The 7 Deadly Sins a Nigerian President Should Avoid

By Tony Ogunlowo

The race to be President of Nigeria in 2019 has already started – well, behind the scenes. Will it be the incumbent (if he decides to run again!) or somebody else?


The Bible lists Gluttony, Greed, Pride, Envy, Lust, Sloth and Wrath as the 7 Deadly Sins to avoid during our time in life and other religions have similar requirements.

For a President to effectively rule a diverse country, like Nigeria, he (or she!) needs to avoid the following 7 Deadly Sins:

1, The North-South palaver – As long as there is still Nigeria there will always be the debacle of the North-South divide.

Like two jealous lovers you can’t do one thing for one region without doing something equal for the other.

Over the years it’s become very petty and silly: the Presidency is rotated so that if you have a Northern President you must have a Southern Vice-President and in the next government it must be rotated to feature a Southerner as President and Northerner as Vice-President – whatever happened to electing the right person with the right qualifications to do the job regardless of what region they’re from?

Again the Northern and Southern elders will dictate to the President on who gets the most ministers, budget allocations and federal installations. There’s nothing wrong in wanting the best for your region but things should be allocated on merit: for instance why appoint someone to head a ministry they’re not qualified to head because you have to bow to the whims of either a Northern or Southern elder or the quota system? Or why situate a nuclear research facility, for instance, in a region where the people are only interested in goat herding?

To summarize, the country cannot be ruled effectively by bowing to the demands of the North- South gangs all the time.

2, Religion – Just like the North-South palaver, religion plays a key part in the running of the nation and should be steered away from: politics and religion don’t mix but funny enough, in Nigeria, they do. If you have a Muslim President then the Vice-President has to be a Christian and if the President is a Christian then the Vice President, without a doubt, will be a Muslim- Nonsense! Another outdated pro rata system that should be consigned to history. Again this prevents the right candidate from getting the job – and getting the job done!

The President’s hands will also become tied because of religion: a Muslim President making policies that will affect Christians will face a backlash and if a Christian President does anything that will upset the Muslims he’ll be in trouble.

No politician’s hands should be tied because of religion: policies should be fair and applicable to all irrespective of their religious affiliations: for instance some protestant churches are getting out of control in the country and the Muslim President and government is powerless to say or do anything for fear of upsetting the Muslim-Christian code.

3, Kleptocracy – The mere fact the President has the sole ATM card to the nations’ bank account is not an excuse to loot it dry – thou shall not steal!

A President is the custodian of these finances and must ensure that they are distributed fairly – and honestly – to the various apparatus of government that require the funds and not divert them to private bank accounts in Switzerland or the Cayman Islands!

Even though some believe ‘corruption is not a crime’ it is as pilfered funds cause untold suffering for the masses who are supposed to be the beneficiaries. Therefore to re-iterate again – thou shall not steal (or let those beneath you steal, not even 10 %!).

4, C.Y.A aka ‘Cover Your Arse’ aka ‘Blame Your Predecessor’ – Every President does it from Nigeria to America or Croatia to Sudan: every incumbent will blame his/her predecessor for everything going wrong in an attempt to cover their own backsides! If a President is going to keep on passing the buck then he or she is in the wrong job! As a President you’re elected to fix things and not spend your entire tenure blaming your predecessor! The buck stops with the President! What’s the point in having a surgeon come in to operate on a patient but can’t (or won’t!) because he’s too busy criticizing the last doctors work? Operate and fix the patient first, for that’s what you’re paid to do, and moan later!

5, Cronyism – For any President to be elected, anywhere in the world, he or she will need the support of political godfathers, cronies, hangers-on etc. who’ll lobby behind the scenes to get him into office. Once in office they’ll call in the favour and start making outrageous demands of the President: they want to be first in line for lucrative contracts or ministerial appointments. Any President should learn from Donald Trump – use them and dump them before they become a nuisance! Every President should learn to control his cronies: not favour one over the other or let them control him.

