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HABA MR PRESIDENT By Sonny C. Onyegbula (Republic of South Africa) (GAMJI) I read with utter disgust the volcanic eruption of President Olusegun Obasanjo against Rev Yakubu Pam, the Chair of Plateau state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). While I posit that the President may not have merited the allegations of indifference leveled against him by the Cleric. The reaction of the President to say the least diminished the High office of the presidency that Chief Obasanjo occupies. The President by descending from his Olympian height to rain abuses on the cleric tarnished the exalted office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Details
1001
questions for our Igbo governors.By Okoh Emeka (Moscow Russia.) (GAMJI)
Diaspora Professionals Can Help Develop Successful Tennis Programs in Nigeria. By Murtala Bala Habu (GAMJI) Nigerian Diaspora tennis professionals are making world of a difference in the United States, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium, Saudi Arabia and other nations. As Nigerian tennis experts in Diaspora making significant contributions in these nations, so should Nigeria tennis administrators encouraged Diaspora experts help grow tennis in Nigeria? Details
Senator Arthur Nzeribe and the Challege of Gilt Edged Leadership. By Emeka Oraetoka (GAMJI) There is a near consensus among the southeasterners and Nigerians in general, that indeed wind of positive change is blowing in southeast politics. Opinion is however, divided as to what informed the current scenario. Two schools of thought are at each other jugular as to what has brought about the apparent harmony in the zone's politics. Details
Nigeria: Temporarily Out of Service. By Salisu Ahmed Koki (GAMJI) To anybody that has a NITEL phone line or did business with NITEL in the past the title given to this piece of article isn’t a coded message. It is indeed a clearly well-deciphered code that somehow describes a cease in service provision and also implies inefficiency. Details
The Masses Error. By Hakeem Babalola (GAMJI) The sudden death of that dark-goggle Abacha, who terrorized the whole nation with tempestuous brutality – was enough for the masses to say never again – to any tyrannical government. Even the barbaric execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, an activist fighting for the liberation of his people, was part of injustices that should have reinforced the urge to the masses awakening. Details
(GAMJI) It is disheartening but true that many of our school leavers have not been prepared adequately by the educational institutions in which they had spent the better part of their life. This happens despite government’s substantial investment of our resources, time and energy. Details
Politics of Force Deployment and Nigeria’s National Security. By Priye S. Torulagha (GAMJI) Around May 2, 2004, perhaps, in a retaliatory counteraction to avenge an earlier victimization by Moslem militants in February of this year, militant Christian elements of Tarok and other ethnic origins are alleged to have invaded the market town of Yelwa which is inhabited predominantly by members of the Moslem community and inflicted extensive destruction and killings. The number of those killed in the invasion ranged from 67 to 300, depending on the source of information. Details
Afolabi – My Condolences, Mr. Obasanjo. By Banjo Odutola (GAMJI) the deceased was arrested and before his death, a prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) subsisted. As a result of his death, the charge against him was extinguished. Nonetheless, nothing stops the Federal Government from bringing a recovery civil action against his Estate. Details
Open Letter to Former Minister Affairs Minister, Late Sunday Afolabi. By Femi Oyesanya (GAMJI) I
read about the news of your death with shock and awe!
The shock however, was not the shock one feels for the passing away of a
respected Statesman. There was emptiness but not the emptiness that sets in when
a patriot dies.
Obasanjo's Kingdom. By Banjo Odutola (GAMJI) In Obasanjo’s Kingdom – the office of the Inspector General of Police is not political. Yet, the IG conducts himself as a card-carrying member of the ruling party. Elections are conducted and the nation condemns the police for its conduct. In Obasanjo’s Kingdom – the Police is commended. Details
The Yelwa/Shendam Mayhem, The Kano Return Match and the Federal Government's Reaction. By Babayola Toungo (GAMJI) The violence and mayhem unleashed on the Hausa/ Muslim population of Plateau has no precedence in Nigeria and may only be compared to the ethnic cleansing campaigns undertaken in Rwanda or Bosnia. The killings continued unabated for almost three years running without the government or the leadership bringing a single person to book. Details
Yelwa-Shendam Crises and Kano Reprisals: Let’s Burry the Hatchets. By Yusuf Danbaba Yariyok, Ph.D. (GAMJI) Muslim-Christian crises are not new to Nigeria. They have a long history. I hesitate to call these crises religious because for the most part they are not. Over 60% of the crises we have witnessed in the north especially the Middle Belt have been socio-political rather than religious. Details
The Yelwa Crisis and the Northern Identity. By Sunday Damina Goshit (GAMJI) We, the tribes of the Plateau region, who gave our lives for the survival of the nation (to keep it one) have suddenly turned into infidels who came from somewhere and settled on the foothills along the trade routes of the Hausas. Details
