Why Secession is not the solution to Nigeria's problem #secession101

Controversial blogger and twitter personality Dada Oluwasegun @bosszangaruwa held a tweet meet session last night on why secession is not the solution to Nigeria’s problem as widely claimed by some people. Full compilation below.

This tweet lecture became necessary because of the situation of things in country and the orientation of some tweeps on here.

Secession means to withdraw formally from an alliance, federation, or association, as from a political union. In the Nigerian sense, the first attempt at secession first occurred during the Nigerian civil war. The igbos decided to secede to form Biafra republic due to ethnic and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria.

Our problems won't, can't and will never be solved by secession! Our problem is bad leadership! Leaders that won't listen, they say the south south owns the oil, and its the wealth of Nigeria! Don't be deceived, God deposited the oil there. Nobody has a right to claim the natural resources deposited by God, it was deposited for our common wealth.

Most of our food comes from the North, other natural resources come from the south, we need one another to survive!

Politicians created this problems, they need us divided to mask their kleptomaniac tendencies. Divide and conquer always works.

Even among the Yorubas, Igbos and Hausas there is division, the Yoruba man for example. Hausa: even among the hausas, there exists Kanowa, Kaduanawa etc! Division everywhere! Ibos: the man from Rivers or Bayelsa state will hate to be referred to as an Igbo man, and it goes on and on.

We need  understanding, all our lives we have been fighting ourselves, we need to identify a common enemy. The common enemy here is not the Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba man, the common enemy is the corrupt leadership.

Imagine who the leaders will be if God forbid there is a secession? Same of same, criminals, enemies of the people. Oduduwa republic: imagine the Alao akala, fani kayode, iyiola omisore, tinubu, bode george etc, ruling d nation.

Niger Delta republic; the peter odilis, james ibori, uduagahn, alamesyisgha, etc ruling the nation. Arewa republic: imagine the abacha kids, IBB, adamu ciroma, abdusalam abubakar, Sambo etc as the image of the new nation.

What we should work towards is a new Nigeria, the #occupyNigeria movement has shown that possible. People of different ethnicity and religion working to achieve a single goal #AnewNigeria. Yes its possible.

Like a Catholic marriage, we may not be happy but we cannot contemplate a divorce. God does not make mistakes- Mathew Kukah..

Hashtag used is #secession101

Follow him @bosszangaruwa 

Occupy Nigeria, Agboju/Amuwo Chapter (in pictures)

It is no more news that the Nigerian government removed fuel subsidy on the 1st of January, it is also no more news that Nigerians have rejected the act and the the government is being stubborn and not listening to the people. We have taken to the streets and there is no going back till government listens to us. Occupy Nigeria started and it has been helped by organised labour making people stay at home.

The Gani Fawehinmi memorial park has been parked full since monday, we the youths of Amuwo Odofin, comprising of Festac, Agboju, Satellite town and its environs also started our own version for those who can't make it to ojota due to the restriction in movement. 

It has been three days and we are waxing stronger with support from law enforcement agencies and the masses. Below are pictures from the first three days.

 We had artistes like Sound Sultan, Baba Dee, W4, Rocksteady, Blackface naija. We are waxing stronger in our struggle and we won't relent in our efforts

Lagos State Government against the masses

A peaceful protest in Lagos against planned toll gate on Lekki highway by concerened stakeholders and local residents soon degenerated to violence, as the Nigerian police brutally attacked protesters and journalists in Lagos. Many have been injured and two have been reportedly killed. The Lagos state government has decided to take sides with the LCC against the masses who voted massively for the current governor. Sad.

PHCN to go: Professor Barth Nnaji

The tweet meet started past five, he actually came late as he was meant to start by 5 pm as earlier announced. He started by apologising.

Professor Barth started by responding to questions asked, saying there is a plan and it is captured in the power sector road map and that more licenses have been given out and that 40,000MW is targeted. He said there is no policy barring states from generating power that states and anybody can generate power. He cited Lagos and Rivers states as states currently generating power.

The high point came when he said PHCN will stop existing by 31^stDecember 2011, replacement wasn’t stated but he assured that all PHCN staffs will not lose their jobs that they will be absorbed by successor companies. PHCN corporate headquarter will be shut down, successful companies in distribution, generation and transmission will function. He went ahead to say a wind farm project in Katsina is expected to completed by the 3^rd quarter of 2012. He said there are a lot of policies on ground for prospective investors and that more information will be out by the end of January 2012. Someone asked about metre payments and he said NERC has been contacted and that they have removed extra metre charges.

He proceeded saying three coal-fired station are to be set up in Enugu, Gombe and Benue states with generative capacity of 1000MW each and that in addition, 2600MW hydro plant Mambilla Plateau state and 700MW in Zungeru Niger state. HE also said the installation of thousands of transformers across the country to improve power distribution is ongoing.

In his words “When we came at 2010, the generation was at 2800MW . We have improved it to over 4000MW”, “We have established the Nigerian Electricity Bulk Trading Company www.nbet.com.ng”, “We have re-established NERC, a strong regulator has been put in place to regulate the industry”, “The activities of the Bulk Trader are to act as a stand between the generating companies and the distribution companies”, “The activities of the Bulk Trader are to act as a stand between the generating companies and the distribution companies” , “We've gotten World Bank to provide the partial risk guarantee for gas and power. In support of the reform process”, “Increased power supply across the country as reflected in increase of quantum of 2800MW to over 4000MW as of today” ,“We have also got OPIC to provide a 1.5 billion dollars investment window to support the nigerian power sector” , “It takes 3-4 years to complete a power plant if all necessary things are in place.Based on this we project continuous improvements”, “You can also visit our website http://www.power.gov.ng/ to find out more about the activities of the ministry” , “CBN has provided the power intervention fund to support the power sector” , “The new tariff will provide a major incentive for new investment in the sector” , “We have paid PHCN workers N57 billion , have agreed on their 50% salary increase, agreed to convert 11,000 casual to regular staff”, “It is our long term goal that the Nigerian power market reaches a point of stability for a willing-buyer, willing-seller mode” .

