Oluniyi D. Ajao » Politics

Holding President Goodluck Jonathan to his promises!

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:22:52 +0000

The following article is re-published by the kind permission of the author.

Why the P in RSVP should be sustained – Holding GEJ to his promises!!!

Mr President,

It was with shock and utter disbelief that I received the news that you had 25 per cent in 28 states plus Federal Capital Territory. According to the 1999 constitution, a winner needs the majority of votes and at least 25 percent of votes in 24 states of the 36 states of the federation. So far you have won 25 percent in 28 states, leaving your closest rival, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) with victories in only 12 states. I know you and your cronies will be celebrating and popping the proverbial champagne now but here is a word of caution from perhaps one of your worst critics.

President Goodluck Jonathan on inauguration day - 29th May 2011

Allow me to explain that the presidential victory of April 16th was a victory for yourself and not necessarily for the PDP, which you are a part and parcel of. This should reveal without any equivocation that the elections were not driven by issues, but sentiments about personalities, religion and ethnicity. It is my opinion that as a nation we should grow our democracy to achieve a situation whereby persons win elections on the basis of merit and actual performance not sentiments, and certainly not with the aid of financial inducements, blackmail and violence.

I will not bore you with all the expectations Nigerians (the ones who voted for you, anyway) – I believe you know all of these and intend to meet all of them.

Nevertheless, I intend to remind you of all the myriad of promises you made during your political campaign throughout the country. In my generosity, I have listed some of them for you here.

1. You promised to rule for only one term (reference http://ow.ly/4KScO)

As a man of your words or rather as you want to make us believe (http://ow.ly/4KSda), PLEASE stick to this plan and pledge. I sincerely hope we will not have political jobbers, groups like Youths Earnestly Ask for Jona, Dbanj, Lagbaja, Sunny Ade all singing for your second term bid? I sincerely hope also, you will not come out and openly deny you didnt make such promise or statements as you did about the zoning saga.

2. You promised a constitutional role for Traditional Rulers!!! (http://ow.ly/4KSfI) I am short of words but Nigerians are waiting.

3. On March 17th 2011, in Dutse the Jigawa state capital, you promised: “If I win the election, within my four years in office, I will establish domestic airports in all the states without airports,” (http://ow.ly/4KSgt) WE ARE WAITING.

4. In Nasarawa, at the flag-off of your campaign you promised at least a university in every state (http://ow.ly/4KShX) including building specialist almajiri schools to shore up education in the North so as to eradicate illiteracy (http://ow.ly/4KSiK) The Almajiris are waiting o!

5. On February 8th in Ibadan, the day you called some people “rascals”, you promised to create jobs and improve the power sector(http://ow.ly/4KSlU). The Oyo people and indeed all Nigerians are waiting!!!

6. On Feb 9th, you were in Bauchi and you promised to intensify oil and gas exploration in the North-East as part of efforts to harness resources for economic development. Also you pledged to boost agriculture, power and water supply for wealth creation and revenue generation. Then you assured that projects such as the Mambilla hydro-electricity, Jada irrigation project and Kafin Zaki dam in Taraba, Adamawa and Bauchi would be pursued to boost agriculture and industrial development (http://ow.ly/4KSnF). Then you promised that your administration would establish two universities in the region. The NORTH EAST PEOPLE ARE WAITING.

7. You landed in Port Harcourt on Feb 12 where you made a lot of promises, maybe to woo your Niger Delta people. Be that as it may, you announced that the NNPC, in partnership with the private sector, would establish a petrochemical plant in the Niger Delta (you didnt state where exactly). You promised the plant will create job opportunities for the Niger Delta youths. Then you went ahead to promise the implementation of Local Content Law and Petroleum Industry Bill (http://ow.ly/4KSpu). In case you cant remember when you made all these, cast your mind back to the stampede that claimed some lives (where your wife called them martyrs).

8. In Kaduna, you promised massive transformation of the agricultural sector through construction of large dams and distribution of one million metric tonnes of fertilizers for the 2011 farming season (http://ow.ly/4KSqE) The rains are here already, so fulfil your promises o.

9. In Benue, you promised to revolutionize agriculture and establish industries in the country through a five-year plan (We need that Plan now so we can keep track, the five years have started counting already). You also promised to complete the irrigation project in Otukpo (http://ow.ly/4KSsh). Then you promised that the second Niger Bridge and the Benue Bridge projects will be worked on in the next four years (http://ow.ly/4KStl). I think its better to start now so by April 2015, we trust you would have completed it.

10. February 17th, you were in Plateau where you shocked the entire country with amazing promises. First of all, you pledged to refocus on the solid mineral development of the state and make it one of the key revenue sources in Nigeria. The Plateau people are banking on you. Mr President, You promised to build more dams and complete ongoing ones, so as to boost agricultural growth. In addition you promised to complete the Vom-Manchok-Jos road to boost economic links between Plateau and Kaduna states (http://ow.ly/4KSuz). You left the state and the Plateau people have been happy ever since and now that you have won, they are waiting.

11. Mr President on Feb 21, you were in Kogi. You promised among other things that the dredging of the River Niger and Lokoja-Abuja road dualisation would be completed very soon. (http://ow.ly/4KSvB) THE KOGI PEOPLE AND INDEED NIGERIANS ARE HOPING AND WAITING.

12. In Kwara State on February 22, you pledged that the irrigation project in Shonga would be completed soon to boost the commercial farming activities of the New Nigeria Farmers in the area (http://ow.ly/4KSwn). Mr president, remember you also said the Jebba-Mokwa road and Jebba bridge would be given adequate attention to ease transportation in the area. Kwarans are waiting!

13. On February 24, Mr. President, you pledged to rehabilitate all ailing industries in Aba (http://ow.ly/4KSxd). I believe all Abians are hoping on you to provide the enabling environment to do their businesses, you must keep your promises.

