Saturday 29 June 2013

Nigeria 3rd Largest Facebook User In Africa


Nigeria is the third largest user of Facebook in Africa in the latest ranking of countries using the social interactive site on the internet by the World Bank.
Tagged African Facebook Users in 2013, the figures as at March, 2013, showed Nigeria having 5, 357, 500 to take the third place in Africa as South Africa came second with 5, 534, 160 users and Egypt led with 13, 010, 580.
Facebook: Nigerian users 3rd in Africa
Facebook: Nigerian users 3rd in Africa
The World Bank which said it took up the study as part of efforts to understand the revolution taking place on the internet, put the total figure of users in Africa at 50, 386, 760.
In the report, Morocco came close to Nigeria with 5, 250, 340 users while Algeria has 4, 322, 820 users and Tunisia has 3, 436, 720 users.
Also, the report said Kenya has got a total of 1, 886, 560 while Ghana has a total of 1, 465, 560 users of Facebook.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the report, has the least number of users among the countries under study with a total of 891, 140 users.
Comparing the figures with other countries of the world, the report showed that Egypt, though the largest in Africa, is 20th country in the world rating it with Australia, Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan.
South Africa is 32nd largest user of Facebook worldwide and was rated with Saudi Arabia, Romania and Ecuador.African Facebook Users in 2013.
Nigeria, third in Africa is 36th in the world and was rated with Belgium and Morocco.
Across the world, India has 62, 963, 440 users of Facebook, Indonesia has 47, 165, 080 users while Mexico has 39, 945, 620 users.

Amosun Promises Workers Civil Service Estates, Car Loans

The Ogun state government led by Governor Ibikunle Amosun has announced that civil servants in the state will now have new welfare packages, including civil service estates and car loans, which his administration is already putting together.
This announcement was made by the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Bimbo Ashiru, at the 2013 Civil Service Day celebration which held in Abeokuta, the state capital.
At the public lecture titled Enhancing Accountability, Transparency and Integrity, government workers were charged to cultivate the right mental attitudes to work value and ethics in the discharge of government policies and programmes to bring to fruition the hopes and aspirations of the state founding fathers.
The event provided the much needed avenue to review the journey so far and the challenge for the future
Speakers at the event reiterated that the civil service is the engine room for the effective implementation of government policies and programmes. The sector, as the intermediary between the people and government at all levels, must discharge its responsibilities with integrity, must be transparent and accountable.
Resource persons at the occasion were Commissioner for Finance, Kemi Adeosun and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Fatai Opebiyi.
The governor called on the work for more cooperation and dedication to ensure the success of the rebuilding mission of the administration.

23 remanded in prison for violating sanitation law in Ogun


Twenty-three persons were on Saturday ordered to be remanded in prisons inAbeokuta for violating the Ogun State Environmental Sanitation Exercise order.
The offenders were arrested alongside 41 others by law enforcement officials during the monthly sanitation exercise which took place across the state.
All the culprits were brought before the magistrate of a mobile court and were found guilty of violating the state’s sanitation laws and asked to pay fines or go to jail for between one week and three months.
The 41 suspects including three Chinese, who paid their fines, were freed; while 23 others who could not were detained. The latter were taken to prison after they could not meet up with the fines one hour after the sanitation exercise. They were conveyed in a prison van with the inscription, Abeokuta Prisons, Ogun State Command.
Speaking with journalists after the conviction, Wale Olanrewaju, the Media Officer of the Ogun State Ministry of Environment, said those ordered to be remanded in prisons still have the opportunity to pay the fines before Monday for them to be freed.
Similarly, the Special Assistant on Environment to the Governor, Abimbola Lanre-Balogun, in her reaction, frowned at poor compliance of the sanitation laws by residents.
She also called on various Community Development Associations (CDA’s) to desist from using the sanitation day to hold meetings.
The environmental sanitation is held in Ogun and many other states every last Saturday of the month. Residents are ordered to remain indoors between 7 and 10:00 a.m. to clean their environments, in compliance with the sanitation laws.

Reasons Why You Must Own Your House

The need to build your own house can NEVER be over- emphasized. As I said in my earlier post, building a house should not be seen as a luxury to anybody; it is a necessity. Nelson Mandela said, “If a man has not built a house, he has not got a home”. Another wise man said “If you have no roof over your head, you have no root.”
Building your own house should be your focus; it should be your prayer, hunger, aspiration, joy and vision.
Here are 13 solid reasons why you must build your own house.




  

1. To Prepare for Old Age :One of the best ways to prepare for old age is to build your own house. What do you think will happen when you celebrate your 80th birthday and you still need to pay rent?

2. Rent is rising – Precisely April last year, Agents were complaining about the hike of Miniflats in Bode Thomas and environs from the usual 250-300k to 400k. Guess how much a standard Miniflat in that area goes for now? 700k! Yes, 700k! Just in case you’re confused, a Miniflat is a room and Parlour with the usually conveniences. How much do you think Miniflats in that area would go for in 20years from now? Get out of that house. Go and build your own. No matter how prayerful you are, the rent will continue to increase.

