NIGERIA: A NATION OF TOO MANY CERTIFICATES, YET TOO LITTLE EDUCATION

By Vitus Ozoke

I am going to torture your patience and strain the limits of your tolerance by providing you with the constitutional eligibility criteria to be president in 18 countries of the world, including Nigeria. But I propose to provide some context before that.

For the past few weeks, the shenanigan in Nigeria’s political and social circles has been the educational certificate of the leading presidential candidate in the coming February presidential elections in Nigeria, General Mohamed Buhari. For those of us who follow politics around the world, does insistence on a certificate ring a bell? Yes, it does. Led by the obnoxious empty vessel, Donald Trump, right wing Republicans, woefully lacking in substantive issues that add value to the life of the American voter, resorted to the callous de-legitimization and dehumanization of President Obama, by demanding his birth certificate in 2011/2012.

“He is not one of us”, they charged, “he is not American, he is Kenyan”. “If he is one of us”, they challenged, “let him produce his birth certificate”. Well, President Obama’s campaign, after initial hesitation, did eventually produce and publish Obama’s birth certificate from his birth state of Hawaii.

I want to stress that the campaign hesitated to produce Obama’s birth certificate, and there is a reason for that. You see, in the history of the United States, no presidential candidate had ever been challenged to produce their birth certificate. And in the history of the United States, no previous president had been nonwhite, certainly not Black. Therefore, by demanding that Obama produce his birth certificate, the bigots were merely reinforcing the tired mentality that America is a white country for white people. And if that is accepted as true, then, only white people can be president of the United States.

So, Barack Obama was essentially being reminded that he was not “one of us”. And to prove to Obama that he was not, the Trump and Republican clown gang was going to dehumanize him by tasking him to present his papers, the paper permit they issued him. That should give maximum offense to any human being, even worse so, to an already serving president of the United States.

That was the hesitation of the Obama campaign. Do you dignify the buffoonery and antics of bigots by presenting them with your birth certificate? Do you satisfy the base instincts of racist nitwits by proving your American bona fide to them? But when the clown show became a distraction for the Obama campaign, they swallowed their pride and published Obama’s birth certificate.

There are some stark parallels between Obama’s birth certificate and Buhari’s high school certificate. First is the ‘otherization’ politics that treats one person or group as existing on the periphery. It is the politics of exclusion. In Obama’s case, the “birthers”, as Trump and his gang of bozos are called, were determined to cast Barack Hussein Obama as an outsider, the ‘other’, who is not one of us.

In Buhari’s case, when you consider that his opponent holds a PhD certificate, presumably, then, it becomes less difficult to recognize the traces and contours of elitist segregation and outcasting. This is “Dr.” Jonathan’s way of announcing to Nigeria’s academic world, and that world is large, that General Buhari is not one of ‘us’. It is the Dr.’s way of excluding the uneducated. It is classist politics at its best.

I don’t want to quarrel with classist politics, but I want to point out its hypocrisy in this case. And its hypocrisy runs on two cylinders in Dr. Jonathan’s case. First, President Dr. Jonathan has done more to cripple education in Nigeria than to advance it. Under his watch, university teachers have on numerous occasions been on strike for several months, and students have spent more days and months at home than they have spent receiving instructions in the classroom. Yet, the obligation of any responsible government in any society worth its existence is the proper education of its citizenry. It is an obligation second only to the protection of life and property, another area of major deficit and failure under Dr. Jonathan.

Second, Dr. Jonathan’s personal and official conducts, including his utterances, have called to question his claim to the terminal certification of education. Many Nigerians have questioned his educational profile, challenging him to produce his doctoral dissertation for content rigor and plagiarism scrutiny. Do you blame them? How do they not? How do they not, when you have a president and PhD holder who insists that stealing is not corruption; and that the only reason he cannot unleash the full measure of force on Boko Haram terrorists is because they are ‘our’ brothers? And what PhD holder explains his state pardon of a convicted public looter as the looter being his former boss? So, I will not quarrel with elitist classism, but I will take serious exception to its hypocrisy and agenda.

Isn’t it strangely ironic that a man who came to national attention through the back channels, and who has been a bloody civilian his entire life, will seek to shut out a patriotic General who volunteered his life and service in defense of his country? It takes uncommon guts for a civilian who all his life has slept calm and easy under the protection and security provided by military Generals to turn around and seek to disqualify a General from participation in the politics of his country. I can’t imagine Republicans, even in their bumbling rascality, attempt to shut out General Colin Powel from participation in American politics under any guise or pretext. But this is Nigeria, where abnormal things surface normally.

When will Nigerians start asking serious questions? Of every country I know, Nigeria is the country where education is the least affordable. Even a low-grade public education in Nigeria, is priced beyond the reach of most Nigerians. At a time when the United States and other serious societies are expanding opportunities for free education, to include two years of community college, in the case of the U.S., the cost of public education, as low grade as it is, is on the rise in Nigeria, and many children and families are priced out of it.

Yet, the Constitutions of the United States and most countries of the world do not include education in the eligibility criteria to be president. Let me state it in another way. America and the rest of the world provide opportunities for their citizens to be educated; but Nigeria does not. America does not require education as one of the criteria to be president; but Nigeria does. What are we missing here? Where is the disconnect? Why are Nigerians not asking serious questions?

If the Nigerian political elite have neglected to fund education and offer opportunities for every Nigerian to get good and affordable education, yet, have made education a requirement to be president or to occupy other levels of political leadership, does it not suggest a criminal elite conspiracy to monopolize leadership? Again, when will Nigerians wake up and demand change? When will Nigerians demand a new direction?