14. Mr. President, on Feb 25th in Anamabra you said there is a plan to build a power station in the state, assuring that within the next four years your administration would construct and rehabilitate ALL federal roads leading to Anambra as well as the South East. You equally promised to provide potable water to the densely populated Onitsha and Nnewi cities (http://ow.ly/4KSyf) and tackle erosion in the South-East. To tell you the truth, Mr. President, Anambrians are banking on you!

15. In Ebonyi state, you promised to dualize the Enugu-Abakaliki federal highway in addition (http://ow.ly/4KSza) to establishing a secretariat for ALL Federal government’s agencies and parastatals in Ebonyi. Mr. president, The people of Ebonyi have never had it so good since the creation of their state. Now, you have promised them the good life. Please keeep to your words!

16. In Niger state, you promised the more power generation. Perhaps the most important aspect of your promises is that your government would map out a five-year strategic plan for road projects (http://ow.ly/4KSzL). (Please we are waiting for the Plan NOW!!!!)

17. On Feb 27, you were in Asaba, the Delta state. On that fateful Sunday, you revealed that “The NNPC is developing a new programme that will absorb about 5,000 youths,” (http://ow.ly/4KSAO) Mr. President, Deltans are delighted at this REVELATIONS. While that number is a far cry from the number of unemployed youths in the state, at all at all na winch (as we say in Warri), so Deltans are waiting.

18. On March 2nd, you were in Ondo where you promised that roads and other basic infrastructure across the states will be developed in four years. In addition you also promised the exploitation of the vast bitumen deposits in the state for national economic development and employment generation (http://ow.ly/4KSFj). The Ondo people are waiting. Your Four years have started already. You must start now.

19. On the same day, March 2nd, your campaign train was in Ekiti state. While there, you promised that more than N50 billion federal intervention projects were ongoing in the state (http://ow.ly/4KSGb). You can be rest assured that the Fayemi and indeed the entire Ekiti kete are waiting for you.

20. On March 9th, in Sokoto, you promised to rehabilitate the abandoned Shagari irrigation project as well as reviving the nation’s rail system and fight the menace of desertification in the country. (http://ow.ly/4KSGX) Sokoto people have suffered for too long. This is your time to redeem your pledge, Mr President. The clock is ticking!!!

21. The date was March 12th 2011 and you were in Ogun state, my home state. Remember, the day you rode to Abeokuta through rail? Yes, that was the day you promised an improved power supply before the end of the year through the Integrated Power Project (IPP) initiative. You also pledged to build more refineries, encourage downstream activities, resuscitate rail transportation and create jobs. In case you have forgotten, that was the day that Gbenga Daniel your South West campaign coordinator was booed by the Ogun people (http://ow.ly/4KSHM).

22. On March 14th, your campaign trained moved to Kebbi where you promised to establish a federal university next year (2012). You also promised to create jobs through science and technology, tackle environmental challenges and boost health care delivery. (http://ow.ly/4KSIX)

23. Katsina, was your port of call on March 15 where you promised to enhance the living standard of Nigerians through implementation of people-oriented programmes that would provide citizens the necessary opportunities to realize their potentials.In my opinion, this was just mere rhetorics as you did not make any concrete promises. Or did you have the premonition, you will lose in Katsina? I might just be right.

24. In Kano, you pledged to resuscitate the nation’s power sector and encourage the development of small and medium scale enterprises in the country while ensuring justice, equity and fair play in the polity (http://ow.ly/4KSKJ).

Mr. President, space will not allow me to list the deluge of promises in Lagos, Osun, Borno, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Imo, Taraba, Jigawa, Edo, Bayelsa and Zamfara states, and Abuja (http://ow.ly/4KSLf). If you can accomplish all your promises in the next four years, then you will go down memory lane as the best President ever.

Thanks to Yahoo, Gmail and Facebook, we can all save this message in our Inbox/Wall for the next four years and check out how much you achieve on your promises.

Your fellow Nigerian,

Egghead Odewale

Interview: ‘Gbenga Sesan speaks on the role of Social Media in Nigeria’s 2011 General Elections & more

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 06:00:27 +0000

The following interview was conducted on behalf of Global Voices Online, an international community of bloggers who report on blogs and citizen media from around the world.

Nigeria’s Golden Opportunity for a Social Revolution through the Ballot Box

Oluniyi: Thanks for agreeing to speak with Global Voices Online. Could you introduce yourself to our international audience?

My name is ‘Gbenga Sesan. My area of interest is in the appropriate use of ICTs for development and I run a social enterprise called Paradigm Initiative Nigeria. Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is a social enterprise that connects Nigerian youth with ICT-enabled opportunities.

We have observed your involvements in several non-partisan initiatives around the forth-coming 2011 General Elections in Nigeria. Why are you involved? What motivates you to be so involved?

I’m involved because I’m an angry young Nigerian who is tired of listening to the story of Nigeria’s “potential”, and one that believes that the best time to stop the nonsense, that Nigeria has been thrown into, is now! I have had the chance to see the world and I consider it a shame that with our human and resource wealth, Nigeria is not taken seriously. Rich, yet poor. With some of the best minds globally, yet unable to think. That’s why I’m involved with EiE Nigeria (EnoughisEnough Nigeria). EnoughisEnough Nigeria (EiE) is a coalition of individuals and youth organizations committed to instituting a culture of good governance and public accountability in Nigeria through advocacy, activism and the mobilization of the youth population as responsible citizens.

An EiE Nigeria billboard in Lagos Nigeria. Photo courtesy of Gbenga Sesan.

I am also motivated by the fear of tomorrow. If things can descend this low, then our children may know Nigeria only as a country that once was. From power to corruption to healthcare to poverty, Nigeria needs change.

I am also aware of the fact that Nigeria is a very young country, with a median age of 19.1 and with over 70% of its population under the age of 35. If change will come to Nigeria, it’ll probably need to benefit more from youth input, as the majority. Unfortunately, young people were the silent majority - and were totally disconnected from the future of Nigeria. That is no longer the case, thanks to technology, series of global events and some recent experiences in the Nigerian nation.

