The Lumine News

Category: Opinion

  • As We Hail Nigeria Police For Dismissing Officers Over Misconduct…BY CHIEMEKA ADINDU

    As We Hail Nigeria Police For Dismissing Officers Over Misconduct…BY CHIEMEKA ADINDU

     

    Following his appointment as the 21st Indigenous Inspector-General of Police on April 6, 2021, by President Muhammadu Buhari, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc has displayed some level of integrity and commitment towards upholding the policies and standards of the Police in the country.

    Baba who replaced Mohammed Adamu who retired in February 2021 was a Deputy inspector-General of Police, force criminal investigation department, force headquarters. In one of his first outings during the decoration of nine (9) newly promoted Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) and twenty-three (23) newly promoted Commissioners of Police at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, the Police boss called on officers to exhibit a higher level of loyalty, courage, incorruptible disposition, and professional competence in the discharge of policing services.

    Having mentioned this to his men, IGP Baba remained steadfast in ensuring that no stone will be left unturned. Apart from the improvement in maintaining peace and order in the nation, he also purposed to conduct an in-house sanitization process so as to retain the perceived lost image of the Police. This sanitization of the Police has witnessed a huge success as reports of firing men of the Police Force found wanting has been on the media.

    In April 2021, three officers were dismissed for allegedly extorting students of Lagos State University, LASU, in April 2022, nine were fired for mobilizing colleagues in strike action. Ten others were sent away in Lagos for murder, corruption and other related offences. Again, in July 2022 another officer was discharged for justifying extortion in a viral video.

    Recently, the Force dismissed Force No. 524503 PC Liyomo Okoi attached to Ekori Divisional Headquarters, Cross River Police Command for gross misconduct captured in a viral video on July 31, 2022 where he was flogging a man with a machete. While Force No. 509745 Corporal Opeyemi Kadiri attached to Dolphin Divisional Headquarters, Lagos Police Command was sacked for gross misconduct, disobedience to lawful order, and assault on a member of the public captured in a viral video on August 3, 2022. Report has it that he equally assaulted the commuter who attempted to bring the order to his notice.

    The list remains endless. And you will also recall that the federal government heeded to demands of protesters asking for resignation and prosecution of guilty police officers. The Presidential Panel on Reform of SARS recommended 37 police officers for dismissal and 24 for prosecution following 113 complaints on alleged human rights violations from across the country. Abayomi Shogunle, a former Head of the Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit (PCRRU), and a former Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Dolapo Badmos were also demoted.

    While the Police leadership is appreciated for these onerous efforts to restore order and dignity to the police profession. And it shows that Nigerians can now put their trust in the services of the Police. This is indeed highly commendable and the IGP should continue with this as it will bring total sanity and reformation in the system.

    However, while the move is worthy of praise the next is to watch the dismissed officers very closely to stop the possibility of transforming to an armed robber, bandit and or, kidnapper. This is a fact that no one can rule out as the tendency to share intelligence with miscreants out of frustration is likely to be high.

    The IGP is therefore urged to put some parameters on ground to watch out for this so that his works will not be exasperated and translated into a situation that will now hunt and become a security threat to the nation. Another way of handling this is to look out for other ways to sanction these bag eggs if the former may seem so difficult.

    So while we chant for joy because the right thing is being done, there is an urgent need to consider the other side of the coin, weigh the pros and cons for anything that is worth doing is worth doing well.

  • There’s Hardly Any Ward Across The District That Hasn’t Benefited From Sen Jarigbe Agom’s Benevolence BY PETER AGI

    There’s Hardly Any Ward Across The District That Hasn’t Benefited From Sen Jarigbe Agom’s Benevolence BY PETER AGI

    Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?
    Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe has been relentlessly innovating, treating and fighting for a better way to deal with hunger while stimulating particularly participatory leadership.

    The political trajectory of the emerging leadership quest should be strengthened by humanitarianism.

    The political realignment focus of the Northern District in CRS has become deeply remarkable, inspiring and rooted. For sure the leading light 💡 shining endlessly is Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe. He is the compassionate, empathetic and impressively humanitarian leader, who has selflessly endeared himself to the heart of the people.

