NEWS : There’s need to renegotiate Nigeria’s unity for equity sake – First Republic, Minister, Amaechi

 

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The only surviving nationalist, first republic Minister of Aviation, and a member of the Zikist Movement, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi, has called for the renegotiation of the unity of Nigeria to bring about equity for all.

The 91 years old former minister spoke yesterday at a press conference organised by Global Movement for Igbo Presidency (GLOMIP) at his home in Ukpor, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, where the group called on him to lend his voice to the call for Igbo Presidency.

Amaechi insisted that nothing was unnegotiable, including the unity of Nigeria, especially if the negotiation will bring about equity and equality, and also quell agitations by parts of the country.

Amaechi said, “Whatever concerns the betterment of Nigeria, I will always take part in it. I’m the only surviving member of our set.

“We know how hard we fought to achieve independence for Nigeria, and up till today, I still look forward to a better Nigeria. Whatever concerns Nigeria, I will not take a backseat, that is why I accepted when I was told to be a part of this press conference by GLOMIP.

“I am one of those who fought for independence. I suffered incarceration, and apart from being a member of NCNC, I was a member of the Zikist movement, the radical wing of the party. I have been in prison many times because of the independence of Nigeria and my first imprisonment was at the age of 21.

“There is a need to come together and renegotiate the basis of our unity for equity sake. This part of the country (South east) has been marginalized for too long. Only renegotiation will quell the agitations by some people in the country.”

Going back memory lane, the nationalist said, “We the Zikist Movement always went in and out of prison those days, and I remember that each time someone came out of prison, we organized a reception for him and in the midst of that, we always gave out white caps to them with the inscription – PG, meaning, Prison Graduate, and we always wore it with pride to public places, even in motorparks.

“I remember that we fought this fight without any ulterior motive. It was after independence that someone recommended me for minister, saying that I suffered too much in the struggle. That was how I became the youngest minister of the first republic.

“In 1966, the military struck, and from one military head to another for 38 years, and Nigeria became a stinking cesspool of corruption. There is need to salvage the country and we pray whoever can salvage her, let God throw him up in 2023.”

Leader GLOMIP, Mr Kennedy Iyere who addressed journalists said the solution Nigeria is looking for is with the Igbos, and that someone from the zone needs to be given the chance to fix the country.

“Nigeria deserves a better country than what we have today, and we know that. The reason for the formation of this group is to drive the Igbo Presidency, and we know that our Daddy (Amaechi) will be alive to see it happen in 2023.”

Also speaking, former minister of women’s affairs, Mrs Josephine Anenih said that the group is not only asking for an Igbo man to be president, but that the Igbo man must come from the South east zone.

“That president must not only come from Igbo land, but he must come from the South east. That zone that has been long denied everything good, that zone that has been decimated and neglected, that is where the president must come from.

“That is why each time I hear people say Igbo president, I try to correct them that it is not just Igbo president, but Igbo president of South east extraction for Nigeria. That president will not be a president for Igbo people only or for people of the South east, but an Igbo man, who is from the South east to become president for Nigeria,” she stated.

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Senate President, Gov Buni visit former Kano Governor over father’s death

 

of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan on Saturday, paid a condolence visit to former Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabi’u Kwankwaso over the death of his father, Alhaji Musa Sale Kwankwaso.

Lawan was in accompany of the Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni and the Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Sahabi Yau Kaura during the condolence visit to Kano.

Alhaji Musa Sale Kwankwaso died and was buried on Friday.

The Senate President and the Yobe State Governor and their entourage held prayers with Senator Kwankwaso at his Kano home at Miller Road, Bompai and also at the graveside of his father.

Speaking shortly on arrival, Lawan said the visit was specifically to sympathise and condole with Senator Kwankwaso on the demise of his father.

“This loss is for all of us. Religiously and traditionally, there is no division or dichotomy among us. This is what we should do to condole with anybody who is bereaved. Likewise, if something good happens, it’s also for us to rejoice and congratulate one another. This is the way we should treat each other. This is what is expected of us.

“We pray that God should have mercy on our father. God should forgive him. He lived a fulfilled and befitting life. He lived a life of service, helping others. He lived a life of sacrifice and brought unity to the community.

“We that he left behind, may we also leave a good legacy behind when our time is over. May God grant you the fortitude to bear the loss. May God console all of us for this great loss of our father,” Lawan said.

Responding, Senator Kwankwaso thanked his guests for being able to spare time to pay his family the condolence visit.

NEWS : Salary payment statutory responsibility of government – AD chieftain, Alao tackles Makinde

 

A chieftain of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Oyo State, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao, on Sunday, declared that payment of salaries to workers is not an achievement any Governor should be celebrating.

