Ex-Speaker Bello Masari In Certificate Forgery Scandal

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_t5yEPCyqCrNBYLAEe0yYs6gMgqczWrJCkbwtWgh-IVhGd9fBiGagRNACBe9Q0mHxqNoXux-VLjLm62dOU6B3ndtX4M4eind-1OQ5uNeOhLMk9077v5XvOZn78LFiB9yvqsQ6E3VDXs/s1600/Bello+Masari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_t5yEPCyqCrNBYLAEe0yYs6gMgqczWrJCkbwtWgh-IVhGd9fBiGagRNACBe9Q0mHxqNoXux-VLjLm62dOU6B3ndtX4M4eind-1OQ5uNeOhLMk9077v5XvOZn78LFiB9yvqsQ6E3VDXs/s1600/Bello+Masari.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Human rights lawyer Festus Keyamo has petitioned the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging the party to strip Aminu Bello Masari, former speaker of the federal house of representatives, of the Katsina state gubernatorial ticket over an alleged case of certificate forgery. </b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In a letter dated December 17 and addressed to the national chairman of the party, Keyamo argued that Masari’s claim of obtaining a postgraduate diploma in water quality control and management from Middlesex Polytechnic in the United Kingdom was false, saying the school did not offer the course in the year Masari claimed to have obtained it. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Citing Section 182 (1) (J) of the Nigerian constitution, the attorney, who is representing Ibrahim Yadullah, Kabir Mamman, Aminu Hashirmu, Falalu Sale and Ya’u Sule, who are APC members in Katsina, threatened to go to court if Masari was not disqualified and the matter investigated. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “On behalf our clients, we write this petition concerning your supposed gubernatorial candidate for Katsina state, Aminu Bello Masari. We wish to kindly draw your attention to certain facts, which are likely to disqualify him from contesting for the said position or if he does contest at all and is victorious, may be a ground to remove him as governor if the pre-election matter concerning the issue is not determined timeously,” Keyamo said. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “Kindly note, that in the year 2011, the subject of this petition, Aminu Bello Masari, contested for the office of governor of Katsina state under the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). In filling Form CF-001 (Personal Particulars of Candidate), he alleged that he has a post-graduate diploma. As evidence of this, he attached a certificate in ‘postgraduate diploma in water quality control and management’ from Middlesex Polytechnic, United Kingdom. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “A simple inquiry that was made in the said polytechnic elicited a response that no such course was offered by the school in the said year. Kindly find attached the said response by email. We encourage you to do your own inquiry from the said Institution and draw your own conclusion.” </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He further asked the APC to substitute Masari with another candidate or conduct a fresh gubernatorial primary election in Katsina state to live up to its mantra of change. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “The danger of sticking with Aminu Bello Masari as your candidate for Katsina state despite the above facts is all too obvious because we are prepared to proceed to court if you fail to act decisively. We need not say more,” he added. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Masari, Speaker of the House of Reps between 2003 and 2007, beat Kanti Bello, a former Senator, to the Katsina State APC governorship ticket, polling 2,470 votes to Bello’s 1,327.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Credit: <a href="http://www.thecable.ng/masari-former-house-reps-speaker-faces-allegation-certificate-forgery">TheCable</a></b></div>

Ex-Speaker Bello Masari In Certificate Forgery Scandal

Human rights lawyer Festus Keyamo has petitioned the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging the party to strip Aminu Bello Masari, for...

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Photo Of The Day: Who Are Those Marked In This Photo?

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAj96GHR58X4xmxLR3ALJS_evBiaP3G1pDQscwPcCjZKpAfwTgrf2ZzjAJ5v8KDcIVLoZB50Q7bOiCEbnNukEhlNrerBQ3Md3mg7WGgFSJU32OFWerWRpZS8bhHe0rj2qzJlImh1M8Q3k/s1600/Buhari_Obasanjo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAj96GHR58X4xmxLR3ALJS_evBiaP3G1pDQscwPcCjZKpAfwTgrf2ZzjAJ5v8KDcIVLoZB50Q7bOiCEbnNukEhlNrerBQ3Md3mg7WGgFSJU32OFWerWRpZS8bhHe0rj2qzJlImh1M8Q3k/s1600/Buhari_Obasanjo.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> LOL...This is directly from the archive. A very good memoir indeed. Okay! Who can you identify in this photo? Don't rack your brain too much. Mention those two young soldiers indicated with the arrow.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The two young soldiers are actually Muhammadu Buhari and Olusegun Obasanjo. Check the photo again.</div> <br /> <br />

Photo Of The Day: Who Are Those Marked In This Photo?

