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Suddenly,
Umaru ...Read the full article.

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Prof:

I also hope Bankole's compass will point to the opposite direction of Etteh and other scumbags that are replete in the PDP. However, I have failed to see the nexus between his father's political mien and Bankole's personal proclivity to be a good speaker. Your argument tends to suggest that Bankole should be accorded reverence because of his father - not on his own political merit.

Although, academically, Bankole's credentials are beyond reproach. But the question is: What contribution has he made in the House of Representative for the past 4 years??? How many bills did he sponsor or how many motions did he move in the 4 years that he was in the house???

Actually, I think we are losing it if we are using academic degrees alone to calibrate the credibility of our public officers. I do not know his field of study but obtaining degrees at Oxford and Harvard does not automatically cover on him, the perspicacity, astuteness and impetus needed to effectively and judiciously carry out his responsibilities as the speaker of House of Representative. Prior to his election into the house, was he known to have been involved in Democratic struggle??? Where are his articles and publications??? What has he ever achieved with his education??? These are the indices we should look at. As a professor of political science, you should know all these better!

Then also, with your elocutions, you tend subscribe to the barren school of thought which espouses Max Weber's "Traditional legitimacy", that is, the right to the crown purely based on INHERITANCE - and not the expected LEGITIMACY on which Democracy only thrives: Rational - legal. Should one's father be a renowned politician before one can succeed politically????

Well, anyway, you are entitled to your own opinion.

Presidency

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As presented by Mr. Laolu Akande from New York, in the Guardian on-line on November 6, 2007, Nigerians in the Diaspora, who are abreast of political events and conditions that would shape our nation’s immediate future expressed their high expectation of the new, young Speaker of the House of Representatives; the successor to Ms. Olubunmi Etteh whose ‘selection’ to the high legislative position had many misgivings.

First, Dimeji was not a popular political figure in Nigeria before his sudden election as Speaker. But he had quietly established some reputation for competence, balanced judgment, humility, dedication to work and an underlying ability to be smart and straight in how he carried himself among his colleagues between 2003 and 2007. All these qualities will carry him through as our new Speaker. One has read the concerns expressed by sectional leaders of Nigerians in Diaspora and one shares their anxiety. As a competent observer of political events in Nigeria and as a patriot, some probable predications will be made in this article about what to expect from this educated, disciplined, exposed and humble young Speaker, Honourable Dimeji Bankole.

Let me first declare that I do not belong to any religious sect that claims to produce seers of the future. I wish I can claim having the extra-ordinary power or talent, spiritual or otherwise, to talk to God or have God talk to me as our religious fanatics commonly claim in Nigeria. It could be an amazing experience if one has the means to do so. This article has nothing to do with any prophecy into the future of individuals or country. However, my prediction about the expected performance of Dimeji Bankole, the young Speaker of the House of Representatives is based on personal knowledge and facts about his lineage.

My prediction on this occasion as an infrequent or unusual political seer is based on Dimeji’s family background which has prepared him well for leadership position aside from his personal talents which are God given. Dimeji’s father Chief Alani Bankole is alive and well. He has not held any elective public office but he is better known and recognized as an effective political leader and organizer of the masses than many who had. He has been in the ‘thick and thin’ of Nigerian politics for as long as I have known him when the Second Republic was being cast in the 1979 constitutional mode. Chief Alani Bankole is simple, straight, sincere and effective as a party man and a political leader. He is a straight shooter and has no time to engage in frivolities or engage in some procrastination about irrelevant political issues. He is known for all theses qualities from the NPN days to APP to ANPP where he held national leadership positions and later the PDP political group. Though a faithful party man anytime, Chief Alani Bankole is a Progressive fighter in Nigeria’s political struggle to advance the course of the common Nigerian, a populist by orientation. Chief Alani Bankole’s acceptability among his political peers from the south to the north of Nigeria was a major factor in Dimeji’s election to the Speakership of the House of Representatives. Chief Bankole was one of the decision makers that influenced the candidature of Chief Olu Falae as the common presidential candidate of the APP and the AD against Obasanjo, his kinsman from Egbaland and the PDP candidate in 1999. Ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo recognized Chief Bankole’s political ability and influence in Egbaland, especially in Abeokuta and therefore sought his friendship to improve his own political acceptability in his locality.

With this political background enriched by his father’s formidable antecedent, one may not be surprised that Honorable Dimeji Bankole won a landslide election among his peers to become their Speaker. There is no responsible leadership of any contemporary party that is represented in Nigeria House of Representatives which does not know Chief Alani Bankole as a reliable, dependable and respectable political leader. His fairness and friendly disposition to all and sundry have contributed immensely to the support given to his son across party lines in the House of Representatives. The young man scored 304 votes against 20 for his opponent who represented the’powers that can make and unmake Nigeria dry or wet in raw political power dispensation’ . Praise God.