Fortunately, we are in an election year, so I think there’s no better time to begin the process of change. I know that the best time to plant a tree was actually 20 years ago but thankfully, the next best time is now. 2011 presents a unique opportunity to restart Nigeria’s national clock in terms of how governance works – moving from selected rulers who lord it over a disconnected populace that has basically lost hope and now has a responsibility of building islands of sanity (from private water supply system to power supply and more) to one where the people decide who governs based on the promise of performance and a sense of social contract.

Nigeria has an estimated population of over 150 million people. That puts the youth population (if 75%) at over 112.5 million. How does EiE Nigeria connect or intend to connect to this section of the Nigerian society?

EiE Nigeria does not live with the grand delusion that we can reach ALL young Nigerians but we are keen to (and hope we did) kick-start a national revolution by reaching out to the connected demographic – who can then pass on the urgent national assignment to others within their sphere of influence. Because of the central role played by technology in providing information and access to useful resources, we set out with the plan to reach connected young Nigerians. This includes the over 80% of Nigeria’s 44 million internet users, a major percentage of the almost 80 million with mobile phones and almost all of the 3 million Facebook users.

Of course, we didn’t stop there. We have since expanded the scope of our work to include those young people that we would normally not be able to reach through our core tools – social media channels. We have hosted Town Hall Meetings, been on radio and TV, encouraged informal discussions and we’re glad to see even the unconnected participate.

Given than EiE is relatively a new initiative, and the Nigerian youth have had a culture of indifference towards politics all this while, how much positive impact do you expect to have in the next elections?

We expect a LOT. Not because we think we’re miracle workers, but because we noticed that recent events have changed the attitude in Nigeria: from the 2007 sham elections in Nigeria, 2008 Obama election, 2009 court cases that allowed true election winners take over from erring emperors (or state governors as they preferred to be seen), 2010 national uproar surrounding the ex-president’s [Umaru Musa Yar'Adua] illness and eventual death, the promising change of guard at the Independent National Electoral Commission and the opportunity to restart the national clock through the ballot box.

Basically, we’re at a point in Nigeria’s history where collective anger is at its peak, and some of this anger has been translated into social change opportunities. We’ve seen young people join us at rallies in Abuja and Lagos, and we are excited to build on this momentum.

Again, we’re not self-conceited to assume that we’re the only youth-led group working for change. We know there are many other youth-led groups, and even those not led by youths. This, in itself shows what may be called the de-freezing of social mobility in Nigeria – borrowing from the words of an outspoken pastor in Nigeria.

We’re new, yes, but we’re made up of groups that have been at the seat of change for many years. EiE coalition members include Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, The Future Project (organizers of The Future Awards), LightUp Nigeria and many more organizations who know what it means to work for focused change. We’re basically combining forces to make 2011 a different experience and an opportunity for change in Nigeria.

How do all the initiatives you are involved with use social media/citizen media. How has the response been?

Our effort for 2011 revolves around what has now become the RSVP campaign. It’s the acronym for Register, Select, Vote and Protect. We asked young people in particular to REGISTER as voters (especially as the new INEC launched an effort to create a new Voters’ Register), and we saw some really great response. We used social media to achieve our objectives in this area. From Facebook to Twitter, we engaged youth by providing the required information, motivating them (including asking celebrities to lead registration walks), providing technical solutions to problems (we set up hotlines to address the problems encountered during the exercise) and asking youth to show off their Voters’ Cards by posting pictures on Facebook and Twitter. Other aspects – Select, Vote and Protect – continue to enjoy our social media expertise as we make information available to the electorate on the candidates standing for elective offices.

For example, we’ve used social media to work with other youth groups to plan the first youth-focused presidential debate in Nigeria. It will take place at 7pm on Friday, March 25, 2011 in Abuja; it’ll be live on Channels Television and broadcast live online on our project website – www.whataboutusnigeria.org.

For the major Vote and Protect components, we have worked with a team of volunteers to develop a mobile application called ReVoDa, that will allow each citizen to report incidents, police behaviour, INEC performance and results from their respective polling units. ReVoDa provides untrained citizens with a medium through which they can share their election experiences and it potentially turns the 87,297,789 Nigerians with mobile phones, 43,982,200 with internet access and 2,985,680 on Facebook into informal election observers. Call it crowd-sourced election monitoring, and you won’t be wrong.

So, social/citizen media is at the core of our RSVP campaign, and the response has been hugely encouraging. For example, RSVP has become so popular that it is even used in daily conversations by Nigerians (not just the young). For a popular acronym known as Rice and Stew Very Plenty to be rebranded for the elections, all starting out with our social media push, we are smiling We’re also glad to note that the electoral commission now enjoys our service in the management of their social media accounts through interns that we recruited for them. basically, we have seen great feedback from young people and election stakeholders.

This does not mean that we are all excited and think we’ve reached Eldorado, but the little success inspires us to do more – because Nigeria’s need for change is critical.

The logistics of all the activities you have listed above would be a bit costly, considering Nigeria’s geography and population. How are the initiatives funded, considering “he who pays the piper dictates the tune”.

We started out by putting our money where our mouth is by using personal resources to fund our efforts but we have now received support from two international foundations (McArthur and Omidiyar) to fund our work. We can safely say that every support does NOT come with strings that can influence the objectives of the campaign, it’s actually rather been that each supporter has encouraged us to do what we planned to do – change Nigeria beginning with the 2011 opportunity.

Dapo Oyebanjo (a popular musician in Nigeria known as D’Banj) recently conducted an interview with President Goodluck Jonathan, supposedly on behalf of Nigerian youths. What is your assessment of this interview and isn’t it a way forward for the fact that Nigeria’s government is ready/open to engage the youths?

It wasn’t an interview, it was an advert by a presidential candidate who thought a music icon’s brand could help him win the youth votes.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t represent the best way to engage young people because one key factor in ‘engagement’ is that both (or more) parties get the chance to speak with each other. The President’s action actually attracted a lot of anger – at least as seen via social media platforms. It’s also interesting to note that a lot of the comments were based on the context of Mr President’s outright refusal to participate in an unscripted debate. We reached out to him and offered a platform to speak to, and respond to questions from, Nigeria’s youth but he has yet to respond or indicate willingness to honour our March 25 invitation. So far, he has declined other independent debates and has only stated he’ll join the debate to be hosted by the Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria.

