USA Africa Dialogue Series - PRESIDENT JOANATHAN, AKPABIO, AMAECHI AND IKWERRE MAN'S BURDEN

PRESIDENT JOANATHAN, AKPABIO, AMAECHI AND IKWERRE MAN'S BURDEN

 

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THE WORST THING ANYBODY CAN DO TODAY IN NIGERIA POLITICS IS TO UNDER RATE OR UNER ESTIMATE PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN ABILITY TO TO DEFEND HIMSELF AND USE THE POWER HE HAS TO KEEP THINGS IN CHECK.

 

PRESIDENT JONATHAN, IS A HUMBLE MAN AND NOT A WEAK MAN AT ALL. HE IS LIKE FOMER PRESIDENT JULIUS NYERERE OF TANZANIA IN STRENGHT AND MIGHT, BECAUSE NYERERE LOOKS MEEK AND LOOKS SIMPLE IN HIS DEMINOUR, BUT INSIDE OF HIM IS IRON AND STRENGHT. WHEN IN THE 1970S/1980S PRESIDENT IDI AMIN OF UGANDA TESTED AND CONFRONTED PRESIDENT NYERERE IN MANY WAYS, BUT NYERERE IGNORED HIM AND PRESIDENT IDI AMIN THOUGHT THAT PRESIDENT NYERERE WAS A WEAK MAN. BUT PRESIDENT IDI AMIN WAS MESSING WITH A MAN WITH LION HEART. BY THE TIME PRESIDENT NYERERE REACTED AND CONFRONTS PRESIDENT IDI AMIN, IDI AMIN WAS DEFEATED AND FOUND HIMSELF IN EXILE FOR LIFE. GO AND ASK PEOPLE WHO HAVE TESTED AND FELT THE TOUGH HANDS OF PRESIDENT JONATHAN - ASK ADAMU CIROMA, AREWA, BOKO HARAM, HENRY OKAH, IBORI, ASK GOVERNOR SILVA, THE FORMER ATTORNEY GENERAL AAONDOKA UNDER PRESIDENT YARADUA. GOVERNOR AMAECHI AND FORMER GOVERNOR ODILI DO NOT KNOW THE TYPE OF HOT WATER THEY ARE DEALING WITH IN PRESIDENT JONATHAN.

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GOVERNOR AKPABIO AND PDP GOVERNORS FORUM

GOVERNOR AKPABIO, THE NEW PDP GOVERNOR FORUM LEADER IS A MAN WITH GUTS AND REAL STRENGHT TO HAVE PULLED WHAT HE DID LAST WEEK WITH THIS PDP GOVERNOR POSITION BY GOING HEAD ON WITH PEOPLE THEY FELT THAT ARE ANTI-PDP AGENDA. GOVERNOR AKPABIO MAY HAVE BEEN LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY BEFORE BY SOME PEOPLE, BUT SINCE LAST WEAK ANY BODY THAT KNOWS NIGERIAN POLITICS WILL KNOW THAT WHAT GOVERNOR AKPABIO, JONATHAN AND PDP LEADERSSHIP DID LAST WEEK SHOWS A GROUP THAT WILL SUPRISE ANY BODY TO ACHIEVE THEIR AIM, AND GOVERNER AKPABIO SHOWS FEARLESSNESS AND A GREAT STRATEGIST. IN ONE ACTION HE DISMANTLED AND WEAKEN HIS OPPOSITION IN HIS STATE AND CREATED AN ADMIRABLE POSITION THAT IS GIVING HIM A NATIONAL RECOGNITION AS A FEARLESS AND STRATEGIC LEADER.

 

GOVERNOR AKPABIO FROM AVAILABLE INFORMATION, FACTS AND RECORDS HAVE BEEN PERFORMING AND BUILDING A GREAT STATE BY HIS LEADING DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS AND HIS TRANSFORMATION AGENDA, BUT MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING THIS MEDIUM AND WRITER DONT LIKE THE FACT THAT ALMOST ALL OF HIS PROGRAMS ARE GOVERNMENT DRIVEN. GOVERNOR AKPABIO TO SUSTAIN MANY PROJECTS HE IS UNDERTAKING HAVE TO START CREATING AND EMPOWERING PRIVATE SECTORS TO DEVELOP PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND PRIVATE SECTORS WITH CITIZENS OF AKWA IBOM STATE. WHEN HE EMPOWERS EUROPEANS AND FOREIGNERS TO BUILD AND RUN THESE DEVELOPMENTS IN HIS STATE, AND WHEN THEY LEAVE WHO WILL RUN THEM?.GOVERNOR AKPABIO NEEDS TO CREAT A WAVE OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE AND PRIVATE BUSINESS AND MARKET WITH AKWA IBOM PEOPLE TO SUSTAIN ALL HIS WORK.

