A public policy think tank, the NEO AFRICANA CENTRE, has queried why only the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu is up against the new currency swap initiated and implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Agency simply identified as Center is alleging that the reason Tinubu is kicking against the new policy is simply because he has stored monies he intends to use to induce electorates, buy votes and rig the forthcoming 2023 presidential election. “Those resisting the Naira swap policy are individuals and institutions that have stockpiled Naira notes for purposes that will not serve the interest of the public”.

The Center stated this on Friday in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Jenkins Udu and made available to our correspondent. Udu in the statement called on Nigerians not to be deceived by the antics of those who have masked their real motives while pretending to have the interest of the people at heart. According to him: “We note with satisfaction that well meaning Nigerians have welcomed the policy and have urged the people to bear with the government as the present state of affairs is only temporary. “It is indeed curious that while other leading presidential candidates have accepted the policy, only the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, is up in arms against it. So, why is Tinubu and his APC incensed over the policy? This question should agitate the minds of Nigerians”, he asked?

The Centre said however, while it is worried about the scarcity of both the old and new Naira notes, it is important to situate the issue properly so that Nigerians can know what the real problem is. He continued: “The plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to deploy stupendous amounts of cash for vote-buying, a plan which has been frustrated by the currency swap, is responsible for the ongoing crisis of confidence over the real intentions of the government on the policy. “While the government has stopped at nothing to explain the rationale for the action, contrary forces massed up within the APC have deployed falsehood and propaganda to make the new policy look punitive. “We are curious that it is only the APC, among the leading political parties, that is raising eyebrows on the matter.

“We are fully aware of the antics of some bigwigs, particularly of the APC political family, over the currency swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria. A monetary policy that aims at sanitizing the financial sector of our economy is being made to look like a punitive action directed at the well-being and living conditions of Nigerians. “The naysayers have stopped at nothing to arm-twist the government with the aim of getting it to back out of the well intentioned policy. Some have even resorted to litigation as a way of forcing the hands of the government. We find this distasteful and unacceptable.

“For us, it is a patriotic duty to alert Nigerians to the real intentions of those resisting the currency swap. They are currency racketeers who have stockpiled humongous amounts of money for the forthcoming general elections. The new policy has, it were, frustrated their plan to deploy the huge cash they have stockpiled for the elections. “Nigerians should therefore shun them like a plague as their actions are purely self-serving. “We urge the people not to be deceived by the claim that the court action instituted by some APC governors led by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State is in the interest of Nigerians. “It is not. Rather, it serves only the narrow, selfish interest of the APC and its presidential candidate”, the statement said.

By Kingsley Chukwuka

Disclaimer: 

The opinions and views expressed in this write-up are entirely that of the Writer(s). They do not reflect the opinions and views of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or any of its employees. The designations employed in this publication and the presentation of materials herein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or its employees concerning the legal status of any country, its authority, area or territory or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. Equally, the sketches, images, pictures and videos are gotten from the public domain.

Nigeria looks forward to the conduct of the 2023 presidential election come 25th February, the national leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has paid former President Olusegun Obasanjo a visit at his residence in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, South-west Nigeria. The team, led by the party’s national chairman, Ralph Nwosu; chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Mani Ibrahim; and members of the party’s National Working Committee and Guber candidates arrived in Abeokuta around 10: 30 a.m local time and headed straight into a meeting with the former president.

Speaking with the ADC stalwarts, Obasanjo disclosed that the global community, particularly the West African countries of Ghana, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire are seriously concerned about the outcome of the forthcoming general elections. Olusegun Obasanjo, who just returned from an official engagement in West Africa, urged Nigerians to strive toward giving their best and ensuring that the forthcoming general elections hold. The former leader explained that the attention of the global communities is focused on the forthcoming general elections in Nigeria and, therefore, Nigerians as main stakeholders should contribute toward the success of the polls.

‘As you rightly said, we are in a critical period in Nigeria. In less than 3 weeks, we will be going to the poll to elect our leaders who will pilot this country’s affairs for the next four years from May. I hope nothing intervenes. ‘I have been in Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire from the beginning of the week and from there, they are concerned about what happens in Nigeria, as every Nigerian knows. ‘So, even for them, Nigeria’s elections are of utmost importance. ‘My belief is that for us, who are directly involved, we cannot take it any less important. Therefore, I understand why you are here,’ said the former president of Nigeria. After that, the team went into a closed-door meeting with Obasanjo.

Though details of Obasanjo’s meeting with the party’s stalwarts were not made known to the press, the Board of Trustees chairman, Mani, who addressed journalists, however, disclosed that the top echelon of ADC was in Abeokuta to take “instructions and advice” from Obasanjo, whom he said have never ceased to provide the necessary direction for them. ‘The party needed to effect “certain realignments” before approaching the February 25th presidential election, particularly on how to collaborate and pool strength together toward enabling us to work as a unified front for the election. ‘We have taken lots of guidance from him which has helped us in the past. ‘As we are all aware, not only the country but also our party can be considered to be at the crossroad.

‘When you are at the crossroad, it is important that you make the right decisions so that you move in the correct direction; that is part of the wider consultation that has brought the members of the Board of Trustees, the national working committee, some of the candidates of our party to have this discussion with His Excellency, President Obasanjo. “It is an ongoing process; the situation is still fluid, but we are hopeful that within the next 48 to 72 hours and through other series of meetings that we continue on this basis, we should be able to say clearly what the final decision is as to the direction our party is taking in the next general elections.

‘Mind you, this is one election in Nigeria that is going to be like none other like we have experienced in the past and as such, one cannot underrate the influence this type of discussion we have had today will bring to the outcome of the election at the end of the day. ‘We have not come to a definitive decision on that yet, but clearly, our party is looking at the possibility of coming up with an arrangement that will allow us to announce what type of collaboration we are going to have with any party, be it Labour Party or otherwise,’ said Mani, the ADC Board of Trustees chairman.

ADC South East Media

Disclaimer: 

The opinions and views expressed in this write-up are entirely that of the Writer(s). They do not reflect the opinions and views of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or any of its employees. The designations employed in this publication and the presentation of materials herein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or its employees concerning the legal status of any country, its authority, area or territory or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. Equally, the sketches, images, pictures and videos are gotten from the public domain.

What has been discussed in political circles in hushed tones and which was released through innuendoes a few days ago, by the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at a campaign rally in Abeokuta, was, yesterday, elevated to the national discourse, by Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. Insinuations have been rife within the APC, as well as among the opposition elements, that President Muhammadu Buhari might not have shown enough support for his party’s presidential candidate, Tinubu.

Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, el-Rufai belled the cat, when he pointedly said some people in the Presidential Villa (Ask Rock) are working against Tinubu and plotting his failure at the polls. El-Rufai also revealed that the said individuals, who he didn’t mention, had their candidate during the APC presidential primary, but the candidate did not win. He added that those individuals are hiding behind President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to do what he thinks is right.

Tinubu had at the keenly contested presidential primary in June, trounced top aspirants including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Senate President Ahmad Lawan; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Labour Minister, Chris Ngige; among other party stalwarts. He said: “I believe there are elements in the Villa that want us to lose the election because they didn’t get their way; they had their candidate. Their candidate did not win the primary. “They are trying to get us to lose the election and they are hiding behind the President’s desire to do what he thinks is right. I will give two examples: this petroleum subsidy, which is costing the country trillions of naira, was something that we all agreed would be removed.

“In fact, I had a discussion with the President and showed him why it had to go. Because, how can you have a capital budget of N200 billion for federal roads and then spend N2 trillion on petroleum subsidy? This was a conversation I had with the President in 2021 when the subsidy thing started rising. He was convinced. We left. It changed. Everyone in the government agreed, but it changed. “The second example I will give is this currency redesign. You have to understand the President. People are blaming the CBN Governor for the currency redesign, but no. You have to go back and look at the first outing of Buhari as President. He did this; the Buhari, Idiagbon regime changed our currency and did it in secrecy with a view to catching those that are stashing away illicit funds. It is a very good intention. The President has his right. But doing it at this time within the allotted time does not make any political or economic sense.”

According to him, the policy of currency redesign at this moment is the idea of a few people in the Presidential Villa and was never the policy of the APC. “I must say that the naira redesign and fuel scarcity is the handiwork of fifth columnists because they want to bring the country down, otherwise, why must redesigning of naira be the priority of the Federal Government at this time.” But in a swift reaction, the Federal Government debunked insinuations that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration and a cabal in the Presidency are working to sabotage the electoral chances of Tinubu in the February 25 presidential election. Briefing newsmen after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the State House, yesterday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who had kept sealed lips after last week’s outbursts by Tinubu, affirmed that President Buhari was committed to ensuring free and fair election, adding, “If there’s anybody working against a candidate we don’t know officially.”

According to him, the leader of the administration, who is also the leader of the ruling party, is more concerned with seeing the elections being credible, and not tilted in favour of any particular candidate or against anyone. Mohammed said: “On a more serious note, one thing I can assure you is that no matter what, this administration is focused and determined to ensure a free and fair election. “But I think with this administration, the most important person is Mr President, and I think he has shown by words and deeds that he is committed to a free, fair and credible election. And fair, free, credible elections actually mean not favouring anybody or disadvantaging anybody. And everywhere he (Buhari) goes, he makes that very clear, even as recently as last Friday when he was in Daura, he said the same thing.” Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, yesterday, shared the video of el-Rufai’s appearance on Channels TV. The President’s wife, in a post on her verified Instagram account, shared the clip of the governor with a simple caption: “#LongLiveTheFederalRepublicOfNigeria”.

MEANWHILE, APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who has been visibly absent at recent campaign rallies of Tinubu across the states, was yet to comment on the development, same for the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. But the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the APC has said el-Rufai only stated the obvious when he said some elements in Aso Rock are working against Tinubu’s victory.

Reacting to what el-Rufai said at the launch of the ‘ThinkingCaps’ app, aimed at gaining the support of youths for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket, the Special Adviser, Media and Public Affairs, Mr Dele Alake, who is also the PCC’s Director of strategic communications, said the governor’s comment was self-explanatory. He explained that there was nothing spectacular about what el-Rufai said. Alake explained that in all institutions, you cannot have 100 per cent of all the operatives in an organisation seeing issues exactly the same way. His words: “He did say that some people, but he never said the President and in any organisation, including your own individual media houses, you have your editorial policy and there are elements within your organisations that don’t agree with the editorial policy, but they still work there.”Alake added that the conspiracy against Tinubu by forces within the Villa would fail, insisting that Tinubu remains unbeatable in the presidential poll.

The National Vice Chairman, of APC Southwest, Isaac Kekemeke, has called on Adamu, to act swiftly on what el-Rufai said. According to him, “no one who is a keen observer of actions and inactions of many people in the party would be constrained to want to agree with Governor el-Rufai that some forces in APC do not want Tinubu to succeed. “These elements have refused to campaign for or project the party in any way despite having benefited immensely from the party. They are doing nothing about the image of the party.” Kekemeke added that whereas the policies of the government may have been explained and defended to be for the good of Nigeria, “it is obvious that those policies are deliberately tailored to bring a lot of hardship to the people at this very delicate period such that it could easily de-market the party and not only its presidential candidate but other contestants too.”

The Southwest National Vice Chairman added that el-Rufai is an insider in APC both at party and government levels and for him to have come out means something is seriously going on. “It is time for the leadership of the party, Mr President and the national chairman to stand up to the occasion.”

In another reaction, immediate past National Vice Chairman, Southwest APC, Pastor Bankole Oluwajana, said those cabal the Kaduna governor is referring to should also know and understand the fact that the South will not fold its hand and allow the North to keep the Presidency for another eight years if that is their agenda. Oluwajana added though that the President is not part of the scheme, otherwise, he would have expressed his feelings that he doesn’t want Tinubu right from the onset. “I believe Governor El-Rufai understands what he said and he also knows the implications of what those cabals are doing, otherwise how can somebody be redesigning the naira at this delicate time? How can they allow fuel scarcity during this period? These policies are creating hardship and anger, bitterness in the people against APC government.”

The Chairman of Senate Committee on Local Content, Teslim Folarin, who is also the gubernatorial candidate of APC in Oyo, said the fact that Tinubu had said the would remove fuel subsidy could have been part of why those cabal, who were beneficiaries of the subsidy, are fighting back. A former Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu, said the position of el-Rufai did not come as a surprise to him. “Events in the party have indicated that some forces don’t want Tinubu and or power to shift southwards,” Shittu said those forces who hijacked President Buhari and made him a victim are again at work operating against the interest of Tinubu.

“It will be very painful if APC loses this election. Take a look, those forces are tactical, they locked Tinubu out of government for eight years, the national leader never participated in governance, and he doesn’t even know what was going on in government, but now the same force are creating a scenario to blame the current hardship on him so that he will fail.”

By Seye Olumide (Ibadan), Adamu Abuh, Terhemba Daka (Abuja) and Abdulganiyu Alabi (Kaduna)

Disclaimer: 

The opinions and views expressed in this write-up are entirely that of the Writer(s). They do not reflect the opinions and views of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or any of its employees. The designations employed in this publication and the presentation of materials herein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or its employees concerning the legal status of any country, its authority, area or territory or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. Equally, the sketches, images, pictures and videos are gotten from the public domain.

“I have restrained myself from getting involved in this kind of controversy. This was why I made a strenuous effort from being drawn into the brickbat between Bayo Onanuga/Dele Alake on the one hand and Arise News on the other despite pressure on me to say something. “Oga, this is shameful, won’t you say something to guide us?” I resisted the pressure. The drive for political power in this clime has no respect for anything. Not for honour, nor anything with the tinge of sublimity! You will be hailed for calling black white and white, black even on the platform of journalists who are not just observers but chroniclers of developments and events.

How can anybody say LASU was a glorified school? Oh, really? The Metro line was stopped by the Buhari junta, not by NPN! What NPN attempted to do was to stop the establishment of Lagos Radio and Television. The Shagari Administration sought to vest the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria with the power to establish and operate state radio stations. The Nigerian Television Authority was to set up at least one television station in each state of the Federation. They said states setting up radios and TV would amount to the proliferation of broadcast stations. They did not know the person they were dealing with—someone who for years was the President of IPI, the founder of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, the founder of Newspapers Proprietors Association, (NPAN); founder of NIJ, managing director/editor of the Nigerian Tribune, one who led the media in battles with the military as well as irresponsible civilian administrations. Jakande fought it and was victorious. His administration was, therefore, the first state government to own a TV Station in Nigeria.

The functional primary schools he built to abolish the three-session system he inherited were recommended by UNESCO for developing countries. When Gbolahan Mudasiru came, he started to upgrade them. And he did a lot. The Jakande schools were meant for a purpose and they fulfilled such that pupil enrolment leapt from 90, 172 in 1979 to 136, 987 in 1983. Secondary schools rose from 79 when Jakande took over in 1979 to 319 by July 1983. The student population was 59,584 by October 1979. By a year later it had leapt to 107, 835 students. The teachers were the highest paid in the nation with the right to car and housing loans like the state civil servants.

Housing: He embarked on a crash programme to build 50, 000 housing units in four years. For 17 years before his ascension, LEDB, the state housing corporation succeeded in building only 4,502 housing units. His focus was on the low and medium classes of our people. He succeeded in delivering 21,000. An allottee was required to pay only N4,000 as a deposit. Whoever was unable to afford that could pay just N1,000 and he would be eligible for a loan to balance up from LBIC. He thus established 18 housing estates in the state. A two-bedroom flat was sold for N6,000 and a three-bedroom unit for N8,000. I have read in several places that by 1999, Lagos could only generate N600 million. Let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth who came to the saddle 20 years earlier, the one and only LKJ: “We generated enough to meet our obligations without dependence on the Federal Account.” And so, Lagos State under Jakande was the first State Government in the land to announce a billion Naira budget and it gave loans to some state governments, notably Borno!

Jakande was the one who established the Lagos State Ministry of Environment under the headship of Alabi Masha. He then set up Lagos State Waste Disposal Board with Alhaji Mumini as chairman. Anyone of my generation who knew Mumini would remember the kind of person he was, and his unremitted application to assigned tasks. Equipped with a fleet of 157 vehicles, 21 mechanical shovels, and 2,000 movable dust bins in every part of the metropolis, the board collected 400,000 tonnes of refuse yearly. Of course, the population of Lagos has increased by leaps, it should necessarily be expected of his successors to roll up their sleeves and Fashola fitted the bill. Fashola did remarkably well. We should remember that because of his shine, it was a tug of war to have him get the nod of the city fathers for a second term! Ambode continued in the line of Fashola to tackle the refuse problem successfully. Was it not part of building a cleaner Lagos that Fashola embarked on environmental transformation everywhere, turning Lagos into exemplary leafy surroundings plants, flowers, and green lawns even in the most unexpected terrain?

Jakande established Flood Relief Committee de-flooding Ebute Ero, Oroyinyin; Obalende; Aguda; Opebi; Apapa; Eric More; Simpson; Oba Akran, and many more up to Shomolu! Drains collectors were built at Gbagada; Oshodi Mafoluku; Ojota; Keri etc.

To arouse public interest in environmental transformation, Jakande introduced the following: 

Annual Sanitation Day for Market Women;

Annual Sanitation Day for Workers;

Annual Sanitation Day for School Children;

Annual Environmental Day for Community Development Committees; and

Annual competition on environment among the 20/23 local government councils in the state.

I won’t want to bore the platform with the roads Jakande built and paved nor his strategy to turn the finances of Lagos State around. Presently, I will mention just one area. Strategy on roads? Hold it: His strategy was to establish a Works Management Board. One unique activity of that board was that it had its asphalt plant which could produce 200 tons of asphalt an hour! So, it was possible to build neighbourhood roads without much stress. That board also constructed 94 public buildings including the Lagos State House of Assembly; the rebuilding of Onikan Stadium; the Coconut industries in Badagry as well as Conference Hall in that town!

Perhaps worthy of mentioning because of the exaggerated claims we are fed on this platform is Eto- OSA-Lekki which stretched to Epe! And also, perhaps Epe-Ijebu-Ode (12,000 meters)! Ha! Let me quickly mention the opening up of Victoria Island-Lekki! Just one stream of financial turn-around: Jakande Administration invested in the following companies: Guinness Nigeria Limited; Nigerian Breweries; Dunlop Industries; Capps & Da’Alberto; Julius Berger; G. Cappa; UAC; BEWAC Ltd; UTC Ltd; CFAO; Volkswagen Nigeria Ltd; Nichemtex; Clay Industries; British American Insurance; Westminster Dredging Crusader Insurance!

I have not exhausted all that Jakande did to be the modern builder of Lagos. As I said earlier, I have refrained from getting involved in this kind of thing. Were we living on the moon? Are we children? It is rude to attempt to pull the wool over the faces of journalists on their platform, many of them very senior journalists who, if not editors in the period under review, were line editors!

What constitutes the index of development, of enlightenment if not education, environment and health, transportation? Jakande built LASU, polytechnic colleges, and schools which form the foundation of civilization anywhere. He met 17 hospitals since the colonial days, and within four years he increased the facilities to 22. He set up 10 mini waterworks which is a tool of sanitation. He established a ferry service from Festac to Marina and wool is being pulled over our faces as if we are children and uninformed—on this platform!!!

By Lade Bonuola, first editor and later managing director of The Guardian on The Guardian platform

Disclaimer: 

The opinions and views expressed in this write-up are entirely that of the Writer(s). They do not reflect the opinions and views of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or any of its employees. The designations employed in this publication and the presentation of materials herein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the Publisher (Nze Ikay’s Blog) or its employees concerning the legal status of any country, its authority, area or territory or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. Equally, the sketches, images, pictures and videos are gotten from the public domain.