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Why I Should Be Nigeria’s President – Datti Baba-Ahmed, Phd

Published

7 years ago

April 21, 2018

Eric

By Femi E. Gabriel

In 2003, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed was elected into the House of Representatives, and that marked the beginning of his sojourn into the world of politics.

While there, he made significant contributions to law-making through logical reasoning and convincing arguments. The astute Businessman, Founder and Pro-Chancellor of the prestigious Baze University, Abuja who holds two Masters degrees and a PhD, has declared his intention to run for the presidency of Nigeria on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) come 2019.

In this interview with TheBoss in Calabar, Cross River State, the Presidential hopeful stated why he should be Nigeria’s president, putting forward cerebral ideas. Excerpts:

Why do you want to be the President of Nigeria

It’s very obvious. The situation that Nigeria is in today is not a good one. The future of Nigeria is scary, and it is only us, Nigeriansthat can provide our own solutions. Amongst us, there are those that God has set aside to work for others. I happen to be one of them.

We have had many heavy weights that have occupied that position but disappointed Nigerians in their delivery. Are you not scared of what you want to go into

No I’m not scared. The powers in that exalted office are commensurate to the challenges of Nigeria. I need the power of that office to address the enormous challenges that we have. The previous occupants of that exalted office are entitled to their own opinion as regards their challenges. I have not been into that office to know how difficult it is but I am never scared by difficulties, rather I am encouraged by results that are positive.

What and who have you identified as major actors responsible for Nigeria’s underdevelopment over the years

I don’t want to put all our former leaders in one category. I will rather address the current situation. Do me justice by allowing me to address the current situation. Now, if you want to know why this government is finding it difficult to run Nigeria’s affairs; the reasons are not farfetched. One, APC was an accident. Strange bird fellows felt they had to quickly form an alliance. Two, PDP committed a strategic error that was cashed on by the APC. Three, a government that claimed it was coming to fight corruption must avoid looted funds – APC has not been able to do that. Four, no responsible political organisation plays politics with insecurity. Five, you must never come to power without vision, without plans. These are among issues I can adduce as the reasons for the failure of APC.

Having identify all these factors, do you have plans to correct them, if you become the president

Absolutely! Take them one after another. If I don’t really recall the order, but I can assure you that I will never use looted funds to run my government and I will never be indebted to corrupt individuals and questionable business interests. I will not be forced to make appointments that are suspicious, which will have attendant consequences on the affairs of government. I will never play politics with insecurity. I have a clear vision and strategies for achieving the vision. Note that our movement is not by accident; we have carefully chosen ourselves. We are not picking losers who are hungry for power. There are principles we are strictly following in our movement.

“Let us look at what you are bringing to the table. Many strategies have been applied, with unimpressive results. What are you going to do differently”

It may be contrary to public opinion. We have not tried many. We have only tried a few. Among these few, we keep saying fighting corruption, fighting corruption. How are they fighting corruption? Nobody knows. Arresting people? But before I come to corruption, let me state how I intend to do things differently. Let us take insecurity for example. Like I told you, we are not playing politics with insecurity. It is too important. I want to keep it short and simple. We will account for every square metre in the Nigerian territory, and I beg not to say more than that. By accounting for, it covers everything else. Some people would play politics with it, but I won’t. I want a Nigeria where citizens will move freely, any time of the day, from any origin to any destination whatsoever. I want a Nigeria, where remuneration of all public servants irrespective of status will take them from the first day of the month to the last day of the month.

I want to redefine and rearrange Nigeria’s economic order, and take it away from the system where success is tied to who you are or who you know in government.

I want to redefine and rearrange Nigeria’s economic order, and take it away from the system where success is tied to who you are or who you know in government. Success and wealth will hence forth be adjudged based on how well one identifies and utilises opportunities; how industrious the person is. By so doing, the procurement system in Nigeria which is largely responsible for corruption will stop. Inflating government contracts will stop immediately. Technology would be used to capture all possible revenues for the government. Again, extortion by public servants would be brought down to the barest minimum, and it will trickle down to the private sector. Then education is the zenith of service to humanity and I have been participating in the highest level. I will bring this experience to bear in my government.