    There’s hardly any ward across the district that hasn’t benefited from his benevolence. That’s why his popularity has soared above others in our climes. He is a uniquely talented, gifted and incredibly inspiring young political gladiator. His people are happy with him. That’s why he has been told to return. Let’s magnify his generosity indeed philanthropy.

  • Obudu, Has Your Suffering Ended? BY AGBA JALINGO

    Obudu, Has Your Suffering Ended? BY AGBA JALINGO

     

    June 22, 2015, Ben Ayade, the Obudu born Professor, Senator representing Cross River North at the time and governorship flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the 2015 general election in Cross River State, declared an end to the sufferings of Obudu people to the delight of an ecstatic crowd that gathered at the Chief J.A. Agba memorial stadium in Obudu.

    Filled with satisfaction over the manner, disposition and the massive turn out of his people to welcome him, he could not control his excitement as he announced the end of perils in Obudu. In his words ” Kugbudu, Kingie Kimen Kimbe ” which means, “Obudu, your suffering has ended”. It’s exactly 7 years and 52 days after that day and the question on my lips this morning is: “Has the suffering of Obudu people ended?

    Since he took over as Governor, Ayade has nursed some very ambitious projects for Obudu, his home town. Principally, these projects include: The British/Canadian School, the Obudu International Airport, the Obudu German Specialist Hospital, the Obudu Independent Power Project and the Mini Super Highway which is supposed to criss cross the five LGAs of Northern Cross River. No doubt these are the most touted projects of the governor in Obudu. But let us examine them one after the other.

    1. The British/Canadian School: Most of the buildings have been completed. But nothing is going on there. The governor says he wants to turn it to a university campus contrary to the original concept of a basic and high school. It is practical to say he will leave office without any activity in that place. But it will be a thing of great joy for me, even if it’s the primary school that can start functioning first, like the one inside the Teachers Training Institute in Biase, so we can at least remember that he built us a school. For now, there is no school in that place yet. Just some structures.

    2. The Obudu International Airport: Governor Ayade said publicly that if he doesn’t complete it, we should carry our sacred “bizu” leaves and banish him from Obudu. That’s what will happen because since the terminal building of the airport collapsed, not much is going on there. Our governor simply doesn’t have the money or the time to finish any kind of port now, not to even talk of an airport. He has only 289 days left. Airports aren’t built in days. He has only set a recipe for communal crisis as homeless land owners are already returning to reclaim portions of the now bushy site, which may snowball into crisis.

    3. The Obudu German Specialist Hospital: The buildings have also been erected and beautifully painted like a sepulchre. Even the fence is so beautiful from the road that when you see it, you will wonder what is happening inside. But verily verily, nothing is going on inside and I don’t know when empty buildings started bearing the name, hospital. We all know what a hospital is and what happens inside. There is nothing like a German hospital in Obudu yet. I am not lying. It is the truth. What we have there is some painted structures and a few equipment supplied and abandoned by Cocharis. The only public hospital in Obudu till today is the Sacred Heart Hospital along hospital road, built by the Catholic mission. If we eventually have a new hospital in Obudu, whether you call it German or Nigerian hospital, I will not hesitate to tell you.

    4. Obudu Independent Power Project: Our governor trumpeted this as one of his flagship projects in Obudu. He went and purchased two diesel powered generators and brought them to power an entire LGA, in the 21st century. A small diesel generator used to power a BTS consumes about 18,000 liters of fuel per year. CO2 emission from one liter of diesel fuel is 2.68kg. Meaning one generator emits 46.5 metric tons of CO2 annually. With those large LPFO powered generators, it is a massive environmental risk that should have been put into consideration by a Governor who is an environmentalist. Yet, the last time those generators came on was in 2019 when Ayade’s niece, Memshima was getting married. The power project has since been abandoned and the generators are parked somewhere along Ranch road.

