AFRIPOL.ORGIDEAS
HAVE CONSEQUENCES
NEWS/VIEWS ON NIGERIA......
Nigeria's foreign reserves rise to
61.9 billion dollars
05.23.08
LAGOS (AFP) - Nigeria's foreign currency reserves rose to 61.96 billion
dollars mid-May from 60.8 billion dollars at the end of April, the Central
Bank of Nigeria said
Nigerian inflation rises to 8.2
percent
05.22.08
LAGOS (AFP) - Nigerian inflation rose
in April to 8.2 percent from 7.8 the previous month, driven by rises in the
prices of food and household items, the National Bureau of Statistics said
Thursday.
Nigeria’s Foreign Reserves hit
$47bn
10.22.2007
Finance Minister of Nigeria, Dr Shamsuddeen
Usman, in Washington DC , disclosed that the nation’s external reserves have
risen to about $47 billion. Usman made this known the during the annual 2007
World Bank and IMF meetings. Attributing the rise in the external reserves
to the performance of Nigeria’s economy which recorded an average growth
rate of about six per cent last year and the rising oil prices.
Poverty
in the North: A challenge
By Obetta
Chukwuemeka
THE Guardian Newspaper of Tuesday August 7, 2007, carried a caption
"Governors, Emirs decry poverty in the North. The article was the summary of
a series of meetings held by the 19 Northern State Governors and later with
northern traditional rulers...(click)
Nigerian stock index dips 2.7
percent
August 18, 2007
LAGOS (AFP) - Nigerian stock prices dropped 2.7 percent this
week as the index closed at 52,388.19 points from 53,818.72, in the
preceding week, brokers said Saturday.
Market capitalisation also closed lower at 8.21 trillion naira from 8.44
trillion, they said.
A turnover of 2.95 billion shares worth 70.3 billion naira in 62,662 deals
was recorded compared with 3.24 billion shares valued at 58.6 billion naira
in 61,441 deals the previous week.
Nigerian inflation falls
slightly April
30, 2007
Nigeria's inflation rate dropped to 7.2 percent
in the 12 months ending March 2007 from 7.7 percent in the preceding month,
the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday.
"The composite consumer price index stood at 159.2 in March 2007. This
represented an increase of 1.0 percent from the 157.6 observed in February
2007," the agency said.
It said the increase in the index was caused mainly by a rise in the price
of some food items, household goods and services.
Nigerian inflation has been falling steadily since the third quarter of last
year as a result of the government's tight fiscal and monetary policies.
Nigeria, Africa's biggest producer of crude oil, is the sixth-largest
exporter in the world, accounting for a daily output of around 2.6 million
barrels, a quarter of which is currently lost to unrest in the volatile
Niger Delta.
The Niger Delta is home to the country's multi-billion-dollar oil industry,
but the majority of its inhabitants live on less than one dollar a day,
fanning unrest for a fair deal.
NIGERIA ELECTIONS: The
Governors-Elect
04.16.2007 Ogun State: Gbenga Daniel (PDP)
Imo State: Chief Ikedi Godson Ohakim (PPA)
Osun State: Olagunsoye Oyinlola (PDP)
Enugu State: Sullivan Iheanacho Chime (PDP)
Delta State: Emmanuel Uduaghan (PDP)
Kwara State: Bukola Saraki (PDP)
Oyo State: Adebayo Alao-Akala (PDP)
Kogi State: Idris Ibrahim (PDP)
Ekiti State: Segun Oni (PDP)
Borno State: Ali Sheriff (ANPP)
Lagos State: Babatunde Fashola (AC)
Rivers State: Celestine Omehia (PDP)
Bayelsa State: Timipre Sylva (PDP)
Ebonyi State: Martin Elechi (PDP)
Abia State: Emefile Orji (PPA)
Katsina State: Mohammed Shema (PDP)
Jigawa State: Sule Lamido (PDP)
Niger State: Babangida Aliyu (PDP)
Sokoto State: Magatakarda Wammako (PDP)
Gombe State: Danjuma Goje (PDP)
Yobe State: Mamman Ali (ANPP)
A/Ibom State: Godswill Akpabio (PDP)
Kaduna State: Namadi Sambo (PDP)
Nasarawa State: Aliu Akwe Doma (PDP)
Anambra State: Dr. Andy Uba (PDP)
***Nigeria's Supreme Court has ruled that Vice-President Atiku
Abubakar should be allowed to contest Saturday's presidential elections.
He was disqualified because of corruption allegations, which he says are
politically motivated.
It is unclear if new ballot papers can be printed in time for the 60m
voters. bbc
Nigeria to
repay its debt in Merrill Lynch deal
Nigeria owed $512
million worth of promissory note payments due in 2010.
But the country constructed a trade in which a bank would buy the debt at
its best estimate of current and future value in an auction, which Merrill
Lynch won, the FT reported...(click)
Why Arabic Inscription was Removed
from Naira – Soludo
Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has
described recent removal of the Arabic inscription on new notes as not
targeted at any group, adding that the denominations were translated into
Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba...(click)
How Nigeria pays millions of dollar
for lobbying in U.S.
