January 21, 2014

Jonathan, Tukur And A Government Of Jezebels - Femi Fani-Kayode

Jonathan, Tukur And A Government Of Jezebels - Femi Fani-Kayode
I must commend President Goodluck Jonathan for removing Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as National Chairman of the PDP and finally dumping him.
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It really is good riddance to bad rubbish because that man was a disaster to his party. PDP itself is bad enough but to have a self-conceited and vainglorious ancient dinosaur who is completely fixed in his ways, who believes that anyone and everyone below the age of 60 is still a ''young'' man or woman  and who sees the world from the prism and mindset of a 1960's Viet Nam war veteran that is still suffering from post-war traumatic syndrome was a disaster waiting to happen. This was a man that drove goodwill away from his party in the same way that shelltox drives away mosquitoes from a bedroom. As long as Tukur was in charge the continued demise of the PDP was guaranteed.
He was not only a scourge to the ruling party but he was also a beautiful, eager and willing undertaker to it's long lost glory and a tremendous source of comfort and joy to those of us in the opposition APC. We shall miss him sorely and I must confess that he did a great job for us whilst he lasted. May he enjoy his forced and long-overdue retirement from public office and partisan politics and may he live long enough to see the PDP defeated and an APC President sworn in 2015.
 I also commend the President for removing and reshuffling a large number of his key commanders in the military a couple of weeks ago and then retiring no less than three of his four Service Chiefs just the other day (16th January 2014) and appointing new ones. This was the right and proper thing to do after the precious lives of no less than 7000 innocent Nigerian citizens were cut short by Boko Haram in the war against terror in the last three years. It was also the expedient and responsible thing to do given the fact that no less than 200 of our gallant soldiers were killed in one battle alone against Boko Haram (and later buried in mass graves) just a few months ago simply because they ran out of bullets and after a whole army barracks was burnt down to the ground and the family members of military personnel were slaughtered, again by Boko Haram, just a few weeks ago. Something had to give and heads had to role simply because we were not making any headway in the war against terror and instead we were suffering heavy casualties and embarrassing losses.

 Yet despite the fact that both moves were commendable they will change nothing because they are both too little and too late. The PDP will continue to sink because it is a political party that has lost it's bearing and it's soul and it has mortgaged it's conscience. It has also lost the source and strength of it's inspiration and moral authority in the distinguished person of President Olusegun Obasanjo who really was the glue that bound the party together and kept it going against all odds.
Though Obasanjo remains in the PDP he has also wisely opted out of participating in it's affairs. This is a manifestation of his disgust with the President and the former National Chairman and he has now become the official ''navigator'' of the newly emerging power in the field of Nigerian politics which is known as the APC. Frankly speaking the PDP has become a party that is beyond redemption and the removal of Tukur cannot change that. I say this because no sensible person will go back to a stinking carcass simply because the head of the dead animal has been cut off and thrown away. A carcass remains a carcass whether you cut off it's head, legs or any other part of it's body or not. Whichever way, it remains as dead as a dodo and it only awaits a formal burial.
The truth is that the vultures are already feeding fat on the rotting and decaying cadavar of the PDP and whether anyone likes to hear it or not the truth is that that party can never be whole again. As I said 8 months ago it is a party that has been rejected by God and whose leaders are suffering God's judgement for their unjust, gluttonous, wicked, foul and evil ways.


In the same way I have to say that no matter how commendable and honourable in intention the recent changes in our military High Command may be they will achieve nothing either and, in practical terms, they will serve absolutely no purpose. This is because the morale of the army is very low due to the massive losses that they have recorded in the war against Boko Haram and because they have a Commander in Chief who does not care about their welfare, does not ''give a damn'' about their fortunes and does not have the guts to lead and inspire them with strength and courage.
Worst still he has refused to arm and equip them properly or give them a free hand to fight and prosecute the war against terror with the ruthless precision and decisive resolve that is required. They say that if an army of sheep is led by a lion it will win every battle. In the same vein they also say that if an army of lions is led by a sheep it cannot win any battle.
The latter is the case in Nigeria. In our military we have an army of lions who are well-trained, professional, strong, courageous, ready to go and capable of doing anything that is required of them as long as they are properly-led, well-armed, well-equipped, well-motivated, well-supplied, adequately encouraged, thoroughly inspired and well-supported. 
However that same army of noble and courageous lions is led by a sheep who, by his own words, has told the world that he is not a lion, he is not a warrior, he is not a fighter and that he is not a king. If anyone has any doubts about that permit me to refer you to my essay titled ''A President Without Balls'' and the two updated versions of the same essay titled ''The Gutless Eunuch and Spirit of the Jagaban'' and ''The Gutless Eunuch and the Lion King'' respectively.
They can all be found on my website-www.femifanikayode.org or you can just google them. To have such a man as Commander-in-Chief actually encourages and tempts the enemy to attack us because weakness and a reluctance to lock horns and engage and to be strong, forceful and decisive when provoked or attacked always attracts aggression. As long as such a weak and uninspiring man remains the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces please be ready for more casualties and more losses regardless of how lion-like, courageous or professional our soldiers may be.