As Some Nigerians’ Rush To Become non-Nigerians. By Paul I. Adujie (GAMJI) Too many Nigerians are increasingly going to extraordinary lengths, engaging in extreme measures, to ensure that their unborn children are born in America or Britain etc, all in efforts to secure the citizenship of these children in foreign countries, as citizenship is conferred as a birthright, as haven been born in these countries. Details
Kano Disturbance: Aftermath of Plateau Ethnic Crisi and Opposition Machinations. By Joe Nwagbara (GAMJI) Well-focused observers need to dig out the reasons for the occurrence of this disturbance and in these specific areas. Many of the Kano people contacted blamed the federal government for not taking action immediately against the culprits in Plateau State who caused the displacement of over twenty thousand people who had to move to neighboring Bauchi State. Details
Double Standards As Bane of the Jos Crisis: A Response to Audu Zango. By Joseph Dangme Rinyom (GAMJI) Nowhere on the Plateau does the Hausa/Fulani emirate exist on the highlands. The two emirates in Plateau State are the Kanam and Wase (on the Benue plains or what is referred to in Plateau state as “the lowlands”), the latter being the cradle of the present hostilities in southern senatorial district of the state. Details
The Ethnic Cleansing by the Pagan Savages in Jos Plateau and the Illegal Gang in Government Must Be Stopped: A Rejoinder to Audu Zango. By Dany Ritut (GAMJI) It is sad, sad for the North with demented individuals like you Mr. Zango. This is exactly why efforts of groups like the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to bring harmony to this region will not succeed because of the likes of you. Details
Yelwa Crisis: Please Stop the Double Standard. By Abdullahi U. Bello (GAMJI) What is happening in Plateau State is by all standard a gruesome and dastardly act, but what I find curious is the apparently lack of interest by the southern western media and those in authority. I thought Thisday and the Guardian are more objective than the rest, but no, they did not give the story the coverage it deserves, but when ten people were killed in Kano in reaction to the carnage in Plateau it was all in their front pages. Details
What Does the Senate’s Pardon Mean? By Ibrahim Dan-Halilu (GAMJI) What baffles readers of those media reports, including myself is how the “Integrity Group,” as the 86 senators called themselves came about its mandate to pardon someone they had earlier accused of corrupt enrichment or misappropriation of fund allocated to the legislature. If Senator Wabara is guilty as charged or rather the 86 senators are really serious that their President has indeed misappropriated fund or awarded contracts without due process, what powers have they to pardon him? Details
The Oba of Benin's Book: The Ooni of Ife Did Not Respond But Reacted. By Hilary Odion Evbayiro (GAMJI) Even if one is forced to accept the claim and assertion that Oduduwa descended from the sky on chains with a grain of salt, a thing that is profusely incredible, all the Ooni was actually saying is Oduduwa was alien to the Yoruba people. In essence, Oduduwa is not Yoruba but someone supposedly from an outer space. By distending this thinking further, it is clear then that the Yorubas, by virtue of the Ooni's claim, are tacitly accepting and acknowledging, without admitting or even knowing it, that an alien from the outer space descended at Ile-Ife and started to rule them. Details
With the Right Tools Our Society Can Advance. By Odi Maduneke (GAMJI) The bulk of the intelligentsia seem to think that if only we have ‘real’ democracy, we will be able to get a mesiah president like Nelson Mandela who will fix everything. The next presidential election is in 2007, but already the struggle has begun. So much time and space are being used discussing whether IBB will run, or whether Obasanjo will run for an unprecedented third term or whether there should be an Igbo president. Details
Saudi Arabia And Other Arab Monarchies: What If They Were Democratic? By Paul I. Adujie (GAMJI) As a non-Arab concerned with the plight of the people of Palestine and the burgeoning non-beguiling ordeal of the people of Iraq, I am forced to wonder about certain what ifs, such as, what if Saudi Arabia was democratic? Details North’s New Ordeals: Killing in the Name of God. By Paul Mamza (GAMJI WRITER) The Northern Nigeria, which is a conglomerate of vast tribal and religious confinement, is becoming a potentially suffocating bear-hug due to the elite manipulation of the masses. Details
(Burtonsville, MD, USA) (GAMJI WRITER) On April 29, 2004 at the Lagos launching of his forty-year-in-the-making autobiography, "I remain, Sir, Your Obedient Servant", the Omo N'Oba N'Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Oba Eradiauwa, threw a stink-bomb onto the Yoruba cultural space by claiming on Page 205 that the Yoruba progenitor Oduduwa was really the run-away prince Ekaladerhan from Igodo (Benin), then being ruled by his father Ogiso Owodo who ascended the throne about 1068. Ekaladerhan, reportedly born in 1070 and exiled in 1084, the story was that about 70 years later, still without a royal male heir to rule after the death of Owodo, a pleading Bini-land sent off to now Ooni of Ife Oduduwa to be their king.
