22042019 - ACUTE HUNGER: Outrage as IDP children feed on onion leaves

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42 — Vanguard, MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019 Why power 'll not shift to South in 2023 – Senator Ogunlewe •APC'll crumble without Buhari, must lobby to produce NASS leaders Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, former minister of Works, and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, w<strong>as</strong> one of the three senators that represented Lagos on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy, AD in 1999. In this interview, he warns the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, against imposing leaders on the Ninth National Assembly. He also spoke on agitation for power shift to the South in 2023, and why APC will face challenges at the polls without President Muhammadu Buhari. By Olayinka Ajayi On the tussle between the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the leadership of the 9th National Assembly The tussle is needless. An election h<strong>as</strong> to be conducted and the person who is able to lobby for a position will be voted for. People that are outside don't seem to know the workings. The workings are simple, you have to negotiate with people to vote for you. If you are contesting an election, you have to promise A, Y, Z some committees, you have to promise a group before they can vote for you. So it is not rocket science at all, it is about lobbying, consultation, and give and take. You cannot just say this is the endorsed candidate that is going to lead the Senate then you go and sitdown, not negotiating, such person would surely fail. My take is, let the person that have the best leadership qualities for the 9th Assembly win the Speakership and the Senate President. And the best leader is somebody who can consult and knows the opposition is also important in decision making on the floor. What do you make of the allegation by the APC that the PDP is scheming to repeat the Saraki scenario of 2015 and produce Ninth National Assembly leaders? The PDP should do so because they have the number. They are 46 to APC's 62. The difference is not much and <strong>as</strong> far <strong>as</strong> I am concerned, it is simple majority. So if you want to be Senate President, and you want to give the opposition Deputy Senate President, so be it. It means you just need nine of your people to merge with the opposition to emerge the Senate President. So you must negotiate <strong>as</strong> the opposition will not just vote for you because you are APC. On the APC leaders' endorsement of Senator Ahmad Lawan <strong>as</strong> senate president <strong>as</strong> they did in the Eight Assembly... It is because they are myopic, and they don't understand the stand of the constitution. If you check the content of the constitution, the part that addresses the legislative arm,you would observe that there is no party interference either in the Senate or the House of Representatives, there is nothing like party interference. It is a national issue. So the party h<strong>as</strong> no role to play on the floor at all. It is the senators or the House of Representative members that would vote on that day. On the use of secret balloting for the election It must be by secret ballot. Do you expect them to be raising up hands during voting? That is primitive. Even if there is a division, under the rule, you divide. There is no senator until after June 6, they are still senators-elect until they are sworn-in. So, it is the Clerk of the National Assembly that would determine what would happen that day. For the period of one hour, it is the Clerk that would be in charge. So you cannot even talk. He just comes and reels out the rules. It’s not for you to raise up your hands to question him, he may walk you out because he h<strong>as</strong> not inaugurated you, you are just a senatorelect or House of the Representatives member-elect. •Ogunlewe What do you make of the approval granted by the APC leadership for Lawan to lobby opposition parties? I thought the APC chairman (Oshiohmole) said they should not lobby, why are they lobbying? They should just sit down and <strong>as</strong>sume they are going to vote for them. They would be surprised. For instance, if I am from South- South, I will want to be a member of the petroleum Nigeria h<strong>as</strong> nowhere to go unless they restructure; Let Buhari get out from the stage, APC would crumble; I can bet you there would be no APC; APC is Buhari, Buhari is APC. That w<strong>as</strong> why most of them lost their constituencies even the chairman of the party lost his constituency committee. Those in the North would want to be in the agricultural committee or irrigation or water resources. Each zones h<strong>as</strong> a special area where they must be part of the head of the committee. So, the persons whot want to occupy these positions would negotiate with you and you have to listen to them, if you don't listen to them, they will not vote for you. It is bargaining. It is too early, we still have over a month. However, there is what is called the X factor in the election, which is unknown to most people outside the National Assembly. What is it about? It is only on the floor of the National Assembly they discuss it <strong>as</strong> they don't discuss it outside. It is the interplay in the National Assembly and it is a major factor. It is when you are there that you would know the factor. The X factor is simply Money. So, it is the more you look the less you see. It is not free at all <strong>as</strong> there is no free lunch there because they are going to confront their governors, and the leadership of their parties. Is this factor good for our democracy? I don't understand because when they wanted to contest for an election, the X factor w<strong>as</strong> predominant and it is significant in anything we do in Nigeria. How can we eliminate this X factor from our democracy? It’s by education, education, and education. Let people get jobs; by reducing poverty and unemployment, the the X factor would be limited. But in a predominantly illiterate and poverty-stricken community, with area boys forming the majority of the voters, what do you expect? Out of school <strong>children</strong> are about 10 million, so how will 10 