Category: Opinion

Smart Adeyemi: Stranded Former Senator and His Desperate Search For Political Survival

Posted on by The Elites

The visit of former Senator Smart Adeyemi to Governor Yahaya Bello yesterday, was seen clearly to be a political dangerous for the people of Kogi east and kogi by extension. We’ve had months battling with the state govt over the non payment of salaries, closure of tertiary institutions, screening palaver and Doctors strikes. All this happened despite the arrival of bailout and Paris club refund. Civil servants, Opinion moulders, technocrats, labour leaders, women groups, political leaders within and out Apc condemned the manner at which things are being handled in kogi state, and called for change. Distinguished Sen Dino Melaye, Apc kogi West, is a leading and unrelenting voice for the call for good governance and best treatment for our civil servants. Sen Dino, criticized GYB for not paying salaries up to the tune of 12 to 17 months despite receiving bailout and Paris refund cash. Although, this didn’t go down well with the state govt. Sen Dino Melaye, went further as a legislator and Senator from kogi state, drew the attention of the Senate to the unpleasant and disgracing news in the media, of how states particularly, kogi state came first in list of highest state of debtors and subsequently, suggest via a motion, ways to make our Governors comply with the use of funds given to them by the federal govt. About a week ago, distinguished Sen Dino Melaye, took the state govt, house assembly, ministry of local govt and chieftaincy affairs, and other to federal high court Lokoja, over continued illegal appointment ify administrators for our local govt govt councils and the satanic deduction and with holding of council funds by the GYB led govt. This are some of the many patriotic steps taken by Sen Dino, which favours and actually on the side of the masses. If we can not see the possibility of greatness, how can we dream it?
For every reasonable Kogi leaders who are familiar with what’s going on in kogi state have condemned GYB in the handling of state affairs. This is to make the Governor improve and develop.
“No man is good enough to govern others, without their conscience”.
Sen. Smart Adeyemi went to govt house, praised the Governor endlessly as if nobody was owed salary in kogi state.
He poured encomium on GYB as if, our students in tertiary institutions are not closed.
He spoke confidently as if he knows the pains and agony civil servants are going through.
He yelled as if, the Doctors were not on strike.
This is certainly not a patriotic visit, and not in the interest of the good people of Okun and Kogi west. The visit was selfish and counter productive, best to describe.
This is his love for his people, when most of the civil servants are dying, institutions are closed, Doctors on strike, his cousins and families at Iyara, haven’t received 14 months salary, he came and praised a Governor who top the list of highest debtors in Nigeria committee of States and Governors.
What a shame.! Smart have gone to the Governor to constitute a political liability, because he has no any valid support based at home as far as I’m concerned.
No qualms with that! He failed before, to fail again should not scare him, after all, he’s a friend to failures.
Deceiving himself and the Governor, as if he’s a virile political base at home, not even in his local govt.
How can we describe Smart and his unproductive yesterday’s remarks, in the face of good governance deficit? This is not a condemnation at all, but for all of us to digest and come up with how best to describe all his action and statement in the glaring face of Kogi people.
A lot of his close political friends and associates he wanted mobilized to his yesterday’s govt house ‘Agbero solidarity visit’, bluffly declined not to be part of the shame.
All the selfish and disgusting remarks made yesterday at the govt house, expose him more of how much he’s in search, at all cost for politics of survival and relevance. It should be clear to all Okuns/ Kogi West, that Fmr Sen Smart Adeyemi went to govt house for his personal selfish interior motive and survival, not on our behalf or for any benefit of Kogi west now or futuristic.
A politically stranded Smart, have been rejected by the people of Kogi west and he will never represent them at any level again. He should continue to enjoy his stake in Ilorin, history will judge him
The people of kogi west are waiting for the Ilorin based deceitful man called Smart any time, any day to flog him more than they did in 2015.
A character like Sen Smart, who have a tall antecedent in betraying his close friends, brothers and sisters, allys, town, kinsmen and his party will surely in no distance time, deny and betray his creator.
We’ve had enough of him!

Gbenga Bright.

The Dalung/Pantami Drama, By Jaafar Jaafar

Posted on by The Elites

Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, is in the news again. Mark you, he is not butted, this time, for his characteristic blooper or administrative blunder. This time he draws controversy for taking offence after Muslim preacher called him to Islam.

I may not have Solomon Dalung’s level of forbearance but certainly I will never take offense if a PASTOR FRIEND (mark the emphasis) makes offer to me to accept Christianity. Should I blame the pastor friend (who may be inspired by Matthew 28:19 to make the offer) or myself for attending Christian mass regularly?

In one of Dalung’s visits to the Muslim preaching sessions during Ramadan, I heard him extolling the virtues of Islam, saying “only educated people can become Muslims” or word to that effect. As a Muslim preacher, Dr Pantami may be inspired by the fact that in Islam, Da’awah (call to Islam) is the best of deeds.

As a young boy in the 80s, I could remember how Christian evangelists came to our Muslim neighbourhood, house-to-house, in Fagge area of Kano to spread The Gospel. As a pupil , I remember how I catalogued the Jehovah’s Witnesses magazines in my school bag, admiring the drawings. The sketches of Noah’s Ark still lies in the sketch of my memory. Our parents never took offence and nobody maltreated them.

Solomon Dalung’s religious tolerance and sense of cultural relativism are not in doubt. Except Dalung, I doubt if there is Christian minister in Nigeria today whose chief of staff is Muslim or a Muslim minister whose chief of staff is Christian.

Methinks attending or organising Iftar (fast breaking session) is the best way of identifying with Muslims, not donning a funny headgear, attending preaching sessions and talking from all sides of your mouth.

