Happenings

Senior Lawyers have risen to defend the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, who has been charged by the Federal Government  for offences that have to do with  the declaration of assets.

However, Nigerians have picked holes at the timing and the speed with which investigations were  carried out ,concluded and charges filed. The coming weeks hold  explanations of the unkown. Perhaps.

The United States stands by the millions of Congolese voters who went to the polls across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on December 30 to participate in presidential, legislative, and provincial assembly elections. Since independence in 1960, the DRC has never experienced a peaceful, democratic transfer of power. The December 30 election was therefore one of the most important elections in DRC history.

The United States was deeply concerned by the DRC’s National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) decision to deny accreditation to several international election observers and media representatives. We also noted that confusion on election day over the location of polling stations, the posting of voter lists, the late delivery of some election materials, and CENI's unfortunate decision to cancel elections in Beni and Butembo in eastern DRC disenfranchised voters. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, millions of Congolese citizens turned out peacefully across DRC on election day to cast their ballots and make their voices heard. ‎CENI must now ensure that these voices and votes are respected.

As the Congolese people, the region, and the world await patiently for the results of these elections, the internet must be restored and the media allowed to report freely. We strongly urge the CENI to ensure that votes are counted in a transparent and open manner, with observers present, and that the results reported by CENI are accurate and correspond to results announced at each of DRC's 75,000 polling stations. We support the African Union Election Observation Mission to DRC’s expectation, expressed on January 2, that the announced results align with votes cast by the Congolese people. As official results are tabulated and reported, we continue to urge DRC government officials, leaders of the DRC security forces, opposition party leaders, civil society representatives, and stakeholders from all sides to respect the law and reject violence.

There are moments in every nation’s history when individuals and political leaders step forward and do the right thing. This is one of those moments for the DRC. Those who enable a peaceful, democratic transfer of power out of respect for DRC’s constitution and the results of this election will be hailed, while those responsible for undermining democratic institutions and processes, threatening the peace, security, or stability of DRC or benefiting from corruption ‎will be held accountable. Those who undermine the democratic process, threaten the peace, security or stability of the DRC, or benefit from corruption may find themselves not welcome in the United States and cut off from the U.S. financial system.

On December 30, millions of Congolese went peacefully to the polls. Now is the time for CENI to affirm that these votes were not cast in vain by ensuring the accurate reporting of election results.

United States Department of State Washington DC

Nigerians have began asking questions on the allocation of one Billion Naira for President Muhammadu Buhari's travels in 2019 and 98 million Naira for his feeding for the same period. They argue that millions of people have for several years contended with hunger, poverty and  lack of basic amenities, with reprieve still not yet in sight.

In this interview, the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says that the 2019 Budget proposal the President presented to the National Assembly is extravagant and wasteful. Excerpts :

The President is to spend One Billion Naira for his travels and 98 million Naira for his feeding in 2019,  don't yout think these figure are outrageous ?

Nigerian leaders, generally, since  independence till date, have not been  able to offer us good governance, if the depreciation profile of the Naira, the increasing profile of the poverty indices, decreasing profile of the citizens' life span, uncontrollable unemployment rate, the increasing wave of insecurity and attendant anti-social antics, are to be considered.

We have clamoured over the years on the need to stem down, with effective control mechanism, wastages in governance and the need for commensurate adjustment to replace the gap between workers' allowances and that of political office holders, their retinue of aides and entourage.

In  order that approrpiate funding would  be able to get  allocated to the education  and helth sectors.

To reduce poverty, we equally need to look inwards, to impress all, the rich echelon of the society, to practice the culture of giving  or philantrophy, following the examples of  individuals such as Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and a host of others, including the Sudanese Mo Ibrahim, who is funding the course of good governance in Africa, with $5 Million to the winner country and $200,000 to the winner President. Is this not a motivation for African nations to practice good governance on the basis of need assessment as well as risk control ?

Nigeria is yet to get motivated and follow the part of wisdom.