LOL...This is directly from the archive. A very good memoir indeed. Okay! Who can you identify in this photo? Don't rack your brain ...

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JUST IN: Tribunal Upholds Fayose’s Election

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyORTY6z4iznknk9H08orlVnYUR8tl0jPjQ12h2StK_pBih-APEW7ybxjZ9QkaVqa6szwmaFtIETLvZPVOkLZh9UAd_hR5Rb4GmrmqdczZtdZiWbntfR1BGdzlFiHqB9ZCYTkbIgzwPis/s1600/Fayose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyORTY6z4iznknk9H08orlVnYUR8tl0jPjQ12h2StK_pBih-APEW7ybxjZ9QkaVqa6szwmaFtIETLvZPVOkLZh9UAd_hR5Rb4GmrmqdczZtdZiWbntfR1BGdzlFiHqB9ZCYTkbIgzwPis/s1600/Fayose.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>The Ekiti state governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Kayode Fayemi, challenging the victory of Ayodele Fayose in the governorship election of in the June 21 2014.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> According to the court, the petition was “lacking in merit”.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The court dismissed all issues raised in the petition, including the claim that Fayose was ineligible to contest the election “based on his purported impeachment and certificate forgery”.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> More to follow…</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Source: <a href="http://www.thecable.ng/breaking-tribunal-upholds-fayoses-election">TheCable</a></b></div>

JUST IN: Tribunal Upholds Fayose’s Election

The Ekiti state governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) ...

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God Made Me President, Says Jonathan

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkJfgIbmHqvvxRPGrOBTz_5qG8FwTivB69VuLXqsJ475hcd_UlSqszWcM8dGfchyphenhyphenNaJMAaxMtQlgcRxc5WnwsVBym-oMMEbeYGaCIGaIyqBAmRMnDaNWvR4A2jHvaIF5ENVoNgyHfE88/s1600/Goodluck+Jonathan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkJfgIbmHqvvxRPGrOBTz_5qG8FwTivB69VuLXqsJ475hcd_UlSqszWcM8dGfchyphenhyphenNaJMAaxMtQlgcRxc5WnwsVBym-oMMEbeYGaCIGaIyqBAmRMnDaNWvR4A2jHvaIF5ENVoNgyHfE88/s1600/Goodluck+Jonathan.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>President Goodluck Jona­than on Thursday attrib­uted his rise to Nigeria’s Number One seat to God and pleaded for prayers from Nige­rians to enable him succeed in the task of governing the country.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> However, more support comes tomorrow and Sunday for his op­ponent in the coming general election, General Muhammadu Buhari, as a group of Nigerians living in the United Kingdom plan to hold a two-day ral­ly to back his fourth-time bid for the seat.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> President Jonathan spoke at the 2014 Christ­mas Carol held at the State Banquet Hall, Abuja. He lamented that he had been under immense pressure at every critical moment whenever he had to take a decision on national is­sues. The president admit­ted getting contradictory suggestions from differ­ent persons and called on Nigerians to keep praying for him to be able to take good decisions at all times.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Jonathan insisted that he was chosen by God to lead Nigeria and ex­pressed confidence that God would use him to heal Nigeria of all her troubles. He said: “We pray that God should give those of us who are in charge the grace to do things with the fear of God. If we begin to do what is right in our own little way, this nation will survive.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “God knows why we are here. Nobody will place himself in any position without God. So God that gives all of us the opportu­nity will see us through.” The President said fur­ther: “For me your ser­vant today, I will continue to request for your prayers that God should give me the wisdom to do what is right in His sight. “Because it is quite challenging for a leader. For every subject that you want to take a decision, you will have multiple suggestions, some contra­dictory, some to the left, some to the right, and some to the centre. But you must take a decision.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “It is only God that can guide you to take the rightful decision that will not bring suffering to your people. “We will try our best and we will continue to do our best. We promise that any opportunity given to us, we will use it to serve mankind,” the President said.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Meanwhile, some Nige­rians in the diaspora will on Saturday hold a soli­darity rally to support the candidacy of Gen. Buhari (rtd.) and Professor Yemi Osibajo, as the presiden­tial and vice-presidential candidates of the All Pro­gressives Congress , APC, at next February’s presi­dential elections.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The group, “Buhari: Hope 2015 movement for a new Nigeria,” will hold the two-rally at the Tra­falgar Square, beginning from noon. One of the or­ganisers, John Omotola, told <i>Daily Times</i>: This is the beginning of a pro­gramme of activities lined up to support the duo.”</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He added: “This is a group of Nigerians in Nigeria and Diaspora passionate to see a new Nigeria through Buhari. They believe in him as an embodiment of the val­ues and integrity capable of taking Nigeria to the Promised Land."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Prominent community leaders in the UK will gather at the Trafalgar Square to address some of the problems that have held us back as a nation over the years.</div> <br /> <br /> <b>Source: Daily Times</b>

God Made Me President, Says Jonathan

President Goodluck Jona­than on Thursday attrib­uted his rise to Nigeria’s Number One seat to God and pleaded for prayers from Nige­ria...

