When sleeping dogs lie…

 Gani Adams

I had made up my mind not to write any piece relating to politics this week. Partly because I wanted a breather from all things political, as Nigeria gets closer and closer to the appointed time for the 2015 elections. But, you know how it is; man proposes, God disposes. As soon as you look away for a moment in these times, something else happens that you simply cannot ignore, which is exactly what happened to me this week.

Many Lagosians will not forget in a hurry, the protests by the previously dormant Oodua People’s Congress, a Yoruba ethnic militia group based in the South West, and the so called Coalition of Concerned Nigerians against the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, last Monday, because of what they claimed was the poor distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards in the South among other issues. The faction of the OPC which carried out the protest was seen brandishing weapons such as guns, machetes and knives, harassing motorists and pedestrians as they disrupted traffic in major parts of Lagos, particularly on Ikorodu Road, where they destroyed any campaign poster of certain political parties in their path.

It is also important to note that the other day, there were protests by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Sovereign State of Biafra in Awka, Anambra State. They were also calling for the resignation of the INEC chairman and rejecting the use of card readers in the forthcoming elections. Could this be a coincidence? Or, the last ditch efforts of a sinking government to ensure enough confusion in the land and hassle a good number of the populace into voting the President for a second term. The President met with the leaders of the OPC in Lagos in a calculated move to secure their votes and those of their members and less than four days after the meeting, the streets of Lagos knew no peace, thanks to the group. The Yoruba proverb, “The witch cried yesterday, and the baby died today…” readily comes to mind and rings so true in this scenario. Yet, the leader of the faction of the OPC group that executed the protest claimed that it was non- partisan! When it was clearly a pro Jonathan rally. If the OPC is truly non-partisan, why didn’t the protest take place at any other random time or before the President’s alleged largesse?

It is a well-known fact that politicians employ different strategies and tricks during the politicking period in a bid to woo the electorate to vote for them. However, when a politician of the stature of the President who is still battling terror caused by a militant group in a section of the country decides of his own accord to “resurrect” another militant group (who also have a bit of a violent history, but by some miracle have been mostly reduced to playing the role of security guards in residential areas of the South-West) by engaging them for whatever purpose, then there is a big problem and we all might just be sitting on a time bomb which will explode sooner than later. It was not enough that the OPC was awarded a lucrative contract worth billions of naira to secure crude oil pipelines in the South-West, the group had to be used as agents for fomenting trouble all because of the desperation of one man to cling to power at all costs!

At this stage, the President should be aware that the die is all but cast. Most people know who they are going to vote for come Saturday, and no amount of coercion will change most minds that have already been made up. Trying to win votes by intimidation or violence will always be a move in the wrong direction. It is rather sad that the one who should be aware of this the most appears to be too desperate to care. With Boko Haram still proving to be a huge mountain to surmount despite the relative success of the Nigerian Army in tackling them in recent times, and the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta as an ever present threat to national peace should President Jonathan lose the March 28 election, it is foolhardy and portends no good for anyone to wake a sleeping dog, which in this case is the OPC who have been generally quiet and peaceful in the last few years.

Mr President may just regret this costly mistake he has made by frolicking with the ethnic militia group if he wins the election, as he will have to deal with the monster he helped create…or in this case re-create.

• Ms. Ajekigbe, a blogger on socio-political issues, wrote in from Lagos

Gun-wielding soldiers ransack vehicles

The Military

Travellers to Ekiti, Ondo and Osun states were briefly delayed on Wednesday as gun-wielding soldiers manning strategic points on the highway stopped their buses for search.

The soldiers peeped into the boots of the buses, asked the drivers about the contents of the bags and thereafter waved to them to drive on upon being satisfied with the responses.

The driver of a Hiace bus who drove at a high speed had to suddenly apply the brakes at Ita Ore Junction en route Ekiti when a soldier menacingly pointed his gun at him.

One of the passengers travelling to Ekiti State, Mr. Solomon Ilori, told our correspondent that he noticed the presence of the soldiers on Monday when he was travelling to Oyo State.

He said, “I know it is because of the election holding on Saturday. I think the soldiers are trying to make sure that everything works well. I hope they know that they should also check the people entering the states apart from the vehicles.”

The drivers of some trucks were delayed for sometime by the soldiers who demanded to know what they were conveying.

UPN dumps Abiola’s wife, endorses Agbaje

Dr. Frederick Fasehun

The Dr. Fredrick Fasehun-led Unity Party of Nigeria has dumped its Lagos State governorship candidate, Mrs. Dupe Onitiri-Abiola, who is the wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola.

The UPN subsequently endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje at a rally on Wednesday.

Fasehun, who is also the Founder of the Odua Peoples Congress, openly called on supporters at a rally at the Tafawa Balewa Square to vote for President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday and Agbaje on April 11.

While delivering his speech titled, ‘Why Nigerians want Jonathan back on March 28, 2015, and should vote Jimi Agbaje of the PDP, Fasehun, told the crowd that “Jonathan is the best man for the job because as President he has recorded unassailable achievements in the area of education, infrastructure, agriculture and others.”

He said, “Jimi Agbaje is the best of those available for the job of Governor of Lagos State. Agbaje comes with a sound pedigree, with ideals and programmes rooted in the Awoist and Afenifere stock. He will break the cycle of corruption and self-serving system entrenched in Lagos today.”

While calling on all Nigerians to vote for Jonathan on Saturday, Fasehun said, “Of all those contesting the Presidency today, Dr. Jonathan remains the best fit for the job. Jonathan has shown himself a lamb of peace, committed to the peaceful existence of a strong, formidable and united Nigeria

“Jonathan convened the long-awaited and critical National Conference. He recognises the National Conference as a roadmap to the Nigeria of the future and is committed to its implementation. In contrast, the opposition leaders have positioned themselves in hostility to the agreements reached at the confab and are sworn to jettisoning its far-reaching and epochal agreements and resolutions.”

He said Jonathan should be allowed to rule for another four years because he is from the South-South geo-political zone and it is their turn to rule.

Fasehun stressed that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj.Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), was not the messiah but an impostor.

The UPN national chairman said Buhari could not claim to be an anti-corruption crusader because he was surrounded by corrupt politicians.

APC urges voters to end misrule, vote Buhari

 Mr. Dele Alake

The All Progressives Congress has urged voters to end alleged misrule by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, saying Nigerians should vote for its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

In a statement signed by the Director, Strategic Communications Unit of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Dele Alake, the party urged Nigerians to “vote out 16 years of hunger amidst plenty, poverty in spite of oil wealth by voting Muhammadu Buhari as the next president.”

The statement said, “In the week of Nigeria’s landmark presidential elections, the world has been paying glowing and deserved tribute to the founding father of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, who died last Sunday. The passing of Mr. Lee bears a poignant and direct resonance to all Nigerians.

One of his recurring lamentations was with regard to what became of Nigeria’s lofty dreams and the great potentials that our country had at Independence.

“Leadership does make a big difference in the life of a nation. As we prepare to make what is perhaps the greatest choice in a generation on the leadership of our country, we are summoned to think large and to think deep; to challenge ourselves to be part of charting a path to development and in the process build a truly great nation.

“Having surveyed the avoidable descent of our country from the heights of global respect into the abyss of ridicule, our party, the All Progressives Congress, is offering all Nigerians a choice to a part of re-making our collective destiny for the better.”

Buhari escapes disqualification

 Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday adjourned till April 22 and 23, all the suits challenging the eligibility of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to contest in the March 28 poll.

By implication, the court will not make any judicial pronouncement on Buhari’s eligibility till after the   March 28 and April 11 elections.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola, after fixing the new dates for the suits, explained that his decision was informed by the court’s impending Easter holiday and the judges’ conference that would follow.

The judge fixed the new dates without entertaining suggestions from lawyers to the parties.

The plaintiffs in all the suits want the court to declare Buhari ineligible to contest in the presidential election on the basis of his alleged failure to submit his school certificate   along with his Form CF001 to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The plaintiffs claim that Buhari’s failure to submit the certificate contravenes provisions of sections 131 and 318 of the 1999 Constitution and section 31(3) of the Electoral Act, 2010.

With three of the suits earlier struck out on Tuesday, there are now three   challenging Buhari’s eligibility.

The judge fixed the new dates for the cases after he dismissed separate applications by two persons – Chukwuma Ochu and Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa   – seeking to be joined as defendants in one of the suits.

The judge described the intending parties as “busybodies and meddlesome interlopers.”

The particular suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/01/15, in which the judge ruled on Wednesday was filed by Chukwunweike Okafor.

But Justice Ademola said the ruling on both the intending parties’ applications to join the suit and the adjournment would bind other pending suits challenging Buhari’s eligibility that are pending in his court.

Buhari, APC and INEC are the defendants in the suit and the other pending cases.

Okafor was represented by his lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome (SAN) while   Akin Olujinmi (SAN) represented Buhari.

Sikiru Adewoye represented the APC and   Hassan Liman, INEC.

The court had on Tuesday struck out three of such suits. one of them was filed   by Ayakeme Whiskey (FHC/ABJ/CS/68/15); and the others by Friday Ojelaro (FHC/ABJ/CS/20/15 and FHC/ABJ/CS/3/2015).

The three suits were struck out because they were mere replica of one another and the remaining pending suits.

Justice Ademola ruled on Wednesday that he would hear the main suits together with the preliminary applications filed by the defendants on the next adjourned date.

Chibok girls are in Gwoza, freed captive says

Abducted Chibok girls

More than 200 girls who were abducted by Boko Haram from government secondary school, Chibok, Borno State, in April 2014 are in Gwoza, The Cable, an online medium, on Wednesday quoted Mbutu Papka, a woman who was recently freed after eight months in the sect’s captivity, to have said.

Papka, who made the revelation to the international centre for investigative reporting, said she was transferred from a poor condition in Mdita to a fairly tolerable facility in Gwoza where the abducted girls were being held.

She said, “In the camp at Gwoza, there were clear demarcations between where people were kept. The Chibok girls, other captives and Boko Haram members and their family members all had their separate areas secured, though the security in the area where the girls are kept is visibly different and much tighter.

“When we got to Gwoza, things changed because there were facilities there and the place was 10 times better than Mdita.

“We had a normal life in Gwoza, except the trauma of living in captivity. Whatever we wanted to eat, they were provided. They would bring water, firewood, etc., and leave them outside. They even provided perfume for anyone who requested for it.”

The 56-year-old woman added that no one was allowed anywhere near the specific location of the abducted girls, which was being guarded round the clock.

Papka was reportedly seized alongside many others when Boko Haram attacked Gwoza on July 4, 2014 and taken to Mdita, a remote village near the notorious Sambisa Forest, bordering Askira Uba and Damboa. She and many others, including children were kept in Mdita for five months before they were taken to Gwoza, where she was held for another three months before being released on March 15.

The woman said the facilities provided for them in Mdita were so poor that some captives died of ill health.

“There was a Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor who was killed during the attack on our village, and his wife was abducted with us. She died at Mdita due to the condition of the place and the death of her husband,” she said.

The pastor’s wife was said to have had diabetes and had been on a special diet, which could not be provided by the insurgents.

Though she said she could not speak for the abducted girls, Papka said she and the other women abducted were neither raped nor assaulted, saying the insurgents lived with their wives and children in the Gwoza camp.

When she was to be released by the sect on March 15, Papka was given a sick two-year-old boy who had been crying uncontrollably. She was driven home on a motorcycle and asked to pay N8, 000, which her family did.

Buhari planning to send me to prison –Patience

 Mrs. Patience Jonathan

The wife of the President, Patience Jonathan, says the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) will send her to jail if he is elected.

In a manner typical of a prayer session, Patience, at the Peoples Democratic Party rally in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, invoked the ‘Holy ghost fire’ to consume PDP’s opponents.

Patience also called on the crowd to vote for the PDP at the polls.

Patience, who had earlier entertained the crowd of supporters by dancing to household music tracks such as ‘Kukere’ and ‘Personally,’ said the Goodluck Jonathan-led government was a lover of women and youths in the country and should, therefore, be encouraged to continue.

She said, “I want to warn you not to listen to the All Progressives Congress. The APC does not have materials to match what the PDP has on (the) ground. Their candidate was there in governance initially. What did he do? They only sent your fathers to prison.

