Ganduje’s Dethronement Letter Poorly Written –Sanusi [PUNCH]
Following his dethronement, Mallam Lamido Sanusi has mocked the Kano State Government for the poor manner in which his deposition letter was written.
Sanusi said going by the way in which the letter was written, it was easy for him to challenge his removal in court.
He also criticised the state government for not giving him fair hearing prior to his dethronement.
However, Sanusi said he was going to move on and did not want to return as Emir, saying he did all he could while he was the Emir of Kano for six years.
In a 45-second video clip that went viral on social media on Saturday, Sanusi said, “I have done what I could in six years, I’m moving on. I don’t want to go back. The truth is, if I had wanted to go back, the dethronement letter was so badly written, it was not done professionally. The easiest thing is just to go to court.”
“It’s simple… fair hearing. ’Did you query him? Did you ask him to defend himself? Did you even call him to ask him any question?’ No. That’s all but I think we should go on to a new phase in life,” Sanusi added.
How Presidency Tried To Save Sanusi [LEADERSHIP]
Contrary to allegation of collusion to remove former Emir Sanusi from office, the presidency had intervened at many stages of the conflict to avoid escalation in the last two years, LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered yesterday.
It was learnt that the effort collapsed because of the intransigence of the two sides to shift ground.
A reliable presidency source who did not want his name in print told our correspondent that when the Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje administration made up its mind to remove Emir Sanusi as far back as 2017, the governor informed President Muhammadu Buhari of the decision.
The source said Governor Ganduje however asked for advice and guidance but Buhari outrightly told him that it was inappropriate and requested that the plan be shelved.
According to the source, the meeting was followed with a written letter to the governor dated November 17, 2017, in which the president’s advice was clearly stated.
The president was said to have directed his chief of staff, Abba Kyari, to follow up for a peaceful resolution of the crisis of confidence between the two.
This, the source said, led to the setting up of a committee made up of five state governors led by the govenor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi.
The source stated that the committee did their best as calm returned even though occasional flare-ups continued and were aggravated by the tense situations under which the governor re-emerged for his second term in the 2019 general elections.
It was further gathered that in the course of that period, Governor Fayemi, his Jigawa State counterpart, Abubakar Badaru and, to some extent, the Inspector General of Police made several visits to Kano to prevail on the governor to not remove the Emir in those tense moments in the interest of peace and security.
The source said that the main grouse of the administration was that the Emir had failed to stay above the fray of partisan politics, especially as it related to the governor’s re-election.
He added: “In reaction to the various suggestions by senior citizens including Generals Ibrahim Babangida, Wushishi and Abdulsalami Abubakar, among others, the chief of staff sought for permission and gave the green light for the commencement of work by the Abdulsalami Abubakar committee.
“The committee members sat down with the president at the villa to discuss their mission. At this meeting, the president outlined the efforts he put into the resolution of the conflict in Kano and said he had had enough. The president gave assurances of his support and put at the committee’s disposal the use of the presidential aircraft, and then wished them the best of luck. But he did make clear that if the situation warranted it, we would not hesitate to clamp an emergency rule on the state.
“Governor Ganduje gave conditions for peace, including the withdrawal of court cases by Emir Sanusi against the Kano State government. Sanusi allegedly accepted to withdraw some of the cases, but stood his ground on the others, including his refusal to withdraw a court case instituted by Bashir Tofa and his group who the state government alleged to be Sanusi’s proxy in the case.
“The governor insisted that the newly-created emirates must be kept but acceded to the emir that four of the five kingmakers whose districts were excised from Kano be reinstated. The emir agreed not to appeal the decision to uphold the emirates by the courts.
“It was clear all this while that the inflexibility to meet some of the conditions for peace by both have added complications that made peace almost impossible. For example, the former emir had wanted the Kano State Anti Corruption Commission to stop its case against him completely.
“He stood firmly that the case he instituted against the Code of Conduct Bureau will not be withdrawn because, in his view he needed to pursue it to clear his name, a demand that Governor Ganduje rejected. The Abubabar committee’s report didn’t give any glimmer of hope for ending the crisis as a mediator’s success depends largely on the cooperation of the parties involved”.
Despite these frustrations, the source further explained that President Buhari didn’t give up on the efforts for peace.