When will Nigerians understand that Nigeria’s certificates have become a serious racket? The political and economic elite who have the resources, usually pilfered from public coffers, are the ones who can afford the high cost of low grade education in the country. And in many cases, these are certificates that are not foregrounded in knowledge. They are bought. There are too many certificates in Nigeria, yet too little education. We have placed way too much premium on certification that we don’t care about education.

In Nigeria, it is Dr. this, Dr. that, and these are individuals who cannot get out of a 3rd Grade in a serious educational system. It makes you weep when you read the quality of contributions on social media by Nigeria’s youth who have, presumably, graduated university. It is as horrible as it is horrifying. We have failed and continued to fail this generation. When will Nigerians demand a new direction? Frankly, this path is completely unsustainable!

So, this goes way beyond Buhari. This is an elite conspiracy. There can be no greater irony than a president and his ruling party, who have destroyed education in Nigeria, turning around to want to disqualify Nigerians from participation in the politics of their country, because they do not possess the education that the president and his ruling party have destroyed. It sounds crazy, but there is a method and deliberate design to that craziness. This goes beyond Buhari. This is an elite conspiracy.

Finally, to underscore the elitist debauchery going on in Nigeria, here is a list of 18 countries and the constitutional qualifications that potential candidates for president must possess. If I have tortured you enough already, which I believe I have, and I apologize, just know that only Nigeria has education as one of the qualifications to run for president. And I have already argued the elite conspiracy and hypocrisy behind it. Here is the list, and have yourself a pleasant shock and surprise:

1. Afghanistan

Article 62 of the Constitution of Afghanistan of 2004 states that a candidate for the office of President or Vice-President must: Be a Muslim citizen of Afghanistan, born of Afghan parents; not be a citizen of another country; be at least forty years old when declaring candidacy; not have been convicted of crimes against humanity, a criminal act or deprived of civil rights by court; not have previously served more than two term as President.

2. Albania

The 1998 Constitution, Article 86, Section 2 “Only an Albanian citizen by birth who has been a resident in Albania for not less than the past 10 years and who has reached the age of 40 may be elected President.”

3. Algeria

Article 73, section 1 of the Constitution, 1996, provides that “To be eligible to the Presidency of the Republic, the candidate should: have, solely, the Algerian nationality by origin; be a Muslim; be more than forty (40) years-old the day of the election; enjoy full civil and political rights; prove the Algerian nationality of the spouse; (if born before July 1942) justify his participation in the 1st of November 1954 Revolution; and if born after July 1942, “justify the non-involvement of the parents of the candidate in actions hostile to the 1st of November 1954 Revolution”; submit a public declaration of his personal and real estate existing either within Algeria or abroad.

4. Angola

Article 58 of the 1992 Constitution provides that “Natural born Angolan citizens of over 35 years of age and enjoying full civil and political rights shall be eligible to the post of President of the Republic.”

5. Argentina

Article 89 of the Argentine Constitution provides that “To be elected President or Vice-President of the Nation it is necessary to have been born in the Argentine territory, or to be the son of a native born citizen if born in a foreign country; and to have the other qualifications required to be elected senator. Section 55 requires that to be elected Senator, one must “have attained to the age of 30 years”; “been six years a citizen of the Nation” and “have an annual income of two thousand strong pesos or similar revenues”.

6. Armenia

Article 50 of the 1999 Constitution: “Every person having attained the age of thirty five, having been a citizen of the Republic of Armenia for the preceding ten years, having permanently resided in the Republic for the preceding ten years, and having the right to vote is eligible for the Presidency.”

7. Austria

Article 60, section (3) of the 1983 Constitution provides: “Only a person who has House of Representatives franchise and was thirty five years old before the first of January of the year in which the election is held can be elected Federal President.”

8. Bangladesh

Article 48, section 5 of the Constitution provides three factors which disqualify one for the presidency: being less than 35 years old, not being qualified to be elected to parliament, and having previously been impeached under the current Constitution. The qualifications for election to parliament are that one be a citizen and be at least 25 years old (which is superseded by the presidential requirement of 35 years). Further, one can be disqualified from election to parliament for the following reasons:

Being declared by a court to be of unsound mind; Being an undercharged insolvent; Acquiring citizenship or allegiance to another state; Having been convicted of a crime with a prison sentence of two or more years in the past five years; Holds certain offices of profit under the government; or is otherwise disqualified by law.

9. Belarus

Article 80 of the Constitution of Belarus states that any citizen of Belarus who is 35 years old, eligible to vote, and has resided in Belarus for 10 years may be elected president.

10. Brazil

Article 14, Section III (3) of the Constitution requires a candidate to be:

Of Brazilian nationality; Eligible to vote; Registered to vote; Living in electoral district; Member of a political party; Minimum age of 35.

11. Colombia

Article 191 of the Colombian Constitution requires that to be president, one must be Colombian by birth (“colombiano por nacimiento”), have full citizenship (“ciudadano en ejercicio”) and older than 30. (“mayor de treinta años”).

12. France

The required personal qualifications for a candidate for the presidential elections are the same as those for any other official election, as set forth in the French Electoral code (Code électoral). A candidate for an election must be a citizen, have attained the age of 18 years, be qualified to vote, not be ineligible by dint of a criminal conviction or judicial decision and have a bank account.