However there is hope. If Goodluck Jonathan wants his fortunes and the fortunes of his party to change and if he wants peace to return to our shores he simply has to do twelve things. Firstly he has to resign as President forthwith and  undertake to stay out of Nigerian politics for the next ten years and confine himself to fishing in Otueke.
Secondly, if he cannot step down, he must give a public undertaking to the Nigerian people that he will not run for re-election in 2015 and tell them that if he changes his mind and decides to do so at the last minute they should stone him. Thirdly he must go and prostrate flat on the floor with his face touching the ground before seven of the most respected and distinguished men in this country and tell them that he is very sorry for the mess he has created and he must refuse to get up until they swear by the Holy Bible or Holy Koran that they have truly forgiven him for destroying our country.
Those men are President Olusegun Obasanjo, General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General TY Danjuma, General Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Atku Abubakar and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Fourthly he must write an open letter of apology to the 36 Governors of the Federation, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice of the Federation for his manipulative ways and the gross incompetence and ineptitude that he has displayed whilst running the affairs of this country over the last three years.

Fifthly he must write a letter of condolence and pay a token fee of compensation as restitution to the families of every single one of the 7000 innocent Nigerians that have been killed by Boko Haram in the last three years.
Sixthly he must take off the kid gloves, stop interfering and give the military the green light to use all necessary means to prosecute the war against Boko Haram and he must win that war.
Seventhly he must dismantle the death squads and the group of deadly snippers that he has allegedly commissioned to create havoc and he must tear up the list of one thousand opposition figures that he has been accused of drawing up for elimination by Obasanjo and others.
Eightly he must remove one Esho Jinadu who is better known as Mr. Buruju Kashamu (a rather strange name that does not have it's origins in yorubaland but instead sounds like a low quality brand of Indian tea) as the leader of the PDP in the south-west and honour the demand of the American Courts and the ruling of the Nigerian Federal High Court and Court of Appeal by extraditing him to the United States of America to answer serious charges of drug smuggling in that country forthwith. Ninthly he must direct his Ijaw supremacist kinsmen to desist from threatening the lives of other Nigerians that oppose his government and who keep threatening brimstone and fire and the dismemberment of Nigeria if he is not allowed to come back in 2015.


Tenthly he must undertake to stop serving kai kai at the Presidential Villa and he must dispense with the services of one Mama Brandy, a well-known Ijaw ''prayer warrior'' and spiritualist.
Eleventh, he must pull down every satanic alter that may have been erected in the Presidency and consecrate and re-dedicate the whole place to the Living God.
And twelfthly he must give a public undertaking that the other four Presidents that run this country with him and that act as his ''Co-Presidents'' will also step down with him forthwith or, if he insists on staying till 2015, give an undertaking that he will fire them with immediate effect and bar them from playing any role whatsover in the running of the affairs of our country from now on. Those four co-Presidents are, in order of seniority, 1. Dame Patience Jonathan (the First Lady) 2. Allison Dizeani Madueke (the Hon. Minister of Petroleum Resources) 3. Stella Oduah (the not so Hon. Minister of Aviation) and 4. Ngozie Okonjo-Iweala (the Hon. Minister of Finance and the Co-ordinating Minister).
President Goodluck Jonathan, even though he is the public face of the small cabal of co-Presidents that presently rules Nigeria and even though he is the one that was given a lawful mandate from the Nigerian people in 2011 to lead our country, comes a distant fifth in the pecking order. He is co-President number 5 and woe betide him if he crosses the line and tries to challenge the position or usurp the duties of any of his four seniors. That is the sordid and degenerate level that our country has been reduced to by this little man from Otueke.