North and 2007: If It is Not Buhari, It Is Not Same As Buhari. By Paul Mamza (GAMJI WRITER) Muhammadu Buhari means many things to many people. To his superiors in the military profession, he is a resource of fortitude, loyalty and consummate ability; his military subordinates view him as an embodiment of discipline and exemplary leadership. A large segment of the Nigerian populace celebrated his dauntless zeal for reforms while in the military uniform. Very few Nigerians evoke a timid exasperation at his approaches. That was way back to his military career. Details
In the recent spate of violence, the attackers, mainly Christian Taroks, were armed with assault rifles, machetes and bows and arrows. Most of the victims were Muslims, including an unconfirmed number of women and children. The official number of deaths is put at 67, although the clashes may have resulted in as many as 630 deaths. The Nigerian Red Cross estimate that some 7,500 people have fled the area as a result of the prevailing insecurity. Details
PEOPLE & POLITICS BY MOHAMMED HARUNA The Wabara Crisis Now that the threat to remove Chief Adolphus Wabara as Senate President has at least receded, if not disappeared altogether, it is useful to examine its implications for the health of our fledging democracy. Details
HEALTH INTERACTIVE WITH DR. AMINU MAGASHI Nigerian Youth and Staphylococcus Aureus (GAMJI WRITER) I always stumbled on issues related to Staphylococcus Aurous (S A). There is a lot of misinformation in our streets all over the nation on this matter. Some section of our brothers, traditional doctors and herbalists and drug traders and vendors are doing a lot of disservice to humanity by always linking and attributing any problem related to reproductive organs to Staphylococcus Aurous as being the major culprit. Details
The Yelwa Crisis: Chasing Shadows. By Sunday Goshit The truth is that our leaders are shameless and are the perpetrators of these crisis. NO and I repeat, NO Plateau Christian wants to kill a fellow Muslim and vice versa. If that was the case I should have seen Dariye kill one of his Muslim commissioners and the Deputy Speaker kill the speaker!! Why is it only the poor and their that die? The NGOs in Plateau state and Nigeria must not wait until we have crisis before they move in. Details
Between Foreign and Nigerian legislators. By Yushau Shuaib (GAMJI) Nascent Democracy . . . Nascent Democracy . . . It seems the word NASCENT is used by political leaders to excuse their failure in governance; to excuse their nonchalant attitude to the yearnings of the citizenry and as an excuse for their naked brigandage and abuse of the rule of law. The regular frivolities exhibited, most especially by our lawmakers, have done enough violence to our hard earned democracy. Details
Gombe Development Forum and the Juggler Option. UK Umar Gombe (GAMJI) However, in another development, I foresee a doom and it is most unfortunate, if the elite will be forming isolated ethnic groupings with the aim of dissecting the common interest that binds us together vis-à-vis discuss on the interest of their ethnic group, not minding the immediate consequences of forming such cluster chambers (e.g. Tera assembly in Deba). To my understanding the Teras and the Fulbes have come along way and are more like the so-called Hausa-Fulani. Details
The Ethnic Cleansing by the Pagan Savages in Jos Plateau and the Illegal Gang in Government must be Stopped. By Audu Zango (GAMJI) The recent ethnic cleansing is one the worst organised civil carnage apart from the civil war. Drunken and cannabis intoxicated savage Tarok murderers armed with heavy machine guns mounted on vehicles fuming with pagan rage attacked a peaceful Hausa-Fulani community of Yelwan Shendam on the Plateau. Details
War
Crimes And American Intransigence; These Are War Crimes! (GAMJI) The world is now familiar with the misguided, depraved and very stupid behavior by some American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, where indiscriminate American force have decimated civilian lives, including 25 suspicious deaths of prisoners in American custody. Details
Is Obasanjo An Abacha In The Making? By Banjo Odutola (GAMJI) To accept the version of Mr. Obasanjo’s account is to forget that as honourable as he may be – generally, politicians are untrustworthy. Mr. Al-Mustapha inalienable rights as a private citizen must be preserved. Being a soldier does not remove private rights. Details
The Opposition Political Parties and the Politics of Mass Protest. By Dr. Chidi Uzoma (GAMJI) Eventually President Obasanjo was in his usual self, congratulating the Nigerian people, through his spokesperson for not turning out in mass for the protest, and instead going about their normal business. He declared, “the citizens stayed away because of their commitment to democracy and dialogue” (The Guardian Online, Tuesday, May 04 2004). Eventually the pro-democracy organizers of the mass protest were upbeat and called it a success, despite the fact that the police did not grant a permit. Details
Bill on “Nigerians in Diasporas”: The Need for Caution. By Abdulrahman Muhammad Dan-Asabe, Ph.D. (GAMJI) Before now, Nigerians at home have simply marveled at such wonderful performances of their fellow citizens abroad, which they get to know through news from local and foreign media. There has been however, no known Nigerian leader that has paid any particular attention and made efforts towards the possible return and engagement of these achieving Nigerians. To this end, President Olusegun Obasanjo will have to his credit, as the first Nigerian leader that has officially recognized the importance of these Nigerians and has made concerted efforts at encouraging their homecoming. Details
