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"Trust in Nigeria's Future"
#GOODLUCKNIGERIA2015
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
FOA~VIDEO: Baby Factory Uncovered!
The woman working to clean up Nigeria’s dirty oil, The Independent profiles Diezani Alison-Madueke
by Nick Kochan
A campaign to close down the “crime cabals” who divert crude oil to the tune of 200,000 barrels a day is top priority for Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Nigerian oil minister. She is leading a lobby to get the world community on side on behalf of affected Gulf of Guinea countries such as Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Togo as well as Nigeria. “We are very keen to join hands as soon as possible with the international community in fighting this terrible menace,” she said.
Britain and the US are assisting in developing a fingerprinting system for tracking stolen crude. Mrs Alison-Madueke points out that the global community enjoys wide access to Gulf of Guinea oil, with some three-quarters of US oil imports from Africa coming from the region.
A clampdown on revenues from stolen oil is another part of her campaign. Governments need to move against institutions that launder what she calls the proceeds of “blood oil”.
“Oil theft is lucrative because thieves find it easy to sell their consignments either to private buyers or on the international spot market. Who are the buyers of the stolen crude oil, and through what fiscal institutions is the money being laundered? It is not being sold in the Ecowas [Economic Community of West African States] region, neither are the financial institutions represented in Ecowas countries,” Mrs Alison-Madueke says.
Shell has said that Nigeria loses over $1.6bn (£1bn) annually to oil theft.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, the daughter of a tribal chief, is seen as Africa’s oil tsar. She was a regional head of Shell before becoming a government minister. She is said to receive regular death threats from oil importers who have lost their licences when found to have defrauded the state’s oil subsidy system. Mrs Alison-Madueke supported the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s plan to remove the subsidy that the state pays oil companies to make petroleum products more affordable at the pumps. Popular opposition forced Mr Jonathan to reverse this policy. One commentator says: “She is a tough nut to crack.”
Stolen oil needs to be in the same category as blood diamonds, she says. “Just as the world has taken a firm stance against trafficking in blood diamonds, so must we confront trafficking in stolen crude. Many innocent people are losing their lives as a consequence of oil theft.”
The environment of the Gulf of Guinea is being hit by the activities of the gangs. They dump oil into the Gulf of Guinea that they cannot “crack” (break up by heating to reduce its thickness and enable it to flow through pipelines). Their makeshift distilleries are so inefficient that they treat only a third of the raw oil, leaving the rest as waste. The wood used in the cracking process is hacked from forests across the Niger delta, adding to the environmental blight.
Mrs Alison-Madueke says: “It is devastating. There are vast portions of white landscape with trees falling over. The communities don’t yet understand the extent of environmental damage.”
The polluted environment is giving rise to cancers and other fatal conditions and Mrs Alison-Madueke added: “We are beginning to see the results of this damage with babies being born with disabilities in certain parts of the Niger delta.”
The “very powerful, very well funded cabals” drill holes in the pipelines to draw off the oil. It is “cracked” and transported via separate pipelines to barges close to shore, which move it to ships further out. “Those ships are going to refineries around the world. When the refineries refine that product, the fiscal output and profit is laundered through fiscal entities in other regions of the world. That answers why the global community needs to assist,” said Mrs Alison-Madueke.
Nigerian armed forces have sought unsuccessfully to combat the oil thieves. No sooner is one hole on a pipeline shut or one illegal distillery closed down than two others have replaced them. Over a three-week period, the navy blocked 600 illegal distilleries, only to find that 400 new ones had been created in their place. “The Nigerian joint task forces are running from pillar to post to deal with it.”
Gangs are using the proceeds to run other criminal operations in the region, including kidnapping, piracy, and hostage-taking. Some of the millions paid to the oil gangs are thought to have made their way to Islamic rebels linked to al-Qa’ida in the north of Nigeria.
Some observers say the scale of the theft is so vast that it could not take place without complicity at the highest level. One oil trader argued that the proceeds of illegal shipments were “an informal funding arrangement for local chiefs to ensure their support for federal government policies”.
Mrs Alison-Madueke says that the growth in criminal activity in the region is “a negative consequence of the feverish crude oil business activity”.
Finger-printing technology is used to identify oil that comes from legitimate sources, and so “interrupt sales of illegal crude by criminal gangs”, says the minister. She seeks international support for governments to curb the laundering of funds derived from the sale of illegal crude.
“We seek to improve revenue transparency and ensure accountability for every barrel produced.
“Many innocent people are losing their lives as a consequence of oil theft in the Gulf of Guinea. Oil theft constitutes critical economic sabotage, causing a drastic reduction in the revenues accruing to the state from the hydrocarbons sector, negatively impacting the state’s ability to fulfil its obligations to its citizens.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, the daughter of a tribal chief, is seen as Africa’s oil tsar.
Well-resourced gangs are diverting some 10 per cent of Nigeria’s oil
production and channelling the money into kidnapping, piracy and
terrorism. The result is not only funds lost to the country’s exchequer
but also devastating damage to the environment and to the health of
people in the region. Some 200 foreign oil company employees, some from
Shell and BP, have been among those kidnapped for ransom in the Niger
delta over the last seven years.A campaign to close down the “crime cabals” who divert crude oil to the tune of 200,000 barrels a day is top priority for Diezani Alison-Madueke, the Nigerian oil minister. She is leading a lobby to get the world community on side on behalf of affected Gulf of Guinea countries such as Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Togo as well as Nigeria. “We are very keen to join hands as soon as possible with the international community in fighting this terrible menace,” she said.
Britain and the US are assisting in developing a fingerprinting system for tracking stolen crude. Mrs Alison-Madueke points out that the global community enjoys wide access to Gulf of Guinea oil, with some three-quarters of US oil imports from Africa coming from the region.
A clampdown on revenues from stolen oil is another part of her campaign. Governments need to move against institutions that launder what she calls the proceeds of “blood oil”.
