Tag Archives: leadership

Nigeria’s Economy Needs Visionary Leadership- Bloomberg

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Africa and the world cannot afford a failing economy in the continent’s most populous nation. Yet that is exactly what Nigeria might be getting: Its economy is on track to shrink by 1.7 percent this year, the official unemployment rate has more than doubled over the last two years, and inflation is at an 11-year high.

One concrete step President Muhammadu Buhari could take to address the crisis would be to eliminate the country’s disastrous foreign exchange controls. Instead, Buhari has made no secret of his desire to defend Nigeria’s currency.

And the central bank has mostly gone along. Despite allowing the devaluation of the naira in June, it is continuing to manipulate the exchange rate — discouraging foreign investors, creating a crippling shortage of dollars for businesses that need to import, and feeding a currency black market. To keep down the street price of vanishing dollars, Buhari’s government has arrested informal money-changers. More capital controls are in the works.

Dismantling Nigeria’s foreign exchange controls will doubtless cause at least a short-term rise in inflation. Yet doing so will not only draw foreign investment and make the economy more productive and competitive, but also cut off a conduit for corruption. Buhari can cushion the blow for Nigeria’s poor through targeted cash payments — an approach Nigeria has used in electronically delivering subsidies to poor farmers. That same mechanism could also shield the poor from the regressive impact of an increase in Nigeria’s value-added tax — which is relatively low but a potentially valuable source of additional government revenue.

There are other ways to stimulate the economy, of course. But Nigeria’s Senate rejected Buhari’s three-year spending blueprint and an ambitious campaign to borrow $30 billion abroad because they lacked details. Meanwhile, his reluctance to sell off state-owned assets has undermined other efforts to raise revenue.

To be sure, Buhari faced ugly circumstances when he took office in May 2015. The plunge in oil prices had left the economy reeling and government coffers bare, and attacks by Boko Haram were ravaging the country. Yet while some progress has been made fighting both terrorism and corruption, Buhari’s rigid leadership style has made the country’s economic problems harder to solve.

Buhari’s election and pledges of good governance rightfully raised expectations across Africa. To fulfill those hopes, however, he will have to demonstrate more flexibility.

Credit: bloomberg

Leadership Crisis Hits Nigerian Community In Ghana

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The All Nigerian Community in Ghana has suspended its President, Mr Moses Owharo, for alleged manipulation of the bank account of the association.

A statement by the Public Relations Officer, Mr Barry Ndu, made available to newsmen in Owerri on Thursday said that the suspension was to allow full investigations into the matter.

According to Ndu, the suspension is the decision of congress of ANC which held at its secretariat on Sept. 28 ratified by the board of trustee, members and delegates from other regions of Ghana.

Ndu added that already the matter had been reported to Ghana Police, saying the members want the investigation to follow due process of the law so as to unravel circumstance that led to tampering of ANC United Bank of Africa account.

Ndu stated that ANC account was frozen since 2013 due to court action against the body, but it was recently uncovered that fake resolution purported to have come from the executive council of the association was used to make withdrawal from the account.

It was further revealed that two of the said new signatories were Daniel Obiora and Godwin Onowu, who were neither members of the congress nor executives of the association.

“The congress perceived the action as gross violation of all known rules binding members of ANC.

“For the sake of transparency, due process and in line with the anti-corruption agenda of Nigeria government which all Nigerians must be part of as ambassadors of the country, the executives have decided to immediately suspend Owharo as its president,’’ he said.

He noted that Owharo had equally been summoned by the body to explain his role in the change of signatories and withdrawals made from the ANC Ghana UBA Account.

But in a swift reaction Owharo told NAN that the allegation was false.

Owharo told NAN in a telephone interview that there was no leadership crisis in ANC in Ghana.

“As I speak with you, I am still the president of ANC, Ghana, and the Nigeria High Commission in Ghana still work with me and so those carrying fake report that I am no longer the president are merely spreading falsehood,’’ Owharo said.

Credit:

http://guardian.ng/news/leadership-crisis-hits-nigerian-community-in-ghana/

APC Won’t Lose Senate Leadership To PDP- Oyegun

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The national chairman of All Progressives Congress, John Oyegun, on Wednesday said the ruling party would never allow opposition Peoples Democratic Party to take over the Senate leadership should Bukola Saraki be removed as a consequence of his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

In an interview, Mr. Oyegun hinted that the APC did not mind losing the seat of the senate president should Mr. Saraki be removed from office.

“Well, I don’t think we will lose that position,” Mr. Oyegun had said, “But sometimes, for change to take place, there is price you have to pay. So losing the position may be sacrifice for change.”

Apparently amid criticisms from party leaders, Mr. Oyegun told journalists at the party’s secretariat on Wednesday that he was misunderstood.

“That misunderstanding is still on?” he rhetorically ask the journalists.