African Parents: the Dilemma of Raising their Children in Diaspora. By Victor E. Dike (GAMJI) For many African parents, raising their children in Diaspora (particularly the U.S.) is a very daunting and challenging task. The reasons are many, including the culture of the society, which gives enormous powers to the child. Torn between two cultures, African parents are therefore in a dilemma as to where to raise their children.Details
Open Letter to Balarabe Musa: A Reply to Governor Attahiru Bafarawa. By Abba Anwar (GAMJI) It interests me to see political elites, like the Executive Governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, that are bold and courageous enough to say and make their minds public without minding whose oxe is gored. Many at times you find them misdiagnosing some of the burning political issues in the country. You can interpret their position on certain issues as a pregnant of all sorts of inconsistencies, discrepancies, deceits and deficiencies. Details
Islam Nigeria-UK Road Tour: Representations of Islam in the Media. By Ibrahim Ado-Kurawa (GAMJI) Most of the worst atrocities in the twentieth century were committed by non-Muslims yet such actions were never taken as representation of their religion. For example Hitler and the Nazis committed the worst atrocity against humanity yet their action, which was racially based has never been associated with their race by describing it as the most brutal race in human history. The Rwandan Catholics committed the worst atrocities against their fellow Christian neighbors hence the rise of Islam in that country after the genocide (Lacey 2004) but the media does not depict them as Catholic butchers. Details
Police Check Points: The Nuisance And Impedance To Commerce. By Paul I. Adujie (GAMJI) I have personally had, quite a few encounters and conversations with, tourists or visitors to Nigeria, and featuring prominently in these conversations, usually, is the police roadblock nuisances, and the refrain always, is that the uniformed men never enquired about the tourists’ mission in Nigeria, or whether the tourists had legitimate visas or even legitimate or legal business or reason for being in Nigeria, at all. Details
Democratic Gangsterism: Who will Bail our Democracy? By Ibrahim Dan-Halilu (GAMJI) Since the dismissal of some founding members of the party like Chief Sunday Awoniyi it was as if the PDP has murdered sleep. It has been deprived of even a semblance of discipline. Nigerians have heard the acts of gangterism committed by prominent and favoured PDP members in Anambra State where Chris Ngige, the duly elected governor of the state was forcefully unseated using the state apparatus of coercion. Details
Teaching Qualification in Nigeria Universities: How Relevant? By Muhammad Suleiman Anka (GAMJI) All the hype about teaching qualification in the universities by the N.U.C. and other government officials is just a way of hiding government failure in providing conducive atmosphere for teaching and research in our universities. Details
Ibrahim
Babangida and a Passing Thought on (GAMJI) Nothing should stop Babangida from contesting under any political platform save for the court of law, his conscience and his friends and family. My opinion should not be construed as pro-Babangida. I am not. I have never been and would never be. However, I think the man ought to be able to compete for any elective office he is qualified for. It is his right; just as it is the right of the people to vote or not vote for him; but at least, let him express his constitutional rights as allowed by the Nigerian constitution. Details
(GAMJI) The coming of the Bafarawa administration therefore, was to us, just business as usual based on our previous knowledge of successive former regimes in the state. We therefore, at inception, characteristically dismissed the administration with the wave of the hand. The only feat achieved, we had concluded was the defeat of the so-called ‘born to rule’ hard-core conservatives in the elections of May 1999. Details
Revisiting: United States Plans Special Visa Allocation to Nigerians. By Murtala Bala Habu (GAMJI) The United States has promised better life for “Green Card Lottery Winners” across the globe and, for those who emigrated through such program, for example Nigerians who were established at home but allowed rumor about their new artificial heaven or hell in-migrated with promises, many are disappointed. Details
Immunity From Prosecution; A Delicate Balancing Act. By Paul I. Adujie (GAMJI) As Nigerians debate immunity from prosecution for president and governors, it should be remembered, that there are compelling arguments for both sides; On the one hand, immunity from prosecution, allows freedom of action by beneficiaries, conversely, immunity when abused, could quickly become impunity of action and impurity of outcome. Details
Why this Hatred? By Dr. Al-mustapha, U. Jnr. (GAMJI) Quite confusing and unbelievable, the Nation, “Nigeria” has become traumatically indisposed, politically sickened, tribally and religiously segregated. The children are dying mentally, the youth pitched against one another and wasting, the fatherland smeared with blood. Details
Nigerians! Let Us Sit Down Once to Meditate to Look at the Entire Road that We Had Walked Through. By Engr. Obadiah Oghoerore Alegbe (GAMJI) Haba! Nigerians! Let us sit down once to meditate to look at the entire road that we had walked through, then let us check for where the error is and look for the corrections. As long as Nigerians continue to kill Nigerians, we shall not see the light. Details
'The
Ban on 'Miracle' Broadcasts in Nigeria' .