Law No. 62-1292 of 6 November 1962 on the election of the President by universal suffrage (Loi n°62-1292 du 6 novembre 1962 relative à l’élection du Président de la République au suffrage universel) further requires presidential candidates to be nominated by at least five hundred qualified elected officials, such as members of Parliament and mayors. New law modified in its article #20 the second line of article #154 of French Electoral code (Code électoral) to decrease to 18 years old instead of 21 the minimum age to candidate, in 1974.

13. Germany

Article 54, section 1, of the German constitution states that “Any German who is entitled to vote in Bundestag elections and has attained the age of forty may be elected”. Article 116, section 1, defines “German” as “a person who possesses German citizenship or who has been admitted to the territory of the German Reich within the boundaries of December 31, 1937 as a refugee or expellee of German ethnic origin or as the spouse or descendant of such person.”

14. India

Article 58 of the Constitution sets the principle qualifications one must meet to be eligible to the office of the President. A President must be:

a citizen of India; of 35 years of age or above; qualified to become a member of the Lok Sabha. A person shall not be eligible for election as President if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State or under any local or other authority subject to the control of any of the said Governments.

15. Mexico

The constitution of Mexico requires the candidate to be natural-born citizen of Mexico with at least one parent who is a natural-born citizen of Mexico. He should be at least 35 years of age and should have resided in Mexico for at least 20 years in his entire lifetime and for the entire year before the election. He should not be a secretary or under-secretary of state, attorney general, or governor of a state at least 6 months prior to the election.

16. The Philippines

Article VII, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution provides that no person may be elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Philippines for at least ten years immediately preceding such election.

17. United States of America

According to Article II, Section 1 of the U.S Constitution, “No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident within the United States.”

18. Nigeria

According to Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution, “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if –

(a) he is a citizen of Nigeria by birth;

(b) he has attained the age of forty years;

(c) he is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and

(d) he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.

Culled from The Due Process Advocates (DPA) Facebook Group

Lawmakers Vow to Fight Polls Shift

Members of the National Assembly on Friday kicked against the call by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), that the February 14 general elections should be shifted to give the Independent National Electoral Commission time to distribute over 30 million outstanding permanent voter cards.

The lawmakers said the postponement of the elections would lead the country to constitutional crisis.

The House of Representatives spokesperson, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said the House would not back any proposal to shift the polls.

He said, “The call for postponement of the elections is a decoy for third term agenda and as a House of the Nigerian people, we will resist it.

“There is nowhere in the world where 100 per cent of registered voters must vote in an election.

“It will be a breach of the constitution to postpone the polls by whatever guise. This is a ploy and we know where it is coming from.”

Deputy House Majority Leader, Mr. Leo Ogor, also said postponing the elections would not serve the interest of the country.

Ogor said if insufficient PVCs was the major reason Dasuki cited for the call for the postponement of the elections, INEC should admit those with temporary voter cards to vote in line with a resolution recently passed by the House.

He said, “INEC should speak up and tell us the way forward instead of keeping Nigerians in suspense.

“Let voters use TVCs and PVCs in line with the position already taken by the House. No eligible voter should be disenfranchised.”

The House Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, also described the call for postponement of the polls as a trap for third term agenda.

Gbajabiamila had moved the motion asking INEC to allow the use of TVCs since it was apparent that many voters might not get the PVCs before February 14.

He said shifting the polls was a ploy for third term agenda which he warned would be resisted by Nigerians.

“The NSA has no role to play in the distribution of PVCs,” Gbajabiamila said.

The same sentiments were shared in the Senate, where senators asked INEC to go ahead with the poll.

The Senator representing Oyo South, Olufemi Lanlehin, said non-distribution of the outstanding PVCs was not enough reason to call for the elections postponement.

He said, “It is true that INEC has not performed up to the task concerning PVCs distribution. The situation affects all and sundry; it affects political parties and every geo-political zone. So, it is not as if it is only one particular region or group that is affected.

“The election should not be postponed for whatever reason. Since the issuance of PVC affects region, the result of the election will not affect any part of the country adversely than others. No part of the country would have advantage above another. So, the call for the postponement is unacceptable based on the reasons given.”

Similarly, the Senator representing Plateau South, Victor Lar, said the elections should be conducted because the number of registered voters is substantial.

He said, “The issue of elections is a constitutional provision. The constitution has clearly stipulated that at least not more than 90 days to the expiration of the tenure. So, the February 14 elections should be conducted.

“We must also realise that the issue of security is a serious matter. The number of registered voters is substantial. It is for the National Assembly to decide either to suspend the elections or not.”

Also the Chairman, Senate Committee on Ecology and Environment, Dr. Bukola Saraki, asked Nigerians to reject attempts to postpone the polls.

Saraki, who spoke at a campaign rally in Fufu, the headquarters of Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State, asked lovers of democracy to prevail on the Federal Government that the elections were held as scheduled.

In the same vein, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties has stated that the reason adduced by the NSA to call for the elections postponement was puerile and dummy meant to deceive the international community as well as portray Nigeria in bad light.

In a statement by its publicity secretary, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, the CNPP said over 60 per cent PVCs had been collected nationwide by anxious Nigerians yearning to participate in the February 14 polls.

The statement read, “CNPP is worried that NSA has joined some anti-democrats to plant land mines to scuttle our Nigeria’s fledgling democracy.

“Dasuki’s statement clearly exposed his gross incompetence in his primary mandate to secure the country; hence the Boko Haram insurgents escalated since his appointment on 22nd June, 2012.”