3. To show that you’re wise – Only wise people build, you’re not rich until you’re living in your own house.

4. Building Materials are becoming costlier- If you’re waiting till a Bag of cement will become N100 before you build, then you may never build. Building materials are become more costly. Therefore, the earlier you build the better.

5. Landlords are difficult – You’re not in your Landlord’s house because he loves you; his relationship with you is purely financial. Don’t make the mistake of thinking he will not increase the rent. Asides that, there may be a lot of rules and regulations like; “You must not use a generators”, “You must come back before 9pm”, “You can’t park more than one car(if you get to park any at all)”, “You must not pound yam”, etc. A friend told me of how his Landlord said he must arrive home every day before 8pm or the gate would be locked and he mustn’t bring “strange” people (his friends) into the compound. To be totally free from any Landlord, you must build your house.

6. It is the best legacy for your children – The best you can leave for your children is a house; not cars, clothes or even money. Proverbs 13:22

7. To have a permanent house address – Until you build your own house, you have not gotten a house address. Tenants are known for moving from one house to another for one reason or the other, losing friends and breaking relationships in the process.

8. To stop living a life of fear – Most Tenants are always afraid and apprehensive towards the time rent will be due, while Landlords would be happy as pay day draws closer. Tenants are always afraid of three things:
(i) Payment of old rates : Some have to take loan, save extensively or even sell some properties so as to meet up with payment.

(ii) Increment: Tenants also live in the fear of an increment of the rent which is often done when a rent is due.

(iii) Quit notice: This is the most painful thing to a tenant, because quit notice is most often the Landlord’s tactics to increase the rent or for the tenant to leave the premises owing to a silly little misunderstanding mostly caused by envy; yes your Landlord can be envious of you, especially when you’re driving the latest camry and he’s just managing his outdated V-boot. Get back at him by building your own!

9. To fulfil one of life’s simplest goals – Getting married, having children, building a house are some of life’s major goals. Almost everybody achieves the first two(by choice or force), but few people achieve the last one. You will achieve it in Jesus name. Building a house is a must-to-be all round success.

10. Problems of Estate Agents – To Estate Agents reading this, I’m sorry I had to chip this in. Estate Agents are sometimes another source of problem to Tenants. They make things difficult for tenants. Some dupe prospective tenants while some collect more than 10% agency fee thereby cauusing tenants untold hardship. The only way to avoid the problem of Agents is to build your own house.

See You at the top!
Segun Babs.
http://www.nairaland.com/1341340/reasons-why-must-own-house

IBIKUNLE AMOSUN'S PROFILE


Office Dates:May 2011
Address:State House, Oke Mosan
Birth Date:January, 25th 1958
Birth State:Ogun State
Political Party:Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)
Spouse:Mrs Olufunso Amosun


Amosun was born on 25 January 1958 to a Muslim family. He attended primary school at African Church Primary school in Abeokuta (1965–1970), and then African Church Grammar school, Abeokuta (1971–1977). He then went to Ogun State Polytechnic, graduating with a Higher National Diploma (HND) in 1983. Amosun gained an Associate membership of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) in 1990. He became a fellow of the Institute in 1996. He also became an Associate member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (1998).
Amosun began his career as an audit trainee with Lanre Aremu & Co. (Chartered Accountants) 1984. Later he joined XtraEdge Consulting as a managing consultant. From 1990 he was Principal partner of Ibikunle Amosun & Co. (Chartered Accountants) in Lagos. Amosun went to the University of Westminster in London, United Kingdom, where he acquired a Masters of Art in International Finance in 2000.
In April 2003, Ibikunle Amosun was elected to the senatorial seat of Ogun Central Senatorial district. He was an unsuccessful candidate to become Governor of Ogun State in April 2007, running on the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) platform.  He ran for Governor again on 2011, and this time with a was elected on the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) platform.
Schools Attended:
  • African Church Primary School, Abeokuta (1965-1970)
  • African Church Grammar School, Abeokuta (1971-1977)
  • Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic) (1979-1983)
  • University of Westminster, London  (M.A. in International Finance, 2000)
National Offices Served:
  • Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
  • Chairman, Senate Committee on Commerce
  • Member, Senate Committees on Appropriation, Foreign Affairs, Privatisation, as well as Security and Intelligence
Titles, Honours and Memberships:
  • Rotary International District  9110 Nigeria
  • Gold Service Award; OLABISI ONABANJO UNIVERSITY
  • Exemplary Leadership Award; Senate Group Island Club Lagos
  • Achiever’s Award; Institute Of Chartered Accountants Of Nigeria Abeokuta District Society
  • 40th Anniversary Award, National Association Of Ogun State Students
  • Award of Excellence; African Church Grammar School, Owu, Abeokuta
  • Appreciation to a Worthy Old Student; Ansarudeen Ladies Association, Abeokuta
  • A Meritorious Award, Nigerian Leadership Award  Outstanding Senator of the Year 2003, Abeokuta Chambers Of Commerce & Industry
  • Merit Award, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Alumni Association Abeokuta Chapter
  • Certificate of Exemplary Honour; Oronna Day Celebration
  • 2005 Platinum Award For Excellence.