In contrast to the low educational qualification of the former Speaker Ms. Olubunmi Etteh, Dimeji has had the best of education at Reading, Oxford , Sand-hurst and Harvard. He is adequately scholarly to handle his office as Speaker in the Committee of Speakers of developed and developing democracies anywhere in the world. As a true son of Chief Alani Bankole, Dimeji will rise above political pettiness and maintain his family ethical standards in discharging his official duties. His father is available to him, so also are Senator Ken Nnamani, the ex-president of the last Senate, ex-Speaker N’abba and ex-speaker Masari ; all of whom know Chief Alani Bankole as a politician of substance and reliability. Our new Speaker of the House of Representatives Honorable Dimeji Bankole will rise above politically inspired intrigues which are often regarded as political gamesmanship in Nigeria even though they constitute stone age exhibition of animalistic aspect of human tendencies to abuse public trust and promote illegalities in the name of power politics. Dimeji will be honest and prudent with public money in his care because he has no ‘political godfather ‘to whom regular delivery will be demanded and made. He will demonstrate ability and trust in our democratic values and raise the confidence of Nigerians in general in the dignity of public service. He will maintain high ethical standards as expected from his family background. All these factors will be subjected to the ‘Rule of Law’ as Dimeji himself is very much aware of the behavioural standards required in today’s Nigeria.. These are my probable expectations and predictions of Dimeji Bankole as a political man who knows his family background. By God, he will succeed. Amen.



They have started again. The speaker has said he didn't attend Sandhurst but people have not stopped forcing Sandhurst into his resume. This is how they keep referring to Oby Ezekwesili as doctor when she has not even got a Phd. What's the problem with Nigerian writers?

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=olusola;2091818996>
They have started again. The speaker has said he didn't attend Sandhurst but people have not stopped forcing Sandhurst into his resume. This is how they keep referring to Oby Ezekwesili as doctor when she has not even got a Phd. What's the problem with Nigerian writers?

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I hear there are attempts to even validate the Harvard claims and make sure it's not the same type of Harvard Tony Elumelu, Ibori, AIG Imoukhede, and co put on their CV's. A three weeks course at Harvard does not amount to a Harvard degree, but we go dey siddon look, because it takes nothing to verify such claims from here.

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=Anon;2091819010>I hear there are attempts to even validate the Harvard claims and make sure it's not the same type of Harvard Tony Elumelu, Ibori, AIG Imoukhede, and co put on their CV's. A three weeks course at Harvard does not amount to a Harvard degree, but we go dey siddon look, because it takes nothing to verify such claims from here.

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This is what most of these Nigerians claim as Harvard degrees, and I think that includes our own Prof. Pat Utomi.

I think people should start to define their so called 'Harvard Degrees'. It will be acceptable for them to use something like 'Harvard-Educated' since all these two-three weeks courses open to almost any first degree holder with some change or company-sponsored will still qualify as education.

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=Anon;2091819010>I hear there are attempts to even validate the Harvard claims and make sure it's not the same type of Harvard Tony Elumelu, Ibori, AIG Imoukhede, and co put on their CV's. A three weeks course at Harvard does not amount to a Harvard degree, but we go dey siddon look, because it takes nothing to verify such claims from here.

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Can you say as a matter of factly, that you came across AIG & Elumelu's CV? Or are you just referring to what you've come across, on the pages of newspapers and online briefs?

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Prof Bankole,

This write-up is not necessary. Dimeji has won based on the intrigues in the house of rep staged by the the core northern group to oust obj from the BOT chairmanship. This shows the political astituteness of the north.

I would congratulate Dimeji for his victory and I pray that God gives him the wisdom to run the house. This issue of his father being in NPN; was NPN a good party to use as a basis for credibility? Even ANPP, PDP are they good venues to show off the embodiments of credibility?

Please prof this is not what we espect from person of your standing. You should not reduce national leadership to local or family credibility. National leadership is far more and greater than what you are attesting to.

So please leave the young man alone let him do his job as God and his conscinece directs him. It is people like you that may become obstacles to his progress. Let Dimeji be. period.

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Prof Bankole,

I am afraid and sorry i have to say this to you that i hope you are not one of the sychophnats waiting in the wings to be hired by dimeji Bankole or better still his father.

I am only able to deduce two things from your piece

1.That you share the same name with the Speakers family
2.That you know the political history of the senior bankole albeit a jaundiced one.

I just hope your professorial title is not in the mould of that of Andy Uba.
Wabara's mien was cooler than Dimeji's before the bribe for budget Scandal.

If you have nothing to say,pls read your thesis Man.

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From all available information, one can even see that the Speaker's father never achieved anything politically. Always contesting and never won any election in his life.

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=Sincere Brillow;2091819154>Prof Bankole,

I am afraid and sorry i have to say this to you that i hope you are not one of the sychophnats waiting in the wings to be hired by dimeji Bankole or better still his father.

I am only able to deduce two things from your piece

1.That you share the same name with the Speakers family
2.That you know the political history of the senior bankole albeit a jaundiced one.

I just hope your professorial title is not in the mould of that of Andy Uba.
Wabara's mien was cooler than Dimeji's before the bribe for budget Scandal.

If you have nothing to say,pls read your thesis Man.

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=lumidii;2091819063>Can you say as a matter of factly, that you came across AIG & Elumelu's CV? Or are you just referring to what you've come across, on the pages of newspapers and online briefs?

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I am speaking from my personal knowledge and relationship with all parties quoted up there and I even have more examples, so not to make just these ones mentioned up there the sole scape goats. I have seen business profiles that all the above persons have authored and heard them introduce themselves as having gone to HBS. Infact go and check the Thisday awards of 2005/2006 where Elumelu was a nominee or a recipient and see the profile of him handed out to that newspaper. When I asked my aburo who was their former editor where they got this misleading information from, he said that this was what Elumelu handed to him. I've got a copies of handbooks from conferences and seminar materials where they have been invited as speakers, and na thesame thing. Graduated from Harvard Business School. High time Harvard alums collectively started protesting the *******ization of their alma mater and check the abuse.

Yes, Lumidii, next question?:lol: