24052019 = May 29: Tribunal declines to stop Buhari’s inauguration

More documents

Recommendations

Info

End of term: Okowa’s rural agenda 30 —Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2019 excites Deltans By Nelson Egware A vivid assessment of the four-year development trajectory of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration in Delta State, suggests a clear and systematic departure from the past when most major achievements were concentrated in the urban areas. During his inauguration on Gov. Okowa May 29, 2015, Gov. Okowa Obomkpa road and the Ukwunzu road in Aniocha North in his inaugural address, told the good people of Delta State Local Government Area, that his administration will which were hitherto, marred “pay a special attention to rural development because ma- and a nightmare for the peo- by serious setbacks in the past jority of our people live in the ple of the area. rural areas”. The administration has also In an explicit commitment completed the long stretch of to rural development, Okowa Umunede-Otolokpo-Uteemphasized that his administration will open up the rural mili-Umutu Road in Ika Okpu-Ekuku-Agbor-Nde- areas, create more urban centres, develop fresh economic wa West and Ukwuani local North East, Ika South, Ndok- opportunities and reduce pressure on urban cities to boost constructed to decongest the government areas, which were socio-economic expansion area for easy movement of traffic and give rural dwellers a sense of belonging by equipping Ȯther massive road projects and modernizing some satellite towns. so far by the Okowa-led ad- completed and inaugurated To actualize this, the governor, as an ingenious leader and ised Jesse Township Road, the ministration include: dual- a man who keeps to his promises awarded Kefas Road in Oleh as well as the Ozanogogo-Alisimie Road in Ika South Local Government Area. Okowa’s administration in Four years down the line in the saddle, one is impressed to note that Governor the last four Okowa’s administration in years,has fulfilled virtually all spite of the adverse effects of the economic recession in the country has been able to the promises as record remarkable feats in contained in his line with his SMART Agenda to entrench prosperity for all inaugural address and is also Deltans, ensure good governance, peace and security as well as alleviate the sufferings in full flight fulfilling other peo- of the people. Policy thrust of the administration programmes ple-oriented The policy thrust of the administration has remained Jesse Boboroku Road in Ethiope West Local Government grassroots-oriented, focusing on developing the rural communities through concentra- Olubor/Ekwuoma Road in Area as well as the Owerretion of massive infrastructural development in the most re- recently commissioned Old Ika North East LGA and the mote and neglected areas Lagos Asaba Road Agbor, the across the state’s 25 councils. Owa-Eke Owa-Alero Road. Okowa’s recent visit to The Amekpa/Afiesere/Ofuoma road linking Ughelli Oboghoro in Warri North Local Government Area and North and Ethiope East, Old Burutu in Burutu Local Government Area to personally ko North and Isoko South as Ozoro Oleh Road linking Iso- commission road projects and well as the Owhelogbo Abbi Housing Estate in the riverine communties, is a clear ev- Ndokwa West and the duali- road linking Isoko North and idence of his commitment to sation of Amukpe Sapele rural development. This has Road are some of the Governor’s achievments on rural indeed, endeared him to the masses, as a caring and popular leader. On the Beneku River, road construction. This is also evident in the Okowa has awarded contract over 357 road projects awarded across the state’s 25 Local bridge to link the oil rich for the construction of a Government Areas. While Kwale and Beneku community in Ndokwa East LGA, some of the projects have been completed and inaugurated, which will connect over 10 adjoining communities to their others are at the advanced stage of completion. headquarters, Aboh, and save It is, therefore, worthy of note the people of the areas the that Okowa’s administration pains of having to pass in the last four years, despite through other Local Government Areas to be able to ac- the harsh economic climate in the country, has fulfilled virtually all the promises as con- For the people of the affected cess the council headquarters. tained in his inaugural address and is also in full flight maneuver the river through a communities who hitherto fulfilling other people-oriented programmes scattered all true and a heart full of grati- pontoon, it is a dream come over the state. tude to Gov. Okowa for coming to their rescue when it mat- For instance, the state government has completed and tered most. inaugurated the intractable For the people of Ovwor- Issele-Uku Idumu-Ogo Olomu and Effurun-Otor in C M Y Ughelli South Local Government Area, their joy knew no bounds when Governor Okowa awarded the construction of a road and bridge to link both