“Oil theft is lucrative because thieves find it easy to sell their consignments either to private buyers or on the international spot market. Who are the buyers of the stolen crude oil, and through what fiscal institutions is the money being laundered? It is not being sold in the Ecowas [Economic Community of West African States] region, neither are the financial institutions represented in Ecowas countries,” Mrs Alison-Madueke says.
Shell has said that Nigeria loses over $1.6bn (£1bn) annually to oil theft.
Mrs Alison-Madueke, the daughter of a tribal chief, is seen as Africa’s oil tsar. She was a regional head of Shell before becoming a government minister. She is said to receive regular death threats from oil importers who have lost their licences when found to have defrauded the state’s oil subsidy system. Mrs Alison-Madueke supported the Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s plan to remove the subsidy that the state pays oil companies to make petroleum products more affordable at the pumps. Popular opposition forced Mr Jonathan to reverse this policy. One commentator says: “She is a tough nut to crack.”
Stolen oil needs to be in the same category as blood diamonds, she says. “Just as the world has taken a firm stance against trafficking in blood diamonds, so must we confront trafficking in stolen crude. Many innocent people are losing their lives as a consequence of oil theft.”
The environment of the Gulf of Guinea is being hit by the activities of the gangs. They dump oil into the Gulf of Guinea that they cannot “crack” (break up by heating to reduce its thickness and enable it to flow through pipelines). Their makeshift distilleries are so inefficient that they treat only a third of the raw oil, leaving the rest as waste. The wood used in the cracking process is hacked from forests across the Niger delta, adding to the environmental blight.
Mrs Alison-Madueke says: “It is devastating. There are vast portions of white landscape with trees falling over. The communities don’t yet understand the extent of environmental damage.”
The polluted environment is giving rise to cancers and other fatal conditions and Mrs Alison-Madueke added: “We are beginning to see the results of this damage with babies being born with disabilities in certain parts of the Niger delta.”
The “very powerful, very well funded cabals” drill holes in the pipelines to draw off the oil. It is “cracked” and transported via separate pipelines to barges close to shore, which move it to ships further out. “Those ships are going to refineries around the world. When the refineries refine that product, the fiscal output and profit is laundered through fiscal entities in other regions of the world. That answers why the global community needs to assist,” said Mrs Alison-Madueke.
Nigerian armed forces have sought unsuccessfully to combat the oil thieves. No sooner is one hole on a pipeline shut or one illegal distillery closed down than two others have replaced them. Over a three-week period, the navy blocked 600 illegal distilleries, only to find that 400 new ones had been created in their place. “The Nigerian joint task forces are running from pillar to post to deal with it.”
Gangs are using the proceeds to run other criminal operations in the region, including kidnapping, piracy, and hostage-taking. Some of the millions paid to the oil gangs are thought to have made their way to Islamic rebels linked to al-Qa’ida in the north of Nigeria.
Some observers say the scale of the theft is so vast that it could not take place without complicity at the highest level. One oil trader argued that the proceeds of illegal shipments were “an informal funding arrangement for local chiefs to ensure their support for federal government policies”.
Mrs Alison-Madueke says that the growth in criminal activity in the region is “a negative consequence of the feverish crude oil business activity”.
Finger-printing technology is used to identify oil that comes from legitimate sources, and so “interrupt sales of illegal crude by criminal gangs”, says the minister. She seeks international support for governments to curb the laundering of funds derived from the sale of illegal crude.
“We seek to improve revenue transparency and ensure accountability for every barrel produced.
“Many innocent people are losing their lives as a consequence of oil theft in the Gulf of Guinea. Oil theft constitutes critical economic sabotage, causing a drastic reduction in the revenues accruing to the state from the hydrocarbons sector, negatively impacting the state’s ability to fulfil its obligations to its citizens.
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America Celebrates Chinua Achebe
President Barack Obama of the US last night lauded the late
Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe, as a “revolutionary author, educator,
and cultural ambassador.”
Mr. Obama’s words of praise for Mr. Achebe, the author of the classic Things Fall Apart and four other widely read novels, were contained in a condolence message he sent to the organizers of an event held in Washington, DC on Sunday, June 2, 2013 to celebrate the life of the late author. The celebration was held at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC.http://saharareporters.com/photo-gallery/photonews-america-celebrates-chinua-achebe
Mr. Obama’s words of praise for Mr. Achebe, the author of the classic Things Fall Apart and four other widely read novels, were contained in a condolence message he sent to the organizers of an event held in Washington, DC on Sunday, June 2, 2013 to celebrate the life of the late author. The celebration was held at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC.http://saharareporters.com/photo-gallery/photonews-america-celebrates-chinua-achebe
Unknown Militiamen Attack Gbagyi Village In Kaduna
By SaharaReporters, New York
Members of the Gbagyi ethnic group, popularly known as Gwari, are historical owners of Kaduna town and are also found in Minna, Abuja and Birnin Gwari in Kaduna and Nasarawa states.
The security source said that the armed militiamen met a stiff resistance from the local populace who used locally made weapons to defend themselves, before the arrival of armed security operatives.
“The Gwari people were defending themselves before a contingent of armed security arrived,” said the source. He added that the exact casualty figures remained unknown as security officials were still battling to secure the village. “Some of the security people are rushing the injured to hospitals in Kaduna town,” our source said.
Man hunting for pythons finds mysterious jewelry
Monday, 3 June 2013
Pack and Go – Anambra First Lady orders baby factories
Sunday, 2 June 2013
Jonathan’s govt has done well in rule of law –Mike Okoye
Chief Mike Okoye, a constitutional lawyer, rights activist and
now governorship aspirant in Anambra State, was a founding member of
the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO. In this interview with Obiora
Ifoh, he says democracy under the present dispensation is on course. He
also comments on the state pardon granted to former Bayelsa State
governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha as well as his aspiration to contest
the Anambra governorship election in November. Excerpts.
How would you appraise our democracy in the past 14 years?
