Headline

Pendulum: Who Says Nigeria is Too Tough to Govern

Published

5 years ago

August 3, 2019

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, are you one of those who buy into the fake narrative that our dear beloved country is too difficult to handle; that the different ethnic groups hate one another to the point of death; that Nigeria can never know peace; that all Nigerians are corrupt and fraudulent; that religious fanaticism is our problem; that all hope is lost and we should go our separate ways, and so on, I have good news for you today. I’m willing to risk some measure of boundless optimism rather than my usual pessimism. There is no doubt that Nigeria can frustrate any soul. It is indeed very easy to give up on the possibility of Nigeria ever getting out of the woods. But trust me, there is always light at the end of the tunnel, if we do the right things, and navigate and meander our way, the way we should.

I doubt if the Buhari government would ever change it’s style. I really don’t care any longer. I have moved on, peacefully, and looking forward to the next four years or so. From experience, I know this controversial second term will soon evaporate like the ones before it. Who would have thought 20 years have vamoosed in a jiffy since our return to Democratic rule in 1999? If we could survive those years of hocus-pocus, why can’t we endure the next four years of higgledy-piggleddy!

My sermon is going to be simple and straightforward. Let me quickly tell you when and how we got it all wrong. We lost our paradise in 1966 when the military struck and sacked the most cerebral set of politicians we ever had or assembled. Not just that, we killed the regionalism that made it possible for our major ethnic groups to develop independent of one another and at their own self-determined pace. From that moment on, one military government after the other continued to exchange the baton of foolishness, backwardness and ultimately destruction. They began to ride roughshod on us, pretending to be holier-than-though, while leading us to Golgotha, the place of perdition. Though we claim we now have a civilian administration, it is obvious to discerning minds that we are living in fools’ paradise.

Once we’ve accepted the fact that we are definitely in servitude, the next point is to determine and decide the way out of this quagmire. My proposition is easy. We must search urgently for a good leader while we manage the ones we have now and hope for miracles. I don’t really care where he or she will come from, as long as that person is a Nigerian by birth. I also do not worry about his religious beliefs. All our past leaders had claimed one of the mainstream religions and they have mostly exhibited traits of Lucifer than that of God or Allah. So, let no one come to preach to me about the need to find a suitable Christian or Muslim. Same on the matter of ethnicity, none of our past and current leaders has ever succeeded in turning their parts of Nigeria into anything spectacularly remarkable. Rather they’ve neglected and abandoned their unfortunate places to eternal squalor and majority of their people to subhuman degradation. If anything, perhaps, they created a few emergency entrepreneurs and billionaires. No more.

Now, fast forward. In another two years, the race for the 2023 general elections would have started in full swing. Some have already begun their clandestine moves, leaving nothing to chance. The first mistakes we must never make again is to think a third force can achieve much in the next elections. I’m more interested in who becomes our next President. I have many friends who think I’m obsessed with Presidential election. Sure, I do, because Nigeria operates a Presidential system, which confers humongous power in the hands of the President. We only need that one man to change Nigeria into one of the greatest nations on earth. Try and picture the monstrosity the President controls today. It is unparalleled anywhere in the world. I make bold to say there is no President of a large country as Nigeria as powerful as Muhammadu Buhari. You may be tempted to mention the leaders of USA, Russia and China but, believe me, Buhari has more power than all of them combined. Buhari is in total control of all apparatus of governance in Nigeria. But the power is nothing short of personal aggrandizement, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Thus, what we then need, urgently, is a leader who can crystallize that enormous power into greatness for our long-suffering country. The new leader must worry less about the alluring aura and the appurtenances of power. The extravagance of public office holders is too bizarre for this time and age. By the lifestyle of the presidency, a dangerous signal is by happenstance sent to the subordinates that governance is a jamboree. It is almost impossible to find a Nigerian politician without the swag of a peacock. There is no such word as service in their lexicon. We need a President who can demystify this outlandish proclivity for profligacy.

The new leader must have a career, investment portfolio, or business. It won’t be too healthy if his life totally depends on proceeds and dividends of politics. He must have sufficient education and must have managed people and resources in his private life. I’m not saying the person must be a graduate, but, really, why not? A country littered with some of the most educated and sophisticated human beings on planet earth should never end up in the hands of near-illiterates and antiquated leaders. A leader is not expected to just govern at home like an Emperor, he would be needed on International scenes and engagements and must be able to represent us well on such occasions. Each of the two leading parties must do a critical search before arriving at their candidates. And where they take it for granted that any unserious candidate they field can win, we the people should punish them at the polls for taking us for granted.