communities which hitherto travelled long distances through Ughelli North LGA to be able to access each other. Concrete work has been completed while the earthwork (linkage) is at the final stage. As testified by Ex-Mend Leader, Freedom Adowei, “Under Okowa, riverine communities across the state have been receiving government attention more than ever, with some transforming into visible living communities” he said, adding “If you go round you will see how the governor is being commended for the construction of roads in riverine communities such as the Okerenkoko Road in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South- West, Sokebolou/Obotobo Road in Ogulagha Kingdom, Burutu Township concrete road pavement and others, all within Burutu Local Government Area of the state, as well as other parts of the riverine Delta.” Spreading projects across rural areas During the Commissioning of the Aviara/Araya/Okpare/ Okpawa road, Irri College/ Uzere road and the Owhelogbo Abbi Road in Isoko South and Isoko North Local Government Areas, the Council Chairmen Hon Itiako Ikpokpo and Hon Emmanuel Egbabor both thanked the Governor for not restricting developments to the urban areas. In their separate speeches, they both commended Governor Okowa’s administration for not restricting his development programmes to cities but, spreading projects across rural areas in the state. The Esama of Ukpedi Kingdom, Ughelli South local government area, Olorogun Okiemute Okwagbe, also commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, for the awarding and construction of the Ekakpamre/Okwagbe communities road project and Owhahwa/Otu,-Jeremi Road. He noted that what Governor Okowa did was in fulfilment of his electoral promises to Deltans in general and Okwagbe community in particular, describing Governor Okowa as a detribalised leader with a vision to make Delta truly great. The Odogwu of Okpanam, Chief Peter Dunkwu (JP), equally commended the efforts and tireless enthusiasm of the Commissioner for Information, Chief Patrick Ukah in ensuring the accelerated development of Okpanam community, urging him not to relent in this direction for the overall benefit of the community. He said that the community shall remain grateful and supportive of the Okowa administration because of the government’s active involvement and developmental strides in Okpanam, especially in the issues of Madonna School for Children with Special Needs, Okpanam, Oruchi Comprehensive Secondary School, Okpanam High School as well as the road constructions in the various parts of the community and its environs, which are currently ongoing and for everybody to see. Father Madubuko: A man of science and conscience @72 TRIBUTE By Fr. George Adimike HARDLY does a tribute begin with a ‘mea culpa’ yet it is fitting that this begins with a confession of failure and repentance. I must confess our failure as the students of this sage for not getting out his thoughts for the next generation. Thought of this nature is hardly inconsistent with historical reality whereby the ideas of great sages and thinkers were made available to posterity by their students. Plato relative to Socrates is an obvious example. The only justifiable alibi about the Madubuko’s is that his former students do articulate his thought and theology across the length and breadth of the local Church, which has its foundation in Onitsha, stretching from Mamfe to Nsukka, Calabar through Port Harcourt to Abakaliki. His past students embody his thought and theology; nevertheless, this alibi neither excuses nor suffices. This effort is only a hymn of gratitude to God from whose grace we have a person so human, priestly and godly as Father Lawrence Madubuko. He is never afraid of living the embodied existence or being found in human form with all its gifts and responsibilities, gains and pains, strengths and weaknesses. He lives this embodied existence, the sacramental life that manifests the goodness and glory of God, in an earthenware vessel with dignity and grace. His life is a sacramentality that signifies and embodies the hope of salvation, and actively lives it. Though he is not an orator, one cannot but be amazed and consumed in the wonder of the depth of his insight, and sagacious way of its delivery that outclasses oratory. Listening to him takes one up in wonder and contemplation - into a thought that only contemplates thought, and makes the superficiality of eloquence evident. The profundity of his thought is well balanced with the prodigious simplicity of his life. You can only give testimony in gratitude to God for an excellent gift of this priest, prophet and professor, Monsignor Madubuko. The Sage: The agelessness of his emotion and his intellectual pre-eminence combine to accentuate his sagacity. Fr Lawrence delivers the truth without diminishing its forthrightness and potency. He transforms silence into power, w h i c h eventually sorts out disputations and echoes the wisdom of his stand within the limits of human perfection. His