    5. Mini Super Highway: I don’t need to talk much here. I just shared a video of the road with you yesterday. A road still under construction is been washed off by the rains. A road without drainages. A road so terribly done that it cannot even stand till the completion of the project. The road that failed before Ayade deceived us that he is fixing it, lasted for over 30 years. Even the job that Ayade’s construction company, Leophina Construction, got from the Federal Ministry of Works to do total rehabilitation and resurfacing of the highway from Obudu to Wula in Boki, the Governor and his brother Franko, collected the money, managed to grind the road up to Akorsie in Obanliku, abandoned the project and pocketed the money. Today, you can’t go to Obudu through Boki. We have to pass through Ogoja which is a longer route.

    I am from Obudu. I wish above all things that Obudu is developed and prospers. I won’t be deceived by anyone. Not at this my age. I will not join those who want to perpetually lie to our people to say what isn’t verifiable. If all these projects take off, I will tell you so. If governor Ayade leaves office today, there is nothing, absolutely nothing in Obudu, that we will point to that he did for his people other than these meaningless food on the table titles that will evaporate on his exit. It is rodents and reptiles that will leave in those empty buildings.

    Don’t lie to me. Complete these projects. Get them working and let us indeed know that even if you were unable to end our suffering in Obudu like you promised in June 2015, at least you were able to reduce the suffering.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Dear Prince Otu, Don’t Start From Where We Are Leaving BY AGBA JALINGO

    Dear Prince Otu, Don’t Start From Where We Are Leaving BY AGBA JALINGO

     

    We are leaving somewhere. Like, departing from a place of discomfort to another destination. That should happen in exactly 291 days. It is important for all of us to make sure we remind whoever will take over the reins of power from Governor Ayade, whether it is the ruling or the opposition party, that we are reading their lips and preparing their marking scheme.

    Prince Otu, the APC guber candidate was on a thank-you tour of Cross River North recently. I think they had a good time going round without any major incident of violence or chaos. That is very commendable. Two things however have been sticking out like the sore toes of an elephantiasis infected feet. Among the events that took place in the North, Otu’s supporters have been particular about two. The spraying of money from an open roof car in Bekwarra for people to pick from the ground and Otu’s promise to revamp Okuku Market in Yala LGA, if he becomes our next governor.

    While Otu supporters called what happened in Abuochiche junction the triumphal arrival of Prince Otu, to a tumultuous welcome, what I saw was people throwing Naira notes from the open roof of a speeding vehicle and luring poor villagers to scramble for a pick among bikes that could have hit anyone. Let me be very clear that in Nigerian politics and during campaign seasons, it is not only Prince Otu or his supporters that will be caught in this. Having said that, that cannot be a standard we will accept or tolerate in our State.

    First, Prince Otu was a member of the National Assembly that passed the CBN Act which criminalizes the denigration of Naira notes in the manner we saw in Bekwarra. In a place where laws work, all those caught on video spraying or trampling on those notes should be facing a magistrate by now. Secondly, it smacks of taking our people for granted because of their poverty, anytime someone who says they want to go and lead us and alleviate our poverty, come around and begin to throw Naira notes to the ground for peoples’ fathers, mothers, aunties and youths to trample on themselves and pick and fight over after the convoys are far gone.

    The toe, knee and elbow injuries they sustain in the running and falling, the risk of being knocked down by a rushing vehicle, are all part of the wickedness infested by such despicable show of shame. These are not sights that should be celebrated. Our people are not dogs and food should not be thrown to them on the ground. Dogs too don’t eat from the ground any longer. Even Ayade is putting the food on the table. He is not throwing it on the ground.

    Prince Otu was also quoted as saying: “I spent most of my school days in the North, and during that time, people come from all over the country to buy at the Okuku market. I will revive that market and make sure that happens again in my time.” Now, this is where I want to caution that we cannot continue from where we are leaving. Stop the bogus promises and stop them now please. We are tired of these bogus gargantuan and olympotic promises. Do what the laws says.