Please, let me say and emphasize this before it escapes me. Nigeria should stop looking for a saint to govern us, but we should also not choose obvious rogues as leaders. We should avoid a witchhunt that is usually based on character assassination. We’ve wasted a lot of far better and much intelligent leaders because of our preference for fake idols of the market place. There is no saint to be found anywhere but nations are governed by performers. Stronger institutions will take care of whatever foibles and idiosyncrasies he may harbour.

We need a leader who is detribalised and who sees every Nigerian as his kinsman. A good President must visibly show love to all and demonstrate it in words and in deeds. He should never fan embers of ethnicity or religion. Our leaders must learn to assemble the best teams regardless of where they come from, the way we select our football players. No leader should waste our scarce resources on sponsoring religious trips abroad. Religion should be a personal relationship between you and your God. Our secularist Constitution should be protected and enforced. Anyone wanting to go to Mecca or Jerusalem is very welcome, but it should be at their own expense.

Let’s now move to what Nigeria needs do to be much greater. Truth is, we all know what to do but none of our leaders is able, or willing, to bell the cat. This is the main tragedy of Nigeria. How can a patient know the prescription for his chronic ailment and yet refuse to buy and take it as regularly as recommended. It is as if our country is on a suicide mission as no one has been able to arrest and reverse the perfidious drift. Our kamikaze attitude calls for serious and divine intervention but from my reading of world history and religious studies, I’m reasonably convinced that “heaven helps only those who help themselves.”

I know the usual excuse in Nigeria is always about lack of funding but I wish to disagree. If we manage the little we have well, we can do so much with it but none of our politicians is ready to reduce his personal comfort. Our leaders live ostentatiously like Royals and not as servants of the people. Nigeria will never make progress unless our leaders consciously decide to have pity and mercy on the country. Even our current President has caught the bug of ceremonial and grandiloquent Presidency. Anyone going through what Nigeria is suffering and sees our annual budget would readily conclude that ours is a cursed nation. And it all begins in Aso Rock Presidential villa where money is wasted like rain water. I have seen no evidence that our economy is a source of worry as leaders continue on their binge.

Education must be the priority of any smart leader. My interactions on global campuses have revealed to me the secrets of all great nations. None of them ever became great without investing substantially in quality education. We are more than double the size of Great Britain which parades about 10 of the top hundred universities in the world. Not just that, practically all these universities are dominated with citizens of China, India and North America. The greatness of those countries are well secured for the future.

I know the next question will be what would I do as President to resurrect our dying education. I think it is not too hard. I will be very practical. It is impossible to build our own Oxford or Cambridge or Harvard or Yale or Stanford in four years but we can start by upgrading a few of our existent institutions of higher learning after doing same at the lower levels. First there must be a clear selection process to determine which schools can be rehabilitated first and fast. Education starts from providing habitable environments. No private investor must be allowed to operate mushroom schools to start with. They must comply with stringent laws and requirements. After the environment is the content or curricular. Teachers must be well trained and adequately remunerated. We should no longer allow teachers’ rewards to wait for them in heaven. Those students who can afford it should be encouraged to go private. Government schools must not be for dregs of society but also for serious minded students in search of robust knowledge.

A good leader must declare states of emergency in several sectors. Each must have a carefully selected, meticulously screened and delicately approved committees of experts. Next to education is power. They almost run neck to neck. No country living in raven darkness can ever prosper. A leader who wants to fix electricity in Nigeria must never worry much about being re-elected into office. He would have to step on some powerful toes. Too many people are benefiting from the current malaise and would not want it to end. This lack of patriotism is largely responsible for the unending embarrassment we suffer over electricity.

The government must be ready to go all out like President John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, who was able to inject over 800 megawatts in under two years, after Ghana suffered it’s most outrageous power outages. First, he analysed the situation. He identified foreign companies that can deliver in record time. He confirmed their terms. He came back to his people and gave them the options available to them. The news was not very palatable but he told them the honest truth. I will deliver electricity to every home and even double our requirements and probably sell some to other neighbouring countries but you have to pay commercial tariffs. Many hated him for it but he delivered his own side in record time. This is the only way for Nigeria to go.

President Buhari is on his final lap in power, hopefully, if he is not tempted by the demons of democracy to try a third term, so he has nothing to fear about ending the jinx of power failures in Nigeria. If he and his team are willing to do that which is necessary, there will be light in Nigeria. If that’s all he achieves, God bless him forever.