6, Tribalism – Tribalism is way up there with religion and the North-South palaver but on a different scale. A President from the South, for instance, might be a Christian or a Muslim but his ethnicity plays a major rule: is he Yoruba or Igbo? If he’s Yoruba what part of Yoruba land is he from? Just like with the North-South palaver his policies will be seen to be influenced from what tribe he’s from: a Yoruba President can’t pass certain laws that will affect the Igbos or Hausas because he’ll be accused of tribalism (even his fellow Yoruba people from other sub-tribes will accuse him of tribalism!) As a result some tribes become a law unto themselves as the President will be scared of being accused of tribalism.

7, Indecision – A President can’t be indecisive hoping a problem or situation will go away or that people will forget. Take the Chibok girls’ kidnapping fiasco for instance, if the then President had been more decisive those girls could have been home within days, not weeks, not months and most certainly not years! When action needs to be taken a President can’t afford to be indecisive whether that involves removing a minster, clamping down on terrorists’ or ordering military action against subversives. No problem or situation will ever go away unless it’s dealt with swiftly. So any President who thinks such will go away is in for a shock.

So there’s my version of the 7 Deadly Sins a Nigerian President should avoid, of course there are things that didn’t make the list like complacency, nepotism, buffoonery and quite a few others…but we’ll leave that to later!

S/Court sacks Oduah, Uba, others

The Supreme Court yesterday nullified the election of the two remaining senators from Anambra State. All three senators from the state emerged on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Those removed yesterday were Senators Stella Oduah and Andy Uba.
To replace them, according to the apex court, are Chris Ubah (Anambra South) and Annie Okonkwo (Anambra Central).

In the judgment by a five-man panel of justices delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, the court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja delivered on February 16, 2015 while it upheld the decision of the Abuja Federal High Court that was delivered on December 15, 2014.
It would be recalled that the Anambra State executive committee of the PDP led by Ejike Oguebego had sued the PDP, INEC and the Chukwudi Okasia-led faction of the PDP over the validity of the state’s party leadership.

Mark’s unending woes

Happenings towards the February 20 rerun of Benue South senatorial poll as ordered by the appellate court which sacked Senator David Mark from the red chamber of the National Assembly indicate trouble for the former Senate president.
The fragile relationship among members of Mark’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the district may have substantially broken down, with the defection of many stalwarts to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The defectors include the immediate past deputy governor of Benue State, Chief Stephen Lawani, a former minister of state for the Niger Delta, Dr. Sam Ode, a former minister of state for education, Dr. Jerry Agada and former federal permanent secretary, Chief Mike Okibe Onoja, all of Mark’s Idoma ethnic stock.

Director of publicity of the APC, John Ikwulono told our correspondent that Lawani, Ode and Onoja, as well as hundreds of their supporters have fulfilled all necessary requirements for them to become members of the party.
“They are just waiting for a date to be scheduled for their formal decamping. The date fixed for that earlier was cancelled because of the burial of late Tor Tiv which falls within the same period. But I can tell you that they have fulfilled the party’s condition at various levels,” he said.
Our correspondent reports that the Senate seat of the zone became a major issue after the nullification of the March 28 election and has ever since marred the spirit of unity which had sustained power brokers in the area in the past.
Mark who is a non-lily livered politician would by the new development have to fight vigorously in the coming battle to sustain his hold on the seat as apparently, the perceived super force that was at work to settle political scores with the Agbegede-Otukpo born ex-military administrator would stop at nothing to oust him.
No doubt, the defectors are politicians with structures in the district, and their movement to another camp means Mark will have to do the extra campaign to convince the electorate to vote for his return to the Senate.
It is recalled that Onoja had stepped down at the last minute for Mark during the PDP’s senatorial primary election, a development that paved the way for the former Senate president to return to the red chamber for the fifth time. On the other hand, Ode and Lawani contested the PDP governorship primary which produced Prince Terhemen Tarzoor.
While Onoja hinged his reason for defection on need to remain in the mainstream of national politics, it was learnt that his decision was actually borne out of bitterness towards Mark, who had refused to honour a gentleman’s agreement between them to hand over the baton in the 2015 election.
Daily Trust gathered that the two bosom friends had on a lunch date over a dish of ‘amala and okoho soup’ during the build-up to the 2011 polls sealed an unwritten agreement for the former military governor Plateau and Katsina states to replace Mark at the Senate in 2015.
But, that was never to be, as the later allegedly convinced the Idoma power bloc that his party would win the election to maintain the status quo, and by political calculation, he would emerge as the country’s president in 2019.
It was learnt that based on that ‘brilliant idea,’ Onoja stepped down. “And you will recall that he said his decision was in the interest of the Idoma nation. So he stepped down for the Idoma collective agenda and not for Mark,” a source who craved anonymity said.
The source added that it was for that singular reason that Onoja turned down the APC’s offer to become its party’s senatorial flag bearer when they met with him in Abuja, having already pledged allegiance to the superiority of Idoma nation over his ambition.
A press statement issued and signed by Comrade Alegwu Adadu and Hon. Alex Onah Aboh and dated January 11, 2016, confirmed the defection of Onoja, a former federal permanent secretary in the defence ministry.
“The elder statesman who had dropped his Benue south senatorial am