He said, “Let me put it simply. There were basically two points that I was making. Number one, as a party of change even as a party, we cannot interfere in a judicial process that is ongoing. That was clear. And when they asked about the senate, I said under no circumstance can we compromise on the leadership of the senate.

“We are the majority party and the issue doesn’t even really arise but unfortunately the way it was put, the misinterpretation has been a little bit too intense and that is clear. It just doesn’t arise at all. The issue, the argument and the rest doesn’t arise. If somebody wants to theorise and postulate, that’s a different matter. It doesn’t arise.”

Credit: PREMIUMTIMES

Buhari Meets Leadership Of NUPENG, PENGASSAN

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President Muhammadu Buhari is presently in a closed-door meeting with the leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers at the State House.

The purpose of the meeting was not disclosed to journalists but it may be connected to the recent restructuring at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.

The meeting is attended by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, the Director General of the Department of State Services, Mr Lawal Daura and the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari.

Earlier on March 8, 2016,  Dr. Kachikwu announced the restructuring of the NNPC,  however, oil workers kicked against the announcement and proceeded on industrial action.

The action was later suspended for 14 days, for government to dialogue with the unions and chart a way forward in the sector.

Meanwhile, queues still trail petrol stations across the country and this may form part of their discussion at the Presidential Villa.

Dr. Kachikwu is expected to brief the media on the outcome of the meeting.

More Lawmakers Reject House Committees’ Leadership

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Five more lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress in the House of Representatives are said to have rejected the chairman and deputy chairman positions offered them by the Speaker of the House.

This will bring to seven the number of members who have rejected the positions given to them, as two members had rejected their positions last week.

Speaking in the party’s secretariat in Abuja on Monday, some of the members of the loyalist group accused Speaker Yakubu Dogara of working against the interest of the ruling party.

The members are demanding that the Speaker should reverse the current order and reconstitute the committees in favour of the All Progressives Congress.

Credit: ChannalsTV

Muhammad Karamba: Who Uses A Ruler To Measure The Size Of His Land?

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Recently, there have been protests and criticisms for lack of youth involvement in the APC led government. It has even become a big point of attack by the PDP. As a youth I wrote this piece neither to approve nor disprove that call. But I think (as usual) there is an issue of misplaced priorities here. It is ok for the PDP as the opposition party to use any point possible to criticize the “governing party”. But is it right for us the masses to fall for every one of them?

It is very unfortunate that we the masses fall for most of their propaganda. Amaechi during his screening said something about the elites not minding about regional or ethnic differences. He said, what matters to them is power sharing and capital gain. That is just it. They throw us a bone while they eat the meat. From Saraki’s rise to Senate Presidency to Amaechi’s nomination, you can’t help but pity us. These people are fighting their own internal selfish political war yet we are picking sides. They control the power and money. Should we allow them control our thinking? Should we allow them control the only precious thing we have left?

I am not saying there are no genuine reasons why people fall for these propaganda. But that is the world we live in today, politicians use legitimate reasons for their sinister objectives. When we voted for APC, we voted to fight out corruption, feel secured again, have employment, and have good health care, good education… Have these priorities changed? Yes we should worry when people that we think are corrupt are given roles to play in the government, but where was the criticism when these people devoted their wealth and time for this CHANGE?

Be it democratically, economically, infrastructurally, socially… We cannot all of a sudden decide to put on the shoes of the US. Because from the look of things, it is what we are trying to metamorphose into overnight. Their democracy has been there for decades, power is not their problem, they have continuity in their democracy. In America, it is not a privilege to drink bottled water, and its citizens have the best health care…  That is where we should start from. Charge our governments to provide Security, Power, Employment, good health, good infrastructure. That is what we voted them for and we still have our PVCs.

Coming back to the issue of us youths, every economy that has thrived or is thriving depended on or is depending on its youths. Youths are the power engine of every nation. They are the workforce that do the farming, mining, banking or what have you. If one critically looks at the Nigerian society, or perhaps any society with commonsense, it has never been the responsibility of youths to be in leadership position. I am not saying they are not capable of doing that, but there is always a social divide. You always expect someone of older age will have a better experience. Also, Nigeria is a nation where the elderly are always to be respected. Imagine a 35yr old minister whose permanent secretary is a 55yr old. You can imagine the degree of awkwardness in their meetings. What I mean here is that we can’t just take any notion from any country and expect it to blend. The society matters. This a luxury we can’t afford. There will be a time when this is a right call. But I sincerely doubt if it’s now.

One of my mentors would say “think globally and act locally”. Perhaps that is the principle that is lacking in Nigeria. We tend to think globally and act globally. You don’t call a mechanic to repair your car and then begin to choose for him the tools he has to use. If you think you have some knowledge, ask him for explanations for some of his actions. You employed him to repair your car. If he fails, fire him. That is what our PVCs are for. God bless Nigeria.