It should remind us of the Ethiopian experience under Emperor Haile Selassie who ruled a poverty ravaged nation, but fed his Lion with an amount of money that could easily go round to save thousands of people per day. Critically looking into the 2019 budget, wherein One Billion Naira is to go for the Presidet's travels and 98 million Naira for his feeding for a year, coupled with a host of embarrassing figures to the poor, whose salaires while in service could never total up to One million Naira, not to talk of the meagre pensions and gratuties which may never be paid on time or even perhaps to be   forfeited, if the pensioners happen to die, due to the frustrating bureucratic process, it is unfortunate.

It is unfortunate that the figures are in the open at a time when the Academic Staff Union of Univerisities(ASUU) and Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics(ASUP) agreements failed with the attendant follow up strike actions forcing our children to take to the streets, roaming about aimlessly.

It is equally unfortunate to come to terms with the figures, at a time when pensioners can no longer support their failing health conditions due to paucity of funds, emanating from unpaid gratuities and pensions-which in most cases could be less than 5 million Niara after the mandatory 35 years  of meritorious service for their fatherland. One can now see why the politicians are in a mad rush to get into Aso Rock as President or Vice President at all costs, with no passion for the people who will give them the mandate, but who shall and have always been neglected in return. When they ought to benefit from the dividends of democracy through goal oriented service expected of the political office holders. When politics is made to be less attractive in terms of renumertion, then wisdom and sanity would prevail.

For example there is the need for a downward review of the allowances of political officed holders, Senators, Presidents, Vice Presidents and others. There is also the need  to remove the immunity clause for the state Governors and the President for the purpose of effective control of corruption in the land.

A cut down in the number of advisers and entourage of political office holdrers, will ever drastically minimize and curb wasteful spending

The Bi-cameral Legistlature has not really favoured the country in terms of quality lawmaking. If the impact level on the people is to be placed on the scale of measurement, the cost of running the National Assembly would equally be reduced, while attracting serious minded politicians that would be patriotic enough to the nation, by delivering quality legislation, once lawmaking is made part-time.

Above all, thereis the  need to critically review through the  MINIMAX formula of advantage and benefit at cost effective level- a better alternative between Parlaimentary and Presidential system of democratic government.

For the poverty level of the nation and its people, the budget proposal is too extravagant and wasteful, in the area of political office holder consumption profile and the renovation effect of their buildings when one considers the very poor rating in the area of capital project for infrastructure, provision of basic amenities to alleviate poverty, education and health sectors in particaular as they directly affect the people.

My final poser, is on questioning the  competence level of the politicians for system control, with this final question : Is the opportunity to serve the people more for affluence and influence or a determination to impact on the lives of the people positively ?

Only selfless service based on altruitic philosophy can turn around Nigeria for better, through visionary, purposeful leadership and functional democratic due process of justice and equity

President Edgar Lungu of Zamibia has blamed the increasing rate of child marriages to the poverty level and practices of leaders in the rural areas.

President Lungu made this disclosure during an interaction with some Traditional Chiefs at the State House.

"The challenge we still have is poverty levels especially in rural areas, some traditional leaders still tend to think that marrying off

girls early will bring money in the family but they are forgetting that they are actually denying them chances of bettering their lives

after withdrawing them from school," the President stated.

In their reaction the Traditional Chiefs  urged President Lungu to Lobby the African Union to initiate policies that would bring an end toEarly Child Marriages and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The four chiefs led by Chief Chamuka VI , include Chief Chikwanda, Chief Madzimawe and Chieftainess Muweza  ahev been to and recently Malawi and Nigeria on consultative and dialogue meetings.

The All workers Convergence(AWC)  has warned of the imminent withdrawal of the solidarity of Nigerian workers for their labour leaders if a new national minimum wage is not achieved by end of December 2018.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas  & a Happy       New      Year

From all of us at People

The National Bureau of Statistics has disclosed that 20.9 million Nigerians are unemployed. Indeed, unemployment is the major discussion among Nigerians.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari has opined that the figure reeled out by the NBS, is a reflection that his administration is making progress in governance.

Nigerians are shell shocked by the President's remarks and the fact that rice farmers have contributed about N1.7 Billion for the President's re-election, even though rice as a foodstuff has gone beyond the reach of the common man.

