Abuja Carnival 2008 Opens

It is no doubt Culture Tourism is gaining prominence like all other forms of tourism ( eco, health sex etc). Culture tourism helps to showcase the vast and different cultural heritage of a people. Nigeria with its diversity of people and culture qualifies as a melting pot of culture and thus boasts of very high potential for culture tourism.

In a bid to harness this potential and its attendant capacity to generate revenue for the country as well as to re-position and re-brand Nigeria; the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation in collaboration with Nigeria - the Heart of Africa project initiated the Abuja Carnival. The maiden edition of the Carnival was held in 2005 and has been held annually. Read more

Homosexual Church in Nigeria: a fall out of the Lambert Conference boycott

Following active instigation by the Primate of The Church of Nigerian Anglican Communion, Bishop Archbishop Peter Akinola, a good number of African Bishops boycotted the 2008 Lambett Conference, protesting the presence of a homosexual bishop from Boston USA and the coded silence of the Anglican church on same sex marriage.

In retaliation, the gay community worldwide instigated their brothers in Nigeria to come out of their closet to shame the African Bishops, especially the Nigerian Communion.

Like an eerie wind of an impending Armageddon, Nigerians were shocked to read of the first homosexual service in Nigeria. Prior to this opening up, the gay church had widely advertised that they will hold a vigil in Lagos and true to words, they invited pressmen to attend this year’s convention of the church. The theme of the 2^nd annual conference/convention is “Would Jesus Discriminate”

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Drinking Water Kills 63 in Zamfara

The much taunted Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and the over prized Yar’Adua’s 7 Point Agenda were put to shame and their snail speed, if not unrealisable target were made manifest in Damba near Gusau Zamfara State, where about 63 Nigerians ranging from as innocent as age 2 to experienced 60 years and above, died as a result of water borne illness.

The people of Damba are ill at ease as the illness that had manifest symptom of vomiting and diarrhoea claims the life of its victim in less than 1 hr. Their anxiety is further heightened by the refusal of the staff of a Damba Basic Health Centre to administer drugs to the patients. According to Talatu Saidu, a staff at the centre, the patients claim is not true. She claims that at the outbreak of this strange illness, Gusau Local Government provided about 20 bottles of the required drugs, which though wasn’t adequate, have been exhausted.

WPV cannot comprehend why Nigeria rulers can travel abroad to cure “cold”, when teeming Nigerians can’t afford basic drinking water. The much parroted elevation of Nigeria into the league of most industrialised nations by 2020 will remain a fleeting illusion if the healths of Nigerians are not taken as priority. The wheels of any industry are propelled by the arms of a healthy and well fed working class.  Nigerians, who cannot afford to travel abroad for spiritual rejuvenation in a “lesser hajj”, should agitate and demand for accountability from their local government chairmen.

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F.C.T. Minister Blames FG for Delay in Development

The Minister of FCT, Moddibo Umar, has confirmed that his ministry is owing contractors handling projects in Abuja 150 billion and that these contractors have threatened to down tools. It is this non-availability of funds that is responsible for the slow development and completion of projects in the federal capital. He also said that it is only JB (Julius Berger) that mobilises to site on credit.

He said the delay in payment of contractors was due to the meagre allocation given to FCT in this year’s budget.

But people on the streets of Abuja debunked the claims of the minister, querying why the minster should go ahead with the building of a boulevard estimated to cost 60 billion naira. They also want to know why out of the 60 district areas mapped out in Abuja master plan, only 6 have been developed. The other question they want Mr. Minister to answer is why there is heavy concentration of development in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) while the other area councils remain undeveloped and a shady reminder of an abandoned farm settlement.

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Yar’Adua’s Health Hullabaloo: The Untold Theories

That Mr. President is human and afflicted with human weakness is not news. The President himself was half honest during his one year anniversary interview on national television on May 29^th 2008, wherein he expressed thanks to Nigerians over their worry about his health condition. His spin doctors interpreted Nigerians anxiety to mean love for Mr. President.

