power, airport and
others. I doffed my cap to the technocrat who
harboured this vision.
But shortly after Chief Godswill Akpabio took
over in May 2007 as State Governor, there
occurred skirmishes and open political
warfare between him and his predecessor,
Obong Victor Attah, his former boss and
mentor. I was one of these writers who rose
up in defence of Attah for the simple reason
that I was a witness to his transformative
leadership. Many others vehemently
opposed Akpabio for his vindictiveness in
biting the fingers that nurtured him, out of a
lingering bitterness from Attah favouring his
son-in-law for the 2007 gubernatorial contest.
The consensus canvassed by many analysts
was that by-gones should be by-gones in
order to proceed with a seamless transition
and continuity of Attah’s vision of which
Akpabio was also a builder.
What the Independent has admirably
achieved is to demonstrate the fact that, just
as in Lagos and Delta States, Akwa Ibom has
finally bowed to reality and linked up with the
principal transformative projects of Victor
Attah for the general good of Akwa Ibomites.
It is never too late to correct one’s mistakes if
there is goodwill. To his credit, Chief Akpabio
has silently surrendered to the truth, basking
as he is doing now in the sun of Attah’s
achievements. To both men will the glory
acrrue in the end, instead of any one person
seeking to usurp the credit. Chief Akpabio
should take more seriously Attah’s
constructive criticisms regarding the
grandiose and self-promoting nature of his
other policies and projects. History will be
ruthless in its verdict and by then all those
misleading the man with groveling
psychophancy will have disappeared.
The Independent rightly identifies the seminal
importance of education in social change and
transformation and how illiteracy was the
major cause of Akwa Ibom’s past
backwardness. Be it the U.K of 1944 or the
Western Region of Nigeria in 1957 or the
emergent economies of Asia such as
Malaysia and Singapore, the primary tool of
development is always adequate education.
The foundation laid by Victor Attah in his first
term after bemoaning the lot of his people as
domestic staff to more privileged Nigerians,
was to grant free education to students up to
the level of JSS III, matching words with
facilities. He built model secondary schools
in several local government areas which, in
their modern architecture, resemble
university campuses. I saw them myself and
was marveled. Attah also dispatched many
students abroad to learn, first-hand, vital
techniques to assist in his Science Park
programme and other projects such as the
airport. I have not been to Akwa Ibom since
2007, but I gather from news reports that the
Akpabio government has introduced
compulsory and free education to SSS III.
However, critics maintain that there are not
enough classrooms and related facilities to
make this practicable. One would like to read
about concrete numbers of schools,
hospitals, housing schemes and other social
services/projects such as the ones journalists
toured in the Attah years.
A good leader listens attentively to objective
criticisms. The Independent was objective in
calling attention to popular dismay in Akpabio’
s construction of a N7 billion “befitting”
Government Lodge at a time many pressing
social needs should have been addressed.
As the writer well pointed out, England’s 10
Downing Street remains a modest example of
that country’s fiscal prudence, just as Indian
Prime Ministers live in a humble official
residence. Many have also screamed in utter
disgust about the incredible amount of N32
billion being poured into the Ibom Tropicana
Complex, a multi-facility project, which
skeptics doubt will ever bear the expected
fruits of tourism in a time of global economic
recession.
The Independent’s findings that Attah’s
projects such as the airport are “no white
elephant” after all but “based on cold and
hard economic calculations,” and that the
airport is destined to become “the hub of
aviation services in sub-Saharan Africa”,
coincide with the former governor’s remarks
at a recent national press conference. See
The Independent and other dailies of 20th
Dec., 2009. According to Akpabio’s
predecessor, he saw the need from the
outset for an hotel of national and
international potentials (which Le Meridien
and Golf Resort has become), as well as an
airport to bring tourists and professionals, but
one with a difference, hence the hangar and
MRO (maintenance, repairs and overhaul).
Both the hotel and the airport, the latter
commissioned by Akpabio last September,
promise to generate substantial foreign
exchange earnings for the state.
Since such transformative projects could not
work efficiently without power, said Attah, he
foresaw the need for an independent power
plant to ensure regularity of these service
centres, as well as provision of power to
common workers such as barbers, hair
dressers, vulcanizers, restaurateurs, bakers
and so on. Other transformative projects
initiated by Attah include the University of
Technology, the Ibaka Seaport, the Science
Park and Information Technology schemes.
Now that Akwa Ibom State is about to add
191 megawatts to the national grid out of
Attah’s three turbines and Akpabio’s alleged
N5 billion input, the Independent has thrown
light on the significance of this achievement
by declaring: “Akwa Ibom was one of the first
states to embark on an Independent Power
Project (IPP). There is a beautiful synergy
here as the IPP is located near the Aluminum
Smelting Plant at Ikot Abasi.”
In conclusion, the newspaper beautifully
speaks the minds of objective observers by
pointing out that “the synergy between the
IPP project, the education initiative, and the
massive investments in physical
infrastructure, if built upon and sustained, will
place Akwa Ibom at the forefront in the
decades to come.” This, precisely, is what
analysts have been saying all along these
past three years. Obong Victor Attah is a
technocrat of rare breed. His vision for his
state’s economic take-off was holistic and
long-range in nature, partly explaining why he
naturally would have preferred a much better
trusted successor to carry on with the
projects. It was for example, the dream to
connect the entire state with
telecommunication and to put an end to Akwa
Ibomites traveling all the way to Calabar to
make international calls that induced him to
invest in ECONET (now Zain). This initiative
placed Akwa Ibom as third, after Lagos and
Abuja, of the first states to be connected with
GSM services. Likewise, all the other
projects, big and small, were motivated by the
zeal for economic transformation. To God be
all the glory that, at last, we have arrived in
the cul-de-sac of truth, that Attah’s
transformative projects should be
commended and completed, as opposed to
rushing into new ones which could become
“handy for corrupt practices”, as well
expressed by the Daily Independent. All will
be well that appears to be ending well. Given
the tremendous inflow of funds Akwa Ibom is
enjoying, probably second to no State, there
is a great expectation for Akwa Ibom’s total
transformation.
Fidel Odum, resides in Lagos.
aloymaria_best@yahoo.co.uk,
As a keen watcher of Akwa Ibom State, I took
great interest in the Daily Independent’s Man
of the Year 2009, Governor Godswill
Akpabio: “A Transfortive Force”, page 33,
January 1, 2010. It is a balanced effort to
address issues which have shaped the state’
s growth and development in the past
decade. Any fair-minded analyst will agree
that since 1999 the image of Akwa Ibom has
been largely spruced up and its citizens now
walk tall across the federation, while
migration to distant cities has drastically
reduced. It is no longer easy to find domestic
servants from both Akwa Ibom and Cross
River States as used to be the case,
especially male cooks, stewards and
gardeners. These new trends came as a
result of deliberate measures taken by the
state’s leaders.