Do you really think social media would impact the outcome of the general elections?

It is already impacting the results. For example, it had an obvious impact on the registration exercise, and it’s clear it has had a huge impact on how people relate with candidates – especially with almost all of the presidential candidates using social media channels to reach out to young people.

The results of the 2011 elections will be tweeted, the pictures of incidents will be uploaded to Facebook and videos that can be used as evidence (just in case) will be available on Youtube.

Fair enough. Are you satisfied with the quality of the candidates offering themselves for the Office of the President?

NO. Some of them are good candidates, but a lot more are opportunists who should have worked with other candidates.

We have few who have been able to articulate the issues, offer solutions, demonstrate capacity and who I can be proud to call Mr President – and be sure he’s one who can PRESIDe over the Nigerian ENTerprise. There are, however, many more who only have their names on the list as also-rans.

Any final thoughts?

Well, this is 2011, almost 51 years after Nigeria gained independence. I believe that three forces are aligning for Nigeria’s much-needed change: Youth, Technology and Opportunity. With about 65% of registered voters reported to be below the age of 35; technology tools (like ReVoDa) and social media channels becoming more popular for social change; and a unique opportunity through the 2011 elections, change is here. This is 2011, our votes will count! This is 2011, we are restarting the national clock and working towards the emergence of a new Nigeria!

Thanks to platforms like Global Voices, we hope that more young people will join forces with us to build a Nigeria we can be proud to call home – not one we’ll be derided for being associated with.

Thanks for your time ‘Gbenga and all the very best with the endeavours.

Monitoring Nigerian General Elections (2011) using ReVoDa Mobile Apps

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 07:18:13 +0000

Conducting credible elections is the first step towards having an accountable government. EiE has set-up a website and some mobile apps, to assist with collecting voting data in the up-coming elections. The website and apps are called ReVoDa. From their website:

ReVoDa allows voters to report as independent citizen observers from their respective Polling Units across Nigeria, having registered to map their mobile number, name and polling unit number to specific locations. It also allows EiE Nigeria to send relevant information about the electoral process to registered users.

ReVoDa was designed and built for EnoughisEnough (EiE) Nigeria coalition by a team of tech volunteers including @takinbo, @OoTheNigerian, @EmekaOkoye, @mayowaowolabi, @namzo, @eolutosin,@lekanSTEPHEN and @gbengasesan.

ReVoDa Mobile apps essentially allow voters to report as independent citizen observers from their respective polling units across Nigeria. The apps come in 3 variants:

LITE version for BlackBerry phones
LITE version for Nokia and Java-enabled phones (compatible with Java Me (J2ME), Symbian)
SMART version for Nokia and Java-enabled phones (compatible with Java Me (J2ME), Symbian, Smartphones including touch screen)

The apps are downloadable from http://www.eienigeria.org/revoda/. Participation is not limited to apps only. The most basic phones can participate, using SMS.

A screenshot of ReVoda BlackBerry app.

EiE Nigeria is a coalition of individuals and youth organizations committed to instituting a culture of good governance and public accountability in Nigeria through advocacy, activism and the mobilization of the youth population as responsible citizens. Visit their website www.eienigeria.org for details.

Thoughts from NN24 Vice Presidential Election Debate

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:53:19 +0000

The NN24 Vice Presidential election debate was recorded last Friday evening. Though scheduled to be aired live, it was only broadcast from Saturday and repeated several times ever since.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Presidential candidate Mohammad Namadi Sambo was absent. The organisers deliberately left the 4th stand empty, emphasising his absence.

The debate went on smoothly with the moderator throwing varying questions at the candidates: from religion to the economy. One would have wished the candidates had a little more time to explain their points. Notwithstanding, the candidates gave a good account of themselves.

The debate was very useful as it offered a lot of information about the personality of these candidates. I got to know them much better and can make even a more informed decision.

Candidates at Vice Presidential election debate organized by NN24 in Abuja Nigeria

Tunde Bakare
This candidate came to my attention when he joined thousands of Nigerians to march on the streets of Abuja, demanding that the legal procedure be followed when then-President Umaru Yar’Adua was on admission in a Saudi hospital. Under the auspices of Save Nigeria Group, they marched on the National Assembly demanding better governance from those in power.

He is the Vice Presidential candidate for Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) while Mohammad Buhari is their Presidential candidate.

Fola Adeola
Bluntly, I knew nothing about this gentleman until Nuhu Ribadu selected him “in consultation with elders of ANC”, to join their Presidential ticket as running-mate. I was so impressed my his coherence and intelligence that I searched for more information about him online. It turns out he is a world-class entrepreneur among other things, and is the founder of GTBank (of the leading banks in Nigeria today). His personal website is at www.folaadeola.org

John Odigie-Oyegun
The Vice President candidate of All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) ensued the virtues of his party’s presidential candidate Ibrahim Shekarau. Since little is known about ANPP’s candidate on the national scene, the debate presented a good opportunity for them.

PDP’s absence portrayed the debate as an anti-PDP forum. And why not? PDP has run the Federal Government of Nigeria for 12 years, and has not given a good account of itself. Each candidates took turns to criticize PDP.

Of course, all three candidates claimed their respective parties was the best and most competent to pull Nigeria out of the big mess the country is currently in.

The NN24 Presidential Debate is scheduled for this Friday 18th March and one can only hope NN24 airs it live. It also helps if they went into an active collaboration with terrestrial TV stations, especially ones that have transmitters across Nigeria. Only a tiny percentage of Nigerians have access to DStv.

NN24: The Nigerian Presidential Elections Debate 2011

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:14:25 +0000

Are you a Nigerian or interested in Nigerian politics? Mark these dates on your calendar: 11th March & 18th March 2011. NN24, a 24-hour news channel in Nigeria, is organizing Nigeria’s first Presidential debate ahead of April elections. The debate hitherto scheduled for tonight was postponed since President Jonathan’s campaign team insisted on having questions ahead and not taking questions from the studio audience.

