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Blog, Essays, Monishots

Igbo Political Renaissance Will Begin With IPOB’s Decline.

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  We cannot allow anyone or any group appropriate a sole franchise to define our Igbo identity, much more proselytise it in a despicable and violent manner. We should not justify it or be indifferent to it. Our history and civilisation extol respect for one another. ~ Nnanna Ude Regardless of our usual social media tittle-tattle if one is blessed with some measure of knowledge and quill-wielding, it is proper and even obligatory to put ink to paper in a more concise and intelligible manner on some critical issues affecting your people. So when I read Ezeife’s demand on the 2023 presidency I was reminded of the above succinctly captured statement by Mr Ude shortly after IPOB members attacked Ike Ekweremadu. Its been three years since many Igbos, still reeling from the painful defeat of ‘our brother’ Jonathan embraced IPOB’s call for secession. I wrote an article then in which I opined that the coming years will see Ndi Igbo rise from that unfortunate political miscalculation to assume their rightful place in national politics. Sadly, I was disappointed. During the last campaign, I also stated that piloting Igbos back to mainstream politics should be a priority regardless of the success or otherwise of Obi’s shot at the Vice Presidency. But here we are again still grieving that loss even as other regions have commenced politicking towards 2023. Nevertheless, this piece is neither to validate nor condemn, rather in my usual approach, I will interrogate some factors that may not necessarily be peculiar to the Igbos but have aided in our recent political relegation viz-a-viz the lethargic handling of IPOB and offer my humble suggestions as I believe detailed texts on contemporary issues should do. Permit me to digress a bit with an experience I had in Germany in order to locate the nucleus of Kanu’s IPOB before we proceed. Having arrived in Kassel as my business partner travelled to Belgium for an emergency I decided to visit a friend in Bremen. While hanging out in the local joint where we play poker and chat about the happenings back home a shabbily dressed bloke sauntered in and on learning that I was visiting from Nigeria asked; “Nna, I heard the United Nations recognized the Sovereign State of Biafra declared by MASSOB, owu eziokwu?” (Is it true?) Perplexed, I didn’t know what to make of him or his question. That a man living in Germany would be that misinformed in 2006 was kind of absurd. By the time I gathered myself to respond, I was told to ignore a refugee who hadn’t been home in 14 years. There are many like him across the western world. Young men who embarked on the transatlantic expedition in search of the golden fleece but ended in perpetual stagnation as asylum-seekers. They are the ones that have been smartly exploited by Kanu to bring home an intellect-trashing era of populism