Tell us more about your antecedent

Well, I have been able to develop myself and many things before I dabbled into government. I was into consultancy, construction and real estate before I launched myself into higher education. By the special grace and power of the Almighty God, I have established one of the best private universities in Nigeria, where graduates who can stand the test of time are produced. Education is the very zenith; it is the height of service you can offer to your society and I have been privileged to participate in Nigerian education at the highest level. I have also been donating cash and materials to secondary schools in my constituency.

And if you would like to know what I did while I was in the parliament, of course, I will tell you. You know what the parliament is meant for. We make laws. I was the first, and I recall the only one to fight against inflation of government contracts; that was in 2004. You can go to the National Assembly to confirm this. I also passed a resolution or rather, I sponsored the resolution which allows victims of accidents and violent crimes to be treated in our hospitals without police reports. This is among many others as I can recall.

Again, I sponsored the resolution against wrong or false medical diagnosis in addition to sponsoring a bill against environmental degradation of the Niger Delta though I am not from that region.

Now what’s your message to Nigerians

My message is simple. In 2019, we must make a real change, and vote in Datti Baba-Ahmed for president. We must shun religious and ethnic politics, and vote for the right person which I represent – which I am.

Featured

Sanusi Lamido Remains Emir, Kano Govt Insists, Says Appeal Court Can’t Contradict Itself

Published

10 hours ago

March 15, 2025

Eric

Kano State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General, Haruna Isa Dederi, has insisted that the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on the lingering emirship tussle has not invalidated the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir.

Besides, Dederi declared that having passed a landmark verdict on January 10, 2025, reaffirming the power of the Kano State Government to reappoint Sanusi, it is impossible for the Court of Appeal to set aside or quash its own decision on the same matter.

The Attorney General made this position known to journalists while reacting to Friday’s ruling of the Appellate Court on the application for a stay of execution filed by Alh. Aminu Baba DanAgundi, one of the kingmakers loyal to the 15th Emir of Kano, Alh. Aminu Ado Bayero, pending the determination of the appeal at the Supreme Court.

According to Dederi, the matter is functus officio, adding that only the Supreme Court has the power to set aside the decision of the Appeal Court handed down by Justice Mohammad Mustapha on January 10, 2025.

“The Appeal Court today, after hearing their application for a stay of execution, ruled that the status quo should rather be maintained as it is now until after the judgment of the Supreme Court. They have filed an appeal at the Supreme Court.

“It doesn’t mean that the judgment delivered on January 10, 2025, has been quashed. That judgment is still standing, still in place, and subsisting. The Court of Appeal cannot reverse its own decision. It is not possible. Only the Supreme Court has the power to set aside the judgment given by a lower court.

“So, the Court of Appeal, Abuja, today has just said that execution of the judgment has been stayed pending the outcome of the appeal, which has been filed at the Supreme Court by Aminu Baba DanAgundi on behalf of Bayero,” Dederi noted.

It would be recalled that on January 10, 2025, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, led by Justice Mustapha, set aside the judgment of Justice A. Liman of the Federal High Court, Kano, which nullified the steps and actions taken by the Kano State Government pursuant to the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024, including the appointment of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the 16th Emir of Kano.

The Appellate Court also dismissed the decision of the Federal High Court judge to hear the matter relating to the emirate council, ruling that the Federal High Court lacked the jurisdiction to do so. This decision upheld the removal of Bayero as the 15th Emir.

Dissatisfied with the verdict of Justice Mustapha’s panel, DanAgundi proceeded to the Supreme Court to seek the overturning of the lower court’s verdict. He also filed a motion for a stay of execution of Justice Mustapha’s judgment pending the hearing and determination of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter.

The application was also moved on the grounds that the applicant initially instituted the suit in Kano to protect his fundamental rights and argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit.

In a unanimous ruling, the three-member panel of Justices led by Justice Abang on Friday held that the application was meritorious and deserving of the court’s discretion in the interest of justice.

