RADIANCE OF ROYALTY: The Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, HRH Prince Eheneden Erediauwa treks from the Oba Palace to his Palace in Uselu as part of ceremonies to officially install him as Edaiken N'Uselu, on Saturday. More after the cut...

Governor Adams Oshiomhole says Senator Dino Melaye only displayed his hollowness by delving into a matter as private as his marriage to his heartthrob. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Peter Okhiria, the Governor said “Our attention has been drawn to the unprovoked verbal assault launched by one Senator Dino Melaye on the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, while making a contribution on the floor of the Senate on the need to patronize made-in-Nigeria goods. As a “nephew” of the Governor and members of the same party, we expected Senator Melaye to tender an unreserved public apology to the Comrade Governor, to no avail. It is an open secret that Senator Melaye cannot maintain a decent matrimonial home hence he could descend to this pedestrian level of using the hallowed chambers to “cargorise” women as if they were pieces of items for purchase.

Any responsible individual that is truly worth to be called a Senator, a position that convokes respect, decorum and decent public conduct, should know the limits of his verbal diarrhea. The liberty of free speech guaranteed in the hallowed chambers does not impose lunacy on anyone to disparage other Nigerians, let alone pry into their matrimony in a very derisive manner. We had intended to ignore this uncomplimentary comment as one of the several empty displays of the Senator, but the fact that it tends to reduce women to pieces of tissue calls for this response. As we probed into Dino Melaye’s humanity, we were reminded that he is a man known for his vainglorious rodomontade and the childish display of his ostentatious lifestyle complements his love for foreign items.

Many of such euro-centric mentality he has persistently displayed on social media, to underscore his materialistic eccentricity, hence his dialectical opposition to made-in-Nigeria goods.

But an attempt at making women wear the garb of goods to be picked off the shelves was to take the issue to a ridiculous and irresponsible level. By delving into the private affair and marriage of the Comrade Governor, Senator Melaye has exposed himself as a simpleton and a court jester whose words and tactlessness cannot be taken seriously by matured people.

We advise that Melaye should mend his ways with his ex-wife and concubines before coming to the village square to display his crass ignorance and emptiness to the Nigerian people. If he has anything to offer, Dino Melaye should concentrate on making good laws for the people of Nigeria rather than descend to a ridiculous level, thus displaying to the whole world his unworthiness to sit in the hallowed chambers of the Nigerian Senate.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/616971/

Nigerian children special, says Iara Oshiomhole
*Launches pet project, raises N137m

Mrs. Iara Oshiomhole, wife of Edo State Governor has described Nigerian children as special, saying they are always naturally happy and full of joy.
She gave her assessment at the launch of her pet project christened “We Care Trust” with a mission to care for underprivileged Nigerian children.
Mrs. Oshiomhole who said she is very passionate about the needs of children said: “when I came to Benin, I saw little children full of love, joy, clapping their hands, dancing and singing, welcoming me. I remember coming here, feeling overwhelmed with their love, the joy that these kids showed me. I remember these little children that live in some not too beautiful condition. I feel the joy, I love them.
“I remember that people that were with me couldn’t keep their eyes from tears. Everybody was shedding tears. Meanwhile, these children were welcoming us as strangers into their homes, and some of them even into their rooms with all their hearts, full of love and joy. This is what I cannot forget.
“We have to be honest. There is something special about our Nigerian children. These children are naturally happy, and I cannot deny it. So, what we always hear is love, love, love. Love is something that grows. If you keep love, if you choose love, love will continue to choose you. So, my friends, let’s come together and let’s choose love. And we cannot do it alone, we have to do this together.
“We have to start giving this love back, we have to try to get these children a better life. We have to do that together.
“So, I am asking all my friends, family members, please, help me in this. Thank you very much for listening and God bless you.”
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Governor Oshiomhole said the project is purely the initiative of his wife.
According to him, she paid a visit to some orphanages, and found that “there are a number of children who are being cared for and the terrible condition that prevail in many of the orphanages, and the fact that they don’t have access to regular income to ensure the welfare of those kids, and she felt that she should organize something on a sustainable basis that she can sustain even long after we have left government, to refocus public attention to those orphanages.
“But what most people do once in a year, maybe during your birthday or something, people go to the orphanages. But the need of the kids is every day. Then, she felt there has to be a more systematic way to provide support.
“It is purely her own initiative, it is purely her drive. As you can see for the first time, I had no remarks, because it is not my day. But I am happy that she thought about it.”
Over N137 million was raised from pledges and cash donations from donors which included Alhjai Aliko Dangote, who was represented on the occasion.