    We need to tell Prince Otu early enough that, if by any chance he becomes our governor, rather than bother about fixing Okuku market, he should promise Cross Riverians that, he will not touch or pilfer LGA funds like all his predecessors have been doing and will allow the LGAs to work and function as enshrined in our Constitution. If he does that, Okuku market will function as he desires without his intervention. Historically, markets have always been out of the purview of governors even from colonial administration. Communities and local chiefs have always had a way to manage their market places peacefully until big government began to unfairly interfere.

    Let us also remind Prince Otu again that, sub(e) of the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, clearly vests the establishment, maintenance and regulation of slaughter houses, slaughter slabs, *markets* , motor parks and public conveniences on LGAs and not on Governors. It is the refusal of the governors to do what the law says that is killing markets like the one in Okuku and several others across the State. I am very sure that even that time Otu spent in the North like he said, the Okuku market he says was doing well and bringing people from across the country was developed and run by the LGA not the State government.

    We shall continue to standby and gather together what those who want to lead us are promising us on their way to power and keep the promises as their marking scheme. This will serve as a good reminder and a wealthy library for the social contract.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Are You Running For National Assembly Election From Cross River? Let Me Have Your Attention Please BY AGBA JALINGO

    Are You Running For National Assembly Election From Cross River? Let Me Have Your Attention Please BY AGBA JALINGO

     

    Six years ago, just after taking office, Governor Ayade made a very strong case for the abundant mineral resources in our State in a visit by the Minister of Solid Minerals to Peregrino House in Calabar and shortly after, the Cross River State Ministry of Solid Minerals obtained exploration licences for mineral resources from the federal government. The licences include quarry lease for granite, exploration licence for limestone, clay and shale as well as reconnaissance permit.

    That deft move by Governor Ayade was and still remains a huge milestone because the Mineral Resources Act 2007 vests the total control and appropriation of mineral resources on the federal government, yet the Land Use Act says the Governor holds the land in trust for his people. Getting the mining licenses was therefore a massive opening for our State to directly participate in the exploration of our natural endowment. Governor Ayade immediately admitted afterwards that financing was the next challenge and called for patience. He said the next step was the sourcing and provision of financing for exploration in his bid to diversify the State economy.

    The Governor pushed again and in February 2021, the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development announced that an artisanal and small scale mineral processing cluster will be established in Cross River State and will be completed within six months. The Minister of State, Uche Ogar, disclosed this in Calabar while he was receiving title documents for a five-hectare land donated by the Cross River State government in Yala LGA for the project.

    The choice of Cross River State for the siting of the cluster project for barite value chain development was predicated on the fact that the state is endowed with large commercial deposits of the mineral. Barite deposit occurrences in Cross River State are mainly around Obubra through to Yala Local Government Area which informed the siting of the cluster project in Yala. Under the project, the Federal Government intended to embark on infrastructural development within the cluster area such as a barite processing plant, mining equipment leasing bay, training center, warehouse, office complex amongst other amenities.

    The National Bureau of Statistics aggregate production of mineral products in Nigeria peaked at 89.48 million tonnes in 2021 with Ogun, Kogi, and Cross River States recording the highest output. Breakdown of State profile analysis showed Ogun recorded the highest production in 2021 with 32.04 million tons, followed by Kogi with 18.40 million tonnes and Cross River with 11.64 million tonnes.

    Till date, that project is in the limbo. It has been overtaken by politicking and nothing is been heard about it.

    The second project was announced in February 2017. The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and Cross River State launched a waste-to-wealth program in Calabar. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, laid the foundation for a plant to process waste-to-wealth at the Idundu Industrial Layout in Calabar and said the Calabar site was the pilot project. Governor Ayade noted on the occasion that the project would help in the production of biogas, organic waste and feeds for aquatic culture in the State.

    These are two well thought-out but pending or stagnated or siphoned federal projects designated for our State already. Whoever is going or returning to the National Assembly from the State should get a small team to take pens and papers and ask these questions:

    1. How can the Mineral Resources Act 2007 be amended to give States increased stake and access to their mineral resources? This will lead to the drafting of an amended bill that member.