After visiting Akwa Ibom state in the closing
years of Obong Victor Attah’s administration,
witnessing what a former British High
Commissioner commended as “a massive
construction site”, I was greatly inspired. I felt
sorry for my own state, Anambra, after seeing
how modern facilities such as abattoirs, motor
parks, shopping plazas, woodwork markets
and saw mills (complete with restaurants,
post offices etc.), housing estates and ultra-
modern schools blended with gigantic
development projects in power, airport and
others. I doffed my cap to the technocrat who
harboured this vision.
But shortly after Chief Godswill Akpabio took
over in May 2007 as State Governor, there
occurred skirmishes and open political
warfare between him and his predecessor,
Obong Victor Attah, his former boss and
mentor. I was one of these writers who rose
up in defence of Attah for the simple reason
that I was a witness to his transformative
leadership. Many others vehemently
opposed Akpabio for his vindictiveness in
biting the fingers that nurtured him, out of a
lingering bitterness from Attah favouring his
son-in-law for the 2007 gubernatorial contest.
The consensus canvassed by many analysts
was that by-gones should be by-gones in
order to proceed with a seamless transition
and continuity of Attah’s vision of which
Akpabio was also a builder.
What the Independent has admirably
achieved is to demonstrate the fact that, just
as in Lagos and Delta States, Akwa Ibom has
finally bowed to reality and linked up with the
principal transformative projects of Victor
Attah for the general good of Akwa Ibomites.
It is never too late to correct one’s mistakes if
there is goodwill. To his credit, Chief Akpabio
has silently surrendered to the truth, basking
as he is doing now in the sun of Attah’s
achievements. To both men will the glory
acrrue in the end, instead of any one person
seeking to usurp the credit. Chief Akpabio
should take more seriously Attah’s
constructive criticisms regarding the
grandiose and self-promoting nature of his
other policies and projects. History will be
ruthless in its verdict and by then all those
misleading the man with groveling
psychophancy will have disappeared.
The Independent rightly identifies the seminal
importance of education in social change and
transformation and how illiteracy was the
major cause of Akwa Ibom’s past
backwardness. Be it the U.K of 1944 or the
Western Region of Nigeria in 1957 or the
emergent economies of Asia such as
Malaysia and Singapore, the primary tool of
development is always adequate education.
The foundation laid by Victor Attah in his first
term after bemoaning the lot of his people as
domestic staff to more privileged Nigerians,
was to grant free education to students up to
the level of JSS III, matching words with
facilities. He built model secondary schools
in several local government areas which, in
their modern architecture, resemble
university campuses. I saw them myself and
was marveled. Attah also dispatched many
students abroad to learn, first-hand, vital
techniques to assist in his Science Park
programme and other projects such as the
airport. I have not been to Akwa Ibom since
2007, but I gather from news reports that the
Akpabio government has introduced
compulsory and free education to SSS III.
However, critics maintain that there are not
enough classrooms and related facilities to
make this practicable. One would like to read
about concrete numbers of schools,
hospitals, housing schemes and other social
services/projects such as the ones journalists
toured in the Attah years.
A good leader listens attentively to objective
criticisms. The Independent was objective in
calling attention to popular dismay in Akpabio’
s construction of a N7 billion “befitting”
Government Lodge at a time many pressing
social needs should have been addressed.
As the writer well pointed out, England’s 10
Downing Street remains a modest example of
that country’s fiscal prudence, just as Indian
Prime Ministers live in a humble official
residence. Many have also screamed in utter
disgust about the incredible amount of N32
billion being poured into the Ibom Tropicana
Complex, a multi-facility project, which
skeptics doubt will ever bear the expected
fruits of tourism in a time of global economic
recession.
The Independent’s findings that Attah’s
projects such as the airport are “no white
elephant” after all but “based on cold and
hard economic calculations,” and that the
airport is destined to become “the hub of
aviation services in sub-Saharan Africa”,
coincide with the former governor’s remarks
at a recent national press conference. See
The Independent and other dailies of 20th
Dec., 2009. According to Akpabio’s
predecessor, he saw the need from the
outset for an hotel of national and
international potentials (which Le Meridien
and Golf Resort has become), as well as an
airport to bring tourists and professionals, but
one with a difference, hence the hangar and
MRO (maintenance, repairs and overhaul).
Both the hotel and the airport, the latter
commissioned by Akpabio last September,
promise to generate substantial foreign
exchange earnings for the state.
Since such transformative projects could not
work efficiently without power, said Attah, he
foresaw the need for an independent power
plant to ensure regularity of these service
centres, as well as provision of power to
common workers such as barbers, hair
dressers, vulcanizers, restaurateurs, bakers
and so on. Other transformative projects
initiated by Attah include the University of
Technology, the Ibaka Seaport, the Science
Park and Information Technology schemes.
Now that Akwa Ibom State is about to add
191 megawatts to the national grid out of
Attah’s three turbines and Akpabio’s alleged
N5 billion input, the Independent has thrown
light on the significance of this achievement
by declaring: “Akwa Ibom was one of the first
states to embark on an Independent Power
Project (IPP). There is a beautiful synergy
here as the IPP is located near the Aluminum
Smelting Plant at Ikot Abasi.”
In conclusion, the newspaper beautifully
speaks the minds of objective observers by
pointing out that “the synergy between the
IPP project, the education initiative, and the
massive investments in physical
infrastructure, if built upon and sustained, will
place Akwa Ibom at the forefront in the
decades to come.” This, precisely, is what
analysts have been saying all along these
past three years. Obong Victor Attah is a
technocrat of rare breed. His vision for his
state’s economic take-off was holistic and
long-range in nature, partly explaining why he
naturally would have preferred a much better
trusted successor to carry on with the
projects. It was for example, the dream to
connect the entire state with
telecommunication and to put an end to Akwa
Ibomites traveling all the way to Calabar to
make international calls that induced him to
invest in ECONET (now Zain). This initiative
placed Akwa Ibom as third, after Lagos and
Abuja, of the first states to be connected with
GSM services. Likewise, all the other
projects, big and small, were motivated by the
zeal for economic transformation. To God be
all the glory that, at last, we have arrived in
the cul-de-sac of truth, that Attah’s
transformative projects should be
commended and completed, as opposed to
rushing into new ones which could become
“handy for corrupt practices”, as well
expressed by the Daily Independent. All will
be well that appears to be ending well. Given
the tremendous inflow of funds Akwa Ibom is
enjoying, probably second to no State, there
is a great expectation for Akwa Ibom’s total
transformation.