million people vote for you without being induced? We are the architect of our misfortune <strong>as</strong> we don't take care of our people. In western countries, they have what is called social security. Whether their citizens work or not they get money so that citizens can be less influenced. Their citizens know if the government did not give them jobs, it would provide what would make them survive. That is the way to make citizens happy. Nigerians are not part of Nigeria <strong>as</strong> a country. We are just external because we are just living in Nigeria. Nigeria does not understand or take care of its citizens. Nigeria does not even know us <strong>as</strong> they don't have our identity. We told them that every Nigerian must have a national identity card but it seems impossible and they spent N245 billion on elections. If you spend half of that on National ID card at le<strong>as</strong>t you would know who Nigerians are. As it stands, we don't know who is a Nigerian. Once there is a national ID card, you can render social services through the local government. Just imagine that the vicepresident is the one distributing money in the market and he doesn’t know the identity of those he is giving the money to whether they are from Togo, Ghana or Mali. All these things are prerequisites to national development <strong>as</strong> you must have a data b<strong>as</strong>e of your citizens. That is when you can take care and plan for them. Once there is no b<strong>as</strong>ic statistics, how do you develop a nation blindly? So we have not gotten there at all, we are very far from it. On Vice President Osinbajo and some leaders' using power shift to the South in 2023 <strong>as</strong> campaign during the 2019 elections If they don't do the needful, everything they are doing is just a w<strong>as</strong>te of time. Nigeria h<strong>as</strong> nowhere to go unless they restructure. Let Buhari get out from the stage, APC would crumble. I can bet you there would be no APC. APC is Buhari, Buhari is APC. That w<strong>as</strong> why most of them lost their constituencies even the chairman of the party lost his constituency but he w<strong>as</strong> bragging that he w<strong>as</strong> able to help the President win with four million votes. Everybody in the party is bragging that they made sure President Buhari returned. That is all the glory but when the man is not contesting what are they going to do or who are they going to campaign with? During his campaign, Buhari said the electorate should vote for anybody they like after voting for him. APC struggled to retain states it had before. Are they not seeing the danger? In another two years there maybe no APC. They will crumble because they are not united but just surviving on money. Apart from Buhari, every other thing in APC is money. In some states they were fighting among themselves to the extent that they were excluded totally from the election. Members are fighting and nobody is telling them to Continues on page
Vanguard, MONDAY APRIL 22, 2019 — 43 Why power 'll not shift to South in 2023 – Senator Ogunlewe Continued from page stop, it means there is no leadership. Is it not strange to you? APC h<strong>as</strong> over 765 preelection c<strong>as</strong>es in court unresolved. With these c<strong>as</strong>es, are they not going to crumble? Look at what Dayo Adeyeye told them recently, w<strong>as</strong> he not part of us? He is an Afenifere person from the South-West. Without restructuring, you perish <strong>as</strong> a nation. We have sounded it but they will not listen. On the upsurge of banditry, killings and insecurity in the country It is bad governance! Once the government is not working, people would subscribe to self-help. People have no hope in this government because the government h<strong>as</strong> superimposed itself on them, so the next thing is to start revolting You mean banditry is a form of revolt? What do you want them to do? Nobody knows they exist. If they wake up in the morning there is no food to eat, they cannot send their <strong>children</strong> to school, those that are sick cannot go to the Hospital. Is that a nation? Other advanced countries have gone through this thing, the way to solve it is to have a datab<strong>as</strong>e. Secondly, those that are not working, it is the responsibility of the government to take care of them. Giving our huge debt profile and poor economy, do you think we are ripe enough for this? We are more than ripe. It’s because they are stealing money. We are the best country in the world to do that for our people. Many people steal to survive? How many Nigerians live on their legitimate means?When a policeman is earning N30,000 and his <strong>children</strong> would go to school and there is no police housing scheme and he lives among the people; how can such policeman work? What is the way forward? The way forward is restructuring. The state governors are stealing the money meant for the local governments. But the Vice-President once said restructuring is not the priority for now <strong>as</strong> corruption h<strong>as</strong> eaten deep into the nation's fabric? He is from the home of restructuring. He is just saying that to save his job. His constituency is restructuring. How can a Yoruba man say he doesn't understand restructuring? It is because the money is shared at the top. How can you stop corruption when the money is shared at the top? For instance, <strong>as</strong> a civil servant that retired in Lagos state, you earn <strong>as</strong> pension N45,000 naira and the permanent secretary who retired at the federal lev- •Ogunlewe el earn N800,000 <strong>as</strong> a pension. With this, it shows the money at the top h<strong>as</strong> no parent; it’s for sharing while the money at the local government h<strong>as</strong> ownership. If a local govern- By Levinus Nwabughiogu ABUJA-The campaign organization of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila h<strong>as</strong> said that the candidacy of its principal in the contest for the speakership of the 9th House of Representatives w<strong>as</strong> a joint t<strong>as</strong>k. The organization said that the lawmaker represent all the geopolitical zones of the country. This came <strong>as</strong> a coalition of Niger Delta youths from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, from