OFFICIAL records in the United States have shown how Nigeria pays sums worth
millions of dollar to lobbyists in the U.S, especially GoodWorks
International led by Andrew Young...(click)
Report
Links Obasanjo with Blocking Okonjo-Iweala for UN Job
According to a report on
theaustralian.news.com.au written from New York by David Nason, the new UN
Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, was set to announce the name of
Okonjo-Iweala as the Deputy Secretary-General but could not secure the
requisite endorsement from Obasanjo...(click)
OPINION
AND ANALYSIS: NIGERIA CENSUS CONTROVERSY...(click)
Nigeria
honours civil war "heroes" after 37 years
President Olusegun
Obasanjo has urged Nigerians to observe one minute silence in honour of
soldiers that died during the country's bloody 30-month civil war which
ended in January 1970...(click)
READING 'A
MAN OF THE PEOPLE' BY CHINUA ACHEBE
by Abubakar Adamu,
MSc, MCILT
Professor Chinua Achebe's published 'A Man of the People' in 1966, after
Nigeria's independence in 1960 from the British as a colony. I urge all
Nigerians who can read, as matter of urgency, to read the book and
interpreted in their native languages because of its current relevance to
today's Nigerian politics...(click)
OPINION:
Nigeria on the brink
A VORTEX of
poverty, corruption, and abuse threatens to spark widespread violence in the
oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Demanding local control of the
region's vast energy wealth, militants have recently stepped up attacks on
off-shore oil...(click)
ANALYSIS: U.S. Says Nigeria Top Business Threat
Kidnappings and
armed attacks plaguing oil companies operating in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger
delta are among the top security challenges U.S. businesses are likely to
face in 2007, a State Department official said Thursday...(click)
Population in Nigeria tops 140m
The provisional
results of Nigeria's first census in 15 years show that Africa's most
populous nation has a population of more than 140m. The National Population
Commission said this was an increase of 63% since 1991...(click)
In
Nigeria, rich promise unfulfilled in Niger Delta
An acrid
smell wafts over the boat. Soon rainbow-colored streaks and psychedelic
swirls become visible, dancing on the still creek waters. The forms, pretty
enough to be art, are in fact ugly signs of the latest oil spill in the
Niger Delta...(click)
The
journey home - A DAUGHTER RETURNS HOME
Paige Reece
McCormick longs to be home for Christmas.
/s She has lived in Tuscaloosa the last six years, but her heart is
halfway across the world. Home for her, the daughter of Southern Baptist
missionaries, is Nsukka, Nigeria, where she was born and spent the first 18
years of life...(click)
Policy framework for a mutual
beneficial relationship between Nigeria and Nigerians in the Diaspora
By Collins Nweke
The Nigerian National Volunteer Service, NNVS, circulated a document
entitled "Policy Framework for a Mutual Beneficial Relationship Between
Nigeria and Nigerians in Diaspora" on 7 October 2006 with a request to send
in comments by 30 October 2006. NIDO members, just like other Nigerian
Diaspora communities worldwide, were recipients of the document...(click)
PETER OBI REINSTATED AS THE GOVERNOR OF ANAMBRA
STATE, NIGERIA
Dec 28,2006
(click)
PETER OBI
IMPEACHED AND REMOVED
Anambra State has
sworn in Dame Virginia Etiaba as governor to replace Peter Obi who was
impeached yesterday for “gross misconduct”. She was sworn in by the state
Chief Judge after initially declining the offer from the State House of
Assembly that removed Obi...(click)
Nigeria at 46 by President Obasanjo
Broadcast by His Excellency, President
Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR at the occasion marked the 46th Independence
Anniversary of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Abuja, October 1, 2006.
My dear compatriots, Happy Independence Anniversary...(click)
Looting of Nigeria‘s Treasury: EFCC
report indicts 15 governors
ABUJA— AFTER months of investigation of the petitions and allegations of
corruption against 31 of the state governors/governments, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, handed over to the Senate its
findings which established cases of corruption against 15 of the governors.
Three former governors were also indicted...(click)
EFCC: Enemies of Nigeria as Targets
by Nuhu Ribadu the Chairman of EFCC addressing Nigerian House
of Senate
Permit me to open my presentation with a statement of gratitude
for the generous invitation to address this hallowed chamber of Africa's
best minds in the enterprise of legislative architecture for Africa's most
populous and most influential nation...(click)
Top leaders' feud threatens
oil-rich Nigeria's stability
As Nigeria's
president and vice president hurl charges of corruption at each other in a
vicious public quarrel, Nigerians and foreign investors can only wonder what
it all means for the future of Africa's top oil producer...(click)
THE
EFCC REPORT ON ABUBAKAR ATIKU - THE VICE PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA
Your
Excellency’s attention is being drawn to the request made by the United
State Attorney’s Office, Department of Justice via a letter
Ref:MEW:DPW:KDL:AV 1 File 182.23818 dated June 22, 2006. The US Attorney’s
office requests for certain investigations to be carried out by the EFCC
with regards to a business venture involving iGate an American company and
NDTV, a Nigerian company. Pursuant to this request I caused an in-depth
investigation to be conducted. I append below a detailed report of the
investigation as follows:-
....(click)
WORLD
IGBO CONGRESS: A STRANGER AT HOME
By Sunny Lawrence-Oputa
As the sun shines
brighter at the east and sets dimmer in the west; home will always be the
best. Home is where the heart is and therein is the treasure. The World Igbo
Congress (WIC) is an entity which has been nurtured through the years just
like Igbo People’s Congress (IPC), have matured to what it is today. WIC may
have noble intentions, with their humongous treasures buried in the south
eastern region of Nigeria, but their home seems to be in Diaspora – United
States of America. This ambiguity with a shade of abnormality gingers a need
for rethinking.....(click)
COMMUNIQUÉ THE 12th ANNUAL
CONVENTION OF WORLD IGBO CONGRESS, INC.
The 12th Annual Convention of WORLD IGBO CONGRESS (WIC) was formally
declared open at 10.00 AM on Friday, September 1, 2006 by the Chairman of
WIC, Ichie Chibuzo E. Onwuchekwe with a speech in which he invited Igbo
politicians, Igbo Captains of Industry, Igbo Royal Fathers, Igbo High
Ranking Government Officials and sundry that came from Nigeria to join
forces with WIC to restore the pride of place of the Igbo person. He
emphasized that WIC 2006 Convention is about finding solutions to the
myriads of Igbo afflictions and not about preaching to Ndiigbo in Diaspora
on how the Igbo are being marginalized in Nigeria...(click)
Nigeria: A Case of Political
Abattoir
By Sunny Lawrence-Oputa
It was the famous poet, Robert Burns that said,
“Man’s inhumanity to man, makes countless thousands mourn.” Inhumanity is
callousness, deprivation, oppression or an ungodly act of one man to
another. It is an epitome of cave-man’s mentality; a dysfunctional behavior
that should be shunned in any civilized society. Therefore, the brutality
that encompasses politics in most African nations, especially Nigeria is
gruesome and points the arrow backward towards primitivism. This incessant
and wanton killing of politicians in Nigeria by their rivals or opposition
groups has culminated to a culture of extreme cannibalism, and should be
strongly condemned by every right thinking person.