Muhammad Karamba

Karamba08@gmail.com

Twitter: @Mukib_Almisauwi

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

PDP Summons Leadership Meeting To Fight Back Tribunal Rulings

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Considering the election tribunal rulings in Rivers State that sacked Nyesom Wike as Governor of Rivers State, ordering for a re run election and that of Akwa Ibom State; the People’s Democratic Party is putting itself together to fight back and regain their mandate.

The party has summoned a leadership meeting to fight back the tribunal rulings.

Information about the meeting is still sketchy but will be reported as soon as it has been gathered.

Leadership Crisis Rocks PDP Caucus Over House Committee Chairmanship

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Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the House of Representatives are contemplating passing a vote of no confidence on their leadership over what they described as partisanship and favouritism in the appointments of members of the party into the standing committees of the House.

Sources among the aggrieved PDP lawmakers  mainly from the South-west caucus said that they  are up in arms against the  leadership led by Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor,  over the way the affairs of the caucus are being managed,  alleging that the leaders are running a one man show and  not consulting other members before taking important decision that affect  them.

The lawmaker who wants to remain anonymous  also  accused the leadership of favouring PDP members from the South-south in the appointments made so far including the ongoing constitution of the membership of the standing committee of the House.  They also accused some South-south governors of using money to influence the appointments of South-south members in the minority caucus to juicy House committee chairmanship positions to the detriment of  members  from other zones.

“We (PDP members from the South-west)  are even contemplating pulling out of PDP if the leadership continues to marginalise us in the scheme of things, particularly in the composition of leadership of the committees…”

Read More: thisdaylive

Victor Terhemba: The Fallacy About Feminism

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            In the present world order, the world thrives on hypocrisy and blackmail. We were all humans until …………

These days we are blackmailed with virtually everything, making the victim look like the aggressor. For example, because you are a born again Christian or an Alfa and somebody wrongs you, they don’t expect you to take offence and react because of your faith and when you do, they say you are a “fake” Christian or Muslim.

                Of recent women have being using feminism to babooz and cajole the men into conforming to whims and caprices of feminism. Africa feminist look up to the western feminist activists for courage and direction forgetting that in Africa we’ve had 7 leaders who are/were women. One of the highest you can find anywhere else. Hypocrisy. Some ladies these days don’t feel the necessity to always cook for their husbands they expect the men to also cook. I know a young unmarried girl who said she and her husband will take turns at cooking or else she is not getting into the relationship. I meant to ask her if she meant she’s ready to get married at 70. They will preach feminism with so much vigour and tell us how ‘what a man can do, a woman can do better” yet I haven’t seen a lady who is ready to pay my groom price. Suggest to a lady if she will support her husband to sponsor their wedding and see how flatly she will tell you it’s the duty of the man. Ehen but I thought you want gender equality.

                It is utterly appalling to note that women, now, would abdicate their natural duties and roles, and rather take up new roles they have designed for themselves. From the Christian perspective, when God created the woman, the woman was created as a helper to the man (Gen. 2:20-23) not as a slave as some women erroneously believe their God given duties is to slave for the man. The bible further implores the woman to be submissive to their husbands ….. (Not as slaves).

                I find it quite worrying that women do not appreciate the very important roles they have to play in the lives of men. For illustration purpose, lets look at a house and consider the man to be the house itself and he woman as the pillars. Though the woman isn’t the house but the house cannot stand without the pillar; that’s how important women are .We watch a movie and applaud the superfluous performance of the actors and forget to acknowledge the rest of the crew who made the movie appear the way it is. We simply cant do without women, they are that important.

           Behind every successful man is a strong woman, So the saying goes and its not a saying replete with illusive and grandiose facts. But if the women now want gender equality and stand on their own, then the men would be like a house built on sand and without pillars, and the women like pillars without a house then what is the use of the pillars. The talents of the pillars would, just be wasting like the servant in the parable of Jesus who buried his own tent instead of being a pillar standing alone why not remain a pillar who supports the house. Its illogical to imagine a pillar on a house.

The man has a duty to go out and search the land for food to feed his family, take care of their immediate needs, this was a task specifically assigned to Adam on behalf of men (Gen 3:17-19). In the sane society, we consider a man senile and useless if he leaves the responsibility of taking care of the home needs to his wife. The society frowns very much at this because this is not the order of things. If this is so then why do you feel it is right for a woman to neglect the immediate welfare of her home and concentrate her energy in doing what a should be doing? Marriage is a team so couples gotta live as a team. In a team everybody has his role to play.

I am not of the opinion that women belong to the kitchen or shouldn’t be allowed to work but live as full time housewives. No. That’s not what I mean, I believe a woman should also work so as to support the husband in hard times. It’s embarrassing that as a wife you have to ask your husband for every penny you want to spend. I just don’t feel wives should pick up career working jobs, such as doctors, sailors, pilots, etc. Those kind of jobs that are time and energy demanding. Then you leave your home at the mercy of domestic servants whose idea of a proper home might not correlate with yours. How about a self employed job or an 8 hour job, so you have time to still come back and look after your children and cook for them. I won’t advice any man to allow his wife be a full time housewife unless he’s stupendously rich and he can afford it or he has guaranteed source of income for a last time. Women as wives should work but not work as if it’s her duty to carter for the house.