Make A Call While Driving And Be Jailed - FRSC Warns

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has announced a newly adopted strategy that would ensure that any person caught using the mobile phone while driving, would no longer be fined but immediately taken to court and jailed.

Corp Marshal, FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka said other offences like speed driving, dangerous overtaking and overloading would equally attract court action instead of the usual fines.

The FRSC boss, who was speaking at a news conference in Abuja, said these new measures are part of a newly launched campaign to reduce the increased spate of road crashes in the country.

Commercial bus drivers are now expected to install speed limit devices in their vehicles so they henceforth should not exceed 100km per hour.

National President of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) however admitted that some drivers are guilty of the aforementioned road accident causing crimes.

The FRSC says it is partnering with several organizations including oil companies to fulfill its promise to make Nigerian roads one of the safest in the world by the year 2020.


link: http://www.channelstv.com/home/2013/06/28/make-a-call-while-driving-and-go-to-jail-frsc-warns/

Friday 28 June 2013

OPEN LETTER TO OOU VC FROM THE STUDENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY, OOU

OPEN LETTER TO OOU VC FROM THE STUDENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY, OOU


PLEASE SAVE US FROM THE EXTREME WICKEDNESS OF MR SEGUN ONABANJO


The purpose of this message is mainly to seek for your assistance in helping us expose the inhuman activities of a lecturer in the Dept. of Sociology and Psychology Olabisi Onabanjo University before it gets out of hand .The concerns of many students who are very suspicious and tired of organized corruption and unwarranted cruelty by just one Lecturer (Mr Segun Onabanjo) holding the whole department to ransom.Right from time we were admitted int0 OOU till date, we have witnessed so many cases of most of our seniors being frustrated,demoralized and delayed(NYSC) for years for no good reason by the ways and manners at which he dishes out capital punishment on innocent students and we w0uldnt wait till we als0 fall victim bef0re we speak 0ut.Funny enough,he takes pleasure in doing so because he liked to be categorized among sadistic lecturers 0f all times and he openly brags about that.He(Mr Segun Onabanjo) has been in control of all our results for 5years now and he has always sticked to his cruel habit of intentionally delaying at least half of a whole set every year till date by holding on to their results so that it would be absolutely impossible for them to go for their NYSC and thereby enriching his own pocket.
To make his works easier,he wouldn't paste the results on the notice board for everyone to see,s0metimes he w0uld intenti0nally paste it 0ne day t0 the exam 0f that particular c0urse;he would ask everyone t0 c0me t0 his 0ffice after which he would ask for our matric numbers and then read out the results and references from his laptop(that is if he s0 wishes t0). By so doing,he makes it hard for students to pinpoint errors in order to push for the corrections of errors made on their results and 0n time bef0re getting t0 their final year and whatever he says in the Dept. goes. He uses this opportunity to make more money and get back at students who have issues with him while in school or those that wouldn't want to give out bribes for the "upgrading" of result. Its a well known fact that that he extorted a total sum of 50,000 naira from about 40percent of those he cleared for service last year November 2012,he has an agent who collects the money on his behalf,they(2011 set) all can testify to that. We are all at the mercy of Mr Segun Onabanjo because he seems to be the only "god" that everyone looks up to and feared .The VC has always not reachable,no email or phone number to lodge a complaint. For fear of reprisal attacks by his lecturer cabal no one is ready to physically lodge a complaint at the VCs 0ffice. If you press him too hard for correction of results and report to the highest authority he would add more to your references and make it look as if you actually had those references since the result was not pasted.We see s0 many 0f 0ur seni0rs c0ming all the way fr0m lag0s t0 "beg" and "weep" f0r their right and we can't help but w0nder if the same fate als0 danger0usly awaits us,are we als0 g0ing t0 be made t0 suffer f0r n0tin like them.Many 0f them have written a letter of complaint to him for corrections of mistakes made on results but instead of treating it,he intentionally adds more to their references or he treats it and later on add another set of references to it again so that you are trapped forever until he decides to release them at his own free will. They,as usual, always write to the appropriate authorities every year but "as usual" he comes up with a ready made excuse"The laptop I use for your results is faulty I need some money for the repair" and then in retaliation,he adds more to everyones references at will,mind you,he cleared a little few of those were able to meet up to the terms of payment,including his girlfriends, with that same"faulty" laptop most of which were well known dullards destined for an automatic extra year.He w0uld clear everyone of them and all0w them t0 g0 f0r service at the detriment 0f 0ther inn0cent students.To support our claims,ask for a probe into the results of the following students of 2011 set that were cleared for NYSC last November and you would be amazed ASHAJU KWAM,ALAUSA LATEEFAT,SHODIPO TOSIN,ETIWON ADESHINA,OGUNSANYA MONISOLA,KASALI JAMIU,ODUBANJO KEHINDE,ALONGE HASSAN,OLAWUNMI ENIOLA,KEHINDE ADEYEMI,AJALA BUKOLA,SALISU OLAMILEKAN,FAKOWAJO LAWRENCE,YEYEJIDE KUSORO,OLUWOLE KAYODE,BALOGUN QUADRI RISIKAT OLlUWATOYIN,EHINMORE RACHEAL,OGUNKOYA OLUWASEUN,FEMI(Surname not yet verfied), and DABOTA JANE.Every0ne in the Dept is aware 0f this but they are all afraid t0 c0me 0ut and speak
*NOTE: The most disgusting part of the whole saga is that: six of those listed above(Etiwon adeshina,Alausa Lateefat,Ashaju kwam,Shodipo Tosin,Salisu Olamilekan,Ogunsanya monisola) are very famous empty barrels who prior to their graduation,were humbly anticipating an extra year but fortunately for them the magician lecturer made them scale through ; we are made t0 kn0w fr0m 0ur investigati0ns that:one of those listed above is yet to complete his project,two(Olawunmi eniola and shodipo Tosin) are his well known girlfriends. So many lives have been destroyed. So many have been delayed for years,some four years;some three;so many brilliant students are always at the Dept begging him even though everyone knew that its impossible for them to have any ref. This man has to be stopped or better still,an outsider must be called to take charge of the results because even the H.O.D cannot look him directly in his face and ask him to step down. They are all afraid of him. We wou
ldnt wait until its 0ur turn t0 suffer!
GOD BLESS YOU SIR