Let me first of all say that most of us were in the vanguard of the struggle for the democracy we are enjoying today. I can remember myself, the late Gani Fawehinmi and the late Nigeria Labour Congress President, Paschal Bafyau; a lot of us that played one role or the other and who were with me at the forefront of NADECO. We played roles that ordinarily we thought then that we would not be alive today. But, we decided to take that risk because we knew that there was no other option than democracy. When we were in the vanguard of the struggle, most of the current beneficiaries now were not there. When we were in the streets against the armoured tanks, when we were broking Abiola’s case, when Abiola was still alive, a lot of them were not there. When we forced Abacha to leave the meetings we had with him. A lot of things went down, when even we forced Babangida to leave, when Akinsanya had to declare Shonekan’s interim government illegal, a lot of people contributed so that we could have democracy. The beauty of democracy is that it is a government for the people by the people and for the people. Today, we are saying Democracy Day. I think we should look at heroes; we have lots of them; some who are not known and many who may never be known. We have lots of people who died on the streets of Lagos and their names are not recorded. They are my real heroes and I think the time has come for us to look at them and leverage on them.
Now, let’s go to the real issues. The real issue is looking at all these years, the way I will describe it is that Nigeria will be going through these ups and downs, but, ultimately, we will emerge triumphant. No nation started and got it right the same day. To me, I believe that Nigeria is on the right track; our democracy is on course. Politics of Nigeria has gone beyond tribal or regional politics. Nigeria has come to a stage where we have national politics. Today, we can boast of a political party that does not belong to the East, West, North or South; and that is PDP. In terms of governance, I will say a lot of mistakes have been made and also, a lot of achievements have been recorded, but, all in all, the errors are those of judgements of the heads and of the hearts. I can say that Nigerian democracy is on course. Could you highlight tangible democratic dividends enjoyed by citizens in the past few years?
In a democracy, the greatest thing you achieve is freedom. You see, some of us who had been under chains and locked up because of draconian laws, freedom of movement, freedom of expression were restricted. I recollect my friend who was the publisher of Newsbreed of blessed memory. I was coming to Abuja then when the city was new to bring him out from custody. What we battled was freedom. Nigeria was not free; and the greatest concept now is that element of freedom. Today, every Nigerian can boast that we operate a free state. No draconian laws where people can be locked up without due process. Today, the constitution is such that nobody can be detained beyond 24 hours unless he had been brought before a court of law. I know that the police are conscious of this law.
We are practising in Nigeria what is called rule of law. Nobody is above the law; and that is the greatest benefit of a democracy. Apart from the rule of law, the government has also provided an enabling environment. Before this democracy came, we knew the situation for example, like petrol, there was instability. People could not get the product and all of other utilities. Today, you can drive into any petrol station and buy petrol. With the ups and downs we are going through, the government has been able to have a stable economy compared to the past. In spite of all these security challenges, government has also provided a levelplaying field for foreign investments. You can see our democracy since it started focusing on progressive change. The change started with Obasanjo. When he came in, Nigeria was on analogue. Most Nigerians believed we could not have phones. Today, everybody in Nigeria can call anybody from anywhere.
When you now move from those ones, that is, Obasanjo’s era into the short space of the late President Umaru Y’Ardua, you would see a continued movement. That continued movement was inherited by the current administration. You can see that the focal point of the current administration is transportation. You see what the government is doing in making it possible for you to walk into a train from East, West, North and South as obtainable anywhere in the world. So, if the present government can achieve transportation, in terms of rail as it is with telecommunication, we can now see Nigeria as the way we used telecommunication also with the rail service which is an alternative; a clear alternative to road transport. President Jonathan’s government has also impacted on the areas of agriculture, energy, trade liberalisation, you can see that foreign investments are on the increase. You can see the progressive change. One thing I can say is that government is all about structure. What people would say is that they don’t know the structure and they don’t know the roadmap. I think that is what the government should come out openly and tell the public that this is the roadmap. This is where this administration is going. Let it be clear that this is the focal point.
What is your opinion on amnesty and declaration of state of emergency in three states in the North consequent upon the growing insecurity in the region?
I think the President has handled the issue of security very rationally and diplomatically for two reasons. The insecurity is political. There is a difference between insecurity that is based on criminality whereby you see people stealing, robbing and killing. But, the one we are facing as a nation is purely political. The approach the President is using is political. The common man will expect him to use force, to be assertive. The people have the right to protest but they don’t have the right to take people’s lives. They don’t even have the right to take their own lives.
The balancing is that the President looked at it, to me, he is a statesman, and judging in the best way to assuage the fear of the people of the North that he is not going to dismantle the government they have in place, but it is the people who are killing other people that he is after. He declared a state of emergency but allowed the structure to remain. He is not attacking the political will of the people of the North but he is trying to remove the chaff from the wheat without causing damage to the political institutions. Everybody says ‘very good’. When he says amnesty, the people that perpetrate these criminalities are not the people that are the problem. They are just people used; it is not arresting those Boko Haram members or chaining them that will resolve the issue. It is those that are inciting them, those that have their children abroad; those who will not come out to actively take part in the acts are the real problems. They are the ones we should see as problems; not the people that are incited. They are just like a bullet.
How come the government has not gone after these sponsors and bringing them to book?
They know them and cannot bring them to book because it is highly political. If some of you understand how we became a country, then you will understand what I am saying. Nigeria you see today did not wake up one day and became a republic. We were formerly in regions and we have peculiarities. When certain parts are trying to use certain methods to press for their political will, you must try to respect them. If you go down on them, you will only create more problems. And, Nigeria is not ready for a civil war.
As a lawyer to former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, do you think his pardon was necessary?
I will say that the pardon was the best thing the President has done in Nigeria. You look at it in two ways. Alamieyeseigha is one of the finest Nigerians you can ever meet. In fact, to me, he is a patriotic Nigerian. Why did I say a patriotic Nigerian? Governance is about touching the lives of your people. Alamieyeseigha as governor of Bayelsa State so much touched the lives of the people of the sate that he was called the Governor-General of Ijaw nation. The whole of Ijaw nation believed in him and he is instrumental to the peace we have in the oil sector. The fact that you buy fuel, that people trade freely, the economy of this country is going smoothly, the international community buys our crude oil, rest solely on his ability to package what he had done to hold the restive people.