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#KakandaTemple ~ A Note to Critics of Change - By Gimba Kakanda

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSfTHLo_tqBUdMnMC_5H6VBMfdE_4KEUs4MUajNhe5fng1PNQ9jLFoXyQikMaBsbGbhIYBk2F899uVQfaxxWx4NXZvQzLk9S1QrFIOYJE29mW18X1On8q-m4mxt5FiEci2BWbqN2fT5k/s1600/Buharioko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSfTHLo_tqBUdMnMC_5H6VBMfdE_4KEUs4MUajNhe5fng1PNQ9jLFoXyQikMaBsbGbhIYBk2F899uVQfaxxWx4NXZvQzLk9S1QrFIOYJE29mW18X1On8q-m4mxt5FiEci2BWbqN2fT5k/s1600/Buharioko.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>There is no disaster as devastating as the aggregation of petty and polarising sentiments by a people at a crossroads, a people being offered options who are yet unwilling to consider these, despite their loud clamouring for change. I’m talking about these cynical Nigerians who have furiously condemned the status quo and find the brand of democracy in practice here “abominable” and in consequence will not take positions or act. These are the people for whom, as an angry Dante Alighieri once told us, the darkest places in hell is reserved for—their sin being neutrality in times of moral crisis.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I was among those who challenged the promotion of General Muhammadu Buhari as “the only morally upright politician” by some zealous supporters, finding such a formulation insulting and an unfair indictment of our generation. I held that accepting that Buhari was the only upright man meant if he bowed out, we had no replacement, and that we all needed to stop celebrating that nonsense and either begin crying or pointing to alternatives. There are indeed some out there, only lacking the myth surrounding the old soldier. Yet, I also maintained that whoever the APC fielded as presidential candidate for the 2015 elections, if against this famously failed leader named Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, would be my candidate. This, of course, held a dilemma for me at that time.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> But that dilemma has now been terminated by the recently concluded presidential primaries at the conventions of the nation’s two major parties in which Buhari defeated other career politicians to pick the APC’s ticket, while the congregation at Eagle Square, possessed by Stockholm Syndrome, praised the failings of Jonathan, the man they now compare to Mandela and Martin King Jr., and thus asked him to fly PDP’s ticket at the ominous February Polls. Well, we all know the consequences of presidential anger. If you don’t, consult Jigawa’s Governor Sule Lamido. Perhaps it was this possibility that encouraged the amnesia of our Eagle Square delegates?</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Unlike many others, my idea of a change in Nigeria isn’t tied to the elevation of APC to political dominance, rather to have the two major parties tangled in heavily competitive bout, with each striving to be the better suitor. Having PDP entirely replaced by APC is a return to status quo, clearly, considering the ease with which politicians defect in this space.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> So, my idea of change in 2015 is more of a resolve to have the central government under the leadership of a sensible human being. But the question we ought to honestly ask ourselves, even though the answer may be unsettling, are: can the opposition oust the incumbent in this period running up to the 16th anniversary of this chaos we call democracy? Or, let me say, with a mischievous tone, are the actual majority off Twitter and Facebook and at remote villages and “forgotten cities” set to form a structure to resist the tools of “stomach infrastructure” on the way to their houses even as we speak as Election Day draws near?</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I’ve compromised on some principles, but compromise that leads to the continuation of a government as tragic as Jonathan’s is something I simply can’t afford. What I must highlight is, that I don’t like Jonathan doesn’t mean I hate PDP. I believe there are some great minds in PDP, the same way I see pretenders mingling with the great minds in APC. Which is why I’ll be casting vote for some PDP candidates running for some offices in 2015.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I will not engage in, or be lured into, any petty denigration of the opposition party, nor of its newly presented presidential candidate, as is being championed by some supposedly responsible thought leaders in this space.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> It’s convenient to ridicule the quest for change if you’ve not felt the impact of the maladministration that has brought this country to its knees; if you’re in faraway Europe or America, with 24-hour power and water supply; if you wake up every day without a fear over your safety and that of your loved ones; if you’re not affected by the stealing, which our wise leader once said isn’t the same as corruption, that has wracked every institution in the country; if you’re not turned against your brother from another ethnic group or religion or region by the politics and gimmicks of a dangerous President. It’s convenient to trivialize the essence of a government if you haven’t lost a family to insurgency because of an incompetent leadership. And unless you enjoy a 24-hour power supply, quality service at corruption-free institutions, impressive social amenities, all in a de-polarised system, your defence of this administration is either a case of sycophancy taken too far or delusion shamelessly justified.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> There are things that shouldn’t be an issue of intellectual masturbation, and the quest for change by pathetically oppressed Nigerians is one of such. If you’ve no power to restore the lives and properties destroyed by bad leadership, the sage thing to do is being neutral and awaiting Dante Alighieri’s prescription of a harsh hell for your ilk.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> But February 2015 is an uncertain period. Which is also why we must now promote, especially for those who consider politics a do-or-die affair, the meaning of democracy. We must assure the zealots that the only way to elect a new leader is by converging at polling units to vote, not by threatening those against them, or even breaking loose and harming those in the Other party. And while we do this, let’s also remember the electorate at villages with no motorable roads; those who do not know what we mean by change; those who only need food to eat, land to till, crops to harvest who are more vulnerable to the seduction of a wad of cash in exchange for their ballot papers.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Another bitter truth we have to chew is, nobody can rig an election without the complicity of the people. And when some of us contribute to electoral malpractices, the last I checked, the courtroom is the only place for resolution of such conflicts. No citizen deserves to die for the ambition of any politician. The bad and the good must co-exist, so long as our shared nationality isn’t a myth. This country is a reflection of ourselves. May God save us from us.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i>Gimba Kakanda</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><b>@gimbakakanda</b> on Twitter</i>  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Source: Omojuwa.com</b></div>