“They are planning to even send me to prison. Holy Ghost fire! Holy Ghost fire! Holy Ghost fire! They have nothing to offer. They only say ‘I will’, ‘I will’.

“A train is moving and it has now got to Oyo State. When we talk about train, some of you may have not seen a train before now. The last time a train moved in this country was when I was small and in primary school.

“When my children were small, they asked me what a train was. I had to take them to London and we entered a train from London to Paris. But the PDP government has brought this back to Nigeria. If you want to see train working today, you don’t need to travel again.”

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Jumoke Akinjide, who spoke earlier, said Jonathan deserved to be re-elected because he gave women 35 per cent representation in his cabinet.

She said, “I enjoin the women and youths of Oyo State to vote for our party on Saturday. I have seen a campaign advert by the APC in the newspapers saying ‘God give us men’. But our prayer in the PDP is different. We pray that God gives us men and women.

“Jonathan is the first President in Nigeria to give women 35 per cent. Going by the National Conference report, the President has said that if women have 35 per cent, youths will also have 30 per cent.

“I was looking at the list of the universities set up by this administration, and I saw that one of them was set up even in the hometown of his opponent – Gen. Buhari. I think that if Buhari could not set up a university in his own state, Jonathan has done it and, therefore, deserves to continue.”

Other dignitaries at the event were the PDP governorship candidate in the state, Senator Teslim Folarin, his wife, Angela; wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Kemi Mimiko, and the party’s senatorial candidates in Oyo State.

FG plans ‘troublemakers’ arrest on election eve

 Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba

There are strong indications that security agencies may clamp down on “troublemakers” ahead of Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

The PUNCH learnt in Abuja on Wednesday that the “troublemakers” would be arrested based on intelligence reports on “persons of interest.”

The names of the “troublemakers” could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, but security sources said they might be arrested on the eve of Saturday’s elections.

One of the sources, who confided in one of our correspondents, said armed security personnel   would also be drafted to streets where the “persons of interest” reside.

He added, “Security agencies are working hard to ensure a hitch-free election and one of their strategies is to arrest those that may want to foment trouble; already, there is an intelligence report that some people may want to sponsor crisis but this will not be allowed; the suspects and their sponsors will be apprehended.”

Shortly after the security sources spoke, the All Progressives Congress said it was worried about the plot to arrest some of its leaders, especially Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.

The party said it also learnt there was a move by the security agents to restrict the movement of the Director-General of its campaign organisation and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

The APC, through its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, however expressed confidence that Nigerians would resist any attempt by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to use security agents to harass, intimidate and arrest opposition figures during the elections.

It said, “Does Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu qualify as a troublemaker? What we are saying is that they must allow a level playing field and not resort to arbitrary arrest of political party leaders to give undue advantage to the ruling party.

“We can tell you authoritatively that we have obtained a court injunction to restrain the Chief of Army Staff and his agents from arresting   Tinubu.”

It will be recalled that some APC governors were prevented by security agents from entering Ado-Ekiti   a day to the June 21, 2014 election in Ekiti State.

The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Rotimi Amaechi, who was one of the     governors was reportedly harassed in Odudu, Ondo State, by armed soldiers   as he tried to enter the state capital from the Akure Airport.

The chartered plane that took him   to the Akure was detained after landing

The other governor stopped from entering     Ado-Ekiti   was Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State. A helicopter that was   take him   from Benin to Ado-Ekiti was not granted permission to take off from the Benin Airport.

When contacted on the alleged plot by security agents to clamp down on “troublemakers,” the Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said anyone who caused trouble or violence during and after the polls would be arrested.

Ojukwu, who reaffirmed the readiness of the police to raid all dark spots, added that people who refused to obey the electoral law would be treated as “troublemakers” and be made to face the law.

He however explained that no member of any political party would be targeted by the police.

Ojukwu added, “We have intelligence report on those that may want to disrupt the elections and we are going to arrest and detain them all to ensure that the election holds without any disruption or hitch.

“Our men have been adequately briefed and they will carry out their duties without bias.   Our duty is to ensure hitch-free and non – violent elections. We are going to arrest every troublemaker wherever they may be found. Anyone who does not obey the electoral law is a troublemaker and we won’t spare them.”

The Department of State Services spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, could not be reached for comment on the issue as she did not respond to calls to her telephone.

The Defence Spokesman, Maj. Gen. Chris Olukolade, also could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.

Sources at the Presidency on Wednesday told one of our correspondents that there was no order by Jonathan to security agencies to arrest   or restrict the movement of any influential Nigerian during the elections.

They however said since   security agencies had the responsibility of ensuring hitch-free elections, they   were free to take steps within the ambit of the law to forestall a breakdown of law and order.

One of them said, “Do you think that the President will call security chiefs and ask them to arrest or curtail the movement of Mr. A. or Chief B during the elections?

“In the same vein, don’t you think it will be wrong for any security chief to be waiting for a directive from the President when he is confronted with something that can lead to a breakdown of law and order?”

When contacted, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity,   Reuben Abati, said the present administration believed in the rule of law and would not hunt anybody.

Abati said anybody who had not committed any offence should not be afraid of arrest.

The presidential spokesman said, “What everybody has seen is that in the build-up to this election, opposition party has been coming up with a series of lies with the hope of misleading the public.

“Each time one lie is exposed, they come up with another one. This speaks to their desperation, it speaks to their dishonesty.

“If leaders of the opposition party have not committed any offence, if they have not done anything wrong, they have no reason to be afraid of being arrested.

“Coming up with all kinds of tales to mislead the public speaks to their own dishonesty.

“The Jonathan government truly believes in the rule of law. It is not a government that will go and be haunting people for any reason.

“The President believes in free and fair elections and he has always said this. This last minute blackmail will not help anybody.

“Security agents have the constitutional responsibility to make sure that nobody engages in any act whatsoever that can derail or disrupt the electoral process.

“There are laws of the land in that regard. There are institutions that have the responsibility to make sure that nobody disrupts the electoral process.”

Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, ruled out the possibility of   clamping down on politicians.

Metuh told one of our correspondents on the telephone that since the   Jonathan administration believes in the rule of law and credible electoral process, no security agent would go out of his way to arrest politicians.