Jigawa governor restates commitment to pay N18, 000 minimum wage

Gov. Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa on Friday restated his commitment to paying workers in the state N18, 000 minimum wage.
Mr. Badaru gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse.
He said the state government would continue to pay the N18, 000, as well as leave grants and other allowances due to the workers in spite of dwindling revenue.
The governor said: “I had interaction with the workers last week. I promised to continue with the N18, 000 minimum wage.
“I also promised to give them what we agreed upon as leave grant, that they have not been enjoying for some time. We kept our promise this year and we intend to continue next year.’’
Mr. Badaru also said that the state had earmarked “substantial amount of money in the 2016 budget” for staff training to improve the capacity of the workforce to deliver service to the people.
“We earmarked a lot of money for staff training. We will embark on comprehensive training of workers to prepare them to meet the task ahead.

“Without empowering the workers you will not achieve the goal of development. That is what I believe in,’’ he said.
Mr. Badaru announced that the state government would construct over 1, 000 low cost houses to enable workers own decent homes.
He explained that the state was already collaborating with mortgage banks to construct the houses in the 27 local government areas of the state.
(NAN)

Bayelsa: Sylva says INEC erred, demands Southern Ijaw election results

The All Progressives Congress candidate in the December 5 Bayelsa State governorship election, Timipre Sylva, has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission to announce the results from the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area and declare a winner in the elections.
After collating election results in seven local government areas, INEC cancelled the election in Southern Ijaw LGA on Monday, December 7, thereby declaring the election inconclusive.
The reasons given by the electoral body for the cancellation were violence, abduction of electoral officials and snatching of election materials.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate and incumbent governor, Seriake Dickson, leads from the results of so far collated and announced.
INEC has fixed Saturday, December 19, for a supplementary election in Southern Ijaw LGA.
But Mr. Sylva said while violence occurred in Southern Ijaw LGA, the commission erred in scheduling fresh polls.
In a petition to INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, copied to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, Mr. Sylva said the commission lacked the powers to cancel “already concluded or on-going election”.

“It is important to note that under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended), there is no power either, express or implied that is vested on the Resident Electoral Commissioner, your commission or any staff whatsoever to cancel election that has commenced or concluded, in any manner as was done in Bayelsa state,” Mr. Sylva wrote in the petition dated December 8.
“The Commission’s power, in the above is limited only to the postponement of election that has not commenced,” he said.
“We consider the action of cancelling results of an election while collation is on-going as a dangerous precedent, usurping of the functions of the Tribunals established by the Constitution illegal and reminiscent of the annulment of June 12, 1993 Presidential Election and if allowed stand will not only expose your Commission to endless and avoidable litigations and would become a ready tool in the hands of officials of your Commission the power to truncate the will of the people,” he argued.
The APC candidate, however, requested that should the commission feel “strongly that it has the powers to cancel already concluded or on-going elections”, it should also cancel the elections in Ekeremor, Sagbama Local Government Areas, Wards 4 and 5 of Yenagoa and Ward 8,9 and 10 of Nembe Local Government Areas.
Mr. Sylva said that, “the elections in Ekeremor, Sagbama Local Government Areas, Wards 4 and 5 of Yenagoa and Ward 8, 9 and 10 of Nembe Local Government Areas were marred by massive violence, abduction of both electoral officials and materials, massive thumb printing and rigging but that despite our oral and written protests, your commission accepted the results at units, wards, local government area and state collation centres at the areas highlighted above”.