Four days after Chief Funso Williams, the assassinated People Democratic
Party (PDP) governorship aspirant was laid to rest, the assassins dagger
expired the life of another PDP gubernatorial aspirant by name of Dr.
Ayodeji Daramola. Before, these recent massacre of souls in Nigeria’s
political field, there have been plethora of politicians who have been cut
down in the prime of their life. Chief Bola Ige, the former Attorney General
of the Federation was one of them. The frequency at which these mayhem are
been perpetuated is seriously truncating Nigeria’s road to representative
democracy. Instead of growing into a modern day democracy where the people
are allowed to speak, and determine who rules or not, this most populous
African nation is turning into a political abattoir where power lies in the
bullet of the assassins by the instructions of their masters who benefits
from these orgy of blood.
This new wave of hacking political opponents down in order to eliminate
opposition and grab power is not novel to the political system of this giant
of Africa. However, the rate at which these gruesome murders are committed
has become alarming and prompts for quick intervention by the Nigerian
government. There should be a new paradigm which must be humane enough to
give credence to the true meaning of politics and showcase Nigeria as a
democratic nation. It has become germane for Nigerians to reconsider their
steps whether they are working towards the realization of representative
democracy or gearing towards 'mobocracy'.
Democracy is not cannibalism or Nazism. It is neither fascism nor
machiavellism. In the simplest term, politics whether in government,
institutions or corporate organizations is a way by which decisions are made
within a group. Democracy itself as propounded in the ancient Greece, and
during the Declaration of American Independence by Thomas Jefferson in 1776
to the present day, is a system of rule in which power belongs to the
people, and they have the right to elect those that will rule them and also
have the ability to revoke or annul the powers given to their
representatives.
By these incessant mayhem, the noble game of politics in Nigeria is
deviating into a macabre dance meant for only jingoes, butchers and
gladiators. Good spirited people- gentlemen and ladies who would have loved
to be involved in the politics of their nation are been silenced out of the
game for the fear that they might be killed unnecessarily. The dearth of
good people in the Nigeria’s body polity may not only drain the quality of
its human capital, but will usher in bunch of mediocre into the system. This
will definitely hamper the social, political and economic development of
that country.
The perpetrators of this reckless waste of human lives in Nigeria are mere
canals ruled by avarice and hubris. Over ambitious men, suffering from
“macbethian” syndrome, who wants to grab power without going through the
necessary steps. In same class of politicians or wannabee are those
that absolute power has corrupted and intoxicated.
The people of Nigeria have kept silent enough. They have to speak out and
work against this apparent inhumanity. Wole Soyinka, the Nigerian Nobel
laureate in literature must have envisioned such calamitous situation when
he said that “the man dies in him that keeps silent in the face of
oppression.” Avraham Yehoshua, a Jewish writer in his recent book ‘A Woman
in Jerusalem’ said ‘when there is no humanity, the man dies.” Oppression and
inhumanity are like a hydra-headed monster that should be opposed.
Nigerians have to be empowered to stand up against this oddity. As Nigeria
prepares for the next political dispensation, the atmosphere requires to be
deodorized and the stain of blood in the political fabric of this oil rich
nation washed anew. Those dirty linens must be taken to the laundry by the
people and government of Nigeria. The nation can do better than sit on the
fence; waiting until God intervene. For sure God will intervene because He
abhors unrighteousness. If those agents of human destruction have imbibed
similar philosophy like Nietzsche who declared that God is dead and does not
see, then they better be told that it is only a fool that will say , there’s
no God. God is alive and all seeing and will surely judge the quick and the
dead.
Apart from the current war against corruption in Nigeria, the Obasanjo
government has another war to fight. It is war against indiscriminate
political assassination. The government has to come out with a strategy and
a road map to nib this ugly situation at the bud. If the first rocket must
be launched, this is the time. Delay or dilly-dallying over this will
eventually wreck the boat of the nation towards modern democracy. Nigeria’s
already battered human right status will be worsened and this might etch an
indelible stain on its global image. The government of Olusegun Obasanjo
should reinforce the country’s homeland security through the internal
affairs ministry.
There should be collaboration between a homeland security unit, state police
departments and all communities in order to achieve this onerous task. The
government should empower the people by organizing village and town hall
meetings in order to raise awareness and make its stand clear concerning the
prevailing situations. Having urgent meeting with all political party
leaders , delegates from all states and local government , police chiefs
should be one of the steps the government could initiate to stop these
cancer of political assassination from spreading. Hopefully, these measures
would help to curtail this new tribe of political butchers and clean the
malodorous pool of blood they have spilled.
Sunny Oputa is a Senior Fellow and a Political Analyst
on Nigerian Affairs at Afripol.Org
ONITSHA NEEDS ENVIRONMENTAL FACELIFT
Onitsha the commercial Mecca of Anambra State, the city that gave us Main
Market, the largest market in Africa has been neglected so much that it
desperately cries for a facelift. Some of the roads are so deteriorated that
they pose both traffic and health hazard to the urban habitants. The quality
of life has been and will continue to depreciate if the trend is left
unchecked. The multiplicity of the pot-holes unfortunately has become pool
of dirty waters and raw sewage. With these facts, the pot-holes teem with
mosquitoes. The devastating effect of mosquitoes and its malarial
consequences cannot be overemphasis within this context. Wastes and refuses
that litter all the nooks and corners of Onitsha especially streets and
roads contribute to this menace. There is no adequate waste management
program for the collection and disposal of refuse. The ubiquitous trashes
are health peril to the urban dwellers; the reckless abandon of rubbish has
however, diminished and disfigured the aesthetic configuration of the city.