He said, “Our party is not under any pressure. We are confident of winning the election and since we are not running a military government, nobody would order the arrest of any politician who does not fall foul of the law.”

We’ll liberate Gwoza by Friday, says Jonathan

 President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday expressed the confidence that Nigerian troops will liberate Gwoza from members of the Boko Haram sect latest on Friday.

Once that feat is achieved, he said it would not take the nation more than one week to clean up.

Jonathan spoke while granting audience to a group of international election monitors who paid him a visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“We believe by tomorrow (Thursday) or latest Friday, we will be able to take over Gwoza. If we take over Gwoza it will not take us more than one week to clean up. Now Boko Haram is not in position to come out and disrupt elections,” Jonathan told his guests.

He recalled that when security operatives advised that elections be rescheduled for security reasons, a number of people thought it was just because of the terror attacks in some parts of the North.

He however admitted that that was a major factor too because the Boko Haram set was in three states: Borno, Yobe and Adamawa at that time.

“They were holding territories, some local governments were completely under their control and invariably there were no government in those places.

“And of course, some states like Gombe and Bauchi were also not free. In fact, it would have been difficult to conduct elections in five states of the federation.

“If we had conducted elections on that February 14, they would have come up to disrupt elections in these five states and that would have made the presidential elections in these five states inconclusive.

“This is because whoever emerged a winner though we are 14 candidates but the PDP and the APC candidates are the two that are well known.

“It would have been difficult because probably the vote difference of any of these candidates, if you aggregate the remaining five states that elections would have been disrupted, it would have been difficult to declare a winner.”

Jonathan added that Gombe State was attacked on the same day the presidential election was earlier scheduled to hold. He said the aim of the insurgents was to disrupt the elections but they were repelled.

The President assured his guests that elections would be conducted on the Saturday across the country and there would be no reason for inclusive results.

Judge orders NCC, telecoms firms to pay APC N500m

 Eugene Ikemefuna Juwah, the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC

A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered the Nigerian Communications Commission and five others to pay the All Progressives Congress a sum of N500m over unlawful shutting down of its presidential campaign fund-raising platform.

Apart from NCC, the other judgment debtors are Etisalat, MTN Nigeria Limited, Globacom Limited, Airtel Nigeria Limited and Visafone Communications Limited.

The monetary cost was awarded against the six respondents severally and jointly on Tuesday by Justice Ibrahim Buba, who held that the shutting down of APC presidential campaign platform by the respondent was unlawful and constituted an infringement on the party’s fundamental right.

The party, through its lawyer, Chief Kola Awodein (SAN), had sued the respondents, claiming N25bn in damages for banning its presidential campaign fund-raising platform.

APC had accused the NCC of instructing the 2nd to 6th respondents to discontinue an SMS platform it created for the purpose of getting donations from willing members of the public for its presidential campaign.

The party claimed that it initiated the participatory fund-raising platform as a way of getting members of the general public to contribute N100 to its presidential campaign fund each time they sent APC as an SMS to 35350.

It, however, said that NCC, by a letter dated January 19, 2015, instructed the other respondents to shut down the platform, warning them “to avoid running political advertisement/promotions that will portray them as being partisan.”

The commission was also said to have threatened to sanction any of the telecommunications service providers which failed to comply with the order.

But APC considered the NCC’s instruction and the consequent shutting down of its fund-raising platform as both discriminatory and an infringement on its fundamental right protected by Section 39 of the Constitution and Articles 9 (1) (2) and 19 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

It argued that the NCC did not give the same instruction to the other respondents when the Peoples Democratic Party set up the short codes designated 6661, 662, 6663 and 6664, being managed by one Wagitel Communications Limited to raise funds for the campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan and his vice, Namadi Sambo, in 2010.

In an 18-paragragh affidavit deposed to by one Ademola Sodiq, the deponent averred that APC’s strategy was borne out of its commitment to raising fund for its presidential campaign in a “transparent and accountable manner.”

According to Sodiq, within few hours of launching the strategy, APC was getting about four to five text messages per minute and had received a total of 5,400 SMS before the NCC directed the telecommunications service providers to discontinue the scheme.

The party had, on January 28, 2015, secured an interim order of the court compelling the respondents to immediately lift the embargo on the applicant’s fund-raising platform pending the determination of the suit.

In determining the case on Tuesday, Buba dismissed the respondents’ objection to APC’s claim, but instead of N25bn damages sought by the political party, the judge awarded N500m against all the defendants.

Buhari planning to build prisons —Patience Jonathan

Mrs. Patience Jonathan

Wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has warned women against voting for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, saying the retired soldier was planning to build prisons if elected into power.

Speaking at a rally organised by the women wing of the Peoples Democratic Party, in Akure, Ondo State, on Tuesday, the President’s wife said Nigerian women should reciprocate the gesture of her husband, who ensured that a large number of women was appointed into political offices during his administration.

She said the APC was a dying party that thrives on propaganda and lies, saying that women should not be deceived into “returning to bondage.”

She said, “If you vote Buhari, you vote for prison. When the PDP is busy building schools, they are busy thinking of building jails.

“We will not allow our children to be put in jail, God forbid. We pray for oneness, we pray for unity, we pray for peace.”

Patience urged the women to come out on Saturday and vote for “the government that has provided more access to education and health care and brought down by 50 per cent the maternal mortality rate.”

“He was a former Head of State, he did not build Almajiri schools. It was Goodluck Jonathan that built the schools.

“Ask him what he did for women when he was Head of State. It was Goodluck Jonathan that remembered women,” she said.

She also noted that the PDP government would increase the number of women in government to 45 per cent if returned on Saturday from the current 35 per cent.

“They said we should change, we can only move from bad to better, not from better to bad. Jonathan has done well and will do even better if returned. They have nothing to show,” she said.

She also promised to revive the works done by her predecessors, Mrs. Mariam Babangida and Maryam Abacha, in their efforts to better the lot of women.

Speaking earlier, Governor Olusegun Mimiko, said the President would get the maximum votes because of the impact of his programmes on the lives of the people of the state.

B’Haram kidnaps 400 women in Damask

 Nigeria Defence spokesman, Major General Chris Olukolade

Boko Haram militants have kidnapped more than 400 women and children from the northern Nigerian town of Damasak that was freed this month by troops from Niger and Chad, Reuters quoted residents as saying on Tuesday.