    2. What is my strategy for engaging with lawmakers from Ogun, Kogi and other mineral resources rich States to achieve this goal based on shared interest? This collaboration based on shared interest across several States will create the robust and necessary initial buy-in for the amended bill.

    3. What is the oversight intervention required to push through with the federal ministry of mines and minerals to make sure that the mineral processing cluster that was to be established in six months in Yala returns immediately? Who did what and who did not do what and what was left to be done on the part of our State or FG? Who is in the NASS committee that oversights the ministry of mineral resources or any other relevant committee that needs to be engaged and lobbied to ensure every bottle neck is cleared for the return of the project? This may lead to increased appropriation to the ministry to fast track the project. This will reveal the reasons why the project was stalled and also provide an opportunity for effective oversight function.

    4. Question 3 is applicable to the waste-to-wealth program of the Ministry of Science and Technology. Same questions need to be asked with adequate follow up.

    I cannot over emphasize the impact that these two projects and their value chain will unleash in the State economy and job creation if executed. But like most things associated with our Governor, he starts on a very promising note and then blows the expectations away in no time. Indeed, Governor Ayade may be like former Super Eagles player, Pius Ikedia who skillfully dribbles everyone with mastery until he enters the 18 yard box and wastes the ball without scoring; it is now time for others on the pitch with him to assist him knock these loose balls into the net. This will not stop anyone from buying the usual okada and wrappers for distribution back home. It will only improve the quality of representation that the State will be getting from the next set of National Assembly members. I am only making suggestions since I am not running any election.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Embracing The Reality Of Dwindled Popularity BY AGBA JALINGO

    Embracing The Reality Of Dwindled Popularity BY AGBA JALINGO

     

    At the thanksgiving mass in honor of Justice Emmanuel Agim, on his elevation to the Supreme Court, at the St. Patrick Catholic Church in Calabar yesterday, Governor Ayade, after launching the 2022 harvest theme and donating N25m, reportedly told the Bishop, John Ayah, who came from Uyo to Calabar that, “Before you depart for your station from Calabar, I will whisper to you.” A euphemism for “I will send money to you.”

    And Bishop Ayah replied: “Kindly add the whisper to the salary of your workers and pay them, I don’t need it.” And the congregation spontaneously sprang up and gave the Bishop a standing ovation. As governor Ayade navigates his remaining 294 days in office, there is abundant chances that many more of those kinds of situations will repeat themselves. Whether in the church or village playground or even campaign grounds, he will be booed in many places publicly and with more audacity.

    Whether those who work with him tell him the truth about the reality outside the security wall around him or not, honestly speaking, a greater majority of Cross Riverians are unhappy with governor Ayade. Even on his own verified Facebook page, they aren’t sparing him there with invectives whenever he does a new post. Even his own appointees are some of his most acerbic critics then they come out to praise sing him.

    While this turn of events and trend should not be encouraged or pampered, it can also be argued that it is becoming inevitable because it is difficult to point to anything that Governor Ayade has done that is functioning effectively. The governor should rather realize now that people are tired of his big grammar and his public drama. It used to sound like music in their ears when they still thought things will change under him.

    His songs and shoki dance steps used to ‘ginger’ the crowds. The town used to be grounded and emptied into the airport when he returns from his frequent trips. Now he doesn’t get up to a dozen welcomers. He should also stop thinking that people will continue to genuflect when he mentions money in those public events. They are building their hopes on the next person already. The Governor has to search for urgent results to showcase to a frustrated population. Everytime he has a public outing henceforth, he has to find and point to what he has done that is working and stop the propaganda about he has built this and that, which have all never worked.

    Until he can show functional results no matter how minimal, he should expect more public hostility even from unexpected quarters as his days in office get thinner.

    Yours sincerely,
    Citizen Agba Jalingo.

  • Elijah Ugani Circulates Pictures Of A Delapidated Primary School Building In His Village, Calls For Help

    Elijah Ugani Circulates Pictures Of A Delapidated Primary School Building In His Village, Calls For Help

    The Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of the TheLumineNews.com, Elijah Ugani has displayed pictures of a dilapidated building in his village.