With the coming of the new governor Mr. Peter Obi, the local and state
governments could liaise to formulate sound environmental course of actions
and principles that will revive Onitsha. A solid waste service and prudent
management must be instituted for the collection, disposal and recycling of
discarded materials in a manner that will be safe, efficient,
environmentally sound and cost-effective. A blueprint strategy of
comprehensive refuse disposal to the landfill in Onitsha will spell a new
beginning for the city and its inhabitants of nearly 1 million. This will
create a neat ambience that will automatically elevate the quality of life.
By improving the environmental quality of Onitsha, it will definitely spur
rapid economic development. This is possible because it will attract new
businesses and capitalists - who will be willing to invest in the city and
as well, spend some time there. Not only that the improvement will
facilitate business activities; it will also help to position Onitsha as a
Mecca of business and tourism in Nigeria.
Environmental deterioration in Onitsha does not augur well for the citizens
of Anambra State in particular and Nigeria in general, in view of the
sociopolitical and economic symbolism Onitsha stands for. These have
significantly diminished against the status quo -due to neglect and
in-action. A city that had produced great legal and political bigwigs like
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and others, who were in vanguard of Nigeria’s
independence struggle and actualization, cannot be abandoned to rust and
decay. The task of rebuilding, restoring and refurbishing a new city does
not rest entirely on finance, though it is important, the primary and key
condiment is the political will. The resolve to combat the detrimental state
is and must be rooted on the political will and commitment.
All stakeholders –politicians, government executives even public companies
(as a result of their social responsibilities) must seize the opportunity at
this moment to act on the best interest of the masses. Initiating a master
plan and mustering the will-power to move forward must be the order of the
day. The electorates have rendered power or mandate to the leaders through
their elections into offices for an all-encompassing performance. With the
exception of God, no other is more sacred than the votes of the electorates.
The Governor and Chairmen of the local governments need no extra mandate
than the power already derived from the people as reinforced in the
constitution. Leadership must therefore, take the bull by its horns, by
nipping this menace in the bud.
The major environmental defect is the refuse abandonment, which must be
tackled to accomplish the lofty task of creating and cultivating sustainable
strategies for a cleaner environment in Onitsha. The initial strategy is to
constitute a task force under the auspices of the ministry of works, which
will then come up with the comprehensive plans to formulate the methodology
and implementation of refuse disposal. The committee will formulate
environmental policies and ethics that will delineate the responsibilities
of the private citizens and government officials in sustainable clean
environment.
Trash receptacles will be strategically placed to ensure that the public is
given ample opportunity to dispose of litter. Messages will be stenciled on
the trash barrels to enlighten the public on how to properly dispose of
litter. This will help to ensure that trash is removed before runoff; wind
or birds move it to the drainage channel.
Trash containers are to be emptied at a minimum of once a week. All
collected trash and debris will to be hauled to an approved landfill by
licensed solid waste disposal vehicles. Vehicles used to haul the debris
shall have a sealed bottom to prevent leaks or seepage, and the trash
materials shall be covered while the load is in transit. All personnel will
be instructed the correct procedure for trash disposal.
External monitors and strategists in the form of experts, consultants and
managers are needed to work with government. Government alone cannot
segregate itself from the private enterprises towards the planning and
implementation of sustainable clean environment. In the free market economy,
the presence of private industries does enable fast delivery of services and
portends well for probity, transparency and it deepens capitalistic
democracy.
I personally call on the Governor: His Excellency Peter Obi to use the power
of his persuasive office to show leadership and to empower the Onitsha
residents by cleaning Onitsha and return her to her past splendor.
-By Emeka
Chiakwelu, the founder of Afripol Organization.
ANAMBRA STATE OF NIGERIA AT 15: WE
ARE RISING AGAIN
A message from Mr. Peter Obi, Governor of
Anambra State, on the 15th anniversary of the creation of Anambra State,
August 27, 2006.
My dear people of Anambra State, Tôday marks the 15th
Anniversary of the creation of Anambra State. Ideally, we should be
celebrating, but if you seek my opinion, I will tell you sincerely that we
do not deserve to celebrate. I say this because I am one person who believes
that only achievements should be celebrated and not failure. Anambra State
can be likened to a failed State. All the hopes that attended its creation
amounted to a pot of water taken to the treetop and left to fall to the
ground in tiny watery bits. There is something trajectory about the life of
a State such as ours. Like a human life, it is given birth to, it grows and
it also dies. If you read Gibbon’s The Rise and Fall of Roman Empire, you
will appreciate what I mean.
Now, the question is: How has Anambra State fared? Anambra was born on 27th
August, 1991. Like a human being, at 15, it should have been out of diapers.
Regrettably, Anambra, to speak the truth, is still like an infant – we are
politically backward, economically lame and spiritually atrophied. I say
this to tell you that now is not the best of times to start celebrating
because there is precisely nothing to celebrate about.
All the other states, nine of them, that were created on the same day as
Anambra State have moved ahead on the fast tracks of justice, peace and
development, while there is hardly anything to write home about the land
that produced some of the greatest minds the Blackman has ever known.
As we clock 15, our unfortunate lot really calls for sober reflection. I
want us to reflect individually on how we have been able to contribute to
the growth and development of the State. My predecessors celebrated the
State’s birthdays, perhaps out of the conviction that our “achievements”
were worthy of Homer’s Song. I beg to differ. I spent the early part of my
days in office studying the State, its finances and the structures in place.
I make bold to say that we have not hit up to 20 per cent of our
developmental potentials. I am sad about this and I imagine all of us should
be sad too. Together, we can now resolve to start rebuilding our State.