silence proves a resounding echo of words that one ignores to his peril. What he restrains in words, he Madubuko deserves to be celebrated as an oracle of iconic proportion, which he is because he allowed grace to keep winning in his life compensates in the depth of his ideas. Economy of words, deep thoughts! That’s Madubuko. Simple parsing of madubuko corresponds to maduka, and finds its meaning in Chukwuka! It is stunningly striking that Monsignor believes that madu-bu-uko precisely because his fundamental anthropology is maduka. His anthropology is not only theocentric but also rooted in Christ. Man is theo-logical, and truly defined in Christ. No wonder he connects divine truths with the sacramental experience of man, because of the continuity of Christian mystery with the divine economy. As such, he teaches the mysteries from the anthropological continuities and Christological discontinuities. Consequently, the novelty of Christianity shines out as discontinuity in continuity. The profundity of what he professes and the depth of his thoughts compensate for his economy of words. The Sacerdos: Father Madubuko has lived his life nursing the wounded humanity, mediating the comfort of God to the harassed, desolated, dislocated, the wounded and the deprived people, as he traverses the paths of history and exists in a web of existence in the rhythm of time. He applies the healing balm of consolation and fatherly support, the Rev. Fr. Lawrence Madubuko sanctifying oil of the priestly benediction, and redeeming medicine of brotherly correction and encouragement. He understands when it seems difficult to do so, and chastises when it feels odd but, above all, supporting and encouraging, with an iconic capacity for equanimity. His ability to maintain emotional equilibrium even in the face of provocative circumstances gives him out as a legendary elder. His priestly disposition puts agelessness to his youth and his priesthood. The Scholar: Monsignor Madubuko’s teaching requires attention, but once understood, it is difficult to forget. His greatness runs on the profundity and durability of the knowledge he impacts. Madubuko’s pedagogy undoubtedly is centred on the human person. This anthropological angle contributed to his consciousness of the learning subject whom he places at the centre of all learning experience. This ability to treat one and each as a person, hence, a learning subject helps him to realize the plurality of human experience as a result of each person’s history of grace so that even if united ontologically in identity, humanity is distinctly expressed. This knowledge and wisdom guide his pedagogy and engagement with worship. Because of the ontological and anthropological constitution, there is a possibility of the unity of faith, cult and ethics but on account of the plurality of the existential, he appreciates legitimate and healthy diversities and also nurtures them. Testimony of a life of beatitude Man is at the centre of worship as a flock of Christ, a brother of Christ and as a subject of Christ, hence in all worship, Christ exercises three modes of the same act of which man is substantially implicated. The Man Madubuko: This piece is not beatificatory, rather it is a testimony of a life of beatitude. I make no pretence that he made perfect decisions in every circumstance; otherwise, he would be an angel. Saints either made mistakes in decisions or their implementation or both, yet saints are so called because grace always triumphs in them. In him, the profundity of a believer who is well rooted in faith and the soil trumps all superficialities. His deep sense of sobriety liquidates inanities of life of their allures. Faith and love norm his life. Disciplined, yet very compassionate, Madubuko not only appreciates the reality of humanity’s squandered sonship but is fully aware that the gratuitous mercy of the Father already compensates it. Hence, he lives the Christian fraternity. He lives the informed brotherhood, which in part, is an expression of the reconstructed family of God. No wonder, he lives for the Eucharist, the sacred meal of encounter that builds communion, which entails sacrifice and presence of mutually additive parity. He embodies the priestly mysticism of John, the sagacious prophetic mission of Paul and the personalized authority of an elder-leader of Peter. Praising a creature is ultimately praising his Creator. I am convinced that Madubuko deserves to be celebrated as an oracle of iconic proportion, which he is because he allowed grace to keep winning in his life. I am privileged to have passed through him. It’s Thursday, 23rd May!!! Happy birthday, Monsignor Lawrence Nwafor Madubuko! 72 Hearty Cheers to the Holy Sage! •Fr Adimike wrote from Rome, via illuminatugozie@gmail.com
