The Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office today notes the news reports arising from an exchange on the floor of the Senate in which the incumbent Senate President, Mr. Godswill Akpabio accused the leadership of the 8th Senate of not fully funding the constituency projects of members.

Our initial response was to ignore the report because Dr. Saraki believes there are more serious existential issues confronting our country and her people like hunger and extreme hardship which should keep the leaders disturbed, busier, and more focused than throwing banters.

However, he has also been persuaded by the need to explain the project funding process in the budget such that members of the public will not be misguided about the roles of the various institutions and individuals in the process.

For clarification, the Saraki Media Office will want members of the public to note that then President Muhammadu Buhari deliberately refused to approve funds for the constituency projects of members of the Eighth National Assembly obviously to punish the members for questioning some of the loan requests presented by the executive before the legislature.

Instead of viewing the legislature’s scrutiny of the loan’s request and the demand for elaborate explanations that would help in making informed decisions as democratic necessities, the Buhari government’s reaction was to be hostile and to seek to stifle the performance of the legislature.

The refusal to fund constituency projects of members of the legislature was used as one of the retaliatory instruments. That was the experience of the 8th National Assembly. Mr. Akpabio, as Senate minority leader for over three years in the four-year tenure of the 8th Senate, ought to know better and even his experience as Senate President in the last eight months also ought to have made him more informed.

Therefore, Mr. Akpabio is very well aware that the leadership of the Eighth Senate cannot be held responsible for failure to fund constituency projects. Unfortunately, he chose to play politics with facts, and as usual, make a joke and jest with serious national issues.

Signed

Yusuph Olaniyonu
Head, Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office

Senator Natasha Uduaghan: An Activist Senator Living Up to Expectations

By Usman Okai Austin

Previously, many believed that we were only good at pointing out errors and criticizing those in authority, and that we would fail if given the opportunity. Today, Natasha has rewritten history, proving that political activists are not just talkers but doers, not just promise-makers but promise-keepers.

I shouldn't have penned this now, but desperation wouldn't allow me to wait. What else am I waiting for when the truth is out there, visible to the blind and loud enough for deaf ears to hear? You have been able to stand tall in the red chamber, not just as a Senator, but as one whose door is widely open not only to the central district but to all Kogites.

As a Comrade, I am not a praise singer, nor am I writing this to attract any favors. Rather, it is to inform the public that contrary to naysayers' predictions, Senator Natasha is completely different from others.

For those expecting me to list her achievements as a Senator, they will be disappointed because I am not here for that. Her achievements are well-known, and you can testify to them.

Among her numerous achievements is her interest in investigating international fraud that occurred in Ajaokuta Steel Company. This company, which the elites and some leaders conspired to destroy, has the capacity to address national unemployment, provide building materials, technology, and address many other issues. However, today it is a mere shadow of itself, courtesy of corruption and conspiracy.

Every government in power promises to actualize Ajaokuta's dream, yet it remains an annual festival designed to pump money there and divert it at the end.

The decision of the Senate to probe Ajaokuta Steel Company, NIOMCO, over alleged unlawful $496 million payment, initiated by you, is not a mere move to score political goals but one that can right wrongs and prevent further damage to the comatose steel mill.

Ajaokuta, if well-placed, will equate Kogi State with other states like Lagos, Rivers, and Kano in terms of internally generated revenue. This move will thwart future plans to use the steel as a fraudulent compound and ensure justice for those who committed crimes against the state.

As an ordinary citizen, you have led protests against the stagnant position of the steel, even within your own Kogi Central constituency. History beckons on you to ensure the company gets a facelift in collaboration with the Minister of Steel, who is also from Kogi State.

I know without being told that the cabal benefiting from the comatose status of the steel plant will want the status quo to remain, as it enables them to profit. But with your capacity as an activist and upbringing as a comrade who has investigated the steel's activity without any mandate, you can do more now that you have the mandate of your people.

The eyes are on you, and the comradeship community believes you will not fail with prayers from your people and the entire Kogites

Usman Okai Austin ,public affairs analyst writes from Abuja

The governor's delayed response to the fuel subsidy crisis is a clear sign of misplaced priorities. Kwarans were struggling for months before a committee was even formed in August 2023. Did a few bags of rice truly make up for the hardship faced over such a long period?

Praising a committee is all well and good, but the people demand transparency. Where's the full report outlining the distribution process? How do we know this wasn't simply a way to reward political allies, especially considering the committee head's government connections?

"Fairness" and vague claims of "commendation" mean nothing without concrete evidence. We need independent assessments to prove who actually benefited or if entire communities were left behind. Palliatives are a band-aid, not a solution to the economic problems the governor's policies have helped create.

Kwarans need more than handouts. Where are the state-driven plans to reduce the cost of living, boost employment, and create long-term economic stability?