“The law is settled. The court is enjoined to exercise its discretion judiciously and in the interest of justice,” Justice Abang said

Justice Abang held that the mandatory injunction ordered that the status quo ante bellum be maintained by the sheriff of this court and the trial court as it was before the trial court’s decision on 13/6/2024 in Suit No. FHC/KN/CS/182/2024.

In granting the injunction, Justice Abang emphasised that the applicant’s process was competent and had met all the necessary legal conditions required to obtain the relief sought.

He noted that a valid appeal was already pending before the Supreme Court, reinforcing the need to preserve the subject matter of the litigation.

Featured

Obi Employs Sarcasm, Mocks Tinubu on Prevailing Hardship

Published

1 day ago

March 14, 2025

Eric

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu, sarcastically praising him for fulfilling his promise to continue where former President Muhammadu Buhari left off.

Speaking during a visit to Governor Bala Mohammed in Bauchi on Thursday, Obi criticized the current administration’s handling of the economy, stating that Nigeria must now move beyond ethnic and religious politics to focus on competence and capacity.

“Tinubu promised to continue where Buhari stopped. If you look at it, Buhari left the dollar at about N400, today it is about N1,500. Rice was about N40,000, it is now over N100,000. Fuel was about N300, it is now over N1,000. I can go on and on—everything has doubled and tripled. So, he has done exactly as he promised,” Obi remarked.

Obi contrasted Nigeria’s economic performance with that of Indonesia, citing how their government transformed the country’s economy over the past decade.

“In Indonesia, a president was sworn in about the same time as another one in Nigeria. Ten years later, Indonesia moved their GDP from $800 billion to $1.3 trillion, and their per capita income from $3,000 to $5,000.

Here in Nigeria, our GDP fell from $500 billion to $200 billion, and per capita income dropped from $3,500 to below $2,000—that is the difference,” he explained.

He further emphasized the need to revive Nigeria’s industries, invest in education and healthcare, and steer the nation towards productive governance.

Obi stated that his meeting with Governor Bala Mohammed was part of a broader discussion on addressing the country’s challenges.

“We have just started discussions. You can’t consummate a marriage in one day. But the most important thing is that our thoughts are centered on issues that affect the ordinary Nigerian.

We want a Nigeria where a child of nobody can become somebody. We will eliminate the elite conspiracy that uses tribalism and religion to divide the people. We have voted for tribe and religion before; now, we must vote for competence and capacity,” Obi declared.

Governor Bala Mohammed affirmed that their collaboration transcends party lines, religious affiliations, and geopolitical interests for the betterment of Nigeria.

“Our collaboration is beyond party, religion, and personal interests. The government in power thrives on division, but we will use knowledge, strategy, and unity to build a better Nigeria,” the governor stated.

Obi’s visit signals a growing political alliance among opposition figures, with a focus on economic recovery, national unity, and leadership accountability ahead of future elections.

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Fubara Bows to Pressure, Invites Pro-Wike awmakers to Peace Meeting

Published

5 days ago

March 10, 2025

Eric

Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara has extended an olive branch to lawmakers loyal to his rival, Nyesome Wike.

The governor invited the Amaewhule-led House of Assembly members to a peace meeting, following the Supreme Court’s judgement on the state’s political unrest.

The invitation was made through a letter from Dr. Tammy Danagogo, Secretary to the State Government, to Speaker Martins Amaewhule.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday at 10 am at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

The agenda includes addressing lingering issues, presenting the 2025 state budget, and discussing payment of lawmakers’ allowances.

The letter read: “I hereby write in furtherance of His Excellency’s promise stated in my letter dated 5th March 2025 to notify you that His Excellency has received the Supreme Court Judgment, and has therefore directed me to invite you and your colleagues -the Honourable members of Rivers State House of Assembly, to a meeting to discuss:-

“Provision of a befitting space for the Assembly’s sittings. Payment of all outstanding remuneration or allowances of the Honourable members. Presentation of Budget and sundry matters;

“Any other matter(s), as may be necessary, to chart the way forward in the best interest of the State. Sequel to the above, I hereby humbly invite the Rt. Hon. Speaker, and all the Rivers State House of Assembly members to a meeting with the Governor as follows.”