Secondly, he is honourable. How many people in Nigeria would accept that they have done wrong? He had the right to have contested the case. We were ready and able to fight the case as all other governors have done up to the Supreme Court. But, he said to us “look, sometimes, it is honourable to feel where you have done wrong to accept you have done wrong and ask God for pardon”. Alamieyeseigha made peace with God. Let us not also forget the politics of Nigeria. Those who were in the vanguard knew the political arrangement; the reason they were after Alamieyeseigha. It was not because of finance, it was not because of corruption. They knew there were people who were gunning for power to take over from Obasanjo. And, they reasoned that those people must be brought down at all costs. Then, there was reason to go after him. For whatever it is, he had made atonement to the court. He has made atonement to his God.
To me, his peace is like the biblical case where Jesus said ‘let the person without sin be the first to cast stone’. I dare say let anybody who believes his governor is not worse than Alamieyeseigha be the first to cast a stone at Alamieyeseigha. The issue was not money that comes from Nigeria; it was money that relates to his state. His state says we have forgiven you. Who are you from any other state to challenge it? Power belongs to the people of Bayelsa State. If the people of the state say we have let it go, that is the end of it. Legally, anywhere in the world, and I think that the President also comes from Bayelsa State, if it is the people of the state that feel that this man should be pardoned, then, the President did the most honourable thing.
Let us look at party politics. Considering what is happening now in the PDP in which you are a stakeholder, are you satisfi ed with the suspension of Governor Amaechi?
We cannot use one individual to decide the fate of millions of people that belong to the political party. Before we discuss the issue of Amaechi, let us understand that PDP is the only party that belongs to the people. PDP is the only party that is nationalistic. It is not a party that belongs to the North, East, West or South; it is a party of national coloration. Having that in mind, what happened in Rivers State cannot have an effect to decide the totality of Nigeria. We should not use the issue of Amaechi as if it were a national issue; it is not. Amaechi is, first, a state matter, it is restricted to Rivers State; it is not national. There is no crack in the party structure of PDP… from BOT to the national chairman. The issue is a governor that the party feels has acted improperly. Whether rightly or wrongly, we should wait and see how it unfolds. We should not judge. That is the mistake people make. They put a judgement before they understand what a matter is.
Let us get the full picture; then, we can be able to see. But, I tell you that for a governor of PDP, if we all understand the principle of governance; we would know that a PDP governor must be loyal to a President and all office bearers of the party. You cannot be disloyal or speak ill of your party and still say you are loyal. If PDP has decided that this is the person who should be the chairman and it has the majority of the governors in Nigeria, it is unthinkable that a governor of PDP should be in alliance with any other political groups. You can’t have two PDP.. We are not talking about whether Amaechi is governing Rivers State. Politics is about loyalty. If the party says this is where we are going and this is our number, he must at all times adhere to it. You should remember he is a governor of PDP and it is PDP that won the election, not Amaechi. I think that he has goofed so much that if I were him, he should be able to distinguish his personal interest and the political interest.
Anambra politics is ironical. Most elective positions in the state belong to the PDP but the party did not produce the governor. How do you see that?
There is no confusion. PDP is the national party and it is in power. The national influences the state. If PDP is at the national, it tells you that Anambra State is preparing to be a PDP state. In 2014, Anambra will be one of PDP states. What you are seeing is the sign of things to come. APGA is a dynamic political party. The Governor, Peter Obi, is somebody I have great respect for. At the same time, he understands the politics of Nigeria. He also understands what the Yoruba did when Obasanjo was in power was that they all moved to PDP to strengthen Obasanjo. They left AD and moved to PDP. Now, our brother is in power and we will move from APGA to strengthen PDP; there is no other issue. We will move from APGA to strengthen PDP. I was once an APGA. I was instrumental to most of the things they did in APGA but we must move to strengthen PDP because the President of Nigeria is our brother. All the pillars in Anambra State must be PDP to strengthen him.
If you were governor of Anambra, what new things would you bring into the state?
I will bring change in governance. The governed and the governor do not understand what democracy is all about. The belief is that it is the governor that gives and decides what he does. Governance as of today is what I call ad hoc. The governor wakes up and says this is a good project; I will build roads for you. Tomorrow, perhaps, I will demolish the secretariat that has historical whatever and I will build my own secretariat. There is no structural plan. Therefore, governance is ad hoc. We would start in Anambra State to practise true democracy where there will be a structure created by the ideas we have and the ideas the people have as to what they want. These things will be prepared by those who are intellectually equipped to prepare them. It is like the building plan for a house, the structural plan. The architect does his job, the builder just looks at the plan, that is, the chief executive; the job of the chief executive is not generating ideas but implementing ideas generated. That is what democracy is all about; it is what governance is all about. In so doing, Anambra will know this road map, even after Mr Okoye has finished as the governor; the road map has been defined. The main thrust of our policy is that Anambra State will be the highest producer of refined crude oil products. Now, the issue is from the evaluation: at what stage would we attain that? But, it is one of the cardinal principles of where we are going. The journey starts from 2014.
Intra-party crisis has been common issue in Anambra State. Are you sure such will not come into play again in 2014?
For PDP, which I belong, I believe the party is conscious of the situation. I know that they are doing something to make sure that PDP goes for the election as one family. One thing I can tell you is that PDP today, especially for Anambra State, whoever among us (aspirants) emerges; we all will step down and follow that person.
What do you think gives you the edge over likely opposition such as Senator Ngige, who is reported to be interested in the gubernatorial poll?