Finally, promises to "work round the clock" are worthless, bordering on insulting. Our people need concrete plans, not empty slogans. Blaming mysterious "fifth columnists" is pathetic scapegoating; we all know the real culprits of the economic hardship we are facing.

NIGERIANS beyond Bayelsa State and the Ijaw Nation have continued to applaud the maturity and leadership of former Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, now a Senator, in managing the transitions in Bayelsa different from the tensions that they have raised between former Governors and their successors in other places. He has been exceptional and exemplary.


His distance and non-interference in the running the State’s affairs, makes Governor Douye Diri the freest Governor in Nigeria. His freedom to associate even with the political opponents of his benefactor is unusual in this clime. Against the machinations of those who do not mean well for the State, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sen Dickson mobilised his massive support that led to PDP’s landslide victory in the November 2023 governorship election.

Sen Dickson’s endorsement of Governor Diri at his country home prevented decamping and gave clear direction of where the people should vote. From that day the opposition knew that it had lost the election.


The victory confirmed Sen Dickson’s place in the people’s hearts and reaffirmed a more disturbing fact to those who oppose him – any party interested in taking Bayelsa State in an election, must resolve the Dickson question.

Four years after leaving office as Governor, Sen Dickson has remained the main issue in Bayelsa State politics with his inspirational influence anchored in the other five States where Ijaw communities benefitted from his initiatives that united the Ijaw Nation.

He has been one of the outstanding arrowheads of the Ijaw emancipation movement, following the footsteps of Chief Harold Dappa Biriye, Isaac Adaka Boro, Chief Melford Okilo, Pa Edwin Clark, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, the first civilian Governor of Bayelsa State, and others. Sen Dickson spent his eight-year tenure as the Governor in mobilising Ijaws in the six States that they are found to emphasise their issues, assert their place in Nigeria, and prepare them for leadership through education, dedication to promoting their identity with his leadership style that commanded attention and national respect.

He held the fort without compromising. Winning the elections in the State in 2015 and 2019 despite everything that the All Progressives Congress, APC, did, indicated his hold on Bayelsa State, really the people’s appreciation for his great performances in various areas that touched their lives. His strong followership testifies to the regard the people have for him. They fondly call him the Ofuruma Pepe, the Great White Shark.

Naturally, as one whose political views have decisive impact in the State, the Ijaw Nation and beyond, he has been a favourite target of those who feel he threatens their ambitions. Those who want a weakened and divided Ijaw Nation see him as a galvanizer of Ijaws, particularly now that Pa Clark is ageing. The purposes of the attacks are simple – demonise Senator Dickson, distract the Ijaws, destroy the unity that have.


No Governor of Bayelsa State has done as much as Senator Dickson did, and is still doing for the promotion of Ijaws as a people, no matter their State of origin. None has invested resources in raising the profile of Ijaws through education as he has. None has envisioned and executed the quantity and quality of programmes, policies, and projects that he established in Bayelsa State. They are still running after he left office.

Sen Dickson set Bayelsa State and Ijaws on a discernible path of self-discovery and development away from the lazy debates about which part of the Ijaw Nation one was from. He resolved that Bayelsa was the Ijaw homeland, including Ijaws in the other five States of Cross River, Edo, Delta, Ondo, and Rivers. He created the Ministry of Ijaw National Affairs. The first Commissioner of that Ministry was an Ijaw from Delta State.

Is Sen Dickson the one anyone would under any guise describe as dividing Ijaws? Did he do that by appointing more than 100 Ijaws from States outside Bayelsa into the Ministry of Ijaw National Affairs? Scholarships and employment opportunities in Bayelsa State were also available to Ijaws from those States.


The Bayelsa State flag, Coat of Arms and an anthem or state song were among Senator Dickson’s efforts at establishing the place of the Ijaws. Some States have since followed his leadership after the debates about the propriety of the flag, coat of arm, and state song.

Some of policies of the Dickson administration that lifted the Ijaw Nation were:

. The Bayelsa International Airport, the first in the Ijaw Nation which opened up the State for business.

. Ijaw National Academy, the flagship of his efforts on the intellectual front. Conceived as the premier secondary school in the Ijaw homeland, the standards were high. Excellence was a watchword and the facilities were top notch. It was aimed at breeding new Ijaw leadership by producing the next set of intellectuals under the highly competitive settings that global standards demand.

More than 1,500 students were on full scholarship. The beneficiaries were drawn from Ijaw communities of Rivers, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Delta States. There was no discrimination against the students. They were Ijaws back to the homeland.

. He awarded thousands of scholarships at home and abroad to Ijaws to enhance their competitiveness for opportunities.