The Buhari Support Organisation also agreed that the consequence of the postponement of the polls could be disastrous.

The group said in Abuja on Friday that the shift would be tantamount to rigging.

The Head, (Media, Information Management and ICT) in BSO, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, who spoke at a press briefing entitled: “February 14: A date with History”, appealed to the international community to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to abide with the Abuja Accord sponsored by two world reputable men of peace: former United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan and former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr. Emeka Anyaoku.

He said, “It is expected that the NSA should be conversant with the security implications of his call that the elections should be postponed.

“We condemn such provocative and crisis-prone statement from such a top government official.”

However, INEC on Friday foreclosed shifting the polls.

The electoral body said February 14 remains a valid date for the presidential election irrespective of the challenges confronting it.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said at a workshop on “Mitigation of violence in election” in Abuja that at no time had the commission sat down to review the date of the election in spite of the challenges confronting the PVCs distribution.

He recalled that the commission released the timetable for the poll about a year ago and has been vigorously working to abide by the date.

Responding to the NSA’s call for the postponement of the elections, Jega said, “I don’t want to comment on this. Like everybody we read it in the papers.

“In any case whatever I communicate is the INEC’s position and the commission has not discussed this matter and taken a position on it.”

Jega reiterated the INEC’s position that the elections would be conducted with only the PVCs which he said had been tested and proved to be valid.

He added that the PVCs would be distributed till February 13.

“Therefore, anyone calling for the use of the temporary voter cards in the February elections is only drawing us back,” he said.

Jega, however identified the Federal Capital Territory, Edo, Rivers, Bauchi, Plateau and Imo states as places prone to violence on the ground of the outcome of the primaries conducted in the state.

PUNCH

PDP wants justice ministry to sue Buhari for perjury

The Peoples Democratic Party has said it is not satisfied with the credentials of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and has threatened to contest the authenticity of his academic results.

A top party official, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on Thursday, said the ruling party would investigate Buhari’s statement of results issued on Wednesday by the Katsina State Ministry of Education.

The statement of result and the confidential result sheet by the University of Cambridge were both dated January 21, stamped and signed by the Principal and Examination Officer, Government College, Katsina (formerly Provincial Secondary School).

In the result sheet, Buhari’s name was the second among the 17 candidates that sat for the Cambridge/ West African School Certificate Examination in 1961.

But the party source who does not want to be named, said, “The plan of the PDP is to contest Buhari’s academic qualification on two fronts.

“We will first contest the APC presidential candidate’s credentials by writing to all the institutions he attended for the verification of his certificates. We already have individuals in our party that are doing that.

“On the other hand, the ruling party will prevail on the Ministry of Justice to sue the former head of state for perjury.”

The party official said Buhari had, in the affidavit submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, claimed that his certificates were with the military, but the Nigerian Army denied that it had the ex-head of state’s certificates in its custody.

“This means he (Buhari) lied on oath when he said his credentials were with the army. We are not going to take this from him at all. It is the job of the Ministry of Justice to look into this case of perjury and we are going to remind them.”

Buhari had defened the affidavit he submitted by saying, “I had assumed all along that all my records were in the custody of the Secretary of the Nigerian Army. Much to my surprise, we are now told that although a record of the result is available, there are no copies of the certificates in my personal file.”

He said that was why he requested his old school to release his result.

The Director of Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, also said a perjury case should be launched against the APC candidate.

Fani-Kayode urged Buhari to submit himself to the police to answer charges of perjury.

He said, “If they fail to come forward voluntarily, we hereby call on the police and other security agencies to seek them out, find them, arrest them, interrogate them and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the land.”

Repeated calls to the mobile telephone number of the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, indicated that it was switched off.

A text message sent to him had yet to be responded to as of the time of filing this report at 6:03pm on Friday.

Attempts by our correspondent to also reach the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, for his comment on Thursday, was unsuccessful as his phone was switched off.

The minister had also not responded to a text message inquiry on the issue.

The police however told one of our correspondents they would investigate the allegation of perjury against Buhari if there is a complaint to the force against him.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said, “There is no complaint before the police on the perjury allegation but if there is, we will investigate it.”.

In his reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Lai Mohammed, said the party was not surprised that the PDP wants to contest Buhari’s school records because it is afraid that President Jonathan might lose the election.

He said, “Let them go to court. The truth is that they are not ready for the election. They are making all these excuses because they are terrified they would lose the election.”

PUNCH

Sammie Okposo Apologe To Buhari

Barely 48 hours after throwing jabs at the All Progressive Congress Presidential candidate, Muhammad Buhari, Sammie Okposo has now taken to his Twitter page to apologize.

The award winning Gospel singer was one of those who accused Buhari of perjury and forging his school certificates.

Okposo had stated that Buhari should be ‘flogged’ for this.

He has, however, expressed remorse saying: “I deeply apologise to GMB 4 saying he should be flogged”.

“He is old enough to be my father i shouldn’t have disrespected him, I am sorry GMB.” he tweeted hours ago.

The artiste also tendered an apology to fans who may have been offended by his comments.

YNAIJA

PDP loses 30,000 members to APC in Sokoto

Written by Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

About 30,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) yesterday defected to the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Sokoto state.

Speaking at a reception for the new members,  Governor Aliyu Wamakko  said it was an indication that the party’s manifesto driven by a purposeful leadership had what Nigerians and Sokoto people desire.

“The wind of change is a wind for victory for those who wish the state and country well.

“Infact, I will not be surprised this is coming a day after our presidential campaign rally took place on our soil here in Sokoto”, he said.