NN24 The Nigerian Presidential Elections Debate 2011

The Vice Presidential candidates’ debate would take place on 11th March 2011 (6pm local time) at Hilton Hotel in Abuja (attendance strictly by invitation) and would be broadcast live on NN24 and some other 30 channels. The Presidential candidates would face each other on 18th March 2011 at the some time and location.

The participating Presidential candidates are: President Goodluck Jonathan (People’s Democratic Party); Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (Action Congress of Nigeria); Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Congress for Progressive Change); and Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau (All Nigeria Peoples Party).

From NN24:

THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IS ON!
Please send your QUESTIONS, COMMENTS AND OPINIONS TO 33321. KEYWORD IS ‘POST’. START YOUR MESSAGE WITH ‘POST’ SPACE AND THEN YOUR COMMENT e.g Post What can be done to solve the Nigerian electric power problem?

NN24 is available in Nigeria and the rest of Africa on DStv channel 414.

Abuja Cable leaks: the innermost thoughts of President Goodluck Jonathan

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 05:53:22 +0000

Wikileaks has recently been releasing secret diplomatic cables sent from American diplomats to the State Department in the USA, causing a wild storm globally. What is WikiLeaks?

WikiLeaks

WikiLeaks is a not-for-profit media organisation. Our goal is to bring important news and information to the public. We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for sources to leak information to our journalists (our electronic drop box). One of our most important activities is to publish original source material alongside our news stories so readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth. We are a young organisation that has grown very quickly, relying on a network of dedicated volunteers around the globe. Since 2007, when the organisation was officially launched, WikiLeaks has worked to report on and publish important information. We also develop and adapt technologies to support these activities.

Full details about the current Wikileaks cablegate scandal is here.

Though ethics and legality of Wikileaks’ actions are debatable, we cannot wind back the hands of time. Since this leaks are out already, its best to soak them up and discuss them extensively. Our leaders must learn to do the right things in public and in private. They must take decisions that are in the overall interest of the people they lead, and not only their parochial interests.

Are you a Nigerian? Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors on your behalf in Aso Rock Presidential Villa? Nigerian leaders are not well known for accountability and so you have had to rely on the media for snippets of what your leaders are really up to. Thanks to the courageous minds at Wikileaks, now you can have direct access to the innermost thoughts of your President.

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Viewing cable 10ABUJA215, GOODLUCK JONATHAN REMAINS ACTING PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA

Friday, 26 February 2010, 16:37
S E C R E T ABUJA 000215
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/W, AF/RSA, INR/AA
NSC FOR GAVIN
OSD FOR DASD HUDDLESTON
LONDON FOR POL (PLORD)
PARIS FOR POL (BAIN AND KANEDA)
ROME FOR AF WATCHER
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU
EO 12958 DECL: 2020/02/26
TAGS PREL, PGOV, PINS, PINR, PTER, MARR, NI
SUBJECT: GOODLUCK JONATHAN REMAINS ACTING PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA
REF: ABUJA 207; FEB 24 A/S CARSON-AMB SANDERS TELCON
CLASSIFIED BY: Robin R. Sanders, Ambassador, STATE, EXEC; REASON: 1.4(A), (B), (D)
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (C) Ambassador met February 26 with Acting President (AgP) Dr. Goodluck Jonathan at the Vice President’s official residence, Aguda House, in Abuja to review the current political situation following the return earlier this week of ailing President Yar’Adua. Moves are afoot, between Jonathan and key northerners in the lead such as former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, to encourage the Yar’Adua family to let go and let the President resign with dignity. This will allow Jonathan to serve as interim President until elections and also allow him to designate a vice president. Given the dysfunctional level of the current Cabinet, Jonathan said that once this happens, he will dissolve the cabinet, after consulting with the Council of State. Both moves, he believes, will appease Northern politicians, as he suspects that more northerners will support the resignation idea. Jonathan claims he wants to do a good job over the next 12 months, and leave a legacy of credible elections, electoral reform, including replacing the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) chairman and all of the commissioners. He promised the Ambassador that he would look at her suggestion of using terminal leave for the INEC chairman, which could have him out earlier than June. The Acting President also agreed to allow U.S.-UK technical assistance to help improve the voter registry and provide for a parallel vote tabulation. He expects things to calm down in the next 10-14 days, will not leave the country until things are resolved, and has opened channels with the military. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) was leaving Jonathan’s private office when Ambassador was entering. End Summary.
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WHO’S IN CHARGE?
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¶2. (C) Jonathan told the Ambassador “everyone’s confused” about who is in charge of Nigeria. There has been an increase in the level of uncertainty in the internal political situation following ailing President Yar’Adua’s return, which was shrouded in secrecy, during the early hours February 24. The AgP said he was “unhappy” that the first statement issued following Yar’Adua’s return referred to Jonathan as “Vice President.” The GON issued a second statement February 25 that reversed course and refers to Jonathan as the Acting President. Jonathan said that the Villa received a lot of pressure to correct this error so that the lines of leadership and executive direction were clear.
¶3. (C) The AgP lamented, “This terrible situation in the country today has been created by four people: Turai Yar’Adua [the ailing President’s wife], his Chief Security Officer (CSO) [Yusuf Mohammed Tilde], his Aide-de-Camp (ADC)[Col. Mustapha Onoedieva] and Professor Tanimu Yakubu [Yar’Adua’s Chief Economic Advisor].” The AgP said he does not know their motives, but expected it was likely for nefarious purposes. He added Minister of Agriculture Abba Ruma and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Adamu Aliero had provided a second-tier of layering to the bubble surrounding Yar’Adua. The AgP noted that “people are angry,” and did not want to allow those surrounding Yar’Adua to replicate the control and access similar to what they had done in Jeddah for the past three months.
¶4. (C) Jonathan said the CSO and ADC saw him separately to let him know that they did not intend to mistreat the AgP and expressed their willingness to work with him (which the AgP doubts). The AgP said he told them both “then the best thing is to stop the charade.” The AgP told the Ambassador he believes Yar’Adua is in a semi-comatose state without an understanding of what is going on around him.
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ENCOURAGE PRESIDENT TO RESIGN
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¶5. (C) The AgP said that Former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, who according to Jonathan has become one of his closest advisors, worked out a strategy where he would reach out to other former Nigerian Heads of State, including former Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon, to approach those closest to Yar’Adua, especially his wife Turai, to try to convince them that the best, and most dignified step to take for the country and for Yar’Adua as a human being would be for the President to resign. This action would constitutionally make Jonathan Nigeria’s President. Doing such would also be easier than convincing two-thirds of the 42-member Federal Executive Committee (FEC) to declare the ailing President “physically incapacitated and medically unfit” to continue in the office of the Presidency. Jonathan said he and his wife, Patience, visited Turai as a humanistic gesture to express their best wishes for the recovery of Yar’Adua and out of respect for his ailing boss. The AgP said under no circumstances did he want Turai to come to his official residence.
¶6. (C) Once Yar’Adua resigns and Jonathan becomes interim President, he said he would choose a Vice President that could appease the Northerners by working with them to identify a
candidate. AgP Jonathan also shared that until Yar’Adua resigns, and things come down he would not leave the country. (N.B. This is in reference to the POTUS invitation to attend the April 12-13 Nuclear Security Summit). The issue of identifying a northerner as a vice presidential candidate, Jonathan underscored this appears to be the thing most on the minds of the northerners as they feel cheated out of the Presidency with Yar’Adua’s illness.
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FEARS ABOUT MILITARY
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¶7. (C) Jonathan said “everyone, including the Army Chief of Staff (COAS) [LTG Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau] and Chief of the President Guards Brigade [BG Abdul Mustapha]” are concerned about the confusion over who is the executive of the nation. The AgP said the military chiefs are making sure no politicians are reaching out to the rank-and-file, and encouraging the military to stay in the barracks so that the uncertain political situation does not generate coup-like behavior emanating from the mid-ranks because of the confusion. As the Ambassador began her meeting with the Acting President, he had just concluded a meeting with COAS LTG Dambazau (see reftel A for Ambassador’s conversation with the COAS February 24).
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USG ADVICE: BECOME A NATIONAL FIGURE
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¶8. (C) Based on points developed telephonically with Assistant Secretary Carson (ref B), Ambassador encouraged Jonathan to change the perception that he is a regional figure, and be seen, rather, as a national figure who has the best interest of the nation at heart. Ambassador expressed that given that the U.S. and Nigeria are very best friends, we feel the need to share our concerns, as any good friend would do, and that we are counting on him to steer Nigeria through this troubled and uncertain period. At the moment, Jonathan’s detractors believe he is a surrogate for former President Obasanjo. Ambassador advised the AgP that he needs to publicly demonstrate that he is the sole executor of national issues, not being directed or serving a political purpose for Obasanjo or others, so that his leadership would not be in question and the polity would accept that he had the best interest of nation at hand. The AgP said he appreciated our advice, including publicly holding Obasanjo at arms length. He said he would consider taking steps, including possibly convoking the entire diplomatic corps to brief them on the current political climate, using this and other events to demonstrate that he is his own man,
and diminish the appearance he is a regional leader.
¶9. (C) Jonathan noted that the Northern politicians would always be uncomfortable with him as president, and he understood the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) picked him as Yar’Adua’s running mate in 2007 because he represented the Niger Delta. Jonathan said he was handling Niger Delta issues until the Ministry for Niger Delta Affairs was created in September 2008, allowing him to distance himself from being viewed as someone who could only work on that issue. “I was not chosen to be Vice President because I had good political experience,” he said. “I did not. There were a lot more qualified people around to be Vice President, but that does not mean I am not my own man.” However, he said, with the changed circumstances, the AgP said that his sole focus is to leave a legacy of both electoral reform and credible elections, including changing the entire Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The AgP said he was appreciative of the Ambassador’s remarks made during the National Day reception February 25 and Assistant Secretary Carson’s February 24 statement because both provided him with the courage to press forward.
¶10. (C) Jonathan shared initially, he had the intention to dissolve the Cabinet early the week of February 22, and had planned to make that announcement at the February 24 FEC meeting, but found out that Yar’Adua was returning, and thus dissuaded him from acting. He said the last Cabinet meeting was disastrous and included yelling and screaming, and it is totally dysfunctional. He said he is “not a politician” and had very limited experience as an administrator, but concluded, “I will not tolerate a brawl.” Jonathan said he will dissolve the Cabinet once he knows people are more comfortable with him being the Acting President or if the current strategy to convince Yar’Adua surrogates and family members to allow the ailing president to resign.
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ELECTORAL REFORM AND INEC
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¶11. (C) Jonathan agreed to the USG offer of technical assistance to review and update Nigeria’s national voter registry and funding for a Parallel Voter Tabulation (PVT). The AgP asked us for a letter formally offering this assistance (NB: we are providing to him today). The Ambassador noted the technical assistance could begin as early as the end of March with his approval (which he gave) with software installed that can assist with cleaning up the voter registry.
¶12. (C) On the INEC Chairman, Ambassador told the AgP that the USG
would not continue any election assistance if Iwu remains on seat after June 2010. She described the meeting between A/S Carson and Iwu, noting the latter showed no signs of respect for good governance. The AgP said he understood the USG would not be able to continue providing technical assistance if the current INEC chairman remains beyond his five-year mandate that ends in June 2010. Ambassador raised the issue of using Iwu’s terminal leave to get him out sooner. The AgP said he would ask the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to inquire if the current chair could take terminal leave, which could have him out as soon as next month. Jonathan again said that once he solidifies his position as Acting President or President, and that once the political environment is less uncertain, he would begin taking steps to replace all thirteen of INEC’s commissioners, and work toward replacing Iwu earlier than June provided he can confirm the amount of terminal leave Iwu has. However, the AgP noted this would not be easy, but he is committed to seeing this through.
¶13. (C) Jonathan said he does not anticipate standing for elections in 2011 and that he is not working towards being a presidential candidacy. He wants to put into place an electoral structure that will be ready for national elections. He did, however, note that, “if they want me to run, that will be something to consider at that time.” However, he stressed that his focus now and for the next 12 months will be on “doing a good job and witnessing respectable and credible elections in 2011.”
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FIRM UP THE PARTNERSHIP AGAINST TERRORISM
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¶14. (S) Ambassador raised with the AgP the case of Mohamed Ibrahim Ahmed (aka “Talha”). Talha was indicted earlier this week in New York on terrorism charges. Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) was about to release Talha onto an international flight before Nigerian police intervened and took him into custody. Ambassador underscored that the SSS’ close call in violating an Interpol Red Notice would not be helpful in making the case for Nigeria’s removal from the U.S. Transportation Safety Administration List of “Countries of Concern.” Ambassador also asked that SSS appear as witnesses when requested to demonstrate Nigeria remains a partner to the U.S. in the international fight against terrorism. She added that at least at the Director level, SSS not only knew about the Interpol notice, but simply said they did not want to hold him any longer. Ambassador added that the GON police forces did the right thing and stepped in to block the suspect from boarding the plane. He is now in police custody. Ambassador officially requested that he be turned over to the FBI agents here to escort him to the U.S. to stand trial.
¶15. (S) The AgP said he would call in SSS Director General Gadzama to clarify the security agency’s role in Talha’s near-release and that if the three SSS officers implicated had taken such action without authorization, they would face serious implications, including termination. Ambassador also took the opportunity to request Jonathan stop repeating that the December 25 attempting bombing case involving Nigerian Abdulmutallab was an “one-off aberration” and that Nigeria indeed does have foreign terrorist links and elements operating in country, as exemplified by Talha.
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COMMENT
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¶16. (C) After two days of uncertainty, that included signals of competing heads of state emanating from the dueling titular references within a Villa press release, it appears that Jonathan has plans to firmly take the reigns of the presidency, with the support from key northerners and the senior leadership of the military. As the Ambassador stepped out of her meeting, at least two Ministers and a Governor were waiting to consult with the Acting President. The Acting President’s bottom line is that he would do his best in the job in the next twelve months. He also wanted to ensure we understood he would “not be manipulated by anyone.” We believe the USG is firmly placed to advance our bilateral agenda, including the creation of an environment conducive to free, fair, and credible elections with the approval and assistance of Nigeria’s de facto head of state. Even if he decides to contest for the presidency, Jonathan seems sincere in wanting to leave a lasting legacy of electoral reform for Africa’s most populous nation. It is always hard to judge how some will behave (or surprise you) when leadership is unexpectedly thrown in their lap. The verdict is out on Jonathan and his previously underwhelming personality and performance needs to keep us in the cautious lane, but so far, so good. Things are quiet. The COAS is doing the right things. Jonathan is reaching out to key respected northerners, like Abdulsalami, which we see as a good thing. Our next steps should be to continue to encourage the AgP on the right path; help on the push back on Obasanjo through former and current USG officials; and, if the drum beat calling for the ailing President to resign picks up speed, we should ensure that we indicate our support for this given that it probably the best thing for the country. End Comment. SANDERS