. The Ijaw National Heroes Memorial Park to honour Ijaws who have excelled in public service to Nigeria while advancing the Ijaw struggle was another of Senator Dickson’s signature projects. By May 2013, he brought back the remains of Major Isaac Adaka Boro to Bayelsa to be buried and a befitting mausoleum was built in his memory at the Park. Late General Owoye Andrew Azazi, Ijaw Nation’s first four-star military General who served Nigeria as one-time Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Defence Staff and National Security Adviser was also buried at the Park and has a mausoleum built in his memory. Other prominent Ijaw icons who have been laid to rest or have mausoleums built to honour them at the Ijaw National Heroes Park are Chief Melford Okilo, Harold Dappa Biriye, Gabriel Okara, Rex Jim Lawson, Rear Admiral Bossman Soroh, Ernest Okoli, Reverend Ockiya, the first man to translate the Bible into Nembe Language and other associates of Major Isaac Adaka Boro.

. Sen Dickson set up a historical committee for the Ijaw History project, co-ordinated by the State Historian to oversee and determine those eligible to be immortalised at the Ijaw National Heroes Memorial Park.

. He extended developments to several Ijaw communities outside Bayelsa, like a hospital in Arogbo, an Ijaw community in Ondo State, and rewarded others with appointments, scholarships, land allocations, in keeping with his inaugural address promise of making Bayelsa homeland of all Ijaws.

. Sen Dickson resolved problems and differences that cropped up in the Ijaw National Congress and Ijaw Youth Congress, some of which preceded his tenure as Governor.

. He completed and commissioned the Ijaw National Congress House that Governor Alamieyeseigha started.



. He commissioned the Ijaw History Project for books on key Ijaw leaders among them Chief Edwin Clark, and President Jonathan.

The choice of his Deputy Governor, Attorney-General, Commissioner for Finance from Nembe, and Secretary to the State Government from Ogbia, later Nembe, would not count for they would tell a different story. His choice and support of the current Governor and his Deputy to succeed, one of his reasons being inclusiveness, so that parts of the State that were deemed “too small” for those offices would get them, are not considered when he is accused of splitting Ijaws.

His was not a Sagbama government or one run by a Sagbama clique. Sen Dickson fought for Ijaws and treated them as the same. One more example is Chief Harold Dappa Biriye after whom the modern conference centre in Yenagoa is named. He was an Ijaw from Bonny in Rivers State.

Sen Dickson has resisted provocations to join issues with his successor. Rather, his maintenance of a strategic distance and non-interference in the State’s affairs, though available for consultation and advice, has been recommended to States blighted by governorship transition challenges.

The disappointed enemies of Bayelsa State and Ijaw Nation having failed with their baits and temptations to draw Sen Dickson to plunge Bayelsa State into a crisis elevated their propaganda to an article by Fred Itua in The Sun of 4 December 2023 to make unfounded allegations of godfatherism against Sen Dickson, whose mature, and exemplary management of his relationship with his successor has been applauded by Nigerians within and beyond Bayelsa State.

Ironically, those pretending to be friends of the current Governor are the same people who fought him politically and legally up to the Supreme Court. They did not want him to succeed Sen. Dickson.

Many recall with admiration how Sen Dickson through his temperament and political management, engagement with the youth, and legislations that empowered the enforcement of law and order restored stability to Bayelsa, and most of the Niger Delta. Operation Doo-Akpo (Peaceful Life), the State’s security outfit, and the Bayelsa State Community Safety Corps had sophisticated equipment and operational facilities for security operations all over the State. They worked with national security agencies to secure the State. Before his administration, cultism, political restiveness, violence, communal clashes, banishments, militancy and insecurity were central to life and politics in Bayelsa State.

Political instability in Bayelsa was well-known. There was turmoil in the State House of Assembly where Speakers were changed constantly, a practice that spread to the leadership of the ruling PDP. Governor Dickson worked out stability that has outlived his tenure.

As Governor, Sen Dickson used his powers for peace and to protect the people, including opposition parties for their political campaigns. His deft management of the power play from Abuja and in Bayelsa doused tensions, while President Goodluck Jonathan was in power, and rallying the people for Jonathan after he lost power, were outcomes even outsiders noticed.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo during a 2016 visit to Bayelsa State wondered how Governor Dickson was able to end the militancy that made the State the epicentre of the unrest in the Niger Delta and caused losses worth billions of Naira to the national economy.

This ideological politician held his ground without compromising or negotiating away his party as many Governors do these days. His 2015 re-election was tough, the first election that PDP won after losing power at the centre. He has won several other battles by mobilising his political base in a non-violent manner and sticking to his ideological principles. People know him as a politician you can be sure of his stand.

His steadfastness and loyalty to friendship has won him friends across political lines all over Nigeria. His simple lifestyle, sincere and genuine friendship has earned him the admiration and respect of associates. His legendary capacity for managing people is only matched by his knack for picking out talents and mentoring them to super stars. He disagrees with people’s ideas without disagreeing with the owners of the ideas.