Looking at my stature as a constitutional lawyer; as a human rights activist and all I have contributed legally, politically and otherwise to the federation, to Anambra State and the fact that I come from Anambra North that has a bloc vote, I believe that victory is mine. Looking at my pedigree and the force my party has; looking at the vote we already got from the north, I can assure you that I am the man to beat. I can also say without fear or equivocation that Anambra State is yearning for a change; a new wine in an old sack. Ngige was nobody before he became governor. It was opportunity given to him that made him excel. If the same opportunity is given to somebody else, that person can equally excel beyond him. But that person must be given opportunity and must be a new brand because the old brand people will say we all know them. Politically, the North is going to vote en bloc. I can also assure you that APGA, under the leadership of the present government, will be sympathetic to support where they will have to decide whether to follow Ngige’s party, they will rather follow PDP because it is a national party. Don’t forget the party where Ngige is, is a tribalistic party, a party that has its root in the West. If APGA can win governorship in Lagos or Oyo State, then, Ngige, with the Yoruba party can win governorship in Anambra State.
How would you appraise our democracy in the past 14 years?
Let me first of all say that most of us were in the vanguard of the struggle for the democracy we are enjoying today. I can remember myself, the late Gani Fawehinmi and the late Nigeria Labour Congress President, Paschal Bafyau; a lot of us that played one role or the other and who were with me at the forefront of NADECO. We played roles that ordinarily we thought then that we would not be alive today. But, we decided to take that risk because we knew that there was no other option than democracy. When we were in the vanguard of the struggle, most of the current beneficiaries now were not there. When we were in the streets against the armoured tanks, when we were broking Abiola’s case, when Abiola was still alive, a lot of them were not there. When we forced Abacha to leave the meetings we had with him. A lot of things went down, when even we forced Babangida to leave, when Akinsanya had to declare Shonekan’s interim government illegal, a lot of people contributed so that we could have democracy. The beauty of democracy is that it is a government for the people by the people and for the people. Today, we are saying Democracy Day. I think we should look at heroes; we have lots of them; some who are not known and many who may never be known. We have lots of people who died on the streets of Lagos and their names are not recorded. They are my real heroes and I think the time has come for us to look at them and leverage on them.
Now, let’s go to the real issues. The real issue is looking at all these years, the way I will describe it is that Nigeria will be going through these ups and downs, but, ultimately, we will emerge triumphant. No nation started and got it right the same day. To me, I believe that Nigeria is on the right track; our democracy is on course. Politics of Nigeria has gone beyond tribal or regional politics. Nigeria has come to a stage where we have national politics. Today, we can boast of a political party that does not belong to the East, West, North or South; and that is PDP. In terms of governance, I will say a lot of mistakes have been made and also, a lot of achievements have been recorded, but, all in all, the errors are those of judgements of the heads and of the hearts. I can say that Nigerian democracy is on course. Could you highlight tangible democratic dividends enjoyed by citizens in the past few years?
In a democracy, the greatest thing you achieve is freedom. You see, some of us who had been under chains and locked up because of draconian laws, freedom of movement, freedom of expression were restricted. I recollect my friend who was the publisher of Newsbreed of blessed memory. I was coming to Abuja then when the city was new to bring him out from custody. What we battled was freedom. Nigeria was not free; and the greatest concept now is that element of freedom. Today, every Nigerian can boast that we operate a free state. No draconian laws where people can be locked up without due process. Today, the constitution is such that nobody can be detained beyond 24 hours unless he had been brought before a court of law. I know that the police are conscious of this law.
We are practising in Nigeria what is called rule of law. Nobody is above the law; and that is the greatest benefit of a democracy. Apart from the rule of law, the government has also provided an enabling environment. Before this democracy came, we knew the situation for example, like petrol, there was instability. People could not get the product and all of other utilities. Today, you can drive into any petrol station and buy petrol. With the ups and downs we are going through, the government has been able to have a stable economy compared to the past. In spite of all these security challenges, government has also provided a levelplaying field for foreign investments. You can see our democracy since it started focusing on progressive change. The change started with Obasanjo. When he came in, Nigeria was on analogue. Most Nigerians believed we could not have phones. Today, everybody in Nigeria can call anybody from anywhere.
When you now move from those ones, that is, Obasanjo’s era into the short space of the late President Umaru Y’Ardua, you would see a continued movement. That continued movement was inherited by the current administration. You can see that the focal point of the current administration is transportation. You see what the government is doing in making it possible for you to walk into a train from East, West, North and South as obtainable anywhere in the world. So, if the present government can achieve transportation, in terms of rail as it is with telecommunication, we can now see Nigeria as the way we used telecommunication also with the rail service which is an alternative; a clear alternative to road transport. President Jonathan’s government has also impacted on the areas of agriculture, energy, trade liberalisation, you can see that foreign investments are on the increase. You can see the progressive change. One thing I can say is that government is all about structure. What people would say is that they don’t know the structure and they don’t know the roadmap. I think that is what the government should come out openly and tell the public that this is the roadmap. This is where this administration is going. Let it be clear that this is the focal point.
What is your opinion on amnesty and declaration of state of emergency in three states in the North consequent upon the growing insecurity in the region?
I think the President has handled the issue of security very rationally and diplomatically for two reasons. The insecurity is political. There is a difference between insecurity that is based on criminality whereby you see people stealing, robbing and killing. But, the one we are facing as a nation is purely political. The approach the President is using is political. The common man will expect him to use force, to be assertive. The people have the right to protest but they don’t have the right to take people’s lives. They don’t even have the right to take their own lives.
The balancing is that the President looked at it, to me, he is a statesman, and judging in the best way to assuage the fear of the people of the North that he is not going to dismantle the government they have in place, but it is the people who are killing other people that he is after. He declared a state of emergency but allowed the structure to remain. He is not attacking the political will of the people of the North but he is trying to remove the chaff from the wheat without causing damage to the political institutions. Everybody says ‘very good’. When he says amnesty, the people that perpetrate these criminalities are not the people that are the problem. They are just people used; it is not arresting those Boko Haram members or chaining them that will resolve the issue. It is those that are inciting them, those that have their children abroad; those who will not come out to actively take part in the acts are the real problems. They are the ones we should see as problems; not the people that are incited. They are just like a bullet.
How come the government has not gone after these sponsors and bringing them to book?