By (GAMJI) To me, I welcome the move taken by the NBC requiring the spiritual churches who dominate our air waves, ashamedly boasting of miraculous physical cures, to provide solid evidence for all the feats they lay claim to beyond all reasonable doubt. Details
Kano City Wall: Obsession and a Moment in History. By Dr. Yusuf M. Adamu (GAMJI) It is sad to note that at some point Kano State Government shamelessly demolish about one kilometre length of the city wall (beside Kano Investment) to construct a road. This was beside the official allocation of lands near the city wall. That was criminal, but nobody could do anything. Detail
Muslims And Islam; Are Under Siege And Attack Worldwide? By Paul I. Adujie (GAMJI) It appears, that all hell have broken lose and many countries are now persistently putting Muslims and Islam, under siege and even ferocious attacks, instead of looking for criminals, it is now the case, that Muslims are being targeted in Spain, France, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, and more recently, in Thailand Details
Military Ranks of Nigerian Armed Forces. By Tajudeen Bakre (GAMJI) Why you will hestitate to be categorical on the nomenclature beats my imagination; Dr. Nowa wrote Glover's Hausa and not Glover's constabulary and as such we will not get mired in controversy. You only confirm assertion that they are not Hausas but tall men and because as at then, and 'till now, some Nigerians are yet to differentiate between Hausas and Fulanis, they lump the two together. Details
All Hope is Not Lost to the Bakassi People. By Alex Taka (GAMJI) The Nigerian government should halt any planned transfer of Bakassi to Cameroon and move the Bakassi argument from the legal to the international political arena, where the case belongs. All the World Court ruling did was pave the way for Bakassi to join Cameroon, if that is what the Bakassi citizens elect to do. Details
Revitalizing The Owerri Airport. By Eluma Obibuaku (GAMJI) In 2003, a total of 7.26 million passengers used Nigerian airports and 38,000 or less than half of one percent of this number used Owerri airport. Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt Airport together account for about 56% of the total number of passengers and are business/ cosmopolitan cities. Details
STAR WARNING: "Don't Mess with Ngozi, you Crooks!" Says Wolfensohn. By Mobolaji E. Aluko, Ph.D. (GAMJI) That is why the World Bank is what it is - with a comment like that from its President! In fact, it appears that the World Bank, which, along with IMF, have admitted past failures in making a dent on poverty around the world, now believes that Nigeria is totally colonized, and it can choose for us who are ministers and rulers are, and then turn around to insult us for complaining. Details
New Nigerian Newspaper: Before the Hand-Over. By Jonathan Ishaku (GAMJI) The Southern Press, or more precisely the Lagos-Ibadan Press, whose hostility and contempt for the North is hardly concealed was having a vengeful field day castigating Northerners for all of Nigeria’s problems. The Northern elite was evidently very despondent at the turn of events. It is one thing to lose (some of my Northern brothers insist on the word ‘relinquish’) power but quite another to be insulted in the bargain. Details
Adamawa, Behind the Overturned Election. By Raji Bello (GAMJI) Now, here is a Governor who was practically installed and re-installed into office by his mentor, the Vice President, who himself is categorised as a Fulani and is a member of the Adamawa Emirate Council with both of them enjoying the total support of the Lamido of Adamawa. Yet, our authors at The Guardian want the world to believe that the Governor is an unfortunate victim of Fulani hegemony! Details
Buhari Vs. Obasanjo. Forwarded By Adamu Kyuka Usman (GAMJI) I found combat ready mobile policemen in conjunction with soldiers and air force carrying weapons of modern warfare like rocket launchers, riffles etc. At the time of this deployment there was no crisis in the country. I was apprehensive as they went about brandishing weapons and shooting. Details
(GAMJI) I suspect that half of the road to Nigeria’s renaissance would be undertaken, when our elites learn to love this country Nigeria, and not only half or one-quarter of it; when they correctly learn to differentiate the true colours of things, both innate and living. Details
The Satanic Appearance and Nigerian Experience. By Paul Mamza (GAMJI WRITER) For behind every power in Nigeria today, is a chaperon of cultists, treasury – looters and sycophants with the power behind the throne showing sticking capitulation. When democracies contend that transparency is their watchword, the nation’s democracy has formalized corruption at a level of State – craft as its catchword. Details
These Anguished Senators. By Aminu S. Muhammad (GAMJI) It is also laughable that these anguished senators could have the needed moral mind to ever imagine impeaching Wabara for whatever reason. Right from the day they accepted Wabara as their president, they lost all the moral voice they had for speaking against inequities manifesting in the polity. Details
The ANC Landslide and Why Nigerians Should Take Note. By Aonduna Tondu (GAMJI) It is fair to say that today, Nigerians have very low expectations of the dictatorship in Abuja. That notwithstanding, they should not relent in their collective determination to have, for once, free and fair elections in 2007. Details
A Response to Sam Nda-Isaiah’s “LG elections Confirm It”. By Ibrahim Dan-Halilu (GAMJI) I really admire the courage of those that are calling for a repeal of the constitutional provision that gives the governors power to form the electoral commission. But I feel the action is like crying over spilt milk. Details
(GAMJI) Do the organizers of the mass demonstration with Alhaji Balarabe Musa know the man, Balarabe Musa from his past? Alhaji Balarabe Musa does not believe in functioning in an organized government. Details