Fidel Odum, resides in Lagos.
aloymaria_best@yahoo.co.uk,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
Posted Tuesday 02 March, 2010
Posted Tuesday 02 March, 2010
Posted Tuesday 02 March, 2010
Posted Tuesday 02 March, 2010
Dear Sir:
FG refunds to Akwa Ibom on projects
Reading page eighteen of the New Nigerian
newspaper of Wednesday January 13, 2010, I
was happy to note that our governor, Chief (Dr.)
Godswill Akpabio, confirmed through an interview
organized by the Akwa Ibom Broadcasing Service
on Monday January 11, 2010 that the federal
government has at least refunded 2billion Naira
on account of road constructions carried out on
its behalf by the State government.
Judging from the news item, Governor Akpabio
seems to have reversed self when he said that
the State government had requested 40billion
Naira as due refund; he had earlier claimed
umpteenth time, in the media, that the figure was
81billion Naira. It is necessary that the governor
informs the masses what the correct figure is,
and tells when funds are received just as he has
in this case of 2billion and the Federal
Government should please do the refund unless
it is demonstrating that what our Governor did
was out of specifications and regulations.
Furthermore in the same New Nigerian, the
governor was quoted as saying that “the State
government would seek the assistance of the
National Assembly in recovering its expenditure
on federal roads”. Why he should seek the
assistance of the National Assembly could be
interpreted or misinterpreted to mean that the
State government did not follow due processes
because if it did according to the specifications of
the federal government, one does not see why
he is finding it difficult to get our money back to
the extent of seeking assistance from elsewhere.
And on the suspended of Arik Airline operation to
the Akwa Ibom international airport, he described
it as “sabotage” and added that “When they say
the governor is doing well, some people are not
happy. It is part of human nature”. One wonders
who the saboteur could be in what government
had absolute control and freely negotiated with
an airline that had one of our own (Senator
Aniete Okon) as the Deputy Executive Chairman.
Akpabio Ini, , Garki, Abuja
akpabioiniama@yahoo.com
FG refunds to Akwa Ibom on projects
Reading page eighteen of the New Nigerian
newspaper of Wednesday January 13, 2010, I
was happy to note that our governor, Chief (Dr.)
Godswill Akpabio, confirmed through an interview
organized by the Akwa Ibom Broadcasing Service
on Monday January 11, 2010 that the federal
government has at least refunded 2billion Naira
on account of road constructions carried out on
its behalf by the State government.
Judging from the news item, Governor Akpabio
seems to have reversed self when he said that
the State government had requested 40billion
Naira as due refund; he had earlier claimed
umpteenth time, in the media, that the figure was
81billion Naira. It is necessary that the governor
informs the masses what the correct figure is,
and tells when funds are received just as he has
in this case of 2billion and the Federal
Government should please do the refund unless
it is demonstrating that what our Governor did
was out of specifications and regulations.
Furthermore in the same New Nigerian, the
governor was quoted as saying that “the State
government would seek the assistance of the
National Assembly in recovering its expenditure
on federal roads”. Why he should seek the
assistance of the National Assembly could be
interpreted or misinterpreted to mean that the
State government did not follow due processes
because if it did according to the specifications of
the federal government, one does not see why
he is finding it difficult to get our money back to
the extent of seeking assistance from elsewhere.
And on the suspended of Arik Airline operation to
the Akwa Ibom international airport, he described
it as “sabotage” and added that “When they say
the governor is doing well, some people are not
happy. It is part of human nature”. One wonders
who the saboteur could be in what government
had absolute control and freely negotiated with
an airline that had one of our own (Senator
Aniete Okon) as the Deputy Executive Chairman.
Akpabio Ini, , Garki, Abuja
akpabioiniama@yahoo.com
Posted Tuesday 02 March, 2010
Dear Sir,
Jonathan should not listen to South-
South Governors or Governors’ Forum
A report in The PUNCH of Monday February
22, 2010, page 10 had it that the south-
south governors in a bid to ensure that they
returned for the second term have
individually gone to see the acting President
Jonathan, pledging to work with him for the
success of his tenure. It is belated.
In this group of governors includes two that
have been plotting with an ex-governor of
one of the south-south states various media
and planned pipeline attacks that would
showcase Jonathan as incapable. One of
those governors was seen recently in the
media with the ex-governor on a weekend
courtesy call on the NNPC group managing
director, Alhaji Barkindo. It will be recalled
that the south-south governors did
reschedule unending; meeting that would
have pretended their group’s position while
the logjam in the presidency was in a terrible
situation. The Governors Forum still came
out with hopeless communiqué to the acting
President.
The outgoing Primate of the Church of
Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev
Peter Akinola under a headline “No Cabal
Should Be Allowed To Hold Nigeria To
Ransom” in the same Punch edition said
“When Nigeria starts one problem today, it
continues to go round and round. When shall
we become a nation with our politics become
such that can take the people to the
Promised Land. How can we allow members
of a cabal that engage in madness of self-
preservation to hold the entire nation to
ransom?”
Acting President is a capable and requires to
be supported by well-meaning Nigerians and
at the same time, he knows who the
pretenders are.
Itoro Akpabio,
Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State
a_itoro@yahoo.com
Jonathan should not listen to South-
South Governors or Governors’ Forum
A report in The PUNCH of Monday February
22, 2010, page 10 had it that the south-
south governors in a bid to ensure that they
returned for the second term have
individually gone to see the acting President
Jonathan, pledging to work with him for the
success of his tenure. It is belated.
In this group of governors includes two that
have been plotting with an ex-governor of
one of the south-south states various media
and planned pipeline attacks that would
showcase Jonathan as incapable. One of
those governors was seen recently in the
media with the ex-governor on a weekend
courtesy call on the NNPC group managing
director, Alhaji Barkindo. It will be recalled
that the south-south governors did
reschedule unending; meeting that would
have pretended their group’s position while
the logjam in the presidency was in a terrible
situation. The Governors Forum still came
out with hopeless communiqué to the acting
President.
The outgoing Primate of the Church of
Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev
Peter Akinola under a headline “No Cabal
Should Be Allowed To Hold Nigeria To
Ransom” in the same Punch edition said
“When Nigeria starts one problem today, it
continues to go round and round. When shall
we become a nation with our politics become
such that can take the people to the
Promised Land. How can we allow members
of a cabal that engage in madness of self-
preservation to hold the entire nation to
ransom?”