Yet it is not too late. If our President can find the courage to take these twelve steps peace will return to Nigeria immediately and our people will once again have hope. The problem that we have in our country today is not an ageing former Party National Chairman called Bamanga Tukur who had lost touch with reality, who never knew how to play the game and who did not know when to call it quits. And neither was it a set of tired and exhausted army commanders and Service Chiefs who did their best but who received no real and tangible support or encouragement from their Commander-in-Chief in the field of battle.
The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of false prophets and strange women knows no bounds and has no end. A President who is as confused and as clueless as the comic character called Chancey Gardner in the celebrated 1970's Peter Seller's Hollywood blockbuster titled ''Being There''.


A President who does not understand the meaning of the word ''class'' or ''honesty'' and who breaks his own word consistently. A President who has abdicated his responsibilities, destroyed his own political party, divided his own country, alienated his own friends, humiliated his own mentor, abandoned his own people, brought ridicule to his own faith, cowers before his own officials, betrays his own governors, scorns the international community and breaks his solemn oath to protect and defend the Nigerian people.
A President who does not even have the nerve or the guts to call to order any of the numerous Jezebels that control him. He is the problem we have in our country today and until he resigns, is impeached or is voted out of power nothing will change and Nigeria will continue to go from bad to worse. That is what you get when you vote for a man who never wore shoes to school. May God deliver our country.
By Femi Fani-Kayode
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/57168.html

I Will Restore PDP And Wont Tolerate Gossips - Mu'azu

I Will Restore PDP And Wont Tolerate Gossips - Mu'azu
Former Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, yesterday assumed office as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and vowed to restore the party to it's peak.
Mu’azu promised to take immediate measures as a matter of urgency, to implement reforms that will ensure PDP is not run like it exists in the 19th century.
He has stressed that as a party, PDP must run and meet international standards.
Speaking after he was administered the oath of office as Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s successor, Mu’azu, who hails from Bauchi State, noted that PDP as a ruling party must lead by example by ensuring that primaries are rancour free.
The new PDP leader said to achieve these lofty heights all hands must be on deck.
Mu’azu promised not to tamper with Governor Isa Yuguda’s structure in Bauchi State or others, and stressed that he would not entertain gossips.
“I won’t tamper with any of your structures, including that of Yuguda. But please allow the chairmen to allow everyone to register.
"Those without work should stay off PDP secretariat . Those who want to gossip should be able to say whatever they tell me in the presence of the person they are gossiping about. I’m not here to listen to gossip.”

Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi

Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi
The peace in the capital city of Rivers State, Port Harcourt, may be disrupted during January 21, 2014, Tuesday, as suspected ex-militants have allegedly perfected plans to storm the city in a protest against Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi
This plot is a reaction to recent political activities in the State, which led to violent acts in the course of actions or inactions by the security operatives, especially the State Police Command.
According to The Leadership, a top government functionary, name withheld, said the planners were working to create a pretext for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
He further revealed that the plan to disrupt the peace of Port Harcourt on January 21, 2014, Tuesday, is a sequel to previous violent disruption of events organized by the pro-Amaechi Save Rivers Movement in the last few weeks by both policemen and ex-militants in Port Harcourt and Bori.
The official also expressed grave concerns that the anti-government protests in Port Harcourt might escalate into fiery street battles between the supporters of the Governor and anti-Amaechi demonstrators.
In a parallel development, the Council of Orashi Ethnic Nationality has demanded an apology from Amaechi and the people of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality for recommending Chief Nyesom Wike as Minister in Nigeria.
It described Wike as not only a clog in Rivers wheel of progress, but a selfish and mischievous child, whose quest for power has turned him into a vessel for the destruction of the people and hijacking of their resources. 
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/57159.html

Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi

Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi
The peace in the capital city of Rivers State, Port Harcourt, may be disrupted during January 21, 2014, Tuesday, as suspected ex-militants have allegedly perfected plans to storm the city in a protest against Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi
This plot is a reaction to recent political activities in the State, which led to violent acts in the course of actions or inactions by the security operatives, especially the State Police Command.
According to The Leadership, a top government functionary, name withheld, said the planners were working to create a pretext for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
He further revealed that the plan to disrupt the peace of Port Harcourt on January 21, 2014, Tuesday, is a sequel to previous violent disruption of events organized by the pro-Amaechi Save Rivers Movement in the last few weeks by both policemen and ex-militants in Port Harcourt and Bori.
The official also expressed grave concerns that the anti-government protests in Port Harcourt might escalate into fiery street battles between the supporters of the Governor and anti-Amaechi demonstrators.
In a parallel development, the Council of Orashi Ethnic Nationality has demanded an apology from Amaechi and the people of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality for recommending Chief Nyesom Wike as Minister in Nigeria.
It described Wike as not only a clog in Rivers wheel of progress, but a selfish and mischievous child, whose quest for power has turned him into a vessel for the destruction of the people and hijacking of their resources. 
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/57159.html

Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi

Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi
The peace in the capital city of Rivers State, Port Harcourt, may be disrupted during January 21, 2014, Tuesday, as suspected ex-militants have allegedly perfected plans to storm the city in a protest against Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi
This plot is a reaction to recent political activities in the State, which led to violent acts in the course of actions or inactions by the security operatives, especially the State Police Command.
According to The Leadership, a top government functionary, name withheld, said the planners were working to create a pretext for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
He further revealed that the plan to disrupt the peace of Port Harcourt on January 21, 2014, Tuesday, is a sequel to previous violent disruption of events organized by the pro-Amaechi Save Rivers Movement in the last few weeks by both policemen and ex-militants in Port Harcourt and Bori.
The official also expressed grave concerns that the anti-government protests in Port Harcourt might escalate into fiery street battles between the supporters of the Governor and anti-Amaechi demonstrators.
In a parallel development, the Council of Orashi Ethnic Nationality has demanded an apology from Amaechi and the people of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality for recommending Chief Nyesom Wike as Minister in Nigeria.
It described Wike as not only a clog in Rivers wheel of progress, but a selfish and mischievous child, whose quest for power has turned him into a vessel for the destruction of the people and hijacking of their resources. 
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/57159.html

Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi

Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi
The peace in the capital city of Rivers State, Port Harcourt, may be disrupted during January 21, 2014, Tuesday, as suspected ex-militants have allegedly perfected plans to storm the city in a protest against Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.
Tension Is High in Rivers, as Ex-Militants Plot Against Gov. Amaechi
This plot is a reaction to recent political activities in the State, which led to violent acts in the course of actions or inactions by the security operatives, especially the State Police Command.
According to The Leadership, a top government functionary, name withheld, said the planners were working to create a pretext for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state.
He further revealed that the plan to disrupt the peace of Port Harcourt on January 21, 2014, Tuesday, is a sequel to previous violent disruption of events organized by the pro-Amaechi Save Rivers Movement in the last few weeks by both policemen and ex-militants in Port Harcourt and Bori.
The official also expressed grave concerns that the anti-government protests in Port Harcourt might escalate into fiery street battles between the supporters of the Governor and anti-Amaechi demonstrators.
In a parallel development, the Council of Orashi Ethnic Nationality has demanded an apology from Amaechi and the people of Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality for recommending Chief Nyesom Wike as Minister in Nigeria.
It described Wike as not only a clog in Rivers wheel of progress, but a selfish and mischievous child, whose quest for power has turned him into a vessel for the destruction of the people and hijacking of their resources. 
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/57159.html

