"Nigeria had better witness another military coup than have Babangida or Obasanjo again as President." - Mrs. Teju Abiola, the late MKO Abiola's widow.

She's wrong. Better Babangida (who insh'Allah will leave in 8 years) than another military coup.

e be like say una dey crazeooo, i mean becos say donald duke fine na him make all of una wey be lilo girls and jogodo boys dey vote 4 ram.una no sabi say him be small boy?anyway una be dreamers.instead of u to call people like IBB, odili and Attah, una dey hear dey yarn like people wey get eye but dem no wan see road.byeeee

@hector even if na small guy no be sofar he give nigeria a better focus than any other predident don do. Just 4get sentiment that guy na im fit lead Nigeria to promise land abi u no know?

Is it not yet time we start looking beyond a certain group of people (cartel) to run the affairs of this country? Yet, we continue hoping that "Nigeria go better"! Come 2007, we must break this jinx of bad governance. Learn to move our country beyond the borders of ethnic divisiveness, (occultic!)affiliations and illusive camaraderie. We need a leader with a good economic head, sound security alertness, and a human face. 2007 Presidential election is yet to unravel the full bunch of Hidden Hot Heads (H3) Nigeria is blessed with. For instance, there is a guy aired on AIT yesterday, one Chief Martin Onovo, a registered and practising Petroleum Engineer that works with Mobil Producing Nigeria Unltd., Lagos. That guy is simply a bomb. And I believe strongly there would be so many others like him waiting for the take-off whistle for the race. Let's forget all these old guys whose only mission is to come and replenish their stock so that they can buy Nigeria and the people some day. They lack simple virtue of service. So, they can't serve.

Posted by: kayno-Jah
Insert Quote
Is it not yet time we start looking beyond a certain group of people (cartel) to run the affairs of this country? Yet, we continue hoping that "Nigeria go better"! Come 2007, we must break this jinx of bad governance. Learn to move our country beyond the borders of ethnic divisiveness, (occultic!)affiliations and illusive camaraderie. We need a leader with a good economic head, sound security alertness, and a human face. 2007 Presidential election is yet to unravel the full bunch of Hidden Hot Heads (H3) Nigeria is blessed with. For instance, there is a guy aired on AIT yesterday, one Chief Martin Onovo, a registered and practising Petroleum Engineer that works with one of the oil firms in the country. That guy is simply a bomb. And I believe strongly there would be so many others like him waiting for the take-off whistle for the race. Let's forget all these old guys whose only mission is to come and replenish their stock so that they can buy Nigeria and the people some day. They don't understand what stewardship is all about. So, they simply can't serve.

Those who have ruled before should go and rest especially the old ones so that the young ones can rule.

And I think it is high time we got a female president.

ECONOMY: DISTORTED REFORMS
BY
ANENE     C.    OZOAGU
NGWO – ENUGU
Before the Nigerian civil war, Nigeria’s economy was quite open to the world capital market. At that time, there was considerable in-flow of foreign capital into the Nigerian economy. Britain, our former colonial master, which introduced welfarism and state-ownership of companies after the World War II had heavy investments in all parts of Nigeria. Their shops and other fields of endeavour were operating in the major cities in Nigeria. The French, Germans, Italians, Norwegians and others were investing in all fields they considered profitable in Nigeria. Though, at that time, Nigerians were not sufficiently educated to learn what was happening to the economy. Economic activities were partially guided by bureaucrats and the ministries. Corruption was rarely heard of and when heard of was regarded and treated as serious crime. There was no stagnation in the economy whatsoever as currently being witnessed.
But after the civil war in the early 1970s, the few elites, who were educated in the Keynesian school of macroeconomics, took over government and came out with the Nigerian government policy of taking over from those foreigners the running of all economic activities – i.e. Nationilisation. This the government then called ‘indigenization policy’. Regardless of the fact that this policy was carried out after the war, when one ethnic group had not the resources to fully participate, it went ahead. Shortly after that, in 1978, the government equally took over all lands in Nigeria and vested them in the hands of (military) governors. Attempt made by the 1979 Constitution Drafting Committee headed by late Chief Rotimi Williams to delete the land use Decree from the 1979 Constitution were rebuffed by the military that, against the wishes of Nigerians, included it in the 1979 constitution. This unfortunate decree is still in the 1999 constitution and was not included in the 2006 Ibrahim Mantu’s proposed amendment to the Nigerian 1999 constitution.
With the introduction of these two decrees, things were no more same in Nigeria. What followed was that government concentrated on import-substituted strategy with heavy partial investment in infrastructure. A focus on labor-intensive production backed by protective tariff and tax incentives followed. At a time, price control was introduced, and the bloated public sector, which followed, boosted deficit spending. With other actions taken by government between 1970 and now what followed today are hyperinflation, corruption, inequality, lack of agrarian reforms, arbitrary government power and above all failure to embrace science and technology.
Other evils accompanying these government measures till date, regardless of the on going economic reforms of the government included, but are not limited to, severe environmental problems, high infant mortality rate, pensioners go for months without receiving their pensions, workers even longer without receiving their wages. Physical security for the average citizen are gone hence the numerous murders in every part of the country, and above all, well-armed criminals are more than a match for a demoralized and under paid police force.
Above all, to keep the knowledge of all these evils away from Nigerians, government since 1985 ensured that the Nigerian press became highly censored. While the Nigerian journalists were today waiting for the National Assembly to pass the freedom of information bill, the government was equally busy making sure that the prices of newspapers continue their circulation to only the well to do thereby worsening unemployment and hoarding of information. This singular government action led to the closure of some vocal newspapers and as publishers and editors became unknowingly unwanted friends of politicians, political parties and confidants of the government at the expense of the freedom of information being sought.
The introduction of state-ownership of companies in the 1970s led to the political closure of the mining and exportation of zinc, lead and salt from Abakaliki, Tin from Jos and coal from Enugu by Nigerians and others. These were the industries that for the most part made up the strategic sectors on which the nation’s economy was then built. Railways were equally for political reasons neglected. Nigerian Airways – the elephant that then flied – were ill maintained for the interest of the bureaucrats. Post and Telegraphs were taken away from the Ministry of Communication and named Nigerian Telecommunication and Nigerian Postal Services.
As all these were happening, petroleum was fast taking over and Nigeria, which never knew what to do with the oil money, contemplated lending money to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Other utilities were fast crumbling and the country was fast decaying. All these were happening until 1985.
By 1986, the country that contemplated lending money to the IMF went back, cap in hand, begging the IMF for a bail out fund. The IMF came with the bail out money with severe conditionalities attached. The country took both the money and the conditionalities and used them to dribble herself into confusion.
In 1999, the “saviour” arrived and by 2003 the real Economic Reform started. For several times subsidies in oil was removed and the regulator was appointed by the government. The regulator not only fixed but drove up prices of petroleum products. According to Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, in their book “The Commanding Heights, “the regulatory branch of government was inherently flawed, and all too often, it was “private interest” not the public interest, that determined outcomes”. That is where Nigerians are with the Petroleum Product Regulatory Agency.
Now prices for our petroleum products have been fixed but the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation have neither been restructured nor privatized, loss making activities and basis of profitability has been established.
The Nigerian Telecommunication (NITEL) has been restructured to a 10000-man workforce. Global System of Mobile Communication (G.S.M.) has been introduced and the company has been privatized. But decisions on the company as of now respond to political pressures and politicians and bureaucrats are finding it difficult not to intervene in the affairs of the privatized (NITEL).
Railways are already in shambles and the government rather than outright privatization will construct a Standard Gauge Railway from only Lagos to Kano, maybe after that, it will be privatized.
Coal Corporation had all its surviving staff paid off and no knowledge of when it will be privatized.
Tin, Zinc, Lead and Salt prior to indigenization policy were among the strategic sectors on which the nation’s economy was built, but today no mention of them is made anywhere.
Nigerian Airways has been restructured and privatized but political and bureaucratic interventions have delayed Virgin Nigeria from flying. Instead of privatizing the airports, some of them are today being refurbished with modern equipment by government that sold out the airways.
The few industries aforementioned are just to show how confusing the economic reforms and the reformers have become. No single company has been completely reformed and the few that seemed so reformed like NITEL and Airways are being distributed by bureaucratic and political interventions. They refused to modernize the financial sector so that state-owned companies turn to the capital market for funds. Yergin and Stanislaw said that the retreat of government from the commanding heights is a grassroots issue, because, it will force local communities to change long held beliefs that government must control services if they were to work. But not in Nigeria.
The 1991 edition of World Bank annual World Development report in attacking government intervention in a nation’s economy advised, “instead of intervening, government should pursue ‘market friendly’ policies – policies that encourage the private sector. By interference, the bulk of past policies had been “market unfriendly”. Nigeria’s present economic reforms are aimed at encouraging the private sector. But both bureaucratic and political interventions in the policies of the economic reforms have made difficult the break up of state-owned companies like Power Holding Companies of Nigeria (PHCN) former NEPA.
Nigeria, in embarking on the present Economic Reforms, was trying to follow Mrs. Margaret Thatcher’s economic reforms in Britain in 1980s. Mrs. Thatcher, in breaking up the state-owned electric power monopoly, had 12 regional distribution companies, three generating companies and one open-access grid Company. But Nigerians were simply told that PHCN has been broken up into distributing and generating companies. Since a country as small as Britain could have as many as 12 distributing and 3 generating companies, what prevents Nigeria, a country double in population and size of Britain not having up to 30 distributing and many more generating companies? The answer is no other than the bureaucrats and politicians. They would not let go the company already in their grip. They would not like PHCN, NITEL and Airways to introduce the exclusion of ministerial meddling, the promotion of efficiency and the ending of government subsidies. In fact Nigerian bureaucrats and politicians are inflexible in the face of change, and that is why the economic reforms are confusedly rolling on. The bureaucrats and politicians have rather invited “experts” from Indonesia to come to take over the running of the electric power company. Indonesia, with a 203 million people spread over 17 thousand Islands is faced with major question of regional development, high level corruption and its political system is a target of international human right activists. This is the country our bureaucrats and politicians have gone to look for experts to take over our PHCN instead of throwing the company out for open bidding to enable experts from other countries including Nigerians to take part in while the government retains the Golden share in the exercise.
Today, the fear is widespread that the next government would mess up the economic reform programmes of this administration. That is nonsense because the government can stop the programme derailment with only one weapon – and that weapon is speed, i.e. rapid reform of every part of the economy. This could be achieved within months by among other methods
a) Government to forget politics and who will succeed her in 2007 and concentrate in the reforms.
b) Rapid price liberalization, i.e., freeing prices from controls and/or opening up the economy. When prices are freed, huge distortion that were doing serious harm to the economy would be reduced and
c) Liberalize foreign trade
If these three actions were taken today, it would be clear that the country’s central     
economic trouble was political control and that the cure was to take economic activities out of the hands of bureaucrats and ministries. This would reduce corruption by decreasing the necessity to ask the bureaucrats and ministries for permission to do things and will lead to a commitment to mass privatization. But at the present rate of reforms, which started seven years ago, by the next fifty years, Nigeria will still be privatizing, the bureaucrats would still be in control and both the economy and the people would be stagnating.
Another element that would facilitate the reform was for the government to enable the people to participate in the reform. This can be done by enabling the public to have access to fund with which to buy shares. Sufficient public access to fund is a ticket to a free economy. Right now, the bureaucrats are obstructing access to the funds already released by government to enable the public participate. Nigerians have access to it only if one is close to any of the bureaucrats or their agents. Besides, the banks through which this fund could reach the public are not helping matters.
In fact, bureaucratic and political interventions have greatly disturbed the reforms and the inflow of foreign investments into the Nigerian economy

Say No to old, recycled, military apologists.

This thread is useless the guy has not even declare his ambition for the presidency.

My vote goes to Babagana Kingibe. Him or no one.

And your reasons are?

My vote goes to

Guess,
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OJUKWU

Just a little 2 cents of mine. No muslim should become president because we might the facing the probability of these guys turning Nigeria into an Islamic Republic like they did with their respective states.

True, I support that motion

Allow Nigerians to vote. No one is in the position to recommend which religion or ethnicity to rule the country. This why there is election process in democracy; and majority carries the vote.

If you have any concerns, you should return back to Nigeria and cast your vote; instead of recommending sensless and uncivilized idea.

ODEKU, my figure head brother! When are you going to stop following and start leading?

When they voted in those Northern governors, who knew they were going to turn their states into an Islamic state? In a democracy, people have imperfect information and can depend on precedences set by contenders in order to cast their votes. These guys have told us that they're intent on imposing the Sharia law on everybody under their control so the best we can do is not vote for them.

Thank you. Very good point.
If you don't like him do not vote for him, that is the best a good citizen could do.

It is Babagana Kingibe or Victor Attah

from the foregoing the only best option available for reasonable nigerians is pat utomi

The Candidates that Nigeria Needs in 2007 - Mobolaji Aluko
Of all the aspirants that have declared so far of his genre, Pat Utomi is such heads-and-shoulders high above them in almost all departments that it is trite even to say so. It is not because he is a professor – even though it would be nice to have a graduate once atop our leadership totem-pole in Nigeria. It is not because he is handsome – even though that too would be nice after an eight-year “alternative” period. It is also not because he is young – even though a generational shift is long overdue. Finally, it is not because he is either of Igbo stock or from the SS – that double-whammy desideratum.





The Candidates that Nigeria Needs in 2007”

Speech at Pat Utomi 2007 “Diaspora 2” Tour Event

Doubletree Hotel

1515 Rhode Island Avenue, NW

Washington, DC, USA


By


Mobolaji E. Aluko, PhD


Wednesday, September 6, 2006



Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and in particular my good friend and presidential aspirant Prof. Pat Utomi of the Patito Gang fame, for who we are gathered here! I also fully acknowledge Prof. Sylvester Ugoh, the chairman of this occasion and my father’s friend and colleague of yesteryears, who I got to meet again by happenstance just over two months ago, after about 40 years of not seeing him! As former Central Bank Governor of Biafra, and Vice-President to Bashir Tofa of the June 12 fame, Prof. Ugoh has gone through a lot since I last saw him!



Well, my name is Bolaji Aluko, and I have been listed on this occasion to be the “Chief Host.” When I first saw that role listed in the program sent to me via email, I quickly asked my other friend and campaign coordinator Pat Okigbo whether that meant that I had to see my bank manager to get a loan. After a negative answer, my heartbeat calmed and I consented. So I am here.



These are still early days in Nigeria’s presidential and electoral campaign season, and so one has to be very careful what one says on an occasion like this. However, of all the aspirants that have declared so far of his genre, Pat Utomi is such heads-and-shoulders high above them in almost all departments that it is trite even to say so. It is not because he is a professor – even though it would be nice to have a graduate once atop our leadership totem-pole in Nigeria. It is not because he is handsome – even though that too would be nice after an eight-year “alternative” period. It is also not because he is young – even though a generational shift is long overdue. Finally, it is not because he is either of Igbo stock or from the SS – that double-whammy desideratum. Rather, you will however have to wait for the reasons later on in my speech, when I talk about “The Candidates that Nigeria Needs in 2007” – which is really what I have been asked to talk about.



But before I do that, there is a matter of urgent national importance that I am hoping that I can get you all, and particularly the aspirant, to commit to: that is getting INEC to change the April 14, April 21 2007 election dates for next years state and federal elections respectively. Those elections are so too close to the May 29 handover dates that my tealeaves tell me that we may be headed for an electoral crisis as a result of it.



Let us take a look at the ongoing Mexico presidential election crisis. Mexico is about 107 million people in population (Nigeria is about 120 million) and twice the size of Nigeria. It has been an independent country since 1810, and had a constitution since 1917. That country held its presidential elections on July 2 with five candidates and 41million voter-turnout (59% of the registered voters). Yet the president is not expected to come on board until December 1 – a full five months later! Mexican law required that quick preliminary results be declared within 2 days by one electoral body PREP – which it did on July 4; that a first round of manually counted votes should be declared within a week by another electoral body the IFE– which it did, on July 6 in favor of Felipe Calderon (of the incumbent party) over four other candidates, in a razor-thin majority vote victory in which Lopez Obrador the strongest challenger would not concede. After a month of demonstrations, the electoral tribunal FET ruled that a partial recount be commenced, which started on August 9 and ended August 13. Finally, Felipe Calderon was declared winner yet again over Lopez Obrador just earlier today September 6 - the FINAL result of the presidential elections decided yet again. Obrador is still threatening to run a parallel government because he feels that the election was stolen. The problem in Mexico too, is that unlike Nigeria, there is no second round, otherwise these two candidates, separated by 0.58% [with Calderon winning only 35.8% of the vote] would have gone for that second round, and maybe created some airspace between themselves.



The whole moral of the above quick story is that Mexico has a lot of wiggle room to try and resolve her crisis BEFORE the winner is eventually installed on December 1. On the other hand, Nigeria’s INEC with 46 parties (and possibly at least 10 presidential contestants) and possibly 60 million voters and a maximum of the possibility of two run offs is insisting that it can use ONLY one month and some change to do the same thing.



Yes, we are harm-strung in many ways by our 1999 Constitution – but not fatally. In fact, Section 132(2) of the Constitution is so badly written that it states that:



QUOTE

(2) An election to the said office shall be held on a date not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of office of the LAST holder of that office.

UNQUOTE



It is significant to note that it reads “last holder” rather than the CURRENT holder. The Last holder of the title “president” in Nigeria is General Babangida (an unelected military ruler) or better yet, President Shehu Shagari, who was elected in 1979, re-elected in 1983 but couped within three months in December 1983!



What that means is that if the political and judicial classes in Nigeria can insist and agree that nothing is being violated by ignoring this Section 132(2), then the nation through INEC can buy one to two more months to give our electoral process next year more breathing space.



I thought that this is important enough for me to open my remarks with, and I hope that not only Pat and other key “stakeholders” will push this issue, but the newly-installed NBA under the leadership of Olisa Agbakoba will also take a leadership role in this interpretation.



Let me now quickly address this issue of the candidates that Nigeria needs. Please note that I use the plural “candidates” purposely, because I believe that we are just too fixated with the office of the President, and yet ignore those of local government councils, state assemblies and national assemblies, the quality of which significantly impact the work of the Executives – that is president and governor.



I list below six prima-facie qualifications for credible candidates and four supplementary ones for winning candidates:



Prima-facie qualifications for our next set of candidates in Nigeria should be:



success in earlier identical, similar or other endeavors. For example, a qualified incumbent – that is, one not illegally seeking extension of term - should be able to defend his or her tenure fully and confidently. A vice-president or governor seeking higher office must be able to show with facts and figures what he did with the resources available to him in the lower office. A newcomer cannot be a failure as a businessman, a student, a civil servant and so forth, and then expect citizens to give him their support for high office.


Beware the naked man who offers you his shirt" - Harvey Mackay



(2) Existence of vision – the primary purpose for a candidate to seek an office is to "do something good" for those who elected him, not just power for power's sake, or because "it is the turn of my people." A people-centered government should lead to long-term, widespread improvement in the human condition of the people. The specification/implementation of means and strategies (legislation, policies, etc.) that will enable the mobilization and transformation of financial, material and human resources to provide services and products for the satisfaction of the physical and spiritual needs of citizens is paramount. A candidate must be able to share his unique vision for the new office.



"Without a vision, a nation perishes" - The Bible, Proverbs 29:18.

"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people." - Abraham Lincoln

"People despise the lust for power that originates from a craving for homage and for the attributes for power" - Konstantin Ushinsky



(3) ability to verbally articulate the vision – this is in order to demonstrate originality and personal commitment to the vision outlined, and to assure the voters that the outlined vision is not simply a borrowed one.



(4) experience as a team player – this is in acknowledgement of the fact that these huge responsibilities of governance cannot be carried out alone, but must be in concert with others at various levels of executive, legislative and judicial capacity, and with which one has some governing and philosophical affinity.



(5) ability to lead a team – an elected person automatically becomes a leader of some sort in society. Hence a candidate must have demonstrated ahead of time some leadership qualities commensurate with the position that he is seeking.



Transparency, integrity and openness – candidate must be prepared to anticipate and publicly answer all questions put to him or her about his finances and other assets, past political and personal life, and on all matters of conscience. He must be prepared to publicly DEBATE other candidates.


"The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy; the best weapon of a democracy is openness" - Edward Teller

"A democrat need not believe that the majority will always reach a wise decision. He should however believe in the necessity of accepting the decision of the majority, be it wise or unwise, until such a time that the majority reaches another decision" - Bertrand Russell.



I claim without any mental reservation that Pat Utomi fulfils all of these conditions in flying colors.

The above qualifications however should then be supplemented by the following conditions:



(7) network of contacts – essentially, these are "references" or “referees” (some of them might be pejoratively called "godfathers" or party/society "bigwigs" on the candidate's character and personal integrity. Others may simply be financial sponsors. Voters should however be wary of the company that candidates keep and the self-seeking propensity and possibilities of such contacts.



( party affiliation – a candidate, unless he is an independent, must be subject to party ideology and discipline, except on matters of conscience. Personal manifestos of candidates must be consistent with party manifestos, not substitutes for them, the occurrence of which is a recipe for the personalization of power and lack of continuity of policies.



(9) campaign strategy – a candidate will have to reach voters and then convince them that the prima-facie conditions that he has satisfied place him above other competitors in the race.



(10) money/finances – Money is always needed for travels, security, camp media adverts, campaign staff and "entertainment" of supporters, both actual and potential. However, it is deliberately listed LAST here, rather than first, in order to limit its prominence, while acknowledging its importance in financing the efforts to get information about the candidate across to voters.

Now, all these supplementary conditions are where I believe that our friend Pat Utomi knows that in the coming days, he has to work seriously on to be not just a credible candidate for a successful (winning) candidate. I am sure however, that in his participation in this murky process, he will agree with the following sayings:

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." - Elie Wiesel

"The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open." - Gunther Grass

"Those wanting to improve democracy in their countries should not wait for permission" - Bulent Ecevit



I will say no more on those, except to mention something that should be a campaign strategy – or more like an election strategy: which involves developing a cadre of people to SECURE the VOTE. This is where some additional quotes are apt:

"In democracy, its your vote that counts. In feudalism, its your Count that votes." - Morgens Jallberg

"It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting" - Tom Stoppard.

“Those who cast the votes decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.” – (attributed to) Josef Stalin



Thank you for your attention. Please go for it, Pat, and may God bless your ways – and bless Nigeria!

Ok what are the results from this poll!

IBB 21 (9.8%)
Buhari 11 (5.1%)
Atiku 6 (2.8%)
Marwa 8 (3.7%)
Oshiomole 16 (7.5%)
Okotie 21 (9.8%)
Duke 56 (26.2%)
Okonjo-Iweala 38 (17.8%)
Obasanjo 9 (4.2%)
Odili 6 (2.8%)
Utomi 22 (10.3%)

Total Votes: 214

1, Orji Uzor 2, Peter Udili 3, Obong Attah 4, Udenwa 5, IBB 6, Buhari 7, Jerry 8, Okotie 9, Atiku 10, Marwa 11, Rochas 12, None of the above 13, Obasanjo. Please kindly chose from the above options, avoid ITT and look at the future for people who will see the money and continue chopping instead of reparing.

Thank you! Thank you.