Acting President is a capable and requires to
be supported by well-meaning Nigerians and
at the same time, he knows who the
pretenders are.
Itoro Akpabio,
Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State
a_itoro@yahoo.com
Re: Gov Goje’s “Not My Desire” comment
At the Compass Media Award held 2009 at the
Nicon Transcorp Hotels Abuja, Governor Goje of
Gombe State emerged the best governor of the
year. I was there live and remembered the
‘altercation’ between the MC, the popular Bisi
Olatilo and the governor Goje.
Bisi said that the governor deserves to be the
next President of Nigeria. But the governor came
back to the podium only to disagree with Bisi
Olatilo. Using his words, “I do not ever dream
wishing to be the next President because I do not
think I am the best”. Bisi back on stage insisted
that he stood by his earlier statement on the
governor.
The chips are down; it is all over town that
Governor Goje is begging everybody who cares
that he needs to be the Vice to President
Jonathan. This would provide him the platform to
be President by 2011. Now tell me who between
Bisi and Goje is the liar? Recently in the media
that Goje was touted would run for the
presidency with Governor Godswill Akpabio as
his Vice. None of the duo came out boldly to
deny this, except a mild one by Akpabio few days
back; probably noting that their conjecture would
not see the light of the day.
But what baffled me was a statement credited to
Goje who as the chairman at the ceremony of
Daily Independent Man of Year Award to be won
jointly by Mike Adenuga Jnr (who was not excited
and refused to be present) and Governor
Akpabio. Goje had said in the statement that
Akpabio is better than himself and other
governors when he said “....it is important to note
that Governor Akpabio stand out very tall among
us the Governors for his correct focus and total
commitment to positively transform Akwa Ibom
State...” Poor Goje, he never knew that Akpabio
would be smart to put up this as an advertorial
with ‘highlights’ in select national dailies. If Goje’s
statement to the effect that Akpabio stood out
among his peers, including Goje, why does he
not think of becoming Akpabio’s deputy in 2011
instead?
Mr. Kayode Kelani
Abuja, FCT
At the Compass Media Award held 2009 at the
Nicon Transcorp Hotels Abuja, Governor Goje of
Gombe State emerged the best governor of the
year. I was there live and remembered the
‘altercation’ between the MC, the popular Bisi
Olatilo and the governor Goje.
Bisi said that the governor deserves to be the
next President of Nigeria. But the governor came
back to the podium only to disagree with Bisi
Olatilo. Using his words, “I do not ever dream
wishing to be the next President because I do not
think I am the best”. Bisi back on stage insisted
that he stood by his earlier statement on the
governor.
The chips are down; it is all over town that
Governor Goje is begging everybody who cares
that he needs to be the Vice to President
Jonathan. This would provide him the platform to
be President by 2011. Now tell me who between
Bisi and Goje is the liar? Recently in the media
that Goje was touted would run for the
presidency with Governor Godswill Akpabio as
his Vice. None of the duo came out boldly to
deny this, except a mild one by Akpabio few days
back; probably noting that their conjecture would
not see the light of the day.
But what baffled me was a statement credited to
Goje who as the chairman at the ceremony of
Daily Independent Man of Year Award to be won
jointly by Mike Adenuga Jnr (who was not excited
and refused to be present) and Governor
Akpabio. Goje had said in the statement that
Akpabio is better than himself and other
governors when he said “....it is important to note
that Governor Akpabio stand out very tall among
us the Governors for his correct focus and total
commitment to positively transform Akwa Ibom
State...” Poor Goje, he never knew that Akpabio
would be smart to put up this as an advertorial
with ‘highlights’ in select national dailies. If Goje’s
statement to the effect that Akpabio stood out
among his peers, including Goje, why does he
not think of becoming Akpabio’s deputy in 2011
instead?
Mr. Kayode Kelani
Abuja, FCT
Sir,
Call for national prayer against
corruption - treasury looters,
kidnappers, assassins, etc
It was recorded in the Holy Book
wherein King Saul in his evil deeds,
called Prophet Samuel “you frustrated
old man”, when he (Samuel) gave him
(Saul) prophecy which inferred that God
was angry the evil in the land and with
the way the Kingdom was being ruled. It
was written that Saul called for
consulted sooth-sayers implying that he
requested for payers to curse those
supposedly perpetrating those evils. It
turned out that Saul was the major
recipient of the curse.
Here in Nigeria, during Abacha’s rule
there were lots of outcry and outburst
by the citizenry. Abacha while trying to
prove his innocence called for national
prayers by the Christians, the Moslems
as well as the Pagans; for God to
remove from Nigeria anything or
anybody that may be causing the evils
in the land. Not quite long after such
prayers were carried out, Abacha
started having problems; we all know
what happened thereafter.
In Nigeria we are witnessing so much
evils and retardations now. Had
President Yar’Adua’s government
sincerely called for prayers for our
President, may be God would have
heard and done the correct wish of
Nigerians; probably healing Yar’Adua
and moving Nigeria forward. Recently,
Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom called
out Akwa Ibom mothers to prayer,
against the evil called ‘kidnapping’
which has unleashed mayhem on the
people of that State. The wife of the
recently kidnapped but released former
NYSC Director-General, retired General
Edet Akpan, it was reported refused to
participate. The prayer was for three
day period which Governor Akabio, his
wife and some cabinet members in
attendance at the closing session.
It could be true that the sponsors of
some of the kidnappings that had taken
place in that State were in attendance
at the prayer session. My sincere
prayer is that God Almighty should visit
His wrath on anyone who might be there
and pretending holier than thou, Amen.
Kenneth Abimbola, Esq.,
Port Harcourt, Rivers State
Call for national prayer against
corruption - treasury looters,
kidnappers, assassins, etc
It was recorded in the Holy Book
wherein King Saul in his evil deeds,
called Prophet Samuel “you frustrated
old man”, when he (Samuel) gave him
(Saul) prophecy which inferred that God
was angry the evil in the land and with
the way the Kingdom was being ruled. It
was written that Saul called for
consulted sooth-sayers implying that he
requested for payers to curse those
supposedly perpetrating those evils. It
turned out that Saul was the major
recipient of the curse.
Here in Nigeria, during Abacha’s rule
there were lots of outcry and outburst
by the citizenry. Abacha while trying to
prove his innocence called for national
prayers by the Christians, the Moslems
as well as the Pagans; for God to
remove from Nigeria anything or
anybody that may be causing the evils
in the land. Not quite long after such
prayers were carried out, Abacha
started having problems; we all know
what happened thereafter.