They know them and cannot bring them to book because it is highly political. If some of you understand how we became a country, then you will understand what I am saying. Nigeria you see today did not wake up one day and became a republic. We were formerly in regions and we have peculiarities. When certain parts are trying to use certain methods to press for their political will, you must try to respect them. If you go down on them, you will only create more problems. And, Nigeria is not ready for a civil war.
As a lawyer to former Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, do you think his pardon was necessary?
I will say that the pardon was the best thing the President has done in Nigeria. You look at it in two ways. Alamieyeseigha is one of the finest Nigerians you can ever meet. In fact, to me, he is a patriotic Nigerian. Why did I say a patriotic Nigerian? Governance is about touching the lives of your people. Alamieyeseigha as governor of Bayelsa State so much touched the lives of the people of the sate that he was called the Governor-General of Ijaw nation. The whole of Ijaw nation believed in him and he is instrumental to the peace we have in the oil sector. The fact that you buy fuel, that people trade freely, the economy of this country is going smoothly, the international community buys our crude oil, rest solely on his ability to package what he had done to hold the restive people.
Secondly, he is honourable. How many people in Nigeria would accept that they have done wrong? He had the right to have contested the case. We were ready and able to fight the case as all other governors have done up to the Supreme Court. But, he said to us “look, sometimes, it is honourable to feel where you have done wrong to accept you have done wrong and ask God for pardon”. Alamieyeseigha made peace with God. Let us not also forget the politics of Nigeria. Those who were in the vanguard knew the political arrangement; the reason they were after Alamieyeseigha. It was not because of finance, it was not because of corruption. They knew there were people who were gunning for power to take over from Obasanjo. And, they reasoned that those people must be brought down at all costs. Then, there was reason to go after him. For whatever it is, he had made atonement to the court. He has made atonement to his God.
To me, his peace is like the biblical case where Jesus said ‘let the person without sin be the first to cast stone’. I dare say let anybody who believes his governor is not worse than Alamieyeseigha be the first to cast a stone at Alamieyeseigha. The issue was not money that comes from Nigeria; it was money that relates to his state. His state says we have forgiven you. Who are you from any other state to challenge it? Power belongs to the people of Bayelsa State. If the people of the state say we have let it go, that is the end of it. Legally, anywhere in the world, and I think that the President also comes from Bayelsa State, if it is the people of the state that feel that this man should be pardoned, then, the President did the most honourable thing.
Let us look at party politics. Considering what is happening now in the PDP in which you are a stakeholder, are you satisfi ed with the suspension of Governor Amaechi?
We cannot use one individual to decide the fate of millions of people that belong to the political party. Before we discuss the issue of Amaechi, let us understand that PDP is the only party that belongs to the people. PDP is the only party that is nationalistic. It is not a party that belongs to the North, East, West or South; it is a party of national coloration. Having that in mind, what happened in Rivers State cannot have an effect to decide the totality of Nigeria. We should not use the issue of Amaechi as if it were a national issue; it is not. Amaechi is, first, a state matter, it is restricted to Rivers State; it is not national. There is no crack in the party structure of PDP… from BOT to the national chairman. The issue is a governor that the party feels has acted improperly. Whether rightly or wrongly, we should wait and see how it unfolds. We should not judge. That is the mistake people make. They put a judgement before they understand what a matter is.
Let us get the full picture; then, we can be able to see. But, I tell you that for a governor of PDP, if we all understand the principle of governance; we would know that a PDP governor must be loyal to a President and all office bearers of the party. You cannot be disloyal or speak ill of your party and still say you are loyal. If PDP has decided that this is the person who should be the chairman and it has the majority of the governors in Nigeria, it is unthinkable that a governor of PDP should be in alliance with any other political groups. You can’t have two PDP.. We are not talking about whether Amaechi is governing Rivers State. Politics is about loyalty. If the party says this is where we are going and this is our number, he must at all times adhere to it. You should remember he is a governor of PDP and it is PDP that won the election, not Amaechi. I think that he has goofed so much that if I were him, he should be able to distinguish his personal interest and the political interest.
Anambra politics is ironical. Most elective positions in the state belong to the PDP but the party did not produce the governor. How do you see that?
There is no confusion. PDP is the national party and it is in power. The national influences the state. If PDP is at the national, it tells you that Anambra State is preparing to be a PDP state. In 2014, Anambra will be one of PDP states. What you are seeing is the sign of things to come. APGA is a dynamic political party. The Governor, Peter Obi, is somebody I have great respect for. At the same time, he understands the politics of Nigeria. He also understands what the Yoruba did when Obasanjo was in power was that they all moved to PDP to strengthen Obasanjo. They left AD and moved to PDP. Now, our brother is in power and we will move from APGA to strengthen PDP; there is no other issue. We will move from APGA to strengthen PDP. I was once an APGA. I was instrumental to most of the things they did in APGA but we must move to strengthen PDP because the President of Nigeria is our brother. All the pillars in Anambra State must be PDP to strengthen him.
If you were governor of Anambra, what new things would you bring into the state?
I will bring change in governance. The governed and the governor do not understand what democracy is all about. The belief is that it is the governor that gives and decides what he does. Governance as of today is what I call ad hoc. The governor wakes up and says this is a good project; I will build roads for you. Tomorrow, perhaps, I will demolish the secretariat that has historical whatever and I will build my own secretariat. There is no structural plan. Therefore, governance is ad hoc. We would start in Anambra State to practise true democracy where there will be a structure created by the ideas we have and the ideas the people have as to what they want. These things will be prepared by those who are intellectually equipped to prepare them. It is like the building plan for a house, the structural plan. The architect does his job, the builder just looks at the plan, that is, the chief executive; the job of the chief executive is not generating ideas but implementing ideas generated. That is what democracy is all about; it is what governance is all about. In so doing, Anambra will know this road map, even after Mr Okoye has finished as the governor; the road map has been defined. The main thrust of our policy is that Anambra State will be the highest producer of refined crude oil products. Now, the issue is from the evaluation: at what stage would we attain that? But, it is one of the cardinal principles of where we are going. The journey starts from 2014.