Kogi and The Politics of Dealership, By Obafemi Babajide

Posted on by The Elites

For fear of being labeled either a spoiler or enemy of ‘progress’, some of us willingly refrained from offering our thoughts on the many ills bedeviling our dear Kogi state. The situation in my dear state is daily assuming pathetic dimension. Things have literarily fallen apart. Confusion has set in. We are daily in the news for bizarre reasons. The question is, how did we get to this messy state?
Our Kogi State which was the first administrative capital of Nigeria and a warehouse of rich culture/history of the nation is currently a shadow of her glorious self as selfish and greedy power seekers battle for her once beautiful soul.
History has it that the ancient city of Lokoja which is now the state capital, was the operational base of Lord Lugard, the then Governor General of Nigeria. Lokoja is the meeting point of both Rivers Benue and Niger, hence, the appellation of Kogi as the Confluence state.
For time immemorial, selfish, unsurious, greedy, gourmand, gluttonous politicians have not only milked the state dry, but conspiratorially turned the state to a battle ground for political supremacy. Their perennial wrangle over who gets what and when, like the proverbial clash of two elephants leaves the poor, penurious and poverty stricken indigenes of the state in abject poverty.
The state which has produced ten Governors (military and civilian) since its creation has little or nothing to show for her 26 years of existence; it is either a tale of progress today, retrogression or a tale of woes tomorrow.
It is no longer expedient to seek or research into the sources of problems bedeviling the state because a cursory look into the lifestyle and power tussle between the existing political gladiators in the state shows that the enemy is from within.
Some of the very key enemies of the state is the beggarly carpetbagger Senator from the western senatorial district of the state, Senator Dino Melaye. He prides in thwarting good governance, hasty in mobilization of thugs, quick in aligning and realigning, known for his insipid political braggadocio and bring him down syndrome and the juvenile, clueless, careless, extravagant and spent thrift governor of the state Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Senator Dino Melaye, the power insatiable guy was quick to defect to Prince Abubakar Audu’s ACN camp when it was not too rosy for him as he was no longer recognized and remunerated for his traitorship character in PDP. He went on his kneels on a national television begging the late Prince of the Niger to forgive him and see him as the biblical prodigal son who has not only gone astray but also set to destroy his father’s dynasty. Dino Melaye confessed to partaking in rigging and foiling Audu’s attempt to return to governance.
He had a smooth romance with late Audu until he used the deceased emperor’s financial resources and political connections cum the ‘SAI’ Baba’s political tsunami that swept up the entire nation to fulfill his senatorial ambition then he was ready to drop the former governor in his characteristic way like a pack of rubbish having held onto his next prey -Senator Bukola Saraki.
At the onset of AUDU/FALEKE campaign, Senator Dino Melaye was nowhere to be found just because he expected Prince Abubakar Audu to pick him as his running mate. Audu, after a thorough search and consultations ended up picking James Faleke from Asiwaju Tinubu’s camp.
Thus, the cold war for the soul of Kogi State began. Melaye turned a cold shoulder to Audu/Faleke’s campaign and it was after series of messages and calls that he reluctantly agreed to come down for the last set of rallies and campaign. Even with that, his body language never showed endorsement for his erstwhile benefactor he only had to show support in other not to completely loose out of the game.
Unconfirmed reports had it that Senator Melaye was the first to be contacted when the late Audu gave up the ghost ‘Oga’ Dino being a crafty fellow immediately saw the chance to gain through the back door what he had lost, called his political allies who felt Kogi shouldn’t belong to the fold of Tinubu’s empire and who also believed that Kogi state will be a good passage to their 2019 fallible political calculation.
Quickly and hurriedly, they put together their reasons why it has to be the runner up of a primary election which was long done and dusted as replacement to the late winner of a substantive election that is already won and lost. This they did at the expense of Audu’s running mate who fought gallantly with his boss to win an election tainted inconclusive by INEC.
And so Senator Melaye and his co-travellers plunged into action; they picked a man who had openly rejected the party immediately he lost the primary election to come back and hoist the party’s flag again. They put to use, the arsenal of their judicial manipulative weaponry and today the rest is history. Infact, confirmed sources have it that Bello worked against the APC during the election. All these where done to accomplish their self-seeking agenda.
Furthermore, Senator Dino Melaye came up on national television again during the swearing of Governor Yahaya Bello to announce how fully he is in support of the new government and how the people wanted Prince Abubakar Audu but God wanted Alhaji Yahaya Bello a minority from the state to rule. Could we then say that God killed Audu when his electoral victory was about to be confirmed only to enthrone Yahaya Bello a man who lacks the sportsmanship required of true leaders, a man who dumped his party immediately after he lost at the primaries? Only Senator Dino Melaye can provide an answer to the question.
However, it took only few months after the swearing in for Senator Dino Melaye again to come on national television to apologize to Kogites about his mistake in joining forces to enthrone the young governor, what a criminally minded representative of the people.
One begins to wonder maybe one of the reasons they [Melaye and his co-traveller] feel they can impose themselves as the political godfathers to the seeming juvenile governor is because of his political naivety, little knowing that the young Yahaya Bello is ready to stoop to conquer, it is now left for us all to judge if he indeed he stooped to conquer after been sworn in as the Executive Governor of Kogi state.
Shouldn’t one be surprised at the litany of attacks from Senator Dino Melay on the under-performing Yahaya Bello? Why should a self-imposed godfather start an inept attack against his protégé? The answers may not be farfetched; it is either the “Ghana must go” is not forthcoming, decisions are not well communicated to the godfather or juicy appointments are no longer giving to the godfather.
Giving the turn of events in Kogi State, the untold hardship workers and pensioners go through in the hands of this government, the futile screening exercise, the flamboyant style of life of the “NEW DIRECTION” government, it is just correct to conclude that like godfather , like godson even though things have fallen apart between the two. The flagrant disobedience of law and order, the exaltation of the chief of staff to the position of a defacto governor , 12 to 15 months’ salary arrears, pension arrears non payments, continuous appointments of faceless SA’s and SSA’s and other atrocities too numerous to mention surpasses the wisdom of intelligentsia.
It is pertinent to therefore conclude that there is no much difference { if there is at all } in the kind of leadership Senator Dino and Governor Yahaya Bello and many of their cohort will give to the state, without mincing words, dealers in the guise of politicians have failed the state woefully. Some well-meaning Kogites will tell you that aside some of the infrastructural developmental projects done by the late Abubakar Audu, successive government has done little or nothing to uplift the state which is supposed to be a tourist haven for the Nation.
With the 2019 elections already being plotted, alignment and realignment already ongoing, those who have the wellbeing of the state at heart are already calling on well-meaning individuals and reasonable politicians to come rescue the soul of the state from total conundrum. If a drastic measure is not taken and taken on time, what will become the fate of Kogi state a multi-ethnic state and the first administrative capital of Nigeria leaves a sore taste in the mouth.