In Nigeria we are witnessing so much
evils and retardations now. Had
President Yar’Adua’s government
sincerely called for prayers for our
President, may be God would have
heard and done the correct wish of
Nigerians; probably healing Yar’Adua
and moving Nigeria forward. Recently,
Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom called
out Akwa Ibom mothers to prayer,
against the evil called ‘kidnapping’
which has unleashed mayhem on the
people of that State. The wife of the
recently kidnapped but released former
NYSC Director-General, retired General
Edet Akpan, it was reported refused to
participate. The prayer was for three
day period which Governor Akabio, his
wife and some cabinet members in
attendance at the closing session.
It could be true that the sponsors of
some of the kidnappings that had taken
place in that State were in attendance
at the prayer session. My sincere
prayer is that God Almighty should visit
His wrath on anyone who might be there
and pretending holier than thou, Amen.
Kenneth Abimbola, Esq.,
Port Harcourt, Rivers State
Acting President: The Egyptian example
Reading the front page story of Leadership
newspaper of Sunday March 7, 2010 and
also the News Analysis therein on how the
Egyptian President Mubark who was going
for an operation in a German hospital
officially handed over the country’s
government to the Prime Minister, the next
in command.
Mubarak’s action is what our President Yar’
Adua could not do for the fourth month now.
The simple letter he could not write to the
appropriate authorities enabling Jonathan
to take over while he is away is what has
created the quagmire still lingering in
Nigeria.
National Assembly should also be blamed
for this mess. They knew the President was
going for such a trip and yet they were
playing politics, deceiving the masses as to
which Chamber President Yar’Adua should
present the nation’s 2010 budget. They
knew that Yar’Adua would not attend any
assembly sitting and withstand the length of
time it would have required him to conduct
the official presentation; they played along
with him, deceiving the entire nation that
they claim were being represented. It is a
big shame; and that is why people say that
there was no election but selection in 2007,
with the connivance of INEC.
One is also waiting on the Judiciary to act
on the forgery which Yar’Adua’s kitchen
cabinet committed when they claimed that
Yar’Adua signed the supplementary
budget. There was also the forgery and
falsehood which Yar’Adua’s media adviser,
Adeniyi, dished out concerning that Yar’
Adua has asked Jonathan to act for him till
fit enough. Adeniyi should be prosecuted
for this.
One is at a loss as to why up till now the
constitution is still not respected in what is
looking like a national shame in the eyes of
the international community. How long are
we going to bear this?
Dr. Segun Osobu
Ikoyi, Lagos
osobus@yahoo.com
Reading the front page story of Leadership
newspaper of Sunday March 7, 2010 and
also the News Analysis therein on how the
Egyptian President Mubark who was going
for an operation in a German hospital
officially handed over the country’s
government to the Prime Minister, the next
in command.
Mubarak’s action is what our President Yar’
Adua could not do for the fourth month now.
The simple letter he could not write to the
appropriate authorities enabling Jonathan
to take over while he is away is what has
created the quagmire still lingering in
Nigeria.
National Assembly should also be blamed
for this mess. They knew the President was
going for such a trip and yet they were
playing politics, deceiving the masses as to
which Chamber President Yar’Adua should
present the nation’s 2010 budget. They
knew that Yar’Adua would not attend any
assembly sitting and withstand the length of
time it would have required him to conduct
the official presentation; they played along
with him, deceiving the entire nation that
they claim were being represented. It is a
big shame; and that is why people say that
there was no election but selection in 2007,
with the connivance of INEC.
One is also waiting on the Judiciary to act
on the forgery which Yar’Adua’s kitchen
cabinet committed when they claimed that
Yar’Adua signed the supplementary
budget. There was also the forgery and
falsehood which Yar’Adua’s media adviser,
Adeniyi, dished out concerning that Yar’
Adua has asked Jonathan to act for him till
fit enough. Adeniyi should be prosecuted
for this.
One is at a loss as to why up till now the
constitution is still not respected in what is
looking like a national shame in the eyes of
the international community. How long are
we going to bear this?
Dr. Segun Osobu
Ikoyi, Lagos
osobus@yahoo.com
Sir,
Nigerian nation: The needed sweeping
changes
In order for acting President Jonathan to proof
that he was not in support of the bad governance
which we have been having, he has to carry out
a sweeping change.
He has started well by sacking the NSA who tried
frightening the acting President with false
security report with the aim of making him out of
the wreathe ceremony for the Unknown Soldier
January 15, 2010, as reported in Compass
newspaper of January 29, 2010. The same man
could not inform the acting President of when the
President Yar’Adua was arriving back.
Secondly as the acting President and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of
Nigeria, the current Chief of Army Staff did not
seek his permission before deploying troops on
the streets of and Abuja airport and therefore
should be removed.
Thirdly, Jonathan should bring back Nuhu
Ribadu to the seat of EFCC if he wants to
succeed in his fight against corruption; the Waziri
EFCC is not it.
Fourthly he should ensure that electoral reform
was carried out. His first action towards this
should be reconstituting a new INEC and then
ensure that the desired electoral reforms take
place.
Coming down to the Federal Executive Council:
He has been long there and therefore knows
those that must go so that the nation moves
forward in economic growth.
If Jonathan could be courageous to do the above
changes which are what the masses are
clamouring for; he would go down in history
positively.
Alhaji (Dr.) Ahmed Mustapha
Daura Road, Katsina.
Nigerian nation: The needed sweeping
changes
In order for acting President Jonathan to proof
that he was not in support of the bad governance
which we have been having, he has to carry out
a sweeping change.
He has started well by sacking the NSA who tried
frightening the acting President with false
security report with the aim of making him out of
the wreathe ceremony for the Unknown Soldier
January 15, 2010, as reported in Compass
newspaper of January 29, 2010. The same man
could not inform the acting President of when the
President Yar’Adua was arriving back.
Secondly as the acting President and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of
Nigeria, the current Chief of Army Staff did not
seek his permission before deploying troops on
the streets of and Abuja airport and therefore
should be removed.
Thirdly, Jonathan should bring back Nuhu
Ribadu to the seat of EFCC if he wants to
succeed in his fight against corruption; the Waziri
EFCC is not it.
Fourthly he should ensure that electoral reform
was carried out. His first action towards this
should be reconstituting a new INEC and then
ensure that the desired electoral reforms take
place.
Coming down to the Federal Executive Council:
He has been long there and therefore knows
those that must go so that the nation moves
forward in economic growth.
If Jonathan could be courageous to do the above
changes which are what the masses are
clamouring for; he would go down in history
positively.