Alao, who contested gubernatorial election on the platform of AD in 2019, said that Governor Seyi Makinde of the State was not rendering any assistance to workers in the when he announced that he has been paying salaries of workers since his assumption of office.

Our correspondent recalls that the State Governor had said that he is fulfilling one of the promises made to workers by paying their salaries as at when due.

But, Alao in a statement made available to  through his Media Aide, Omotayo Iyanda, insisted that the Governor should be reminded that salary payment is a statutory responsibility of any employer of labour.

Alao added that what was scary was the fact that the salaries were being paid with bank facilities tied to the federal government monthly allocation, adding that that practically, Oyo monthly allocation was being used to pay salaries alone.

Alao, who added that Makinde’s administration had been characterized with improprieties, burdens of loans, insincerity of purpose, inconsistency, pretence, policy reversal, called on Makinde to retrospect and start better in 2021.

He said, “Let the Governor be reminded that salary payment is a statutory responsibility and he is not rendering any favour to the Oyo State workforce.

“But what is scary is the fact that the salaries are being paid with bank facilities tied to the federal government monthly allocation of Oyo State. Practically, what that means is that the Oyo monthly allocation is being used to pay salaries alone by the time you do the calculation.

“A call has gone to Engineer Seyi Makinde to start his administration on a better slate from 2021 because his administration so far has been characterized by a lot of improprieties, burdens of loans, insincerity of purpose, inconsistency, pretence, policy reversal and attempt at siphoning the Oyo State money.”

Alao noted that Makinde had failed to fulfil the promise of generating revenues locally to run the State government.

“The administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, from critical observation and findings, has been characterized by a lot of improprieties, burdens of loans, insincerity of purpose, inconsistency, pretence, policy reversal and attempt at siphoning the Oyo State money. To start with, during the 2019 electioneering campaigns, Engr Seyi Makinde promised the people of Oyo State that when elected his administration would be run with revenues generated out of his administration’s ingenuity to fund developmental projects in the state.

“Till date and almost two years in the saddle, Oyo State has not produced maize to the point of exporting it even to the neighbouring Ogun State, rather our governor has only imported a professor from Botswana to become a commissioner in his administration whom he did not know where the professor is best suited. In less than two years, Governor Makinde has moved him to three different ministries. Honestly, there are so many minuses than pluses in this government which have become so obvious to only the discerning minds,” he stated.

Alao while speaking further notef that Makinde has portrayed himself as the most borrowing governor Oyo State has ever had.

“The administration of Governor Makinde has recorded a feat and decorated himself with the title as the Most Borrowing Governor (MBG) in the history of Oyo State which gives him away as a governor that lacks creativity and innovation to generate revenue. To date in less than two years of his administration, Governor Makinde has taken loans with all sorts of nomenclatures to classify them running to the tune of N170bn, which are tied to projects as infrastructures and agric resuscitation.

“Are there loans under whichever classification they come that they will not attract interest with their tenor? Governor Makinde has really put the state on a course of debt which is capable of putting the indigenes of the state in perpetual servitude,” he added.

BIAFRA : Ohanaeze election, Okechukwu roots for true Zikist as President-General

 Ahead of the election of a new Ohanaeze Ndigbo President-General in January 2021, the Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu has appealed to Ndigbo to vote for a true Zikist among the five candidates from Imo State vying for the position.

Okechukwu posited that the next Ohanaeze President-General must be a disciple of the great Zik of Africa and Owelle of Onitsha, the Late Dr Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe who was pan-Nigeria and believed in the collective prosperity of Nigerians.

“A Zikist President General of Ohaneze will better position Ndigbo in the 2023 presidential election,” he stated.

The chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) spoke with journalists in Enugu on Sunday, on the issue of the January 2021 election of President General of Ohanaeze.

Okechukwu recalled that in the last Ohanaeze election, he erroneously thought Chief John Nnia Nwodo (jnr.) is a Zikist and voted for him, but he was alarmed when Nwodo veered off the doctrine of Zik and joined Yinka Odumakin of Afenifere in lambasting President Buhari.

He lamented that Nwodo rejected the hand of fellowship extended to him by President Buhari and joined Afenifere in talking about restructuring, at the expense of Nigeria president of Igbo extraction, whereas the mainstream Yorubas were on the dining table with Buhari.

He insisted that Zik could have paid more attention to Nigeria president of Igbo extraction than restructuring, especially when President Buhari had commenced incremental restructuring via Executive Order 10

“My dear colleagues, my appeal is that we all consensually search for who is a true Zikist among the candidates from Imo State and vote for him.