(GAMJI) Have you ever asked, Sir, why the nomenclature is "Nigeria Police Force" and not "Nigerian Police Force"? Even rtd. David Jemibewon could not go beyond removing the word "Force". Why is it that the rank of Sgt. Maj. is almost extinct in the Nigeria Police Force? Why is the colour of the Ghanaian Army belt (ceinture) the colour of the Nigeria Police Force flag and coma belt? Details
Arewa and the Babel of 2007 : A Rejoinder to Moses E. Ochonu. By Aonduna Tondu (GAMJI) To a large extent, the Nigerian media, and especially its Lagos-Ibadan axis, has been less than honourable in its coverage of the Obasanjo dictatorship. Sycophantic and docile, what is sometimes referred to as the ‘Kabiyesi media’ because of its kowtowing , deferent posture, has largely contributed to the bastardization of Nigerian democracy under the current rogue regime of Obasanjo. Details
Vaccines and the Bioterrorist. By Ahmed Gana (GAMJI) Nigerians must participate in the global polio eradication program because people of the world have the right to good health, but their participation should not be in a way that will harm them, otherwise it will be counterproductive. Details
Igbo Renaissance Must Be Driven By New Wealth Creation. By Okenwa R. Nwosu, MD (GAMJI) The Igbo political and intellectual elite are keenly aware that their interests have been marginalized in post-civil war Nigeria and are tirelessly searching for a way of overcoming this dilemma. Details
What?!,
Mantu again!?, What About
Atiku? (GAMJI WRITER) In a very dramatic manner, Mantu withdrew the suit with number FCT/NC/CV/583/04. Daily Sun of Thursday, April 22nd 2004 carried another headline; Money Mess: Mantu, others in fresh financial scandal. The paper reported that Mantu and some principal officers shared the sum of N 81 Million. The Senate President allocated to himself N 36 Million, Mantu got N 26 Million, Senate Leader, Alhaji Dalhatu Sarki Tafida got N12 Million, and seven other principal officers got N7 Million and the rest with a paltry sum of N 1.7 Million each. Details
Reforming the Constitution By Wada Nas Sovereign National Conference, SNC, or its watered-down version, National Conference, is supposed to be about a commonly agreeable formula for the good health of our federal and democratic polity, which, even from recent experience, we may need to strengthen the system, if correctly handled...If we come out with a formula that will minimise the incumbency factor, chances are that ours may end up a one party state. For the same reason, we were about heading for it during Shagari and now directionally indicative under Obasanjo. Details
HEALTH INTERACTIVE WITH DR. AMINU MAGASHI Should We Mark Africa Malaria Day? (GAMJI WRITER) Today , 4 years after that declaration, the only two that are supposed to genuinely celebrate that day are the mosquito and plasmodium parasite who are constantly having a free meal with our children and pregnant women. In Africa, malaria is the number one killer of children, a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. Details
WEEKEND MUSINGS WITH DR. NOWA OMOIGUI Military Ranks: Rejoinder to Mr. Tajudeen Bakre Unknown to most people the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigerian Army (NA) actually share the same origins. The NPF started out as a small Consular Guard in 1861, and merged with the Lagos Constabulary (a.k.a.) "Glover's Hausas" in 1863. Details
UN-STAR WITHOLDING: Of Revenue to Some Local Governments by the Federal Government. By Mobolaji E. Aluko, Ph.D. These local governments were not created last night. Knowing that their creation would have serious financial implications, the Federal Government should long have sought judicial interpretation from the Supreme Court as to their legality and hence the financial implications vis-a-vis revenue allocation. Details
PEOPLE AND POLITICS BY MOHAMMED HARUNA. The Real Enemies of Democracy (GAMJI WRITER) One has hard of house detention before, but not even during the nadir of Abacha’s fascism did any one imagine that Nigerians would one day hear of hotel detention. But, to repeat what I’ve just said, this was precisely what happened to the opposition leadership at Agura Hotel, in Abuja on Monday. Details
HEALTH INTERACTIVE WITH DR AMINU MAGASHI Between Malaria and HIV/AIDS Projects in Nigeria (GAMJI WRITER) I call the attention of CCM on global fund and other international donor agencies to write, and develop proposal for funding towards implementing projects on malaria control and prevention and to say boldly and genuinely enough of HIV/AIDS depleting malaria projects of their meager resources. Details HEALTH INTERACTIVE WITH DR. AMINU MAGASHI The Task Before the Arewa Media Forum (GAMJI WRITER) Whether Kano is participating or not, that left to be seen, up to the time I am writing this piece, there was no pubic statement by the state on that matter, however information emanating from the federal government is that, the FG has abandoned the former vaccines being used in the country and has ordered a fresh ones from a different manufacturers and in a different country entirely and states are enjoyed to collect their allocation at random. Details
GLOBAL NETWORK FOR ISLAMIC JUSTICE PRESS RELEASE SAFETY OF POLIO VACCINES: MATTERS ARISING (GAMJI) The tension and mistrust generated by the alleged contamination of the Polio Vaccines with some infertility agents and the dreaded HIV/AIDS Virus has regrettably not completely been removed or eradicated even with the recent public functions by Authorities and the announcements to the safety of the said vaccines by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Jama'atu Nasril Islam. Details The
Dilemma of the Down-trodden… (GAMJI) It
pained us , the younger generation who have just finished the N. Y. S. C. seeing
our former lectures, some of whom we admired tremendously for their
principled stance on national issues and their dogged determination to better
our societies transforming all of a sudden and joining the band-wagon of
national destruction.