Alhaji (Dr.) Ahmed Mustapha
Daura Road, Katsina.
Posted Saturday 13 March, 2010
Posted Saturday 13 March, 2010
Posted Saturday 13 March, 2010
Posted Saturday 13 March, 2010
Posted Saturday 13 March, 2010
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Editor;
Those religious bigots should shut
up
I want to know when Nigerians should
start knowing that their utterances can
make or mar the nation and its
populace. Each time there is a situation;
Nigerians must try to give it either ethnic
or religious colourations.
In the recent unfortunate Jos crisis that
sent about 400 harmless and hapless
Nigerian citizens to their early graves,
many reports read in the media referred
to it as ‘reprisal attack’. That was a
subtle way of justifying the terrorist
action that took place.
Statements by clerics and students
comments do not help matters either. A
faction of NANS said to be headed by
one Imeobong, operating from Uyo had
shouted fire. In the same vein, one
Bishop Bassey in Uyo said to be the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
Chairman for Akwa Ibom State had on
page 7 of Daily Sun of March 9, 2010
was quoted as “warning the federal
government to find immediate and
lasting solution to anti-Christian violence
or else Christian youths would be asked
to return fire for fire”. This is not the
best from a Christian Bishop.
In another matter in Daily Trust of March
9, 2010, on page 9, fifty-four Muslim
organisations from across the country
led by Supreme Council of Shariah in
Nigeria (SCSN) issued a communiqué
which urged the Acting President to
reverse the composition of members of
the Presidential Advisory Council which
had a northern and a south Christians
as Chairman and Deputy Chairman
respectively. They in addition alleged
discrimination whereby Muslims are not
encouraged to join the military whose
heads they argued are presently
occupied by Christian Officers. To them
I want to remind that there was the
voted all-Muslim MKO Abiola-Kingibe
Presidency, annulled by a Muslim
headed military government; and also at
a time, all the heads of the Military
organisations were headed by only
Muslims, and Christians did not
complain.
All these people and their way of
reasoning should not becloud our
progress. They should watch their
utterances and stop putting the nation
at the edge each time.
Geoffrey Nnadi
Maiduguri, Borno State
Those religious bigots should shut
up
I want to know when Nigerians should
start knowing that their utterances can
make or mar the nation and its
populace. Each time there is a situation;
Nigerians must try to give it either ethnic
or religious colourations.
In the recent unfortunate Jos crisis that
sent about 400 harmless and hapless
Nigerian citizens to their early graves,
many reports read in the media referred
to it as ‘reprisal attack’. That was a
subtle way of justifying the terrorist
action that took place.
Statements by clerics and students
comments do not help matters either. A
faction of NANS said to be headed by
one Imeobong, operating from Uyo had
shouted fire. In the same vein, one
Bishop Bassey in Uyo said to be the
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)
Chairman for Akwa Ibom State had on
page 7 of Daily Sun of March 9, 2010
was quoted as “warning the federal
government to find immediate and
lasting solution to anti-Christian violence
or else Christian youths would be asked
to return fire for fire”. This is not the
best from a Christian Bishop.
In another matter in Daily Trust of March
9, 2010, on page 9, fifty-four Muslim
organisations from across the country
led by Supreme Council of Shariah in
Nigeria (SCSN) issued a communiqué
which urged the Acting President to
reverse the composition of members of
the Presidential Advisory Council which
had a northern and a south Christians
as Chairman and Deputy Chairman
respectively. They in addition alleged
discrimination whereby Muslims are not
encouraged to join the military whose
heads they argued are presently
occupied by Christian Officers. To them
I want to remind that there was the
voted all-Muslim MKO Abiola-Kingibe
Presidency, annulled by a Muslim
headed military government; and also at
a time, all the heads of the Military
organisations were headed by only
Muslims, and Christians did not
complain.
All these people and their way of
reasoning should not becloud our
progress. They should watch their
utterances and stop putting the nation
at the edge each time.
Geoffrey Nnadi
Maiduguri, Borno State
Sir
Is Present Nigeria Better Than Military Era?
It is important to understand why one is thinking
that the present Nigeria looks worse than the
military era. Taking it from the point of the
election where people are imposed on the
masses is undemocratic. The present situation is
the outcome of that. Yar’Adua was forced on the
masses and the matter created the present
situation.
Presently we have money guzzling legislature
(National Assembly and the State Houses of
Assembly) all sitting down without doing the
wishes of the electorate. Otherwise, can one
explain that while the government is supposed to
be constitutional (democratic), it still lacks the will
to go according to the constitution. We have
been wasting time talking about clauses 144 and
145, etc all in effort to finding a lasting solution
that is necessary; the national assembly is there
but could not do what duties that were conferred
on it by the constitution. We are all talking
grammar.
During the military, there was never a way the
wife of the head of state would hold the nation to
ransom. Even when IBB went for medical check-
up during his regime as military president, the
wife did not stay at the Dodan Barracks insisting
that she must dictate to us. IBB’s second in
command was in control.
What are we really trying to show to the world?
We are very timid. Our nation should be
governed properly. Even though I do not
subscribe to Chief Arthur Nzeribe’s call that the
military should intervene, the government in
power (the Executive, the Legislature and the
Judiciary) must not remain as if they are being
caged.
Chief Barnabass Osuanlele
Benin City barnabasosuanlele@yahoo.com
Is Present Nigeria Better Than Military Era?
It is important to understand why one is thinking
that the present Nigeria looks worse than the
military era. Taking it from the point of the
election where people are imposed on the
masses is undemocratic. The present situation is
the outcome of that. Yar’Adua was forced on the
masses and the matter created the present
situation.
Presently we have money guzzling legislature
(National Assembly and the State Houses of
Assembly) all sitting down without doing the
wishes of the electorate. Otherwise, can one
explain that while the government is supposed to
be constitutional (democratic), it still lacks the will
to go according to the constitution. We have
been wasting time talking about clauses 144 and
145, etc all in effort to finding a lasting solution
that is necessary; the national assembly is there
but could not do what duties that were conferred
on it by the constitution. We are all talking
grammar.
During the military, there was never a way the
wife of the head of state would hold the nation to
ransom. Even when IBB went for medical check-
up during his regime as military president, the
wife did not stay at the Dodan Barracks insisting
that she must dictate to us. IBB’s second in
command was in control.
What are we really trying to show to the world?
We are very timid. Our nation should be
governed properly. Even though I do not
subscribe to Chief Arthur Nzeribe’s call that the
military should intervene, the government in
power (the Executive, the Legislature and the
Judiciary) must not remain as if they are being
caged.