He went ahead to say there will be new tariffs which will be announced by NERC next year arguing that Nigeria pays one the lowest electricity tariff in Sub Saharan Africa except Zambia. HE replied someone saying Nigeria supplies power to Niger, Chad and Benin.

He ended saying , “I want to assure Nigerians that we are doing everything necessary to boost power generation nationwide. It has been an engaging tweet-meet with you all. Further questions on other aspects of the reform could be forwarded to bart.nnaji@power.gov.ng.

The tweet meet lasted about an hour

BREAKING NEWS: PHCN WILL CEASE TO EXIST AFTER 2011

Just coming in from Professor Bart Nnaji, Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Power is that the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) will cease to exist after December 31, 2011. This was tweeted by him during the tweetmeet on power reforms currently still on, on twitter with hashtag #NGPower

Full details in due course

Nigerian President sacks EFCC Chair

President Goodluck Jonathan has unexpectedly fired the head of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

A spokesman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Wednesday that chairwoman Farida Waziri had been fired. Spokesman Femi Babafemi said Waziri had at least another year left in her tenure.

Babafemi says agency deputy Ibrahim Lamurde has been appointed acting chairman. He said he did not know the president’s reason for firing Waziri.

Waziri and a presidential spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.

Waziri has been criticized by U.S. diplomats in leaked cables for being unprepared and for apparently being controlled by politicians. Others have leveled corruption allegations against her and operatives of the commission, though none have been proven. Farida has been less than a shadow of the previous anti-corruption czar Nuhu Ribadu who was removed by former President Yar’ Adua to prevent same from trying his friends.

Meanwhile reactions are already trailing the sack. Professor Pat Utomi post thus on his facebook page:

"With this change, let me advise the Federal Government that the only way to ensure that the EFCC is effective in fighting corruption, which is the bane of Nigeria's development, is for the executive to give that agency complete autonomy and independence and this can only be done if the law creating the agency is amended to ensure its independence. PU"

However, Mallam Nasir El Rufai former FCT minister has condemned the process of her removal. He reacted on twitter immediately:

"Farida Waziri has been removed by GEJ before the expiration of her term. This is contrary to the EFCC Act and illegal. We must all stand up for rule compliance even if we do not like the victim. We stood up when Nuhu was similarly treated. It is wrong! Farida Waziri was the instrument of my years of persecution by Yar'Adua & GEJ. I don't like her. But that is personal, her removal illegal! The EFCC Act requires GEJ to show cause - insanity, incapacity, not in public interest, etc. No reasons given. She did not resign. WRONG!! All I am saying is that when leaders do not act in compliance with the law, we must question. It is Farida Waziri today. It will be you soon Let us not celebrate this because we think Farida is a scumbag. Let us stand up & question because of non-compliance with the EFCC Act. Farida's tenure is supposed to end in May 2012. My persecution started the day she took office. So I am not her advocate personally. Farida was neither competent nor honest. Trial by headlines was her landmark. Plea bargains with the corrupt her specialty. But Her tenure had not ended, & if it is to be prematurely terminated, it must be done in accordance with the law. They did it to PCA Salami too .This GEJ administration revels in gross violating the law & surprised that Nigerians are resorting to taking the law into their own hands!! . When leaders break the law with impunity, they should expect that sooner or later, every citizen will join & settle disputes via self-help!! 

 

My take on the proposed fuel subsidy removal

I wrote this article days ago but couldn't post here for some reasons. Enjoy

It is no more news the president Jonathan and his crew are bent on removing oil subsidy, the last thing the masses enjoy from government. Nigerians have reacted and majority have spoken against the planned action but the government seems hell bent on going ahead with the removal. Below is a quote from a Nigerian interviewed by a national daily:

“Removing oil subsidy will make poor people poorer and make life more difficult for Nigerians because the entire economy of this country, not just its revenue is hinged on the pump price of fuel. The cost of doing business will increase by more than 200%  since subsidy will result in over 200% increase of the pump price of petrol. So imagine the effect of that on small business, its catastrophic.

Now my argument of the federal government that subsidy will bring in competition that will send prices crashing as soon as the private sector keys in to take advantage of the abounding opportunities that the removal will bring. Sincerely that’s a good and logical argument. But Nigerians will love to know why the price of diesel that has long been deregulated is still skyrocketing.”

I read the above piece and was convinced the government on self destructive journey. Truly, after the increase in the price of diesel (due to deregulation), cost of production increased (as factories use heavy duty diesel generators for power) which increased the price of locally made products, cost of doing business increased, food stuffs became more expensive because they are transported down south from the north with diesel powered truck/lorries. Telecommunication tariffs remained high because the claim they spend so much on diesel to power their masts. And as widely reported, businesses have moved to neighbouring countries before of the high cost of power in Nigeria.

A government that knows all this will still want to go ahead and to remove subsidy without first tackling the corruption is not a serious government. For example, kerosene is subsidized but do not get to end users at the subsidized rate, this goes to show how corrupts the oil sector is (need I emphasize that???).

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan should rather fish out the culprits who has frustrated subsidy as he has claimed. But we all know that won’t happen and we know why. Fresh Air Indeed!!!