Waiting for President Chukwudi…By Zulfikar Aliyu Adamu (GAMJI) I have decided to give a damn if an Igbo man becomes president in my life time not because I hope to discover a long lost cousin among them. But it is very hard, I guess, for some Igbos to believe that there are people out there who see them as equals, and in terms of economics, see them as superior to other Nigerians. Details
A Rejoinder to Mr. Spoiler. By Ahmad Kollere (GAMJI) I agree that "ignorance and mass hysteria" has serious effects towards our peaceful coexistence as a people in a diverse nation like Nigeria, but then this social vice has equally engulfed the writer's thinking to such an extent that he is left standing confused between religion and atheism. Details
Has
Ekwueme Become a Logistic or Moral Problem for Nigeria? (GAMJI) All Nigerians of goodwill who still harbour some love for the country should welcome this “new” development provided the “best candidate” option being canvassed is not another false stratagem interpreted to mean that only -our candidate is the best option for Nigeria. Details
Re-If I Were An Igbo Man… (Part 1). By Obi Cajetan (GAMJI) So many people have written so many funny things out of ignoramus, all in the name of writing about the Igbos. Some, people who are Igbos by accident or induction tend to buy these ideas without asking cogent questions to verify the reality from stereotype or fictitious fiction. Details
PEOPLE & POLITICS BY MOHAMMED HARUNA (GAMJI WRITER) So that the National Programme on Immunisation May Succeed. As we all now know, the WHO and UNICEF experts as well as several local experts did declare the polio vaccine safe, but people still rejected the vaccines. Instead of asking why, both the foreign and domestic protagonists of the campaign, including the authorities, resorted to blackmail. Details
If I Were An Igbo Man… (Part 1). By Zulfikar Aliyu Adamu (GAMJI) Anyway, my dear Igbo brothers and sisters, crying for political attention would not bring any genuine sympathy from the two other ethnic groups vis-à-vis the Hausa/Fulanis and the Yorubas. Hammering about your neglect, your turn to rule, bla bla bla, will achieve little more than a running mate for now. Details
BPE Proceeds: Why Nigerians and International Donor Agencies Turned their Back on Nigeria. By Abdulrahman Muhammad Dan-Asabe, Ph.D. (GAMJI) Has anybody ever wondered why no Nigerian, not even the President, could see let alone question this gross abuse on the collective integrity of the Nigerian nation by the Swiss government? The answer is simple: all Nigerians are inwardly convinced that the Swiss government allegation and fear regarding the possible re-disappearance or squandering of the money if given to the government without supervision, is simply the truth and nothing but the truth. Details
Why is Sam Nda Isaih doing this to Shekarau? By Salisu Adamu Maigoro Adakawa (GAMJI) There is this saying that some people make you happy by their visit, others make you happy by leaving your presence, while yet others leave you indifferent either way. Extending this to Nigerian newspaper columnists they also all fall into one of these three categories. Details
April Fool: When Mass Action Becomes Mass Deceit. By Paul Mamza (GAMJI WRITER) Earlier experiences in Nigeria as in the Biafran war when Yorubas opted-out leaving only the Ibos in declaring their sovereign state and hence back firing on only the Ibos, the June, 12 struggle which was regionalized and stigmatized with only the Yorubas and the M.D Yusuf ‘s one- man revolt against General Abacha will play itself-out this time in a more conspicuous manner because of the more prevalent inhibition elicited for political offensive. The general insincerity amongst the political elite undermines the fundamental basis of pursuit along a just cause. Details
HEALTH INTERACTIVE WITH DR AMINU MAGASHI. Jigawa, My Dream State (GAMJI WRITER) First and fore most, since the creation of the state in 1991 by Babangida Administration, 13 years precisely, one will be amazed and aghast as to the sluggish nature of development in the capital of the state (dutse) and other areas, apart from few infra structures and few business out fits, there is nothing to see or write home about. Details
Scrap JAMB, NECO, And Save Nigerian Education! By Ugochukwu Ejinkeonye (GAMJI) The ruinous evil of JAMB commenced slowly. We first began to see the Board being overwhelmed at examination centres due to insufficient invigilators and lack of adequate security. This is in spite of the huge sums accruing to it from the sales of application forms. Details
(GAMJI) Today,
we ask the world to do that which is right, and to do it at the right
time, before it is too late. Today, we ask the world to examine their
conscience and be proactive in choosing to avoid a disaster before that
disaster becomes a reality. Why, in this, the 21st Century,
should the world sit idle while a segment of humanity is being throttled
and readied for slaughter at the altar of colonialism, greed, and a
policy of extermination?
Nigeria Can be Industrialized Before Year 2007. By Salihu Yarima (GAMJI) His Excellency President Obasanjo still has the chance to industrialize Nigeria by 2007 if he takes the suggestion in this article....The answer lies in Iraq. The Iraq war is considered by many as an unfortunate war however it can be an opportunity for Nigeria to show the USA it can be a partner in progress...President Obasanjo can have thousands of the retired military officers and soldiers in Nigeria who currently roam the streets in Abuja and elsewhere in search of their pensions sign up for a new Para-military outfit designed to go to Iraq to support the American military forces. Details
Deconstructing Omoruyi’s 2007 Punditry. By Ebe Moses Ochonu (GAMJI) I have stated elsewhere that in the context of Nigerian politics, unity, while a good thing, should not be upgraded to a political doctrine. Nor should it become a stand-in for political performance. Unity, true unity, is not a political act resulting from the agency or proclamations of political actors. Rather, it is indirectly related to good governance Details
Nigerian single women in Diaspora have one common goal, to find the right Nigerian or African men in anticipation for ‘relationships’ that leads to ‘permanent relationships.’ Details
(GAMJI) I have always wondered privately myself, why it appears, that so many Nigerians abroad are quick to marry a German, an Irish, and English, French or an American, (for love, of course! I assume) but would hesitate or become reluctant to marry a fellow Nigerian, due to religious or ethnic or regional differences! Details