OBAFEMI writes from Lagos State.

Senator Smart Adeyemi Not Smart Enough

Posted on by The Elites

By Usman Okai Austin
Events among key political actors in Kogi State have taken a new dimension with the emergence of Senator Smart Adeyemi in the scene. Senator Smart Adeyemi was a role model to many youths in Kogi State when he held sway in the Nigerian Senate. He looked like a gentleman and someone who understood the virtue of selflessness. But beyond that and from events unfolding, Senator Adeyemi is reducing himself to a political laughing stock that seems to have lost the grace that once held him high.
From all indications, Senator Adeyemi’s political challenges are deeper than the eyes could see. From what I gathered of him, he was pre-warned of his imminent political failures which may never see the light of the day again.
He was even advised not to run because the grace he once enjoyed has been taken away from him. He could be likened to the Biblical Saul, a one-time King of Israel who enjoyed grace and support of his people and lost it midway.
Saul had a good relationship with God. Samuel the Prophet was the mediator. Samuel himself anointed Saul. Midway, Saul slipped. His ego and disobedience to divine instructions hauled him to abysmal state. He desired the grace that once held him high as a King of a powerful nation. He strived to hear from God again. He never did. He sought for the admonition of Samuel, he never got it again. Reason? Grace has been severed.
The negligence and unkindness that plunged Senator Adeyemi to political doom is resurfacing again with his latest attempt at calling a spade spoon. Senator Adeyemi lost it when he severally neglected the cries of his people, especially the women from his constituency who he severally made promises of empowerment which he never fulfilled. He is at it again.
>>Senator Adeyemi never advised Governor Yahaya Bello to pay Kogi workers over 12 months salaries owed them by the State Government.
>>Senator Adeyemi never advised the Governor to be humane enough to save the lives of these poor civil servants who have been dying in their numbers because of their salaries which have been denied them for over one year {Oh, 12 months according to the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello – Emperor Edward Onoja}.
>>Senator Adeyemi never advised the Governor to reopen the tertiary institutions that have been long shut down.
>>He never advised the governor to leverage on the land mass and fertility of Kogi land to encourage agro-allied growths like other States, including neighbouring Anambra and Benue States.
>>Senator Adeyemi has only stepped out to defend the governor.
>>Senator Adeyemi has come out to justify illegality of double registration.
>>Senator Adeyemi has stepped out to look for cheap popularity by calling a spade a spoon. He seems to have stepped out to feed from the flowing free food from Lugard House to praise-singer of Governor Yahaya Bello.
Senator Smart Adeyemi could not have claimed that Senator Dino connived with INEC to rob him of his victory. One, he was a sitting Senator when Senator Dino was fighting with his own resources for the overall good of Nigerians. He was not at that point in the good record of the government of that time to suggest that he was being patronized by the then government. Senator Dino was being hunted at that point while Smart Adeyemi cashed in on his position and his romance with the government of that time to gather as much as he could.
From being awarded mouth watering contract running into hundreds of millions of Naira to supply chairs to schools {obviously through proxy-companies} to shouting wolves to the construction companies as the then Senate Committee Chairman for FCT, a platform that spruced his pocket. He was far much richer than Senator Dino, far much connected to the power brokers than Senator Dino and far much on top from every social stance. So accusing Senator Dino, who was then reduced to not-too-important status by the then power brokers to have robbed him of his victory could be likened to a man claiming to have been defrauded in the dream.
Senator Smart Adeyemi from every indication is in that state where grace seems far from him. Like the legendary boxer – Mike Tyson who admitted that he only fought to feed, Senator Adeyemi could be in the fight just for what comes to his pocket. He failed on his mandate to be the eyes of his people, the shoulder to the teary eyed and a light to those that reposed much confidence on him and elected him a representative. His sudden fall from political relevance is not only a political failure but a failure that has deeper connotation. If what I heard is anything to go by, his political doom is infectious. Only God could heal him of it. He could be likened to a sailor on a rudderless voyage.

Who Is Afraid of The Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo?

Posted on by The Elites

IMG_7379By Musa Alhassan

Our people say a toad does not wander about in the afternoon for no good cause. This is why we must examine the personal attacks that have been leveled against Professor Yemi Osinbajo, purportedly showing the disaffection of the “North”. Like all things crooked, the more you look, the less you see! The more you look at the allegations that the promoters have maliciously published and disseminated on various social media platforms, the less you see any truth or coherence in their work. Without more, this is a hatchet job! To tag their battle as a destruction of Prof Osinbajo’s “sainthood”, you must go back a long way to see that Prof did not just acquire the cloak of integrity overnight or in just 2 years as VP. His reputation for integrity, diligence and rendering humanitarian social service precedes his occupation of the Vice-President’s office. As Attorney-General of Lagos State, his integrity in public office is very well known, just as his reform of the justice sector is still being replicated across the country.

First, we know Dr Ismaila Farouk from Zamfara is a phony and not very well-thought-out alias. As you can imagine, one would expect an “Ismail” not “Ismaila” from Zamfara. So Dr. Ismaila, the paid underground media, and all other paid toads are only out in the afternoon to display the deadly fangs and teeth of their sponsors. If you are patient to read through to the end, you may get to discover who these sponsors really are. It’s a mix between “corruption striking back” and political jobbers grappling for personal relevance and power

Their first bite is Dr. Enelamah- an Igbo man. So, Dr Ismaila and his sponsors have an issue with Mr. President for picking a notable South-Easterner as his Minister for Industry, Trade and Investments. It is a well-known fact that Dr. Okey Enelamah, a graduate of the prestigious Havard Business School, and the Federal Minister of Industry, Trade and Investments is the pioneer chief executive of African Capital Alliance, Nigeria’s biggest private equity firm with over $1 billion in management and direct investments in Nigerian private companies. Dr. Enelamah who is well known in Nigerian investments circles, (including to the President’s Chief of Staff, Chief Abba Kyari, who was once an Executive Director at UBA) for leading investment into MTN Nigeria and other blue chip companies, was nominated by the President himself. Dr. Enelamah has done more to sustain the Nigerian project far more than the self-absorbed sponsors of this smear campaign as he has directly invested in small and big Nigerian companies that employ Nigerians from both North and South.