His political philosophy steadfastness, and loyaty to the party, issues and people saw him resist the pressures to leave the PDP at a time the party lost power at the centre. He places service for the common good, loyalty, and issues of the environment, Ijaw Nation, Niger Delta, and Nigeria above personal comfort and aggrandizement. His politics is about service, higher values, and commitment to the people and their welfare. He attends to countless number of people daily at his residences in Abuja and Bayelsa.

With a profile that reflects the depth of his political roots, Sen Dickson was State Chairman of the Alliance for Democracy, AD in 1999, and face of the opposition in Bayelsa, National Legal Adviser of Ijaw National Congress, and National Legal Adviser of AD, concurrently in 2000, appointed Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice 2005, elected Member, House of Representatives in 2007, re-elected in 2011, elected Governor in 2012, re-elected in 2015, first Governor to complete eight years in the history of Bayelsa State, and handed over to a successor his team selected. He was elected to the Senate in a 2020 bye-election for Bayelsa West and re-elected for a full term in 2023.

His record as the one who laid the foundation for the new Bayelsa with legacies in every sphere is evident. The Governor and his team, who were members of the Dickson’s Restoration Administration continue to enjoy the benefits of Sen Dickson’s pioneering and visionary leadership.

Sen Dickson through mega projects, programmes, and policies gave the Ijaw Nation a new reason to be better people. In his entire political life, he has given his best to Bayelsa, the Ijaw Nation, the Niger Delta and Nigeria. His comportment and temperament invite people to aspire to a new paradigm of selfless and visionary service in politics. It is time Sen Dickson told the story.

Lagos, December 5, 2023 – Pernod Ricard, a distinguished global leader in wines and spirits, marks the launch of its "Safe Roads" campaign with a pivotal visit to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). This initiative underscores Pernod Ricard's enduring commitment to cultivating a culture of responsible drinking and fortifying road safety measures, extending well beyond the festive season.

During the visit, Sola Oke, the Managing Director of Pernod Ricard in Nigeria, emphasized the imperative of collaboration with the FRSC to foster customer awareness regarding responsible drinking and the perils associated with alcohol misuse. Oke stated, "Our aim is to ensure people enjoy and celebrate responsibly all through the year but most specifically during this period. Our focus on commercial drivers is paramount due to the lives entrusted in their hands. With your invaluable support, our ongoing sensitization efforts strive to deter drink-driving. To date, we've sensitized through education over 3,000 commercial drivers."

The "Safe Roads" campaign, initiated in 2021 in Nigeria, aligns with Pernod Ricard's responsible hosting pillar within its Sustainability and Responsibility roadmap, in harmony with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 – ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
Pernod Ricard's outreach spans various motor parks, airwaves, and communities, conducting compelling campaigns every Easter and December, extending critical messages about the dangers of alcohol misuse but ensure responsible drinking.
Hosting the executives of Pernod Ricard Nigeria, Babatunde O. Farinloye, the Sector Commander FRSC Lagos State, expressed gratitude for the broader outreach facilitated by Pernod Ricard in conveying vital messages. He reiterated the necessity for responsible drinking, stating, "Your involvement is instrumental in our collective efforts.

We advocate for a Nigerian road safety vision where accidents, even if they occur, do not claim lives. Your visit today resonates with our emphasis on responsible drinking. One of the leading causes of road accidents, apart from speeding, is driving under the influence."

Dolapo Onasanya, Human Resources Director at Pernod Ricard Nigeria, highlighted, "Our courtesy visit to the FRSC epitomizes Pernod Ricard Nigeria's unwavering commitment to societal welfare. We eagerly anticipate sustained collaboration with the government and stakeholders to significantly foster a culture of moderation and safer celebrations."

The visit culminated in the donation of 100 reflective jackets and ten traffic stands by the Pernod Ricard team to the FRSC, reaffirming the company's steadfast dedication to social responsibility and its proactive role in nurturing a safer and more conscientious driving culture in Nigeria.

Previous editions of the 'Safe Roads' campaign garnered substantial support from various government bodies, including the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). The campaign was lauded for curtailing irresponsible drinking among public transport drivers preceding the Christmas celebrations in 2021 and 2022.

This year's campaign will encompass amongst others, a radio campaign featuring lively jingles tailored for commercial drivers across Lagos, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt, advocating responsible drinking and ensuring safer roads throughout the festive season.

Gaspardd:


My nature of work requires I travel to diff states, currently I'm in the North while she manages her thriving biz in Lagos.

Although it wasn't like that from d start. We both used to be jobless love birds staying at home 24/7.

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the lawmaker representing Kogi Central has promised to foster collaboration between Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), to strengthen the complimentary medicine-local content industry sector.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Senator Natasha disclosed this on Tuesday during oversight visits to some MDAs by the Senate Committee on Health.