Nearly all our other challenges require similar templates. Health is wealth. There is no reason why each of the six geo-political regions should not have one world class hospital in the next four years. Again, before our very eyes, Mahama made this happen in Ghana. Wherever there is a will, there is a way. Mahama was ready to sacrifice himself for the good of his country. Many of his fellow citizens felt he was inflicting hardship and pains on them but he pursued his developmental agenda without minding the repercussions or backing down because he kept his eyes on the ball and ultimately on the goal post. He paid dearly for it. He was sacked from office but today Ghana is a proud recipient of brand new airports, sea ports, massive hospitals of international standards, beautiful institutions of learning, new stadiums, new markets, good roads, much improved power stations, modern agriculture, cleaner water systems, beautiful and affordable houses, rural internet connections, better trained artisans, and so on.

We don’t have to re-invent the wheels. I know the political climate in Ghana is not of the same tempo and temperature as that of Nigeria. But a determined leader, and a powerful one at that, like President Buhari can take on the system and do the needful. Unlike Mahama, he no longer has any more election to worry about but only a worthy legacy. I know for a fact, Mahama has so much respect and admiration for Buhari. Our President may wish to reach out to his brother next door (they seem to bond well whenever they meet) to ask him the secrets of sidelining those too selfish to wish their country well in order to deliver monumentally in record time. Humility to learn what we don’t know will take us far but are we ready?

Time is ticking, at supersonic speed.

Headline

Are Nigerians Happy with Tinubu’s Reforms?

Published

3 days ago

November 25, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Amid excruciating hardship faced by Nigerians since the advent of the President Bola Tinubu-administration, the government has continued to issue policy reforms that seem to continue to impoverish the populace. But feelers from the Presidency has remarked that the harshness of the policies notwithstanding, Nigerians are heading towards Eldorado, and have every cause to be happy.

This therefore, posits the question whether Nigerians are happy with the economic policies of the Tinubu administration.

Making a case for the policies, which have seen to high inflation rates, inability of the naira to compete in the capital market and dearth of excess liquidity for rainy day mandates, Tinubu and many of his lieutenants, on many and separate occasions, have stoutly defended the policies, giving the economy a clean bill of health and suggesting that Nigerians are happy considering what they claim lies ahead as dividend.

Earlier in the month, at the All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC) of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) with the theme: “Economic growth and development strategies in resource-rich country” held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Tinubu, represented by his Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, vigorously defended the economic policies of his administration declaring that it is yielding the desired fruits.

Before about 300 editors, Tinubu said his administration took a bold step to end the ruinous fuel subsidy regime that deprives Nigeria from investing in critical physical and social infrastructure and the foreign exchange regime that was prone to unimaginable levels of arbitrage and abuse.

“While oil remains a significant source of revenue for Nigeria, we are investing heavily in other sectors to diversify our economy for sustainable growth.

“The launch of the Presidential Initiative on CNG is a deliberate strategy to harness our abundant gas resources.

“This is to bring down the high cost of transportation by about 60 per cent and also foster a clean and healthy environment for our citizens.

“This initiative has unlocked close to $200 million in private sector investments in the last one year,” he said.

He added that “You can also access funds from the Bank of Industry at a single-digit interest rate for the development and expansion of your business.

“Our goal is to ensure that the benefits of growth reach every Nigerian, especially those who have been marginalised.

“The Social Investment Programme has been retooled to ensure economic relief is provided for our most vulnerable groups systematically and transparently. At the last count, 25 million Nigerians received N25,000 under the Conditional Cash Transfer.”

In the same vein, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, added that non-implementation of economic reforms by past administrations is the reason Nigerians are in pain, discomfort, and difficulties under Tinubu’s reforms.

Speaking at the launch of ‘Federal Civil Service Policies and Guidelines on Rewards’, Edun stressed that despite the pains and discomforts and difficulties experienced by Nigerians due to the policies, the successes and gains are coming through.

“After 18 months of bold and necessary reforms that Mr. President has implemented, the country has changed, and yes, the reforms were so long overdue that it caused an element of pain, discomfort, difficulty, and increased cost of living. But the successes and the gains are coming through.

“Market-based pricing of foreign exchange was fully in place. The result was immediate benefit to the federal coffers, to the state coffers, and to the local government coffers because an amount of 5 percent of GDP is what goes to subsidies,” he said.

But the defence of the government and its agencies and cronies notwithstanding, situations and reports have proved that Nigerians are far from happy with the policies as hunger and untold hardship continue to be the order of the day.