through his fact-twisting Radio Biafra. Many of these pendent brothers are the omphalos of his fraudulent agitation. And having been promised a fantasy land, an eldorado of sorts where prosperity will be restored under the guidance of a Supreme Leader ordained by Chukwu Okike Abiama, they are as ready to fund the ‘cause’ as they are willing to uproot any impediment. These are the men Ezeife would want to lead the Igbo nation if Nigeria does not ‘give’ us the presidency. The same man who suggested that Nigeria may not survive till 2023 if Buhari is re-elected just like he predicted the country’s break up if Jonathan is defeated in 2015. And by saying that “Igbos voted for both APC and PDP” he is inadvertently demanding for the two leading parties to zone their presidential tickets to the South East. Laughable if you ask me, and I believe others will be having a good laugh at us too. There is no way the distribution of power in our skewed federalism will be curated on sentiments. But let us even assume that the octogenarian’s dictate is for the PDP where we have largely stored our eggs since 1999. Pray on what premise is he making such demands? Has he analysed the current position of Igbos in the party hierarchy? Is he unaware that Igbos never called the shots even when we had powerful ministers and ranking officers in the legislature under Jonathan? One would expect that the ex-governor should know that you strive to negotiate from a position of strength in politics. You see, Igbos are a heuristic tribe who pride themselves as exceptional people especially blessed by God. In a seminal study published in 1974 by Alex Inkeles and David S. Smith the Igbos alongside the Jews of Eastern Europe, the Swiss Protestants and the Parsis of India were ranked the most resourceful in the world on achievement motivation. The veracity or falsity of these claims very much depends on the prism of perception. However, you are likely to have an Igbo person more than any other as the factotum in any group of Nigerians. We saw it in Japan where all the leaders of the various Nigerian delegations that met President Buhari were Igbos. The South East has never lacked in human and material resources. It is a region that recovered in record time after a devastating civil war and currently leads other regions in almost all the UN developmental indices. And all these were achieved without power at the centre since Ironsi was felled over half a century ago. Unfortunately, Igbos today appear to be poor students of history and strategy. The corollary of which has been the inadequate deployment of our famed ingenuity in Nigerian politics. That is why Ezeife will attempt to blackmail the nation a few months after Ohaneze Ndi Igbo declared that the Igbos do not need the presidency. A classical example of a struggling conflict of extremes driven more by individual rather than collective interest. We have watched the last four years wither through hate-spewing, negativity and a defeatist mentality not even witnessed