“Among the known candidates – Professor George Obiozor, Dr Chris Asokuka, Dr. Joe Nworgu, Chief Goddy Uwazuruike, and Prof. Chidi Osuagwu, we must locate a true Zikist,” Okechukwu said.

On who is a Zikist, he quipped, “My cursory analysis of Ndigbo political circuit can be posited thus – one the Zikists and secondly the Ikembaists. The Zikists are disciples of the great Zik of Africa, Owelle, Dr Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, who was a Pan-Nigerian, a believer in the collective prosperity of all Nigerians. As we approach the Ohaneze election one will appeal we search for a true Zikist; for majority of Ndigbo are Zikists.”

Asked what advantage a Zikist will bestow to Ndigbo, he said Igbos would gain more by being more pragmatic than emotional. Our eyes should be on the ball.

“I am one of those who supported our elder brother Chief Nnia Nwodo, Ikeoha Ukehe, because it was the turn of Enugu State then. You know Ohaneze adopted the rotation convention before even the advent of rotation convention of the 4th Republic in Nigeria. Then one mistakenly thought Ikeoha is a Zikist, but when he veered off the basic tenets of Zik’s doctrine one was alarmed.”

Buttressing his assertion that Chief Nwodo veered off the Zikist doctrine, Okechukwu recalled that after the last Ohaaeze election, they briefed President Buhari who wrote a nice congratulatory letter to Chief Nwodo and offered for dialogue as he did in the letter he wrote to Ohaneze on November 7, 2014, while contesting for the presidency.

The APC chieftain lamented that instead of embracing dialogue, Nwodo joined Yinka Odumakin of Afenifere in lambasting President Buhari.

Asked if Nwodo was wrong in criticizing the President’s lopsided appointments and all other wrongdoings against Ndigbo, Okechukwu said,
“No, No, I will be an idiot to defend the indefensible. All I am saying is that in the tradition of the great Zik, he would have opted for dialogue. Zik won’t throw the baby and bath water away, especially when he was offered dialogue option.”

“I am sorry to conclude that Chief Nwodo seems to have paid scant attention to our agitation for Nigeria president of Igbo extraction. Methinks we could have gained more, than joining Afenifere, when the mainstream Yorubas, were on the high table dinning with Mr. President.”

According to Okechukwu, it is an irony that Ohanaeze leadership either did not take notice of the incremental restructuring introduced via Executive Order 10 by Mr. President or they deliberately ignored it.

He maintained that President Buhari commenced restructuring; because Executive Order 10 is incremental restructuring in compliance with 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Okechukwu posited that, “Mr. President relied on the powers vested on him under Section 5, to give life to True Federalism by strengthening the autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary, to make them more independent, accountable and transparent. This is aimed at deepening democracy at the grassroots level and reduction of Emperorship of Governors.”

“In sum, this key restructuring element was aborted by governors, who hung it on the mace of the Supreme Court; because they want to maintain the statuesquo of rubber stamp State Houses of Assembly, pliable State Judiciary and handpicked local government councils.”

BIAFRA : Igbo group writes Buhari, rejects promotion of only one police officer from S/East

 Igbo group, under the aegis of Conference of Igbo Professionals Worldwide, has written President Muhammadu Buhari, frowning on the promotion of only one police officer from the South East region.

In a letter to the President, a copy of which was made available to , it sought a review of recent police promotions.

The group also alleged unfair treatment of the region in recruitment, appointments, projects location, others, asking the President and the National Assembly to urgently set up committee to unravel actions against the South East.

Recall that the Police Service Commission (PSC) on Friday promoted three Assistant Inspectors General of Police and one Commissioner to Deputy Inspectors General of Police during its 10th plenary meeting.

And the group alleged that like in the past recruitments, appointments, promotions and allocation of resources, the region was denied its rightful place in the exercise carried out by the Commission.

In the letter dated 26th, December, 2020 and titled, ‘unfair treatment of Ndigbo and urgent need to right the wrongs by Mr President”, the group alleged that out of the recent promotion of senior police officers, the South East was given one slot while some regions got over 12 slots.

The letter signed by the group’s National President, Prof. Patrick Kalu and National secretary, Dr Uche Mbaka, respectively, appealed to President Buhari and the National Assembly to not only set up a panel with a view to unraveling circumstances leading to unfair treatment of Igbo race in the country but also review the recent promotions of the police commission.

“We wish to kindly draw your attention to the recent appointments made in the Nigeria Police Force by the Police Service Commission (PSC), under the chairmanship of the retired former Inspector General of Police, Musiliu Smith,” the group’s letter said.

“Recall that the Police Service Commission on Friday, December 18,2020,rose from its 10th plenary meeting with the promotion of 37 senior police officers to their next ranks.