    According to Elijah, series of letters were written to the SUBEB Chairman, through the Executive Secretary, Education Authority, Obudu Local Government.

    He took to Obudu Stakeholder’s Forum WhatsApp platform and his verified Facebook page to call for help.

    Find full story on his Facebook page:

    “Our education is under serious threat.

    “This is the state of St John’s Primary School Ukwortung, Utugwang North ward in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State.

    “This building was blown off by wind around 2016.
    “Succeding Head Teachers have written to Executive Secretary(ies), Obudu Education Authority to draw the State Government’s attention to the school through SUBEB.

    “Jonathan Abang Ugbal of #crossriverwatch has done some reports including interviewing my Clan Head and one of the Head Teachers within this period.

    “Getting any attention to this school has been an uphill task.
    We can’t continue like this.

    “Interestingly, this is our polling unit for elections.
    “When will my community rise to having sons and daughters that take on our challenges headlong.

    God, I can’t wait.

    W”is that person that God will use to renovate this school?
    My community need help
    The future of our children is shaking!”

    #WeCantContinueLikeThis
    #RecueStJohnPrimarySchoolUkwortung

  • The Gathering Storm Of Youth Power In Nigeria BY DOMIC KIDZU

    The Gathering Storm Of Youth Power In Nigeria BY DOMIC KIDZU

     

    After decades of being pressed down and chained to the floor by an octogenarian lgeneration of carnivorous leaders, the youths in Nigeria seem to have finally found their resolve and determination to construct the hard way to their own future by themselves. There is a revolution cooking up in their minds and in their souls, and in their spirits and it has very little to do with Mr Peter Obi, who is running for the office of President. At best Peter Obi is merely an emblem of the coming struggle, a critical prop for the gathering cast.

    What is happening is rather the concomitant explosion of years of frustration with a system that has left them holding the can, hungry, jobless and homeless. They are angry with the old men of power, the cult of leadership that has stolen their future, their dreams and their tomorrow. And as in the inimitable words of McFadden and John Whitehead in their rock song “Ain’t No Stopping Us…..” they are on the move already and it doesn’t appear that there is anybody or instrument equipped well enough to stop them until their resolve is well served.

    They have realised the potency of the power they carry with their voter’s cards, as Caius Cassius in Shakespeare’s Julius Caeser opined that “Men At Sometimes Are Masters Of Their Fate. The Fault, Dear Brutus, Is Not In Our Stars, But In Ourselves, That We Are Underlings…..” They have realised at last, just as Roosevelt did, that “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure…than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

    The slow trajectory of a collapsing civilization looks set to wind down at last in the wake of the bold affront of the country’s youth. ENDSARS was the test run that made a clear statement about the character of things to come. Peter Obi might become or not become the president of Nigeria in the end, but the revolution is surely and properly on its way. Throughout human history, extreme suffering and deprivation have inexorably spunned rebellion and revolution. Our fat cats who are sitting pretty, even now, in their executive mansions in the cool ambience of opium privilege may wish to take a lesson from the French, the Bolshevik and even the Cuban revolutions and the sad trajectory that is usually the denouement of misgovernance and insensitivity.

    For instance,the French revolution witnessed a period of radical political and societal change in France which began in 1787 and lasted for 12 years leading to the ascent of Napoleon Bonapart and redefined the nature of political power, uprooting centuries old institutions of monarchy and feudalism . Major causes were the estate system, absolutism and food shortages. The most notable leader was a 29 years old lawyer named Maximilien Robespaire.

    Again, the Russian Revolution struck on November 6 and 7, 1917, when the Bolshevik party leader, Vladimir Lenin, at the age of 47 staged a bloodless coup following uprisings and clashes between the troops and civilian protesters against hunger, starvation, corruption in government and a toothless Duma (the Russian
    parliament).