Last week, barely 3 months after, Nigerians had cause to be anxious again about the health condition of Mr. President. Mr. President disappeared between Saudi Arabia and Brazil. This time, the spin doctors have been caught bra up, pant down and the only feeble excuse they can give is that His Excellence has gone on a lesser Hajj (Umrah) to pray for divine intervention in solving Nigeria’s problems, but couldn’t explain what conditions that have developed that stopped him from transiting to Brazil to open the newly built Nigerian House in Perlourinho Bahia.

Few months ago, the Vice President Mr. Goodluck Jonathan had course to seek the Pope’s intervention in Nigerian affairs. The visit was shown on national television at prime time. It is routine that Nigerians on hajj are shown on TV. Why hasn’t any even government media, shown the image of President Yar’Adua performing the lesser hajji? If not for the propaganda effect, such clip will fasten the faith of the faithful to seek redress by praying to God, since the first citizen of the country has gone penitently to God in fasting and prayers. The loquacious Ojo Maduekwe the Foreign Affairs Minister, the amiable Special Assistance on Media/Communication, Mr. Segun Adeniyi, have been criminally silent over the where about of Mr. President, adding fuel to the speculation that Mr. President is terminally ill. Forget the belated article “Between the President and the First lady” written by Adeniyi and circulated in all the media houses. Having read Adeniyi in his days as a caustic columnist (Verdict) with Thisday Newspaper, it is a shame that he stoop to defend the First Lady instead of Mr. President. One cannot help but wonder if he is Madam President’s SA.

The untold reason why the President’s health is being masqueraded is Sections 144-146 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its consequent effect on the Niger Delta, the North-South dichotomy of PDP power shift arrangement. In summary, should Mr. President be found unfit to continue in office, the VP takes over and complete the residue of Mr. President’s tenure. Nigeria being what it is, where no incumbent has lost an election, the fear in some quarters is that the South-South will become president by default. Did I hear you say there is twice Luck in Goodluck? This explains why each time Mr. President goes on AWOL (Absence Without Leave), Mr. VP is kept in the dark. If this conspiracy theory is farfetched, who could have opened Nigeria’s house in Brazil a Minister of Culture or the Vice President?

Another theory about the “I must go abroad for treatment” is hinged on Subsection (5) of Section 144 Supra. The president’s loyalists are not sure of resolution of the “executive council” will be favourable. The executive council for the purpose of Section 144 is infested with many political foes of Mr. President, even those of the PDP, after all a man’s greatest enemy are members of his household. To prevent the “enemies” who lost out at the arm-wrestling at Eagle Square, from having the last laugh, the frequent abroad visits must be coated with religion if need be.

Of all the theories making rounds, the political solution with active judicial participation is the one I find most ingenious. The craftsmen of the 1999 Constitution despite panel beating everything to protect Abacha, couldn’t have dreamt up this. The theory is simple and it has been test ran in many states where the Court of Appeal ordered a bye-election. The Supreme Court that has adjourned sine die the hearing of Buhari/Atiku’s appeal is believed to fix a date for the hearing of the matter very soon if the health condition of Mr. President “persists” after 2 months. PDP pundit are theorizing that the apex court will nullify the election and call for a bye-election to create an Electoral Act 2006 lacuna that will allow the PDP to maintain the gentleman power shift arrangement and frustrate Goodluck’s luck.

The snag in this theory is not any chance of the rag tag opposition parties winning the envisaged bye-election but the character of Mr. President. (The opposition has never won any bye-election proceeding from judicial intervention in the INEC 2008 April “fraud”). Despite Umar’s calm demeanour, he is as stubborn as a bereaved donkey and would rather brace the odds than chicken out.

 For all we care, this writer may even die before the AIDS patient in National Hospital but it should be remembered that national assignment is not sentimental; a nation is as healthy as its president. The present president’s health condition is further slowing down the comatose administration. All promoted service chiefs have not being decorated with their new ranks; Mr. VP cannot attend to national issues that require an acting president. In the interest of Nigeria, President Umar Yar’Adua, should borrow a katana from Samurai, do a patriotic act and enter the annals of Nigerian history as a president who did not allow lust for ephemeral power ruin his chances of contributing to national development as an elder statesman.  

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Policing The Police (1): 15A Awolowo Way Ikoyi Lagos.

Sure you don’t know where 15 A Awolowo Way Ikoyi is. It is the EFCC regional head office, located in Lagos. I had the misfortune to be there last week. What I saw showed that the fight against corruption is at best lip service and a dance to the tune of western donors to curb the repatriation agitation of Africans.