The lack of commonsense in this power play and diversionary tactic belies reason when we have just seen how the sit-at-home exercise by the agitators of Biafra proved effective. Now Dr Ismaila’s sponsors question a qualified Igbo man amidst the ongoing agitation. Please for God’s sakes, do not push Nigeria over the wedge for your evil and selfish aims. One can perceive the evil intentions of the sponsors in trying to create contention in identifying Mr. Wale Edun as Tinubu’s pick for Minister of Finance. First, it’s the President’s prerogative to consult with people and identify those that take up ministerial positions. Secondly, Babatunde Fashola represented Lagos State. So, how could the VP have been angling for a particular cabinet position against an individual who was not on the ministerial list? Also, to the extent that he is being tribal won’t the choice of Kemi Adeosun for finance from Ogun State be his obvious preference? So why Ismaila’s inconsistency that he preferred an Igbo man? Obvious mischief!

It is this old order that President Buhari came to fix when in repeated campaign speeches he promised to assemble a team of honest and competent professionals to move Nigeria forward.

As everyone recollects what is not a very distant past, the Cabinet Ministers were appointed long after the President and the Vice-President picked their aides. So, how can people be coming to terms with the choice of Dr. Enelamah when the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff were appointed long before the ministers? The choice of Mr. Ade Ipaye as the Deputy Chief of Staff speaks to the interest of both the President and Vice President in competence and character. Mr Ipaye is a seasoned public servant and one of Nigeria’s foremost tax practitioners and was the immediate past Attorney General of Lagos State. A devout Muslim who goes about his work with extreme diligence and without fuss and the common airs of the Nigerian big man, was vetted by the President as suitable for administering the chunk of work for the Vice President within the Presidency. Anyone who knows Mr. Ipaye can see why Prof. Osinbajo, a man of similar ilk, will support a man with a humble and diligent disposition. Alluding to his descent from Ogun State (although he doesn’t even hail from Ogun State) as an indication of nepotism, without reference to his qualities as a professional and a decent man, shows you the reprobate hearts of the sponsors of this smear campaign.

The evil sponsors, somehow and conveniently, failed to mention that the biggest focus of this administration, which is the Social Investments Programme is being handled by Mrs. Maryam Uwais, a Muslim woman from Kano. Mrs. Uwais, a seasoned legal practitioner with years of experience in tackling social developmental issues is the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments and works in the Vice President’s office. Like all other Special Advisers and other political appointees, Mrs Uwais was appointed on the basis of merit and her character. The Vice-President is a man that pays attention to diversity and has given opportunity to women and youth. Particularly, Dr Balkisu Saidu, a female northerner is the Senior Special Assistant on Legal Matters. Also, Gambo Manzo, Hafiz Ibrahim, and Murtala Aliyu are all close aides of the Vice-President who hail from the North.

Somehow, the malicious sponsors of this smear campaign intend to taint the character of the VP by fabricating a falsehood about Simmons Cooper Partners (which was Prof Osinbajo’s previous law practice he resigned from to be Vice-President) obtaining “juicy” or any work from Federal Ministries and agencies. This is untrue. Everyone is aware of the requirements of the Public Procurement Act. An enquiry directed to the concerned ministries or agencies will show or disprove if there has indeed been any procurement of service that has been awarded or manipulated in favour of SimmonsCooper Partners.

As regards the appointment of Babatunde Irukera, the sponsors may choose to enquire from the consumer protection circles as to who is a more qualified professional who has contributed immensely to the body of consumer protection work . It is well known that Mr Irukera, who is from the North, has for decades now advocated for consumer protection rights, including formulating policies and regulations in consumer aviation and other sectors. The sponsors don’t ask the most relevant question for public service- Is he qualified and competent? No, they are only interested in their hatchet job. The same goes for Mrs. Yewande Sadiku who is very well known in investment banking circles. Many of these professionals are serving in these positions, not because of any pecuniary benefits but bringing their experience, knowledge and skills to bear for the public good.

Besides, the supervisory Ministers in charge of these agencies are mostly responsible for selecting the relevant chief executive. So why castigate and malign the VP? In most instances and as in the cases identified, the supervising Minister presents an appointee who is then evaluated and approved by the President. The assertion that the VP has appointed persons on the basis of their religious affiliation is disingenuous, malicious and untrue. The reference to Mr. Okoh’s relationship with the VP demonstrates the nature of the evil Nigeria is contending with. They rightly assert that Mr. Okoh (from the South-South) is a former CEO of a bank, but the claim that NNB (that consolidated in 2005 and ceased to exist then) had a retainer with Simmons Cooper is patently false. It is well known in legal circles that Simmons Cooper came into existence in the year 2006 and Professor Osinbajo joined the firm in 2007 after serving as Attorney General of Lagos State from 1999-2007. The vile sponsors of this smear campaign will stop at nothing- lies, falsehood and uncreative imaginations. Beyond innuendo, there’s no truth, accuracy or sense in the allegations of contracts, and taking over the work of the Ministry of Niger-Delta. Obviously, the President needed leadership to ensure that restiveness in the Niger-Delta was tackled, which was why he delegated the role to the VP. We are all witnesses to the effect of the VP’s engagement with the Niger-Delta.

Belief in the Nigerian State is characterized both by action and statements. The VP’s responsibility to all Nigerian people in his actions and statements is clear to all, except for the sponsors of this evil plot who have other sinister intentions in undertaking this hatchet job. From children to youth, to women, to the vulnerable in society, the VP demonstrated sense of empathy is apparent. Again, the allusion to a quarrel or tussle emanating from travel concerns to Lagos between the Chief of Staff and the VP is manifestly devious. The President and Vice President have enjoyed a cordial, symbiotic and brotherly relationship since they campaigned and got into office. The appointment of aides and political appointees within the presidency has never minimized or diminished this relationship. It is apparent that the VP continues to maintain a healthy relationship with the Chief of Staff. Anyone who knows the VP knows he is not given to frivolity and will not undertake needless travel nor run up expenditure. Prof. Osinbajo is focused on his job- that is to serve the Nigerian people in partnership with Mr. President who obviously continues to repose trust in his character and competence to deputise for him and deliver their promises to the people. The attempt to impugn his character is to stop the good work of all Nigerian people regaining confidence in the Nigerian State.