“This action by the commission is highly commendable given that it would boost the morale of officers and men of the Force to serve their fatherland diligently and meritoriously.

“However, we are constrained to point out that the exercise which ordinarily would have been effected in line with the country’s policy of equity and fairness, was regrettably skewed towards some regions at the detriment of the South East.

“For instance, as observed by us,out of the figure mentioned earlier, the North West was apportioned 12 slots just as the North East was given 8 slots.

“The South West on the other had, got 7 while the South South got 5 in that order. The North Central geopolitical region was given 4 slots. We regret to say here that unlike the zones mentioned, the South East region only got 1 slot.

“This, to us, is the height of the ongoing desperate efforts of the current federal administration to completely alienate the Igbo race in the Nigeria project. This provocative action is condemnable and unacceptable to us.”

The group told the President that, “The PSC may have drawn its inspiration to carry out this wicked action against Ndigbo from what has been in place since the emergence of your administration.”

Listing the areas the Igbos were being marginalised in the nation’s scheme of things, the group insisted that the president must take urgent steps to “right the wrongs.”

“These infractions included lopsided appointment of security chiefs; infrastructure deficit including roads, railway, and seaports; unfavourable allocations from the federal government; and concentration of interventions of development partners in other regions.

“Others are exclusion from commanding heights of the nation’s economy; delay in the passage of South East Development Commission Bill and flying the kite of the 2023 presidency.

“We call on you sir, to address the principle of federal character in the distribution of public resources and appointive positions, especially security chiefs.

“Also, we appeal to the National Assembly to immediately step in with a view to stopping these unfair treatments of Ndigbo in Nigeria. This it can do by first of all set up a committee to investigate the reason for these actions by the government.”

According to the group, “Addressing the lopsided appointments of security chiefs is paramount due to increasing insecurity in the South East region.”

“We are threatened that given the current security architecture, a decision may be taken one day to eliminate all Igbo without their knowledge due to lack of representation,” it said.

Going further, the group said: “The unfair treatments against us have continued to increase daily. We call on you sir, to re-write the wrongs meted against the Igbo ethnic nationality by your administration.”

“Like our mother sociocultural body, Ohaneze Ndigbo had observed on the action of the Police Service Commission on the recent appointments in the Police, we hasten to condemn this repeated denial of people of Igbo extraction in major appointments in its entirety. We feel this is not fair to a region that is at the forefront of Nigeria’s unity,” it added.

It regretted that:”Owing to widespread allegations and reports of exclusion of the citizens of South East from several important federal appointments including top security appointments since the emergence of your government, we had expected that certain steps aimed at righting the past wrongs could have been taken by now.”

“Since you and your party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) have constantly denied hating the Igbo, we urge you to undertake certain actions aimed at convincing us that we have a place in the Nigeria project similar to other regions,” it told the president.

“We have an unwavering belief in the Nigeria project and feel strongly that we be accorded the same attention like others when it comes to issues of federal appointments. We deserve better life and fair treatment from our own country,” it said.

It tasked the President to take actions that could deplete the ranks of Nnamdi Kanu’s followers, who it alleged, was brainwashing the youths of the zone to join in his inglorious activities, using the alleged unfair treatments of the Igbo race.

“We recently observed that our fugitive son and founder of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was capitalising on these unfair treatments of Ndigbo in Nigeria to gain attention. He succeeded in recruiting reasonable number of followers by using some of these indices mentioned above to convince them.

“We vehemently rose against this act by Mr Kanu and called on our youths to denounce him and his activities. This has paid off as his ranks is being depleted considerably.

“We appeal to you sir, to take steps aimed at not giving credence to the inglorious activities of this nature by stopping all actions that can fuel ethnic and religious bigotry in the country. You were elected as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not any tribe or religion,” it said.

It further said: “In the spirit of fair play, equity and justice, the Conference of Igbo Professionals Worldwide, appeals to you sir,to order a review of recent police promotion exercise with a view to correcting the imbalance observed in it.”

SPORT : Messi names best two managers in the world

Barcelona captain, Lionel Messi, has named Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola and Spain national team coach, Luis Enrique, as the two best managers in the world.

Messi said both Guardiola and Enrique made him grow a lot physically, mentally, and tactically.

The Argentine captain played under Guardiola and Enrique during their time at Barcelona between 2008-2012 and 2014-2017 respectively.

“Pep [Guardiola] has something special,” Messi told Spanish Television channel, La Sexta.

“He makes you see things in one way: how he prepares for matches, defensively, how to attack … he told you exactly how the match was going to be, how you had to attack to win.

“I was lucky … to train under Guardiola and Luis Enrique, the two best [managers in the world].

“Having them made me grow a lot physically and mentally, and also the tactical wisdom they have taught me.”