Intra-party crisis has been common issue in Anambra State. Are you sure such will not come into play again in 2014?
For PDP, which I belong, I believe the party is conscious of the situation. I know that they are doing something to make sure that PDP goes for the election as one family. One thing I can tell you is that PDP today, especially for Anambra State, whoever among us (aspirants) emerges; we all will step down and follow that person.
What do you think gives you the edge over likely opposition such as Senator Ngige, who is reported to be interested in the gubernatorial poll?
Looking at my stature as a constitutional lawyer; as a human rights activist and all I have contributed legally, politically and otherwise to the federation, to Anambra State and the fact that I come from Anambra North that has a bloc vote, I believe that victory is mine. Looking at my pedigree and the force my party has; looking at the vote we already got from the north, I can assure you that I am the man to beat. I can also say without fear or equivocation that Anambra State is yearning for a change; a new wine in an old sack. Ngige was nobody before he became governor. It was opportunity given to him that made him excel. If the same opportunity is given to somebody else, that person can equally excel beyond him. But that person must be given opportunity and must be a new brand because the old brand people will say we all know them. Politically, the North is going to vote en bloc. I can also assure you that APGA, under the leadership of the present government, will be sympathetic to support where they will have to decide whether to follow Ngige’s party, they will rather follow PDP because it is a national party. Don’t forget the party where Ngige is, is a tribalistic party, a party that has its root in the West. If APGA can win governorship in Lagos or Oyo State, then, Ngige, with the Yoruba party can win governorship in Anambra State.
The angels in BBA 8 house!
Annabel
Nairobi-born student and fashion designer, Annabel , 24, says she doesn’t have any children but considers her pets to be her babies. She enjoys reading philosophical literature. She has three siblings – all brothers, and all older – and lists her late father as her role model, because he taught her the art of tolerance and hard work.
Huddah
Huddah, 21, is a model from Kenya. She has a Diploma in Programming. She loves Chinese food, ugali and fish. Her favourite books are Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe and she enjoys watching The Oprah Winfrey Show and America’s Next Top Model. Her favourite musicians are Rihanna and Prezzo and her favourite actress is Angelina Jolie, “because she is beautiful, hardworking, a great actress and very charitable”.
Dillish
Windhoek, Namibian-born Dillish, 22, is a third year Psychology student with a fondness for seafood. Her favourite TV shows include Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Idols and her favourite films include, The Stoning of Suriya M and For Coloured Girls. She enjoys the music of Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, DJ Zinhle and Busisiwe and her favourite actor is Kevin Hart because he is so funny and lifts her spirits whenever she’s down.
Beverly
21 year-old Beverly hails from Delta State and she is the only daughter of her parents. She describes herself as “smart, sexy, humble, loyal and crazy”. One of her favourite qualities is her sense of humour. In other people, she values “maintenance, consistency, cleanliness, truth and humility” and dislikes unkept promises, lies and pretence.
Beverley said, she entered Big Brother because she believes that her
every-day life is entertaining, even when she’s sad. She says also
that viewers can expect “a total packaged African young diva to command
the right qualities and characteristics of a blunt, sexy go-getter”.
Fatima
TV presenter and MC, Fatima,30, is from Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. She enjoys seafood and her favourite book is Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code . Her favourite TV shows are Game of Thrones and Sex in the City. She describes herself as “unique, daring, nurturing, fun and loud” and says she makes friends very easily. Fatima is looking forward to the exposure offered by Big Brother and believes that appearing on the show will be an important stepping stone in her TV presenting career.
Natasha
Self-employed mom, Natasha (26) also from Malawi entered Big Brother because she looks at it as being social, educational, entertaining and a platform for fame. She describes herself as “fun, adventurous, flirtatious, crazy and sweet” and says that the qualities she likes most in herself are her patience, calmness, jokes and tolerance. She values patience, tolerance and kindness in others, but despises control freaks, liars and unfaithfulness.
Selly
An actress with a certificate in Broadcasting and Journalism, Selly, 25, is from Tema in Accra, Ghana. She entered Big Brother because of “the mouth-watering prize package” that she says would change her life, and also because she wants more drama in her life to “spice it up more”.
Betty
26 year-old Betty is a translator and teacher from Addis Ababa, with a BSc in Applied Biology. She says she is brave, confident, committed and able to make the right decisions at the right time. She likes punctual, reasonable, and confident people, but dislikes people with “big mouths”.
Her favourite food is pizza and favourite book, The Notebook. She
enjoys watching Friend Zone and Disaster Date and her favourite movies
are The Vow, The Notebook and Flight. She enjoys the music of Adele,
Rihanna and Bruno Mars and her favourite actor is Denzel Washington,
because “he can really act”.
Koketso
Johannesburg-born Koketso, 26, is an entrepreneur, currently studying towards a Law degree. She says she enjoys eating “most African dishes, but to watch my weight, I eat Thai for indulgence”. Her favourite book is The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and her favourite TV shows are Grey’s Anatomy, Basketball Wives and Game of Thrones. Koketso says the best thing about Africa is it’s potential – “it’s like a young bright kid with endless possibilities”.
Motamma
Scientific researcher and student, Motamma, 26, from Botswana has a BSc in Agriculture and is currently furthering her education. Her favourite foods include pasta dishes and sorghum cooked in milk, her favourite books are Secret of Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Andelin and Letters to My Children by Jonathan Jansen. She says it feels ‘great’ that Africa’s eyes will be on her 24/7. She hasn’t watched previous seasons of Big Brother, but her friends and colleagues always kept her up to date.
Nairobi-born student and fashion designer, Annabel , 24, says she doesn’t have any children but considers her pets to be her babies. She enjoys reading philosophical literature. She has three siblings – all brothers, and all older – and lists her late father as her role model, because he taught her the art of tolerance and hard work.
