Arise O Compatriot

Being a text of a speech delivered by Che Oyinatumba at a lecture organised by the Abuja Socialist Collective to mark this year’s May Day.

I the president of the oppressed voiceless Nigerians, address you to live up to the creed and wordings of the Nigerian National Anthem, especially, ARISE O COMPATRIOT.

This is another May Day. A day to celebrate the toiling workers contributions to the Nigerian economy and the workers’ contributions to the betterment of those in power. It is a day of long speeches and empty promises from “invited guest” representing the government and other oppressors of the worker-the private sector. The greatest oppressor of workers in Nigeria, the multi-nationals, especially the Asian won factories, is regretting that the worker in the name of May Day will have a day off to relax/recreate and revaluate his unrewarded contributions to his Oga’s healthy bank account. Whether they like it or not, the labourer deserves his wages and rest.

But the toiling, impoverished and homeless workers of Nigeria have no rest to enjoy as the commonest basic needs cannot be met by the peanuts they receive as salary. Furthermore, the thieves of our mandate has started abracadabra called probe. From Power Sector to NNPC, all we hear is that OBJ and his gang of thieves looted Nigeria dry, leaving Nigeria worst than Abacha raped her. Nigerian workers should arise and demand from Yar’Adua’s administration what he intends to do after these probes. Will there be light? Those fingered by the probe report MUST be tried and jailed. Nigerian worker, arise and demand for the prosecution of Imoke, Agagu,Ezekwesili,Obasanjo, Abusalami Abubakar (MD of Energo) and others indicted. The wages of a worker is affected when the industrial wheels refuse to turn as a result of no electricity. It is the right of the worker to work and that of her employer to provide a conducive environment for the worker to produce his best with dignity.

Workers of all trades unite and march down National assembly to demand the arrest of all the companies who took our money without going to site and carrying out the job. Nigerians should know that the greatest defence of these thieves and looters of our national treasury is the non demand of their trial and jailing by the vast majority of the oppressed Nigerians. The ruling class can never try then, unless we the oppressed declare a fatwa on them. Arise now.

We also call on all progressive Nigerians, to task the presidency to disclose the illness Mr. Yar’Adua is suffering from. If he has AIDS, let us know and bear it. We want to know how much was spent on his latest trip to Germany to cure an allergy related infection and from which allocation was the deduction made. Mr. Yara’Adua cannot be shouting Rule of Law without being transparent to Nigerians. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. This unwarranted trip abroad is an indictment that his administration has failed, will not be any better that those before her and the 7 point agenda mantra, is carved out to deceive Nigerians. Why is there no “catarrh” treatment centre at the National hospital Abuja or any of the numerous University teaching hospitals sprinkled across the country? Nigerian doctors should be retrained to arrest this “catarrh” since it

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El-Ruffai Spent N660m on Demolition Exercise.

By Ashimole Felix/Abuja. 

Mallam Yahaya Yusuf, Acting Director in the department of Development Control Federal Capital Territory Administration testifying at the Senate Committee investigating the past activities at the Federal Capital Territory Administration, said that FCTA under el-Ruffia  destroyed 73,956 houses at the cost of N660m.

Meanwhile an organisation under the aegis of Abuja Forum is accusing the Senate Committee of going on a witch hunt to nail el-Ruffai.

el-Ruffai the past minister, is yet to testify at the ongoing public hearing. When el-Ruffai was minister FCT, he went on a dare devil demolition of structures considered illegal and not in conformity with the Abuja master plan, lands were revoked despite the owners tendering a Certificate of Occupancy, given by el-Ruffai’s  predecessor. Confessions by FCT authorities at the hearing have exposed el-Ruffai as a fraud, who paid lip service to the restoration of Abuja master plan.

It was gathered that el-Ruffai,  using AGIS (Abuja Geographical Information Service) recertified and allocated choice plots revoked from the legitimate owners to the cronies of the ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo.     

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SUPER TUESDAY!

Written By: Che Oyinatumba.