Wamakko further said: “The APC has come to stay, and this is a signal to the opposition that our party is determined and moving from strength to strength.

“Today, we have almost all the political allies of former governor  Bafarawa in our fold. It is enough to give our opponents an indication of good omen coming our way.”

Wamakko urged the people of the state not to be destracted from their focus for the APC which is hopeful of clinching all elective positions in the state.

Also a chieftain of the party, Alhaji Umaru Kawabo,  said there was no alternative to change, saying “that the APC has all that is needed to win elections. This is the begining of the series of expected defections into the party”, he mentioned.

A Sokoto community leader and APC active member, Mr. Okoro, said he was convinced that the wind of change was imminent and the solutions to the problems of Nigeria would come from the APC.

“Jonathan’s government cannot guarantee our yearnings and expectations.

“We are seeing what Wamakko is doing in the state. We believe that the APC presidential candidate is patriotic and committed to the course of the commoner.

“Buhari is a man of the people  from what we saw yesterday. He will bring hope to Nigerians and Sokoto State”, he said.

Earlier, Honourable Murtala Madugu, who spoke on behalf of the defectors, said the PDP was in confusion, adding that “it has  refused to see the phenomenal strides by Wamakko in the state. Instead of praising him, they are all abusing him. This is why we dumped the party for the APC”.

…Babangida defends Buhari

Former military President General Ibrahim Babangida yesterday  rose in defence of the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, on the genuineness  of his secondary school  certificate.

Gen. Babangida warned that  any attempt to politicise the military would not be in  the nation’s interest.

“It is a very dangerous thing to do,” he told The Nation in an interview in Minna.

He  said there was no way Buhari would have risen to the rank of a general in the army without possessing the basic  educational qualification.

Babangida, who was reacting  to the controversy sparked by the  certificate in an exclusive interview, said the army, as an institution, subjects all its intakes to proper scrutiny, training and re-training.

He was shocked at the heat generated by the issue and advised those who feel aggrieved to go to court.

He warned that the military should not be ridiculed as it remains,in his opinion, the only institution of national unity  and  that it is passionate  about acquisition of knowledge  by its officers.

His words:”The military is one institution that believes in constant learning and training. You receive the initial training from the Staff College. After one year, you go for another round  of intensive training that is all encompassing.

“It is one  institution that  is concerned  about knowledge, even in warfare. The military requires   you to keep abreast  of development in warfare,  weaponry and education.

“Perhaps, military is the best institution that is concerned about training and knowledge and about discipline because no officer is considered for promotion without having the prerequisite qualification and must pass the required examinations”.

He  cautioned the political class  to desist from  politicising the military, pointing out that any such attempt  will be dangerous for the institution and the nation.

“The military remains the institution of unity. I will not support the idea of politicising the military,” he said.

The former military leader was, however, full of confidence that the military will strive to keep above the scheming of the politicians “as it is capable and will resist any undue attempt to influence it.

“This is nothing but politics. I think those aggrieved should know what to do. Anybody who feels aggrieved should go to court and let the court make a pronouncement that will settle everything”.

NATION

U.S. Policy to Counter Nigeria’s Boko Haram

By John Campbell

Overview

The militant Islamist group Boko Haram’s increasingly bold attacks in Nigeria—most notably its April kidnapping of nearly three hundred female students—threaten to fuel further Muslim-Christian violence and destabilize West Africa, making the group a leading concern for U.S. policymakers, writes former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell, CFR senior fellow for Africa policy studies, in a new Council Special Report from the Center for Preventive Action (CPA).

Boko Haram’s proclamation that it has established an Islamic caliphate has stoked global fears over the insurgents’ rapid ascent in Africa’s most populous country ahead of the February 2015 national elections. Campbell, however, warns U.S. policymakers to resist characterizing Boko Haram as simply another foe in the global war on terrorism, since the group’s grievances are primarily local.

“The Boko Haram insurgency,” Campbell explains, “is a direct result of chronic poor governance by Nigeria’s federal and state governments, the political marginalization of northeastern Nigeria, and the region’s accelerating impoverishment.” Rather than fighting the militant group solely through military force, he argues, the U.S. and Nigerian governments must work together to redress the alienation of Nigeria’s Muslims.

“Washington should follow a short-term strategy that presses Abuja to end its gross human rights abuses, conduct credible national elections in 2015, and meet the immediate needs of refugees and persons internally displaced by fighting in the northeast,” Campbell continues. He also recommends that the Obama administration revive plans to open a consulate in the northern city of Kano in order to improve U.S. outreach to that region’s predominantly Muslim population.

Though the United States has “little leverage” over President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, Washington should “pursue a longer-term strategy to address the roots of northern disillusionment, preserve national unity, and restore Nigeria’s trajectory toward democracy and the rule of law.”

Campbell’s long-term recommendations comprise:

supporting Nigerians working for human rights and democracy;

revoking U.S. visas held by Nigerians who promote ethnic and religious violence and commit financial crimes; and

encouraging Abuja to revamp the culture of its military and police.

CFR

NEC Sticks to Election Time-table as Prominent Lawyers Say They can Constitutionally Postpone It

Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega

Chuks Okocha, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in  Abuja, Hammed Shittu in Ilorin and  Akinwale Akintunde in  Lagos

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Friday dismissed calls for the postponement of the February 14 presidential election and the February 28 governorship election, stating that the commission would implement the elections guidelines to the letter.