On a last note, please ladies we love you guys very much, continue to be our mothers, friends, wives, sisters, girlfriends, don’t turn things up-side-down and become our husbands and fathers instead. I love you guys with everything inside of me. For any reservations reach me via my email or twitter handle. And for contributions just comment below.

Victor Terhemba Is a talent manager, political analyst and social commentator from Lagos.

Follow me on Twitter: @inkrediblesmog

Victor.terhemba6@gmail.com

 

 

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates 

Ugbabe Adagboyi Damian: Are You A Leader Of Nigeria’s Tomorrow?

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Ask an average Nigerian youth this question and the next thing you would hear is, “…the system is very corrupt. The elites don’t consider the youth” Yes! Even the little child on the mother’s breast knew about it before birth. It is that bad. However, I believe it is about time we channel our youthful energy into proffering solutions to our challenges rather than looking for who and what to blame. It would be of great help, if we complain, but with workable solutions.

What sparked the recent bloodless political revolution in the country were not just mere complaints but workable solutions offered by the bright and sound Nigerian youths. Despite this effort, reality has shown that the elites have taken advantage of them to hold onto power. My worry is why have the youths been poorly compensated? Experience has shown that majority of the youths offered their ideas with intent to gain monetary or social favour instead of using it a bargaining chip that would eventually lunch them into the next class of our nation’s leaders. As a result, those who genuinely offered it for the true change have been left stranded.

I cannot conclude that the only reason why Nigerian youths have not been included in the leadership positions of this current administration is political apathy. In as much as we are interested in politics, we do not believe in ourselves that we are capable of leading this great nation. We chicken out easily because either we do not have much to offer or too much have been offered to us to make us look away. It proves that we only engage in the political process with the aim of getting a peanut for ourselves with no intention of developing it. This is a threat to both the process and the few recycling elites – and they hold onto power with that theory of mental age versus chronological age. It’s obvious that the political process cannot go on if we always chicken out. Moreover, Nigeria will not develop if we are all selfish. At least you can trace a patriotic undertone in our elites’ show of selfishness – they keep the process going for it gains.

In school, our teacher made us recite what almost became the third stanza of Nigeria’s National Anthem during the morning assemblies perhaps to make us know and believe that we are the leaders of tomorrow. Even so, how can we become the leader when we do not exhibit leadership qualities after all the schooling and trainings? You would be surprised when you attempt to nose round on the youths (supposedly leaders of tomorrow) to hear their opinion on critical national issues – aside perceiving strong ethnic or partisan bias from their thoughts, most of them ignorantly say and do things that falls shorts of a sane mind.

The poser has always been “What would the Nigerian youths do differently if given the opportunity to lead?” So many if you ask me. Nevertheless, sometimes we do worst things than anyone can imagine. Instances like showering encomiums or presenting dignified awards to branded corrupt and criminal citizens as if it would pacify the elites, and to allow us passage into our rightful position of leadership someday is worrisome. Be it the reasons identified earlier or for any other reason, it proves that we are simply stupid. Moreover, it describes the kind of youths that are agitating to be included in the nation’s leadership positions.

I conclude with this African proverb, “The worlds of the elders do not lock all the doors; they leave the right door open.” As the elites continue to wield power in a blood-sucking manner, we need a change of attitude and thread with them in a professional manner and not for the manna that would fall. Succinctly put, the elite might have more power than we might, but if we wield ours more effectively, we might exercise more influence in certain settings. Only when we do this that our agitation for inclusion will be meaningful and supported by the elite.

Ugbabe Adagboyi Damian is a student of Atlas Leadership Academy. He is also an alumni of Imani Centre for Policy and Education. You can connect with him via twitter @UgbabeD

Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates

Kaduna LG Chairman Slashes Own Salary, Allowances By 50%

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The newly appointed interim Local Government chairman for Kudan Local Government in Kaduna state, Dauda Iliya Abba, has slashed his salary and allowances by 50 per cent. Abba, who was sworn in last week by Kaduna state governor, Nasir El Rufai made the announcement in a statement signed by him yesterday.

He is perhaps the first and only local government chairman to cut his salary and allowances by half, taking a cue from the state governor who had in the first week of assuming office slashed his salary by 50 per cent. Read his press statement below…

“I, Dauda Iliya Abba, interim Chairman of Kudan Local Government in Kaduna State, hereby announce that henceforth my salary and allowances have been cut downward by 50%.”