There was no immediate official confirmation of the figure, but the Islamist group has previously carried out mass kidnappings. Boko Haram in April 2014 adopted over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok.

“They (insurgents) took 506 young women and children (in Damasak). They killed about 50 of them before leaving. We don’t know if they killed others after leaving, but they took the rest with them,” a trader called Souleymane Ali told Reuters in the town.

Troops of the African joint force last week found the bodies of at least 70 people in an apparent execution site under a bridge leading out of Damasak, where the streets remained strewn with debris and burnt-out cars after the fighting.

Ali said his wife and three of his daughters were among those seized.

“Two of them were supposed to get married this year. (Boko Haram) said ‘They are slaves so we’re taking them because they belong to us,’” he said.

Mohamed Ousmane, another trader, said the militants took his two wives and three of their children.

A 40-year-old resident who gave her name as Fana said fighters had rounded up captives in the main mosque before taking them out of town. She said she saved her two children by hiding them in her house.

Obasanjo warns against plot to hand over to military

 Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday warned against handing over the reins of government to the military.

Obasanjo said the speculation that the government was planning an Interim Government had been substituted by speculations that President Goodluck Jonathan was plotting to hand over to the military. He said that doing so would undermine the integrity of the country.

The ex-President, while hosting Aisha Buhari, wife of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, said, “I do hope we will get things more right. A lot of rumours are flying around; I think we have gone away from the rumour of Interim Government because that is not in our constitution.

“I hope we will soon go away from the rumour of handing over to the military because the military is not meant to run the affairs of a nation in terms of running government.”

Obasanjo, who said that he was happy that the country had gone beyond the Interim Government rumour, added that he hoped the nation would also survive the rumour of handing over to the military.

He said, “The international community will not condone it, particularly the African Union where we have a situation, we have said and it is part and parcel of the constituting Act of the African Union. Any government that is brought about not on the basis of the constitution will not be accepted; will not be tolerated and will not be a member of the AU until that government is dismantled.

“It shouldn’t be. We are the largest country in Africa; we should be a model, setting examples, we shouldn’t be drawing Africa backwards. I hope we will not. I hope at the end of this exercise, we would be where we should be, leading Africa and showing examples for the rest of Africa and indeed the rest of the world.

“We have the goodwill of many people. I watched last night, President (Barack) Obama talking about our constitution; I watched our Brother from Ghana, the current Chairman of ECOWAS talking about our constitution. They are all interested, they all wish us well; should we wish ourselves anything less?”

Recently, the former President had warned the current administration not to plunge this country into chaos by following the footsteps of the former President of Cote d’lvoire, Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to hand over to the winner of the presidential election in his country.

Obasanjo also bemoaned hate campaigns among politicians, advising that they should focus more on what united the country as opposed to what divided the country.

According to him, for anyone who is interested in the future of this country, issues of insecurity, economy and unemployment, among others, should form the focus of political campaigns.

He said, “Unfortunately, issues that should have been the main item of our campaign, they did not. We have serious issues of security, we have serious issue of our economy, we have issue of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, we have serious issues of infrastructure.

“These are issues among others that I believe campaign of those who are interested in the present and the future of this country should be directed at.

“How are we going to get them and what are we going to do? Not trivial issues of certificate or no certificate, not trivial issues of somebody talking about someone is a Nigerian and not a Nigerian.

“I said it, this is what they had in Cote d’Ivoire and led them into almost a very serious problem, not issue of religion, not issue of tribe, not issue of section but issues of unity of this country and the hate campaigns that we have embarked upon now, I hope this will be the last time in the history of this country that we will have this type of campaign of hatred or division.”

Obasanjo commended Buhari’s wife, stressing that women had a role to play in politics and enthronement of good governance.

Anxiety as judge adjourns suit to stop Buhari till today

 Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

There was anxiety in the camp of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday as a Federal High Court in Abuja fixed Wednesday (today) for further proceedings in one of the suits challenging the eligibility of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), to contest in Saturday’s presidential election.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola is to rule on fresh applications by intended parties seeking to join the suits as defendants.

The judge fixed Wednesday (today) for the ruling after hearing the intended parties’ applications on Tuesday.

Those whose applications for joining the suit as defendants were heard on Tuesday are Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, Chukwuma Ochu, Sunusi Musa, Ahmed Maitarki and the Fiscal and Civil Rights Enlightenment Foundation.

The suit was filed on January 26, 2015 by a lawyer, Chukwunweike Okafor, asking the court to declare Buhari ineligible to contest the presidential election slated for Saturday over his (Buhari’s) alleged failure to submit his school certificate along with his Form CF001 to INEC.

The Plaintiff’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), had in his objection to the applications of the intended defendants, described the applicants as interlopers.

The existing defendants in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission, Buhari and the APC.

Earlier on Tuesday, the judge ruled that he would hear both the main suit and Buhari’s preliminary applications challenging the court’s jurisdiction together.

The plaintiff, through his counsel, Ozekhome, insisted that both the main suit and the preliminary applications should be heard together.

But Buhari and the APC had urged the court to hear and determine their preliminary applications which bordered on the court’s jurisdiction first before entertaining the main suit.

The court agreed with the plaintiff and ruled that he would entertain the preliminary applications and the main suit together.

But when the suit will be heard depends on the outcome of the court’s ruling on the applications of intended parties in the suit.

Buhari and the APC had challenged the mode of service of the plaintiff’s originating summons on them, insisting that the issue bordered on the jurisdiction of the court.

Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), who is representing Buhari and Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), counsel for the APC, had while opposing the plaintiff’s prayer to quickly hear the suit, argued that there was no law stipulating that pre-election cases must be heard before the conduct of the elections.

There are about 10 suits instituted against Buhari’s eligibility to participate in the presidential election.

The plaintiff argued that failure of Buhari to submit his school certificate   to INEC contravened provisions of sections 131 and 318 of the 1999 Constitution and section 31(3) of the Electoral Act, 2010.

APC warns against disqualifying Buhari

Before the court’s sitting, the APC warned against any orchestrated and last-minute disqualification of   Buhari in order to pave the way for an easy victory for President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The APC, through a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed,   also cautioned against another postponement of the elections.