SOC PPSYCH OOU

An Overview Of Structural Transformations In Nigeria And Africa


Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Mr. Roberts Orya, in this analysis takes a critical look at structural transformation in Africa particularly in Nigeria and how it can change the economy for rapid development.
IN the 35 years leading to 2005, crude oil exploration, production and export provided the only talking point on Nigeria in international business of scale. Over this period, the Nigerian economic outlook was impacted mainly by global politics and market events. The ripples generated in Nigeria, positive or negative, were too weak to travel far and wide enough to impact the country outlook in the estimation of the international community and systems that controlled global markets, except when the ripples were ultra-negative. We were susceptible to external shocks transmitted through the conduit of international oil market.
This scenario has been changing. Improvements in governance frameworks through multi-party democracy since 1999 and purposeful (market) reforms have been re-defining the influence of Nigeria in global politics, finance and investment. We see two recent evidences of this. One, in quick succession, JP Morgan and Barclays have listed the Federal Government Bonds in their respective emerging market indexes.
Consequently, global demand for Nigerian sovereign debt issues has gone through the roof. It is the supply side of the market that has been exercising caution, quite appropriately, with the recent intent to link higher debt capital to delivery of specific infrastructure projects by the Federal Government.
Two, Benzinga.com, the financial media outlet that provides heads up for Wall Street’s top traders, alerted its audience and through NASDAQ, to growing evidence that Nigeria’s influence on global portfolio performance is no longer limited to financial assets that enjoy the sovereign guarantee of the Federal Government. “Nigeria ETF gets good news on glum day for global markets” was how Benzinga put it on a day Exchange Traded Funds tracking global markets sagged last month. The “newly-minted” Global X Nigeria Index ETF, (only two months old), listed on New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), closed downward by marginal 0.9 per cent when emerging and developed markets tracker funds lost lowest 1.5 per cent value.
What inspired this?
Your guess is wrong if you thought the Nigerian hydrocarbon sector provided the inspiration that made the fund tracking Nigeria to hold out above its seniors. Bloomberg reported Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to say the ratio of non-performing loans (NPLs) at Nigerian banks to credit total fell to 3.8 per cent in April 2013, from 35 per cent in November 2010. The star performances of Global X Nigeria ETF and the banks (in relation to their aggregate low NPLs) are two of the several positive outcomes of the extra-ordinary intervention Sanusi led to rescue the Nigerian banking industry in 2009.
I have read reports which claim the intervention was very expensive. I say Nigeria could not afford the unravelling of her banking sector as it was bound to happen before the last intervention, which originated in Nigeria a tsunami that is still sending positive waves to the global market. Nigeria could afford the bailout and the needed investments to keep the banks alive and well, because the country’s oil revenue could back efforts to save a very key industry that has been supporting the Nigerian economic might in some ways since the end of the banking industry consolidation in 2006. What else can we do with our petrol dollar? It definitely provides investment capacity for economic diversification and higher GDP growth.
Following my invitation to a high-level panel at the just-concluded Annual Meetings of African Development Bank in Marrakech, Morocco I started interrogating the theme of the conference: Structural Transformation of African Economies. Can Africa inspire growth across sectors of the national economies? Do we have needed infrastructures to support intra-Africa trade, which is a necessity for national economic diversification in the continent? And, of course, what is the role Nigerian Export–Import Bank can play in the mix?
The Necessity
Structural transformation of the African economy is a necessity. The good news is that it is one agenda which we can deliver. Financiers look at how ideas like this can be delivered with the required financing. Over the last 10 years or more, notwithstanding the minor setback during the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2008, balance sheets of several African countries have been strengthening. In Nigeria, we seized the opportunity of high oil prices to do a very smart deal to exit the Paris Club debt. Thereby, additional resources were freed, which otherwise would have been used for debt servicing. We also built savings buffers. The required institutional framework to counter pro-cyclical budgeting is now gaining grounds in several African countries including Ghana, Angola and Nigeria.
The market conditions that made these possible have since returned. We are seeing bright price outlooks for commodities. Several commodity-exporting African countries can generate
the financial windfall to make secondary investments in agriculture (with emphasis on agro-processing), manufacturing, solid minerals and services. We call this our MASS Agenda for Nigeria at NEXIM Bank.