The collaboration, she said, would facilitate the development of high-tech laboratories for the furtherance of research in alternative medicine and pharmaceutical products; and also support the growth of indigenous start-ups in medical fields.

"Israel amongst other countries, especially America has taken huge interest in alternative medicine and it will interest you to know that some of the raw materials they use are being outsourced from a number of African countries including Nigeria.

"So, if our raw materials can be taken out of here (Nigeria) into Israel or America and developed into clinically proven drugs, we should be able to invest resources to develop the best products to tackle health challenges right in our localities.

"The Local Content is ready for collaboration and I believe funding won't be an issue because we already have funds with CBN and even Bank of Industry and we would be able to work towards developing a collaboration between NAFDAC and NCDMB to convert existing structures the one of the NOGAPS Industrial Parks into medical high-tech hubs so empirical and clinical research can be conducted and monitored, " she stated.

Responding, the NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Moji Adeyeye complained about lack of support from the federal government towards the development of the alternative medicine sector adding that more clinical research is required as that will help in regulating the practitioners and their products in the country.

Arogbonlo Israel
Chief Press Secretary to Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan
December 5, 2023.

Oluwaloniglory7:

Please I need a clarification on this question below:-

I'm going for 2 years course which will ended in August 2025 and my passport will expire in March 2025, now my study visa as been approved but till validity of my passport in March 2025 instead of August 2025.

I know I will extend my study permit when I enter Canada but what about my spouse and kids that their passport still valid for 5 years? are they going to issue their visa according to my own validity or they will get their visa completely?

Press Release

No doubt, the protracted PDP crisis, hopefully, which is beginning to abate by the recent thoughts and talks of reconciliation, all started by the

conceited violation of the Section 7(3)(c) of the PDP constitution which states that the party shall pursue these aims and objectives by adhering to the policy of the rotation and zoning of all elective offices in pursuance of the principle of equity, justice and fairness.



PDP came into turmoil and has been deeply enmeshed in it when its rules of engagement were put to test by the uncanny incident of death of a sitting PDP president, late President Umaru Yar’Adua in May 5, 2010. Then, there was nothing in the PDP books that could suffice to salvage this sorry state and eventually to dictate the next steps of action.

PDP became void and vulnerable and was tossed around by the unfettered avarice of accidental politicians. Here, PDP couldn’t ascertain the proper route to resolve a conundrum. Till date this culture persists.

Not withstanding, the puzzling opening became naturally occupied with no much recourse to political considerations, and President Goodluck Jonathan stepped in. But this later became a tug of war to the party.

The emergence of President Jonathan to continue the tenure of the late, with no accurate laid down interpretation from PDP constitution to guide, exposed the limitations of man, and the PDP forebears in particular, in a political calculation. Then, keeping to equity here will become discretionary since one has two constitutions ; Nigeria and PDP, to contend with.

For Mr Jonathan, he was serving out the tenure of his late boss, hoping to commence his, afresh thereafter. But for the PDP faithfuls from the North, President Goodluck Jonathan was completing his own first term in office by the virtue of his joint ticket with President Yar’Adua. Thus, when time came for the big sacrifice of political understanding, owing to the exigency of the time, President Goodluck Jonathan chose to become apolitical. Finding a permanent solution to PDP crisis means reworking the PDP constitution through amendments. Some things must be spelt out.

Then, PDP stakeholders were quoting PDP constitution, and Mr Jonathan was quoting the Nigerian constitution, asserting his right to two terms in office. But he never said anything about the two years he gulped from the Yar’Adua’s tenure. For this reason, the North ganged up against the perceived impudence from President Jonathan.

The wounds that came with the 2015 PDP presidential primary debacle are still very fresh with some people. They are not yet healed.

On this background, the young people of PDP in their soul searching to rescue PDP discovered that the trouble of PDP is Lack of Sacrifice for the party. Till date, nobody cares about the party. All love for the party is lost. So bad, this development is beginning to pose an existential threat to the party – PDP.

It is against this anomaly that PDP YOUNG INTEGRITY GROUP is intervening with the primary objective to persuade the party to respect the principle of equity,justice and fairness as contained in section 7(3) C of the PDP constitution.

This inherent threat to PDP, arising from 2015 general elections was supposedly to have been put to rest by the Senator Ike Ekweremadu committee, set up to assess and address the fallouts. The Ekweremadu report highlighted the importance of zoning and rotation of power between North and South. And to correct the errors of 2015 general elections, the PDP presidential ticket was eventually zoned to the North as a result.

For this decision, PDP got a big respite; it was like a magic when peace and unity reigned abundantly in PDP. Ceding the PDP presidential ticket to the North in 2019 presidential election at a time when APC was also preparing to field an incumbent, a northerner. It was a wonderful calculation done by the Sen Ekweremadu team.