It said, ‘If it is true, as it is being widely speculated across the country, that the Jonathan administration has procured a judgment to disqualify the APC presidential candidate on Wednesday(today), when the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected to rule on the issue, then it portends a great danger for the nation.”

The party said in addition to other reasons, the six-week postponement of the elections might have been used by those who never wanted the polls to hold   to shop for such a “satanic judgment.”

The statement partly read, ‘’Anyone who will disqualify a presidential candidate on the eve of an election can only have one and only one purpose for that: to trigger chaos and pandemonium across the country.

“Perhaps, this is the reason for the deployment of troops across the country to crack down on possible protests and create confusion.

‘’Then, those who orchestrated the disqualification will simply use what they expect to be angry reactions nationwide as an excuse to postpone the elections again, thus triggering a constitutional crisis, the end of which no one can predict.

‘’This is why we are hoping that good reason will prevail and nothing will be done, deliberately, to plunge Nigeria into crisis by the same people who have always been quick to say their political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian.’’

When contacted, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP,   Abdullahi Jalo, said, “By now, Nigerians have become accustomed to the antics of the opposition. I don’t think anybody takes them seriously any more.”

Obama, ECOWAS seek peaceful polls in Nigeria

United States President, Barack Obama

United States President Barack Obama and the the Economic Community of West African States have stressed that only fair and transparent elections will guarantee   a true democratic process in Nigeria.

Obama made his comment via a video posted on Monday on the White House official website while the ECOWAS Chairman and Ghananian President, John Mahama, spoke in Abuja.

The US President, who also called for the safe rescue of the more than 200 kidnapped Chibok girls by Boko Haram, reminded Nigerians that “successful elections and democratic progress” would help Nigeria meet the challenges it currently faces.

He therefore urged Nigerians to peacefully express their views on election days and “reject the voices of those who call for violence.”

According to him, the elections presented to Nigerians,   the opportunity   to unite   in saying no to violence and extremism and instead show their support for a more peaceful, secure and prosperous future.

“I call on all Nigerians to peacefully express your views and to reject the voices of those who call for violence. And when elections are free and fair, it is the responsibility of all citizens to help keep the peace, no matter who wins,” Obama added.

The US President   made it clear in the message that it was the duty of all voters to safeguard the democratic process by performing their civic responsibility peacefully.

He said, “Today, I want to speak directly to you—the people of Nigeria. Successful elections and democratic progress will help Nigeria meet the urgent challenges you face today.

“Boko Haram—a brutal terrorist group that kills innocent men, women and children—must be stopped. Hundreds of kidnapped children deserve to be returned to their families.

“Nigerians who have been forced to flee deserve to return to their homes. Boko Haram wants to destroy Nigeria and all that you have worked to build. By casting your ballot, you can help secure your nation’s progress.”

He also urged all Nigerians to put their ethnic and religious backgrounds behind   ahead of the polls, saying that the task ahead   required unity.

“I’m told that there is a saying in your country: ‘to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done.’ Today, I urge all Nigerians—from all religions, all ethnic groups, and all regions—to come together and keep Nigeria one. And in this task of advancing the security, prosperity, and human rights of all Nigerians, you will continue to have a friend and partner in the USA,” he added. The US President also had a message to Nigerian leaders, especially the two leading candidates – President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party and Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress: They must   caution their supporters   against violence during and after the March 28 polls.

“I call on all leaders and candidates to make it clear to their supporters that violence has no place in democratic elections—and that they will not incite, support or engage in any kind of violence—before, during, or after the votes are counted,” he advised.

In Abuja, Mahama and   the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Desire-Kadre Ouedraogo   met seperately with Jonathan and the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The ECOWAS chairman told journalists after the meetings   that they stressed to the two candidates they need for free and fair elections in Nigeria.

Mahama, who also heads   ECOWAS electoral observer mission to Nigeria said that the sub-regional body had been actively involved in ensuring peaceful and transparent elections in the five countries   going through elections in West Africa this year.

He said the observer mission had been monitoring the electoral process in the lead up to the elections not just before the polls but from a longer period.

Mahama added, “We have received several monitoring reports and we are working together with the electoral commissions of the countries and the authorities of those countries.

“We have tried to ensure that obstacles to free and fair elections are removed to ensure that elections are free and fair. People would accept the results of those elections.

“As chair of the authorities of Heads of State of ECOWAS, I have extended my solidarity to the Nigerian people through my brother President Jonathan, to see that the whole of ECOWAS, not only ECOWAS, but the international community is in solidarity with Nigeria to have a very transparent election so that the democratic process in Nigeria will be better entrenched.

“This is a critical election for Nigeria and it will be one more indication for the world that Nigeria is a democratic country and is ruled by tenets of good governance and rule of law. And so, we want to wish you all the best.”

He disclosed that the delegation would also meet with the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission to look at the state of preparedness for the elections.

He expressed the belief that the postponement had given the electoral body more time to be able to meet all its processes and be in readiness to ensure that voters were not disenfranchised and that the results of the elections were accepted.

The Ghanaian President also expressed the belief that there would be no post-election violence after the release of the results.

“We expect that there will be no post-election violence and that all the parties involved in the elections would accept the results   in good faith when INEC has announced the results of the elections.

“As you know, Nigeria is a very important member of ECOWAS. The largest economy, the largest nation in the ECOWAS region and so Nigeria’s safety and security is the safety of and security of the whole of ECOWAS region and so I stand on behalf of all the Presidents of ECOWAS and wish that all Nigerians will come out and express their votes and their votes would count towards electing who becomes the next leader of this country.”

Mahama also told journalists after meeting with Buhari that the international community was interested in the outcome of the elections because of the strategic position Nigeria occupies on the African continent.

He said, “I arrived here this(Monday) morning as the ECOWAS chairman at the behest of all the Heads of a States of ECOWAS to pay a solidarity visit to Nigeria to express our solidarity with the people of Nigeria in the elections you are going to hold on   March 28.

“The whole of West Africa and indeed, the whole of the international community is watching your country because these elections are going to be another step at consolidating and enhancing democracy in Nigeria.

“I began this(Monday) morning with a meeting with President Jonathan and we discussed all issues concerning the intending election and I had firm assurances that everything is set to go and that on the Match 28   election will come up.