At what stage did 419 become a national identity, remains the headache of criminologists. But an average Nigerian believes that Yahoo Yahoo boys, is an answer to the colonial rape of Africa, predated by slavery. The African wants his pound of flesh from the greedy white man who wants to further underdeveloped Africa. No Nigerian has any problem with yahoo yahoo boys, so long as the victim is not a Nigerian.

In response to the Onyibo’s attempt to frustrate the attempt at economic repatriation, EFCC was born to check the smartness of Nigerians to benefit from the greed of the white man. If you have read any 419 letter, you will agree with me that the victim must be blinded by greed to forget that the astronomical profit promised him cannot be real. It is only a half-wit that will believe that the Central Bank Governor of Nigeria will advertise for investment through an open and porous avenue as emil.

In furtherance to the desire of Obasanjo’s regime to distance herself from the dark image of General Ibrahim Babangida(419 flourished most under him) and Abacha, EFCC was born. But has the EFCC achieved the aim for which it was set up?

Under Nuhu Ribadu, there was selective success. The imagined enemies of the regime in power were branded corrupt and ran aground. There was also a significant image laundry with the Brazilian 419 case. Another landmark achievement of the Ribadu era in EFCC, was the terror with which EFCC was viewed. The fear of EFCC became the beginning of political wisdom for the enemies of third term. Another success was the creation of partnership with the civil society groups. A fix Nigeria Initiative was launched and a good number of dying human right activists were given a life line. Before Ribadu left, this Fix Nigeria Initiative, became comatose and all EFCC had to show for it, is a litany of private law firms, on retainership with the commission.

The greatest failure of Ribadu, was the personalization of the Commission. Ribadu, courted the media and was branded as rare specie. His civil society accomplices were blinded to the constitutional flaws that made him answerable to the Inspector General of Police. In a quest to turn himself to the alpha and omega of war against corruption, Ribadu and the commission, failed to raise a crop of corrupt free staff of the commission.

I have had course to hear testimonies of graduates of EFCC detention cells.

These suspects accuse EFCC operatives of asking for bribe; torture and fragrant abuse of human right. I have always taken these as the ranting of desperate men in quest of justice. But my visit to 15A Awolowo Road Ikoyi, gave me first hand information about the level of rot in EFCC.

Structurally, the Ikoyi office is a mess. The environment is dirty, the gutter over flowing and there is nothing to give the impression that you are in a commission that has the mind set to create a crime free Nigeria.

There was a shout of joy when PHC brought light. A staff confided in me that power is one of their major problems that those at the generator rooms, put on the gen at will and often complain about lack of diesel. And when the gen comes on, its not all the departments are lit. In most departments, the photocopying machines do not work. Documents are photocopied outside at the expense of the complainant.

Another stain on the eagle’s beak is the corrupt practices by the staff. Cases of accused persons who have given bribe to EFCC operatives but are afraid to testify for fear of their case being complicated by the investigating team.  The recent petition by Chief Nwude against Ribadu, is a serious allegation that epitomizes what others go through in the hands of EFCC.

If Mr. Waziri is serious, she should go beyond redeploying and arresting Ribadu men in EFCC and totally sanitize EFCC.  The 11 officers of the EFCC sacked recently should be prosecuted. Furthermore those behind the delay in the investigation of the petition submitted to EFCC by NAFDAC complaining about the use of forged NAFDAC letter headed papers to perpetuate fraud, should be investigated, as Nigerians believe that money has greased EFCC operative palms to facilitate in the stampeding of the NAFDAC petition.

The life styles of these operatives show that they couldn’t be maintained merely by their salary and allowances. What became of a team leader in 15A Awolowo Road Ikoyi who was captured in camera in a compromised deal with a suspect’s relations negotiating “bail”? This “negotiation” is not only operational in Lagos. The Abuja office of EFCC is not any cleaner. There is need for constitutional protection for the accused to accuse his accusers. The current provision that a giver of bribe is as guilty as the receiver is hypocritical and couched to protect the law enforcement agencies. There is need for an institutional frame work to police those agencies empowered to police both our democracy and our lives and properties.   

 

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