    Disproportionate income and living standards between government officials and the lower – class working Cubans and the growing but much despised influence of the United States in the affairs of the country led Fidel Castro, his brother Raul Castro, Che Guevara, Aberdeen Santamaria and others to launch the Cuban Revolution leading to the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista. Their leader, Fidel Castro was 27.

    In the three examples above, human suffering, as it is in Nigeria today has been a major cause of the uprisings and revolutions. There comes a time when the people can nolonger go on feeding the fat cats anymore, just as Winston Churchill observed that “the upkeep of aristocracies has been the hardwork of common people throughout all civilizations”. In Nigeria, the politicians, the military brass, the religious leaders, the senior bureaucrats and the government contractors have been sitting on the bread table for way too long and the time for all of them to render account appears to be well nigh here.

    Just as Mark Twain, the American writer and humorist asked the question “Who are the oppressors? The few: the King, the capitalist, and a handful of other overseers and superintendents. Who are the oppressed? The many: the nations of the earth; the valuable personages; the workers; they that make the bread that the soft-handed and idle eat”. In Peter Obi, the people have found a veritable linchpin, a symbol of their protest, even if Atiku Abubakar, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and their intellectual collaborators like the elitist writer, Sam Omatseye cannot yet read the signs in the horizon.

    The caste they represent has not found solutions and clearly cannot find solutions to the rot and decay of the fabric of our nationhood. They have watched Nigeria go to seed and fall apart “like broken China in the sun” and now they are desperate to cling on, if only to protect themselves from their worst fears because they know that the people now know that they are human flesh eaters, killers of the corporate dreams of our now disparate nationhood. They have lied to the people for too long and now that the hood is off, they can see their naked teeth; crimson with the blood of the people and their protruded stomachs; filled with the limbs and the dreams of their fellow countrymen. That is perhaps what Peter Obi represents to them, a mirror showing them their own bestiality. And that is why they fear him with such panting and trepidation.

    (Dominic Kidzu writes from Calabar )

  • UNICAL 1st Registry Day And Lecture: Sen Jarigbe Has Proven To Be An Exceptional Breed Of The Twenty First Century Politician BY PAUL EKAJI

    UNICAL 1st Registry Day And Lecture: Sen Jarigbe Has Proven To Be An Exceptional Breed Of The Twenty First Century Politician BY PAUL EKAJI

    REMINISCING ON THE FIRST REGISTRY LECTURE IN UNICAL AND THE “APPEAL COURT SENATOR” QUILL

    While searching for a document in my shelf this morning, I came across this brochure, of the first Registry lecture of the University of Calabar.

    Saddened by the fact that months after the lecture, the entire public Universities have been under lock and key, no thanks to the APC government, I still took time to peruse through my jots on that day.

    It was a very rich academic feast, with members of the gown and town in attendance. The Unical International Conference Center was filled to capacity as everyone struggled to take a comfortable position for a good listening.

    The topic; Ethnicity, Education and Politics: A Triple SWOT Analysis and the National Question, as well as the guest speaker; the Very Distinguished Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, are two things that picked my interest.

    First, the topic was and still remains a burning issue in our polity.
    Secondly, I wondered how an active and serving Senator could do justice to this burning issue. But you know what? the Senator did it! it was an indepth research with workable solutions and recommendations.

    Some of the salient points raised by the Distinguished Senator are;

    1. Politics should be the overall concern of the Citizens

    2. If politics is inescapable, so are the consequences

    3. The Nigeria government has not done enough in applying the benefits of education to reposition her citizens

    4. The very aim of education is not only for acquisition of certificate, but for societal development.

    Personally, I admire politicians who display high intellectualism in academic discourse. They are just a few of them in Nigeria and Jari proved to be one. He displayed mastery of the topic, with a calm, consistent and unequivocal panache.

    Sen. Jarigbe has proven to be an exceptional breed of the twenty first century politicians who not only concern himself with politics for politics sake but carries in him a demonstrable passion for service to humanity. He keeps an eagle eye on every aspect of human welfare, be it education, health, infrastructure, recreation, agriculture, empowerment, etc.