Blog, Essays

What Obasanjo And Yar’Adua Told Me ~ Soludo

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A central issue in the quest for Nigeria’s greatness is leadership selection. Some 2,400 years ago, the great philosopher, Plato, argued that “As a just and healthy person is governed by knowledge and reason, a just society must be under the control of society’s most cultivated and best-informed minds, its ‘lovers of wisdom’…” I have chosen to share the thoughts of our two presidents to encourage a debate on the matter, especially given the pervasive indifference or downright loathsomeness to matters of politics and governance by the so-called ‘lovers of wisdom’. I served Nigeria under two presidents. This piece is not part of ‘the book’ on presidential governance. The date was Friday, March 17, 2006. At the morning prayer session with President Olusegun Obasanjo at the ‘red carpet’ in the villa, I raised a special prayer point and asked the congregation to pray for the new governor of my state Anambra, Peter Obi (who was on his way from Abuja to Awka to be sworn in same day), as well as for Anambra State so that Obi’s regime may mark an end to the brigandage and misrule in the state. We were all upstanding. The president cut in, and pointing in my direction remarked: “We shall pray as you have requested but the problem with you people from Anambra is that those of you who have something to offer shy away from politics and hooligans have taken over your state”. To the best of my recollection, that was the only prayer point during the four years of daily devotion that received a commentary.  ‘Baba’, as we fondly call him was basically telling us to ‘get involved or stop complaining’.  Periodically, the three of us from Anambra who were regular members of the prayer group (Oby Ezekwesili, Rev.William Okoye and I) had cause to brainstorm on the challenges and limitations of participation in politics especially by those of us who were ‘technocrats’. While we were obsessed with ‘good governance’, we had little interest in the process of acquiring power. After leaving office as governor of the central bank, I was in London when twice in June 2009 I received calls from Alhaji Mangal to the effect that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua wanted to see me anytime I was in Nigeria. I returned with my family late July and on Sunday, July 26, I received a call that the president wanted to see me by 9:30pm. After a few banter, he asked what I was doing abroad. As I explained the three offers I was considering, he was shaking his head. “Well”, he started, “it is not because you are here, but I have said this several times to you. Given your age, skills, and your accomplishments for our economy and financial system, it would be a waste for you not to continue to be involved in Nigeria’s public service… For example, there is going to be an election in your state early next year and I want to strongly urge you to show interest… You know that your state has been unfortunate with leadership, and our party has been in crisis there…” At that point, my heartbeat was racing. Before I left office, many people from Anambra had suggested that I should run for governor but it did not make any sense to me and my family. As I began my response, Yar’Adua cut in and suggested that I did not need to respond immediately but instead that I should go home and ‘consult’ with some of the political leaders in the state. He then raised his two thumbs and assured that “if you accept to do this, I will come out fully to make sure that you get there”. If he had allowed me to respond immediately, the answer would have been an unambiguous ‘NO’.  I thanked him and left. On getting home, my wife was curious. I summarized what the president said, and she asked: ‘so what was your response?’ I told her the president would not let me respond but asked that I go and ‘consult’. “Then go back tomorrow and tell him that you have finished consulting and that the answer is No”, she ruled. I pleaded with her that we should at least give some time, out of respect, before reporting our decision. I confided in a few people and sought their advice. Within a week, the ‘rumours’ were everywhere. In the meantime, Yar’Adua also told a few people of his plans for Anambra and how he wanted to ‘use Soludo to make Anambra a model state’. He specifically requested Chief Tony Anenih to help him make it happen. My wife and I came under inestimable pressure — ‘to go and serve our people’. Some even said it was a ‘divine call to serve’, etc. My wife loathes politics and can’t stand it. On August 12, 2009, I gave Yar’Adua the ‘preliminary report’ on my consultations. To enable me take a decision, I presented the challenges and threats to his proposal to which he laid out solutions. I told him that after three offices at the Federal Government (as chief economic adviser, de facto Minister of National Planning; and governor of the central bank) I believed I had had my day on duty as far as government was concerned and wanted to return to the international community, academia and private sector. The only reason another public office would make sense to me in the circumstance was if I believed I could really make a fundamental difference. If I would contest, my vision was to transform Anambra’s economy such that after eight years, it would no longer need federation account allocation for recurrent expenditures but would devote 100% of it to capital budget. Consequently, I requested eight things the Federal Government would do to enable me quickly transform the state into an international city, including: an airport; modern seaport for Onitsha and dredging of River Niger to enable medium-sized ship to come to Onitsha; dualisation of