Chief Barnabass Osuanlele
Benin City barnabasosuanlele@yahoo.com
Dear Editor,
Altercation between Deltan & Akwa-
Ibomite
I am from Akwa Ibom and went to a cyber
café in Lagos February 25th 2010 where I
had an encounter with a man from Delta
State; judging from name I heard his name,
Onome.
He was waiting for a vacant PC so that he
could browse. As no PC was free he moved
from one computer to another and on
noticing that I had only five minutes left to
go, he finally sat nearer me. As I requested
the attendant of the cyber café to get me
(one-hour) more time, my accent gave me
out as an Akwa Ibomite. Out of anger he
asked “Which more time; don’t you know that
I have been waiting to work with the
computer you are occupying?” I replied: “But
I have not completed what I am doing and
you did not tell me you were waiting to use
the same computer; you only drew nearer
me”.
Serious altercation ensued: He started “You
Akwa Ibom man, are you sure you are not
striking a 419-letter that would enable you
take another $3.1m dollars of your State
money or trying to con a foreigner that you
can get him road construction contract at
1billion Naira per kilometer?” My reply to him
was simple: “Do you think we are used to
taking Bank Shares belonging to our State
as collateral for our personal bank loan or
use funny Courts to place injunctions against
prosecutions?” Even with my lightweight
reaction, he charged: “I thought your
governor was the only one honoured at the
ThisDay Award ceremony the way he went
about advertising himself in the media”. My
answer was direct: “Did your own governor
not advertise himself as well” and the reply I
got was that “His governor’s was far, far less
than mine”.
There were physical scuffles that earned us
bruises. We also had debts – a computer at
the business centre was damaged. It could
have been worse had other customers not
intervened. But one thing I went home with
was how unpopular and corrupt our present
leaders are becoming.
From: Okon Emerson,
Ikeja, Lagos State
Altercation between Deltan & Akwa-
Ibomite
I am from Akwa Ibom and went to a cyber
café in Lagos February 25th 2010 where I
had an encounter with a man from Delta
State; judging from name I heard his name,
Onome.
He was waiting for a vacant PC so that he
could browse. As no PC was free he moved
from one computer to another and on
noticing that I had only five minutes left to
go, he finally sat nearer me. As I requested
the attendant of the cyber café to get me
(one-hour) more time, my accent gave me
out as an Akwa Ibomite. Out of anger he
asked “Which more time; don’t you know that
I have been waiting to work with the
computer you are occupying?” I replied: “But
I have not completed what I am doing and
you did not tell me you were waiting to use
the same computer; you only drew nearer
me”.
Serious altercation ensued: He started “You
Akwa Ibom man, are you sure you are not
striking a 419-letter that would enable you
take another $3.1m dollars of your State
money or trying to con a foreigner that you
can get him road construction contract at
1billion Naira per kilometer?” My reply to him
was simple: “Do you think we are used to
taking Bank Shares belonging to our State
as collateral for our personal bank loan or
use funny Courts to place injunctions against
prosecutions?” Even with my lightweight
reaction, he charged: “I thought your
governor was the only one honoured at the
ThisDay Award ceremony the way he went
about advertising himself in the media”. My
answer was direct: “Did your own governor
not advertise himself as well” and the reply I
got was that “His governor’s was far, far less
than mine”.
There were physical scuffles that earned us
bruises. We also had debts – a computer at
the business centre was damaged. It could
have been worse had other customers not
intervened. But one thing I went home with
was how unpopular and corrupt our present
leaders are becoming.
From: Okon Emerson,
Ikeja, Lagos State
Sir,
Kidnappings at national and state
levels
If at State levels we are accusing some
of the governors of arranging
kidnappings, how can we describe this
one in which our First Lady, Hajiya
Turai, has kidnapped our President.
Whether President Yar’Adua was forced
on us or not, we are all helpless
because we cannot see him as long as
he remains in captivity. What a terrific
and special kidnapping!
The security agencies do not need to
look or search to know who has
kidnapped President Yar’Adua, because
Professor Wole Soyinka’s statement has
made it easy. Our first lady is brave and
holding all of us to ransom. Let those
State governors who have been in the
habit of arranging kidnapping of political
opponents stand to be counted without
shame because now it is permissible as
exemplified by our First Lady. Those
State governors do not need to look for
alibi any longer or pretend because
kidnapping is now an accepted norm.
Ransoms they pay should account as
part of their security votes. It is now
allowed. The only difference between
our President’s issue and that at the
States’ level is that we need not pay
ransom in cash to secure his release.
He can only be released when the
captor feels it is appropriate.
Alhaji Mutum Bello, 1 Bello Close,
Bukuru, Jos, Plateau State
Kidnappings at national and state
levels
If at State levels we are accusing some
of the governors of arranging
kidnappings, how can we describe this
one in which our First Lady, Hajiya
Turai, has kidnapped our President.
Whether President Yar’Adua was forced
on us or not, we are all helpless
because we cannot see him as long as
he remains in captivity. What a terrific
and special kidnapping!
The security agencies do not need to
look or search to know who has
kidnapped President Yar’Adua, because
Professor Wole Soyinka’s statement has
made it easy. Our first lady is brave and
holding all of us to ransom. Let those
State governors who have been in the
habit of arranging kidnapping of political
opponents stand to be counted without
shame because now it is permissible as
exemplified by our First Lady. Those
State governors do not need to look for
alibi any longer or pretend because
kidnapping is now an accepted norm.
Ransoms they pay should account as
part of their security votes. It is now
allowed. The only difference between
our President’s issue and that at the
States’ level is that we need not pay
ransom in cash to secure his release.
He can only be released when the
captor feels it is appropriate.
Alhaji Mutum Bello, 1 Bello Close,
Bukuru, Jos, Plateau State
------------------------------------------------------------
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----------------------------------------------------
Posted Sunday 14 March, 2010
Posted Sunday 14 March, 2010
Posted Sunday 14 March, 2010
Posted Sunday 14 March, 2010
Obama’s invitation to Jonathan as
good omen
What we would notice when acting
President Goodluck Jonathan returns
back from his visit to United States of
American which was prompted by an
invitation extended to him by President
Barack Obama, is a ‘rejuvenated
Nigeria’. This will be so as we remember
that President Umaru Yar’Adua had the
opportunity of getting nearer Mr.
Obama when he (Yar’Adua) had the
opening of addressing the United
Nations, but he refused to do so. He
rather preferred to attend to Saudi
Arabia’s invitation where he was the
special guest at the opening of a higher
institution in that country. This was at a
time when the higher institutions in
Nigeria were bugged down with months
of ASUU strike.
