.Where Are The Presidential Aspirants?

[Robot]

[/i /]One of the remarkable highlights of the democratic process as at 1999 was the number of persons who wanted to be President of Nigeria: there were at least 30 of them, including those who had no business eyeing such an important position but whose declaration...Read the full article.

[Abraxas]

Last Prayer For A Dying Nation:

Thank you Almighty God, for giving us our own country Nigeria. Thank you for the wealth and abundance of people, fertile land, water, forests, petroleum, solid minerals, and a lot more you have blessed us with.

Father, we know that it is through the machination of our kith and kin that the people, love and unity we need to enjoy the blessings you have given us continue to elude us. We are tired of suffering and wallowing in poverty in the midst of plenty. Father, we are crying to you to release us from the bondage of hatred, greed and sheer wickedness of man.

Uproot and render totally ineffective O Lord, all those who fan hatred and instigate violence in the land

Uproot and render totally ineffective O Lord, all those who steal the wealth of our country to enrich themselves and other nations.

Uproot and render totally ineffective O Lord, all those whose greed impoverish the common man.

Uproot and render ineffective O Lord, all those whose thoughts, words and deeds threatened peace in our land.

Uproot and render ineffective O Lord, all those who lack the humility to serve but only want to rule at all costs.

Grant us all these, and more O Lord.

Amen.

- By Late Chief G.A. Adams (FNMGS); Chairman & CEO, Multinational Expertise Ltd; past GMD NNPC.

[Unregistered]

Hello Mr. Abati:
What are you talking about? The first rule of the game is self-preservation. Every Nigerian politician knows that so long as Obasanjo is interested in a third-term, they dare not make their interest public. You think those governors who endorsed his third-term bid are stupid and foolish for doing so? Tell me, are they? Self-preservation, Reuben; self-preservation, my man! Secondly, their argument is this: "if Obasanjo can...why not us?" Power and money is intoxicating.

If you oppose President Obasanjo, or as much as look at him in a funny way, the EFCC will come after you. The police and the tax people will come after you. Your business license will be revoked. Your contract will be terminated. This and that and that and this will happen to you. Funny and dangerous things will happen to any politician who is foolish enough to declare his or her interest in the presidency when Obasanjo is still scheming to be a perpetual president.

And again, except for a handful, Nigerian politicians have soiled their hands, sold their souls and mortgaged their future. Obasanjo has a dossier on all of them. And they know it. To that extent therefore, President Olusegun Obasanjo is a very dangerous man. By his actions and pronouncements, he is stunting Nigeria's democracy; he is stunting Nigeria's growth and development.

The man is at once interested in and not interested in a third-term. He is at once a tyrant and a democrat. He must be pushed, forced, lured, encourage or kicked out; otherwise, this fellow is going to be around, beyond 2007. It is unfortunate that we don't have more than 2-5 men and women of courage and valor to tell him to his face that he is not wanted or needed after his term expires in 2007. The institutions are also not there to "guide him out." It's so sad and so unfortunate.

If Obasanjo thinks he is cornier than the fox, and then act on his ambition, he will find out how much he is truly hated by Nigerians. Even the unborn Nigerians hate him for being so incompetent, wasteful and forgetful of history. Let him go ahead and act on his lurid dreams -- history and posterity will be waiting for him.

[Sabella Abidde]

It was an oversight on my part not to have appended my name to the earlier post:"...what are you talking about? The first rule of the game is self-preservation..."

[Nonyellum]

The tyrant as described in the above posts deserves nothing but the firing squad. I wish someone would knock him off.