In 15 years of existence, Anambra has found it impossible to build a
Secretariat, using instead a structure donated to us by the Federal
Government. Everyday our people troop to this place to work and yet it has
no running water. The structure is beginning to fall to pieces for lack of
maintenance. The Governor’s Office in Awka has no running water. The
Government Lodge at Amawbia does not have pipe-borne water. Water is brought
in tankers. Yet, those who misruled Anambra State spent billions of the
State’s resources to advertise phantom “achievements” and deceive the
gullible.
When we were a part of the old Anambra State, our schools were relatively
equipped. But today, not even a single secondary school in the State has a
well-equipped science laboratory, not to talk of computers. Yet this is a
Computer Age and the famed Dr. Philip Emeagwali is from Anambra State State.
The State-owned University is in a sorry state because past Governors,
rather than concentrate on building faculty and infrastructure, dissipated
energy and time citing the institution in their hometowns. Even our
hospitals are ill-equipped and dilapidated to the extent that not even one
of them is accredited by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
We previously excelled in sports, sometimes contributing up to five key
players in the nation’s soccer squad, for instance. Today we represent less
than a footnote in the text of national sports. To reverse this disgraceful
trend, we are building a playground in each local government area of the
State, as well as a stadium in each of Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi. Added to the
sports infrastructure will be highly motivated and well-trained coaches and
sports administrators.
In what specific areas can we claim that things are glorious for us? Palm
produce used to be a key aspect of our economy. Why did it go down? Look at
Onitsha, our main commercial centre. It got turned on its head, like an
asylum overrun by lunatics. Let me illustrate. At the inception of this
administration, we faced the spectre of sponsored hooligans, miscreants and
criminals who devalued Onitsha into a fiefdom. They seized the motor parks,
collecting and pocketing revenue accruing from them. They appropriated the
markets and fined the living daylight out of our people. They created a
monster called “Road Decongestion” and used it to waylay, beat up, torture
and maim motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. They imposed the law of
the jungle on Onitsha. Administrations since the inception of the Fourth
Republic turned a blind eye to this aberration.
But we said “no” to impunity and confronted the leviathan head on. Today,
they lie vanquished. I can state that, with the organized criminals sacked
from our lives, the next phase of our restoration of Anambra State has begun
in earnest. We are embarking on an immediate and massive operation to clean
up Onitsha. I promise that by Christmas, Onitsha will cease to be a pigsty.
It will return to the status of a city fit for human habitation. The gutters
will be cleared, the mountains of refuse blocking whole streets reduced to
nothing.
Where is the industrial spirit we once showed that made people call Nnewi
the Taiwan of Africa? Is it not disturbing that, 15 years after its
creation, Anambra has neither a base map nor a master plan for any of its
major towns; and yet we are supposed to be celebrating. Our “development” so
far can be likened to the listing of a rudderless ship.
One can go on and on to spell out our woes. But we must put away moaning and
mobilize. Only after we have done our duty to restore the dignity of people
can we say it is time for celebration. The state went starkly wayward before
now, to the extent that international/donor agencies that received red
carpet treatment in other states were turned away from Anambra – thanks to
the pointless politics of belligerency.
Utterly unconcerned by the idea of sustainable development, previous
governments, while creating the impression that they were too busy,
neglected to lay an industrial base for our growth. The efforts of
individuals were denied government encouragement and support. Prospective
investors were hindered by cumbersome land acquisition procedures. Thus, out
of some 213 privately-owned industries existing in the State ten years ago,
less than 80 are in operation today.
Anambra was one State where Permanent Secretaries did not have official
vehicles and yet political appointees boasted cars by the fleets. While
scrambling for the State’s cake, we did not access most of the grants due to
us. A good example of unclaimed dividends is Anambra’s money at the
Educational Trust Fund (ETF).
In the area of security, we fared terribly. Rather than adopt holistic and
enduring security measures, our predecessors concentrated on ad hoc security
arrangements that served individual purposes. This is part of the reason for
the proliferation of groups such as the Bakassi Boys, Anambra Vigilante
Service (AVC), NARTO, etc. Is it not said that whoever sows the wind reaps
the whirlwind?
But we cannot continue to bemoan our past; we shall strive to avoid its
pitfalls. The retrospect into the past is meant to help us define the
present by projecting into the future. George Santayana captured it very
well when he said that a person who forgot the past was condemned to repeat
it.
This Administration has resolved not to celebrate in an Epicurean fashion,
but rather to use this opportunity to call on Ndi Anambra to support the
efforts to lay a solid foundation for the State. It is when you lay a solid
foundation that other elements of development can go on apace. This is why
we have signed contracts for the State’s base maps and the master plans for
Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi. We have also started building a Secretariat. We are
equipping our schools; we started with 24, which will be equipped with
complete physics, chemistry and biology laboratories. We are equally
equipping 24 schools complete with computer classrooms. We are determined to
return professionalism to our educational system by appointing educationists
to man the vital sector. To motivate our work force and in accordance with
our policy of recognizing only merit, we have bought brand new 406 cars for
our Permanent Secretaries.
In Agriculture, we have secured N150 micro loan for our small scale farmers
and a N1 billion macro loan for our large scale farmers. We have paid our
counterpart funding for the FADAMA project. We have equally paid our
counterpart funding for the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) in
agriculture. Our progress in the agricultural sector has been so pronounced
that it drew the public acclaim of officials and members of the All Farmers
Association of Nigeria (AFAN).
We are determined and are indeed working hard to see that three of our
hospitals are accredited by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria in no
more than a year’s time. To this end, we have fully paid for all the medical
equipment that must be in place for the hospitals to merit accreditation. We
have bought eight ambulances for our hospitals, none of which had an
ambulance before the inception of our administration. Further, we are
setting up a cardiac centre at the General Hospital, Onitsha.