“It is a fact that the National Bureau of Statistics’ October 2024 headline and food inflation figures rose to 33.88 percent and 39.16 percent, respectively, weakening the purchasing power of many Nigerians,” An economic analyst told The Boss.

Also, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has joined their voice in calling for a review of the policies, which have become a harbinger of hunger and economic hardship in Nigeria, saying that citizens are dying.

The group made the call via a statement signed by the Clerk of the Senate, NANS headquarters, Abdulyekinn Odunayo.

According to Odunayo, Nigerians have been subjected to unwarranted impoverishment and hunger since President Tinubu assumed office, urging him to espouse a policy capable of revamping the economy of Nigeria.

He noted that fuel subsidy removal and floating of the country’s currency done simultaneously by the Tinubu-led government have further sunk Nigeria into the economic abyss, heightened hunger and raised the cost of living of millions of Nigerians.

Odunyo pointed out that many Nigerians had hoped that the economic mess created by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari would be cleared by the incumbent administration, but the country had only witnessed skyrocketing increase in prices of food and other essential commodities.

He observed further that students in the country had not been spared of the present precarious economic situation as many could no longer continue their education pursuit.

“There is an urgent need by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to put measures in place to arrest hunger, poverty, impoverishment going on in the country. Nigerians are seriously groaning under the heavy burden of the present parlous economic situation. The nation has not had it this bad.

“The dual swords of Damocles of fuel subsidy removal and float of naira have stabbed Nigerians at their hearts. Many families can no longer feed even once in a day, let alone three times a day. Free falls of our currency against the dollars and other international currencies have capped the sufferings of Nigerians.

“As representatives of the Nigerian students, we are making a passionate call on the president to tailor and rev up his economic policies to provide short term, medium term and long term reliefs for Nigerians. Things need to improve as many Nigerians are finding it difficult to survive,” the statement read.

Also condemning the policies and expressing how unhappy and frustrated Nigerians have become, the leadership of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), speaking through its National Chairman, Falalu Bello, in a statement in Abuja titled ‘President Tinubu, Your Policies Killing Nigerians’, made a passionate appeal to the president to reconsider.

He condemned the Federal Government’s assertion tgat there are no alternatives to the ‘harmful’ policies, arguing that it was a contradiction to the basic tenets of economics, which advocate for the exploration of alternatives in addressing socio-economic challenges.

He said, “Such statements, especially coming from someone of his status (Vice President Shettima) in the current administration, are not only misleading but also indicative of a severe disconnect from the realities faced by ordinary Nigerians today. The population has been urged to endure these difficult times with the promise of relief on the horizon.

“However, we see no tangible evidence of this assurance in the actions of President Tinubu, his cabinet or the broader government apparatus. Instead, we witness a continuation of profligate lifestyles, excessive spending and the dissemination of dubious economic statistics that do little to alleviate the suffering of the Nigerian populace.”

The PRP Chairman reminded Tinubu that Nigerians are suffering, and are not happy with him as a person and his administration, generally except there is a recalibration to prioritize citizens’ welfare.

“We strongly urge Tinubu to recalibrate his approach, implement a governance framework that prioritizes the welfare of citizens, and embrace homegrown policies that reflect the realities of our people rather than succumbing to externally imposed, anti-people measures that stifle progress.

“It is imperative that we act swiftly. Our nation is at a critical juncture, with time running out for meaningful intervention. Mr. President, it is time to act decisively for the sake of the nation’s future. Let us rescue our people from the grip of despair so that you may indeed dance before the music comes to an end,” he said.

Perhaps, the most effective evidence of the feelings of Nigerians regarding the Tinubu Policies, is reflected and summarized ìn the statement issued by the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and signed by the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, after a meeting of stakeholders in Jos, Plateau State.

The Communique, which promises genuine hope for Nigerians, reads “The Forum empathizes with Nigerians who are groaning under the oppressive economic hardship foisted on the nation by the policies and decisions of the APC-led Federal Government.

“The Forum calls on the President to urgently review both macroeconomic and fiscal policies that will address the welfare and well-being of Nigerians.

“The Forum wishes to pledge that all PDP Governors will continue to aggressively pursue policies and programs that will reduce the hardship and ensure progress and development.”

“The Forum notes the concerns of Nigerians, PDP founding fathers, elders and members of our great Party of seeming divisions within the ranks and files. The Forum wishes to state categorically that it remains resolute in its determination to ensure unity and cohesion of this great Party that Nigerians have come to trust as the best platform for democratic governance.