In this interview with People, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke says that the misinformation of the Federal Government's paid agents gives it the impressions that it has  fulfilled its promises. Excerpts :

The National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) has stated that 20.9 million Nigerians are jobless, what is your reaction to this figure ?

The Federal Government is only focusing on the 30 areas it has made progress without taking into consideration the impact level on the people. And because most of our leaders  depend solely on the information of their paid agents, such as the Ministers, Commissioners, Governors and retinue of Personal Assistants, they are rather misled into believing that the yearnings of Nigerians have been met.

The best way for self assessment on governance is to have direct pulse of the nation by physically going to some of the market places to see the reality of things.

When the Queen of England visited, during ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo's tenure, she refused to be locked  in the nation's luxuries, but told the President to take her round some of the market places. After going round the Queen told the President, that he should take the issue of poverty alleviation serious, as she stated that she observed  suffering on the faces of the people.

This is a nation where  the unemployment rate has jumped from 14.2 per cent in 2016 to 23.4 per cent in 2018 and 20. 9 million Nigerians has been declared  as the figure of unemployed Nigerians in 2018, while the record of those who are underemployed has made the figure to rise to 40 per cent of the total population.

Let us remember that the spate of killings have made nonsense of more than 1040 schools, with between 400,000 and 500,000 students affected.

What about the increasing number of  Nigerian Children, who are out of school, in 2010 it was 10.5 million and presently it is 13.9 million.

The President must believe less in the paid agents and ensure he uses SWOT analysis to restrategise in order that his desire for good governance, that would be beneficial to all , most especially those who gave him the mandate to rule, are met.

The SWOT analysis on the Nigerian situation reveal our areas of strength and opportunities in the abundance of endowed resources, natural and human to be in abundance.

Our areas of weaknesses duel more on competence for the desired astute management and classical administration to operationalize  functional Democracy based on justice and equity for peace and development to reign.

Our areas of threats are on security issues that bothers on conflict management, as well as the fifth column role in government and the state apparatus making  progress too difficult to come by.

Mr. President, therefore, needs to realize that his immediate challenge is on his ability to identify the true elements in his cabinet and government, that is, he must motivate  the prime movers not to lose them into another party.

He must build the capacity of the lackadaisical, to be able to contribute meaningfully to government's business of building the nation while the catalytic elements, that is the rebellious ones must be managed with maturity and transformed into useful elements for the party and government.

No government with in-house problems and inconsiderate opposition can stand the test of time.

To avoid driving people to an hopeless state of despair, there is need for Mr. President to restrategize into visionary leadership that would be proactive in taking decisions to fix things, purposeful leadership that would be directional in operation and sacrificial to make things work.

My candid advice to the others in the All Progressives Congress(APC) is for them to imbibe the essence of togetherness in sharing visions  for government to be able to deliver beneficial services to the people, who are now more well informed in the spirit of globalization.

Above all, the fear of the potential of the opposition to damage and remove must be the beginning of wisdom, to mend fences within and creditably deliver the expectations of the People of Nigeria.

A former Governor of Oyo state, who is also the governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party(ADP) Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala has described the present administration in the state as one  with policies and programmes which have brought pain and despondency on the people.

Otunba Adebayo made this assertion recently, at the official presentation Otunba Alao-Akala and Prof. Abideen Olaiya as the ADP  candidates for the 2019 Gubernatorial Elections in Ibadan, Nigeria.

''My  heart aches because 90 per cent of the outgoing government's policies, programmes and projects are best described as anti-people which leave our people in pain and despondency''.

''Instead of criticizing , I made myself available to guide the incumbent government on how best to run proactive and pro-people governance, but the driver lacks  the required goodwill.

Today the major sectors of  our economy, which are education, health, agriculture and environment have been  either neglected or bastardized Oyo state is in a serious mess''.

''We do not need a learner or  experimental Governor. Leadership is example. Service to humanity especially holding a public office is not a function of age  but mental capacity, experience, maturity, good vision and mission, sensitive, responsiveness, credibility and popular acceptability of a person. I am offering myself again to serve the good people of Oyo state because I am healthily  and mentally fit for rigorous tasks of governance, '' Otunba Alao-Akala.