Sorry, its not about Barrack Obama, who since after America’s Super Tuesday, has given all blackmen the faith to believe that dreams do come true and a man is judged by the content of his ideas, character and not the colour of his skin. Nigeria’s super Tuesday is on 26th 2008.

On Tuesday Febuary 26th, two great events will take place.One is a microcosim of the macrocosim. Whatever be the out come, it will affect me, if it doesn’t break my heart, it will scratch it and sure must leave an indelible scar.

Within my own little world, the Registrar General of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has called for a meeting to address the hydra-headed problems confronting CAC. We salute the courage of the RG to dream up this idea. In as much as we have misgivenings about the venue, we encourage all lawyers to attend and bare their minds. Our mis-givings over the venue-Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Center, is hinged on the fact that about a year ago, the CAConline programme was midwifed at this centre and since this premature delivery, the online registration suffered the faith of African child-manultrution and death. Taking us to this centre gives one a feeling of dejavu.

The other event that will take place on Tuesday the 26th of Febuary, is the delivery of the Court Appeal sitting in an electoral capacity over the infamous Iwu doctored April 2007 General (s)Elections in Nigeria. A lot has been said about the outcome and the reaction of President Yar’Adua. While others opine that the president will not seek re-election based on fear of one way ticket to Germany to cure cold; he will not appeal the judgment, this writer is of the opinion that PDP will never allow him. After all the Supreme Court in Amaechi Vs PDP & Others ruled that it is the political party that contests election. So whether Yar’Adua refuses to contest the re-run, PDP will still hoist a candidate from the North-East, where the party has zoned the presidency.

The members of the Yar’Adua is doing well school of thought, believes that if a fresh election is organised, Yar’Adua will win free and fair.This argument is anchored on the fanatical zeal with which Yar’Adua’s administration is dismantling the ‘legacies’ of Obasanjo. According to the radical wing of this school of thought, the tribunal, will rule in favour of Yar’Adua and PDP.I differ with these argument.

Let me take on the radical die hard faithfuls. The lower tribunals have removed five(5) governors, unmarked Mark the Senate president, who are all product of the same election that vomitted Yar’Ardua on us. Doesn’t logic and common sense explain that a paper used to wrap salt, is salty? Weren’t some of the elections discredited by the tribunals done on the same day with Yar’Adua’s? Did INEC change staff to conduct presidential election? Did places where PDP was indicted of rigging, only rigged for the Senator and not the presidential election?

The wise men at the tribunal, should borrow a leaf from their brothers at the lower tribunals, continue to reinforce the new found faith of Nigerians in the judicial system and …(its prejudice to rule for the court). Their fearless ruling will have a ripple effect on other states, whose tribunal is yet to rule.

Yar’Adua’s winning of a bye election(?), is as a result of dearth of viable opposition in Nigeria. In well over 6months into Aso Rock, Yar’Adua has not fulfilled any of his electoral promises. The energy sector has gone from epileptic to comatose. The joy of this administration is “reversalism”, running a relay race backward. I am not holding forth for OBJ, Fani-Kayode, Remi Oyo, Nweke Jr and diminitive El-Rufiai are still alive to defend what their administration did while in government.

For non-developing nation like Nigeria, continuity of governmental policies is the express way out of the woods. These policies may not have been the best, but it behoves on the masses, to prompt their representatives, to repeal this or that. But with the excutive fiat Yar’Adua is turning the apple cart,one can not but smell rat that this administration is waging an economic terrorist attack on a sector of the rich class without the interest of the masses at the base of the ladder. What becomes of the shares of impoverished Nigerians in these companies the government has rolled over? Should Yar’Adua win a re-election, rejoice not O Nigerian, for then will your sorrows multiply.In the sense that the real Musa will emerge without fear of election petition, or the hairy hands from Ota Zoo.

Should Yar’Adua lose, the opposition should make the removal of Iwu as a sina quanon to participating in any bye-election. All the resident commissioners who pertook in the conduct of the ignoble election, should be reliefed of their job.

As a matter of National urgency, they should not take part in Kogi, which is the litmus test.

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