BUHARI and ATIKU 2019: "EAGLE vs EAGLE"

A well known Christian cleric, former running mate to President Mohammad Buhari, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has aired his offerings as to what the victory of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar means for both PDP and APC - Bakare said that the emergence of Atiku will surely make the 2019 presidential election an interesting one - He with optimism said that this is because both Atiku and President Muhammadu Buhari enjoy almost equal degree of acceptance from Nigerians The convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Pastor Tunde Bakare on Sunday, October 7, congratulated Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on his emergence as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after a keenly contested presidential primaries. According to Bakare, Atiku’s victory would make the 2019 election keen and interesting. Bakare, Senior Pastor, Latter Rain Assembly, spoke to newsmen in Ikeja after making a speech on Nigeria’s 58th Independence in his church, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports. • "I congratulate him (Abubakar), he makes the issue in 2019 more robust. It is not going an eaglet versus an eagle but an eagle versus eagle: an old eagle versus new eagle and probably both of them old eagles." • “I wish president Muhammadu Buhari the best in 2019. He has the power of incumbency and he will do his best to win the election, but Atiku is not going to take No for an answer when the two forces collide in the election.” • “I can’t say Atiku will win or lose. You see, I am not advocating for him. Among all the aspirants who contested the PDP’s ticket with him, he is perhaps the most cosmopolitan,he is a Wazobia man." • “He was Vice-President for eight years, and he inherited something from late Yaradua that he had held on to so effectively. He has been a businessman with a business acumen and he has the exposure." • “But you see, that is not what qualifies you to win. A lot comes into play, so again, I can not say whether he will win or lose” • “I didn’t take any swipe at the administration of President Buhari. What I have always said is that despite the acclaimed progress in the country, Nigerians are not feeling the impact in their homes." • “That does not mean the government is not working. Look at the groanings of the people, the government still has to do a lot more before the 2019 elections. They have to work harder to assure Nigerians that they are really up to the task of listening to their yearnings and aspirations." • “The purpose of government is the welfare and security of people. Take that from the equation, then governance means nothing," he concluded.

RECESSION: A PATH TO RECOVERY

Introduction! In economics, a recession is a negative economic growth for two consecutive quarters. It is also a business cycle contraction which results in a general slowdown in economic activity. Macroeconomic indicators such as GDP (gross domestic product), investment spending, capacity utilization, household income, business profits, and inflation fall, while bankruptcies and the unemployment rate rise. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various events, such as a financial crisis , an external trade shock, an adverse supply shock or the bursting of an economic bubble . Governments usually respond to recessions by adopting expansionary macroeconomic policies , such as increasing money supply , increasing government spending and decreasing taxation. Albeit, an economy in 3-4 consecutive quarters (8-12 months) in recession is said to have spiraled into depression. Before depression sets in, of which we cannot afford to delve into. The good news is, this deep dive enables us to make good this moment to take our rightful place and catch up with other global players. A great teacher we'd never recourse to is HISTORY! In historical anals recession does not translate the end of that system but a sharp reminder such system has been floundering economic/political wise. Also worthy of note is for us as a people to desist the use of lexicons as BREAK UP, Nigeria (I'll not say "never") will not break up. What we need is reforms, reforms, reforms, in current parlance as RESTRUCTURING. States or regions must hence fend for themselves and remit to the center, no more handouts and hands on another's pie. AN IDEA(L) WAY OUT ROOSEVELT'S NEW DEAL Diverse economic routes (road maps) can be plied to recovery. But as a people who claim to have wealth of knowledge in economic history, development modules etc. A moment is set before us to harness the tools and techniques in history by consulting the past how notable countries like Russia and United States of America survived hard times. Besides, we copy or tend to copy much from these nations. This I think is the hour! I charge President Buhari and his cabinet to learn from Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous New Deal Economic Policies of 1933-39. The New Deal was a cursor that steered the US out from the Great Depression. The New Deal was pack of economic programmes to recovery. Government of the day ventured into deliberate reforms; massive construction, heavy government spending on agriculture, bank reforms/loans, employments. In nutshell, the crux of the New Deal was to put money in citizens pocket through employments that later enabled a burgeoned consumer spending and investment by end of 1939. *The New Deal was a series of social liberal programs enacted in the United States between 1933 and 1938, and a few that came later. They included both laws passed by Congress as well as presidential executive orders during the first term (1933–1937) of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were in response to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians refer to as the "3 Rs," Relief, Recovery, and Reform: relief for the unemployed and poor, recovery of the economy to normal levels, and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression.* By 1939, the Roosevelt administration through shrewd and sheered determination rescued the United States of America from the depression and repositioned her economy back on track. Of which most of Roosevelt's lofty policies lives till date. The present administration of President Buhari can borrow a leaf if not all from the New Deal to revamp and reposition Nigeria back on track. STALINIST FIVE-YEAR PLANS History has it, Russia before and after the Bolsheviks Revolution was a feudal agrarian state. Russia's fortune changed through one man's shrewd and firm determination to position Russia amongst global powers. Note! This is not to say President Buhari needs to be a "man of steel" nor introduce "collectivisation" to turn our fortunes around. The lesson Nigeria could learn is the Five Year Plan of Stalin from 1928 - war time. To fan the embers for an industrialised Russia, Stalin in his inaugural speech in 1923 he said thus: our western neighbours are hundred years ahead of us, we must make good this moment to catch up with them in twenty years. Whoa! Catching up with nations whom are hundred years ahead in twenty years? How's that possible? This is how! The five-year plans were developed by a state planning committee based on the theory of the productive forces that was part of the ideology of the Party for development of the Soviet economy. Fulfilling the plan became the watchword of Soviet bureaucracy. The same method of planning was also adopted by most other communist states , including the People's Republic of China . Nazi Germany emulated the practice in its four-year plan designed to bring Germany to war-readiness. Thence the 1st Five-Year Plan that saw Russia moved from feudal crude agrarian society to a mechanized one from seventh in global index in production to number two next to United States of America. Each five-year plan dealt with all aspects of development: capital goods (those used to produce other goods, like factories and machinery), consumer goods (e.g. chairs, carpets, and irons), agriculture, transportation, communications, health, education, and welfare. However, the emphasis varied from plan to plan, although generally the emphasis was on power (electricity), capital goods, and agriculture. THE MURAL LESSON Without much ado, Nigeria must hone up and brace herself to economic realities through reforms, restructuring, downsizing executive compensation and economic drain before we nose dive deep into depression. Venture more into massive constructions, tax cut, employments into various sectors, ICT development in schools and government parastatals.

©CONCLUSION Having known recession is a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters. Technically, Nigeria is having a down turn in her economic fortunes. Why are we in this state in the first instance? Our combined actions and inactions brought us to this state of economic comatose. Beyond all the cacophony of blames, what is the way out? Aren't we tired of repeating what we know is the obvious? We are in economic recession yes- does being in recession means the end of nationhood? Economic recession is a slide in the fortune of a country's income and not necessarily a doom's end. Just like nations ravaged by war, earthquake and other natural resources is economic recession. Recession is when the tools of indices doesn't support your current realities. No economic team would increase the price of crude oil - that is a reality. No government can survive on import economy. We are in recession because of our age long laziness in all fronts. How many states are into Mechanized farming before now? You want to be above recession yet you have no food to feed yourself? Banks are not creating wealth but usurping the functions of the central bank by serving as vault for government agencies. In other climes, banks create small businesses, in Nigeria, banks survive on government patronage. The introduction of the TSA has exposed the inffectual dexterity of our banks as lazy institutions. Show me a business that was created by any Bank and I will drop this post. How can Nigeria's economy not suffer recession when a lawmaker is using N678m as running cost? Narrowing the debate to inactions of the present government is akin to regurgitating same problems and no solutions. You don't produce and you want to sell, you want to eat yet you refused to farm. You want to be amongst top world economies yet you produce nothing. Because oil money was at your dips, you puff and pontificate that you are Africa's largest economy. How did you arrived at being a large economy when even your toothpick is imported? We are a buying economy as almost all our essentials and consumables are imported. We want to be a buoyant economy yet indulge in financial recklessness. How can a lawmaker be entitled to N678m as mere running cost in an economy that is on her knees? Multiply the number of lawmakers who are exposed to these monies and tell me how you expect to be a buoyant economy? That airlines are packing up is a good omen for us to