the South-South geopolitical zone declared its support for Hon. Mohammed Bago for the speakership. Reacting to a 'no retreat, no surrender' stand of Bago's campaign organization, l<strong>as</strong>t week, the Gbajabiamila team said that the incident of 2015 where the House voted for another candidate outside Gbajabiamila's endorsement by the party must not repeat itself. L<strong>as</strong>t Tuesday, the APC adopted him <strong>as</strong> its candidate for the office, a move that rejected by Bago and some <strong>as</strong>pirants to the office who raised the issue of equity, fairness and justice. The statement by Adaramodu said: "Hon Femi Gbajabiamila is actually a candidate for all the zones. His is a joint t<strong>as</strong>k. We respect Hon Bago, a respected Honourable colleague, whose banner the author of the put-away press rele<strong>as</strong>e used. We are convinced that the said author acted alone, <strong>as</strong> we believe Hon ment is given N600 million every month, and the governor cart away N500 million, some will <strong>as</strong>k the council chairman about it. Whose money are they spending in Abuja? I Bago is a faithful party man, who is also a good student of history. The sordid experience of 2015 w<strong>as</strong> enough lesson for us, including him to listen to the voice of re<strong>as</strong>on and wisdom from the party leadership. "There could be no retreat, no surrender in our war against corruption and bandits and not have been part of them, so I know what I am talking about. It is nobody's money that they spend at the federal level, it is a national cake and the more you can get for yourself the better. But money at the local government level is community-b<strong>as</strong>ed money. There is no hope. But don't you think probably if power shifts to the South-West in 2023 restructuring can reconsidered? So who is going to shift the power that is not talking about restructuring now? When you want to vote, you remember restructuring. Didn't these people talk about restructuring when they wanted to contest in 2015? Power is staying in the North; there is no way the South can get it. They have four years to go.Chief Olusegun Ob<strong>as</strong>anjo spent eight years, Goodluck Jonathan spent six, and late Umaru Musa Yar'Adua spent two. Buhari is spending eight. So the North h<strong>as</strong> an unexpired four years to go. So, they should allow the North to spend another four years for it to balance and then we start again from the South-E<strong>as</strong>t. That is the calculation. NINTH REPS SPEAKER: Gbajabiamila's ambition, a joint t<strong>as</strong>k – campaign organisation Hon Femi Gbajabiamila is actually a candidate for all the zones; His is a joint t<strong>as</strong>k; We respect Hon Bago, a respected Honourable colleague, whose banner the author of the put-away press rele<strong>as</strong>e used against our party and ourselves. We shall all surrender to the party's pathways and directives. And together we shall take Nigeria, jointly to lofty heights." Meanwhile, some APC youths from the South-South have thrown their support to Bago. In a letter to his campaign headquarters in Abuja, the group stated that their decision w<strong>as</strong> hinged on equity and fairness. Bago hails from North Central, a zone that h<strong>as</strong> not produced any presiding officer of the House since the return of democracy in 1999. The letter signed by Eddie Akaduh, the Coordinator of the group called "Niger Delta Support Group for Mohammed Bago" read: "Our group, The Niger Delta Support Group For Mohammed Bago (NDMB), a coalition of A l l Progressives Congress Youth in the South South region wishes to publicly declare our support for Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago <strong>as</strong> Nigeria's most preferred choice for the office of the Speaker in the 9th National Assembly. "We wish to state that Hon. Mohammed Bago <strong>as</strong> a legislator possesses the prerequisite qualities required to galvanize essential legislative functions in the best interest of all Nigerians. As Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Safety Education and Administration, he patriotically worked with one of our sons, Honourable Robinson Uwak in the repositioning of Maritime Academy of Nigeria in Oron to meet international standards. These and many more have distinguished him <strong>as</strong> a legislative According to the calculations, those in the South anticipating power shift in 2023 are big jokers. They can never get it. You know the problem of the South-West is, If you are a Muslim, and you are coming out, who are you going to pick in the North <strong>as</strong> a running mate? Where will you get a Christian that would carry all the North along with you? So you have to pick a Muslim! So you don't foresee a Muslim-Muslim ticket working in Nigeria? They should not even contemplate it because what it is going to cause will be unimaginable. That w<strong>as</strong> what went wrong with late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, it w<strong>as</strong> hard for Late Awo to find a suitable Northerner when he vied for the President. It w<strong>as</strong> impossible for him. Once the North does not believe it is your turn, they will not follow you. They believe they still have four more years to go before they hand it over to you. If you insist they will go back to PDP and PDP will bring out a Kwankw<strong>as</strong>o or a Tambuwal and a Wike <strong>as</strong> Vice-president. How can you defeat them? •Gbajabiamila leader worthy of the position of speaker. "We know Rt. Hon. Bago to be a creative and hard working politician, who is naturally loved by his constituents and now generally accepted by all Nigerians. Hence, his diligence, maturity and intellect <strong>as</strong> Honourable Speaker at the Green Chamber will rightfully deliver to Nigerians excellent legislative services and benefits... "To this end, our endorsement of Rt. Hon. Bago <strong>as</strong> a Speaker from North Central geopolitical zone should be received by Nigerians <strong>as</strong> symbol of equity and justice which will ultimately cement our bond of unity <strong>as</strong> a nation, especially now that we are moving to the next level."
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