[Unregistered]

If you did not steal govt funds, did not participate in money laundering, did not evade tax nor otherwise have a skeleton in your cupboard NOBODY can intimidate you. Why are you out to misinform the public that the EFCC is only after Presidential Aspirants? The fact is that the 2007 Presidential Race is not for our Ex-this, Ex-that unless their track record speaks for them. Falae has been speaking, merely exhibiting bitterness. He cannot contest again for the same reasons that he failed the last time i.e. he is Ibrahim Babangida's Agent. Ditto the "HIRED GUN" whose is reputed to have looted two states but a section of the Press want us to forget his past looting and remember Abacha and Babangida's. If Abacha loot is traced to somebody's bank account why should he use the same loot to convince us to make him President? A foreign Govt has laid charges of Money Laundering against a High Official of this Fed Govt but he is untouchable because of constitutional Immunity why should such a person be foisted on Nigerians in 2007 when there are millions of highly skilled and qualified Nigerians who have no such records? If Nigerians say they are tired of Military What kind of expensive joke are Babangida, Buhari, Marwa, Akhigbe pulling on the citizenry? If Presidency is not Zoned to North should anybody take Buhari and Marwa serious? Why should Nigerians (and fellow-members) condone Council of States Members running for Political Office? Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu never seriously asked for the Presidency of Nigeria. He asked for Senate in 1983 and was denied. Do you take that 2003 exercise by him as a contest? Leave the man to enjoy his retirement and raise his twins. He cannot be intmidated! In the 1999 and 2003 Elections, people with dubious credentials and record of high crimes (419ers and drug barrons) sneaked into the polity and could not be done away with due to legal technicalities, this time around the EFCC should help Nigeria by going after more people so that the 2007 Election can have some integrity. Only the guilty feel intimidated and rightly so. This is not an Obasanjo issue. to say that 150 Million nigerians are intimidated by anybody is blatant falsehood. THE MOTTO OF THE EFCC IS THAT THE LAW IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS. There is no right season to grab a thief and it does not follow that the one who stole first shall be prosecuted first. As for the President, posterity will vindicate him.

[Palamedes]

What makes us the people ascribe to our leaders "mysterious powers" that they do not have? Is this self-defeatism: are we making excuses for ourselves by claiming that to be leaders in ones own right one needs "mysterious powers", which we do not have, and therefore cannot be leaders.

I am yet to find "mysterious powers" as a quality of leadership in any writings on leadership.

The age when leaders would claim that they are god's representatives on earth has melted away. It was a myth; and any leader, in our times, who makes such claims, will be a laughing stock, but we the people continue to believe the myth.

Power is sweet, and there is always the reluctance to leave office, when the time is up. Even the iron Lady Thatcher cried on the day she left Downing Street (the seat of UK government). Before she was pushed out of office, we were told by journalist and commentators that she possesses "mysterious powers", hence her election wining successes; and yet there she was, tried very hard not to cry in public but nevertheless cried - very unusual for an English lady.

I imagine Adolf Hitler's "mysterious powers" disserted him before he shot himself dead! And, what about Saddam Hussein of "The mother of all battles" fame, who was found in a small hole. His "mysterious powers" didn't help him much, did it?

Don't make OBJ look like a god with "mysterious powers" it is all in your mind. If all these presidential hopefuls are keeping their heads low, we don't need them; we don't want cowards as our President. If they cannot stand up to OBJ, what hope is there, when they become President, to stand up to the Americans, Europeans, Asians et cetera, and defend our self-interest? SHAME UNTO THEM ALL!

[Unregistered]

Rueben Abati writes brilliantly but I must ask him if he has not heard of the euphemism called security breach? Under Abacha anyone could be roped in under this heading and before you could say Jack Robinson, you were expending all your resources trying to stay alive either in some SSS gulag or cesspit talk less of running for office. Ask Don Etiebet or Iwanyanwu. As you said only M.D Yusuf was brave enough but that was long before his wormy underbelly was revealed in a Paris court over LNG.