When one looks at the strategic imperatives for this transformation, one sees that today we can still talk of the demographic dividend that is
inherent in our population structures. Africa has the manpower, at least in the very basic sense, to support economic growth on the continent.
The youth population is huge. They can be employed. They must be employed. But can we go far with reliance on extractive industries? It is not necessarily a categorical and capital “NO”. If that were the case, we might again be talking about a “hopeless continent.” But that characterisation has been confounded. Therefore, the extractive industries of Africa can provide resources to invest in secondary industries. Mother Nature has blessed our continent.
However, the major problem with extractive industries, especially hydrocarbon, is that it employs very few people. The OECD says in its recent report that the extractive industries accounted for no more than one to three per cent of global employment. Even then, most of the jobs in the sector are highly skilled. In most cases, expatriates take most of the jobs.
Therefore, we have to re-engineer economic growth in sectors where we can generate employment for our teeming youth population. So, we have the two building blocks for the realisation of structural transformation of African economies. The necessity is quite obvious. The resources to make the initial investments are available. The combination of both encapsulates the frontier emerging market status of several African states. And that is generating the interest of global investors in our continent and in our country.
Trade Infrastructure
Africa currently contributes no more than three per cent to global trade. That is dismal, and it puts a glass ceiling on the prospects of higher GDP growth rates of African countries. For there to be an improvement, African countries must grow trade within. Intra-Africa trade must be a key strategy for private sector development and consequently job creation and elimination of extreme poverty in our continent.
NEXIM
Bank found that absence of direct maritime links between West African States constitutes serious barrier to cross-border trade within the sub region. Shipment delays, which arise from trans-shipment arrangements that are largely through Europe, prolong cargo delivery time to between 45 - 60 days within the sub-region. This can be reduced to three days in most cases when direct maritime link is established. Poor road infrastructure also drives up the cost of transportation, causes excessive transit time, and therefore makes intra-regional trade non-competitive within West and Central African. The time and cost efficiencies the Sealink Project will bring about are immediately
apparent. Beyond this, however, it will unlock opportunities in the maritime sector through effective indigenous participation. Much of the
annual maritime freight payments of average $5 billion from import / export tonnages will be localised. This will help in generating maritime-related employments on the continent. Additional investments will be stimulated in multi-modal transport infrastructure that will also link non-littoral regional member countries.
NEXIM Bank is enjoying extensive stakeholders support for this project. The African Development Bank has endorsed it, so also the ECOWAS Commission and Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA). The Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FEWACCI) is sponsoring it. The Sealink Project will operate as a private sector business. Accordingly, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) is in place to deliver the project.
Strategic Underpinning
Investment in education is very important to the realisation of the structural transformation of the economies of African States. Strategies for human capital development for up-and-coming young Africans must target quantitative and qualitative outcomes. At every level of production and service delivery, we need to train and re-train our people. Although I have talked about intra-Africa trade growth, there is nothing there that says we can circumvent global competitiveness. We must benchmark global standards.
The role of technological know-how has already entrenched in our present world. One can only imagine that technology will continue to dominate performances of future economies. Africa must connect with this reality.
Inclusive growth is important as well
We must ensure that our women are integrated in both policymaking and business. When the woman is empowered, the family–the critical building block of functional societies is empowered. Civil society must continue to demand governance reforms. One of the greatest enablers of the growth we have seen in our continent over the last 10–15 years has been recovery from political instability in several African countries. A representative government; one that is accountable to the people and is
transparent, would influence domestic stability and attract external support for economic growth and structural transformation.

Igbo man will rule Nigeria better –Ezeife


Former governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, in this interview with OLUWOLE AKINLOYE, speaks of the capability of an Igboman to be a better president, the imperative of a national conference, among other national issues. Excerpts:

What was your immediate reaction to the military take-over in November 1993 when you were governor of Anambra State?
It was a disaster because I became governor of Anambra State after I had retired as a permanent secretary. My motivation for becoming governor was to perform very well in the state. I told the Anambra people that I would bring about development and make the state the envy of others. My motive of becoming governor was to pave the way for me to be the president of Nigeria. I knew it would not be easy to become president and I decided to set an example of what I can do as president through my works in Anambra. I thought with my performance, I would make footprints for people in other states to stand by me, so, people would say, let him come and do something for Nigeria as whole. That was my reason of becoming the governor of the state. However, as governor, I never used security details. I never collected salary or other money that accrued to me. To me, the position of governor was not an achievement; it was just to be a stepping stone to become the president. I started very well, because if you have this kind of idea, then you must plan it very well. To help me, I partnered with some universities, especially those that participated in the engineering works during the civil war. Experts in industries were also invited, as well as our indigenes in the field of education in the United States and United Kingdom. I brought all of them back to help me plan a viable industrial revolution. We had started working and everything was going on well, but unfortunately, the military struck and everything stopped. It was a big disappointment for me. Eventually, I ran for the office of president twice, but there was nothing to show the people of what I could do because I was not able to finish my job in Anambra. If I had spent eight years as governor, nobody would have been able to contest the presidency with me.  I would simply tell the people to go to Anambra and see what I did there, and if they liked what they saw, they would vote for me for president. That was my intention; that was my plan, but the military ruined everything.

After 14 years of return to civil rule, do you think Nigeria is on the right track?
Nigeria has never been on the right track because the country has never for once manifested its destiny. We are the largest black nation in the world and we should be seen as showing direction to other black countries. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get things right ourselves. Blacks taught the rest of the world all they know — Mathematics, technology, science, etc, all started in Africa. They started in Egypt. The authoritative idea about origin started in Africa; it was written by Saint Augustine the great. The Pythagora’s Theory started from Africa and the ancient knowledge stated that everything good originated from Africa, and here, we have Nigeria as the largest black nation in the world, which is supposed to show the way to other blacks. Unfortunately, we have been going the wrong way from the beginning, because our leaders - the politicians - were emphasising on things that divide us rather than things that unite us.
Talking about religious differences, Christianity and Islam are the same. It is just that we fail to recognise ourselves as one. What is the difference between Jesus and Isah, Dawud and David, Abraham and Ibrahim, Yusuf and Joseph? No religion approves suicide, whether suicide killing or killing yourself alone. Suicide takes the person to hell. There is no repentance in the grave. However, our leaders use religion and ethnicity to create confusion among us for their own selfish gains and that has stopped us from achieving our manifest destiny.
What is our manifest destiny? It is to develop into a global super power and protect the dignity of Africans.
Although some say the 1914 amalgamation was the work of the British, God intended it to be so, so that we could be the big brother to all black nations;  a rallying point. 
God used the instrument of the British imperialism to create one Nigeria, and we should have done the right thing; accepting His purpose of creating Nigeria and focusing on those things that unite us. If we had focused on attaining economic power, no country will be looking down on us today, and don’t forget that by nature, we are superior to other countries of the world. Our soccer players abroad are always the best; not only soccer players, but other professionals. God gave us the potential, but Nigerian leaders have not risen up to show the country the right direction. I was surprised that President Goodluck Jonathan is using the word ‘transformation’, which means changing from one level to the other; that is, transforming Nigeria from being a shipwreck to something that works. What Nigeria needs now is real change. So, if we are talking about 14 years of civil rule, and even all the years of military rule, none has brought the desired development to the country.

You blamed the problem of the country on the leadership, but you are one of them. When you were the governor of Anambra State, what impact did you make?
When you go to Anambra, you will find an example of selfless, purposeful, economic-minded leadership with social concern. My first act as governor was to change the maternity leave, because those children that we raise with cow milk are not fully human. My first act was to change maternity leave system from three months to six months after delivery. For a male child, I introduced a compulsory breastfeeding programme for a year and six months, while one year compulsory breast feeding programme was for the female child.
As a leader, you must lead by example. You can see how people are coming here for all kinds of help. So, my policy is uniting Nigeria; making sure the Igbo, the Yoruba and the Hausa are one. The Igbo and the Yoruba used to be like parallel lines and I saw that the only way to change this was by identifying with the Yoruba and the Hausa, and till today, my policy has not changed. I was a member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), but when it was time to nominate the presidential candidate, the AD said they were going to  support (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo and that there was no vacancy for president on their platform. It was only then that I left the party.
When MKO Abiola was alive, anywhere he went to in the East, he had Anambra State security details with him, and anywhere he was making public speech, I was always with him. When he won, I was with him until the time the unfortunate thing happened. I took the risk of supporting him. I went to my friend, Ibrahim Babaginda, told him to hand over to Abiola. IBB asked me: ‘Emeka, if you were in my position, what would you do?’  I told him I would hand over, but he said if he had handed over, he and Abiola would have been killed. But I told him that it was his job to protect himself and Abiola. Unfortunately, he didn’t yield to my advice, but later he appreciated what I told him.
So, apart from the fact that I did my best in my state, I also worked, and I am still working for the unity of the country. However, if I had become president, I would have done more. There would have been zero tolerance for corruption. Unfortunately, I didn’t become president, but I believe power comes from God. I feel maybe Nigeria was too ripe for me or I was over-ripe for Nigeria.