The big picture purpose of this smear campaign is not only to tarnish the image of the VP but also to derail Nigeria’s progress. This is the handiwork of the evil that has held Nigeria back. The evil axis of those drunk and made blind by the allure of power, permutations of 2019 and those struggling with corruption cases have found in the VP a stumbling block. They know he will not bend to their whims on relaxing the stance of Government on corruption. Do not be fooled. This is not the North! It’s corruption striking back. It’s personal parochial interest versus the people. This great evil must be resisted by all of us.

 

Are You Over 40? Please, Do Your Medical Checks Regularly, By Bamidele Ademola-Olateju

Posted on by The Elites

The raft of deaths in the last few weeks is benumbing. I wrote this in 2013, I’m forced to add a few words to it and repost it again. Anyone under 40 years of age can abuse their body and play Russian roulette with it. Nature will indulge you. The game changes at 40. When you turn 50, the countdown to mortality begins. It is not called middle age for nothing. No one gets out of here alive but we can live well and comfortably enough into old age when we listen to our bodies and pay attention. Most people who die suddenly, die of pre-existing conditions they ignored, rejected or are afraid off. They think getting help is akin to inviting bad luck and bad diseases. Not true! The nature of these things are random. Some are coded in our genes, some are brought on by lifestyle. Some are unexplained.

If you are over forty years old and you are woman ignoring routine mammogram, pap smear with no baseline biomedical profile done, you are trying to kill yourself by installments. If you are over 40 and a man, and you have not gone to examine your prostate; you have not done the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, I’m sorry for you and your family. You know yourselves as you read this, I have told you many times. I know you feel shy about this, but neither Bamidele nor doctors are concerned with your “wetin call”. Your “wetin call” no be my problem, it is the bomb that can explode under that is our concern. I want us to reverse ugly trends of low life expectancy and untimely deaths in Nigeria. I want us to increase the life expectancy rate. Don’t join the “I reject it, it is not my portion” crowd of denial. Those words can only come from the mouths of ignorants. Human body is programmed to decay. From my experience, the bolts and knots starts its loosening process once you hit the magical age of forty. Your body starts to change, things do not feel quite the same, although the pace of degeneration can vary with individuals. You can age gracefully and in good health. Please check your blood sugar at least twice a year, check your blood pressure, your cholesterol level, go for your annual physical. Do kidney and liver function tests to catch any problem early. If you smoke or have asthma like me, see your pulmonary surgeon often. See a dentist. Check your vision to rule out glaucoma especially if you are from the north. If you are Fulani, know you are predisposed to blood clots. When you clock 50, go for a colonoscopy, there is no shame to it. your doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists have seen more crooked behind than yours. I know mental illness have a lot of stigma to it. If you hear strange voices in your head or if you feel blue, overwhelmed by melancholy and you feel you are in a dark place all the time, seek help. Talk to a psychiatrist. It is not a shame to take medicines daily. Don’t be deceived by anointing oil and holy water. Get real help.

My female friends are better than my male friends at checking their well being. Stop chasing money, stop overworking. You need wellness to enjoy money. Work cannot leave you, you will have to leave work some day. If you are drinking too much Alomo bitters, or if the Mallam selling the “new awakening” reserves the special one for you. Na im be say wahala dey. Check your blood pressure and sugar level, those things kills a man’s sexual function and some medicines used to treat these conditions do kill libido. Unless you have serious erectile dysfunction, you don’t need enhancers to enter Jerusalem. The truth is that after 45, you can’t enter like before. It is like that. Move on. Report any untoward sign to your doctor, know and understand your body so you can easily notice quirky changes. People who are given terrible diagnosis did not offend God, everything in life is random. We have no idea how we drew the cards. With checks, bad stuff can be found early and treated.

For the religious die-hards. I have a prayer I say for you; Father Lord, you know your humble servant and her friends and families are couch potatoes except for a few body Nazis among them. The only thing active about us father is our imagination. My followers and I do not run, neither do we jog. When we run, your Holiness sure knows something must be chasing us. We beseech thee to grant us the wisdom to check our bodies yearly. Deliver us from bad eating habits, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol and indulgence in recreational drugs and harmful substances. May You protect us from bad diseases and bad actions. May You grant us the totality of goodness, from within and from without. I commit my friends and followers to you because I’m tired of calling them out and pestering them on phone over their health. Amen?

To the ladies, the hospitals use nice “tiny” plastic speculum to open the cervix these days compared to the scary ginormous steel probe we were examined with in the past. I admit to skipping a pap smear or two because of the GIANT speculum. Good news, that is for me and for you. Schedule an appointment to see your doctor today! To my male friends, let the doctor examine your wetin call. Check your testosterone.

You may share this update. Do not copy it.