This government has already started warning people of a threat to security. Those who have ears have chosen to hear. How can you not fear a man who ignores the orders of the Supreme Court of the land? How can you not fear a man who deploys the might of the Nigerian armed forces against its people at will? Right now one man is law and the powers he parades are not in any constitution. The ruling PDP has a "leader" that is not known in its constitution either. It has a Chairman of the BOT who should be from the SE zone but is not and exercises executive powers alien to its constitution.

When the Ikemba "lost" to Obasanjo in Anambra, Ojukwu knew he was fighting a lost battle and chose not to waste his money or his time. When people like Abati joined the chorus of denying Nigerians the right to protest describing Buhari's call to "mass action" as subversive. When people like Atiku were busy distancing themselves from the wishes of their constituents to ingratiate their master in the villa. When a so called national party(AD) refuses to field a presidential candidate in an election in deference to a candidate from another party(PDP). I could go on and on about the unnatural things that have been going on in our country under this President.

Now we hear that 30 governors have signed up to a third term project which the PDP tell us is a rumour. Who is zooming whom? Even ANPP governors who should know better as AD governors found to their cost are signing up for this ruse. The whole edifice called the PDP is straining and is near collapse. Remember how the glum faces at their last convention served as a testimony to how they were all feeling inside? This is desirable as long as they do not take our country down with them. Inshallahu they will not.

When friends of the villa such as Jubril Aminu say things like, "Let me tell you something. In July 1978, when General Olusegun Obasanjo was the military head of state, he made a very significant statement. He said some people were coming to him, asking him to stay a little longer. He told Nigerians to ignore them, that they did not mean well for the country; that they were enemies of Nigeria. That what they were asking for was not in the interest of Nigeria. The reason why I cannot argue about the third term issue is that since this thing started, I have not heard this kind of reaction from him. Admittedly, he has said repeatedly that he would not run again, but he has not condemned the people who are busy trying to push the third term agenda through, as he did in 1978. The Hausas say even if the water appears clean, if there is taste in the water there is something inside it. Like you said, they are becoming bolder. More people are talking about it. At the convention ground they were distributing papers. I cannot tell you right now that the third term issue is a figment of anybody?s imagination. We just have to handle it very carefully and see." Are we still in the realm of rumours? I think not.

Looking at what is happening in Oyo State tells us that it appears that there are some people in Nigeria who are still beyond the law. Well, they think they are. Ask Mohammed Abacha or Al Mustapha. Where are they now?

Like under Abacha, the aspirants are there and keeping their powder dry. At the appropriate time we will see them but as before it will be a last minute thing and the interest of Nigeria will not be well served by it. Some are credible and some are not. Unfortunately for our country, we are in a flux in which the best material will not rise to the top.


Aluta!

Gwobezentashi

[Gerry Udoh]

Dear Mr Abati..usually i think you write sensibly but this time i wonder what your motive is.
I agree totally with the unregistered man who said.
......."this time around the EFCC should help Nigeria by going after more people so that the 2007 Election can have some integrity. Only the guilty feel intimidated and rightly so"......

if the EFCC succeeds in frightening every dodgy, theieving presidential aspirant so as to pave the way fpr people with some integrity...so be it. Nigeria needs it. The end justifies the means.
i really dont care what the EFCC's motives are. If you dont steal, you doont get caught!. Its that simple. Merry Christmas

[Baba Elewa]

Villagers:

Unregistered said it all when he said:
"If you did not steal govt funds, did not participate in money laundering, did not evade tax nor otherwise have a skeleton in your cupboard NOBODY can intimidate you. Why are you out to misinform the public that the EFCC is only after Presidential Aspirants?
...
In the 1999 and 2003 Elections, people with dubious credentials and record of high crimes (419ers and drug barrons) sneaked into the polity and could not be done away with due to legal technicalities, this time around the EFCC should help Nigeria by going after more people so that the 2007 Election can have some integrity. Only the guilty feel intimidated and rightly so. This is not an Obasanjo issue. to say that 150 Million nigerians are intimidated by anybody is blatant falsehood. THE MOTTO OF THE EFCC IS THAT THE LAW IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS. There is no right season to grab a thief and it does not follow that the one who stole first shall be prosecuted first. As for the President, posterity will vindicate him."