Consequently, the 2019 PDP political events of the presidential election was beautiful and promising, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, returning from the APC to pick the PDP presidential ticket. The PDP southern political stakeholders stayed out of the race in regard for the zoning arrangement. Again, each of the PDP southern stakeholders didn’t buy nomination form to contest, rather picked and supported the all Northern PDP presidential aspirants.

For instance, Chief Nyesom Wike supported Alh.Aminu Tambuwal. And when Tambuwal couldn’t make it at the presidential primary, Nyesom Wike and Tambuwal shifted their support to the party candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Mr Wike gave Atiku big support both in logistics and funding. This is the kind of PDP that members always dream of. Politics without bitterness.

But, this peace experienced in PDP became short lived when the party set up a committee headed by Sen Bala Mohammed, to basically review the 2019 general elections and recommend the way forward.

The Senator Bala Mohammed committee ought to have built on the spirit and gains of the the recommendation of Senator Ike Ekweremadu committee that was decisive about the zoning of 2019 PDP presidential ticket, by courageously recommending that the PDP presidential ticket be zoned to the North, to move the party forward. Rather the Sen. Bala Mohammed committee came up with some three key recommendations that informed the setting up of Gov Samuel Ortom's zoning committee that should not have been necessary if the committee was decisive and sincere. Part of the three recommendations of that committee that unsettled the party were: one, to micro zone the party's presidential ticket to the Southeast and Northeast, two, the committee introduced a strange political lexicon into the party affairs known as winnerability ie that the party should adopt the presidential aspirant with the most electable potential. Three, the committee also suggested that the PDP presidential ticket be left open.

The controversy generated from the Sen Bala Mohammed committee report gave rise to the Gov Samuel Ortom zoning committee. The committee could not do much because the presidential election forms were already on sale and one of the leading presidential aspirants had purchased one.The committee among other reasons had to abandon the zoning arrangement as a political solution to avert a likely implosion in the party, and decided to throw the contest open. These events actually formed the nexus that the preceding internal party crisis was built upon.

PDP YOUNG INTEGRITY GROUP haven keenly watched and studied the lines of politics in the PDP and the country, have decided to insist on the advancement of the principle of equity, justice and fairness as the sure way to restore the party on the path to rebuild and genuinely reconcile all interest in the party.

Our mission as a group is to dispassionately seek that the party is redirected and repositioned internally and externally as the leading opposition political party in Nigeria. Our members are willing to directly and indirectly serve as the vanguard of pushing initiatives for the amicable resolution of all issues while encouraging the critical party stakeholders to entrench justice to allow peace reign again.

Since the 2023 general elections, our group has consistently advocated for genuine reconciliation purposely to situate the party appropriately to win elections, now and in future.

Critical among factors that are standing on the way of entrenching genuine reconciliation among party leaders and the party is the lack of political inclusiveness that gave rise to the call for the campaign for equity, Justice and fairness. For us that is the precursor to the build-up towards true reconciliation in PDP.

The present composition of the PDP national leadership structure is not only flawed but betrays the actual pillar in the party constitution that bothers on power rotation. For instance, the Acting National Chairman of PDP, Amb. Umar Damagum is from the North, the PDP presidential candidate is from the North, the Chairman of PDP Governors’s Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed is also from the North among others. We wish to use this avenue to appeal to the patriotic leaders in our party to sacrifice convenience for PDP to live.

As conveyors and proponents of integrity in PDP and Nigeria at large, we will work assiduously to correct these obvious defects in our party structure and across her organs. We hope to convey credible updates of the party to all the party faithful across the country in a bid to resonate hope and faith in the party once more.

We are determined to report about PDP accounts and it's financial books. We will expose all culprits and reward leaders with integrity, to assert our voluntary mission in PDP.

The reconciliation that we seek shall be established on the premises of equity and justice. By October 31, 2023, the present NWC members would have spent two years in office, considering when they were elected into office, and that will qualify the party for a midterm convention as provided in our party constitution.

Section 47(3)(4) of the PDP constitution provides that a midterm convention be conducted to enable the party congress assess and pass a vote or no vote of confidence on the national executive members of the party..

The midterm convention or congress will also serve as a medium to constitutionally address the lopsidedness in the PDP leadership nationwide.

Owing to the fact that the PDP presidential ticket resides in the North, it is only fair and just to work and support the balance in the leadership structure of the party without reservations.

The PDP Young Integrity Group will not rest on its oars while pointing out the injustices in PDP, and be at alert to defend PDP always. To all PDP family, we encourage you to never give up on our party. PDP is the only National political party in Nigeria with the most credible intention to transform Nigeria. The struggle to restore our party on the path of equity, justice and fairness should be the primary task of all patriotic members of the PDP.