Soyinka and Tinubu goofed. They missed it. They had the opportunity, the big stage to floor IBB but, they chickened out. they ran away. IBB had the last laugh. What a shame. Oshiomhole meant well. Organising one man, one vote means all votes, including IBB's must count. In any case, Tinubu was planning a mega party with Buhari, so how is Buhari better than IBB, How is Buhari a democrat and IBB is not. Hypocrisy of the highest order!

So many people --- professionals, politicians and hatchet writers have written or bared their minds on the “One man, One Vote” rally held in Benin City, on April 29, however, one has seen that many of the commentators deviated from the substance, which is the rally and dwelt on the peripherals, which is the non-attendance of some of the invitees.
I’ll try and play the middle course by dwelling on both the rally and the non-attendance of some invitees.

First on the rally. Did a rally hold in Benin City on Thursday, April 19, 2010 supporting the principle of “One man, One Vote” or not? The answer to this is a resounding Yes. There was indeed a rally on the said date.

Another question: was the rally a success going by the crowd that attended and the number and calibre of dignitaries that graced the occasion? The answer to this is another Yes.

Third question: Was the message passed on the need for the principle of “One Man, One Vote” to be respected and adhered with in the coming and all other elections in the country? The answer to this is yes. The message was passed and well received.

Final question: Did those who graced the occasion and other Nigerians at home and in the diaspora who watched on television know or notice that anyone was missing from the rally until the next day when the papers reported the non-attendance of some invitees. The answer to this, I believe is No. I doubt if anybody noticed the absence of some of the invitees going by the calibre of those who attended and used the occasion to air their views.

Now to those who did not attend, for them, some questions too. In the first place, was it not advertised that the Special Guest of honour was to be the Senate President, Senator David Mark.

Again, was it also not advertised that the rally was open to all former Presidents, Governors and members of the National Assembly?
Did they not know that General Ibrahim Babangida is a former President and could attend? So why did they have to wait till the day of the rally, why did they have to fly to Benin first before registering their protest? Would it not amount to sheer hypocrisy for some of the invitees, as reported in the newspapers, that they only got to see the names of the invitees on the pages of the newspapers on the day of the event when the event had been advertised severally in the newspapers?

Another question: Going by the rankings in today’s democracy, is Senator David Mark not the number 2 man after the Acting President Goodluck Jonathan? Why would anybody want to shun a rally called for the deepening of democracy simply because David Mark was billed to attend the rally?
While I cannot even try to castigate those who failed to attend the rally, I believe the best approach to make your voice heard is to speak out. Those who shunned the rally on the basis that General Ibrahim Babangida and Senator David Mark were also invited should know  that General Mohammadu Buhari was also invited and would have attended save for other engagements and he duly sent his apologies and best wishes to the organizers. So, would those who stayed away have done so had General Buhari attended and others not invited? So, how does General Buhari have better democratic credentials over the others?

In any case, he who is healthy does not need a physician. Why did those who stayed away not use the opportunity of the occasion to preach or castigate or demand apology or set agenda for David Mark and Babangida when the opportunity so presented itself.

I was not at the rally, but I watched it live on TV and I was highly impressed by Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, Barrister Festus Keyamo and Alhaji Hassan Sunmonu who, instead of shying away, used the opportunity of the occasion to take a swipe at General Babangida for annulling the freest and fairest election in the history of the country.

This is what others could have done. They could have insisted that the principle of “One Man, One Vote” be adhered to, that the electoral reform as proposed by the Uwais Commission is a sine qua non and that the Senate under the leadership of David Mark should do the right thing by adopting the Uwais panel report. Now, the opportunity is lost and Nigerians are the loser.

While not diminishing the status and stature of those who spoke at the rally including the Acting President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, ASUU President, Dr Ukachukwu Awuzie; Alhaji Barabe Musa, TUC President, Peter Esele; Barrister Festus Keyamo, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar; Chief Niyi  Akintola (SAN), Governors of Anambra, Rivers, Delta, Cross River and Bayelsa; Rev Father Matthew Hassan Kukah among others, Prof Wole Soyinka, Senator Bola Tinubu and Alhaji Usman Bugaje would have done better to enrich Nigerians with their views on electoral reforms rather than deny them a drink from their fountains of knowledge. On this I stand.