This is as the All Progressives Congress (APC) has vowed to galvanise mass action against any attempt to shift the February 14 date for kick-starting of the general elections in the country.

Also, Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State and senator representing Kwara central senatorial district at the national assembly, Senator Bukola Saraki, urged Nigerians to reject any attempt by self-seeking politicians to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the February elections in the country.

However, prominent lawyers like Professor Itse Sagay SAN, Nigerian Bar Association President, Augustine Alegheh, SAN, and Festus Keyamo said the electoral umpire had the right to postpone elections going by the provisions of the constitution and the Electoral Act.

Sagay said “You definitely cannot postpone it in the sense that it will be held at a date later than 90 days to May 29 and it cannot be held later than 90 days to May 29. For that to happen they have to give a reason and the national Assembly have to meet and pass a motion in support of it. That is the only way elections can effectively be postponed. INEC Fixes the date but it is restricted within a period and that period must not be later than 90 days to expiration of the tenure of the government in office”.

Reminded that the period was close to the elections, he said, “Yes but it is a very short allowance. In fact, by the time you look at February 14 and you count three months from then, we are talking of less than two weeks margin. So it really doesn’t worth it”.

Alegeh said the provisions had to be followed and that at this stage, given the date when the tenure of the current regime would end, fiddling with the date could lead to constitutional crisis.

“INEC always have the power for stated reasons to reschedule elections but not to change the date constitutionally set out for the election. If for example, election is for Saturday and due to any challenges as we have seen in the past INEC can do so. And that is why when INEC is fixing date for elections, they tried to give some allowances so that if there is need to move by one or two days it will be easy.

But we must all appreciate that this transition is going to end May 29 and election must be held within 90 days. And in any event, from the little that we have read the ground for proposing to postpone the election is the PVC, what is the assurance on ground that the PVC situation will change if you move the election. We still have some time between now and Election Day and government can run machinery of letting people know how to pick up their PVC. On the side of the NBA, it became aware of a particular website that you could go to and you just key in your temporary voters card in and you will be able to know the exact location to pick up you PVC.

“We have circulated that to all our lawyers. Those are kind of measures that can be taken now to ensure that people know where their cards can be collected and they do not need to be travelling miles to pick their PVC. So, for me these are the steps that need to be taken. I may not be correct but I don’t think that postponements of the elections could solve the problems. Moreover, it is not a new problem, we have been speaking of this problem for a very long time and we have had sufficient time to sort the problem out, not to wait until the last day and start to say that the elections should be postponed. At least the talk about PVC has been on for well over three months so why is it that suddenly, three weeks or thereabout to the election we now believe that by postponing the elections will do the magic. And for how many days or how long? These are the issues. Personally and on our part as NBA, we believe that postponing the election will not solve any problem rather we should take more progressive steps to ensure that people can get their PVC”, he said.

Keyamo said, “INEC has the power to organise elections and to the extent, that it has power to organise election, it has power to determine the dates for those elections. So INEC has power to reorganise the dates for elections. Remember 2011, at the last minute INEC called off the elections. On the day they were to hold the election, there were a lot itches on that day and it was on that same reason that Prof. Jega announced the postponement for another one week. That was what happened in 2011. However, I must say that in this era of mutual competition between the parties and this era where the political atmosphere is charged, any postponement of election will be the recipe for another June 12. And if we are not careful, it may lead to military intervention and we are all going to be the potential victims. So, INEC must be very careful because any postponement of election will lead to wide spread riot.

“It’s very simple, because everybody sees it as a ploy by the ruling party to manipulate the process. It is Jonathan’s Special Adviser that threw the kite way in London saying that he has advised the INEC to postpone the election. Now you have a situation where the kite flew by the SA and INEC concede, anybody will come to the conclusion that INEC is working hand in hand with the ruling party to truncate the process.

“That was the practical mistake the ruling party made; they should have allowed INEC itself to fly that kite. INEC should have come out that it’s not ready; INEC should have come to say it need more time to organise things.

But for the ruling party to allow a member of the government to do it, everybody will come to the conclusion that INEC is working with the government to truncate the process. It is the mutual suspicion that is the problem”.

He said, “We have issued an election guideline since 2014 and we are very busy implementing the election guidelines as published by the commission. And we shall implement that election guidelines to the letter.”

Jega who refused to comment on the position of the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki that the election should be postponed, said, “I don’t want to comment on this. Like everybody, we read it in the papers. I myself have read many things that have been attributed to me which I know I didn’t say. So until I can confirm and get clarification, it will be premature for me at this public event to start saying anything.  I have no comments on it.”

He also said that elections would take place in 155,000 voting centres across the federation, while there are 8000 collation centres for all the elections.

Speaking at the launch of the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES) Mitigation of Violence in Election (MOVE) Project, he said that the commission had taken delivery of more 38 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) out of the expected 68 million PVC, stating that, “If the push comes to shove, that the distribution of the PVC would be extended to February 13, the eve of the presidential election.”

He said that would ensure that every registered and eligible voter collected his or her PVC and cast their votes in a free and fair elections. He announced that INEC Thursday received additional 4.1 PVC, while assuring that all eligible voters must have their voter cards before the elections.

Jega announced the decentralisation of the distribution and collection of the PVCs from Monday to Saturday from 8.30 am to 5pm every day.

The INEC boss also pointed out that the commission could not be blamed for people who refused to come out and collect their PVCS which had been produced and sent to various collection points across the country.

He said the commission had continued to produce PVCs to meet the 68 million registered voters already captured and certified by the commission to be genuine even as it revealed that about 4million cards were received by the commission on Thursday.