We are determined to consolidate the present cordial relations existing
between Abuja and Anambra State. It has helped us and it will certainly
continue to help us. Today the Federal Government shows more commitment to
the State and is actively working on the control of erosion, provision of
water and other infrastructure. We have received about 50 percent of the
more than N4 billion which the Federal Government promised to refund to us
for Federal roads in Anambra, even though the projects were dabbled into
without its approval.
We have concluded plans to build an industrial park, with many organizations
pledging to help us. At the moment, we are trying to secure permission to
construct the Atani Road, which will connect Anambra State directly to
Rivers State and the South South States.
Through our peace diplomacy, many International organizations that
previously fled Anambra are back to the State and are contributing their
quota to our development. These include the European Union (EU), the World
Bank (WB), the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA), the Department
for International Development (DFID), and the United Nations Environmental
Programme (UNEP), etc.
A lot positive things are happening today in many phases of development in
Anambra State. I have chosen to mention road construction last, to strongly
make the point that it really ought not to be the first. Nations compete
against one another not through roads built but through education and other
areas that principally deal with the building of the man.
Our Government will surpass other previous Administrations in road
construction. Our administration has paid in excess of N2 billion in fees
for road contracts awarded by the last administration. Work slowed down on
the roads sector due to the rainy season which is at its height. Now that
the rains are ebbing away, work will resume aggressively on all road
projects, whether intercity or township.
We have awarded contracts for two major roads: the
Anaku-Omor-Igbakwu-Ifite-Ogwari-Omasi Road (39 kms) and
Nibo-Awgbu-Amaokpala-Umuawulu-Oko-Agulu (27.691 kms). As I write we are
ready to sign the contracts for under-listed roads.
INTER TOWN ROADS
Awka-Nibo-Nise-Enugu-Ukwu Ring road – 15km; Igbariam road, passing through
Anambra State University of Technology up to Village 2 Market with spur –
13km; Ogbunike-Nkwelle-Ezunaka road – 8km.; Nanka-Oko By-pass – 2.2km; Nkwo
Agulu – Late Igwe Ejidike Agulu Road - 2.8km; Aguluzigbo – Nkwo Igboukwu
road - 9.6km; and Enugwu-Ukwu – Nri – Ezinano road – 6.5km.
TOWNSHIP ROADS (Awka)
Dualisation of Nnandi Azikiwe road to continue; and Rehabilitation of Arthur
Eze Avenue.
TOWNSHIP ROADS (Nnewi)
Nnewi-Curtis By-pass; Ezenwegbu Rd., Otolo, Nnewi; and Eme Court Road
TOWNSHIP ROADS (Onitsha)
Awka Road; New Market road; Sokoto Road; Niger Street; Creek Road; Uga
Street; Haruna Street; Nottidge Street; Old Enugu Road; New Nkisi Road (GRA);
Park Road (GRA); Modebe Avenue; Menax Road; Ogbo Avenue; New Cemetry Road;
and Ugwunabankpa Road.
This administration will pursue road construction simultaneously on many
fronts. I will use what we will achieve in roads construction to demonstrate
that it is the easiest thing a leader can do, although it should not be the
only thing.
My dear people, we already issued a publication entitled Our First 100 Days
which detailed the achievements we have so far recorded with your
unflinching support. Foremost in this connection is the reorientation of our
values of leadership. We are championing moral rearmament. Government is not
meant to be an avenue for siphoning state funds and pauperizing the people.
Government is to serve the overall interest of the people. Issuing out of
this injunction are many responsibilities. One is the regular and prompt
payment of salaries, which some others counted as spectacular achievements,
but which this government is effortlessly meeting.
We have diffused power. Even though I remain, as your Governor, the central
political authority in Anambra State, due responsibility has been accorded
the positions of Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries. Decisions are no
longer taken in a dictatorial fashion but arrived at in a consensual manner.
The Executive Council carefully considers, examines and weighs options
before the adoption and implementation of important decisions.
My dear people of Anambra, as we mark 15 years of the creation of our State,
let me, once again, invite you to reflect on the State and make up your mind
to contribute to its growth. For far too long, everybody’s time was wasted
through purposeless leadership. We deserve a front seat in the comity of
Nigerian States, because we have a surfeit of cerebral, hardworking and
resilient people. But like our people say: ‘taabugboo’. It is still early if
we begin today. It is not yet too late. With your continued cooperation,
Anambra shall certainly rise again.
As I conclude this message, I plead with you all to remain prayerful. We
must not rest on our oars. We must not flag. We should continue to strive
for the best interests of our State. We must index all our actions on
justice, which is the only ingredient for true and lasting peace, the
atmosphere for social order and economic development.
May God continue to bless Anambra State.
PETER OBI is the Executive Governor of Anambra State.
A SPEECH TO THE WORLD IGBO CONGRESS
AT BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS USA ON SEPTEMBER 2ND, 2006
BY COMMODORE OKOH EBITU UKIWE, GCON
When I say that I am exceedingly glad to be in your midst in this year’s
World Igbo Congress, I must be stating the obvious. It is even more
significant for me that the 2006 World Igbo Congress is taking place in
Boston Massachusetts, a place associated with great learning and
scholarship, where Igbo sons and daughters have made great contributions to
scholarship and inventions. Most of you gathered here are top class scholars
and professionals in your own right, making remarkable contributions to the
stock of human capital of the United States of America. Unfortunately, the
gain of the United States is the loss of Igboland and Nigeria, through no
fault of yours, but largely due to years of inept leadership in our country.
I must salute the vision of the founders of the World Igbo Congress. I also
salute the courage of your leadership, past and present, in keeping this
important organization going, over the years, with minimum crisis usually
associated with such human organizations. As someone who has led people in
different capacities, I do appreciate the dedication, the energy and
resources it takes to lead an organization as diverse as the WIC with
members who are highly exposed, enlightened and perhaps highly opinionated.