According to the presidency official, when the chief of staff led a delegation to condole the former Emir over the death of Ambassador Sunusi, the late Dan Iyan Kano, and the former Emir’s uncle, the chief of staff, Abba Kyari, met separately with Governor Ganduje and Sanusi in a renewed effort to reconcile the two actors in the conflict.
The source noted that having gone to this extent for peace, it was uncharitable and baseless to accuse President Buhari of ordering Ganduje to depose Sanusi.
He continued: “The president holds Sanusi in the highest esteem and has nothing personal against him and, therefore, he couldn’t have told Ganduje to depose him.
“Allegations that Abuja (referring indirectly to President Buhari) is complicit in the Emir’s alleged forceful removal from the palace and exile to Nasarawa are equally nonsensical. Chieftaincy law in northern Nigeria going back to 1919 makes for the deposition and confinement of emirs and chiefs.
“Sarki Alu of Kano was removed by the colonial administration using this law and was walked to Lokoja on foot to start a life of exile. State governments have used the law to full effect dealing with Sultan Dasuki in Sokoto, who was removed and kept in Zing, Taraba State and Emir Jokolo of Gwandu, Kebbi State, who has been kept away from the state now for over two decades. Kano State did not need President Buhari’s authorisation for anyone to remove and exile emirs and chiefs”.
Nothing Has Changed About Me, Says Deposed Emir
Meanwhile, the dethroned Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, has said that nothing has changed in his life apart from not being on the throne.
Sanusi, who was speaking for the first time after his dethronement, said talking to family and friends on the matter was always difficult, adding that the incident was worth sharing.
He said, “Maybe what I should do is share a story of my daughter when we were flown to Abuja and was about to go to Nasarawa and she met us at the airport and she came and was crying.
“I said why are you crying? In our family we believe that God decides for who to be a king; he also decides the day you will be king and the day you will stop being a king. So let’s assume that God has fixed those days from June 8, 2014 to March 9, 2020.
“I asked that if God had said on March 9, 2020, that today is the end of your father’s reign and you have two options, one is to take his life and he dies on the throne, the other option is, I take the throne away but leaves him alive which one would you pick? And she said I will rather have you alive. I asked her so why are you crying? I will not spend one day beyond March 9 because that is the end of my term.
“Somebody else is going to be in and I always said that it is either you die or you live. If you are given life and you don’t know how many more years and you don’t know what else you are going to do, it is just an opportunity to add more things to what you have”.
In Peace Moves, Akande C’ttee Asks APC Members To Withdraw Court Cases [LEADERSHIP]
The Chief Bisi Akande-led reconciliation committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has embarked on a conciliatory mission with a view to reconciling feuding members of the party.
To begin with, the committee has implored aggrieved members of the party to drop all court cases and unite as one.
Chairman of the committee, Chief Bisi Akande said he was not aware of the motivations behind litigious conduct of members of the party even though he will not describe it as negative or harmful motives.
He pointed out that those seeking access to the courts to decide what are basically political questions might think they are doing the right thing.
Akande said, “If this is the case, I must state that they are innocently in error. Their actions are harmful to the party in compound ways. First, the subject matter they bring before the court is not amenable to judicial pronouncement. The manner by which court decisions are rendered – one side wins, the other loses – is not the best way to resolve political disputes.
“Again, such disputes are better treated by dialogue and the give-and-take that dialogue engenders. Courts do not proceed in such a manner. Second, to resort to the courts casts the party in a negative public light. Third, this penchant for litigation undermines party discipline, internal dispute resolution mechanisms and institutions”.
In a letter asking members to unite, Akande reminded them that the party constitution requires that all internal dispute resolution measures be exhausted before a member approaches the court.
He added: “I dare say this provision has not been honored either in spirit or in letter by those initiating these court cases seeking to oust party officials. More specifically, along with several other respected party members, I have been appointed as a member of the party’s special reconciliation committee. I have been given the further honor to be the committee chairman. This committee was the product of discussion and deliberation of party organs such as the NWC and NEC.
“No one has contended that this committee was improperly established. The committee’s mandate was to investigate and submit recommendations regarding the dispute in Edo State involving national party Chairman, Oshiomole and Governor Obaseki as well as inquire into disputes in other states that might weaken the party. All party members are aware of this decision.