Long live PDP
Long live Nigeria

*Signed* :

1. Ochachangolo Armstrong Adah
National Leader

2. Bamidele Seyi Abiola
Deputy National Leader

3 Johnson Adamu Spokesperson

4. Bod' Oriade
National Secretary

The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization has called on Nigerians, all lovers of democracy and believers in our nationhood to join forces with its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar and running mate, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to save our country from its current drift by coming out enmasse to elect the duo on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

The Campaign salutes Nigerians for their overwhelming support for Atiku Abubakar and the PDP as being demonstrated by the unprecedented overflowing crowd at our campaign rallies, deluge of goodwill, prayers and solidarity in all our engagements across the six Geo-Political Zones ahead of the election.

Such massive support and organic followership not only point to the confidence and trust Nigerians across board has in Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, but also show that the APC and its deflated Presidential Candidate have no foothold in any part of the country.

The candidature of Atiku Abubakar is a national project firmly built on equity, fairness, justice and which enjoys the acceptance and support of all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnicity and creed, in the collective resolve to rescue our nation from the woes of the harrowing misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This is because Atiku Abubakar stands out as the candidate with the blueprint, most preferred programs and a readiness to lead our nation to the path of unity, national stability and economic recovery

Atiku in his Marshall Plan has showcased the readiness to unify our nation, guarantee her security, revive the economy and steer her away from the looming danger of crisis, brawling and rioting into which she has been sunk by the APC

The Atiku/Okowa Campaign urges Nigerians to rekindle their hopes in line with the Atiku Call for a Government of National Unity (GNU) under his leadership as the elected President so as to revamp our national productivity, restore our dignity and take back our pride of place in the comity of nation as one of the largest and strongest economies of the world.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan
Spokesperson
Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organisation

The Nigerian people have for years been under the slavish mechanisation of the political slave masters. Time came, time went when the masses suffered various degrees of hardship without the interventions of these political slave masters. Whether it is executive, legislative or judiciary, government policies have been unfair and unjust to Nigerians who could not but bear the brunt.

When on 20th October 2020, Nigerian youths were forced to rise against sundry police brutality, the government were quick to visit the protest venues with guns and bullets. When the COVID-19 lockdown hit the world, government hoarded palliatives supplied to ameliorate public sufferings. The government nonchalant attitude was not different to the many months of ASUU strike, including scarcity of petrol.

Again, there has been high rate of thuggery, banditry, and robbery amounting to huge insecurity in the land, yet the government was not forthcoming with any assurance.

Today, as the time comes for the indigenous people of Nigeria to take back Nigeria from their political slave masters, there are indications of unsettled political hijackers. They have resorted to all sorts of lobbying to disrupt a timely monetary policy designed to curb among others, the vote buying culture that continues to mar our electoral value and enthrone misfits.

They have instigated hunger and anger to forment danger in Nigeria. Apparently, the aim is to cause violence and ultimate cancellation of the forthcoming election.

Nigerian Youths and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians are by this press conference called to shun any form of violence and embrace the present CBN policy which targets the sanitisation of politics in our polity. Regrettably, the policy is being sabotaged by the banks in collision with their corrupt transactional politicians. Needless to say that although the policy may be sudden and tasking, the merits are far more than the seeming inconveniences.

Nigerians are advised to exercise a little bit more of perseverance as the appointed moment of deliverance is right at hand.

The best before us is to let the hunger and anger trigger the much desired ballot revolution in our dear motherland, and we dare conclude by saying, let the ballot banga quench the hunger and anger.

Mazi Nnamdi Dickson Iroegbu
Convener: Indigenous People of Nigeria (IPN)

2023: PDP Youths Holds Northeast Town Hall, NANS Endorse Atiku Abubakar For President

The Northeast Zonal Chapter of the National Association of Nigeria Students, NANS, has endorsed the candidacy of the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party for the February 25 Presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

This was made known by Comrade Alhassan Adam, the NANS Zone E Coordinator (Northeast) in Gombe State at the PDP Youths and Students Stakeholders Engagement/Townhall organised by the PDP National Youth Campaign Council on Saturday.

At the event, the PDP National Youth Leader, Prince Muhammed Kadade, stated that Northeast Youths should not waste this golden opportunity of electing their own as President.

Kadad3 also said that Atiku Abubakar is the only mam that understands Nigeria and has capacity to address them.

Present at the event are: Muhammed Kadade, the National Youth Leader of PDP, Hon. Timothy Osadolo, the Deputy Youth Leader, Ada Fredrick Okwori, the Deputy Youth Director (female), other Deputy Directors, Leaders of Youth Groups and Youths of Gombe State

Oyewole Michael

“The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government”

Section 14(2) (b), Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended.

Nigeria is in a very bad. I repeat, Nigeria is in a terribly bad shape.

This year, 2022, the Multidimensional Poverty Index survey reveal that: 63% of persons living within Nigeria (133 million people) are multidimensionally poor. To assert the credibility of this statistics, it is important to state that the quoted start above was a collaborative effort between the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office, NASSCO, the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, OPHI. Nigerians are historically poorer than ever.