invest in our roads. Because we had access to free money, we abandoned the roads and fly on chattered flights. Necessity they say is the mother of all inventions, where we are today would afford us the opportunity to look inward for solutions of our problems. Bailouts were given to states twice yet the states refused to pay salaries. What did we do? We stay put to blame the President for hunger in the land when twice he has come to the rescue of our states . We enrich our governors because we don't ask for accountability. We are even the problems of ourselves. Charcoal fuel used for cooking is more expensive than kerosene because dollars has gone up. What is the relationship between firewood and dollars? Nothing will change until we are ready to address our fundamental flaws. We need overhaul of our laws where things can be done differently. Until then we are a revolving people in a journey to nowhere. *Lewis Omorodion ~ (Economically Musing) Patrick Inengite CT. MA. Diplomacy

23 Tips from Famous Writers for New and Emerging Authors

Millionaire’s Digest Staff Team, Author, Successful Living and Writing Writer 1. “I have advice for people who want to write. I don’t care whether they’re 5 or 500. There are three things that are important: First, if you want to write, you need to keep an honest, unpublishable journal that nobody reads, nobody but you. Where you just put down what you think about life, what you think about things, what you think is fair and what you think is unfair. And second, you need to read. You can’t be a writer if you’re not a reader. It’s the great writers who teach us how to write. The third thing is to write. Just write a little bit every day. Even if it’s for only half an hour — write, write, write.” ― Madeleine L’Engle 2. “Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory. Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error. The good artist believes that nobody is good enough to give him advice. He has supreme vanity. No matter how much he admires the old writer, he wants to beat him.” ― William Faulkner 3. “Read Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande. Then do what it says, including the tasks you think are impossible. You will particularly hate the advice to write first thing in the morning, but if you can manage it, it might well be the best thing you ever do for yourself. This book is about becoming a writer from the inside out. Many later advice manuals derive from it. You don’t ­really need any others, though if you want to boost your confidence, “how to” books seldom do any harm. You can kick-start a whole book with some little writing exercise.” ― Hilary Mantel 4. “Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that – but you are the only you.” ― Neil Gaiman 5. “Becoming a writer is about becoming conscious. When you’re conscious and writing from a place of insight and simplicity and real caring about the truth, you have the ability to throw the lights on for your reader. He or she will recognize his or her life and truth in what you say, in the pictures you have painted, and this decreases the terrible sense of isolation that we have all had too much of.” ― Anne Lamott 6. “I am always chilled and astonished by the would-be writers who ask me for advice and admit, quite blithely, that they “don’t have time to read.” This is like a guy starting up Mount Everest saying that he didn’t have time to buy any rope or pitons.” ― Stephen King 7. “You either have to write or you shouldn’t be writing. That’s all.” ― Joss Whedon 8. “Advice to young writers who want to get ahead without any annoying delays: don’t write about Man, write about a man.” ― E.B. White 9. “Write. Start writing today. Start writing right now. Don’t write it right, just write it –and then make it right later. Give yourself the mental freedom to enjoy the process, because the process of writing is a long one. Be wary of “writing rules” and advice. Do it your way.” ― Tara Moss 10. “Notice how many of the Olympic athletes effusively thanked their mothers for their success? “She drove me to my practice at four in the morning,” etc. Writing is not figure skating or skiing. Your mother will not make you a writer. My advice to any young person who wants to write is: leave home.” ― Paul Theroux 11. “It’s a great lesson about not being too precious about your writing. You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke you can until the last possible second, and then you have to let it go. You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it…You have to let people see what you wrote.” ― Tina Fey 12. “Be daring, take on anything. Don’t labor over little cameo works in which every word is to be perfect. Technique holds a reader from sentence to sentence, but only content will stay in his mind.” ― Joyce Carol Oates 13. “First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college.” ― Kurt Vonnegut 14. “To all the talented young men who wander about feeling that there is nothing in the world for them to do, I should say: ‘Give up trying to write, and, instead, try not to write. Go out into the world; become a pirate, a king in Borneo, a labourer in Soviet Russia; give yourself an existence in which the satisfaction of elementary physical needs will occupy almost all your energies.’ I do not recommend this course of action to everyone, but only to those who suffer from the disease which Mr Krutch diagnoses. I believe that, after some years of such an existence, the ex-intellectual will find that in spite of is efforts he can no longer refrain from writing, and when this time comes his writing will not seem to him futile.” ― Bertrand Russell 15. “Writing a book is a bit like surfing . . . Most of the time you’re waiting. And it’s quite pleasant, sitting in the water waiting. But you are expecting that the result of a storm over the horizon, in another time zone, usually, days old, will radiate out in the form of waves. And eventually, when they show up, you turn around and ride that energy to the shore. It’s a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you’re lucky, it’s also about grace. As a writer, you roll up to the desk every day, and then you sit there, waiting, in the hope that something will come over the horizon. And then you turn around and ride it, in the form of a story.” ― Tim Winton 16. “Advice to young writers? Always the same advice: learn to trust our own judgment, learn inner independence, learn to trust that time will sort the good from the bad – including your own bad.” ― Doris Lessing 17. “My advice for aspiring writers is go to New York. And if you can’t go to New York, go to the place that represents New York to you, where the standards for writing are high, there are other people who share your dreams, and where you can talk, talk, talk about your interests. Writing books begins in talking about it, like most human projects, and in being close to those who have already done what you propose to do.” ― Walter Kirn 18. “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off of you.” ― Maya Angelou 19. “If you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. You must write every single day of your life. You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories — science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.” ― Ray Bradbury 20. “Whenever I’m asked what advice I have for young writers, I always say that the first thing is to read, and to read a lot. The second thing is to write. And the third thing, which I think is absolutely vital, is to tell stories and listen closely to the stories you’re being told.” ― John Green 21. “Imagine that you are dying. If you had a terminal disease would you ­finish this book? Why not? The thing that annoys this 10-weeks-to-live self is the thing that is wrong with the book. So change it. Stop arguing with yourself. Change it. See? Easy. And no one had to die.” ― Anne Enright 22. “On writing, my advice is the same to all. If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If you feel blocked, write through it until you feel your creative juices flowing again. Write. Writing is what makes a writer, nothing more and nothing less. — Ignore critics. Critics are a dime a dozen. Anybody can be a critic. Writers are priceless. —- Go where the pleasure is in your writing. Go where the pain is. Write the book you would like to read. Write the book you have been trying to find but have not found. But write. And remember, there are no rules for our profession. Ignore rules. Ignore what I say here if it doesn’t help you. Do it your own way. — Every writer knows fear and discouragement. Just write. — The world is crying for new writing. It is crying for fresh and original voices and new characters and new stories. If you won’t write the classics of tomorrow, well, we will not have any. Good luck.” ― Anne Rice 23. “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they’re happy.” ― Dorothy Parker Article Credits: Amber M. Millionaire’s Digest Staff Team, Author (For Writing, Book, Journal Bloggers & More)

Why So Many People Dream of Writing a Book By Laura Caroll

Brian Tracy International claims 82 percent of adults dream of writing a book. I believe it! Last year it conducted a survey of 1100 people on their main reasons for wanting to write a book. What did the survey find? Check it out: To the question, “What is your main reason for wanting to write a book?”: 54 percent chose the response that they “have a great message or experience that they want to share to help inspire others.”< >This does not surprise me. So many of my clients who have written nonfiction book(s) share this feeling. BTI also asked respondents, “What is holding you back from writing a book?” 40 percent chose the response, “I don’t know where to start.” 18 percent chose, “No time.” 16 percent chose, “Lack confidence.” 15 percent chose, “Don’t feel qualified.” The rest fell into the “Other” response category. When it comes to writing a book, feeling a lack of confidence or qualification can be part of what is underneath the feeling of not knowing where to start. And feeling a lack of time to sit down and write is one of most common procrastination strategies. What can be underneath the procrastination? The same two things: feeling unqualified and a lack of confidence. When something becomes important enough, we find a way to make time. And there are some good strategies to successfully carving out that time. But before the “making the time” strategies, the first step is to identify a topic that you are passionate about! It could be a topic that you already know a lot about or one you want to learn more about. Many authors start with their area of knowledge or expertise. Others start with a question, and develop the book to answer their question. As the poet and novelist Rainier Maria Rilke once wrote, “Love the questions themselves. Live the questions now.” Writing a book is definitely one way to do just that! If you are dreaming of writing a book, what is your main reason? If you have not started, but want to, what is holding you back?