Court validates Ekweremadu’s election

Enugu division of the Appeal Court has upheld the election of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as valid candidate for Enugu West Senatorial District.

A statement from the media office of Ekweremadu said the appeal court judgement was delivered on Monday in Enugu. Reacting to the judgement, Ekweremadu, who is Deputy President of the Senate, expressed satisfaction with the ruling of the court.

Ekweremadu said he was never perturbed as the mandate handed to him by his people was “free, fair, credible, resounding, and therefore incontrovertible.”

The lawmaker, who said he did not begrudge his challenger for trying his luck at the tribunal, restated that his major concern was to provide quality representation to his constituents and the nation in general. He said: “This is the beauty of democracy.

My challenger exercised his democratic right. It is also democratic and reassuring that the appellate court has upheld the return made by the lower tribunal on my election.

“I thank my constituents and the good people of Enugu State for their prayers, goodwill, and immense faith they have continued to repose in me.

Let me also reassure them that I will never let them down. I will continue to work for the common good and to justify every bit of confidence reposed in me.” It would be recalled that Ekweremadu polled 120,075 votes to re-emerge senator for Enugu West Senatorial District in the 2015 general elections.

However, although his closest rival of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Mrs. Louisa Achieze, who polled 2,314 had openly accepted the result and congratulated Ekweremadu, Mr. Philip Chukwudi Eze had approached the threeman National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Enugu to challenge Ekweremadu’s victory on the ground that he was the rightful candidate of APC.

The petition was thrown out for lack of merit by the tribunal headed by Justice Michael Edem. It also awarded a total sum of N60,000 in favour of the Deputy President of the Senate.

Kogi polls: I won’t join issues with Faleke – Yahaya Bello

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Kogi polls: I won’t join issues with Faleke – Yahaya Bello
December 8, 2015Premium Times

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The Kogi State governor-elect, Yahaya Bello, said he would not join issues with James Faleke, the running-mate of late Abubakar Audu, over Kogi governorship election crisis.
Following the declaration of Mr. Bello as governor-elect on Sunday, Mr. Faleke said he would not take oath of office as deputy governor.
Mr. Bello’s reaction is contained in a statements issued on Tuesday in Abuja by his media assistant, Suleiman Abdulmalik.
The governor-elect said dialogue remained the best solution to party issues, saying he had absolute confidence in the leadership of the party to end the disagreement.
He described Mr. Faleke as a brother, saying the political crisis happening in the state is a family affair.
“I will continue to appeal to him and others to join hands with me in moving Kogi State forward.
“In politics we agree and disagree but dialogue remains the only solution to issues, but what happens in my state is an act of God,” he said.
Mr. Bello disclosed that the ongoing reconciliation in the state had settled the political dispute, saying most of late Audu’s supporters were now with him.
“Those who matter in Audu’s camp are already working for me even before the supplementary election, and that reconciliation efforts greatly helped in defeating the PDP,” he said
The statement also advised Mr. Faleke to accept the outcome of the election as the will of God.
“All hands must be on deck and we must rally round the governor-elect, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. No winner, no vanquished; we must continue as one united family that we are.
“Hon James Abiodun Faleke and other aggrieved party members should accept the new development as the wish of God. We plead with them to cooperate with Bello to develop the state in line with the vision of our late icon, Prince Abubakar Audu.
“The governor-elect is a humble man who will not discriminate against anyone within the party. All Kogites should pray for and work towards peace, stability and progress of the state.
“We are using this opportunity to emphasise the need for the people to support their leaders for the benefit of all,” he said.