Blog, Monishots

Why Saraki Is Scheming For 2023.

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  When General Muhammadu Buhari made a pact with politicians from diverse backgrounds with little similarity in ideology – if they had any – to emerge the APC flag bearer and subsequently the president, he cannot possibly claim that he didn’t anticipate a bumpy ride. Likewise, when Bukola Saraki and his henchmen sabotaged their party and successfully carried out a ‘coup’ to assume the Senate leadership in cahoots with the opposition they surely would have expected many battles in the fore. I had posited then in my thesis that for Saraki, winning a battle does not in any way translate to winning the war as it was clear to the discerning that tougher battles lay ahead. That it was an action that also resulted in the emergence of the PDP’s Senator Ike Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President made it more humiliating for the APC and left the intrigues ahead to one’s imagination. Saraki can rightly be described as well ‘connected’ and battle-tested; his rise in politics started with his appointment as Obasanjo’s aide on budget matters. From thereon he only looked forward and propitiously employed a combination of sagacity and ruthlessness to rise rapidly. However, many of his political battles were fought when he had immunity as a governor. As the Senate president, a higher position in the larger picture so to say, that privilege is no longer available and his fate unlike before is not entirely in his hands. All the same, credit must go to the medical doctor turned politician for surviving like the proverbial cat with nine lives. Basking in the support of colleagues that cut across party lines, he has managed a vice-hold grip on the Senate whilst surviving the onslaught of a protracted CCT trial and more recently some police investigations. It is even more impressive when you consider that while many have come to regard our NASS as the bulwark of the corrupt, populated by ex-governors and ministers with questionable records, Saraki still commands huge followership in his home state. He will likely be re-elected to the red chamber even in a free and fair contest. But the Senate President has been in the political scene long enough to know that a Nigerian President is an all-powerful demi-god. Having watched Obasanjo remove Senate Presidents and Governors, he knows the arsenal at the disposal of any occupant of Aso Rock. Even men like Anyim, Na’Abba, Nnamani, and Orji Uzor Kalu who successfully contained Obasanjo’s often fractious belligerence are yet to fully recover from the overwhelming political trauma that executive pressure can bring to bear on a perceived foe. That President Buhari, a stubborn soldier, is not disposed to the do or die tactics of his fellow jackboot, Obasanjo, is obviously a political strategy ingeniously conceived. I believe the Senate President knows too well that but for this disposition of the president, he would have been long gone. His supporters may disagree but he knows this and his traducers know too. Now let us briefly examine why Buhari has accommodated the Senate President. After the national assembly leadership elections, the division among the various parties that made up the APC became evident. President Buhari’s CPC took charge of the executive and Bola Tinubu’s ACN maintained a similar grip on the party leadership while Saraki and his nPDP group pocketed the legislature. In most organizations, it is often beneficial for the man at the helm not to take sides in any battle of attrition between his subordinates and in his bestselling “48 Laws Of Power”, American author Robert Greene put it thus: Do not commit to anyone. It is the fool who always rushes to take sides. Do not commit to any side or cause but yourself. By maintaining your independence, you become the master of others-playing people against one another, making them pursue you. ~ Law 20 When Buhari refused to meddle in that tussle for the NASS leadership, many including yours truly didn’t fully comprehend that the taciturn general was only employing this golden rule. If he had intervened then, perhaps Bola Tinubu and his men would have become too powerful for him by having control of the party and the legislature. He maintained mature neutrality while not losing sight of the need to have both groups sucking up to him. A sort of balance -if you like- that ensured he remained the lord and master. However, as the battle for 2019 intensified the need to pander to the whims of the party power brokers became more critical for the President’s re-election bid because it is only on the party platform that his loyalists can deliver. Obasanjo successfully deployed this tactic against Atiku when he replaced Audu Ogbeh with Ahmadu Ali to take control of the party and checkmate the Vice President’s influence with the lawmakers. Moreover, given our politicians’ penchant for cross-carpeting to contest elections, it would be futile trying to stop those who had already lost out in the local congresses. President Buhari still enjoys cult followership, especially in his Northern base. A cursory look at his record haul of votes even when the PDP was still writing election results in Ota farms clearly accentuates his popularity in the region. That is not likely to change now he is in power despite the challenges facing the country, at least not significantly. His appointments into INEC and the security agencies equally indicate that the man will not gamble away a hard-fought presidency. So as the political fireworks escalate towards February 2019, the fallback option to the PDP may offer some hope for the political lightweights to have a shot at retaining their positions in 2019 but the gladiators are actually battling for relevance in readiness for a post-Buhari Nigeria in 2023.