Jega also identified some trouble spots where he said all should take precautions over as Edo, Rivers, FCT, Bauchi, Plateau Imo.

He said these places are prone to violence on the ground that the outcome of their primaries and frustrations associated to the PVCs distribution.

These and other possible causes informed the workshop with civil society organisations to promote aggressive voters enlightenment.

Jega reiterated the position of INEC that the elections would be conducted with only the PVCS which had been tested and proved to be valid for elections that would stand the test of time on matters of integrity of the ballot, pointing out that anyone calling for the use of the temporary voters card in the February elections are only drawing the nation back.

The INEC chairman who described the newspaper advertorial wishing the All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential candidate death as shocking, urging newspapers to exercise some caution in accepting and publishing some advertorials as it is capable of inciting violenece.

“Without hindering the press freedom, I think it is absolutely necessary for newspapers to exercise some restraints. You need to be careful on what you write, so that it does not lead to conflicts and violence.”

Jega also said that there were massive movements of electoral materials from the commission’s headquarters to the states, urging the security agencies to exercise caution in the arrest and detention of vehicles conveying such electoral materials.

He said that the vehicles arrested by security agents carrying electoral materials in Ogun and Bauchi states were actually carrying lawful duties.

APC’s  Deputy National Publicity Secretary Timi Frank while speaking to Journalist in Abuja yesterday during the launch of a book written about General Muhammadu Buhari’s  attributes, said the opposition party would rally Nigerians to march on the streets to protest any move aimed at postponing the February election.

“That call is a call against Nigerians. It is an anti people’s call. To me, that was a personal view of the National Security Adviser. He is not speaking for Nigerians, he is speaking as a person that call will not stand. We will resist that as Nigerians to any manner ways you can think of because this is a proper democratic process. One man or a group of persons or a cabal cannot change the decisions of Nigerians.

Frank who spoke against the backdrop of the statement credited to the National Security Adviser,  Col. Sambo Dasuki  that effect that elections might be postponed to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conclude the distribution of PVC, said any postponement in the election date could lead to anarchy.

“If the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not prepared for the elections, let them back out of it but Nigerians are already to go into the election and nothing on earth can change that date.

“As a party, we are going to mobilise Nigerians against it and we are going to do everything possible you can think of to ensure that election holds and that it is free and fair.

“The call for the postponement of the election is a call to anarchy. It is another June 12 that is about to happen in Nigeria, where you know already that a winner is emerging and you cannot stand that, you call for the cancellation of the election date. For God’s sake this can lead to a revolution, if Nigeria is not a peace-loving country by now the whole country would catch fire.

On the book written by a member of the Buhari Support Group , Mr. Blessing Agbomere, he said nothing most aptly captures the good qualities of the former Head of State than what the writer put together under the title, ’72 Attributes of Buhari, the Good Samaritan’.

Speaking in similar fashion, the Buhari Support Organization on Friday in Abuja rejected the suggestion by  made by Dasuki for the postponement of the forthcoming general elections by one month, warning that the consequences of such action could be disastrous.

The Head, (Media, Information Management and ICT) in BSO, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, who gave the caution while speaking to Journalists appealed to the global community to appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan to keep strictly to the terms of the Abuja Accord.

He said the shift in the election date would be tantamount to rigging and an admission of defeat by the PDP.

We are totally taken aback by the suggestion made yesterday (Thursday) by the NSA at Chatham House, London to the effect that the February 2015 elections be postponed. As the NSA, he is a very highly placed figure and a close associate of Mr. President.

“It is expected that he should be very conversant with the security implications of such postponement and would rather advise to the contrary, even if that was what the boss would have proffered. These are all indications that the PDP does not truly want an open democratic contest in which Nigerians will decide who leads them, after this corrupt dispensation.

“We totally condemn, in its entirety, such careless, provocative and crisis-prone statement from such very high level of government. This is certainly the high point of the serial breaches to the Abuja Accord by the government. This suggestion is intended to overheat the polity by causing severe disaffection among the generality of the public with attendant disastrous consequences.”

According to him, the inglorious days of Association for Better Nigeria was about to be birthed in the political history of the country in which the ABN was used as a platform to dubiously campaign for the annulment if June 12 1993 presidential election, said to have been won by late philanthropist, Chief MKO Abiola.

Another chieftain of the APC and the national chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Mr. Tony Momoh said the appropriate organ that will make the request for the postponement of the election was INEC which had not done so.

“NSA is an individual and he expressed an opinion which he has even denied.

INEC said they are prepared. Is NSA INEC? Momoh said the NSA must have been misquoted. People want change and they will not fight. We have been asking for change.

“They know we are more than the PDP now and so anybody who is asking for postponement is the one who is not sure of their stand in the election. There will not be postponement, there will be election, it will be non-violent, it will free, fair and transparent, the results will be announced and the heavens will not fall,” he said.

THISDAY

Member of Jonathan Campaign Committee Decamps to APC

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bayelsa Presidential Campaign Committee, Senator Felix Oboro, in a surprise move, on Friday decamped to opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that has further polarised the PDP in the state.

Senator Oboro, former Nigeria ambassador to Venezuela, was supposed to be a member of the presidential campaign committee that were sworn in by Governor Seriake Dickson, but he was conspicuously absent.

At the formal welcoming of the Senator who was a founding father of Bayelsa State, the APC state leader, Chief Timipre Sylva cried that, with leading political leaders from the state like Oboro leaving the PDP in droves, the PDP was gradually heading for collapse.