Don’t Expect Perfect Elections In 2015 – INEC Chairman, Jega

Don’t Expect Perfect Elections In 2015 – INEC Chairman, Jega
The Independent National Electoral Commission has said perfect elections are not possible in 2015.
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It, however, assured  that certain measures were being put in place  to achieve success.
The  Chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, stated this  when  the new United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, visited him in Abuja on Monday.
“We are not promising a perfect election in 2015 but we are confident that we will do our best,” he told Entwistle.
But he quickly added that INEC  had  embarked on the training of its members of staff   “in collaboration with development partners’’ as one of the measures to achieve success during the polls.
Other steps, according to him, are  strategic plans and reorganisation of  its  members of staff as well as “a retreat to finalise the timetable for the 2015 polls.”
He said, “We are still on the continuous voter register and have held a  series of meetings with security agencies, civil society organisations and development partners ahead of 2015.”
The INEC chairman added that although it  was the responsibility of the commission under the Electoral Act to  carry out  civil and political education, the  issue  had “always been challenging” because of lack resources.
He said, “The resources available to discharge that responsibility are usually insufficient, given the enormity of the task of dealing with a large illiterate population and to get them  to  understand what to do not only during voting but the larger issues of costing good candidates and so on. So there is a lot of things the CSOs can do.”
The comment came on the heels of Jega’s earlier remark during a recent stakeholders meeting that the 2015 elections would be conducted in February.
Jega  had during a meeting with civil rights groups on November 27, 2013 admitted flaws in the November 16, 2013 governorship  election and the senatorial poll earlier  in Delta State.
He had said that what transpired during the Delta Central senatorial and the Anambra elections were a  reversal of some of the gains  recorded during  the 2011 elections.
Jega had said,  “Anambra State election is an election we fully prepared for. We worked more than we had ever done in any state. Regrettably, however, what we saw was evidence of the reversal in Delta and Anambra states. We are disappointed with the reversals.
“But we are not leaving any stone unturned at unravelling what actually transpired.
“We will investigate Anambra State election thoroughly  and meticulously. We will do a thorough enquiry. We cannot afford to lose hope. We will do better in the future.”
Earlier, the US envoy  had said the  White House  was committed to transparent elections in Nigeria  in  2015.
He said, “I have been here for two and half months and I am here to   pay my respect to the chairman of Nigeria’s election commission because as I have stated clearly in some of my public comments, as Nigerians move to elections next year, my government and the people of United States stand with the people of Nigeria as they move towards a peaceful and transparent election which the Nigerian people deserve.
“Obviously, we will work very closely towards the US support for this election.”
The areas of assistance, Entwistle said, include supporting  Nigerians and observer groups.
“We just met inside to decide what to do and focus on things like polling the capabilities of INEC, perhaps supporting indigenous Nigerians and observer groups. Very soon, we will get back to you with the details”.
He said, “The funding of INEC is a Nigerian matter and that of the National Assembly. But we are looking at a way we can help INEC through different technical funds and so on.”
Entwistle  also advised  the political class against   provocative statements ahead of the 2015 elections.
He said, “In any election campaign, obviously freedom of speech is very important. But in all countries in the world, including my own country, politicians have a responsibility to be responsible in what they say. In talking about the issues, they should be very fair in what they say.
“Any comment by anybody, talking about democracies all over the world that will flare up ethnic tensions, promote violence and engage in unfair criticism of the process is very unfortunate and it is not acceptable.”

APC Vows To Disobey Court Order And Change House Leaders

Members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the House of Representatives, yesterday, vowed to disobey a court order restraining them from effecting leadership changes in the House today.
Rising from an emergency meeting late evening, the lawmakers said they would change the House leadership today, barring any last minute change of decision, upon the plurality attained by the party after the defection of 37 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to the APC last December.
The legislators insisted that the court order did not come to them as a surprise because they had  prior knowledge of its outcome.
The ruling PDP had on January 7, filed a suit seeking an order to stop APC lawmakers from making any leadership change in the House.
Joined in the suit were the Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, his deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, House Leader Mulikat Akande-Adeola, her deputy Leo Ogor and Chief Whip, Isiaka Bawa, among other principal officers.
Justice Adeiyi Ademola in entertaining the case, yesterday, issued an order restraining the principal officers and other lawmakers from making any leadership change, by maintaining the status quo ante.
However, APC Representatives rejected the court verdict.
An APC lawmaker, Rep Ali Sani Madaki from Kano State, who attended yesterday’s meeting said the court lacked the jurisdiction to issue such an order, describing it as “a black market judgement.”
He said: “Hopefully, we will make the changes today at plenary since we now have the majority and are expecting more members to join us.
“Yes, the order has been issued, but our decision is that we will not accept this black market judgement.”
“This is illegal, and as lawmakers we won’t accept any illegality. This will not be accepted anywhere in the world.”
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/57138.html

Anti-Gay Law: SEE What Canada Has To Say About Cancelling President Jonathan's Trip

The Canadian government through its embassy in Abuja has denied cancelling President Goodluck Jonathan’s visit to the country.
There were reports, that President Jonathan's visit which was scheduled for February 13 -14, 2014 had been cancelled and the cancellation may not be unconnected with the recent signing of the anti-gay bill into law by the federal government.
When contacted, the Canadian High Commission in Abuja said that there was no visit ever scheduled for next month by President Jonathan to Canada.
The Canadian Counselor in Abuja, Ms. Alexandra Mackenzie said, “Canada and Nigeria enjoy shared interest in expanding opportunities for economic, social and security cooperation between our two countries.

“No visit is scheduled. However, we look forward to the opportunities of welcoming President Goodluck Jonathan to Canada at a future date.”

A government source who spoke to journalist said, “it is true that the two countries are working towards the visit of President Jonathan to Canada, but the arrangement has not been concluded. You cannot cancel a visit that has not been scheduled. The arrangement is still on but no date has been fixed.”
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/57140.html