Blog, Essays, Monishots

What will it take to awaken a lazy opposition?

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There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time. ~ Malcolm X In the ‘coup’ that led to the emergence of Bukola Saraki as the Senate President and Ike Ekweremadu as his deputy, a cerebral friend had asked a pertinent question. How will the opposition fare in a democracy where one of the most senior senators selfishly joined an APC led Senate leadership as the Deputy Senate President? Well, it could be fair to suggest that Ike who is a seasoned lawyer and lawmaker stooped to conquer in a future battle but if he ever did stumble upon the above wisdom nugget by the legendary Malcolm X how has he fared as an opposition senator? The answer is that he has performed abysmally if at all what we have seen can be described as a performance. You are free to luxuriate in your cloddishness but smart and politically savvy Nigerians are not obliged to flounder about with you. Any discerning political observer would have known that the applause which heralded Obasanjo’s explosive letter will no sooner evaporate as it effervesced. Even though the former president is notorious for his strategy, Nigerians are often so much in a hurry to move on to the next that the euphoria over that missive was never going to last beyond a week. Obasanjo superintended no democracy and should never be our SI unit for measuring good governance. It was he who boisterously strode across the nation like a colossus for 8 years, taking down all that dared cross his path. He willfully rigged in and impeached governors at his whim and but for Asiwaju’s resilience, Nigeria would have been a one-party state when the ruling PDP swept through the polls by ‘winning’ 28 states in 2003. But this essay is not about the selfish and corrupt nationalist, nor will I waste space on the doublespeak by IBB lest we digress and wander too far. Now let us critically dissect some of the issues. Can you imagine the ruling party in opposition while the government of the day reneges on many of its numerous promises to Nigerians? You see, let us not deceive ourselves opposition politics is no cheesecake. No other person than the Asiwaju himself can attest to this. For 16ys he was in the dugout slugging it out with almighty Villa occupants as the leader of the opposition. Half of that time was spent battling Obasanjo who had little political value in his base, but however, had the required international clout and the equally invaluable backing of political power blocs controlled by moneybag generals who have continued appropriating our collective patrimony since the end of the civil war. I was therefore not surprised when Tinubu described Baba’s tantrums as mere politics, the Ebora Owu could have used other means as he has unfettered access to the presidency. Some will ask if he was playing politics when he wrote Jonathan? Of course, else let the old fox show us Jonathan’s so-called snipers. Or have we in our characteristic amnesia forgotten that weighty allegation which the then opposition milked to the extreme with El Rufai’s scurvy list? Who is spearheading the onslaught? Wike may have installed Secondus as the PDP chairman but the Ikwerre politician is smart enough to know that holding on to his base is imperative for his political survival, at least for now. Is it Femi Fani Kayode whom the majority of Nigerians regard as a junkie that will sing for any government that drops a teaspoonful of porridge on his dinner table? Or Fayose who barks like a rabid dog in the day but sneaks in at night to prostrate and apologise to those he abused? Then we have Reno Omokri, a perky impostor whose primary platform is Linda Ikeji’s blog where he spars with Kim Kardashian and Cossy Orjiakor for social media likes. Just tell me, who is leading the opposition? These vocal few who are supposed to be championing the opposition’s quest to ‘win 30 states in 2019’ are such a laughable bunch that they will be instant hits in the comedy business. They are neither capable of articulating the vision and mission of any serious political party nor are they suited to the onerous task of getting the electorate’s attention let alone convincing them. Sadly, there are few alternatives left in the PDP, for all have stolen and will remain tainted with corruption for life. Whatsmore whatever ace they may have up their sleeves will not be alien to APC which is comprised of strange bedfellows that will do anything to retain the seat of power. That much they achieved out of power, how much more now they have the power and resources. So what will it take to mobilise a robust opposition that can rattle the ruling APC? Who can put together a movement that will convince Nigerians that it cares about our socio-economic well-being? A tall order if you ask me, for in our nascent democracy there is a lot of motion with little movement. We have seen political parties which are supposedly the fundamental crucible of any democracy become opportunistic associations devoid of ideology but dotted with individuals whose major interests are at best self-serving. They have similar manifestos that are often filled with the vacuous rhetoric used to conceal parochial sentiments and avarice. Little wonder then that many have given up resulting in another round of brain drain and a vast number of our people caught in the tragic migrant routes of war-torn Libya. However, we must trudge on because just like they say, Rome was not built in a day. The quest to achieve a just and equitable society must begin with admitting our collective complicity in the bad state of affairs that has plagued our fatherland for ages. Even as we blame politicians for nepotism and corruption, how many of us can honestly say we

Blog, Essays

PDP: Like Sheriff, like Jonathan.