===========================

You can find more Abuja cable leaks here.

Announcing Africa Portal, a new knowledge resource for Africa

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 20:13:41 +0000

Though Africa is still playing catching with the world in terms of getting connected to the Internet, the next phase of participation on the international information superhighway is already catching-on this parts. More African content is getting online everyday, as published by Africans and non-Africans. Today 25th November 2010 marks another milestone in the quest for putting African information online. A new website has launched. It is aptly named Africa Portal, and aims to be an authoritative knowledge resource for Africa. In the words of its owners:

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) today announces the launch of the Africa Portal.

The Africa Portal is an online knowledge resource offering researchers and opinion leaders a forum to share their insights on Africa and publish their work on pressing areas of concern to policymakers and the public. It aims to fill the gap in accessibility to research and information on policy issues on the continent.

A key feature of the Africa Portal is the online library collection holding over 2,500 books, journals, and digital documents related to African policy issues. The entire online repository is open access and available for free full-text download. A portion of the digital documents housed in the library have been digitized for the first time as an undertaking of the Africa Portal project.

The project is a collaborative undertaking between CIGI, Makerere University in Kampala, and the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg.

Africa Portal as seen on 25th November 2010, the launch date.

The web portal already highlights contemporary African issues like Climate Change, Migration, Health, Food security, Energy, Conflict Resolution. It also maintains a contact directory of experts including prominent scholars and practitioners with expertise in African policy issues. The portal also features an Events calendar, sharing short summaries of upcoming summits, elections, conferences, workshops, lectures and other events that deal with African policy issues.

Africa Portal is located at www.africaportal.org

33 miners rescued in Chile. Any lessons for Africa?

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 07:37:09 +0000

I got the following message forwarded to me from someone in Nigeria a moment ago. It plays on the just-concluded miraculously rescue of 33 miners who were stuck underground for 69 days. Whilst it is clearly meant to be a hilarious outlook on the depressing situation in Nigeria, unfortunately, much of it is a sad reflection of today’s reality.

Last night I dreamt that 33 Nigerian Miners were trapped underground and the govt sent a capsule down to rescue them one after the other, but the rescue had to be called off as the trapped miners could not agree amongst themselves on who goes first. Zoning was suggested but they could not agree on which zone will go first. Eventually in a struggle to all board at the same time, the capsule was damaged leading to the call off.

Oh dear. Sorry it was only a nightmare. In fact the real problem was that FEC awarded the capsule contract to Ibori and we are still awaiting delivery 3 mths later. There is a probe going on to unravel this and retrieve the award sum before we get to the issue of what formula to adopt for the rescue and which miner comes out first. Meanwhile traditional rulers from the miners’ towns are paying solidarity visits to the President to thank him for his efforts to rescue the miners.