Bismarck Orji: Atiku, APC and the RESTRUCTURING Debate

and some Ohaneze Youth leaders at his Asokoro residence, the question on everyone’s lips was whether he meant R-E-S-T-R-U-C-T-U-R-I-N-G. He had recently at a book launch declared his support for restructuring Nigeria. According to him, that was the only way forward for the country in the light of the Biafran agitation and renewed militancy in the Niger Delta. It was borne out of the belief by many Nigerians that the Turakin Adamawa was either merely playing to the gallery so as to be in the news or voicing out his discontentment with Buhari’s Government. This was owing to the “Atiku Myth”. Since the return to civil rule in 1999, perhaps, no other Nigerian has exhibited so much understanding and control over the levers that power the Nigerian polity like Atiku. As such, whatever he says or does is bound to be scrutinized with political prisms. According to the myth, at the height of his political trajectory, in the build up to the 2003 presidential election, his boss President Obasanjo had to go on his knees to plead with him to make the PDP Governors who had overwhelmingly declared support for him (Atiku) to switch their support to Obasanjo thereby paving the way for his re-election. Yet, on that fateful evening at Asokoro, he pleasantly surprised the Igbo leaders present by stating that he, Atiku meant Restructuring. In fact, he stated that he had always believed in the necessity of restructuring Nigeria. Also, he stated that as far back as 1999, before he was sworn in as Nigeria’s Number 2 Citizen, at an International oil and gas conference in the US, he had stated his support for the privatization of the NNPC. He said President Obasanjo took exception to that statement then but confessed just months ago that one of his regrets was not privatizing NNPC while in office as president. Most importantly, Atiku boldly stated that the present structure has not favoured the North, a truth which no other Northern leader has had the courage to speak. Certainly, the North as a region under Ahmadu Bello was more productive than the present 19 Northern states. Today, the poverty index in the North is quite higher than in the South. Quotacracy which is an inherent aspect of the present structure has been a curse in disguise for the North. While providing them with short term local advantages, it has limited their international competitiveness. For instance, from the cut off for the 2016 entrance exam into Unity Colleges recently released, Amobi- a male pupil from Anambra has to score 137 whereas Adamu his brother from Yobe passes the same exam with a score of 2! Today, the world is a global village and Atiku has realized that the Adamu from Yobe will be grossly disadvantaged to compete for jobs at the international stage where merit is the watch word. Besides, Quotacracy in education opportunities creates a wrong impression that Northerners are less endowed intellectually. After all, Jamiu Aliyu- the Kebbi State born US based automobile designer did not get to become one of America’s foremost brains through quota but by merit. Aliko Dangote as well did not become Africa’s richest man by quota but by merit and hardwork. Atiku’s support for restructuring Nigeria at this critical juncture in Nigeria’s political history marks him out as a statesman and a patriot. If an ambitious politician like Atiku can support the clamour for restructuring despite his presidential ambition, why should others not follow suit? By that statement which he made and which he has been defending eloquently, he has joined the ranks of Northern progressives like Bishop Hassan Kukah, Alh. Balarabe Musa, Senator Shehu Sanni, Alh. Yerima Shettima, etc who have steadily been preaching restructuring without recourse to primordial sentiments. Therefore, it is ridiculous for the ruling party- APC to try to vilify him or chide him for taking such a courageous stand. Rather, the APC as a party should borrow a leaf from her national leader- Senator Bola Tinubu who recently reiterated his support for restructuring Nigeria now. Indeed, Senator Bola Tinubu has again shown why he is regarded as one