World Figures Afflicted By Coronavirus [LEADERSHIP]
Since the first case of coronavirus was reported on December 31, 2019, it has gone on to take lives of over 5,400 victims as well as afflicting tens of thousands of others, including high profile people around the globe. HENRY TYOHEMBA takes a look at some of the world figures afflicted by the virus as well as important international events cancelled due to its spread.
Iranian Deputy Health Minister, Iraj Harirchi
Harirchi confirmed he had been diagnosed with the coronavirus on February 25, days after appearing unwell at a press conference on the outbreak. On March 3, the BBC reported that five Iranian members of parliament had also tested positive for coronavirus.
Iranian Vice President, Eshaq Jahangiri
Iran’s first vice president, Eshaq Jahangiri, has been infected with the novel coronavirus. Jahangiri is the most senior official to contract the virus, which has taken the lives of 354 people and infected 9,000 in Iran since its outbreak in February. The 63-year-old is one of 24 Iranian officials and lawmakers to be infected with the virus, according to Fars news agency.
Former parliamentarian, Jahangiri, is the most senior of a total of 12 vice presidents in the government of President Hassan Rouhani. It is not clear to what extent Rouhani himself has been exposed to infected officials such as Jahangiri.
Janet Broderick
Matthew Broderick’s sister, Rev. Janet Broderick, 64, informed her congregation at All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills Wednesday and thanked them for their prayers.
Canadian First Lady Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
Sophie Trudeau tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a large event in London. Her husband, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will self-isolate as a precaution although he has not exhibited symptoms.
Her husband, Justin Trudeau has gone into self isolation while waiting to see if he has contracted the disease.
UK Health Minister, Nadine Dorries
Dorries announced she had tested positive for the coronavirus a few days after attending an event with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, raising concerns about Johnson’s exposure. She confirmed the news on Tuesday. The prime minister’s office has said he will not take a test for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, because he was not in close proximity to Dorries and was not exhibiting symptoms.
Francis Suarez, Miami Mayor
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, four days after the mayor attended a Miami event with a Brazilian government official who later tested positive for the virus
Fabio Wajngarten, Public Official In Brazil
Communications Director Fabio Wajngarten tested positive for the coronavirus, marking the first time that someone known to have the virus was in close proximity to US President Donald.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton
Mr Peter Dutton, 49, confirmed that he had tested positive after after a trip to the United States. On that trip, he posed alongside Ivanka Trump and Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, days before he tested positive. He has been hospitalized, per Australian protocol.
Celebrities Affected
Tom Hanks And Rita Wilson
The actor and actress, both 63, were in Australia when their tests came back positive with the virus. Their sons Chet, 29, and Colin, 42, also reassured fans that the two didn’t seem to have severe symptoms. True to form, Hanks made light of the scary situation by quoting his infamous “A League of Their Own” character.
“We have Covid-19 and are in isolation so we do not spread it to anyone else,” he wrote on Instagram. “There are those for whom it could lead to a very serious illness. We are taking it one-day-at-a-time. There are things we can all do to get through this by following the advice of experts and taking care of ourselves and each other, no? Remember, despite all the current events, there is no crying in baseball.
People In Sports
Daniele Rugani
The 25-year-old Juventus player was the first Serie A diagnosis on His teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, is in quarantine but has not tested positive for the virus. Italian soccer club Juventus announced that defender Daniele Rugani had tested positive on March 11. Rugani, who is also an Italy international, is the first player in Italy’s top soccer division to test positive but Juventus stressed that the 25-year-old has no symptoms.
Juventus’ match against Lyon was cancelled by UEFA after the news.
Apart from Rugani, Sampdoria striker Manolo Gabbiadini has also caught the virus.
Olympiacos Owner, Evangelos Marinakis
Marinakis confirmed he had contracted coronavirus less than two weeks after the Greek side knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League.
The Greek businessman, also owner of Championship promotion-chasers Nottingham Forest, revealed In a post on Instagram, written in Greek, he said: “The recent virus has visited me and I felt obliged to let the public know.”
Basketball Player Rudy Gobert
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, 27, tested positive for coronavirus, prompting the NBA to take the extraordinary step of suspending its season.