Rauf Aregbesola At 60: The Godfather From The Left

Posted on by The Elites

By Adewale Adeoye

Aregbesola
Aregbesola

Constantly lean, emaciated but steely leader of the state of Osun is now 60. Raised from a tough peasantry background, scion of a third generation of forebears that fought the bloody Kiriji liberation war, how he had managed to survive the intrigues of life associated with his own generation, and his engagement on the turbulent sea of bourgeois politics, the threats and the daring covert and overt plots in its wake, is not a just a stroke of the pen.
Unknown to many, Comrade Aregbesola was a touch bearer in the burning spears of the 1980s, when young cadres from the students movement dreamt of a socialist revolution that would take Nigeria by storm, chase out the baldheads through a socialist revolution that would eliminate despair through a radical paradigm shift from a bourgeois economy to a new order, where wealth would be redistributed among the people, especially the working class. He enlisted in this movement when he was green and lurch, as a teen at the Polytechnic, Ibadan.
In Nigeria, there were two major socialist trends; The Trotskyist and the Stalinist, sometimes in perpetual ideological conflict, against each other, in debates, on campuses and in the field of revolutionary politics, of a once vibrant students and labour movement. But Comrade Aregbesola was a bridge in-between, owing to his liberal disposition, his culture of tolerance and his amazing listening ability.
If not for the end of the cold war, Nigerian history would have been different. If anything had changed the tempo of Nigerian ideological movement, it was the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent impact on all the radical social movements across the world, Nigeria inclusive. The name Raufu Aregbesola first struck me as a member of the students’ movement in the 80s. In the South West, the Polytechnic, Ibadan, University of Ibadan and Great Ife were the custodians of the leftist ideology and the pillars of the socialist encampment in the hemisphere. In the students’ movement of old, radical cadres were divided into the covert and the overt operatives. The overt leaders were the ones that dominated the newspapers, not necessarily the most dogged. The covert operatives of which Aregbesola belonged, were like the brain box, the hidden engine that propelled the wheel. He is honest, open, and transparent and possesses a high moral ground. These qualities make him to command automatic respect.
Perhaps for his love to work rather than being heard or seen, many of us younger Marxists heard the echoes of a ‘strong, iron-cast firebrand Aregbesola’ who worked as an undercover revolutionary and whose ferment for a people’s revolution was molded in steel. Femi Ahmed would come to UNN at the time, to brief us about the upcoming revolution, the hard work, sleepless nights and trans-Nigerian underground campaigns by the likes of Aregbesola which he would narrate led him to be among those that planted the roots of radical politics in his days in Kaduna alongside the Aminu Kanu peasant-driven group. Aregbesola, then, was one of those who looked up to leading the vigorous battle for a new Nigeria where spring would flow for all.
With enthusiasm and a mix of desperation, I was one of those anxious to meet him. It was not until during the high-pitched battles against the June 12 that I first met a skinny fellow that struck me with the might of the frame of mind, rather than the brawn and brawl of the human muzzle.
I met him for the first time at a ghetto in Mushin at the home of a consummate revolutionary, Rotimi Obadofin. Comrade Aregbesola, on the global revolution and then on the June 12 crisis, spoke with eloquence, picking his words with distinction, his logic with the precision of a surgeon and the conclusion of his arguments ushered professionally akin to the pinfall of a good wrestler. He spoke about the dialectics of the campaign, the tactical and strategic alliance necessary, and the justification for the support of the June 12 movement by the left movement. I met a good listener, a honest but critical mind, a bundle of knowledge, a strong character, a refined, cultured and principled advocate. His oratory skill was stunning. If there were hidden, but “dangerous” voices and hands behind the June 12 campaign, he was one of the few, with his lenses focused on the mobilization of the working class within the context of the June 12 struggle. He was one of those that took up some of the most life-threatening assignments that should be preserved for a future foretold.
In the realm of politics, it is no longer in doubt that he made tremendous contributions to the laying of the new Lagos foundation in 1999 as the pioneer Commissioner for Works. Today, Lagos is rated as the most viable state with about 305billion IGR in one year. Eventhough his history of radical politicking began from his puberty age at Ikare, it is not unexpected that most people would wish to see Comrade Aregbesola from the prism of his tenure as the governor of the State of Osun from 2010. But the truth is that though his expected 8 years sojourn may actually be the most visible aspect of his life, but not necessarily the most outstanding era of his contributions to the world of ideas and praxis.
There is no doubt that Comrade Aregbesola draws extreme of two perspectives: those who admire him with a blunt spirit and those who detest him. This is the lot of great, charismatic and consummate leaders. It is this contradiction that appears to have continued to define his strength of character. Only a striking politician with some remarkable steps would find himself in this context. What has been interesting is that those who admire him with a scorching spirit, those who adore him and see him as a striking, thunderous spirit are in the majority. Two recent phenomenal events have proved this clearly. The first was the unusual revolutionary movement he was able to build following the rigging of his election in 2007. Aregbesola did not choose despondency. He went back to the poor communities, the peasants and within a short time, ignited a glowing fervor that consumed his strong but tactless tormentors, drawing emergency meetings of retired generals in the PDP that formed the bulwark of the orchestrated campaign to stop his ravaging machine. I believe the Court of Appeal had little uption than to echo the hues of the people. Again, the 2015 election which saw his re-election, may be defined as one of the toughest and most turbulent state electoral battles in modern Nigerian history. Ekiti had just been humbled. Basking in the rapture, the Federal Government launched a coordinated attack against a small state of mainly agrarian people. They met resistance etched in iron simply because of the strong leadership provided by him. Soldiers came in thousands, armed squads, militants in military uniforms, spies, espionage and counter espionage that consumed millions of dollars in public funds, invested, all in the bid to excavate an ideology that was well dug in. I was in Osogbo on the red-letter day. Armed soldiers came to knock right on his bedroom. They threatened to shoot. His answer was that he would yield if there was a coup, or if he was shot dead. The General who led the assault was dumbfounded. A rugged fighter stood on the door, all he had was one indomitable weapon: His will, far more potent than any military arsenal. He dared one of the world’s most vicious and brutal regime. On the streets, young and old, defenseless and those armed with brooms rocked the city, shouting “Ise tee te je tete, e ma je dagunro, dagunro soro je.” The manner in which the common vegetable was devoured is not the way a thorny weed would give in so easily. The Osun election was a Pan Yoruba and Pan Nigerian battle. Peasants and workers came from North, West, East and South to defend one of their own, many sleeping for days on bare floor in a selfless payback service. Have you ever watched him on the rostrum in campaigns? Comrade Raufu is a stinging bee, orator, consummate energy, a maestro of wits, poet and a maverick musician put together to electrify a raging audience. His victory was not only astonishing to the Nigerian state, but confounded the international community who almost gave in that the venomous federal machine would cast a gloomy cloud on the state.
Now, historians are bound to draw different conclusions about Aregbesola. He owes salaries, though himself has not been paid since he assumed office in 2010, neither did he own a foreign account, no building raised after his assumption of office, nor a structure outside the shores of Nigeria and neither an extravagant lifestyle. Yet, the fact is that since 2010, Osun has employed more workers than any other state in Nigeria, thrice the number employed by some states in 20 years. Those things that cannot be wished away are numerous. The IGR rose from 300 million to 1.5billion, free meals for 254,000 pupils, world-class schools, 150, 000 computer tablets for schools, being the first of its kind, free uniforms for pupils, funding of primary schools rose from 74 million to 424 million and a real revolution in the agrarian sector struck. He has built schools that of global standards. If anything, he has invested in millenium projects far beyond the traditional means of his dominion. Comrade Aregbesola is a humanist. He gives you time. He values people. He keeps an arms lenght with liars. A good listener, but he is impatient with unintelligent people. At 60, what many of us wish to see is how this bundle of energy will lead the expected battle for Nigeria’s renaissance. At present, the statecraft is sinking, hunger, want and insecurity have refused to go. The worst is the deaf ears that the caliphate has turned into the hightonecall for restructuring of the country. In the few years ahead, it is certain that history will respect those who interpret correctly the feelings and aspirations of the toilworn masses. At 60, comrade Aregbesola has history on his side to continue on the path of righteousness sustained by unflinching spirit that will lead to the renaissance millions wait eagerly to see in their lifetime. At full moon, history will be written in favour of those who can correctly interpret the mood of their people and actualize their dream. Someone needs to tell Comrade Aregbesola that the real battle for freedom is yet to come.
Adewale Adeoye is a multiple award winning journalist. He writes from Lagos