And the First lady has just invited the wives of the Nigerian miners to Abuja for dinner at the Hilton! The first ladies from the 36 states will also be in attendance. All including the wives of the miners will wear the Goodluck for President Ankara.

CNN reported early this morning that after 10mths underground all the 33 Nigerian miners have died and the Nigerian govt has declared 7 days of mourning during which the Nigerian flag will be flown at half mast.

Geopolitical Zones
Too many Nigerians identify themselves by their ethnic group before their nationality. The sense of nationalism and patriotism is low. The poor distribution of wealth sees to it that many lookout for their parochial interests only.

Chaos
If you have lived in any of the large cities in Nigeria, chaos would be nothing to you. The lack of orderliness would have already become a way of live and so all 33 people struggling for the escape capsule any the same time would not be unusual. Nothing expresses the chaotic lifestyle better than the Lagos of a few years ago. It’s worth adding that the current government of Lagos state is working hard to restore some orderliness to the Lagos megalopolis.

Contracts & Corruption
Those two words go hand-in-hand, most of the time, in Nigeria. Contract sums are typically heavily inflated and its not unusual for such contracts to be completed shoddily or never completed at all! Worst case scenerio, the contractor pays kick-back to the officials who made the contract possible and then goes on a shopping jamboree. Proof? Poor roads, poor bridges, epileptic power supply, poor water supply etc span the lenght and breadth of the country.

Traditional rulers
I am not very convinced about the relevance of traditional rulers and chieftaincy institutions in today’s Nigeria. They are supposedly “the custodians of our culture” but it is commonplace for them to lick the booth of the politicians in power. They hold little or no authority but fight for relevance and recognition. They shamelessly identify with whoever holds political authority and hardly every speak-up for their people. So, sucking up to the President of Nigeria even when things are clearly going wrong wouldn’t be anything unusual.

First Ladies
Glitze and glamour, most of the time. Though they do not hold any office, they still hold tremendous influence especially in the Nigerian society. Too many of them are the very nemesis of their spouses due to their extravagance.

Unnecessary loss of life
Nigeria doesn’t experience collapsed mines before lives are lost. Poor infrastructure and endemic corruption is responsible directly and indirectly for the unnecessary death of many Nigerians on a routine basis. These occur so often they are now mostly taken for granted. How many factors can one list? Health personnel gone on strike? Poor power supply? Poor drinking water? Plane crashes due to poor maintenance? Bad roads causing accidents? Road accidents caused by reckless drivers because the law enforcement agents take bribes and hardly enforce driving regulations?

Many of the above listed factors persist in many African countries to varying degrees, there is an urgent need to regain our humanity, rise-up against the man-made challenges and build a prosperous Africa.

Mario Gomez (the oldest of the miners) after being rescued from the San José mine

To the Chilean and Bolivian miners, congratulations on your Re-birth. Enjoy life and remember your Creator.

#NigeriaDecides Tech Meetup: Young Nigerians to discuss applying technology in election monitoring

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 11:58:49 +0000

One of the most convenient things to do in life is to complain/blame/criticize others for their action or inaction when things go wrong. The poor governance prevalent in our part of the world gives one a lot to complain about. With democracy slowly gaining ground in Nigeria however, the next phase of agitation should not be merely complaining about bad leaders, but taking part actively in the electoral process in a bid to ensure only the right calibre of people are voted into office.

Too many elections in Nigeria are flawed. Most of those standing for office have clearly perfected the “art” of election rigging. Their methods are countless and ruthless. From the subtle coercion cash (and rice) distribution to the outright killing of political players. Find below an excerpt of Nigerian General Election, 2007 on Wikipedia:

Following the presidential election, groups monitoring the election gave it a dismal assessment. Chief EU observer Max van den Berg reported that the handling of the polls had “fallen far short” of basic international standards, and that “the process cannot be considered to be credible”, citing “poor election organisation, lack of transparency, significant evidence of fraud, voter disenfranchisement, violence and bias.”

One group of observers said that at one polling station in Yenagoa, in the oil-rich south, where 500 people were registered to vote, more than 2,000 votes were counted.

Felix Alaba Job, head of the Catholic Bishops Conference, cited massive fraud and disorganisation, including result sheets being passed around to politicians who simply filled in numbers as they chose while bribed returning electoral officers looked away.

With social media fast gaining ground, now might be a good time for the Nigerian youth to rise-up and vote. Not just vote for the right persons, but also stand-by to police their votes, as well as spread information rapidly about what is happening at their election centres.

Some bright minds would be meeting physically and virtually this Saturday 16th October 2010 to rub minds on how best technology can be applied to election monitoring by average Nigerians. A brief description from the event page reads:

We are hosting a tech meetup to discuss technology use for the 2011 elections in Nigeria.

We’ll have a morning brainstorming session, working lunch, afternoon strategy session and then we move discussions online with possible meetups down the road.

For AM brainstorming, we will look look at general tech use for 2011: Why? What?
Then for the PM strategy session we’ll talk about How? Who? When?

Participants are to expect:

No formal presentations, just an open/frank discourse
Just brainstorming, discussions and action-oriented break-outs
Lots of stick-it pads
Open moderation
Opportunity for virtual participation

Whilst registration is closed at this time, interested stakeholders are at liberty to participate remotely via Twitter. The hashtag of the meet-up is #NigeriaDecides.

This event hopefully, would be the starting point of a great revolution for Nigeria in that it could help chart a course on how citizens can insist on having their votes count.

Nigerian Independence Day random thoughts

Oluniyi D. Ajao — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:47:25 +0000

Nigeria is trending again in the international news headlines for the wrong reasons. According to BBC News:

At least eight people have been killed in explosions in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, marring celebrations to mark 50 years since independence from the UK.

Nigeria on BBC News homepage for the wrong reasons

Was a jamboree necessary in a country that is for all intents and purposes a failed state?
Is there really anything to celebrate?
Couldn’t the day have been simply marked with a very sober reflection and a resolution to rise-up from the ashes of corruption+mediocrity towards a future of accountability+excellence?

Just my random thoughts on a sad day.