of the political fathers of modern day Nigeria. For avoidance of doubt, Senator Bola Tinubu is a man whose views on Nigeria can only be ignored by fools. He, it was that made the Buhari Presidency possible by providing not only the vehicle for the mission but also fuelling it, both ideologically and materially. Before coming into power, the APC was seen as a party of progressives owing to her support for restructuring and other progressive ideas as espoused in the party’s ideology. It will amount to dubious hypocrisy for the party to now condemn restructuring simply because it is now in power. Nigerians expect the APC National Chairman- Chief John Oyegun to break his criminal silence over the issue by speaking out. He either supports Atiku, Tinubu, Shehu Sani and other progressive elements in the party who have been bold enough to support restructuring Nigeria now or joins the opportunists who seem to have hijacked the soul of the “party of change”. After one year in office, Buhari’s Presidency has proved one point. President Jonathan (PDP) was not the trouble with Nigeria neither is Buhari (APC) the solution to Nigeria’s trouble. The trouble with Nigeria is neither the PDP, the APC nor even APGA. Indeed, the trouble with Nigeria is Nigeria itself. An Igbo adage states that “ishi na-eshi nkakwu si ya n’okpukpu” meaning that the shrew’s stink stems from its marrow. A Yoruba Presidency did not provide the solution, an Ijaw Presidency did not, a Fulani Presidency has not and even an Igbo Presidency will not provide the solution. Religion is not also the trouble because even Bishop Hassan Kukah himself despite his established piety cannot save Nigeria as presently structured. President Buhari himself confessed that the present Nigerian political structure has failed when during his media chat on December 30, 2015 he stated that 26 out of the 36 states of the federation could not pay salaries when he assumed office. Today, after several Federal Government bailouts the situation has become worse with some State Governments now asking workers to accept half salary. That we are talking about Nigeria as a country today is because of the uncommon patriotism exhibited by President Jonathan by conceding defeat despite glaring irregularities in last year’s presidential election. However, the Buhari Presidency has been more divisive than any other Government in Nigeria since independence. For instance, this is the first time since return to civil rule in 1999 that Ndigbo have been shut out of the 11 man National Security Council comprising service chiefs and heads of other security agencies. Today, no Igbo is a service chief or heads any security agency! Even IBB and Abacha never treated Ndigbo so badly. That in itself is a time bomb. How can Buhari ask Ndigbo not to wish for and even die for Biafra when he has officially shown that their security is not guaranteed by his government? That is why Atiku has the blessings of Ndigbo for stating that the only thing that can assuage the ongoing agitation for Biafra is to restructure Nigeria. Whosoever wants to be a friend of Ndigbo must condemn the ongoing deliberate attempt to push Ndigbo into war. For avoidance of doubt, the Igbo is a global brand. Just like the Yorubas, they constitute a big percentage of blacks in the Diaspora and are indigenous to such countries as Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad& Tobago, etc. From DNA evidence, at least 45% of Afro Americans are of Igbo ancestry and the Igbo is the African tribe that contributed most to the making of the Unites States of America. That was why the US Government set up the Igbo Farm Village Museum in Staunton, Virginia in 2009. As such, America cannot for long look aside while Ndigbo are being grinded into the ground. Based on the foregoing and as well considering Buhari’s body language, it bespeaks irresponsibility for any politician regardless of his/her party or tribe to be talking about political permutations for 2019 when Nigeria is about to implode! A statesman is one who sacrifices his personal interest in order to safeguard the state. Therefore, it is time for Nigerian political leaders