 

THEN AGAIN, HE NEEDS TO WORK ON THE RELATIONSHIP HE HAS WITH A POWERUL SECTION OF IBIBIO PEOPLE. IBIBIO PEOPLE LIKE EFIK PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE WITH GUTS AND BOTH IBIBIO AND EFIK PEOPLE FIGHT WITH CONVICTION IN WHATEVER THEY BELIEVE IN. GOVERNOR AKPABIO PROFILE WILL EVEN GET WIDER AND BETTER IF HE CAN FIND A WAY TO RECONCILE AND CREAT HARMONY WITH CERTAIN SECTION OF IBIBIO PEOPLE, AND A LOT OF THEM ARE IN DIASPORA. AS A PERSON WHO KNOW AND IS VERY CLOSE TO BOTH IBIBIO AND EFIK PEOPLE BY BLOOD AND KNOWS THE AREA. IF ANY BODY WANTS A PEOPLE WITH GUTS AND CONVICTION YOU GOT IT IN IBIBIO AND EFIK PEOPLE. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE AND TRUST THEIR CONVICTION, BECAUSE IBIBIOS AND EFIKS ARE NOT WISHY WASHY PEOPLE. SO GOVERNOR AKPABIO BEFORE HE LEAVES OFFICE SHOULD SHOW HIS ABILITY IN BUILDING THINGS BY BUILDING A GREAT AND NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH IBIBIO PEOPLE, BECUASE IF ANOTHER PRESIDENT OR VICE-PRESIDENT IS TO COME OUT FROM SOUTH SOUTH ZONE. IT WILL DEFINATLEY BE AN IBIBIO MAN OR AN EFIK MAN AND IGBOS WILL GIVE THAT PERSON WHO EMERGES 100% PERCENT SUPPORT, BUT LIKE THEY SAY CHARITY STARTS FROM HOME.

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GOVERNOR AMAECHI, GOVERNOR FORUM AND IKWERRE BURDEN

GOVERNOR AMAECHI AND HIS POSITION AS THE NATIONAL GOVERNORS FORUM CHAIRMAN CONFUSED HIM ON WHAT HIS REAL ROLE SHOULD BE. HE WAS CONFUSED BY THE LAST GOVERNOR FORUM LEADER . THE LIGHT WEIGHT AND CORRUPT GOVERNOR BUKOLA SARAKI OF KWARA STATE. GOVERNOR SARAKI ILLEGALLY ELEVATED THE GOVERNOR FORUM AS AN ARM OF GOVERNMENT AND THIS WAS A MISTAKE -- HE KNOWS HE DOES NOT HAVE A NATIONAL ACCEPTANCE AND HE WANTED TO USE THE GOVERNOR FORUM TO CREATE WHAT HIS POPULATION, POLITICS AND REACH CANNOT GIVE HIM AND THAT IS THE MISTAKE GOVERNOR BUKOLA SARAKI MADE AND WHICH GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS MAKING TODAY.

 

 

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING TOO MANY WARS AND IN MANY DIFFERENT FRONTS AND HE CANNOT WIN ALL.

GOVERNOR AMAECHI AND RIVERS STATE IS FIGHTING BAYELSA STATE OVER OIL FIELDS AND OIL BLOCKS

GOVERNOR AMAECHI AND RIVERS STATE IS FIGHTING AKWA IBOM STATE OVER OIL FIELDS AND OIL BLOCK

GOVERNOR AMAECHI AND RIVERS STATE IS FIGHTING ABIA STATE OVER OIL FIELDS AND OIL BLOCKS

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING HIS POLITICAL OPPONENTS DAY AND NIGHT IN RIVERS STATE

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING HIS BROTHER FORMER GOVERNOR OMEHIA IN IKWERRE TOWNS AND VILLAGES

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING PRESIDENT JONATHAN DAY IN AND DAY OUT

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING DAME JONATHAN WIFE OVER OKIRIKA ISSUES

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING POWERFUL SEKIBO AND FORMER GOVERNOR ODILI DAY AND NIGHT

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING OKIRIKA PEOPLE

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING IJAW PEOPLE

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING OGONI PEOPLE

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING CHIEF EDWIN CLARK - A DEATH WISH

GOVERNOR AMAECHI IS FIGHTING MINISTER FOR NIGERDELTA-CHIEF ORUBELE

GOVERNOR AMAECH IS FIGHTING ALL SOUTH SOUTH MINISTERS AND FEDERAL OFFICIALS

HOW CAN GOVERNOR AMAECHI WIN ALL THESE FIGHTS, GOVERNOR ODILI TRIED IT BUT TODAY HE IS RUNNING AWAY.

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NOW FOR IKWERRE PEOPLE - THEY ARE FIGHTING AND ANNOYING EVERY TRIBE AND PEOPLE AROUND THEM FOR NO REASON.