EFCC should help us ensure that those who will run in the 2007 elections do NOT belong to the class of poli-trickians that have dipped their hand into the treasury. Only the guilty are afraid.

Indeed, where are the Presidential aspirants ...and why are they running scared? Why is it that they want EFCC to look the other way? It simply shows that there are way too many CROOKS amongst those that presently parade themselves as leaders. CROOKS without programs, whose agenda is only 3rd term palaver and power shift. They provide no vision for tacking the corruption issue, no vision for rejuvenating our educational institutions, no big ideas on how they will solve the indigene-settler issues, no blueprint on how they will generate employment for the large number of our unemployed etc etc.

All they say is: Na my turn, EFCC dey too selective, OBJ na bad person etc etc. Nigeria can definitely do without these crooked leaders. My hope is that once it becomes clear that EFCC will make it very difficult for the crooked poli-trickians to do us in again in 2007, responsible politicians with a vision and agenda for the future will emerge and do us all proud. Nigeria is definitely not short of such people!

Abati got these really wrong! The correct question Abati should ask is: Why does it seem that all the Presidential Aspirants appear to have dipped their hands into the treasury? Or why are they all scared????

Peace,
Baba Elewa

[Che Guevara]

Nigeria missed the Buhari - Idiagbon, WAI. It would be wise not to miss the now OBJ, EFCC.

The talk about intimidation by EFCC is all rubbish. Those criminals: IBB, Atiku, Tafa...... must be wipe out of the political arena. OBJ is no fool, he is already shopping for an upright presidental candidate, it may be in new Obasanjo or someone else. But let us wait and see, for history will bear witness.

One thing that stand clear is that IBB will never rule over us, prof Omo Omoruyi should be aware of this fact and relocate back to the United States or his spiritual homeland of Benin City.

EFCC - hasta la victoria siempre!

Che Guevara

[Unregistered]

"In the 1999 and 2003 Elections, people with dubious credentials and record of high crimes (419ers and drug barrons) sneaked into the polity and could not be done away with due to legal technicalities,"

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Hogwash!!! Scratch my back I scratch your back is now called legal technicalities. In 2003 the governors delivered their states to the president in the most fraudulent elections in Nigerian history and in return he delivered the party candidacies to them.

Nothing good can come out of this PDP conspiracy and you can standby and watch their edifice collapse. It is a conspiracy among thieves who have raped Nigeria repeatedly. That one big thief now has the upper hand does not deflect from the fact that they are all robber barons and will pay dearly for what they have done to our country.

There are credible candidates waiting in the wings that will emerge but Obasanjo's ambition is in everyone's way. The fear of being roped into some bogus claim of security breach Abacha style, is keeping the credible out for now. We must be clear, EFCC alone cannot sanitize the polity of corrupt officials until Nigerians themselves disavow corruption. It is Nigerians that keep corruption alive. When you go and beg a minister or governor for welfare, where do you think he will get it from? When the president asks governors to give the party N100m each month, where does he think they will get it from? That no PDP governor could say no tells its own story. That the PDP accepted the money tells its own. Where did PDP get N40bn from for the last presidential election? Why are the Obasanjo appologists not asking? Why EFCC is not probing PDP accounts is a different story. It is Nigerians that give and accept bribes not foreigners. It is Nigerians that commit all manner of criminal activity at home and abroad. It is not only politicians that are corrupt it is a cultural phenomenon and until Nigerians agree that they want to be rid of that way of life, the finger pointing exercise going on is a ruse and will get us no where.