to rise and join Atiku, Tinubu and other concerned Nigerians in salvaging Nigeria. The leadership of the National Assembly, the State Governors and members of the Federal Executive Council must all speak out now! As such, the Ondo State Government is being commended for having officially supported restructuring. Also, Senator Ike Ekweremadu’s letter to the international community is commendable as such letters will help to bring international pressure on President Buhari to do the needful. The needful is to restructure Nigeria with the present 6 zonal structure as federating units. That way, the 3 major tribes will have 3 zones and the minorities will equally have 3 zones. That way, the separatists such as IPOB, MASSOB and Niger Delta Avengers may have a rethink. Indeed, the 6 Zonal structure remains Abacha’s best legacy since it was enshrined in the Abacha Constitution. Finally, Alh. Atiku Abubakar deserves commendation for opening a new chapter in the ongoing national discourse on Nigeria’s structure. According to another Igbo adage, “nwoke luchaa ogu, nwanyi enwere akuko” meaning when men finish the battle, women will start telling the story. Therefore, it is time for Nigerian elder statesmen such as Shehu Shagari, IBB, Obasanjo, Ekwueme, Tanko Yakassai, Ndubuisi Kanu, Emeka Anyaoku, Edward Clark, Soyinka, etc to shout in unison as elders so as to jolt our dear president to reality and draw Nigeria back from this looming precipice. Mazi Ikechukwu Bismarck Oji (B.Eng.) Engineer, Poet, Political Activist Former National Chairman, Ohaneze Youth Wing brandbismarck@gmail.com

"Delegates of 2014 CONFAB Boys" SGF

A former Minister of External Affairs and Vice Chairman of the 2014 National Conference, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, has criticised the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, for referring to delegates at the conference as boys. “I have no quarrel with the SGF reiterating the opposition of Government to the 2014 National Conference. But I find the language in which his views are couched to be crude, rude, offensive and unbecoming of the high office of state he occupies,” Akinyemi said in a statement “on the intemperate language” used by the SGF in the interview. Akinyemi expressed disappointment that the SGF referred to delegates at the conference including traditional rulers and scholars who had served the country excellently as boys. He said, “He (SGF) referred to the delegates as “boys”, BOYS!!!!!!!!!! Among the delegates are the Emir of Ilorin, the Lamido of Adamawa, King Arfred Diete Spiff, the Gbong Gwom of Jos, Emir of Yauri, Emir of Dutse, Emir of Askira, the Amanyanabo of Nembe HRM Edmund Daukoru, various judges of the High Courts. “BOYS!!!!!!!!!!!! Delegates included a former Chief of Defence Staff, a former Chief of Air Staff, three former foreign ministers, a former Inspector General of Police, two former Senate Presidents, a former SGF, several former ministers, several SANs, several former Governors, Professors etc. etc. etc. Presiding was a former Chief Justice of Nigeria and a former Minister of External Affairs.” “Most of the delegates there were people who had paid their dues, served this country in high and exalted positions, risked their lives in the civil war and other domestic insurrections and showed exceptional excellence in the performance of their duties, obviously more excellence than Engr. Lawal had demonstrated in his one year in office.” “Come on Mr. SGF, grow up. You have been in the office that funded the Conference and you have been there for over a year, and all you need to do is to send for the files to know that what members were paid is much less than N7m per member. You do not have to depend on rumours or “dem say”,” he said. He stressed that it was up to the government to implement the resolutions of the conference, saying, “Frankly, I will not plead for the Report of the Conference to be considered by your Government. Governments come and Governments go. The problems will remain. We will all be judged by whether we were part of the solution or part of the problems.”

Prof. Wole Soyinka say YES to restructuring...