We need someone new. All those who got us into this deplorable state or did nothing to get us out ought not to even say hello on the campaign ground. These include IBB, Buhari, and Atiku. Though, it is their right to run for this coveted post, it is morally reprehensible for us to let these men feast on the little left of this country.
Only those who are morally and academically qualified should be allowed to run. These are the Oshiomoles of this world, Dukes, Odili, etc. And by the way this country has been run it would only be fair for the South South geo-zone to produce this next leader cause they are no fools. It is their land that has produced the wealth which OBJ/ATK, BUHARI/IDIAGBON, IBB/AIKHOMO, and ABACHA embezzled. They should be given the opportunity if this country belongs to us all to run things and after that, the Ibos should produce the next before it can become a case of the most popular should win. For now, let the South South and all Parties should zone their presidency to the South South.
But most importantly, we must address the issue of how the elections should be done. I support a system where the votes are counted on the spot on the termination of voting. The results anounced immediately to those that voted at that booth for all there to be witnesses to. The results thereafter compiled and announced. This will checkmate money polyticking and rigging.
Let us get it right this time, Nigeria must be saved.
God bless Nigeria.

pat utomi's not a bad idea, is it?

What about Emeka Anyaoku. The former commonwealth sec gem? Perhaps he doesnt like politics?

It is such a pity that the reasons we vote in Nigeria are; ethnicity, religion, friends or contract. Nothing more. We should move on to the issues. Our economy is stagnant. OBJ keeps telling us things are better and then gives us some useless numbers from a graph ploted in his kitchen at Ota farm telling us we are doing well. All those are nothing but change of number but not the situation.

We need to improve. A campaigner must tell us how or what policies he intends to adopt to solve the problem of hunger and unemployment. This is how to assess politicians and not when they come out on the campaign ground say " I will create 5million jobs in 2008" That is rubbish.

Only people who can take the issues and project on them and who equally have no moral dent to their persons should we listen to or vote for. Utomi, Okotie, Oshomole, Duke, etc are the pple in this line. Let's consider them.

Vote for me at least I will tell you upfront, I will award contracts to my friends and family, I will steal some money from the treasury so when I retire my grand children won't ever have to work again, that is the kind of leader we need not all this animal in human skin disguising they have the interest of the common man catching MOLUE and OKADA in mind. they will tell us what we want to hear now, once they get in, they will be building Porsche houses overseas, and taking expensive trips at the expense of Nigeria, we need a new face, new generation breed politicians.

ODEKU: This is why it is very important to give IBB a second chance. I bet you, he will take Nigeria as a country to the next level immediately. He will correct things. He has what it takes to lead the nation. He's well respected and has the stature of a leader. There is no way he will F-up for the second time.

It is not feasible to lay next to a crazy man you do not know, it is much better and effective to lay next to the one you already know.

IBB will restore Nigeria back to the giant of Africa.

He has incredible plans for Nigeria. Trust me, give him the chance and we will never regret it.

Do not waste your time listening to another joker, IBB has it, knows it and will make it happen faster.

IBB is ready and focused. I could just smell success and prosperity for our motherland.

Long Life IBB

May God bless Nigeria.

Big B1, I agree with you. IBB has plans for Nigeria and is extremely focused on looting us to the point of no recovery even worse than he has done before. Omo Shine your eyes, this guy's past record shows that he isn't a good leader. In democractic nations, you vote based on past history and this guy hasn't done anything in the past to say he has the welfare of the nation in mind. He is Atiku's right hand man and they have both looted the treasury (along with OBJ ofcourse).

Show me something that IBB has done that shows that he has the welfare of the nation in mind and isn't looking to loot the treasury and you win.

Big B1 long time no see, it seems to me we will never agree on this presidency issue, the only way to get you to see the light is to get you drunk and show you how evil IBB is, 1st point you hate OBJ policies. in your word he came back and put Nigeria in devastation with corruption, so why should we vote for IBB, dude you are now making me sick with this IIBB paddy wagon wey you dey, what kind of Anestassia are you on that you can't see how bad of a leader IBB is ? The only reason IBB want to come back is to cover his ass and his tracks so we can never prosecute his fat behind for corruption. I wish FELA is still here with us and I can take you to shrine so he can tell you things you don't seem to understand