The 27-year-old NBA star from the Utah Jazz was roundly criticized for carelessly touching microphones during a press conference before his diagnosis. Before leaving a media session at shootaround in Salt Lake City on Monday in advance of a game against Detroit, Gobert touched all the tape recorders that were placed before him on a table, devices that reporters who cover the Jazz were using
Basketball Player Donovan Mitchell
The 23-year-old Utah Jazz teammate of Gobert tested positive Thursday.
Mitchell’s positive test was not known until early Thursday, the first full day of the NBA’s hiatus. Jazz players, staff and some beat writers covering the team were tested Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, where Utah was to play the Thunder in a game that was called off moments before tipoff once word about Gobert’s positive test was received.
Arsenal Coach Mikel Arteta
The 37-year-old Arsenal manager was the first Premier League positive diagnosis, forcing the club to close its training complex and put the entire first-team in self isolation.
The club issued a statement quoting Arteta as saying: “This is really disappointing but I took the test after feeling poorly. I will be at work as soon as I’m allowed.”
We’ve Evidence DSS, Army Intimidated Voters, INEC Officials –US [PUNCH]
The United States Government says there is evidence that Nigerian security agents, including the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Army, intimidated voters, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and even election observers during the 2019 general elections.
According to the US, this fuelled the impression that the Nigerian Army worked for the success of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The US further stated that the Nigerian judiciary was still susceptible to intimidation by the executive and the legislative arms of government, adding that there was corruption in the judiciary, which made it not to be able to function independently.
These observations are contained in the 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in Nigeria released by the US Department of State on Wednesday, a copy of which was obtained by Sunday Punch on Saturday.
The 44-page report read in part, “During the year (2019) INEC conducted the presidential election, National Assembly elections, state House Assembly elections, and local elections in all 36 states plus the FCT, as well as governorship elections in 30 states.
“There was evidence military and security services intimidated voters, electoral officials and election observers. In addition violence in several states contributed to lower voter participation and added to the sentiment the army is a tool of the ruling party in many parts of the country, particularly in the South.
“For example, widespread violence and military involvement in electoral processes, including during the vote collation process, significantly scarred the governorship election in Rivers State. Additionally several of INEC’s resident electoral commissioners reported DSS operatives intimidated them when the RECs attempted to protect voting materials. Some RECs reported security service personnel visited them multiple times prior to the elections.”
It added, “There were reports that corruption, including vote-buying, were historically high during the 2018-19 electoral season. Examples of vote-buying were apparent in the re-run of the Osun (State) gubernatorial election in September 2018, and during the Kano (State) gubernatorial election on March 9 (2019).
According to the report, the judiciary has been unable to function optimally due to executive and legislative intimidation as well as corruption.
It said court officials were also poorly paid thereby making them susceptible to manipulation.
The US stated, “Although the constitution and law provide for an independent judiciary, the judicial branch remained susceptible to pressure from the executive and legislative branches. Political leaders influenced the judiciary, particularly at the state and local levels.
“Understaffing, underfunding, inefficiency, and corruption prevented the judiciary from functioning adequately. There are no continuing education requirements for attorneys, and police officers were often assigned to serve as prosecutors. Judges frequently failed to appear for trials. In addition, the salaries of court officials were low, and they often lacked proper equipment and training.”
Speaking further on the judiciary, the US report noted, “There was a widespread public perception that judges were easily bribed and litigants could not rely on the courts to render impartial judgments.
“The constitution and law provide for an independent judiciary in civil matters, but the executive and legislative branches, as well as business interests, exerted influence and pressure in civil cases. Official corruption and lack of will to implement court decisions also interfered with due process.”
Oshiomhole’s Fate To Be Decided Tuesday As APC NEC Meets [PUNCH]
The court ruling suspending the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, is slated as one of the issues to be discussed and ratified at emergency National Executive Council meeting of the party in Abuja on Tuesday, Sunday PUNCH has learnt.
A top member of the APC NEC, who spoke with one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity in Abuja on Saturday, said the first item to be considered at the meeting would be the ratification of Oshiomhole’s suspension.
The source said, “The party will like to start on a clean slate and to do so, we need to act in accordance with the law. Oshiomhole has been suspended by court and we will ratify the decision and proceed from there.
“Another issue will be to quash the illegal actions taken by the suspended chairman while he was in office. Some of them are the illegal appointment and purported suspension/removal of members of the National Working Committee.
“Then, we will face the main business of the day, which is the appointment of an acting national chairman for the party until a proper convention is held to choose a substantive national chairman.
“We may also be looking at getting our members to withdraw the cases that should be withdrawn from courts for us to move forward while those requiring determination are allowed to be determined.”
While responding to a question on the call by some members from the South-South that the acting National Secretary of the party, Chief Victor Giadom, should be appointed as acting national chairman, the source said, “Acceding to this request will be going against our constitution.
“Our constitution is clear on this matter. It states that where the chairman is either removed, dies, resigns or the position becomes vacant, the deputy national chairman from his zone takes over.
“In our peculiar situation, the former Deputy National Chairman (South), Otunba Niyi Adebayo, is now a minister and has not been replaced. What it then means is that the only deputy available is the one from the North, Senator Lawal Shuaibu.”
Coronavirus: Tension In Alaba International Market [SUN]
- Traders plan to shut down market •As they can’t go to China, run out of stock of products
Coronavirus, which has now been designated as pandemic by the World Health Organization(WHO), having claimed over 4,500 lives and sent global market into tailspin, is also impacting negatively on Alaba International Market, the hub for electronics and electrical products in the country.
Since the outbreak of the respiratory disease in January till now, trailers carrying containers, which used to be a common sight in the market have disappeared completely as importations, most especially from China, have come to a halt.
Sunday Sun investigations revealed that most of the importers made their last importation late last year that most of them now have run out of stock.
Most of the importers who spoke with Sunday Sun lamented their plight as the disease is spreading across the world.
They said that they are in a fix because while they are running out of stock, they cannot re-stock because China has become a no-go country.
According to them, even importing via way bill is not an alternative since one does not know the health condition of the person that one wants to send money to, that is, whether he (the exporter) has also been quarantined or not.
They said that if this situation persists, Alaba International Market may close down because over 90 per cent of the products on sale in the market come from China.
Hon. Edwin Izychukwu, a dealer in generator and water pump equipment, said that they are really in trouble because of the Coronavirus that is hitting China and the other parts of the world.
He said that there is now scarcity of products at Alaba International Market, which has caused a sharp increase in price.
He said that though he has ran out of stock, he cannot take the risk of going to China because it might turn out to be a journey of no return.
According to him, most of the importers have decided to resign to fate.
Izuchukwu said that the outbreak of Coronavirus ought to be a good opportunity for Nigerians to begin to look inwards and start to think of how to be less import dependent.
Also, Sabinus Ugwoh, an importer of salon and barbing equipment, said that the reality was China is under economic lock-down at the moment.
He said that a lot of companies in China have stopped because of the Coronavirus.
He said that under this economic and health crises, it would be foolhardy to send money to any company in China.
He said that this was the real reason Nigerian importers have decided to stop way billing as one has to look very well before leaping.
Your Action In Bad Fate, Senator Hanga Tells Gov Ganduje [SUN]
The dethronement of Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is still a talking point within the Kano Emirate and Nigeria at large.
In this interview, Senator Rufai Hanga maintained that the action of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje was done in bad fate out of political vendetta, saying it was an unpopular decision.
What is the implication of the deposition of Emir Sanusi for the Kano emirate?
The only implication for the emirate is the division in the emirate. They have set precedent that anybody anytime can come in the future to do anything. They have certainly denigrated and destroyed the image, the dignity and cohesion in the family and the emirate. That is unfortunate. I think that is the implication for now. As for the Emir, there is nothing left for him than to pursue justice in the law court. Before now, there was a court order that status quo should be maintained. But because the governor believes he has a lot of power, he went ahead to do what he did in defiance of the court order. I know the governor is not alone in doing this. He must have the encouragement and confidence of somebody somewhere in support of what he has done. In fact, he implied it because he said he had met with President Buhari and the president told him that it was not his business to intervene in a matter between him and the Emir. He said he wouldn’t want to poke nose into what was happening in the state. I think that was what gave him the courage to defy court order.
Given the importance of Kano State in the Nigerian politics, do you think that attitude of the president was right?
No, it was wrong. The president is the father of all Nigerians and he claims Kano is one of his strongholds. If what he claims is true, then it is his responsibility to intervene in whatever is happening. Nobody will like to see his son fight and turn away. It is his business as a father; it is his business as a leader. He should have taken it up as his business, if truly he sees Kano as his stronghold.