You mentioned the transformation agenda of the Jonathan administration earlier. Is the agenda really working?
Transformation from shipwreck, transformation where nothing works, transformation where the raw materials are transformed to industrial use, transformation from darkness to light. This is what I like about the word ‘transformation’. Has Jonathan really transformed Nigeria? President Jonathan came out with the word ‘transformation’, but how do we assess his achievement? Difficult. Yes, I know that there is a little improvement in power supply, and the rail system is improving, federal roads are good in the West and North, but they are death traps in the East. There is greater sincerity on the part of the president. This is the first time we have a democracy where the votes of human beings count, and that was the promise of Jonathan. He brought somebody he did not know, Professor Attahiru Jega, to man the affairs of the electoral body, and they worked hand in hand to give Nigerians a free and fair election for the first time in the history of the country. With that, are Nigerians very happy? The answer is no.
This is so because the government has not done what is expected of it. Why has the government not done enough? The government lacks ruthlessness in dealing with people who are threatening it.
Understanding the circumstances, you cannot compare Jonathan with Obasanjo. Obasanjo did not perform as well as Jonathan even without Boko Haram. You cannot compare Jonathan with IBB. And you cannot compare them with Abacha, who organised a two- million people march. The two-million man march only opened the eyes of the people who produce the oil and then we had problems with that. In other words, the circumstances of each leader are not the same. However, I like the transformation agenda of President Jonathan and I approve it. The consistency, with which he is pursuing it despite the challenges, is commendable.

You said earlier that former President Obasanjo did not do well, but you served as his special adviser on political matters...
I joined Obasanjo as a political adviser. After one week in office, I wrote a trajectory, the direction in which I thought we should go and my boss queried every part of the trajectory. You know that when you are appointed at the federal level, you are not representing only yourself, so, I had to stay on. Eventually, I resigned. I later wrote an objective and brotherly advice letter to President Obasanjo, but you can blame me by saying that you don’t write a letter to your brother on the pages of newspapers. What I did was to write an open letter to President Obasanjo. He did not like it, of course. You remember when he said (Chris) Ngige was rigged in and asked him to resign. He said it in print, in the newspapers. There was a controversy between us over his election in his own state and I told him to lead by example; that he should resign. He didn’t like it at all and said he would deal with me anytime. Notwithstanding, Obasanjo is a good person for Nigeria. He understands how to solve Nigeria’s problems. We Ndigbo people need him to advise us. Nigeria as a whole needs him. He is the only person who has made Nigerians believe that they are Nigerians. Some people in the country believe that they are above others; that they were born to rule, but Obasanjo has since changed that.

Though President Jonathan has not said that he will contest in 2015, feelers from those around him point to the fact that he is likely to do so. This is against the insistence of the North that the presidency should go back to the region. How do we resolve this?
There is no problem about that. We Ndigbo shall play a game of cooperation with President Jonathan. We recognise that the man we made president by our votes has the constitutional right to a second term, but second term is not automatic. If he does well, he should go for second term and if he doesn’t do well, we can do the second term for him. However, my advice to my own people is this: it is not our job to hound him out of office. We should play a game of cooperation with him and campaign for Igbo presidency. We should campaign for him for his second term and as well campaign for Igbo presidency. Before the primaries, we will meet and compare notes about our chances. He will support us if we have better chances, but if he can win, we will support him. That is the game of cooperation I mean. But with the state of emergency rule in some states and with the new things he is doing, the field is becoming clearer for him for a second term.

You said that if he does not perform well to deserve a second term, you Ndigbo will step in...
(cuts in) We will beg him to support us.

In the event of that happening, are you saying that the Igbo can face the Northerners in a contest?
Are they not human beings? We have always worked with the North. We have no hatred for them. An Igbo man believes in fairness. You may not know it, but we are egalitarians. We believe in equality. Let nobody lord it over the other. I like Northerners as a people. So, if we tell the Northerners to wait till after 2015 or even 2019, we are only being reasonable.
After all, of the 53 years of governance after independence, the North had been there for over 38 years. Denying Igbo the presidency is denying Nigeria progress and development. An Igbo man succeeds where others are failing and it should not be different in an Igbo man ruling the country.

Recently, the Southern Nigeria People’s Assembly met in Lagos, and at the end of the day, it called for a national conference before January 2014. How realistic is this call?
The best thing President Jonathan can do for this country is to convene a national conference. We cannot continue with the way the country is structured without calling on its people to come together and talk about how we want the future to be. Why is it that after many years of independence, we have not achieved much? There should be a referendum to say, we the people of Nigeria want this. Therefore, the national conference is highly important. However, the question is: who should convene it? We must ensure that the ordinary people have a say in the national conference. We shouldn’t just come up with an elite group, whose opinion will be at variance with those at the grassroots. Therefore, President Jonathan, just as he has done with the state of emergency rule in three states, should give Nigeria a national conference. Even if the National Assembly refuses to allocate money for the conference, the president can appeal to different organisations and corporate Nigeria for assistance. We really need a national conference now.