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Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to cope with conflict by peaceful means.~Ronald Reagan Widely regarded by many Americans as the greatest president, the above quote was in an address by the 40th POTUS at the commencement exercises of Eureka College (Illinois) in May 1982. Remarkably he was equally commemorating his 50th graduation anniversary having become an alumnus of the same school in 1932. In his time President Reagan often harped on the need to supplant the old policy of hostility with the Soviet Union with gradual reduction of nuclear weapons, while covertly pursuing a scheme to sabotage their economy, a paradoxical strategy which nevertheless proved ruthlessly effective in diminishing Soviet power in the twilight of the twentieth century. On Monday news filtered in that Ali Modu Sheriff and his supporters visited Goodluck Jonathan as part of his consultation and appeal for acceptance since the appeal court victory of last week. Sheriff accompanied by a former governor of Niger state Babangida Aliyu had earlier made a similar visit to ex-military leader IBB at his hilltop mansion in Minna. It was reported that former president Jonathan while receiving them in his Abuja residence repeatedly referred to Sheriff as “my chairman” in his characteristic humility. He later assured newsmen that he had also met the others and that the problem of the party is being resolved as they are one family. In other news however, the Ahmed Markafi led faction had despite a police cordon, gathered in Fayose’s Abuja residence to announce that they have appealed the judgement at the Supreme Court and went on to issue a communique that totally rejected Sheriff as party chairman stating that they “are not at all deceived by the supposed olive branch being offered by Senator Ali Modu Sherrif, knowing that the only thing that can come from traitors of his ilk is nothing but a poisoned chalice and a Greek gift”. Strong words I must say, it appears some party members didn’t get Reagan’s memo, the die is cast and the result may likely be a requiem rather than revival for the once upon a time Africa’s ‘largest’ party. Let us take a look at the party’s road to perdition. A party founded on the virtuous principles of the G-34 led by former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, PDP grew to capture the seat of power in 1999. The party’s membership spread across the 6 geopolitical zones while it also built solid structures in all 36 states of the federation. Indeed so formidable was PDP in our national politics that its former Chairman Vincent Ogbulafor boasted that the party will rule Nigeria for 60yrs! Our people say that “no one should gloat over prison when the police have not departed”. I wonder what Ogbulafor will make of the current imbroglio. Once and again with many African stories, attaining success is often easier than managing it. The party became intoxicated with power and relegated the people. PDP had money and power, the essential ingredients required to improve the well-being of people, rather it chose to conquer and further pauperise them. We watched helplessly for 16yrs as they continued their wilful misrule while looting our collective patrimony with gleeful impunity. The party was so corrupt that it gained the notorious alias of “share the money”. As if that wasn’t enough, they also made sure our votes didn’t count as they rigged their way to electoral victories throughout the nation. Well, nothing lasts forever they say and like I warned in my article 10 years ago, the rise of progressives which coalesced into the APC resulted in the ultimate defeat of the party of looters. Since its defeat, the party has continued stuttering in a downward slide to ignominy. Not only have they failed to offer a whimper let alone serious opposition, they have equally been embroiled in a needless leadership tussle. Without delving into the chronology of the party’s numerous crisis which some trace back to its very 1st convention, when retired military money bags hijacked the process to thwart the candidacy of a better qualified Ekwueme for their fellow jackboot Obasanjo. Let us assess the current crisis which I believe was precipitated by ex-president Goodluck Jonathan’s insistence to contest elections in contravention of the rotational ‘gentleman agreement’ of the party, recall that while the former president chose to maintain calm in the face of startling revelations of wanton corruption under his watch, those who were to steer the ship rarely got off to a united start. When Senator Ike Ekweremadu who is the highest elected member of the party selfishly joined Saraki in the senate leadership, yours truly had wondered how one can offer credible opposition from an APC dominated NASS leadership? To me, that move magnified the leadership vacuum earlier created by Jonathan’s indifference and thus presented an opportunity for Governors to hijack the throne. Fayose, being a smart politician seized the moment and rallied his colleagues to fill the position left by Alhaji Adamu Muazu with the former Borno state governor. It is no secret that he was instrumental in Sheriff’s emergence as the acting Chairman of the party despite the screening of about 5 other candidates of which Sheriff wasn’t even among. In the usual manner of disregarding laid down principles, the party had once again shot itself in the foot. Olisa Metuh had said then that Sheriff was picked by National Caucus of PDP comprising the governors, members of the National Working committee, NWC and the leadership of the National Assembly. Sheriff himself thanked the governor profusely on his visit to Ado-Ekiti acknowledging that he helped him become the leader of the party. The coast looked to be clear and some expected the ship to set sail but that didn’t happen and may not happen anytime soon. Some say that certain elements within the party hierarchy had learnt of an alleged plot by the new chairman to contest the 2019 presidential election with Fayose as his

Blog, Essays

The Riggers of the PDP.