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"OBJ is no fool, he is already shopping for an upright presidental candidate, it may be in new Obasanjo or someone else. But let us wait and see, for history will bear witness."
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Why should Obasanjo choose a president for us? Is that what the constitution says? In a free and fair contest he or his candidate will lose hands down because Nigerians do not like him but we know it will not be fair because fairness is not in their make up. Look at the hash they made of rigging 2003, their sums could not even add up with all manner of ojoro left right and centre all with INEC connivance. A leopard cannot change its spots. A thief is a thief is a thief, whether you stole money, received stolen money, stole votes, received stolen votes, gave bribe, received bribe, all is corruption. Now let him without sin cast the first stone? He has and lives in Aso villa. All he wants to do is an IBB i.e. install a president who will not probe him and his cronies but he is day dreaming. He will go back to Gashua or Jos when he leaves office because he knows that we know what he has done.
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"As for the President, posterity will vindicate him."
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Surely posterity will judge him. Vindication is another matter but he will be given every opportunity to acquit himself.

[Unregistered]

EFCC and Dariye's "donation" to PDP

It is about three weeks now since the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) announced that the Plateau State governor, Mr. Joshua Dariye had illegally donated N100 million of his state's money to the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South-West.

The report indicated that the commission had investigated the governor and identified cases of corrupt practices against him. It was also stated that some affected party chieftains of the PDP in the zone had since returned about N90 million out of the total sum. The refund apparently followed the insistence or threat of EFCC.

It is difficult to simply commend EFCC for getting back the sum, which forms part of the N1.6 billion allegedly looted by Governor Dariye. This is because the so-called war on corruption should go beyond merely recovering stolen funds. It must include adequate sanctions for every person involved one way or another in the crime. In the present case, even if the Constitution protects Governor Dariye from prosecution while he remains in office, there is no reason for not prosecuting the supposedly criminal-minded party officials who accepted the alleged loot.

It is for this reason that EFCC needs to make a full disclosure of its findings on the circumstances surrounding the donation. More importantly, the country should be told which officers of the PDP collected the sum and under what heading they entered such sum in the party's account. The revelation must also include the names of the so-called party chieftains who made the refunds, as well as what steps are being taken to recover the outstanding sum of N10 million.

It is particularly strange to observe that the "donation", for want of a better term, was made to Dariye's party, which happens to be the ruling party in Nigeria, an action that does not accord with the progressive trend of accountability and transparency in democracies today. That is because the money belonged to Plateau State as a distinct entity and is the collective property of the citizens of that state, irrespective of their political affiliations. The situation is even more inexplicable in that Plateau State is not part of the South-West geopolitical zone to which the donation was made.

The situation further calls to question the manner of party funding in the country. A situation whereby a political party - the PDP is a good example - makes inordinate financial demands from its privileged members in government could only breed such high-level graft as this. This trend was noticeable right from the party primaries, when aspirants seeking party tickets to contest elections were made to pay heavy fees, calculated in millions of Naira, to the party as nomination application fees. Various fundraisers were also organised by the parties, with outrageous targets set for aspirants and incumbents to fund the political parties.

With such demands, it would be surprising if the successful aspirants did not fiddle with the public till when they assumed offices. Indeed, that seems to be what has been playing out in the country today. After all, much of the targets that were demanded from these aspirants were in many instances more than the official annual salaries attached to the offices they were aspiring to.

There is need therefore to enact an effective Electoral Act that would ensure transparency in the process of funding of political parties. But for such a law to be effective, even the electoral body must be set up in such a manner as to guarantee its independence in providing oversight of party activities. This, unfortunately, cannot be said of the present Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Not long ago, INEC observed that all the political parties had their accounts in tatters, yet, nothing more came out of such observation.

The same lack of independence could also be said of EFCC itself and its sister organisation, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC). Both agencies have so far shown a failure to independently identify and prosecute corrupt public officers, save in a few instances where the influence of the presidency is apparent.

www.newage-online.com

[Prophet]

My Brethren,

Thank God for the Abraxas, Baba Elewas, Che Guevaras echoing some of that Unregistered postings ... this is very refreshing. The journalists and friends who fire all others should be ready for some of their own medicines too as we know that it has been said repeatedly that even the press/media are guilty of what they use their pen to decry (including labour too). This is refreshing indeed.