    One of the major qualities of a good leader, is the ability to INITIATE, EXECUTE, MAINTAIN AND SUSTAIN development. Unlike the other who engages in “camouflage projects” with very analog digital concept, Jarigbe has maintained the tempo in development from when he was in the House of Reps to the Senate despite the distractions.
    Like David, he is a man after God’s own heart.

    In summary, beyond collecting undeserved awards and accolades, our politicians must demonstrate intellectualism with evidence-base representation. They must apply their ideas in solving societal problems. This should form the basis for any political aspiration, and this is what Jarigbe represents.

    If being an “appeal court Senator” is to bring the desired development to the people, please give me more!

  • The Choice Before Cross River People Is A Simple One BY DOMINIC KIDZU

    The Choice Before Cross River People Is A Simple One BY DOMINIC KIDZU

     

    There is really no difficulty in making the supreme choice come 2023 for the people of Cross River State as it will be indeed for the people of Nigeria, because the issues are not complicated in the least, and the choices are etched in simple bold print. It will be the choice between crass failure, criminal negligence and pathological telling of lies to the people and a broad new canvass of opportunity to try someone new, someone vibrant and credible. It will be a choice between the impunity, the audacity and the recklessness of the current administration and the broad promise of a serious alternative that will be forthright and respect systems, conventions and propriety while working for the good of the people. It is going to be refreshing to listen to the Governor or his aides speak and to believe what one hears in a way that has been impossible for over seven years now.

    As Senator Sandy Onoh cryptically hinted in Saint Charles Catholic parish, Obudu, the day after he received the cross of Saint Gregory the great; “We are not going to tell lies to our people when we get into government. We shall be honest with our people. We shall promise what we can do and shall not promise what we cannot do. The simple reason that you are in government is not sufficient for you to become a liar to your fellow citizens who put you in office “.

    And now at last the chicken are coming home to roost because there is a whirlwind of political consciousness and rebirth that is demanding restitution for the years of plundering and a new start for the stricken Cross River State, despoiled and raped by the present leadership that does not seem to understand when enough is enough. As Mahatma Gandhi put it “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.” If only they know when to stop and think and begin to repair. We the people must rescue ourselves by taking sides with our dear state, since brinkmanship has fallen flat on its face. As accordingto Martin Luther King Jnr, “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right.” Ala General Yakubu Gowon, to kick APC out of Cross River State is a job that must be done!

    The APC is in a glass jar and we can now all see what it contains. The indices at last have vindicated the PDP because facts and figures don’t lie. A vote for the APC in Cross River is a validation of failure as our new standard of measurement. A vote for APC is a vote for the continuation of the years of famine, for the rule of the artful dodgers and crafty contrivers.

    A vote for people who believe Oscar Wilde’s joke that ” any man who lives within his means suffers from a painful lack of imagination.” There shall be no more salaries because the banks will shut their doors against them. Already business activities have grinded to a halt. There shall be weeping and knashing of teeth and this land shall be left desolate.

    Unfortunately, Sweetprince, the party’s governorship candidate, is just a sacrificial lamb whose role will be to wash the putrefaction of his sponsors with hyssop and leave his followers holding the can. We all have a responsibility to save Sweetprince, (God bless his kind heart) from himself and the bagage
    men pulling him by the tither. Because they will make a mess of him. They will dent his image. They will destroy his reputation. They will place the rot of eight years squarely upon his head and continue to ask for more. They will make his name a byword, even amongst his kith and kin. And he shall not be able to utter one word contrariwise in his own defence.

    The descent to infamy shall be swift. And, alas, in the end Sweetprince will become Bitterprince and things will fall apart, and the centre will nolonger hold, because he can only be a puppet on the leash of the master godfathers who cannot be satisfied or surpassed. And then ofcourse, a cow will not give birth to a goat. The old Sweetprince shall depart poste haste, leaving behind a grotesque reincarnation of gorgon medusa, a scary king in the service of his earthly gods who have chained him to the floor in advance. And this fallen house, to borrow the words of Karl Maier, shall finally crumble into nothingness.