The Tyranny of Consensus, By Pius Adesanmi

Posted on by The Elites

 

I congratulate the President, the President’s supporters, and the Presidency. They have achieved a feat that President Trump and his handlers can only dream of: a consensus of silence and avoidance.

President Trump and his handlers have been heehawing to their hearts’ content, they have not been able to foist a consensus of silence and avoidance of issues on the American populace. Nobody is silent on Russia; nobody is avoiding talking about Jared Kushner, General Flynn, etc.

The rightwing media and the conservative machinery have been on steroids. All in vain. The right to query, the right to ask questions, the right to expression are still on display in the American public sphere because they are indissociable from the right to be human. Once you relinquish these rights, you are a thing.

Resisting the sort of blackmail and intimidation that would make you slide into silence and consensus is therefore a critical foundation of your humanity.

The last time I heard about President Buhari, Sahara Reporters was whispering that Mrs. Aisha Buhari had gone to London. Only Sahara Reporters has dared to retain the right to whisper.

Aside this detail, nothing. Silence. People have been so intimidated, so blackmailed by the President’s supporters who claim that the exercise of one’s civic duty to query, to question, to demand answers about the President’s condition, is tantamount to treason. Everybody is thus silent.

Nobody wants to be labelled inhuman by these hordes so the nation has slumped into silence and avoidance. However, this is an argument that the intimidators must not be allowed to win, hence defying them or cracking coconuts on their heads must now be seen as part of your civic obligation to Nigeria. If you allow compatriots to intimidate you into silence about your own President, you are finished.

You cannot ask because they say you are inhuman.
You cannot ask because they say you lack empathy.
You cannot ask because they say you wish him dead.

The only allowable utterance: pray for the President.

I warn you that you must resist jejune blackmail and assert your right to query.

I warn you that you must swat petty intimidation and send your voice on patriotic errands of critique.

It is your right to know. It is your duty to ask and ask again.

What is the status of the President?
Who is paying?
If we are paying, how much have we paid thus far?
Is he in any condition to continue when he returns?
Why is resignation taboo?

You have to keep asking these questions and make the Presidency and the merchants of consensus uncomfortable. That is your higher duty to Nigeria. The emotion of the blackmailers and the personality cultists is of no moment. How they feel is their own funeral. We are talking Nigeria here.

The other day, Babatunde Rosanwo was on Oluwakayode Olumide Ogundamisi’s show with Lauretta Onochie and Aisha Yesufu.

My most important takeout from the show, apart from Rosanwo’s brilliant performance of his duty to country and fatherland, is the phone-in from one moron who accused Aisha Yesufu of daring to touch “a no-go area” – by calling for the President’s resignation in her now viral video.

A no-go area? There is something that some citizens have decided that their compatriots cannot say about the President’s obligations to them in a democracy?

Whenever I see Babatunde Rosanwo and Kayode Ogundamisi, I will crack a coconut on their heads for allowing that stupid statement to pass without commentary. I thought they were going to educate the fellow who phoned in.

“Mr President, resign” is not a no-go area in a democracy. Every citizen has the right to that utterance. Every citizen must also recognize your own right to say: “Mr President, do not resign.” Then we state our respective positions and see who has superior logic.

It is true that there are callow carping, diseducated misanthropes who, blinded by ethno-religious animus, are openly rooting for the President’s death. I have no opinion about such fringe lunatics because I opine only about human beings.

However, it is just as odious, just as atrocious to exploit the depravity of such characters as a basis for deligitimizing those who are exercising their right to query and inquire; those who demand accountability and information as a right.

You cannot use the position of marginal misanthropes as a basis to intimidate and blackmail those are raising legitimate questions about the President.

When you are constantly blackmailing and intimidating and silencing, when all you allow your fellow citizens to do is to pray for the President, failing to do which they are evil, inhuman, and lacking empathy, I’m afraid you are no different from the misanthropes. You are just being tyrannical in a different way.

Resist blackmail.
Resist intimidation.

Every day the President is away, exercise your right to ask questions. Keep pressing. Keep querying.