“This cost-cutting measure has become imperative considering the economic realities of Kudan Local Government Area. I also appeal to members of my team, particularly the interim councillors to emulate this collective sacrifice as exemplified by our leaders, the President Muhammadu Buhari and our state Governor, Mal. Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.

“This will go a long way in resuscitating our dilapidated infrastructures, as this administration will no longer tolerate wastage and leakages of public funds at the detriment of the overriding interest of the majority that we are here to serve.

“In addition, Kudan will lead the way in enhancing transparency in the way the Local Government resources are being spent.

“As a first step, we shall be publishing all our proceeds in terms of allocation and other accrued revenues regularly.

“How these proceeds are being spent, shall always be subjected to public knowledge. As we are in the public service to serve the public. Therefore, public funds must be subjected to public scrutiny. In the end, Kaduna will be great again,” he said.

Oyegun Lauded For Outstanding Contributions To Democracy

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The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Wednesday praised the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun for moving Nigeria into a new phase, with the election of a government that is very different from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) administration in many respects.

The union also acknowledged his leadership qualities and his immense contributions to the success of the party, particularly his role in the making of President Muhammadu Buhari, his visible hands in the making of APC governors and his invaluable contributions to the elections of lawmakers.

In a letter signed by the, Deji Gbolahon Elumoye (Chairman) and Abimbola Oyetunde (Secretary), the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos State Council extolled Oyegun’s exemplary leadership qualities, noting his contributions to the growth of democracy Nigeria.

The letter reads ‘The Lagos Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) is to mark its 2015 Press Week. As part of the events, an Award Night which will be the grand finale of the Press Week activities is scheduled for Friday, September 25 at the Lagos Sheraton Hotels and Towers, Bank Anthony Way, Ikeja by 6; 00pm. We are pleased to inform you of your nomination for the 2015 NUJ Recognition Award. Your recognition for the award to be bestowed on you stems out of a careful study of your administrative excellence in handling the affairs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to attain a greater height as the ruling party in Nigeria’.

Senate Leadership Crisis, APC Govs To Intervene

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Governors of the All Progressive Congress have resolved to wade into the leadership crisis in the senate after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari to express their displeasure over what is happening in the senate.

Addressing State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the governors of Imo and Edo states, Rochas Okorocha and Adams Oshiomhole respectively said the senators cannot continue to act in defiance of the party’s directives.

Governor Okorocha said the governors decided to meet with the president because  “we are not happy with what is happening within our senators in the National Assembly.

Read More: vanguardngr

Buhari Rejects Rolls Royce Provided By Nigerian High Commission In London – Report

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President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, currently on a private visit to England, on Friday turned down the use of a Rolls Royce made available for him by the Nigerian High Commission in London.

Buhari shocked officials of the High Commission when, on landing at the Heathrow Airport, he declined to make use of  the  Rolls Royce and other facilities offered him.

The Nation gathered that after exchanging pleasantries with the embassy officials led by the High Commissioner, Dr Dalhatu Tafida, the president-elect politely told them that his visit was strictly private and he had made arrangement for all his needs while in the UK.

He reportedly thanked them for the warm reception and quickly hopped into a less flamboyant car he
had arranged for and drove out of the airport.

A source said: “It appeared he was uncomfortable with the number of exotic cars in the convoy.

“Hard as the stunned diplomats present tried to convince him, he refused to bulge, insisting that since he did not inform the Commission of his visit because it was not an official trip, hence he was not entitled to such grandeur.”

Buhari, yesterday, held talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron at his 10, Downing Street official residence.

Top of their discussion was the continued threat to Nigeria’s security by the terror group, Boko Haram.
The official website of the UK government said after the talks that “both leaders congratulated each other on their recent election victories and discussed the challenges facing Nigeria.”

It added: “the Prime Minister stressed the UK’s wish to work for a stable, prosperous and secure Nigeria.

“The leaders discussed security in the region and the fight against terrorism, particularly the threat posed by Boko Haram.

“They discussed the need for a regional approach and agreed to continue working together to build the capacity of the Nigerian Army, with the UK continuing to provide military training and intelligence support.

“On tackling corruption, they agreed this was a priority to ensure Nigeria’s prosperity and success.”

Mr. Cameron was said to have agreed to look at what technical assistance and support the UK could provide to the Nigerian government as it looks to undertake its reforms.

“They also discussed the need to tackle organised crime and the links between the UK and Nigeria.

“Finally, they talked about the challenges posed by migration from Africa to Europe and the president-elect said he would do all he could to secure Nigeria’s borders,” the statement said.

Source: The Nation

Group Passes Vote Of No Confidence On APC Leadership In Enugu State

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The Patriots, a political group in Enugu State, has passed a vote of no confidence on the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

In a communiqué after its meeting in Enugu, the group on Wednesday called for the immediate change in the party’s leadership structure.

The group, made up of elders and stakeholders from different parts of the state, expressed dissatisfaction with the management of the funds released to the leadership for the 2015 general elections.