Sylva who was once again ushered to the state capital amidst jubilations by Bayelsans, lamented that besides insecurity that was pervading the country, the level of unemployment and poverty was increasing.

He insisted that the nation was in dire straight, only serious minded people were needed to pilot the affairs of the country.

“At a time like this, we need serious men and women at the helm of national affairs. That is why we need Gen. Buhari to fix the country.”

Oboro, one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State lamented that the last national and state assembly selection exercises in the PDP destroyed the cohesion of the party throughout the country.

Advancing reasons for his quitting the PDP, Oboro, who was the pioneer Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government at the inception of democratic rule in the state before he resigned his appointment for personal reasons said: “since Dr. Jonathan became President and leader of the PDP nationwide, there has never been any genuine congress in any part of the PDP states to elect candidates to represent the party in any election.”

He said though the selection of persons as candidates had been the norm in the place of nomination congresses in the state, “the last national and state assembly selection exercises have destroyed the cohesion of the party throughout the country.”

His words: “The problem of our country now is corruption, insecurity and economic downturn. Everybody’s concern is who among our political leaders particularly Gen Buhari and President Jonathan who are the flag bearers of the two major parties, has the credentials to wipe out the above vices. The answer from 90 per cent of the states is Gen Buhari.

“Under President Jonathan, even a simple thing like internal democracy in his party had been destroyed because he too ascended the governorship position through unholy harmonisation and not democracy”.

“As for corruption, insecurity and economic downturn, Jonathan’s six years as President is the cause of these problems the country is talking about.

Ironically Jonathan himself agrees that these are real problems of the country, when he is still at the helm of affairs.

“I would like to appeal to my Ijaw people in Bayelsa State to understand the clear handwriting on the wall and we should all educate our people to tow the popular reasonable line.

“Our people must join the mainstream and we should not allow our state to be ostracised. Dr Jonathan has no regard for Ijaw people. He has not shown any pride of being an Ijaw man. The little dividend of democracy he had brought to the state is for his community, Otuoke.

“The only way to peaceful change now is for all Ijaw people to obtain their permanent voters card and cast their votes. We should do everything possible to avoid our youths going back to the creeks. After all, some of our leaders are not appreciating the sacrifices of our youths.

“Otherwise how can President Jonathan publicly express joy that Henry Okah- an Ijaw man from Amassoma is languishing in a South African prison because MEND attempted to “assassinate” him- an allegation no true Ijaw man will believe.

“President Jonathan made his allegation in the opening of his campaign in Lagos. If the President says MEND did not support him does he mean he became president on his personal merit?

“The blood Ijaw youths shed to attract the attention of other Nigerians to consider Dr. Jonathan from our state to be President is not appreciated by the President.

“Since he was imposed on the people of Bayelsa to be governor by persons outside the Ijaw tribe, President Jonathan’s loyalty is to the few persons that imposed him. President Jonathan does not see any reason to apologise to the people of Bayelsa State for his neglect of the state.

“Therefore any vote for him by Bayelsans is a wasted vote as he can never appreciate us, even in the unlikely event that he wins the presidential election on the 14th of February 2015.

THISDAY

“In view of the above reasons, I do not see any rational ground being in PDP even though I was one of those instrumental in positioning his luck from Deputy Governor to President. Therefore, I have decided to declare for the APC and work with reasonable politicians to effect a change of leadership in our country.”

Tumbling Oil Prices: Agric Now Life-line, Says Jonathan

Dele Ogbodo in Abuja

Describing himself as the farmers’ President, Goodluck Jonathan on Friday said in the face of declining crude oil prices, agriculture was now the life-line for the country.

Jonathan who spoke at an agricultural show tagged Agrifest in Abuja affirmed that he had done so much in Agriculture and that should it turn out that farmers were not happy with him, Nigerians should not even vote for him.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Adewunmi Adesina, who also spoke at the forum disclosed that the reforms in the agricultural sector by the Jonathan administration had attracted over $5.6 billion in foreign investment.

Jonathan said since agriculture was paying off so well in America, he saw no reason why Nigerian farmers should not be millionaires and even billionaires, saying the goal of his administration was to make Nigerian farmers that wealthy.

To this end, he said 750,000 young commercial farmers were being created, with the philosophy being to catch the youth early and change their mindset towards agriculture.

“Agriculture is now the life-line for Nigeria,” he told farmers from around the country gathered at the Eagle Square for the Agribiz.

“As crude oil prices decline, we must create new wealth from the richness of our soil, the vastness of our rivers and the abundance of our labour. We will produce more and industrialise the agricultural sector. That is our total commitment. One area we can say we are doing very well is agriculture.

“Great farmers of Nigeria, you can rely on me as a farmers’ President. Even in my campaigns yesterday, I mentioned it in Benue, that Nigerians should reach out to you, farmers, and if you are not happy with me, they should not even vote for me.”

He expressed gratitude to farmers, saying were it not for their efforts that have made all manner of foodstuffs readily available and prices stable, there could have been food riots by now.

Jonathan also revealed how he ended 40 years of corruption that made it impossible for farmers to get fertilizer at government-subsidised rate through the deployment of the now-popular e-wallet.

He said over 14.5 million farmers have been “raised” through this G.E.S. system.

Adeshina attributed the over $5.6 billion foreign investment attracted into the economy by agriculture to a strong political will to tackle the underhand corruption associated with the distribution of seedlings and fertilizer to rural farmers across the country.

THISDAY