FIRST TIME AN IKWERRE MAN IN GOVERNOR AMAECHI BECAME THE GOVERNOR.

IKWERRE ARE FIGHTING OKIKIKA PEOPLE

IKWERRE ARE FIGHTING IJAWS

IKWERRE ARE FIGHTING KALABARI

IKWERRE ARE FIGHTING IGBOS

IKWERRE ARE FIGHTING OGONI

HOW CAN IKWERRE AND AMAECHI A POPULATION OF ABOUT ( FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE) FIGHT AND WIN ALL THESE WARS AND BATTLE FRONTS WITH OVER 50 MILLION PEOPLE AROUND IT. IKWERRE AND AMAECHI DOES A HAVE A BIG BURDEN TO WIN ALL THESE FIGHTS.

 

THE IJAWS AND IGBOS IN THESE AREAS RESPECTS EACH OTHER WHEN IT COMES TO RIVERS STATE ISSUES AFTER MANY YEARS OF DISTRUST, BUT TODAY IJAWS AND IGBOS ARE IN THE BEST OF TERMS AND HAVE RECONCILED AND FORGIVEN EACH OTHER OVER PAST MISTAKES . BUT WITH IKWERRE FIGHTING IGBOS, OKIRIKA AND IJAWS, THE IS NO MORE COVER FOR IKWERRE BECAUSE THEIR WEAKNESS AND BARENESS HAVE BEEN EXPOSED. THE IJAWS, OKIRIKAS AND IGBOS EACH HAVE MORE RESOURCES IN THESE AREAS THAN IKWERRE. IKWERRE PEOPLE AND AMAECHI HAVE TO REALLY LEARN HOW TO RESPECT THEIR NEIGHBOURS BECAUSE IKWERRE IS REALLY ENCIRCLED AND POWERLESS AGAINST THESE POWERFUL FORCES AROUND IT AND THAT IS TODAYS GOVERNOR AMAECHI AND IKWERRE BURDEN. GOVERNOR AMAECHI WON ELECTION AS GOVERNOR BECAUSE OF ALL THESE TRIBES THAT SUPPORTED HIM, BECAUSE IKWEWRRE DOES NOT HAVE THE POPULATION TO INSTALL GOVERNOR IN RIVER STATE, WITHOUT THESE THRRE GROUPS AND MANY OTHER SMALL TRIBES LIKE OGONI ETC.

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Chigachi Eke

Thursday, August 30, 2012

chigachieke@yahoo.co.uk Port Harcourt, Nigeria

THE IKWERRE MAN'S BURDEN "One reason proffered why the Ikwerre man remained in political wilderness for forty years, 1967-2007, was that he was contented with small things. Isolated and ridiculed, the real reason, it came to a point where he simply asked for a Port Harcourt State if only to have a say in simple things like the building of a health center. In their vendetta Amaechi and Omehia seem to forget where they're coming from. They seem to undermine the contribution of the preceding generation to whatever they are today. Obi Wali and Emmanuel Aguma must be turning in their graves. To know the real cost of this crisis ask the Ikwerre man how he hopes to benefit from the Local Content Bill, for instance. Of all the ethnic minorities of the Niger Delta he is the least prepared. The Ogoni, Ijaw, Esan, Edo, Oron, are all training. But how many pilots can Ikwerres put in the cockpit? How many Ikwerres can handle an ocean going vessel despite the explosion of opportunities that came their way in the last five years? For your information Captain Chile Chukwu from Obio/Akpor, one of three known Ikwerre pilots, is no longer flying helicopters. He has been frustrated out of the aviation industry and, by implication, the oil and gas industry. Young, highly trained and experienced, where is this world-class aviator today? Meaning that with his 52 oil wells and 4 flow stations the Ikwerre man cannot access his quota under the new petroleum industry bill. The right premise should be the Ikwerre man's weakness, not his strength, even under an Ikwerre government. A man so ill-prepared has no business empowering others come 2015. Let him first save himself. Harrowing poverty, self-defeating cynicism and a leadership too remote from the grassroots appear to blunt Ikwerre nationalism. The hours 10.00am-1.00pm are an unhappy time in Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor, in particular. That is when Ikwerre youths dust their wooden benches to play draught while the old people wrestle with their thoughts in between sniffing snuff. And you call that progress? Amaechi and Omehia, tell us." ========================================== The Ikwerre tend to anchor their argument on imprecise premise. That as the Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi administration gallops to a terminal 2015 they are in a position to decide which ethnic group produces the next governor of Rivers State. That their strategic 480,000 votes rolled over four of the twenty-three Local Government Areas, LGAs, are weighty enough to tilt the scale in favour of their favourite. This implausibility perpetuates the misleading image of a Greater Ikwerre holding the diadem of power in the Niger Delta. advertisement But cold reasoning shows that this ethnic group could be a pliable tool in the hands of powerful external elements whose lightning rod is the fratricidal feud between Amaechi and his handsome cousin Sir Celestine Omehia. It is difficult not to conclude that Ikwerres are polarized into two hostile camps and, that a fragmented people can never be in a position to deliver a bloc vote come 2015. Greater Ikwerre has a soft underbelly which any determined foe with the patience could exploit in returning them to pre-2007 obscurity. Historically, Ikwerres are a managed factor in Rivers politics until recently. At the critical point of their breakthrough former President Olusegun Obasanjo snatched Amaechi's victory in favour of Omehia at the 2007 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial primary thereby setting two political bulldogs against each other. The resultant earthquake continues to reverberate into the incoming legal year with no hope in sight. Things are not helped as the Who-is-Who in Ikwereland are the first to deny that all is not well. Pointing at the dispute between Amaechi and former Governor Peter Odili, these denialists had the satisfaction of asking you if the two are not the best of friends today. So the first question to address is whether the quarrel between Amaechi and Omehia is real or fake. One has only to look at the relationship between the two protagonists to understand what could motivate them to love or fight each other. To push through my point I rely heavily on psychology. The physical, which defined the emotional, distance between Amaechi and Odili guaranteed that one was not a political threat to the other (Amaechi Vs Odili will help you understand my argument on Amaechi Vs Omehia). Coming from different geographical and cultural terrains, both were strong men in their respective lands. Odili had also enjoyed the maximum two terms as governor; meaning that Amaechi did not see him as threat to his own incumbency. Their dispute was real but distance made reconciliation both possible and desirable. Amaechi and Odili, though, could return to the trenches at the national level from 2015 over higher stakes. But one cannot say the same of Amaechi and Omehia who are same species geographically, biologically and culturally. For instance, survival dictates what a creature can tolerate territorially in the jungle. A lion can endure another male of a different species strolling into its lair but not when another lion trespasses. Likewise, Amaechi can forgive a public insult from an Ogoni man but not from a fellow Ikwerre man because it is simply not in human nature to do so. Such forgiveness could be misinterpreted as weakness, the number killer of every military and political leader. Again, there is a psychological reason why Amaechi could shut his eyes to a wrong done him by an Ogbakiri man who is also Ikwerre but not when a fellow Ubima man commits the same offence. The above argument is also very true of Omehia. How could he look into the eyes of his children when the man who ousted him from power was his own kinsman? For whatever Omehia's perceived offence was "Ikwerre Bu Otu" demanded that Amaechi let him complete his tenure since they were fighting the same cause. Amaechi never demonstrated love and so should expect none from him in turn. This vindictive mindset is responsible why Omehia says yes to peace only to return to court again against Amaechi. What all these mean is that these two need help. This realization means that if not adequately restrained they could fight each other to death as each is the living fear of the other. Two powerful enemies from the same kindred laying claim to the same crown are bad for any principality. If one gores the other to death the lone survival would be too weak, too unpopular, to pose a serious threat for another strong man from another strong ethnic group. What I'm saying is that the dispute between Amaechi and Omehia is frightfully real as it will only weaken Ikwerres to the advantage of others in the contestation for power and ways and means. That is why I honestly believe there is an external factor in this dispute. What then is the way forward? First, we must accept that Ogbakor Ikwerre is helpless in bringing Amaechi and Omehia to the negotiation table. Morally, Amaechi is above Ogbakor Ikwerre. This body openly sided with Omehia when Amaechi was suffering the injustice inflicted on him by Obasanjo till a court of justice granted him relief. Calling a spade a spade would have placed Ogbakor Ikwerre in a position to enforce truce today. Ever fearful that Amaechi would wreck his vengeance on anyone who raises his voice, even the bravest Ikwerre shudder at the thought of being heard saying the wrong thing because Amaechi remembers (In response to this (un)founded fear the Edward Pepple Campaign Organisation, EPCO, mounted a gigantic signboard at Water Lines Junction with the message "Yes, We Can Now Sleep with Our Two Eyes Closed," all in the bid to convince people that Amaechi never said "I swear that Rivers people will never sleep with their two eyes closed" ). So this institution is the wrong one to look up to as it is likely to break its back pleasing Amaechi in atonement for its past mistakes. What about the Ikwerre Youth Movement, IYM? It appears IYM has one aim and one only- to blindly defend Amaechi just as certain elements in it blindly defended Omehia in the beginning. This body has a credibility problem. Unlike the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, IYM made itself an appendage of PDP which is good for the latter and disastrous for Ikwerres. I do not share the view that belly politics drives IYM, certainly not! But this body must be more inclusive and stop its persecution of Ikwerres opposed to PDP. What IYM seems to forget is that it was the very absence of Ikwerre opposition that emboldened PDP to deny Amaechi his mandate in the first place. Eliminate this movement before Omehia walks out on you as he is not likely to give a moment audience to an association that openly insulted him. The search for reconciliation must be reduced to a search for a neutral third party respected by Omehia and trusted by Amaechi. This ultimate arbiter, I believe, is the Ikwerre-born Ezenwo Nyesom Wike who does not depend on handouts from Amaechi to survive and so can afford to tell the governor what he did not want to hear. His home town, Rumuepirikom in Obio/Akpor, is also far from Ubima which makes him somewhat tolerant to Omehia. Guarded by the desire for common good, Wike would rather sacrifice personal ambition than endanger what little his people were able to garner politically since 1999. But now he must rise and save these two from mutual destruction; if not for their own sake then for the sake of their children who must be spared the sins of their fathers. In short, he must weld fragmented Ikwerreland together again. One reason proffered why the Ikwerre man remained in political wilderness for forty years, 1967-2007, was that he was contented with small things. Isolated and ridiculed, the real reason, it came to a point where he simply asked for a Port Harcourt State if only to have a say in simple things like the building of a health center. In their vendetta Amaechi and Omehia seem to forget where they're coming from. They seem to undermine the contribution of the preceding generation to whatever they are today. Obi Wali and Emmanuel Aguma must be turning in their graves. To know the real cost of this crisis ask the Ikwerre man how he hopes to benefit from the Local Content Bill, for instance. Of all the ethnic minorities of the Niger Delta he is the least prepared. The Ogoni, Ijaw, Esan, Edo, Oron, are all training. But how many pilots can Ikwerres put in the cockpit? How many Ikwerres can handle an ocean going vessel despite the explosion of opportunities that came their way in the last five years? For your information Captain Chile Chukwu from Obio/Akpor, one of three known Ikwerre pilots, is no longer flying helicopters. He has been frustrated out of the aviation industry and, by implication, the oil and gas industry. Young, highly trained and experienced, where is this world-class aviator today? Meaning that with his 52 oil wells and 4 flow stations the Ikwerre man cannot access his quota under the new petroleum industry bill. The right premise should be the Ikwerre man's weakness, not his strength, even under an Ikwerre government. A man so ill-prepared has no business empowering others come 2015. Let him first save himself. Harrowing poverty, self-defeating cynicism and a leadership too remote from the grassroots appear to blunt Ikwerre nationalism. The hours 10.00am-1.00pm are an unhappy time in Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor, in particular. That is when Ikwerre youths dust their wooden benches to play draught while the old people wrestle with their thoughts in between sniffing snuff. And you call that progress? Amaechi and Omehia, tell us. Chigachi Eke is an Igbo Rights Activist.

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PRESIDENT JONATHAN HAS MADE MANY PROGRESSS AND ACHIEVEMENTS THAT WILL SET NIGERIA IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

CHECK SOME THEM OUT AND THE OPPOSITION CANNOT EVEN REFUTE THEM.

2013

FROM - Dr. Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant To The President On Public Affairs

Since the present administration under President Goodluck Jonathan took charge of the affairs of this country, it has worked assiduously not only to transform the lives of Nigerians but also enhance the image and prestige of the country abroad.

A lot has been achieved in the intervening period with the transformation agenda of the administration. Despite these achievements, there is unbridled cynicism on the part of some individuals who have taken it upon themselves to mislead Nigerians by making unfounded and baseless allegations against this administration.

The purpose of this campaign of misinformation and disinformation is to blind Nigerians to the sure and steady progress President Jonathan's administration has made in the eighteen months that it has been in power, to improve the quality of governance and deliver on the promises it made to the people.

In the main, the strategy of these cynics, 'latter-day saints' and emergency activists has involved peddling falsehood on the true state of the government's war on corruption, among other issues of national importance. They have posited that contrary to what government would have Nigerians believe, that the present administration is not pulling its weight in the war against corruption. They have even gone as far as suggesting that President Jonathan lacks the political will to engage corruption head on.

We seem to be living in a socio-political atmosphere of cynicism where theatrical actions, showmanship and other grandstanding are misinterpreted to mean political will in addressing a situation. This government does not believe in just arresting people for the sake of drama or playing to the gallery nor does it harbor the idea of deploying the anti-corruption agencies as tools to witch hunt political opponents, which were undisputable familiar practices in the past.

In this briefing we will show clearly the efforts the Jonathan administration is making to stamp corruption out of national life.

All over the world, governments seriously desirous of tackling the menace of corruption usually adopt a holistic strategy which encompass some or all of the under listed benchmark:

• Enacting enabling laws, which clearly define what corruption is and spell out punitive measures

• Establishing an executive agency, which is transparent in its operations and is subject to the rule of law

• Creating by law, the enabling environment for whistle blowing (FOI).

• Enhancing the judicial process such that existing laws, processes and procedures do not hamper the dispensation of justice

• Plugging all socio-economic loopholes within the system by eliminating bottlenecks and increasing access to social goods and services

• Gradually reducing incentives for corruption prevailing in society through institutional reforms, combating poverty, developing manpower and empowering citizens.

• Putting up efficient and effective well co – ordinate policies and programmes to combat poverty, create wealth, develop manpower and empower the youth through job creation.

Going through the benchmarks enumerated above, it is clear to all that the first two measures were already in place by the time the Jonathan administration came into being and the steps being taken by President Jonathan confirm that he is systematically addressing the remaining five, while under his tenure he did strengthen the EFCC, ICPC operational framework.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

The signing of the Freedom of Information Act into law by President Jonathan in May 2011 represents a watershed in the anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria. This piece of legislation, which had been virtually stalled by successive administrations since 1999, was signed into law by Mr. President to usher Nigeria into the league of countries where transparency in governance is entrenched and citizens are granted unfettered access to information about government activities.

This is the fulcrum upon which good governance rests in all known democracies and it is noteworthy that the present administration took the bull by the horns to lay this very important foundation for the war against corruption in Nigeria in the early months of its inception and 24 hours after the bill was presented to him by the National Assembly.

You will agree with me that without a legal framework for whistle – blowing, the fight against corruption would be meaningless.

PENSION REFORMS

Before the Jonathan administration came on board, the pension funds administration regime was one the major channels through which public funds running into hundreds of billions of Naira were misappropriated by corrupt officials.

Problems associated with the pension management system include embezzlement, falsification of records, Ghost pensioners, obsolete administrative structure and denial of pensioners their due entitlements. This was what necessitated the setting up of the presidential pension Reform Task Team. Since June 2010, the activities of this important task force resulted in the following:

Detection and deletion of over 73,000 Ghost/Fake pensioners from the Head of Service/police pension office.

Recovery and saving of over N225 billion from two pension offices.

Capturing biometric details of over 170,000 pensioners.

Stoppage of a monthly theft of over N4 billion from the National treasury.

Reducing fraud by saving a monthly sum of over N500 million Naira through the police monthly pension releases, which represents 50 percent of the erstwhile N1billion monthly disbursements.

Discovery of over 50,000 unpaid pensioners and immediate payment of their entitlement.

Discovery of over N2.7billion fraud by the Nigeria Union of Pensioners.

Seizure of about 200 properties including choice hotels and cash worth billions of Naira from corrupt public officials.

Arrest and on-going prosecution of pension fraud suspects by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Introduction of a more efficient tamper-proof pension funds management system.

You will agree with me that the looting of our common patrimony through the pension payment scheme had been in existence for decades without any major step taken to expose this ill and combat it. It is therefore noteworthy that President Jonathan courageously tackled this problem, which is in keeping with his promise of tackling corruption in the public sector. I must add that the Pension Reform resulted in a reduction of recurrent expenditure as a sum of N74billion was factored into the 2012 budget from funds recovered by the Task Team.

FERTILIZER MANAGEMENT REFORMS

In view of the largely agrarian character of our local economy, procurement and distribution of fertilizer under a government subsidy regime was a major channel of corruption before the Jonathan administration came on board. You will all recall the various fertilizer scams witnessed in the country especially in the last two decades. This ugly trend has however been arrested by a well thought-out policy of the Federal Government as part of Mr. President's Transformation Agenda.

Before now, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development procured and distributed fertilizers to farmers. The government system was corrupt, undermined the private sector, and did not deliver fertilizers to genuine farmers, but to political farmers and the fertilizers were exported. Only 11 percent of farmers got the government-distributed fertilizers due to corruption and rent seeking. This created a bad image for Nigeria. With the intervention of Mr. President, the corrupt system, which has been endemic for over 40 years, was totally dismantled by September 2011. Fertilizers and seeds are now sold by the companies directly to farmers, not to government. This has eliminated the middle men and rent seekers from the system.

It has removed racketeering and enhanced farmers' access to the commodity. What government did in this area was to leverage on the expanding public access to mobile telecommunication devices to facilitate quicker access to fertilizers. This has increased fertilizer access to 94% from the previous 11%. Our fertilizers no longer find their way to neighboring countries while the term 'fertilizer scam' is gradually being removed from our National lexicon.

This radical reform as well as other measures will ultimately boost the Agricultural Sector, lead to more job creation and attract foreign investment.

POWER SECTOR REFORMS

This is another area where Nigerians ought to appreciate the efforts of the Goodluck Jonathan administration in reducing incentives for corruption and ensuring better service delivery.