What is the attitude of the kingmakers in Kano Emirate to this development?
The hands of the kingmakers are tight. They were not happy with the way he scattered the emirate into four and they went to court to challenge it. They went to court to declare that what the governor did was wrong. But beyond that, they have no power to do anything other than to accept it or play a waiting game; after all, the man has already been deposed. There is nothing anybody can do other than to wait for what court will do or what tomorrow will do because tomorrow will come and nobody can stop it from coming. Nobody knows what will come along with tomorrow. God is the only final authority.
To the best of your knowledge, why do you think the difference between the emir and the governor was irreconcilable?
The difference is not irreconcilable except that the governor did not want to give room for reconciliation. He was suspecting that the Emir was against him, that he preferred the PDP candidate to him. That was what he was told and he believed it. He started antagonizing the emir after the 2019 elections. And the Emir is not that kind of person who can keep quiet. He is outspoken, he is an extrovert. No matter what you do, you can’t stop him from talking. He will never keep quiet. If he sees something going wrong, he will talk about it. That is his fault. And that is what our leaders don’t want. They don’t want anybody to correct them. To them, who is he to correct them. Who is he to tell them that something is wrong? I think there is some complex somewhere. You must have seen it the way he was humiliated. Apart from the presence of the police and state Commissioner of Police himself, thugs armed with weapons were taken to his palace. It’s very unfortunate.
How popular is this decision that governor has taken to the people of Kano Emirate?
It is very unpopular, nobody in Kano likes it. Ganduje believes he can do anything and get away with it. And I think he will do worse now because of what happened during the 2019 elections. He hired thugs from outside the state to perpetrate what they wanted and nothing happened. Now, they have seen it that they can do anything and get away with it. Sometimes ago, a lecture was supposed to hold at Mambaya House, they brought thugs to prevent the people from entering the place because they believed it was against their interest. If you are in government, you are free to do anything. The way things are happening now, my fear is about pushing people to the wall. If they push people to the wall and they decide to push back, it will be very disastrous. The people are more than 100 times more than the security forces. I won’t like to see the patience of the masses being exhausted. People are being patient, but they don’t want to change. Somebody should advise them to stop it. Enough is enough!
How sustainable is the peace in Kano with this scenario now?
People are angry and I hope they will not be pushed to the wall. I have heard the people say, ‘how many are the police, we are tired, they can’t overpower us.’ When people are talking like this, it is dangerous. One day, they may want to push back. I pray it doesn’t happen.
What is the role of the state assembly in all of this matter?
The House of Assembly members have destroyed themselves. Even though they did not do what the government wanted them to do because there was rancour and the minority took away the mace, all the same, they are already in trouble. Their names have been written, and people are watching. Time will come when you will pity them because tomorrow is going to come. I assure you, some people will regret going to that house.
The falling price of crude oil is a big threat to the 2020 budget now. What are your expectations of the government plans?
It is a terrible thing. The price has come down to $30 and nobody knows how long it is going to continue. In fact, it may even go a little down again. That is double jeopardy. Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. I doubt if it will soon change. It may even go further down before they go back to the drawing board to reconcile.
The president has already set up a committee to review the budget in line with the new trend. It there anything they can do to mitigate the effects of the low price on the overall performance of the budget?
I can’t see any significant thing they can do now. Part of the measures to implement it is to borrow and they have gone ahead to borrow. Now, the price has crashed by about 70 per cent. What they projected to get from oil has gone down to about 20 per cent. Where are they going to get money to supplement? It is difficult. All these years, what percentage of the budget have they implemented? Again, they have started playing game because I heard Fashola say they could not complete Lagos-Ibadan Expressway because of Coronavirus. The same thing Amaechi said about Lagos -Ibadan rail project. When did Coronavirus come? They are saying all this because they know they may not have the money to implement the budget. And this will go round other sectors like education, agriculture and soon on. People have been crying in the last four years because of hardship. I don’t think there is anything much they can do now because the government’s capacity to implement its plan has further dwindled. So, we just watch to see what will happen to this 2020 budget.
What is the future of the Nigerian economy?