There was an election of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum which resulted in crisis among the governors. If 36 governors could not conduct an election successfully, then what hope do we have for democracy in the country?
I am utterly disappointed by the development. This is not good for democracy at all. First and foremost, there should not have been any election. And if they wanted to have election, it should have been properly organised, and the election should have been held under a returning officer, and not under the chairmanship of the governors’ forum. Now, having conducted the election, somebody won. A winner is a winner; that is democracy, but to hear of the crisis that the election is generating is saddening. I am, therefore, appealing to the governors to sheathe their swords and come together to work for the progress of the country.

Nigeria Dismisses UK Migrant Bond Proposal

Theresa May


Britain’s proposal for a migrant bond has been dismissed by Nigeria as a “blunt instrument” that will damage commercial ties. Lagos has threatened to impose similar barriers to Britons entering Nigeria, should it be enforced, according to the Financial Times of London.

A pilot scheme, announced over the weekend by Theresa May, the UK home secretary, would levy a £3,000 bond on short-term visitors from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nigeria and Ghana, as part of Conservative efforts to bring down UK net migration to 100,000 by the next election.

After confusion over how the bond would work, the Home Office confirmed on Tuesday that it would not apply to all visitors from the selected countries, but just a few considered to be at particularly high risk of breaching their visas.

The scheme, which would involve forfeiture of the deposit, in the event of visitors overstaying, has run into fierce opposition from the countries targeted, amid signs the UK government is already thinking again.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s economy and finance minister and a former managing director of the World Bank, said the proposals were anathema to the spirit of agreements between the two countries, aimed at boosting trade and investment.

“Frankly we are baffled by the whole thing. This is a very blunt instrument. It sends all the wrong signals about Britain’s openness for trade and tourism,” she told the Financial Times, saying she was sure every country targeted, had the “principles of reciprocity” in mind.
 http://www.dailytimes.com.ng/article/nigeria-dismisses-uk-migrant-bond-proposal

ASUP strike: Amosun offers mediatory role

Governor Ibikunle Amosun of the western Nigerian state of Ogun has assured students of polytechnics in the State that his administration would step in and help resolve the matter which made their lecturers and other senior officials embark on an industrial action.
Amosun, himself a graduate of the Ogun State Polytechnic, now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, gave the assurance, by proxy, today at his Oke Mosan, Abeokuta office.
It was at a meeting with a cross section of students from Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta and the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro during a protest to register their displeasure over the continued strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics
The students yesterday staged a protest in Abeokuta which paralysed vehicular movement for over 5 hours, calling on the State governor to mediate in the conflict.
Lecturers have boycotted work in the last two months, with the students getting restless being idle at home.
Governor Amosun, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Taiwo Adeoluwa, expressed displeasure about the strike, noting that the demands being made can only be met by the Federal Government.
The Governor however assured that he would take the matter before the government at the centre for quick settlement, affirming that his administration placed a high premium on the development of education.
“Since we came, we have not taken our students for granted and we will not take you for granted. As a government, we have always applied about 25% of our budget to education because to us, education is key to development. Your demands are clearly beyond us, but as you have requested, we will take your case to the Federal Government because we are also not happy about the development”. Amosun remarked
Speaking earlier on behalf of the students, Mallam Abdulghaffar Adeleye lamented the insensitivity of the Federal Government to their plight, noting that issues that warranted the strike bothered mainly on the demand for better funding of polytechnics in the country.
“We have been at home for 64 days now. It is regrettable to note the insensitivity of the Federal Government to the plights of these polytechnic staff, perhaps not taking into cognizance the number of students who are presently idle at home and might be used to perpetrate evils of various kinds”, the students leader said.
Adeleye said they decided to approach the governor for his intervention, regardless of the nature of the issue involved because of the attention which his government had been giving to matters relating to educational development in the State.
“We know this issue is beyond the State Governor, but we believe Governor Amosun values education and being a polytechnic graduate himself, he will help us in resolving this matter between our schools and the Federal Government”, he said.

Students' Protest Paralyses Abeokuta

Abeokuta — Polytechnic students in Ogun State took to the streets in Abeokuta, the state capital yesterday to protest the two months old nationwide strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP).
But, for the intervention of the security operatives, the students who were drawn from various polytechnics in the state, would have disrupted the formal opening ceremony of the 40th national council on agriculture, holding in the state capital, it was gathered.
As early as 6.00am, the protesting students had converged on the popular Post Office roundabout chanting anti-government slogans, before heading towards Oke Ilewo business district, onto the NUJ Iwe Irohin House Press Centre.
From there, they marched towards IBB Boulevard and at the NNPC Junction which is about 500 meters away from the national council conference venue, the students were stopped by security personnel that included police and men of the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps.
Travellers from Lagos, Ijebuode and Sagamu spent hours to get through the blockade caused by the students.
A traveller from Ikorodu, Mrs. Rafat Raheem, said the students' protest made her to spend extra two hours on a journey that should have taken only 20 minutes.
The students on their placards, called on the Federal Government to intercede in the ASUP strike. They also demanded for the establishment of a national polytechnic commission and release of the white paper on federal polytechnics.
The students were led by the various polytechnics' union leaders from the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Federal Polytechnic and the state-owned ICT Polytechnics.