*Annabel
Huddah, 21, is a model from Kenya. She has a Diploma in Programming. She loves Chinese food, ugali and fish. Her favourite books are Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and A Man of the People by Chinua Achebe and she enjoys watching The Oprah Winfrey Show and America’s Next Top Model. Her favourite musicians are Rihanna and Prezzo and her favourite actress is Angelina Jolie, “because she is beautiful, hardworking, a great actress and very charitable”.
Dillish
Windhoek, Namibian-born Dillish, 22, is a third year Psychology student with a fondness for seafood. Her favourite TV shows include Keeping Up With The Kardashians and Idols and her favourite films include, The Stoning of Suriya M and For Coloured Girls. She enjoys the music of Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, DJ Zinhle and Busisiwe and her favourite actor is Kevin Hart because he is so funny and lifts her spirits whenever she’s down.
Beverly
21 year-old Beverly hails from Delta State and she is the only daughter of her parents. She describes herself as “smart, sexy, humble, loyal and crazy”. One of her favourite qualities is her sense of humour. In other people, she values “maintenance, consistency, cleanliness, truth and humility” and dislikes unkept promises, lies and pretence.
*Beverly
Fatima
TV presenter and MC, Fatima,30, is from Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. She enjoys seafood and her favourite book is Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code . Her favourite TV shows are Game of Thrones and Sex in the City. She describes herself as “unique, daring, nurturing, fun and loud” and says she makes friends very easily. Fatima is looking forward to the exposure offered by Big Brother and believes that appearing on the show will be an important stepping stone in her TV presenting career.
Natasha
Self-employed mom, Natasha (26) also from Malawi entered Big Brother because she looks at it as being social, educational, entertaining and a platform for fame. She describes herself as “fun, adventurous, flirtatious, crazy and sweet” and says that the qualities she likes most in herself are her patience, calmness, jokes and tolerance. She values patience, tolerance and kindness in others, but despises control freaks, liars and unfaithfulness.
Selly
An actress with a certificate in Broadcasting and Journalism, Selly, 25, is from Tema in Accra, Ghana. She entered Big Brother because of “the mouth-watering prize package” that she says would change her life, and also because she wants more drama in her life to “spice it up more”.
Betty
26 year-old Betty is a translator and teacher from Addis Ababa, with a BSc in Applied Biology. She says she is brave, confident, committed and able to make the right decisions at the right time. She likes punctual, reasonable, and confident people, but dislikes people with “big mouths”.
Betty
Koketso
Johannesburg-born Koketso, 26, is an entrepreneur, currently studying towards a Law degree. She says she enjoys eating “most African dishes, but to watch my weight, I eat Thai for indulgence”. Her favourite book is The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and her favourite TV shows are Grey’s Anatomy, Basketball Wives and Game of Thrones. Koketso says the best thing about Africa is it’s potential – “it’s like a young bright kid with endless possibilities”.
Motamma
Scientific researcher and student, Motamma, 26, from Botswana has a BSc in Agriculture and is currently furthering her education. Her favourite foods include pasta dishes and sorghum cooked in milk, her favourite books are Secret of Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Andelin and Letters to My Children by Jonathan Jansen. She says it feels ‘great’ that Africa’s eyes will be on her 24/7. She hasn’t watched previous seasons of Big Brother, but her friends and colleagues always kept her up to date.
ANAM FOOD CROPS
The people of Anam in Anambra west and east local government areas of
Anambra state are mostly farmers owing to the arable condition of the
area. About 70% of the food crops cultivated in Anambra State are from
Anam people. They can be seen as migrant farmers and fishermen outside
their state looking for areas with good moisture and rich soil
content-Bayelsa, Delta, Kogi, Rivers etc doing what they know best.
Their major food crops are Yam-(Adaka,Ekpe)(Dioscorea Rotundata,
Dioscorea cayensis)
These
yams are usually stored in barns after harvesting to prevent it from
rottenness as a result of moisture and floods which rampage the
farmlands during the rainy season. The yams are transported to Onitsha
market for onward distribution to all parts of Nigeria and west
Africa.Below is the heaps of yams usually seen at Ose-Okwodu Market
Onitsha.
The yams are usually transported from the villages and farm settlements through a wooden engine-powered boats.
Other
varieties of food crops from Anam includes cassava,Potatoes, Maize,
Melon, Fluted pumpkin and a whole lot of others. Anam people are also
natural fishermen and employ different means to harvest fish. The rainy
season allows the River Niger to overflow its banks and extends to its
tributaries, thereby causing a yearly flood(Iji) which though affects
the area by destroying farm crops and leaving people temporarily
homeless, it fertilizes the land and provides fishes for the various
lakes and ponds where fishes are being caught.
Cassava Plantation in Anam
Fluted pumpkin fruit(Ogbe Ugu)
Fluted pumpkin plant
Maize Farm
Okro(Okwulu)
Paddy rice plantation
Potato seeds(Nduku)
Throwing the dragnet(ojogolo) on the River Niger
A fisherman holding catfish(Ikele/Alila)
Paddling a canoe on a fishing hunt
A typical fishpond at Anam(Akpakam Oroma Etiti)
Catfish(Alila)
Another variety of catfish(Odono)
Fishing on Anambra (Omambala) River
River Niger at high tide(Migrant farmers and fishermen living in the farming camps can be seen on the canoe trying to get home.
Wande coal planning to leave Don Jazzy's mavin records after the release of his new album
The mavin's key singer Wande coal may be leaving the most popular
musical group in Nigeria [Mavin records] owned by almighty producer Don
Jazzy,as a result of his pursuit to go solo after the release of his
first album under the newly establish Mavin records, source from the
inside disclosed that the the kick singer have already launched his own
record label by name [BLACK DAIMOND ENTERTAINMENT].
Since the exit of D'banj the which led to the re-branding of Mo'hits records to Mavin records, the team have been experiencing some set backs in the industry even financial, so Wande have to take a quick and bold step of breaking out of the group.
The singer is currently working on his new album which will soon be released sooner this year.. But the question is that is this really a good ideal for wande to leave Mavin records because if he finally leaves the league, there will be nothing left of the team again..
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