“We expect the elections to be free, fair and transparent and ECOWAS is going to do everything possible to work with the political stakeholders and INEC to make sure that the   process is credible and acceptable to the people of Nigeria.

“ I feel assured that all the political leaders are ready for a peaceful, free and fair election.

“Of course, there are a few issues that he(Buhari) has brought up which I will refer appropriately to our monitoring group and I hope that the discussions that will take place in the next few days will address some the issues that have been raised.”

Mahama said he received assurances from both Jonathan and the INEC Chairman,   Attahiru Jega, that all was now set for the elections to go ahead on March 28 as scheduled.

Police make a U-turn, say voters can ‘protect’ votes

Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba

The Nigeria Police Force on Monday made a U-turn on its earlier warning to voters to stay away from polling centres after exercising their civic duty on days of elections.

The Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, had on Thursday said there was no need for   voters to stay back after casting their votes because   two or three policemen would be stationed at every polling unit to guard their votes.

   “Cast your votes and go and cool down. If you remain there, there is a likelihood that you will commit an offence,’’ he had   said.

But the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, the All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party and others faulted the warning, saying there was no aspect of   the electoral law that prohibited voters from stay behind to monitor   ballot counting.

“As many of the voters may wish to remain to see the actual counting of the votes after voting has ended,” Jega had stated.

However, the Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, said that people could stay behind as long as they maintained the peace, and obeyed the electoral guidelines.

“Anybody who commits any offence against the Electoral Act would be dealt with in line with the law. Voters are free to stay behind if they chose to,” Ojukwu stated.

Emenike faces ban for walking off pitch

Emmanuel Emenike

Fenerbahçe forward Emmanuel Emenike faces disciplinary action in the Turkish league following his indecent reaction in the derby against Beşiktaş at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium on Sunday.

The Nigeria international tore off his shirt in anger and ran off the pitch, demanding to be substituted in the first half, after his fans booed him for missing a ‘simple’ chance to put the hosts ahead.

It took the intervention of Fenerbahçe manager Ismail Kartal and his technical staff to stop Emenike from walking down the tunnel. Kartal eventually managed to convince him to put his shirt back on and return to the game.

A former referee in Turkey Ahmet Çakar said Emenike deserved punishment for leaving the pitch and re-entering without permission. He said it was a technical error not to have booked the player, and that the action could mean a replay of the derby.

“These incidents are not even open to interpretation, they are all bookable offences, the first thing they teach amateur referees are the rules of the game,” Turkish Football quoted Çakar as saying on Beyaz Tv.

“This was not a refereeing error, it was a technical error and that could result in the match being replayed.”

The 28-year-old has only scored four league goals for The Yellow Canaries this season, but Kartal revealed he prayed for the Nigerian to score and break his poor run of form in the derby.

“I prayed for Emenike to score and win over the fans again,” Kartal told Lig Tv. “The fans need to be more patient and understanding, he cannot change around his fortunes with everyone getting on his back.”

Fenerbahçe eventually won the game courtesy of a 90th minute goal from Mousa Sow, but not before Kartal had substituted Emenike at the start of the second half.

The manager also gave Emenike a two-day leave to be spent in Nigeria during the international break.

Vote out Jonathan, Buhari tells Imo people

Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has urged Imo people to vote out the Peoples Democratic Party at state and national levels.

He said this at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Monday, during a campaign tour.

Buhari said that the people should vote for the APC because the PDP has failed the people 16 years in power.

“They did not provide jobs or security. The economy has drastically gone down. We cannot be alive and see our dear country die a natural death,” Buhari noted.

Buhari, in a brief speech, charged the people to get their Permanent Voter Cards in order to exercise their right in the presidential and legislative elections holding next Saturday.

In his speech, the Governor of the state, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, described Buhari as a man that has zero tolerance for corruption, adding that Buhari would industrialise Nigeria if elected into power.

“As his name means in Igbo language, Buhari will ‘Bugharia’ Nigeria for the better.”

He said that the election will be won by the APC at all levels, adding that the votes of the masses will count just as he accused the PDP of planning to rig the elections.

One of the highpoints of the rally was the presentation of a certificate of endorsement to Buhari by the Association of Nigerians in Ireland and defection of several PDP members to APC.

Election 2015: Dubious Confab report approval

 Secretary to the Government the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim

AMID the froth and fury of a cut-throat election campaign, the Federal Executive Council last Wednesday approved “the immediate implementation of the 2014 National Conference report.” In what seems like a last-ditch gambit to gain electoral mileage as Nigeria goes to the polls on Saturday, the bizarre order, coming just days to the presidential ballot, should be taken with a pinch of salt.

In all probability, the announcement by Pius Anyim, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, on behalf of the cabinet, is a cheap political stunt and a blatant attempt to deceive the electorate. Anyim said the recommendations and resolutions that require constitution amendment and enactment of new laws would be forwarded to the National Assembly for promulgation into law, while policy matters in the report would be referred to the affected agencies and the tiers of government concerned for action. As was expected, politicians have gone to town with it, making outlandish promises, including the creation of new states. But turning the strategic issue of restructuring to an object of a knee-jerk reaction to a seeming plummeting political fortune is a disservice to the country.

There is nothing altruistic or patriotic about FEC’s feckless authoritative approval of a document that holds so much hope for the country’s socio-economic transformation, but has been sacrificed on the altar of personal political ambition. This is another outrageous example of a political joke taken too far. The FEC statement lacks power to convince those who had been canvassing the implementation of the report since it was submitted in August 2014.

Instead, the President consigned the report to the archives. What, for instance, does it cost the President to trim his bloated cabinet, as recommended by the conference, when he had the opportunity to do so after some ministers resigned last October, and especially in the face of dwindling oil revenues? The President swore in another set of eight ministers last week to fill the vacancies left behind by those who resigned to contest elections.

On several occasions between the inauguration of the conference and the end of last year, Jonathan’s headline-grabbing statements had offered a ray of hope to Nigerians. Promising the conferees that their work would not be a waste, Jonathan had assured when the 22-volume report, containing over 600 draft proposals, was submitted that “it is a new dawn in Nigeria and a new nation is at the door.”