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has lent his voice to the growing calls for the restructuring of the Nigerian federation, saying the sovereignty of the nation is negotiable. Speaking during a visit to PUNCH Place, the corporate headquarters of PUNCH Nigeria Limited, Kilometre 14, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, on Tuesday, Soyinka said decentralisation of the nation would ensure healthy rivalry among the component units. The laureate said it was wrong for previous administrations in the country to say that Nigeria’s sovereignty was non-negotiable, submitting that the position was antithetical to development. Soyinka added, “I am on the side of those who say we must do everything to avoid disintegration. That language I understand. I don’t understand (ex-President Olusegun) Obasanjo’s language. I don’t understand (President Muhammadu) Buhari’s language and all their predecessors, saying the sovereignty of this nation is non-negotiable. It’s bloody well negotiable and we had better negotiate it. We better negotiate it, not even at meetings, not at conferences, but everyday in our conduct towards one another. “We had better understand it too that when people are saying ‘let’s restructure’, they have better things to do. It’s not an idle cry; it is a perennial demand. The Pro-National Conference Organisation was about restructuring when this same Obasanjo said it was an act of treason for people to come together to fashion a new constitution. Those were fighting words; that you’re saying, ‘I commit treason because I want to sit with my fellow citizens and negotiate the structures of staying together’ and ask the police to go and break it up and arrest us. “I remember that policeman, who said if we met, that would be treason. I wasn’t a member of PRONACO at the time. That’s when I joined PRONACO. If you’re saying to me, ‘I am a second-class citizen; I cannot sit down and discuss the articles, the protocols of staying together’ and you’re trying to bully me, I won’t accept.” He said Nigeria could not continue with a centralisation policy, which encouraged what he described as “monkey dey work, baboon dey chop” mentality. Soyinka said the over centralisation of government had resulted in resentment among constituent states, adding that the phenomenon was insulting and promoted anti-healthy rivalry among states. He stated, “We cannot continue to allow a centralisation policy which makes the constituent units of this nation resentful; they say monkey dey work, baboon dey chop. And the idea of centralising revenues, allocation system, whereby you dole out; the thing is insulting and it is what I call anti-healthy rivalry. It is against the incentives to make states viable.” He said the centralisation of government led to the proliferation of states during the military era when, according to him, a state was created because the girlfriend of a certain military leader hailed from the state. He said it was high time government established state police to check the rising security challenges in the country, stressing that policing was more effective when localised. Soyinka added, “I know people get nervous about that expression. If you go to a place like England, you sometimes see two, three, four police (officers) just walking casually unarmed, but they are observing everything. “Now, if policing is all of that, then I think the police are more efficient if they are based within a smaller constituency than a larger one. Within such constituencies, the policeman virtually knows everybody. A federal, centralised system of police lacks that advantage. “So, I find it very difficult to accept that people can be nervous about the state police. State police has been abused. Nobody is denying that; it’s historical. Don’t tell us because we know already. But isn’t centralised police also abused? Look at what’s been coming out from the last elections, not just the police, but the military.” Soyinka said the intrusive nature of Fulani herdsmen was no longer a remote problem for him personally, alleging that some Fulani herdsmen had invaded the privacy of his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State. “It is no longer a remote problem for me. It is an actuality,” he said, recalling that the killings carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Enugu some months ago was mismanaged by the government. “In Enugu, why did it take so long to investigate the killings? It’s like the case of Ese Oruru. What is all this? What is security for? That thing should have been addressed immediately. (In Enugu), they shouldn’t have waited for directives from Buhari or anybody. This is a crime against humanity. There should be no debate about it. “The military should have been drafted there immediately; the police, first of all, and the military – if necessary. I found out that the victims were arrested; what’s all that about? This menace is underestimated. If they had reached my secure place in Abeokuta, then it is no longer a remote problem.” He faulted the proposal to create grazing reserves for herdsmen in the country, saying rather than do that, ranches, where members of the public could go to buy cows and goats, should be created. The octogenarian said the term “grazing reserve” would convey the meaning that government had carved out some people’s land for herdsmen to use for their commercial enterprise. “The word ‘reserve’ is the problem. If there are ranches, it doesn’t matter where they are built, ranches are a commercial proposition, it isn’t a Fulani issue. You can create ranches so that cows, goats could be bought there. This shouldn’t be an instrument of politics, race or ethnicity. “But when you talk about reserves, it suggests that people can bring cattle from Futa Djallon, Senegal, and if they get here, they can get reserve. If it’s a ranch, it’s a pure commercial proposition, you want to trade. I will like to see these cattle people go back to the position they were before in which there was mutual collaboration between them and farmers,” he said. Soyinka called on Buhari to consider the report of the 2014 National Conference convened during the tenure of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, lamenting that the country had been moving round in circles without direction. “We have a habit of consigning files to the dust shelves and then we start all over again. The (confab) report that came under Jonathan is even more superior to the one that I participated in as a member of PRONACO and I think that should be addressed seriously. “The recommendations strike me as workable, practical, and in fact, as answering some of the anxieties of this nation. This is something I think that Buhari should tackle seriously,” he said.