But you have remained focused and dedicated to the mission you set out for
yourselves, and today we are witnessing your 12th annual convention. I
congratulate all of you who have made this possible. I must also
congratulate the National Convention Committee and the Convention Planning
Committee in Boston for an excellent organization.
The theme chosen for this 12th Annual Convention is IGBO KWE, IGBO ENWEE.
This theme speaks of the virtue in collective determination, community
sense, unity of purpose and the abundant energy that flows from a collective
sense of self worth. IGBO KWE, IGBO ENWEE, reminds us all of the great
heights we can achieve for ourselves, irrespective of the unfavourable
environment we find ourselves in Nigeria, if only we can act collectively
for the common good. But to overcome our difficulties does not lie in
groveling to power or playing crybabies to the delight of those who enjoy
oppressing you or in betraying our collective interest for selfish reasons.
I come from a culture where we do not let the enemy know that we are hurt or
wounded by his actions. As Ndigbo, we must today resolve to defy those who
insist on humiliating us. And when I say defy, I mean, we must surmount the
hurdles placed by those who make our way to self-actualization unduly
difficult. In other words, we must have as our motto: IGBO KWE, IGBO ENWEE,
beyond this convention! In other words, we must take our destiny in our
hands! We must not surrender to oppression or persecution! And as Ndigbo, if
we must die, we must die on our feet, not on our knees! As the Chairman WIC,
Ichie Chibuzo Onwuchekwe, said in the flier that accompanied the invitation
card; “The 2006 convention in Boston and subsequent conventions must mark
the rebirth of the Igbo initiative and the turning in our collective
determination to deal with all odds”. In deed, we need a rebirth now to deal
with all the odds we face in Nigeria.
Part of the odds Ndiigbo face in Nigeria is that external interests have
invaded and destroyed Igbo values and imposed charlatans and renegades on
Igboland. These charlatans and renegades have taken over the political space
and done so much damage on the land. Today, mischief-makers, and there are
many of them in Nigeria, use the behaviours of these renegades to profile
Ndiigbo to the extent of even questioning the ability of Ndiigbo to provide
leadership to Nigeria.
It is in this light that I wholeheartedly endorse the call by the WIC
Chairman that: “We must embrace the need to make our culture important again
to our youths and at the same time remind ourselves of those values that
have worked for Ndiigbo in the past”. We cannot over emphasize the
importance of our culture in the envisaged rebirth. We have a generation of
Ndiigbo who are Igbo only in name, who do not know our history, who do not
know what it is to be Igbo, and who are even ashamed of those things that
make us Igbo! Indeed, a people are nothing without their culture. And
language is the key to any culture. If you cannot speak a language, you are
permanently locked out of a culture. My fear is that, unknown to us, we may
indeed be a dwindling race at the rate we are losing our culture! I say this
because of those of you in Diaspora. More of our children are cut off from
our culture because they do not speak our language. It is even more complex
for those of you here, because your children are first and foremost American
citizens. And they cannot understand why they should be less American than
the next American kid in school. But we can work out a way, as did other
cultures, through which they can enjoy their dual identity. I see no reason
why in the near future, the American census cannot recognize Ndiigbo in
America as Igbo-Americans just as you have Spanish-Americans,
Japanese-Americans and Polish-Americans. The recognition of these ethnic
minorities, to the extent that the United States is now a multi-lingual
society, is a phenomenon of recent years. But there must be Ndiigbo, who
speak the language, for you to be recognized as a language group. Igbo sons
and daughters are making important contributions to America to deserve this
recognition.
But above all, it is our culture that will act as the rudder to our future.
Often, I hear people dwell so much on why our lot in Nigeria has become a
difficult one. They tell our youth that it is because we lost a civil war.
But from today, we must tell our youth that Igbo history did not begin or
end with the civil war. We must teach our children that we are a people of
great heritage. We must tell our children that we have cultural values that
held human life sacred and held our womanhood inviolable and that Biafra was
a sanctuary to defend these our values; that we are the only group that have
never subjected ourselves to any external imperial force, be it colonial or
Islamic; that it was this indomitable Igbo spirit that inspired a 12 year
old Igbo boy, Olaudah Equiano (Olu-uda Ekwuano), when he was captured by
slave raiders to cry out: (I am Eboe!) Abu m Onye Igbo! Ekwuano went on to
buy his freedom, became a merchant, a great sailor and an abolitionist, and
helped resettle other Igbo slaves in present day Sierra Leone. There is a
beach somewhere in this United States, where Igbo slaves chose to drown
instead of being landed ashore as slaves! I understand it is called Eboe
Beach! Tell our children that it took only three decades from 1943 when we
produced the first Igbo lawyer to 1964 to not only catch up with, but also
overtake our closest rivals in Nigeria. Don’t tell our children only about
our losing the civil war; tell them also about our exploits in the
battlefield and our inventions during the war. Teach our children about the
contributions of great Igbo sons, Azikiwe, Mbonu Ojike, Michael Opara,
Dennis Osadebe, Nwafor Orizu and Z.C Obi to the political emancipation of
Nigeria. Don’t talk of only defeat to our children; teach them about Chinua
Achebe, Chike Obi, Eni Njoku, Kenneth Dike, Chinweizu and other Igbo
literary and scholarly icons. Above all, teach our children that Igbo nation
transcends the five South-Eastern states. As legendary Chinua Achebe himself
said, if we do not know where the rain started to beat us, we may never know
when we are dry! And if you do not know where you are going, every road
leads to your destination! My brothers and sisters, if we do not let our
children know about our great past, they can never have the confidence to
march into the future. We must therefore rededicate ourselves to the rebirth
of our cultural values; especially that of industry, honesty, hard work,
sanctity of life and respect for elders.