“The Forum is constrained to accept the latest postponement of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Party in empathy with our colleague, H.E. Governor Eno Bassey, whose late dear wife will be buried on the same day earlier scheduled for NEC. Once again, the Forum wishes to commiserate with our colleague and pray that God will grant him and the family the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

“The Forum is strongly advising the NWC to call NEC by the first week of February 2025 to allow for elaborate consultations with critical stakeholders of the Party. The period between November and February is to address the existential problems confronting the Party, with a deliberate timeline of activities within the period under review to address issues of leadership and litigations confronting the Party.

“The Forum notes with concern the rape of democracy in Edo Governorship elections. It is clear to everyone with a conscience that INEC manipulated results in favour of the APC candidate when, in fact, the majority of lawful votes were won by the PDP candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo. Meanwhile, we are still examining the documents in the Ondo elections, where the APC manipulated results after openly buying votes. The Forum calls on the judiciary to save Nigerian democracy and the National Assembly to look into our electoral laws to make it difficult for institutional sabotage of the will of the people.

“The Forum recognises the good work that the majority of members of NASS are doing. NASS is therefore called upon to critically interrogate all bills to ensure fairness, equity, national balance and even development nationally.

“The Forum commiserates with the Government and people of Plateau State on the recent Katako market fire incident, which destroyed properties worth millions of Naira. The Forum also commiserates with the Government and people of Jigawa State on the recent tanker expulsion whereby scores of people lost their lives, and several others were injured.

“The Forum expresses its gratitude to the Government and People of Plateau State for not only hosting the meeting but extending to all the participants the hospitality for which Jos is reputed. In particular, the meeting commends the Government of the State for the visible and laudable transformation in social services, tourism and transportation that have taken place and ensures all Nigerians look forward, with GENUINE HOPE, to the replication of this not only presently but after 2027 when the party would reclaim its rightful position in the Nigerian political scene.”

In Brazil at the G20 Summit, during his interaction with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, President Bola Tinubu has stressed that he is committed to reducing the “hardship” resulting from the implementation of his administration’s ongoing reforms in Nigeria.

“I assured IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva @KGeorgieva during our meeting that our economic reforms are already yielding positive results. Our administration remains committed to reducing the hardship that has resulted from the implementation of these reforms, while also protecting the most vulnerable in Nigeria.

“Social safety nets, education, investments in infrastructure, and inclusive growth are key to our agenda,” Tinubu stated.

He also acknowledged the hardship associated with his policies but promised to reduce its effects on Nigerians.

He outlined that while his government is fast-tracking investments in several sectors, discussions are ongoing regarding stakeholders’ tax awareness and compliance responsibilities.

BACKGROUND

Nigerians relapsed to a worse form of hardship May 29, 2023, when Tinubu while making his inaugural speech declared that “subsidy is gone”. Ever since, the President has unleashed one reform after another that further pushes Nigerians towards the brinks of collapse while being repeatedly urged to be patient with the administration as they drive the nation towards economic growth.

Following the removal of the fuel subsidy, tariff on essential items including electricity, have been hiked, prices of goods and services have skyrocketed, naira has been floated, causing more hardship, but Tinubu stressed that the pain is temporary.

But on the streets of Lagos, Kano, Ibadan, Jos, Maiduguri, Enugu, Kaduna, Minna, Damaturu, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Aba, Calabar, Osogbo, Akure, Abakiliki, Bauchi and more, the story remains the same; hunger, depravity, hopelessness, gloom and uncertainty.

“Nigerians may not know if there would light at the end of the tunnel, but the truth remains that as at today, 18 months after the the coming of Tinubu and his policies, Nigerians are not happy,” a respondent summarized.

Headline

Rape of Democracy: PDP Dismisses Edo, Ondo Elections As Manipulated

Published

3 days ago

November 25, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Nigeria’s leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has condemned the processes and outcomes of the just concluded Edo and Ondo states governorship elections held on September 21 and November 16, 2024 respectively, which produced candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners.

The PDP, worried at what it called the rape of democracy, perpetrated by the APC, released a statement in Jos, Plateau State, during its Governors’ Forum meeting, describing the process as manipulated.

In a communique issued after their two-day meeting in Jos, Plateau State, which ended on Saturday, the governors, who also noted the concerns of Nigerians over the seeming divisions within the party’s ranks and files, stated categorically that they remained resolute in their determination to ensure unity and cohesion of what they described as the great party that Nigerians trusted as the best platform for democratic governance.

While accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of manipulating the results of the Edo State governorship election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the governors described the poll as a rape of democracy.

The governors also alleged that the APC manipulated the results of the Ondo State governorship election after openly buying votes, adding however that they were still studying the election documents.

“The forum notes with concern the rape of democracy in Edo governorship elections. It is clear to everyone with a conscience that INEC manipulated results in favour of the APC candidate when, in fact, the majority of lawful votes were won by the PDP candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo.

“Meanwhile, we are still examining the documents in the Ondo elections, where the APC manipulated results after openly buying votes. The Forum calls on the judiciary to save Nigerian democracy and the National Assembly to look into our electoral laws to make it difficult for institutional sabotage of the will of the people,” the communique explained.

In the communique which the Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed, signed, the governors hinted that they also accepted the latest postponement of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in empathy with Governor Eno Bassey of Akwa Ibom State, whose wife will be buried on the same day, November 28, 2024, earlier scheduled for the NEC meeting.

The governors advised the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to call the NEC by the first week of February 2025 to allow for elaborate consultations with critical stakeholders of the party.

“The period between November and February is to address the existential problems confronting the party, with a deliberate timeline of activities within the period under review to address issues of leadership and litigations confronting the party,” the communique said.

The party also noted with dismay at the groaning hardship the government of President Bola Tinubu is unleashing on Nigerians, and called for a review of the policies that have so far impoverished the citizens.

The statement reads in full:

“The Forum calls on the President to urgently review both macroeconomic and fiscal policies that will address the welfare and well-being of Nigerians.

“The Forum wishes to pledge that all PDP Governors will continue to aggressively pursue policies and programs that will reduce the hardship and ensure progress and development.”

The meeting, held at the Plateau State Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos, was attended by the principal organs of the party: l NWC, PDP-GF, BOT, NASS Forum, Former Governors Forum, Former Ministers’ Forum and other leaders of the party.

The communique added, “The Forum notes the concerns of Nigerians, PDP founding fathers, elders and members of our great Party of seeming divisions within the ranks and files. The Forum wishes to state categorically that it remains resolute in its determination to ensure unity and cohesion of this great Party that Nigerians have come to trust as the best platform for democratic governance.

The PDP has been engulfed in crisis since the acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, assumed office following the removal of the substantive National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu by the court.

At the 98th NEC meeting held on April 18, 2024, the party leaders approved the formation of a reconciliation and disciplinary committee, as well as the conduct of Ward and State Congresses.

They also mandated the North-central Caucus to consult widely on the issue of replacing the acting National Chairman with a substantive National Chairman.

The governors commiserated with the government and people of Plateau State on the recent Katako market fire incident, which destroyed properties worth millions of Naira, and also with the Government and people of Jigawa State on the recent tanker explosion in the state.

Governors who attended the meeting included Senator Mohammed (Bauchi); Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau) – host governor; Agbu Kefas (Taraba); Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa); Seyi Makinde (Oyo); and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).

The Delta and Enugu state governors were represented by their deputies – Monday Onyeme and Ifeanyi Ossai, respectively.

The meeting, held at the Plateau State Government House, Little Rayfield, Jos, was also attended by the members of the principal organs of the party, members of the NWC, Board of Trustees (BoT), federal lawmakers, former governors, and former ministers.

The party vows to regain power in 2027.

Headline

Mike Adenuga is Alive, Hale and Hearty, I Just Spoke with Him – Dele Momodu

Published

1 week ago

November 20, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Africa’s biggest philanthropist and Chairman, Globacom Group, Dr. Mike Adenuga is Alive, hale and hearty!

This has been confirmed by Chairman, Ovation Media Group, Chief Dele Momodu via his social media handles.

Following rumours, whose source is yet to be ascertained that the man, known for his quantum giving, passed away, Momodu wrote that he had just spoken with the billionaire businessman, who affirmed his health while thanking all for their concern.

“Ignore the fake news…DR MICHAEL ADENIYI AGBOLADE ISOLA ADENUGA is hale and hearty. He is right now at his desk working round the clock in support of the Nigerian economy…He just called me to thank everyone for their concern,” Dele Momodu wrote.

In addition, members of the top echelon of the group have separately confirmed that the one known as The Bull is alive and healthy.

Dr. Adenuga has remained in the forefront of many families happy with his direct financial and material gifts as well as consistent promo from his Glo brand.

Only last night, CNN celebrated 15 years of his sponsorship of the African Voices Changemakers, where he has foe a decade and half been supporting budding African entertainers to reach their professional zenith.