Having in mind that this is one sector where input hardly justified output and in view of the fact that the power sector has been variously mentioned in the various corruption index reports by international agencies, President Goodluck Jonathan gave a great push to reforming this sector in a radical manner. The unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria into 18 successor companies and the open processes of privatizing them are the hallmark of all modern government transactions, which Nigeria had bought into being. With the involvement of the private sector in this very important industry, the Nigerian power sector is being made internationally competitive and less open to corruption. The sanitization of this important sector encouraged the Exim bank of the United States of America to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Government which will provide an investment window of 1. 5 billion dollars to the industry.This is the first time such a quantum of funds is being committed to any single project in Africa by the US Exim bank.

OIL AND GAS SECTOR REFORMS

The fight against corruption in the oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy is perhaps the most fundamental of the current administration's effort at combating crimes against the Nigerian economy.

You will all recall that in line with global best practices and the principal aim of the Nigerian Extractive industry and Transparency Initiative (NEITI), President Jonathan recently forwarded the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to the National Assembly for passage into law. Furthermore, the fuel subsidy regime, which had been a conduit pipe through which huge funds were siphoned from the National treasury, has been subjected to forensic scrutiny by various agencies and committees set up by Mr. President in the last twelve months.

It is of utmost importance to note that the report of the Aig- Imoukhuede Presidential committee on verification and reconciliation of subsidy claims and payments led to the arrest and arraignment of a number of individuals and firms by the EFCC. What further proof of political will is greater than the fact that sons of the present and former chairmen of the president's political party are among those currently being prosecuted before competent courts of law over oil subsidy related corruption charges?

It is also on record that the president, upon receipt of the House of Representatives subsidy probe panel report, forwarded same to relevant security agencies with a firm instruction that there must be no sacred cows in the prosecution of culpable individuals and corporate entities.

The on-going implementation of this and the determination to do the same for the reports of other committees like the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force, the Dotun Suleiman committee charged with fashioning a corporate governance code for transparency, good governance and global best practices in the NNPC and oil companies, and the Kalu Idika Kalu committee on how to improve commercial viability and efficiency of our refineries, will undoubtedly result in the saving of huge sums of money hitherto stolen by corrupt public officials.

These are initiatives, which had not been taken by any previous government and for which President Jonathan ought to be commended by every patriotic Nigerian.

By the time the Petroleum Industry Bill is passed into law, Nigeria would have successfully broken the jinx of being a nation where global business rules and practices are flouted with impunity. Estimated annual earnings of 680 billion dollars would be added to our Gross Domestic product. Crude oil theft and other sharp practices are also being combated with much vigour by various security and regulatory agencies on the president's instructions.

ELECTORAL REFORMS

The electoral system in any nation is a mirror of what values are held sacrosanct by the government and people.

We are all living witnesses to the monumental fraud, bribery, violence and other forms of corrupt practices, which pervaded the Nigerian electoral process before the last general elections.

It is to the credit of President Goodluck Jonathan that this important process has been sanitized in a manner unprecedented in our political history.

The reform carried out in this sector is responsible for the conduct of elections assessed by local and international observers as credible, free and fair. The President, as you are all aware has upheld the sanctity of the electoral process by refusing to compromise global standards in any manner. He has come out to congratulate winners of elections and promised to work with them even when his political party had lost in such elections.

For instance, under the old electoral dispensation, Governors like Adams Oshiomhole and Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who belong to opposition parties, would simply have found it impossible to be re-elected. But thanks to the reforms instituted by this administration, which apart from increasing the funding of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has also through its other agencies, enlightened the Nigerian electorate on their rights and obligations, the wishes of voters are now supreme.

He has given the national electoral body a free hand to carry out its statutory duties without any form of direct or indirect manipulation. It takes a man who is committed to eradicating political corruption to do this in view of the apparent desperation of some politicians to capture power at all cost.

PORTS REFORMS

I also want to address your mind to a similar courageous anti-corruption initiative of the Jonathan administration in the on-going reform of the Nigerian ports.

Opportunities for bribery, documents forgery and other sharp-practices in the Nigerian ports have been substantially removed through a number of measures introduced by both the Ministries of Finance and that of Transport.

A Presidential committee on ports reform and monitoring has worked assiduously to reduce congestion in our ports. As of today, these efforts have resulted in the shortening of the time required to clear goods at the Nations ports from 4-6 weeks to less than 7 days with the ultimate goal of a 24-hour goods clearing policy. The reform in this sector is, among other things, aimed at:

Improving efficiency and transparency in ports operations and management in line with international best practices.

Reduce charges and promote competition.

Facilitate the development of the transport sector.

Eliminate ports congestion.

Reduce government's financial burden.