There are always two sides to every coin. whilst our brother Reuben Abati insinuates that Obasanjo is so bent on a third term (just like Abacha) and has would be aspirants indimidated away etc. ... surely there is another side of feasible possibilities (or I daresay probabilities) ... i.e. as aptly earlier put, the noose around the necks of and waiting for the necks of others who by virtue of their past should not vie for public office is keeping them suitably in control.

Did anyone ever imagine that governors will curtail their overseas trips (anyone remember Obasanjo, Ezekwesili, Okonjo-Iweala etc. telling us much earlier in this new dispensation about them siphoning money abroad?) Can people not see that fear has gripped many for sheer inability to mortgage the future of our children freely as before? Well, I know not all things but this am saying, that the reason for some people's seeming fearfulness, silence etc. is not unrelated to these issues raised (at least as the other side of the coin).

Has anyone known Ikemba, even if not any others to be cowards? Make no mistakes about it brethren, when the tortoise no longer wants to go out, there is more to it than meets the eye ... watch this space ... there will be a successor to President Obasanjo and s/he will be timely. No amount of blackmail, chanting, rantings, instigation to riot (with or without the pen/gun/etc.) will derail this reform process ... progress. God is in Control.

Things are no longer at ease (apologies to Prof Achebe); no longer business as usual; therefore, as Obasanjo came without any human being able to predict such, so shall his successor; mark these words.

Thank God for President Obasanjo. May God Remain with him firmly to guide, protect, direct and keep him on track according to His Will. I pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Prophet.

[False Prophet]

The fake prophets are at again. The so-called prophet here should direct his energy in getting his members saved and quit pontificating on a doomed country. What has the prophet got to say about the Danish cartoon and the killings in Nigeria? This is where 'prophet' should zoom his spiritual eyes and stop the sycophancy and apologist comments here.

[Nosa]

Dear Abati, ordinarily, I would have asked what nonsense you were writing about here. But having known your style over the years, my impression of this article is the same with every one of your other articles: You're either flying a kite or playing the devil's advocate. The devil here may even be the ignorant, gullible public.

Of all the coments to this article, the one after my heart was that of Gerry Udoh. Unlike the usual "well-known" commentators whose emotions and sentiments always get the better of them, that one from Gerry was fanstanstic! Hear him:

".....if the EFCC succeeds in frightening every dodgy, theieving presidential aspirant so as to pave the way for people with some integrity...so be it. Nigeria needs it. The end justifies the means. I really dont care what the EFCC's motives are. If you dont steal, you dont get caught!. Its that simple......"

This is precisely what every Nigerian should be meditating over. Apart from Gen. Buhari and Chief Fawehinmi, NOT one of those mentioned by Abati deserved to even contemplate a presidential ambition. I mean, for heaven's sake, Falae, Ojukwu, Atiku, Nwobodo, Marwa, Kalu and a host of other horrible politicians have got their hands so soiled and stinking that EQUITY itself will suffocate to death if those guys should come near it.

One would have expected our people (the "brilliant" writers) to question all these corrupt guys for running scared of the presidential election. No! They will knock Obasajo for it....shio! I mean, why couldn't our "expert" commentators wonder why any one be scared of EFCC, if they don't have some stinking skeletons in their cupboard? The silly excuse has always been that Obasanjo and Ribadu are only after Obasanjo's enemies.....how stupid! But Buhari harrassed Obj and even took his election case to the supreme court. Why has the EFCC not dealt with Buhari for that audacity? Because he is CLEAN! And why has the EFCC not dealt with Fawehinmi, Ekwueme, Adesanya etc etc?