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The riggers of PDP have continued to amaze me with their brazen display of barbarism and emptiness. It did not come as a surprise when I noticed that the Arik air flight to Enugu which I boarded on the 20th of April was not even half full. I had bought my return ticket the previous day anticipating mad rush because of the presidential polls coming up that Saturday. People decided to stay back simply because they were disenchanted. Nigerians who left their businesses to go and vote the previous weekend were disappointed and disenfranchised and as such decided to stay back and watch INEC play their game in the presidential polls. We know they were determined to rig this election and they are rigging it but why insult our intelligence? In countries where there is sanity, barring any last minute incident that could sway the undecided electorate, election results follow the pattern and prediction of earlier conducted opinion polls. Having enthusiastically followed the build up to these elections I can accurately say that media opinion polls before last weekend were true reflections of the mindset of Nigerians, but as the results of the previous weekend’s gubernatorial elections trickled in, it became obvious that Mr. Iwu and his co travelers were on a mission. In Ondo, the resident electoral commissioner was embarrassed as journalists informed him that INEC headquarters Abuja had announced results while he was yet to finish counting ballots in the state. Of course, NEC Abuja announced Agagu as the winner and returned him “elected”. Even in a state where a reporter from AIT was allegedly seized by thugs loyal to the governor for over 3 hours the resident commissioner still did not see anything wrong in that but went ahead to declare the PDP candidate the winner. In Imo state INEC cancelled the gubernatorial elections and announced that of the house of assembly where PDP won by a fraudslide just because senator Ararume displaced the chosen Ugwu. In Lagos state where there was relative peace due to heavy security, the AC candidate garnered about 800,000 votes to win whereas in Anambra where voting did not take place in most polling centres the INEC went on to allocate over 1 million votes to Mr. president’s boy. Can you now compare the population of  Lagos state to that of Anambra where the electorate is even less enlightened? What mockery! There is no way I can be convinced that up to 200,000 people voted in Anambra state because I was on the ground that very day. Word has it that the president told his PDP boys to go home and campaign well so that it will not be a surprise when INEC announce them as winners in the polls. What about Edo state, where earlier conducted opinion polls showed that Oshimole was leading clearly with a very wide margin. Yet the people were robbed of their choice by leaders who know how to “fix” everything except our roads. It was very amusing reading all the congratulatory messages pouring out to Mr. Uba on his “selection”, the messages were all the same format from different imaginary groups like concerned Anambra Christians, concerned Anambra students and even from Onitsha spare parts dealers who threw pure water sachets at Mr. Uba and his team after a campaign rally at Onitsha. I will keep paying tributes to Prof. Chinua Achebe ,Okey Ndibe, Reuben Abati, Dele sobowole, Omoyele Sowore   and a host of others whom through the pen have awakened my strongest part. It will certainly gladden my heart to hear from the likes of Ekwueme, Ojukwu, The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nwafor Orizu and others leaders in Anambra including the Clergy. But just like tuface sang “everybody wan go heaven but nobody wan kpai(die)”. We will all jeopardize our children’s future if we decide to fold hands and watch a few men who feel that having gone through the army is enough reason for them to continue looting our collective patrimony. The time is ripe for progressives, men of will and substance to rise up to the challenge and say “enough is enough”. We have to take the bull by the horns, resolve to create a better Nigeria for all. I have sat down in beer parlors and heard the woes of our people, been in motor parks and seen their frustrations, visited hospitals and felt the hopelessness of the afflicted. For those of us who have the “opulence” of good health and three square meals(yes opulence that’s what it is in our Nigeria today), it is time to sit up and contend for the defenseless and strive to be relevant in the Governance from the ward to the federal level of our immediate constituencies. We have to stand up to be counted, we have to be strong and not give up. The despair of our people must and should be a concern to us all the time. Evil can only triumph over good when men of goodwill fold their hands. Let us know that service to humanity will glorify God and that should be our top priority. We shall someday have a country where the leadership will be truly elected servants of the people. That is what democracy is primarily all about. As for me I have decided with this my piece that the struggle has just begun.

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