#KakandaTemple ~ A Note to Critics of Change - By Gimba Kakanda

There is no disaster as devastating as the aggregation of petty and polarising sentiments by a people at a crossroads, a people being o...

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#IssuesForBuhari: From Clueless To An Issueless Government? - By Victoria Ohaeri

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkhYbwvnuB7UexpOMMZgGpRQG9J49c8CUnWX37YLoeQsu9GOEZXgAVixpsSuOB7ZmdaGbXg8RAIInBV0-2zwmRQVQenlkhYrUU0M2kc81C-ElOWmb_Bct21arAJAQPZl4aPoB8rpYm50/s1600/Victoria_ohaeri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkhYbwvnuB7UexpOMMZgGpRQG9J49c8CUnWX37YLoeQsu9GOEZXgAVixpsSuOB7ZmdaGbXg8RAIInBV0-2zwmRQVQenlkhYrUU0M2kc81C-ElOWmb_Bct21arAJAQPZl4aPoB8rpYm50/s1600/Victoria_ohaeri.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>We can no longer leave the business of governance in the hands of the political leadership. It doesn’t just work. It has never worked.  When Goodluck Jonathan accidentally became Nigeria’s president after Yar Adua’s demise in May 2010, his ill-preparedness and unfitness for the lofty assignment associated with the Office of the Presidency was an open secret. Somehow, we excused his inadequacies and assumed that things will improve after some time. We also assumed that he will learn on the job. At worst, he will surround himself with technocrats who will get the job done. How so very wrong we were! </b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Six years after, those assumptions fell down flat, kpata-kpata!!! Under his watch, Nigeria has witnessed the most colourless governance in history. Each passing day, Nigeria plummets deeper into a sinkhole of corruption, unemployment, violence, ethnic fragmentation, and is incrementally gravitating towards the brink of collapse.  247 days after their horrid abduction by ruthless insurgents, Chibok School Girls remain unfound despite trillions squandered on security expenditures, and even more being borrowed. Folks that should be permanently housed in Kuje Prison, including those that ought to be perpetually confined within the thick walls of Guantanamo Bay now have unrestrained access to Aso Villa. It has officially become a crime for public and elected officials and their cronies to loot mere millions of Naira; instead, billions of dollars generate legs and wings and disappear uninhibitedly from the national treasury. And nothing happens. Nobody is questioned; nobody gets quizzed and nobody gets fired.  In the last six years, Nigeria has dramatically moved from what was a semblance of constitutional democracy to what Douglas Anele aptly described as ‘agbata ekee” democracy. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Muhammadu Buhari recently won the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) amid widespread jubilation across the country. With the successful multiparty merger and the inter-ethnic harmony that characterized APC’s national congress, Buhari’s chances in the 2015 presidential election are very bright. My biggest grouse is that the emotive melodrama that foreshadowed the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency is about to repeat itself.  Rebranding exercises, fictitious saintly profiling and slushy online Buhari-campaigns have heated up in the last few weeks across the social media, with most of them bereft of discernible issues that hint about the nature and scope of the “change” that is about to come. How can we repeat the same mistakes again?  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Thus far, Buhari offers something most politicians don’t have or aspire to have: character. If there were any scandalous skeletons in his cupboard, desperate Nigerian politicians would have exposed them as far back as 2003 or 2007. By the way, Nigerians are not shopping for a leader with papal attributes. What they want is a problem solver.  But beyond character, what next? Few weeks to election, what are the cards on the table? I see none. What are his main priorities? I can’t categorically tell. For example, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State made education the central theme of his gubernatorial election campaign in 2011. His post-electoral programs also maintained a special focus on education. Education therefore became a one-point agenda that provided Imo electorates a basis to assess the quality of his leadership and hold him to account. So, what is Buhari’s game plan? </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I don’t expect Buhari to make too many promises, but we need to know exactly what he has in mind, and what his plans are. With the election inching so close, there is no coherent action plan detailing his order of priorities. We cannot afford a costly repeat of the Jonathanian tradition of guesswork and when-we-get-to-the-bridge leadership. Not anymore. A presidential vision is a collective vision; not a personal one. We have a right to know what that vision is, interrogate it and connect with it. There is no better time than now. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Many Nigerians share in his passion for zero tolerance against corruption with great enthusiasm. But besides cleaning the Augean stables, what next?  Reducing the cost of governance and plugging the multifarious leakages mean that Nigeria would save more and have more resources to solve its manifold problems. How Buhari plans to harness and deploy these resources so as to yield a marked increase in the quality of lives, and for the benefit of all Nigerians is still a mystery. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> No doubt, Buhari may likely surround himself with seasoned advisers and technocrats. His vice, Professor Yemi Osibajo, is one himself. There are two main reasons why Nigerians should never ever bank on this. First, Goodluck Jonathan’s administration provides compelling proof that a technocrat-filled cabinet does not necessarily translate to corruption-free and competent leadership. Right under the watch of Harvard-trained economists, the porousness of Nigeria’s financial reserves gained global notoriety, while unstoppable looting of oil revenues reached record highs never envisaged in financial transactional history. Secondly, vice-presidents have always been mere appendages under Nigeria’s democratic tradition. That is why most students of secondary school and university age don’t know the name of Vice-president Namadi Sambo.  A vice-president becomes a threat to his boss if he ever exercises political power so valiantly in public. So, except with the help of force majeure as happened under Yar Adua, I have no expectation that Professor Osibajo will break this tradition. And if he does so, it might provoke serious tensions of a scale thicker than the tribal fracturing witnessed under Goodluck’s era. I know Nigeria well enough to predict this very obvious fact. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Buhari’s military background provides reasonable basis to believe that he might draw on his wealth of experience to contain the Boko Haram insurgency if he becomes president. But how will he do this? No information. Unlike the central government, the civil society, the media, and other non-governmental organs of society need to plan, budget in advance, and key into this security agenda if it exists.  His silence is deafening and distracting.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> So far, Buhari has successfully run an issue-less, emotion-driven campaign. He has Goodluck Jonathan to thank for that. Nigeria is gradually drifting from a clueless to an issueless government. Goodluck’s poor leadership has created a huge void between the government and the governed, spurred anger among the populations and fuelled an unquenchable desire for change. It doesn’t matter if a mere object like a pencil runs against Goodluck in 2015, many voters frustrated by his backward-ever style of governance would cast their votes in favour of that pencil. Buhari would hopefully, fill that contemptible void. But how? I wish I know…</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/victoria.ibezimohaeri?fref=ts&ref=br_tf">Victoria Ohaeri</a> </b>is the Executive Director of <b><a href="http://www.spacesforchange.org/">Spaces for Change</a></b>, a youth-development and policy advocacy organization based in Lagos, Nigeria. She is currently a post-graduate student of Harvard University in the United States of America.</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><br /></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><br /></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Source: SaharaReporters</b></div>

#IssuesForBuhari: From Clueless To An Issueless Government? - By Victoria Ohaeri

We can no longer leave the business of governance in the hands of the political leadership. It doesn’t just work. It has never worked. ...

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