I used to get jittery when someone talked in favor of Obasabjo's 3rd term. But I no longer give a damn. Why? I would rather that he serves 3rd term so as to allow the likes of clean, fresh, self-less individuals like Okonjo-Iweala, Ribadu, Nasir, Soludo etc to be further groomed for the nation's leadership position.

What is the point in having a different face in Aso Rock just for the sake of it? We should stop assessing Obasanjo admin on the basis of his personality....who likes his face anyway? But except for the professional haters and tribalists, that man has done a lot in salvaging our nation from the rot it was almost buried in as at 1999. And he didn't do it alone. Rather, he went out of his way (and got into trouble with his party) to pick unknown but wonderful individuals who have since been performing wonders for our nation.

Now, maybe some nit-wits and *****s will say Obasanjo, Okonjo-Iweala, Soludo, Nasir or Ribadu is my friend or worse still, my family member...... If you dare say anything good about the present admin, that's your usual punishment.


Well, one can understand the thinking of many commentators:
1. If you or you family member got retrenched as a result of the reforms in the banking industry, then, you'll condemn Soludo and Obj.
2. If your relation or youself was dealt with by NAFDAC, automatically, Akunyili and Obj will become "incompetent"!
3. If your father or uncle or cousin is in trouble with the EFCC, definitely, Ribadu and Obj are useless.

Abeg, let's hear word o jare!

[Watchman]

It is really refreshing to read some of the comments written, it shows most of you folks appreciate the problem and are optimistic that some good will come out of this situation. I read a lot of comments and some of them are very unbalanced, heavily tribalized, and unconstructively critical. With regards to Nigeria we all know that none of those (excerpt for one or two), in office or vying for office have no business being there. The current situation highlights this in a profound way. The fact that all the presidential campaigning has fizzled out and all these governors have come out like cheer leaders calling for third term, all because of the fear of the EFCC!! It just shows the depth of the rot we have in our political system.

I really thank God for EFCC and OBJ, I fear to think what we would have if they had continued with "business as usual". Can you imagine what this set of politicians would have done with all the oil money we currently have (look at what is happening at the state and local govt levels). Most of the politicians past and present have been civil servants (civilian, customs, police, military etc), we just need to think of about the wealth of some past and current office holders; and it doesn't take the brains of a rocket scientist to know it doesn't add up.

The only reason why I want OBJ to go is because even though they have made huge steps they are only performing at 15-20%. We can not afford to stay at that pace this is 2006!!!! (For our capacity as a nation given the wealth both human and material we should be in the category of South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brazil). They (OBJ's govt) have made profound structural changes we now need a really visionary leader to take us to another level (its not just to have a change of face in ASO rock) and it dosen't matter where he comes from !!!. Whether he is from Kanfanchan, Nnewi, Uyo or the Moon is irrelevant, so long as he can get the job done. When people argue about it being "our" turn or power shift, it is clear the underlying premise is wrong.

The problem with us is our inability to think strategically we are always thinking short term "if my brother is there he will help me" this is a very short-sighted, selfish and ultimately self-destructive way of thinking. If structural changes are made so that revenue allotted to the central government is reduced and every kobo spent at every level of governance is publicly accounted for, with institutions set in place to verify and punish defaulters all the clamour for power shift, and all these thieving politicians will disappear. If this doesn't happen we will be going round in circles. That is why I give the EFCC with all its imperfections the thumbs up, however it is just a start.

[emj]

I am ready to contest under the platform of "siddon look". You know what, i need to write my will before i make my intention known. They are yet to register my party.
On a less lighter note, who will dare come out to declare their interest in taking over the most coverted throne? Those who claim to be urging obasanjo or pretending to be campaigning for his third term bid will make life miserable for any opponent.
Anyway, there are brave nigerians who will make their intentions known soon enough. The wise ones are quietly aligning to do the right thing. There is clandestine positioning going on.