What does all these mean? It means, there is fire on the mountain. Wait, in practical terms, let me elucidate some of the metrics highlighted above to something we all can relate to.

A bag of rice was sold in 2015 for #8,000, now it is #42,000. A litre of PMS sold in 2015 for #87, now it is #191. One dollar exchanged in 2015 for #199, now it is #800. Coke was sold in 2015 for #60, now it is #200. A sachet of tomato paste in 2015 was sold for #40, now it is #120. A bottle of groundnut oil in 2015 was sold for #400, now it is #1,200. A bag of sachet water in 2015 was sold for #80, now it is between #200 and #300. Nigerians can no longer go about their legitimate businesses for fear of being killed or kidnapped. Bandits are now so emboldened that they collect taxes from Nigerians. Nigerians have abandoned their ancestral homes as a measure to live another day.

This year, 2022, between 1st January 1 and 29th July, about 7,222 Nigerians have been killed and 3,823 abducted. There are over 2, 840 incidents of insecurity was witnessed in the Country. Nigeria Security Incidents Tracker revealed this. For the first half of 2021, according to SBM Intelligence, about 2,371 people were kidnapped in the country. Over one billion Naira has been paid as ransom. Sadly, between January and December 7, 2022, a total of 598 Local Government Areas have experienced serious attacks and killings. Only 176 Local Government Areas have yet to experience attacks and killings. More so, between January and December this year, 10,873 people have been killed and another 5,693 kidnapped.

Since the APC took over power in 2015, the Country has experienced a recessed economy three times. Today, Nigeria is the second highest on Global list indices as regards unemployment rate. In 2021, Nigeria’s unemployment rate rose to 33.3% — highest in over 13 years. Sadly, the unemployment rate in 2022 will be much more higher. Statista has projected the unemployment rate in Nigeria to reach 33 per cent this year, 2022. What this means is that, over 50 million people from the active population of the Country will be unemployed. In September 2022, Nigeria's inflation rate hits a new 17-year high of 20.77%.

For the 7 plus years of the APC regime, Nigeria’s external debt increased by 291 percent while domestic debt grew by 86 percent. So, as at June 2022, the APC regime has sunk the Country into a debt burden of #30.72 trillion, and plans to borrow an additional #8.4 trillion. Presently, we are running a deficit budgetary system; we’re borrowing to fund our budget.

According Transparency International’s report, Nigeria ranks 154 out of 180 countries in Corruption Perceptions Index. The trajectory in decline is consistent; 136th in 2016, 144th in 2018, 146th in 2018, 149th in 2020, and now 154 in 2021. Nigeria is the second most corrupt Country in West Africa. Instructively, the APC regime’s intentional appointments into public office people undergoing trial lowers the bar in the drive for anti-corruption, probity, and transparency in administration. Many of those appointed by the APC still have an open file with the EFCC, including the party’s National chairman and other NWC members. The much touted fight against corruption is merely a façade.

The “Hon. off your mic…” scenario is still fresh in my mind. The grass cutting former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, is still a free man. 523 million Naira was said to have been expended to feed Children during the 2020 lockdown. The forensic audit of the NDDC is hidden in the Presidency. The panel set up to try the immediate past EFCC chair, Ibrahim Magu, has become a supremely guileful exercise despite the overwhelming evidence to support the allegation of corrupt practices and breach of public trust. Funnily, Magu got promoted. The allegations of financial mismanagement, financial recklessness, breach of financial regulations, and suppression of information that rocked the NHIS has been swept under the carpet. Sahara Reporters did an exclusive on the multi-billion Naira financial fraud that happened in NEMA. Till date, not one single person has been prosecuted. This year, petroleum products with methanol quantities above Nigeria’s specification were imported into the country. Was anyone held responsible? Millions of Naira was lost to car repairs, damages, etc. Truth is, the list is endless. APC = unprecedented corruption.

No wonder the former APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole said: “Once you have joined APC all your sins are forgiven.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has gone on cumulative strike days of 584 days in this APC regime. This is the longest ever since the creation of Nigeria. Also, for the first time ever, university lecturers were paid in pro rata. Shamefully, the APC regime has the least budgetary allocations for Education (Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary). These are testaments to the fact that the APC places no value whatsoever on Education. It is pertinent that I emphasis on this; the APC regime’s 2022 budgetary allocation to education is 5.39 percent. From all available data, this is the lowest percentage ever allocated to Education by the in the last ten years.

The more reason why we must collectively unite to recover Nigeria. I hope patriotic Nigerians will yield to this clarion call. We must ensure this inept and inutile APC is rejected at the polls, resoundingly.

Who will lead Nigerians to Recover Nigeria?

Enter Atiku Abubakar/ Ifeanyi Okowa… Enter Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.