The future lies in agriculture and industry. Unfortunately, we don’t have stable power to have a thriving industry. We have to go into agriculture. Countries that don’t have the kind of resources we have are surviving based on agriculture. We have lots of minerals, but we are not investing in them. It is high time government changed its plan. It should not be about oil alone, we have to go into agriculture, mineral exploration and development. We have a lot of them, we are endowed with them. We must begin to do something now because that is our future. Even in agriculture, what they are saying on the pages of newspapers is not a reality.
What then is the fate of the masses in this new emerging economy?
My fear is not so much about the difficulty masses will face as for the escalation of crimes and criminalities. We may have escalation of the crimes we have already. These bandits go about burning villages because of peanuts. The little they see is a fortune to them. These are signs of poverty and unemployment. So, my fear is escalation of crimes because people go into crimes for lack of what to do. The only lucrative thing for them to do is to take up arms. We in the North see it happen every now and then. And it is terrible. Even in Kano now, about two villages were attacked last week. That is why we have to pray hard and advise the leadership to please listen.
Is there a way the governor’s action can affect the politics of 2023 in the state and even beyond?
What Ganduje has done has seriously affected the popularity of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in Kano. People are seriously talking about him because they see him as the chief ally of Ganduje. They see him as the henchman of the governor and all the electoral manipulation that took place during the last rerun election. They see him as his godfather. In fact, when the PDP in Kano State decided to take the governorship petition back to the Supreme Court for reconsideration, Ganduje had to fly to Lagos and people saw him flown to Abuja in private with Asiwaju. It went viral. There was insinuation that they went to Abuja to see some judges. I think it was coincidental anyway. Ganduje may have gone there to do a private business, but it was everywhere that they went together. People are happy now that Asiwaju is in trouble. They are saying he is a friend of the Emir, but betrayed him because of his ambition. There was a lot of support for him before, but now it has seriously affected his popularity.
$22.7b Infrastructure Loan: Ohanaeze, IPOB kick Over Exclusion Of S’East [SUN]
…Urges zone to fight for its right
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said that the exclusion of the Southeast zone from the $22.7 billion loan approved by the Senate for infrastructural deficiencies in the country showed that the zone was never an integral part of the country.
Media and Publicity Secretary of the group, Emma Powerful made this claim in a press statement he made available to newsmen in Owerri yesterday.
He also described the situation where the zone would be begging to be included in the loan as shameful and degrading, just as he urged the zone to fight for what is rightfully theirs instead of begging for it.
According to Powerful, IPOB gathered that Southeast Senators and governors were lobbying through the National Assembly for the region to be included in the sharing of the $22.7 billion loan from China, saying that their action was “embarrassing, tactless and indicative of their ignorance and that of those who still believe in the myth of one Nigeria.”
Following the exclusion of the zone, IPOB emphasized that the Southeast has never been regarded as part of Nigeria despite it laying the golden egg.
“Despite years of bootlicking and willful submission to the hegemonic whims of the Fulani caliphate, these minions are yet to realise that Nigeria is not one and can never be. This latest humiliation is heightened when one considers the fact that all the resources, both human and natural, that sustain and drive economic life in Nigeria come exclusively from Biafra land.
“It is a thing of shame that a people so blessed and endowed by God Almighty will so humiliatingly reduce their status to that of beggars instead of fighting for what is rightfully theirs.
“We the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) will continue to openly condemn such brazen act(s) of shameless humiliation by the Efulefu political class domiciled in Abuja and Lagos.
Also, the Youth Wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide decried the Federal Government’s effort to secure the $22.7 billion for national development, and leaving out the entire Southeast Region from benefiting from that loan.
The Ohanaeze youths in a statement issued at the weekend expressed bitter surprise over the development.
They described as broad day robbery that the Southeast, one of the six geopolitical zones that make up Nigeria, and a bona fide member of Nigeria, was deliberately discriminated against when a national development plan and policy.
The statement signed by Obute Ifeanyi, media aide to the National Deputy President, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youths, Dr Kingsley Dozie, wondered why the Southeast was “excluded when it comes to collective enjoyments, but when it comes to collective burden, they are included.
“Wherein lies equity, justice and fairness that is a universal norm?”
The youths said that the controversial loan, which the 9th Senate hurriedly approved, once again, reaffirmed the suspicion that has been very rife that Nigeria is not really one.