[gem]

abati...please think...you obviously have an agenda writing such rubbish. if your hands are clean what stops you from campaigning?....silly man. abeg if anyone who knows his hands are clean wants to come out of the closet....please do...we will support you. Otherwise, please abati, respect yourself.

[UNREGISTER]

The 'third-term' crisis and word of God
By Dillibe Onyeama
THE lesson to be learnt from the ongoing mass hysteria over the perceived 'Third Term' agenda, is that the people of Nigeria are not yet ready for honest leadership.

Murtala Muhammed, Tunde Idiagbon, Olusegun Obasanjo, being leaders who demonstrated an innate capacity to be able to sanitise this long-plagued nation, learnt the hard way that too many formidable interests - representing the tremendous power of the irrational which hangs over the semblance of rationality - stand to be neutralised by the entrenchment of truth.

That explains the untimely demise of Murtala Muhammed and Tunde Idiagbon (now lamented by a nation with a costly penchant for hindsight), leaving Olusegun Obasanjo as the perfect match for the world's most unruly and unprincipled group of human beings. This is to say Nigeria's troubles stem more from a followership crisis than one of leadership.

The mentality of the typical Nigerian citizen is to be able to outwit the system and record fees that will glorify him before his people - on the tacit understanding that no question will be asked as to the means and source of his larger-than-life financial windfall. The mortal sin would be committed were he to infringe the 'Eleventh Commandment' - "Thou shalt not get caught". The nets of Murtala Muhammed and Tunde Idiagbon caught too many rotten big fish, and that was why they had to die. Olusegun Obasanjo proved to be a more adroit and focused fisherman whose bigger haul was perfected with sufficient security safeguards to prevent his being pulled into the water and drowned with his catch.

For proper appreciation of why, having recorded the miracle of clearing away a 40-year inherited mess in a little over a decade Obasanjo must be allowed more than a mere two terms for the essential 'mopping up' operation that would finally transform the Nigerian state to a more habitable shelter, the Word of God on this matter should be considered seriously. To start with, it will be recalled that Saul, the first King of Israel, had his mandate removed when he disregarded the Divine command "go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass". Saul elected to spare Agag, the king of the Amalekites, and all his animals, as a result provoking the incensed reaction of the Almighty. "It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king..." For purposes of clarity, the Amalekites were longstanding enemies of Israel from earliest times. The enormity of Saul's disobedience is reflected today in the world's perpetual nightmare from suicide terrorism.

It would be unfortunate if a similar Divine regret were expressed about President Obasanjo should he elect to surrender his mandate to the power of the irrational. The Divine source of this particular mandate is without question: "Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and trodden down..." (Isaiah 18: 1-3).

This can only be interpreted as a Divine mandate to a select group of capable hands "beyond the rivers of Ethiopia" to go and save an unruly and impossible people from self-destruction with decisive leadership. To this end the Obasanjo team of "swift messengers" comprise, most notably, Nuhu Ribadu of EFCC, Charles Soludo of Central Bank, Dora Akunyili of NAFDAC, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the Finance Ministry, Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State, Governor Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State, Governor Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom and Governor Donald Duke of Cross River, whose outstanding 'dynamics' in the affairs of state have yielded legendary dividends for the people of Nigeria.

The dangers of disregarding a Divine mandate should be known to all God-fearing mortals. The people of Nigeria spend most of their time flouting the laws of God, so of what relevance is the 'Constitution' of Man that it should be spared?...One should therefore encourage our "swift messengers" to pursue their ongoing reforms to the end - into a 'Third Term' if the need arises - and not to be afraid to belong to the minority that it is right, if because the minority that is right will one day become the majority.

[Dragon]

Mr Abati, the aspirants are around the corner..however the vacancy is yet to be advertised. You dont put in an unsolicited application for a non-existent vacancy do you? When INEC decides to advertise the vacancy for position of president, federal republic of nigeria, be certain I will apply.