Can We Reject Future Coups in Nigeria? By John Iteshi (GAMJI) The fact that the Yorubas struck a deal with Abacha to take over power and to later hand over to Abiola is enough indication that there is an underlying selfish interest of a clique, beyond the genuine over all interest of the ordinary Yoruba man. Details
(GAMJI) One would wish that the Nigerian pro-democracy forces and the non-PDP parties operating under the auspices of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) would try some variants of non-violent and non-military methods that worked elsewhere. To aid their search for such a non-violent and non-military method, I shall draw the attention of Nigerian pro-democracy forces to the four empirical cases in modern times where complainants about their regime took FOUR divergent non-violent and non-military options to put an end to such a tyrannical political order. Details
Attaining Nigeria’s National Unity Through The NYSC, JAMB And Inter-Ethnic Marriages; Looking Back And Ahead. By Paul I. Adujie (GAMJI) All Nigerians should be strong advocates of Nigeria’s national unity, there are so many benefits imbued in a united and cohesive Nigeria, the advantages and benefits that will accrue to a united and cohesive Nigeria, are innumerable imperatives, our land and peoples and culture are diverse, but in that diversity, there is commonality. Details
Home Away From Home. By Banjo Odutola (GAMJI) Despite the amount of money we send to fuel the Nigerian economy through gifts to our loved ones, through levies to sustain our families’ names - should we just accept like William Jerome, that home is where we can lay our hats? Wherever home is for you, as for me, home is at Ijebu-Remo, where without opening my mouth to answer the all too common question – ‘where are you from?’ - my last name settles that inquiry. Details
Molue! : A Review of Nigerian and Malaysian Mobile Internet UNIT. By Femi Oyesanya (GAMJI) The confusing aspect of the Nigerian MIU program is the definition of objectives and benefits of the MIU program. NITDA’s official Website, failed to adequately define the intended educational benefit of the Nigerian MIU program. It failed to define meaningful learning objectives. It did not articulate any ICT curriculum, lacked specific quantitative goals, and provided no measure for a review of the program. Details
Col. Abubakar Umar (Rtd). - How To Lose Friends And Alienate People. By Banjo Odutola (GAMJI) Mr. Umar’s account smirks of nothing but an affront to a society where the rule of law is not upheld. Let us consider: what type of justice was he championing, when he had been a kingpin in disposing of an illegal government? Details
To Nigeria and back in 7-days: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. By Dr. Sylvester Omosun Fadal (GAMJI) I do agree with the 2003 survey that claimed that Nigerians are the happiest of all nations. My addition to the survey is that to a great extent, most Nigerians are also very honest though poor international statistical findings don’t support this fact. In the face of adversity and very poor amenities, most citizens have no options but to be happy Details
Nigeria, Where My Heart Is; And Other Personal Lamentations. By Paul I. Adujie (GAMJI) East or West, there is no place like home, this adage, will always ring true and hold sway for me, and it is, the case, that after about twenty years of living in the United States, I have really not fully settled here, I have not really given-up on my desire to return to Nigeria, in other words, I have refused to live here, die here and be buried here in America Details
Economicism and the Reality of Human Happiness in the 21st Century. By Ibrahim A. Waziri (GAMJI) We
are today left with capitalism, which is nothing different from the other
sister-theory, except perhaps in form and structure. But the goal is the same:
material description of the universe we live, and the goal to achieve happiness
only through economic empowerment. But
yet at the turn of the century the system is yet to satisfy the cravings of
mankind as earlier thought it would. We find that in
What Do Nigerians Expect From General Muhammadu Buhari's Visit To The United States Of America? By Abba Anwar (GAMJI) US
might also be skeptical about putting their weight
ACF Can't Be the Scapegoat for Babangida's Unpardonable Sins Against Nigeria-- A Rejoinder to Professor Omo Omoruyi. By Aonduna Tondu It is revealing that those who have been loudest in accusing the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) of playing partisan politics in favour of General Buhari ahead of the 2007 presidential election have failed to convince Nigerians as to the veracity of their position. Instead, pro-Babangida loyalists have preferred to use ACF as a convenient scapegoat for the unpardonable transgressions of the former dictator against the masses of the people. Details
Kano:
Vendetta or Pursuit of Justice? (GAMJI) Since when did simple pursuit of justice become vendetta? The people of Kano believe something was wrong with the government they voted in 1999; before their very eyes the people they entrusted with their treasury are becoming overnight millionaires. They were bombarded by misleading campaigns in the state media over “enviable achievements”, which they cannot point to in their localities. Details
A Premonition and A Dream: Can Obasanjo Survive? By Sabella Ogbobode Abidde (GAMJI) What I am beginning to doubt is the President’s political survival. I am beginning to doubt if his assorted bottles of consecrated water will remain potent long enough to deliver him from all evil. I am beginning to think his crew of Imams, pastors, and spiritual overseer will disappoint him this time around; and wonder also if he will continue to ride the tsunami and the tiger without any mishap. I am beginning to doubt the President’s invincibility. My fear and misgivings are anchored on four poles. Details
WEEKEND MUSINGS WITH DR. NOWA OMOIGUI About "Security Breach" and "Coup Scare" (GAMJI WRITER) The terms "security breach" and "coup scare" have become topical in recent weeks. Normally I do not muse about current or very recent events but the webmaster has asked that I put things in perspective for readers. Therefore, I shall reflect on these issues and muse over some of the more curious elements in the story as it broke, including contradictions in news accounts and implications for civil-military relations. As a rule I shall stick to publicly available information. Details
Femi Falana stressed that Obasanjo should employ the law with which he had been chasing Abacha’s five billion dollars to get explanations on the 12.2 billion dollars. “Otherwise, it is irresponsible and means that there are two laws, one for the dead and one for the living.” Details
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