Saraki’s 8th Senate Assembly: First Half Scorecard

Posted on by The Elites

…. Something To Cheer About -Omoniyi Idowu

When the assembly signed off two years ago, the Nigerian populace was full of hope and optimism that the 8th Senate, under the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki, would not disappoint in ensuring that the wellbeing of ordinary Nigerians would be its number priority.
And so far, the upper chamber has not disappointed.
Political pundits may want to argue otherwise; of course, nobody would expect it to be a free ride or 100 per cent accuracy.
Senator Bukola Saraki made it clear, right from the onset that it would not be business as usual and following the legislative events that made up the past 730 days, the current assembly has surpassed its predecessors.
The first test before the national assembly was the confirmation of the ministerial nominees sent in by the presidency.
Despite the fact that public opinions were divided over the compositions, the senate ensured that due diligence was its watch word in carrying out the confirmations.
Never in the history of this country has the word ‘budget padding’ appeared. But due to the tenacity of the new assembly, it did. This led the presidency to block the leaks and save Nigerians revenue from landing in the pockets of few.
Other achievements are the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency Amendment Bill, 2012, which focuses on oil spilling in Niger Delta; Gas Flaring Prohibition Bill, 2012, which criminalises wasting gas and turning it income generation and the Climate Change Commission Bill, 2013.
Unlike its predecessors, the 8th senate actually put the executive arm of government on its toes in ensuring that governance is made accountable to the people. This and many more make it the most hardworking since the 4th republic.
It initiated the first-ever National Assembly Joint Public Hearing on the budget, where 3-day public hearing organised for the public, CSOs and labour organizations. These gave them the opportunity to weigh-in on the 2017 appropriations bill.
The senate intervened in the Abuja Airport closure. It argued that it would affect businesses operating in the capital and pushed for alternatives to the closure of the Abuja airport.
Its continued oversight on the activities of the executive exposed the abuse of import duty waivers on rice. It immediately mandated its ad-hoc committee to investigate the removal of import waivers on rice.
The CBN’s anti people policies, especially on forex, were quickly reviewed on intervention of the 8th assembly and detection of the fraudulent activities involved in the implementation of TSA. The senate, under the leadership of Saraki, brought the act to a halt, thereby saving Nigeria N20 billion from the implementation of the TSA policy.
The senate, however, rejected the fact that if Nigerians couldn’t yet enjoy stable electricity, fixing the current charges is greatly unfair. Therefore the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC was mandated to immediately abolish fixed charges on electricity consumption, and bulk marketing of villages and communities.
Accountability seems to be the driving force behind the activities of the 8th senate as there is a Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance, whose duty is to hold the senators and senate committees accountable to their deadline and mandates.
There is yet an aspect of the society that the hardworking senators are yet to touch. They have moved motions on International Women’s Day 2016 on Gender Equality, which decried the rate of marginalization of Women and sought fair treatment for women in Nigeria.
An 8-man Ad Hoc Committee on North East charged with ascertaining the total amount of funds that have been released to the Presidential Initiative on the North East and probing spending by the Federal Government on the humanitarian crisis in the North-east was inaugurated.
It was the committee that indicted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Bashir Lawal, for misappropriating funds upwards of N200million. The indictment led to his eventual suspension by the presidency.
Others include allocation of N10bn to IDPs in the northeast in recognition of the dire situation, stoppage of the proposed hike in prices of data plan by the Nigerian Communications Commission, investigation of the revenue generating agencies over alleged leakages, non-remittance and misuse of generated revenue.
It was also responsible for exposing the telecom giant, MTN, failure to pay necessary tax in the country.
Nigerian are greatly and negatively impacted by the ongoing economic recession in the country, and in response, the senate had already forwarded a 21 point resolution on executive actions needed to take to shore up investor confidence, create jobs, increase revenues and get Nigeria’s economy back on track.
The lists of bills passed by the upper chamber of the national assembly are huge compared to its age and none of them was white elephant.
Despite being the most antagonised and troubled Senate president in the history of Nigeria, Saraki refused to be discouraged in ensuring that the people come first.

Senator Olubukola Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the 8th Senate president, was never given a chance to succeed right from his emergence, even members of his political party formed the highest numbers of those against him, yet going by the achievements above, this very assembly has done well.

As we look forward to another glorious two years to cap a complete tenure, I make bold to say I am confident in the Nigerian national assembly.

(Omoniyi Idowu is a social commentator based in Abuja,Nigeria)

 

Moji Olaiya and Matters Arising, By Steve Aborishade

Posted on by The Elites

• May God rest her soul

That the Jagaban, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, came to the rescue of the family of the late Moji Olaiya is not news. That is trademark Jagaban. Long before he became governor, his large heart is a known fact, and for good causes. So here, he has done nothing outside of his person.

In same regard, it is wrong to label the governor of Ekiti state, Ayodele Fayose, for not doing. His aide said no official request came in, so on what basis is he being pilloried? Meanwhile, what is condemnable here is the entitlement attitude of the committee and perhaps of very many sympathisers which is not only regrettable but unfortunate. Moji’s memory does not deserve this. What should be the norm? What should be the attitude of Nollywood to the rot in our system that has ensured several members and as a matter of fact, several Nigerians die daily for ailments that are manageable and for deaths that are preventable?
Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Anyone using the occasion of the largesse of the Jagaban to create an unnecessary divisive and patronising narrative needs his or her head examined for not only being mischievous but outrightly missing the point. If Nollywood is not aware, it should be told that their members are entitled to nothing extra beyond what other Nigerians are entitled to, and really they have not served the memory of Moji well. If they would serve her memory well, is it not time to realise that Moji or any other Nigerian has no business going to Canada or elsewhere to deliver if similar faith exists in our own healthcare system?

That unlike the Minister of Health said, no one will go abroad for treatment if the same treatment exist here in Nigeria. And rather than running to governors and political leaders for bailouts, the industry should rather use its vantage position to demand that things be put into shape in the country and be ashamed of their Almajari’s style of operation. That is what Moji would be happy and proud at, and that is the only way to be responsible.
File photo: Buhari (when he went for medical treatment) with his wife, Aisha, in London

Other equally important members of their association have gone without this attention, without the needed help, and they should not wait for the next victim before acting. Importantly, the Jagaban should be concerned that he is funding a corpse home. As leader of the ruling party whose fellow leader and president of the country is also abroad on treatment, Jagaban himself must go abroad for treatment. Why does this looks normal to anyone? Why is he not concerned enough to do something, because they all can.

One specialist hospital to serve Nigerians, and which can, should not defy them. Any of our teaching hospitals can easily be upgraded with proper funding and training, instead of the arrays of private jets across hangers in the country. So for families who have no Nollywood access and are in similar situation, what becomes their fate? We should stop glorifying our stupidity and we should stop making slaves of ourselves to our leaders who should ordinarily be called out to account. When would we get this?