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan shows that
there is something in names. He has
good luck surrounding him. He has also
Patience as a wife. He had been patient
all his life. He was deputy to the then
Bayelsa governor DSP Alamaieseigha
and was loyal even to a point of being
forced out with the governor. With his
patience, good luck beckoned on him
and he was sworn in as the governor.
He was also visited by good luck when
Yar’Adua picked him to run as his Vice;
against the already arranged former
governo Peter Odili. Patiently, he
waited for about 100 days before good
luck visited him and he was made the
acting President.
He must not allow good luck to run out
of him and he should check his
patience and ensure that once he
comes back from the US visit, he must
take the bull by the horns and move
this country forward. He must no longer
listen to Turai Yar’Adua for all it stands
for. Nigeria is bigger than any individual
and the extension of invitation by
Obama to him as an acting President is
seen as a patient’s good luck and his
loyalty should now shift to Nigerians
and no particular individual any longer.
Alhaji Musa Salem, Abuja FCT
good omen
What we would notice when acting
President Goodluck Jonathan returns
back from his visit to United States of
American which was prompted by an
invitation extended to him by President
Barack Obama, is a ‘rejuvenated
Nigeria’. This will be so as we remember
that President Umaru Yar’Adua had the
opportunity of getting nearer Mr.
Obama when he (Yar’Adua) had the
opening of addressing the United
Nations, but he refused to do so. He
rather preferred to attend to Saudi
Arabia’s invitation where he was the
special guest at the opening of a higher
institution in that country. This was at a
time when the higher institutions in
Nigeria were bugged down with months
of ASUU strike.
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan shows that
there is something in names. He has
good luck surrounding him. He has also
Patience as a wife. He had been patient
all his life. He was deputy to the then
Bayelsa governor DSP Alamaieseigha
and was loyal even to a point of being
forced out with the governor. With his
patience, good luck beckoned on him
and he was sworn in as the governor.
He was also visited by good luck when
Yar’Adua picked him to run as his Vice;
against the already arranged former
governo Peter Odili. Patiently, he
waited for about 100 days before good
luck visited him and he was made the
acting President.
He must not allow good luck to run out
of him and he should check his
patience and ensure that once he
comes back from the US visit, he must
take the bull by the horns and move
this country forward. He must no longer
listen to Turai Yar’Adua for all it stands
for. Nigeria is bigger than any individual
and the extension of invitation by
Obama to him as an acting President is
seen as a patient’s good luck and his
loyalty should now shift to Nigerians
and no particular individual any longer.
Alhaji Musa Salem, Abuja FCT
Sir,
Re: Jos massacre and Akwa Ibom of Attah’s
seed
In what appears as the height of meanness and
desperation on the part of some politicians in
Akwa Ibom, there existed an unworthy advertorial
entitled as above and addressed to the acting
President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed
Forces of Nigeria. Used are few but evilly,
financially empowered youths of the States’
origin and it was directed at causing rancour
among the indigenes.
In the advertorial (which appeared on page 63 of
The Nation newspaper of March 15, 2010) by
one purported Comrade Imaobong Udobia (as
President) and another Akparawa Ime Ekpo-
Ekpo (as General Secretary) signed on behalf of
a so-called “Akwa Ibom Youth Network, Abuja”
with no fix address or telephone number, tried to
paint a wrong (opposite) picture of what is
happening in Akwa Ibom State. Those behind
this falsehood which tried to link Akwa Ibom with
Jos mayhem could pass as devils that must be
avoided.
The advertorial content though lacked any
substance but full of insecurity innuendos, could
be taken line, hook and sinker by some gullible
readers. This is the more reason the so-called
Akwa Ibom Youth Network Abuja needs to be
investigated by the security agents so as to find
out what their aims were. This becomes
necessary because for them to bring in the
recent deadly Jos crisis, is something that should
be of concern to the National Security Adviser’s
office. Since they did not publish any contact
address, The Nation newspaper that accepted
the advertorial should be able to unmask the
identity of the group or/and their sponsors,
where necessary.
We of Akwa Ibom orgin know that Attah related
very well to the entire ethnic group in the State
when he was governor. As a matter of fact, his
only (two) kids are married to (Annang persons)
different from their Ibibio stock. The acting
President would find it necessary to order the
investigation of this type of group that finds it
convenient to use a dangerous situation to fan
their embers. Such groups should not be
ignored. They and their sponsors could be
security risks to the entire nation.
Engineer Etim George
Victoria Island, Lagos
etimgeorge@yahoo.com
Re: Jos massacre and Akwa Ibom of Attah’s
seed
In what appears as the height of meanness and
desperation on the part of some politicians in
Akwa Ibom, there existed an unworthy advertorial
entitled as above and addressed to the acting
President and Commander-in-Chief of Armed
Forces of Nigeria. Used are few but evilly,
financially empowered youths of the States’
origin and it was directed at causing rancour
among the indigenes.
In the advertorial (which appeared on page 63 of
The Nation newspaper of March 15, 2010) by
one purported Comrade Imaobong Udobia (as
President) and another Akparawa Ime Ekpo-
Ekpo (as General Secretary) signed on behalf of
a so-called “Akwa Ibom Youth Network, Abuja”
with no fix address or telephone number, tried to
paint a wrong (opposite) picture of what is
happening in Akwa Ibom State. Those behind
this falsehood which tried to link Akwa Ibom with
Jos mayhem could pass as devils that must be
avoided.
The advertorial content though lacked any
substance but full of insecurity innuendos, could
be taken line, hook and sinker by some gullible
readers. This is the more reason the so-called
Akwa Ibom Youth Network Abuja needs to be
investigated by the security agents so as to find
out what their aims were. This becomes
necessary because for them to bring in the
recent deadly Jos crisis, is something that should
be of concern to the National Security Adviser’s
office. Since they did not publish any contact
address, The Nation newspaper that accepted
the advertorial should be able to unmask the
identity of the group or/and their sponsors,
where necessary.
We of Akwa Ibom orgin know that Attah related
very well to the entire ethnic group in the State
when he was governor. As a matter of fact, his
only (two) kids are married to (Annang persons)
different from their Ibibio stock. The acting
President would find it necessary to order the
investigation of this type of group that finds it
convenient to use a dangerous situation to fan
their embers. Such groups should not be
ignored. They and their sponsors could be
security risks to the entire nation.
Engineer Etim George
Victoria Island, Lagos
etimgeorge@yahoo.com
----------------------------------------------------
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Posted Sunday 14 March, 2010
Posted Tuesday 16 March, 2010
Posted Tuesday 16 March, 2010