If we must take our rightful place in Nigeria, we must put our houses in
order. We must rid our land of nihilists and mercenaries, who would do
anything for money. I strongly believe that half of our problems in Nigeria
are self-inflicted. For example, if our people do not sell out, nobody will
impose discredited leadership on our people. In our various communities, we
know those who are corrupt and those who have integrity. I must salute those
of our state Governors who have made some strides with the limited resources
available to them. I believe that if we insist on principled people in
charge of affairs at the local and state levels, we can make great strides
in spite of the odds against us. Our leadership at these levels must
understand that as people who emerged from a brutal civil war and whose
drive and industry are greatly feared and suspected by other Nigerians, we
cannot afford any lethargy in our affairs. We often compare ourselves to the
Jews. But after what the Jews went through they said: Never Again! We are
yet to say never again to Onye Igbo robbing Ndiigbo! Our villages and towns
need urgent renewal. Our schools need to be the best again; that is how to
get the boys back into the schools. Our hospitals need to be able to cater
to our old and vulnerable. Our roads need to be of high quality as in the
days of Michael Okpara in order to promote commerce and industry. There must
be security of life and property in Igboland to enable those of you, who so
desire, to return home. In short let charity begin at home!
I have noted with keen interest the call by the WIC Chairman that: “We must
redouble our efforts to ensure that the next President of Nigeria is of Igbo
extraction”. I am also glad that the Chairman confessed that: “We have
worked on this initiative for many years…” Those of you who took part would
remember that this topic dominated the WIC in Houston, Texas in 2002 and in
Nashville, Tennessee, in 2003. It is about time we asked why we did not
realize this aspiration in the past. But may be we must remind ourselves
that IGBO KWE, IGBO ENWEE!
Let us remind ourselves that the Nigeria that President Obasanjo inherited
was a near failed state, a pariah state scorned and ridiculed by the
international community. It was a country where virtually every institution
that made for a state had collapsed. It was a country of prostate economy
and dilapidated infrastructure; a country heavily indebted to external
creditors. It was a country where corruption was the norm; in fact you were
considered odd or arrogant if you stayed above the rot. Our country was
where there was no rule of law and abuse of human rights was common.
Since 1999, President Obasanjo has wrestled with these problems to the best
of his abilities. Especially in the last four years of his tenure, he
embarked on economic reforms and anti-corruption war. He has succeeded in
exiting Nigeria from indebtedness to the Paris Club. But a lot more work
needs to be done to get Nigeria functioning again at the level it is
expected. One thing many Nigerians seem agreed upon is that the modest gains
of the Obasanjo administration must not be reversed. Instead, the next
leader must be someone who can take Nigeria to the next level. There are
varied opinions as to how to elect the next Nigerian President.
In my view, the major enemies of our nation today are flawed electoral
process, lack of integrity in public office, impunity, corruption and
poverty. Each problem creates the other evil condition. Flawed electoral
process produces men and women without integrity in public office; Lack of
integrity leads to impunity by public officers. Impunity is a necessary
condition for corruption. And corruption creates poverty among our people.
Therefore, to build on Obasanjo’s legacy, we must look for a man of
integrity, impeccable character and principle; a man who can inspire
confidence in Nigerians and the international community; a man whose past
can stand public scrutiny; a man who does not carry credibility burden; a
man who can do the job; a man who can keep his promise to Nigerians. Only
such a man can restore integrity to governance through personal example. It
is such a man that can restore dignity to public office through personal
comportment. It is such a man that can restore trust to governance by
keeping promises made to Nigerians. It is such a man that can make Nigerians
everywhere proud of their identity as Nigerians again. We need such a man
who is unencumbered by his past to raise the standard of public morality
through transparency, accountability and rule of law. You can agree with me
that these qualities transcend geography and religion. Thus while we can
take deliberate steps to assuage some group agitations, we must not lose
sight of the fact that, indeed, what our nation needs in 2007 is the right
man for the job. We cannot afford a leadership we cannot trust, or a
leadership whose past cannot inspire hope or who is too distracted by his
past to mobilize Nigerians for the job ahead. The presidency of Nigeria in
2007 must not be a place to rehabilitate discredited past or offer immunity
to those who should be facing justice.
Therefore, since President Obasanjo is not a contestant for 2007, and since
it is his legacy that will be at stake, I believe he has a patriotic duty to
see that the electoral process in 2007 is credible, free and fair for men
and women of integrity to emerge as leaders. History will remember him if he
breaks the cycle of the emergence of discredited people in important
leadership positions if he sees to it that the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, conducts a credible election in 2007. A credible
election is key to the consolidation of all that Obasanjo has tried to do in
the last eight years.
Having said these, I am sure many of you are keen to know where I stand on
2007. I can reveal to you that many groups from across the country have
called upon me to consider serving our country again at the highest level. I
have been consulting widely since then. I can also reveal to you that the
result of my consultations across the nation is so far very positive. I can
also tell you that I am available to serve. And that I have the capacity to
serve Nigeria. I believe that you will not disappoint as the demand of the
moment requires. All I can assure you is this: We need to retrieve our
country from the clutches of negative forces and cowboys. I want to restore
hope to Nigerians. I shall not disappoint you and the nation. My leadership
will not bring shame to Ndiigbo nor impose hardship on Nigerians. My
leadership will take Nigeria to the next level. I have a nine-point compact
with Nigerians, which I will unfold very soon.
Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I must not end without acknowledging your
Strategic Plan for Development of Igboland. Your strategy as articulated by
your Executive Board has set targets for yourselves. All these are
achievable goals once you pursue them with the same vigour with which you
have run the WIC for the past 12 years. All I can add is that you add
timelines to these strategies so that you can measure your progress every
year you meet.
Finally, permit me to thank you immensely for giving me this wonderful
opportunity to address this important and respected audience.
But let us all leave this convention with a rededication to the theme: IGBO
KWE, IGBO ENWEE!
Thank you and God bless you all. May God Bless Nigeria.
OKOH EBITU UKIWE, GCON, a Former Chief of General Staff, Ochiagha
Ochimba of Abiriba is a Presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2007 Elections.
HOME