The communiqué signed by its Coordinator, Vincent Anidiobu, and Secretary, Chief Vitalis Ani, called for an audit of the funds received by the party’s gubernatorial candidate in the election, Okey Ezea, saying it was dissatisfied with the “abysmal outing of the party in the state” at the elections.

The group also agreed to rebuild, restructure and reposition the state chapter of the APC to prepare it for the challenges ahead, while ensuring credible and harmonious leadership in the party.

It congratulated Muhammadu Buhari, the president-elect, on his success at the polls and called on him to see the entire country as his constituency.

It said the stakeholders were already studying the credentials of candidates who had shown interest in ministerial appointments in the state.

“Our ideal candidate shall be one that is technically competent, with proven track records and of proven integrity, whose loyalty to the party is not in doubt.

“The candidate must be such that shall have the capacity and ability to reconcile all the warring factions in the party and reunite and reposition the party in the state,’’ it said.

“Enugu State has always worked with the party at the centre and does not wish to be in opposition for long.

“Now that power is about to change hands from the PDP to the APC at the centre, deliberate steps should be taken to realign the state to the party at the center in order not to deprive it of developmental projects and key appointments from the central government,” it said.

The stakeholders also described as unfortunate the crisis of confidence between the executive and the legislature in the state.

“Both parties have been protecting themselves in corruption. Enugu citizens must rise up to demand for accountability from Governor Sullivan Chime and the Speaker, Eugene Odo, as well as other members of the present state assembly,” the communiqué said.

Credit: NAN

How To Run A Country – JJ, Omojuwa

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First things first, whatever goes wrong is not your responsibility; you must take credit for whatever goes right, no matter how disconnected from your efforts. Pay no heed to whatever anyone says, except that which is being said is in praise of you. Make no mistake about it, anyone who criticises your government is trying to bring your government down and must be discredited by all means. You are not in power to make life better for the people; the people brought you to power so you can have your share of the national cake. If you surround yourself with friends and relatives while doing so, the better. You are the chosen one, this is your time and your turn and you must not look back as you rule. Have no fear, no matter how evil you rule, you will have more than enough court men and women cheering you on. In your hands lie the power to share contracts and oil blocks, share them appropriately. Everything for your own, your kind and your kin, nothing for those who insist on telling you and your government what is right. Remember; your friends are those who insist on complimenting your graceful attire even when you are stark naked. Whatever you do, never give a damn. It is expensive to.

Problems are part of life and your country is likely to have a lot of them. Where you cannot fix such, blame your failure on sabotage but where sabotage insists on not showing its face, blame it on the opposition, after all, they are your friends. When push comes to shove, you agree a deal and take the part you want while the Lords of Ikoyi retain their south-western empire. You are likely to be dealing with insurgents in certain parts of your country; when you combine the desperation of poverty, the passion of illiteracy, desperate politics and a warped understanding of religion, you have terrorism at its inchoate stage. Where such rears its head during your tenure, fight it by writing International op-eds because your enemies are likely to use the international press to expose your incompetence. There is a likelihood your perception as a grossly incompetent leader goes global, be of good courage, pay a lump sum for an international Public Relations company. Whatever you do, don’t give up, no matter how apparent your incompetence shows.

You are likely to get some things right; take agriculture where you could appoint a man desperate to get things done as minister. Information Communications Technology is another ministry things could work but alas, you can always slow down their progress by denying them funding. Make the ministry go hungry except it is being fed by the Nigerian Communications Commission. In that case, you have a minister who is getting things done despite her limited budget. Do not mind your genuine haters, they are the ones who say you have not achieved anything, but you have. Take the airports, yes, they were renovated with the poorest of materials but at least they were renovated. Some of the renovated parts are falling apart but if they aren’t, where will you find the excuse to enrich your election donors? Do not be a fool, you are going to need all the money you can get to win re-election. You don’t need any special strategy to continue in power, just make sure to share the money. The World Bank did say over five out of 10 of your citizens are extremely poor, that works in your advantage. A man who has not eaten has only one problem, food. Feed them say rice or to innovate in this area of stomach infrastructure, look for the delicacies of the different parts of the country and customise the stomach infrastructure appropriately.

The people love you so dearly but never dare walk around them without heavy security, you can never tell if that is the day they decide to un-love you. Hunger is a bad inspiration; it makes the rich worship power for more wealth and power, it makes the poor beg just to survive. Hunger fuels passion and taken to the point of desperation, it turns the best of men into the worst of animals. Make them hungry, make them want it; then strike. The act of sacking your doctors is a great idea, that is a way to create artificial hunger. Do not leave anyone too comfortable. Fire doctors, make them beg for their jobs but even if they don’t beg, reinstate them but never do this without the right media plan. Make sure the right people praise you for your magnanimity and kindness. You want to be seen as a listening leader, this is one way to be so seen.