And shortly after this, the President had set up another committee to study the report, articulate the recommendations made and develop the strategies for the implementation. The committee was also meant to advise the government on how to effectively implement the report. Similarly, in his broadcast to mark the 2014 Independence Day on October 1, the President reaffirmed that he would keep his promise. “Every promise I make, God willing, I will see to its fulfilment. I assure you, we shall implement the report,” he had said.

But apart from the soundbites and fury, Jonathan seems not to be in a hurry to act on the report and has never built a reputation for implementing any report. There were the unimplemented reports of the Presidential Advisory Council headed by Theophilus Danjuma, which recommended the reduction of the cost of governance; the Presidential Committee on Review of the Reform Processes in the Nigerian Public Service; the Public Awareness on Security and Civic Responsibilities; the Stephen Oronsaye Committee on the Rationalisation and Restructuring of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies; and the Justice Alfa Belgore Committee on Constitution Review, which also proposed the devolution of power to the states, scrapping of the office of the First Lady and autonomy for local governments. There were also four different committees set up to probe the fuel subsidy scandal without the government making any tangible use of their reports.

One of the signs that we are a long way off from the implementation was the failure to transmit the report to the National Assembly, which was also considering some amendments to the 1999 Constitution at that time. The Deputy Leader, House of Representatives, Leo Ogor, said during this period that there was no such report before the parliament. Things should have been handled differently if sincerity was in adequate supply.

The failure to do so might haunt the country for a long time. Today, Nigeria is further from being a proper nation than at any other time in its history. Since the advent of civil government 16 years ago, we have altogether missed our national goals in critical areas of development. Because of our failure to restructure, the component states that depend mainly on oil revenues are finding it hard to meet their financial and security obligations.

Even countries that have had a long history of being unitary entities are evolving novel ways of devolving power to their constituent units and cities for rapid economic development. In the United Kingdom, which is an example of a unitary state, the central government has ceded some powers to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales following constitutional changes in 1997 and 1998.

No doubt, our federalism is dysfunctional. The Punch editorial stance strongly supports the restructuring of the skewed political system. When the conference was inaugurated on March 17, 2014, we had warned, “We must not allow cynics’ narrative of failure to become an excuse for despair. Despite obvious constraints such as the deep suspicion of the motives of President Goodluck Jonathan, the controversial pattern of delegate selection and ambiguity over its legal status, the conference has a good chance of being the take-off point for the long overdue restructuring of this tottering political edifice.”

We will continue to stand resolutely for true federalism as the only political arrangement for the country. But it is all evident that Jonathan has failed badly to translate a credible and painstakingly worked out report to a constitutional reform. He has missed the golden opportunity to write his name in gold. Nigerians should reject the uncanny bait and cheap electioneering gimmicks.

Electricity: Thank you President Jonathan, but…

President Goodluck Jonathan

I want to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for slashing electricity tariff by 50 per cent. It again shows he is a listening President.

Recently, I had added my voice to those of other Nigerians through an SOS to President Jonathan published in this newspaper on the astronomical bills being issued from the electricity distribution companies otherwise known as discos to consumers. Even the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria added its own voice to the matter.

President Jonathan acted swiftly, much to the relief of long suffering Nigerians, to direct the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to reduce the tariff.

But it seems the discos are slashing the bills grudgingly. What the Federal Government intended with the slashing of the electricity bills is that there is a genuine reduction in tariff, not window dressing as it seems the discos are doing.

As I stated in that letter, those who are on prepaid who use air-conditioning systems, and even pump water for commercial purpose pay on average N4000 a month.

Instead of the discos to reduce my “normal” bill by half, it “reduced” my “craziest bill” by half! It was N18,000. Now it is N9000. Half of our minimum wage!

Those I spoke with said even with the reduction, the bills are still unreasonable and that they will not pay for what they did not consume. Already it was reported that consumers in the Papa Ajao area of Mushin in Lagos protested against the high bills and illicit activities of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Mushin Business Unit, and this was barely 24 hours after the reduction was announced.

Perhaps, the discos wanted to increase the tariff to a “certain level” without knowing how to do it. So, they thought of raising it way up above their intended tariff, knowing Nigerians will cry out for a reduction. Perhaps, what they call “reduced” is actually where they wanted to “raise” the bill to! But that will not work.

There are still so many problems with the electricity distribution companies. Up till now, the N10,000 bill I paid to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company’s Abule Egba Business Unit in December, has still not reflected. All I hear is, “They are working on it.” Many people are complaining of the same thing.

All the same, Thank you, again, Mr President, for your kind gesture. But the discos must reduce the bills further. Not based on crazy estimates, but by a fair amount as compared with what those who own prepaid meter are paying, pending when prepaid meters will be given to all consumers.

As a suggestion, electricity bills as estimated for those who do not have prepaid meters should be reduced to no more than N1500 for residents, at worst N2000, depending on the residence. That, with improved power supply, will win the hearts and minds of Nigerian electricity consumers who have long lost faith in the system.

When you go to shop, are you told to pick what you want and pay what you can pay? But the electricity distribution companies tell you to “pay what you can pay.” There is no transparency with them, and they have lost their credibility.

Instead of addressing this, the electricity companies are kicking against the reduction in tariff. In an election year, it is left to be seen who are more powerful between the electorate and the capitalists!

My candid advice to the discos is for them to be “foolish” for once and see how it turns out for them. Perhaps, they should engage the consultants who thought out cheap airfares.

Business is about turnovers. They will not make money by over-labouring the few people who are paying, what they call “passing the bulk to “paying” consumers for losses incurred from “non-paying” consumers.” They are losing more money that way. But they will make more money if the bills are so low, that it is not only easy for all to pay, but also cool to pay.

Who said all the discos have to have one tariff? Each company can be given the autonomy to woo its customers with its own tariff as obtains with the telecoms. They can also give their customers freebies if they pay regularly.

Finally, infrastructure needs to be upgraded so that electricity generated really reaches Nigerians. We should also make power generation from coal real. We should protect our gas pipes better and possibly plead with gas pipeline vandals to desist from destroying them, even if it means “negotiating” with them, to giving them “amnesty.”

Dr Odoemena is a medical practitioner based in Lagos, Terafema.blogspot.com, Twitter: @cuzdetriumph