Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Still on Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello

I had wanted to blog on this matter long time ago, but choose to watch events as it unfolds. One would have thought that a Chairman of a House Committee who was SENT the sum of 10 million naira which she use officially to travel for a retreat in Ghana should be some case the EFCC will treat with kid gloves because the amount involved is a paltry sum compare to billions of dollars case file the EFCC has on its desk. However, small amount as it was, the truth is, the case deserve the seriousness of EFCC but not with huge publicity and tenacity it is presently giving it. But perhaps because the principal officer involved is the daughter of the former president. While watching the whole drama, and the rate at which the masses will ignite their anger on Iyabo, because she is the daughter of the former president who had seemingly inflicted a lots of hardship on the masses as most Nigerians would now think of Obsanjo, the candid opinion of this blogger is that, there are more pressing matter for EFCC to deal with than the Iyabo case because the money in questions was sent to her committee and it was collected by a member of the house and transfer to another member of the house, it was not directly paid into her account and the house confirm that the cash was use for a retreat in Ghana which is officially approved. Even if two members did not attend the retreat out of over ten then that does not make the trip illegal, those members may be indisposed during the trip period. It is also customary for all the Senate committees to source fund for travel overseas, and mostly provided by the ministries or parastatals under them, but Iyabo choose to use the money for a retreat not directly into her own pocket. There are cases of majority of the former governors who stole billions, none has been arrested or the cash collected back from them during this new regime. I am tempted to believe that Iyabo may be right that some people are using the EFCC to get back to her and that her life is in Danger, all these may be to get back to her father or to remove her as chairman of the health committee, which is a lucrative committee as most committee in the house. Some of the men in the house may even be jealous of her, as I know that most Nigerian men dont like to serve under a woman. This is more like another Ette saga, and to me, Iyabo seems to know how to deal with it, not only as a daughter of a former president, (a president who had stepped on powerful toes and those whose toes he had stepped on are ready to get back at him by any means), but also as a politician who knew her right and how to fight back no wonder she has gone to court. Let the court decides then.
Everyone blames Obasanjo for everything, even while he is no more in the office, all blames is still on his head, Nigerians are known to blame somebody for all their problems. Truth is Obasanjo has done his own, he had rule us the way he thinks he can rule us, let us put that behind us and move forward. Let posterity judge him, let us learn from his rule and move forward. People shouted more than this during the demise of IBB regime, nothing comes out of all the noise, we should learn to move forward.
Has anyone ponder how long this Vendetta in the name of probe will continue? Let Mr President suspend all these probes and campaign of calumny as a matter of urgency and begin a way forward. Experience in the past had shown that nothing tangible comes out of probes except the noise during the period of the probe, and to me, that is not what we want!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Testing the new Schedule Post Publishing by Blogger

If you are reading this, this post was done by me on Thursday 11.10am Nigerian time, and I schedule it to publish 2 days later which is Saturday, when I wont be on the net to post.

This is testing the new service, I guess it works just fine then. If you are interested, read the original announcement or log in to dashboard to give it a trial. Happy post blogging!!!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

My Third Eye

I had that believe that I have sharp eyes, and this perhaps was because when I was young, I am amazed with the sharpness of my pair of eyes. But recently, things are not so well with my eyes that I had to visit the Doctor.
I couldnt believe myself, when I was given a pair of reading glasses. Now, I can read clearly especially small printed matter.

The Food Crisis
I felt jitters this morning when it occurred to me that food crisis may engulf this country if adequate care is not taken. Prices of food especially grains have gone high astronomically by 100%. Even, Thailand, where importation of rice is coming from mostly, have stop export in a bid to take care of impending world food crisis and planned ahead.
Nigeria leaders and politicians are busy on witch hunting of each other, scoring political cheap points in the name of probe that will never see the light of the day. Now is the time for them to work for huge amount of money they earn, by trying every possible ways to ameliorate this food crisis. Nigerians can afford to tolerate their excesses in the midst of lack of power, water, good roads, equipped hospital, but I doubt it, if they can adjust to food crisis. I hope they are thinking the way am thinking.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

That El-Rufai Probe

Hardliners sure dont have a place in politics in Nigeria. This notion come to light as a result of recent call for probe of El-Rufai tenure as Minister of FCT. I had not seen a public probe of a former Minister in the past, perhaps El-Rufais would be the first.
Mark it, I am not saying anyone is a saint and that El-Rufai is free from any mismanagement, but truth be told, I cotninue to ponder that the real reason behind the seeming probe is to get back at him especially on some powerful toes he had stepped on during his tenure.
I continue to ponder how some of this politicians want to ruin this country at all cost. My grouse is that, those house demolished by El-Rufai during his tenure were mostly acquire by "know me I know you syndrome", were it be some of us do know people in the government too, does that mean we would also be arranged to own plots of land and houses at the detriment of land own by the masses? Whilst I dont have sympathy for some big shots that their house were demolished because it does not comply with FCT master plan, because in the first instance, those land were gotten illegally, I however felt symphathy for some less big shots, and I am sure there are compensation for some of them.
Having said this, probe or no probe, this has reminded me that hardliners does not have a place in nigerian politics. For any hardliners who refused to dance to their tunes or compromise their stands, the results is what is happening now to El-Rufai. Probe is now the weapon used by politicians to come back at their opponents, and the House of Reps and Senate are sure using the weapon to their advantage. Ever ponder what the outcome of such probe would be other than to make noise as the case had always been in the past? Still Pondering.................

Monday, April 7, 2008

How Wonderfuel Weekend now?

Yeah, How ya wonderfuel weekend be now? Not with the fuel scarcity biting hard now in the midst of plenty. Now our politicians are trying to stir the masses revolt again. Whilst the masses pretend as if nothing happen to all the problems this country has because of them, they still deem it fit to add to our problems.
Their shows of shame of probing immediate past government is not enough, as the masses watch with hatred, as if something drastic will happen to all the loud probe going on, they pursue personal vendetta in the name of probe to gain the masses sympathy, as if that is what will solve our problems in this country. Instead of them to continue working, and see what legacy they will also leave when it lasted, even though we all know they are also into amassing of wealth into their selfish pocket.
Now the fuel scarcity is back, and heaven knows when it will go off the streets in this country. The danger in the scarcity if it continue for a long time is that, some people in certain quarters are raking in millions daily, and if it continue like this, they wont want their sources of making millions to dry up, so sabotaging the government efforts is the next line of action, while the masses wanton in penury of fuel scarcity and unavailability of power. This country tired me jare.
So how weekend be? Ever ponder whether this kind of weekend will continue? I mean in the midst of fuel scarcity, God forbids, not again!!!