As for the youths, they are the easiest to bait. More than any age group, they are at the age of gross selfishness and desperation. They believe the world revolves around them and the rotation of the earth is on their axis. You promised you’d make them laugh out loud in 2011, raise the ante this time, promise them power, you can even promise them the presidency. They believe anything and everything anyway. Tell the ones who already believe you are the next angel after Angel Michael, to go into all over the country to start a demand for youths to have a sizeable share in the national cake. It does not matter that they could make these demands without the noise and uproar it would generate, it helps to suppress other agitations, especially if such agitations are not backed by people with a spirit of persistence. Tell me what time they have to ask for #BringBackOurGirls when a much more selfish demand for power distracts them. Never forget; as long as you appeal to the selfish side of your average countryman and woman, you will always get them to do your will. Did it not work in 2011 with the man who was supposed to be your biggest political adversary? It works all the time. Nothing says you cannot trade Lagos again, they keep their Lagos, you keep your Abuja! Nothing says you cannot promote an angry minister of state to the position of minister. As it was in the beginning, so shall it be till 2019, till we fix that constitution. You are the best president this country has ever had, take a look at Robert Mugabe and learn a few things about how to grow old in the state house.

Now, take a look at the mirror and tell yourself; I am the greatest, I said I was even when I was a deputy governor! One of your rivals from Adamawa has been giving scholarships to everyone, do not go that far. You don’t need it. Give the people food…food and more food. Educating them puts power in their hands to use against you tomorrow, never empower the people, they come after you right after, learn from Hong Kong and China. Give them enough food to last for a few days, make them depend on you; that is the hallmark of a leader that wants to be in power for life. You are not evil; you are what the people deserve. Long may you reign!

Leadership: What Goodluck Jonathan can learn from Stephen Keshi – Ogunyemi Bukola

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Keshi-JonathanSuccessful leadership, be it in business, politics or sports, operates on identical underlying principles. As such, successful leaders learn from one another across the different sectors of life and terrain of leadership in which they operate. Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, has a lot to learn about leadership, and he has plenty of options to choose from. But he needs not look far. In his mostly unremarkable government, the sports sector, especially football, especially the national male football team, Super Eagles, have enjoyed unprecedented success. This due in no small parts to the efforts of the Glo/CAF African Football Awards 2014 Coach of the Year, Stephen Keshi.

Since his appointment in 2011, Keshi has led Nigeria to qualification for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, which they went on to win, becoming one of only two people (along with Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary) to have won it as both a player and a coach, secured qualification to the 2014 World Cup and is through to the semi-final of CHAN2014. Keshi’s success has not been accidental, and in his handling of the team, some particularly stellar leadership attributes shine through that the man from Otuoke can learn from.

Leaders deliver results, not excuses: Jonathan has a readymade excuse for why nothing is working in Nigeria. From corruption to terrorism to poor state of infrastructure nationwide, none is due to Jonathan’s inability/failure to effect change. Past Nigerian leaders, the opposition, the children of anger, some aggrieved ethnicities, these are the groups responsible for everything that is wrong with Nigeria. And this has gone a long way in entrenching the culture of complacency in his largely incompetent team who know they are not to blame for failure. Keshi as Super Eagles manager has an opposite philosophy, get results and you won’t have to give excuses. And this has worked for him, as the team knows a bad pitch or weather and even biased officiating is not a reason to lose.

Leaders make sacrifices, especially big sacrifices: “To save Nigeria, we must all be prepared to make sacrifices. On the part of Government, we are taking several measures aimed at cutting the size and cost of governance, including on-going and continuous effort to reduce the size of our recurrent expenditure and increase capital spending. In this regard, I have directed that overseas travels by all political office holders, including the President, should be reduced to the barest minimum” – Goodluck Jonathan (January 2012)

“Our administration believes that the cost of governance in the country is still too high and must be further reduced. We will also take additional steps to stem the tide of corruption and leakages. Foreign travel by government personnel will be further curtailed” – Goodluck Jonathan (January 2014)

In the two years between the two statements from Goodluck Jonathan above, he has spent over N3 billion on foreign trips, recurrent expenditure has increased to 72% of overall government spending, Aso Rock feeding and entertainment budget has stayed at N1 billion and Mr President is planning to acquire an 11th aircraft for the presidential fleet.

Keshi and his assistants on the other hand are being owed a total of 7 months’ salary and allowances running into about N78 million. In the face of this, he has ensured that no player is owed match bonuses and has not failed to deliver results on the pitch. Jonathan and his aides are living in obscene opulence while asking Nigerians to make sacrifices for the nation’s development. Errrrr, it all starts with you sir.

You are only as good as your team: Since his accidental ascendancy to the highest political office in Nigeria, Mr Jonathan has managed to assemble arguably the worst Federal Executive Council since return to democratic rule in 1999. Men and women of low competencies, questionable character and proven records of corruption/mismanagement have been given control of sensitive positions in return for political devotion. Mr Jonathan has shown that he values political loyalty above competency, and that is politics, not leadership. In this regard, he should learn how Keshi picks his team, making sure the best available players are selected, not those who spent more time with the press praising his managerial skills.