JOB CREATION

The various initiatives of this administration to combat fraud and corruption may not eventually yield much result if jobs are not created and opportunities given to people to make a living in legitimate ways. This is why monies saved from the partial removal of petroleum subsidy in January 2012 is being injected into infrastructural development and job creation under the Subsidy Re – investing Programme (SURE - P). The programme, which is being chaired by a distinguished Nigerian with impeccable record of integrity in public service will result in the creation of 50,000 jobs under the Graduate Internship Scheme in the next one year.

Let me seize this opportunity to clear a misconception about the nature and activity of this committee. The SURE-P committee is not like the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund of the Abacha regime. The committee was put together carefully, being made up of Nigerians of impeccable character and proven integrity. Their role is to ensure the judicious deployment of the funds accruing from the partial removal of subsidy on petroleum products so that Nigerians can track where the money goes. They do not originate projects, rather they fund projects already identified by various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government. Therefore, the question of probable project duplication does not arise.

The Youth enterprise with innovation in Nigeria, YOUWIN programme, is creating wealth making opportunities for young Nigerians by helping them to develop and execute business plans. The second phase of this scheme which was launched by Mr. President in September is providing opportunities for six thousand young graduates selected in a very transparent and value driven manner.

In the Agricultural sector, there is an aggressive job creation drive which is targeted at creating about 3.5 million jobs by 2014.Specially targeted in this programme are youths between age 18 and 35. This will also increase local production of food and raw materials, guaranteeing food security and resuscitating agro based local industries. The soundness and transparency of this initiative has attracted global partnership of international agencies like the World Bank, USAID, DFID, African Development Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

With increased power out-put resulting from ongoing reforms in the power sector and increased interest of investors in the sector,small and Medium scale industry will thrive and prosper thereby creating more jobs for our teeming youths. This will create an economically stable polity and enhance the attainment of the 7th benchmark in effectively tackling corruption.

LEGAL AND JUDICIAL REFORMS

One major area which has been focused by critics of the present anti-corruption process is in the area of securing convictions of suspects accused of economic crimes within a reasonable time frame. This has also been a major concern to the president.

You will recall that on the occasion of the swearing in of Justice Aloma Mukhtar as Chief Judge of the Federation in July this year, President Jonathan admonished the new CJ to consider the creation of special courts and designation of special judges to adjudicate on corruption cases. In addition, the President as the head of the Executive Arm of government has also initiated a reform of the criminal justice system as a means of plugging loop holes often exploited by counsels to delay trial of persons accused of corruption.

A major step in this direction is putting together of the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJ) Bill 2012 by the office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

The bill, which is currently before the National Assembly, seeks to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime, and protection of the rights and interests of the defendant and the victim.

When passed into law, it will therefore eliminate incidents of frivolous injunctions, interlocutory motions, adjournments and other abuse of court processes by counsel employed by suspects in corruption cases.

I want to add that the set of laws and procedures involved in this reform have not been reviewed in almost fifty years.

Most of these reforms will require either constitutional amendments or a review of existing laws, which may take a little time in view of the intricacies of our democratic process. The President is nevertheless committed to ensuring that necessary reforms are carried out in our judicial system to add fillip to the fight against corruption.

Permit me to state that from the foregoing that in the annals of this country no government has shown greater courage or commitment to tackle corruption that the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.

Arising from his efforts, which has exposed corruption in both the public and private sector, the cynics and mischief makers in our midst are accusing Mr. President of presiding over corruption when in actual fact he should be commended for exposing it like no leader before him.

The recent KPMG report, which these cynics have gleefully quoted as having said that Nigeria is the most corrupt country in Africa, actually had something positive to say about the Jonathan administration's war on corruption, which unfortunately, they have deliberately kept from Nigerians. That report notes that in the last once year the number of fraud cases in the country for the period under review fell from 520 to 503.

For those who consider the difference insignificant they would do well to consider the difference in terms of amount saved this country. KMPG says the value of fraud in naira terms decreased from N495 billion to N300 billion, a whopping N195 billion difference.

The audit body also corroborated the statement made last week by Ibrahim Lamorde, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that legal bottlenecks were frustrating the war on corruption when Olumide Olayinka, Head of Risk Consulting of KPMG Nigeria said:

"The general belief in Nigeria is that the legal system is not effective enough. There have been a lot of cases involving the banking and the Oil & Gas sectors or government that lead to prosecution. The current noticeable trend is that many cases either end with a plea bargain or are simply closed without any conviction". This is the major area which President Jonathans reform in the judicial sector is meant to address.

CONCLUSION

Clearly, the war on corruption is being engaged head-on and systematically with the requisite political will and vigour and it will take the commitment of all and not just President Jonathan and his team, to see it to fruition. I therefore enjoin all stakeholders in the Nigerian project to support these initiatives and reforms as a sure route to a successful war on corruption in public offices .This was the same route, which nations that have successfully reduced corruption to its barest minimum took.

Dr. Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant To The President On Public Affairs

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