Tag Archives: DONALD DUKE

Nigeria lacks ideas, not money – Donald Duke

Posted on by
2

A former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has said shortage of idea and not shortage of money is the problem of Nigeria.

Duke, who identified personal and collective visions as essential requirements for leading a state, said many governors in the country lacked them.

A statement on Sunday quoted Duke as saying this in Lagos at the 11th edition of the ?LEX Annual Lecture series.

The lecture, with the theme, ‘Making states work,’ was organised by ?LEX, a full-service commercial and litigation law firm, to stimulate debate on the strategies for making states in the country more efficient, self-reliant and sustainable.

Duke said, “The challenge of dysfunctional states in Nigeria goes beyond finance.

“One of the most essential factors in making states work is the framing of a personal vision and a collective vision for the state, which remains a missing component amongst many Nigerian governors.

“We are losing the essence of the federating units in Nigeria. As a leader, having a vision is essential but having a collective vision for the people is key.”

Duke added that it was regrettable that “in Nigeria, there are no consequences for doing the right things neither are there consequences for doing wrong.”

Also speaking at the event were a former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; President of Council, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Prof. Chidi Odinkalu of the Africa Programme on the Open Society Justice Initiative; and the Executive Director, Corporate & Sovereign Ratings, Agusto & Co., Mr. Isaac Babatunde.

Agreeing with Duke, Obi said governors needed clear visions to be able to engineer development in their states.

“The vision must be clear, that way, the leader can drive the state to success. The reason for most failure is the absence of a plan,” Obi said.

Donald Duke, Peter Obi, Odinkalu, Others for 2016 AELEX Annual Lecture.

Posted on by
21

In a bid to explore sustainable finance and developmental models for Nigerian states, AELEX, a leading law firm is set to host its 2016 Annual Lecture with the theme “Making States Work”.

The lecture is billed to hold on Wednesday, 9 November 2016 at the Muson Centre, Lagos.

According to the organisers, the 2016 lecture which is the 11th in the series of its annual lectures is poised “…to consider issues relating to the sustainability of individual states, especially as Nigeria goes through a recession. The format for the lecture will be that of a panel of insightful discussants with diverse sectorial expertise and erudition.

Outlined panelists for the 2016 AELEX lecture are His Excellency, Mr. Donald Duke (CON), Former Governor of Cross River; His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi (CON), Former Governor of Anambra State; Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede (CON), Former Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Access Bank Plc; Mr. Isaac Babatunde, Executive Director, Corporate & Sovereign Ratings, Agusto & Co; and Professor Chidi Odinkalu, Africa Program of the Open Society Justice Initiative.

 

donald-duke

 

Running for over a decade, the AELEX Annual lecture has established itself as the platform for highlighting national topical issues of socio-economic and political relevance whilst forging solid reasoning and solutions for Nigeria, showcasing analytical strengths and weaknesses of opposing perspectives on National issues.

Since 2005, the Aelex Annual Lecture has featured top-notch speakers on a wide-range of contemporary issues. In 2015, former external affairs Minister, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi led the discourse on “Politics, Democracy and Ethnicity”. In 2014, Prof. Timothy S. Shah, Georgetown University, USA, delivered the keynote on the theme “In God’s Name: Politics, Religion and Economic Development”.

 

babtunde

 

Other previous themes include “This House Must Not Fall: Constitutional Reform and the People’s Will” in 2012; Corruption, the Thief in Broad Daylight in 2011; Taxation without Representation, 2010; How Ghana Kept the Lights On, 2009, amongst others.

The 2016 AELEX Annual lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, 9 November 2016 at the Muson Centre, Lagos. Interested participants can make reservations via annuallectureteam@aelex.com or Semilore: 08038162255.

Members of the public can join the conversation online using the hashtag #AELEX2016 on all major social media platforms.

 

peter-obi

 

?LEX is a full service law firm with offices in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Accra, Ghana. ?LEX was established in 2004 through the merger of four leading law firms which spawned the largest and most diversified law practices with a focus on the West African region.

Jonathan Told Me & Obasanjo He Never Wanted To Be Vice-President – Donald Duke

Posted on by
Reply

Former governor of Cross River state Donald Duke says former President Jonathan told him and former president Obasanjo he never wanted to be the Vice president of Nigeria when he was selected to be the running mate to late President Umaru Yar’Adua for the 2007 general election. Donald Duke said this in an interview with news magazine, The Interviewer

“You don’t give authority to an unwilling person, particularly in a country like Nigeria. Umaru never wanted to be president. He was dealing with his health issues and wanted to retire and go lecture in a university. He was really offered an appointment at the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria. Jonathan, on the other hand, had just been re-elected to be governor of Bayelsa and when he was picked, he was not so pleased. He said to Obasanjo and me, ‘I don’t want this job”.
If these two men never aspired to the office but were recruited to take on a responsibility as daunting as the management of Nigeria without mentally preparing for the office and having a grand vision of where they wanted to take Nigeria to, then there is a problem. The mental preparation is absolutely important. The vision can be scripted for you, but if you are not prepared and you have no capable team to help you follow through, it is grossly unfair. It is like converting a passenger on an aircraft to a pilot.”

I Chose Yar’Adua Because Others Were Corrupt – Obasanjo

Posted on by
2

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Wednesday that he chose the late former President Umaru Yar’ Adua as his successor because the others who wanted the post were corrupt.

Obasanjo said one of the people who wanted to succeed him in 2007 was “stinkingly corrupt” and that the only way he (Obasanjo) could justify himself before man and God was to go for Yar’Adua, who, he said, was the only one among the contenders then who was not corrupt.

The former President, who spoke in an interview with a private television station, Channels
Television, in Abeokuta, did not mention the ‘corrupt’ Yar’Adua rivals.

Among the prominent presidential hopefuls in the Peoples Democratic Party in 2007 were Obasanjo’s deputy, Abubakar Atiku; and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili.

Atiku later abandoned the PDP to contest the presidential election on the platform of the defunct Action Congress while Odili’s ambition fizzled out with the nomination of Yar’Adua.

The AC later metamorphosed into the Action Congress of Nigeria, which later merged with the Congress for Progressive Change and the All Nigeria Peoples Party to form the now ruling All Progressives Congress.

Obasanjo’s choice of successor died on May 5, 2010 from heart-related ailments. Many condemned Obasanjo for choosing a man who was manifestly sick to lead the country.

But in the Channels interview, PUNCH reports that Obasanjo said he only acted based on the information made available to him. He said:

“Even if you take your son as your successor, you are not sure of what he will do when he gets there. Don’t ever kid yourself. What do I know about any successor? What he presents. When he gets there, he presents it differently.

We did our best, but if you say our best is not good enough, I will say, when it comes to your turn, do better. With all the people that are available for successor, what we came up with was about the best that we could think of at that time.

One of those who wanted to do the job came to me and said, ‘Sir, I like your job, but I cannot do it the way you are doing it.’ Now, if he had told me that, should I then come and say, ‘okay, come, let me give you the job?’ He had told me that, ‘I like your job, but look, the way you are doing it, I haven’t got the stamina to do it that way.’ Then, what do you expect me to do?

Or the one that I know that, oh!, this one, before he gets the job, he’s stinkingly corrupt. Now will I be able to defend myself before God and man if with what I know I give this job or I encourage the man to have this job?”