Leaders know what and when to celebrate: One of the most disappointing moments of Jonathan’s presidency for me was when he told CNN’s Christine Amanpour during an interview that power situation in Nigeria has vastly improved and Nigerians are happy with his administration in that regard. Amanpour went ahead to disprove this claim so effortlessly. In truth power generation had increased to more than 4000MW then, but that hardly calls for celebration and smugness considering that Nigeria needs about 20,000MW to stand any chance of being one of the top 20 economies in the world by 2020. Jonathan stops short of calling a party for every hundred MW added to the national grid or every kilometre of road patched. Mister, it’s like celebrating victory after winning the first free-kick in a football match. Keep calm and get to work, like Keshi does. Don’t pop the champagne until the trophy is in the cabinet.

Leaders know the people are priority: I do not understand the polimathics of FIFA rankings, and I got even more confused when in December 2013 Nigeria slipped three places from 33 to 36 despite having arguably the best year of all African teams. So was Keshi, but something struck me about his response:

“I am shocked (by the latest rankings). We won the Africa Cup of Nations this year, qualified for the World Cup and four-time world champions Italy held us to a draw, so I am surprised. We should continue to win and make Nigerians proud because that is what is most important to me and Nigerians. If we remain in wherever we are in the ranking and keep winning and Nigerians are happy, then I am happy.”

This contrasts sharply with the selective acceptance game Jonathan’s government plays with global governance and human development rankings. It is not unusual to see Mr Jonathan’s media aides base their principal’s successes on positive comments from international organizations like the World Bank and IMF. When however, the spotlight is on corruption and poverty, in which the report is almost always unfavourable, they swing to action and give a thousand and one reasons why such reports are inaccurate.

Failure to realize that democracy is a government of the people, and the most acceptable index is the people’s assessment, is the foundation of Mr Jonathan’s woeful performance as Nigeria’s president. And as long as he continues to seek acceptance from local power blocs and international organizations at the detriment of the wishes of the people, the story is not likely to change.

If Jonathan is to record any success worth remembering as he enters the final year of his presidency, he should learn from how Keshi has managed to turn around the fortunes of a Super Eagles team that failed to qualify for the nations cup into African champions. While Keshi has proven to be Nigeria’s most successful football coach, Mr Jonathan might just be the worst president in Nigeria’s modern democratic history. It’s all about leadership.

Ogunyemi Bukola (@zebbook) writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

THE VOODOO OF INFLUENCE…IT WORKS 100% – Yomi Balogun

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No man can succeed without being able to influence others. The greatest of men are those who use the psychology of influence to the max. The thing is, influence is inherently change. The essence of influence or influencing is to bring about change one way or the other. Some of us have made the psychology and science of influence a very useful tool in our quest for success and significance but the truth is, most of us can’t wield what they believe is exclusive to a select breed of men. Influence is indeed wieldy and it is a useful tool in every sphere of life. There is no magic or voodoo about it because you can learn it and use it to good effect in your dealings with men. Every man has the inherent ability to be influential. Influencing people is not the same as manipulating them. Manipulation makes it difficult for you to influence people the next time around and if what you are influencing people at is not benefiting them, then you most likely are manipulating them and I consider that unethical. I work with the universal principles of influence. The most important of these principles lies in the age old truth; you reap what you sow. If you can optimally put one or more of these to work, you will bring about change in men and institutions through the art, psychology and science of influence.

• Reciprocation : Tit for tat. People are always willing to pay you with the same coin with which you pay them. When you treat people right and show them that you care about them, you are putting them in a situation where you can influence them.
• Liking : People prefer to serve or be influenced by you to the level or depth at which they like you. This is very intuitive and understandable.
• Commitment : People are bound to comply with your request if it is consistent with what they have publicly committed themselves to in your presence.
• Authority : When you are seen to be credible and knowledgeable on the issue at hand, men will listen to and follow your directions.
• Consensus : Given the evidence that many like them have said yes to your request, most men will likely nod to same.
• Scarcity : If you offer people opportunities that are rare and not readily available, they often jump at them. They are influenced because they do not want to deny themselves.
If you are intelligent and ethical about the use of your skills of influence , you will always have men move for you. It even feels like magic or voodoo but it is not, it is just that men will always follow men who know and care enough to serve them in truth and in deed. Don’t just make a request, make the atmosphere conducive for your request. What did you do before your request? Well, it is far more important than your request. There is a lot more to learn about influence but I believe you will find the means of learning more. Have my best wishes as you lead your army of change agents. The world needs that. Just make sure it is for a good cause. I love you. Cheers

Yomi Balogun & Japheth Omojuwa ©