Aregbesola, Africa Day and Pan-Africanism AS a primary school pupil in 1970, I was transferred to read Standard One at the Edward Wilmot Blyden primary school. Before its erasure, it occupied the corner piece between Broad Street and Oil Mill Street on Lagos Island. Nobody taught us about him. It was in adulthood that I came to know that the school was named after one of the greatest men the Black race ever produced. With European colonialism in full swing, Blyden (1832-1912) campaigned that Africa must unite. To achieve this, he argued that there was the need to return the diaspora to the continent. He came out to Liberia in 1850 where he authored books like: A Voice From Bleeding Africa (1856); A Vindication of the African Race; Being a Brief Examination of the Arguments in Favour of African Inferiority (1862); Africa for the Africans (1872); and Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race (1887). Although it was treason as far as the colonialists were concerned, but Blyden and other conscientious Africans were already agitating for selfgovernment. These were the pioneers that gave life to Pan- Africanism. The African people and Africa had been enslaved, brutalized, looted, dehumanized, balkanized and colonized, but the emerging pan-Africanists were not weighed down by this reality; they were prophets who saw the future and spread the gospel. The colonialists had suppressed African history and civilization including the fact that Western philosophy, education and civilization were derived from Africa; they had even decreed that we had no history and were in fact, inferior beings. But the writings of people like Oludah Equiano (1745-1797) had shattered such nonsense. The Pan-Africanist Movement taught Africans to unite and uphold their dignity, and fundamental human rights including the right to govern themselves. The pioneer pan- Africanists inspired men like Martin Robinson Delany who coined the phrase "Africa for Africans." This slogan was later popularized by Marcus Garvey. He held that: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Garvey told the Black people: “We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, for though others may free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind.” Whereas in 1884/85, thirteen European countries and the United States had gathered in Berlin to butcher and parcel out Africa as a booty, barely fifty five years later, the pan-Africanists convened the first Pan-African Conference which held in London. The spirit behind this 1900 conference was Henry Sylvester Williams. Follow up conferences were organized by W.E.B. Du Bois. Although we were not taught about Blyden in primary school, but we were taught about another great pan-Africanist, Dr. James Kwegyir Aggrey from Ghana. We memorized his famous statement: "I am proud of my colour, whoever is not proud of his colour is not fit to live." He mentored Kwame Nkrumah, perhaps the greatest all-round leader Africa has ever produced. The second Nkrumah mentor was Nnamdi Azikiwe the Nigerian pan-Africanist whose advocacy A number of us who were students in the late 1970s and early 1980s owe people like Aregbesola our political and pan- Africanist consciousness frightened the British colonialists so much that they could not trust him returning to Nigeria, so he berthed in Accra where he ran The African Morning Post. Nkrumah said the articles written in the newspaper by Azikiwe had fired his enthusiasm for nationalist struggles so much that he decided to follow his footsteps. It was Azikiwe who encouraged Nkrumah to leave his teaching job for further studies in America. Nkrumah who had said the independence of Ghana was meaningless without the independence of all Africa, had argued in 1956 that the task of Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2019—31 Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com African liberators cannot be done “until the last vestiges of colonialism have been swept from Africa” He championed not just the establishment of the Organisation of Africa Unity (now the African Union) but also argued that the best option for the continent is a union government which: “should be in charge of economic development, defence and foreign policy, while other government functions would continue to be discharged by the existing states grouped, in federal fashion, within a gigantic central political organization." The May 25, 1963 date the OAU was established has become known as Africa Day. Like Nkrumah, generations of African youths were mentored and taught to think not just about their individual countries but the entire continent and diaspora. Many of these radical pan- Africanists were scattered across Nigeria. Having influenced the General Murtala Muhammed government in 1975 to adopt a pan-Africanist foreign policy with Africa as its centre piece, these radicals influenced streams of Nigerian students. The Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, and Bayero University Kano had radicals like Bala Usman and Patrick Wilmot. But they produced more radical graduates like Yahya Hashim, Rauf Mustapha, Ntiem Kungwai and Jibril “Jibo” Ibrahim who mentored lots of students. They saw the country as one platform, and their influence spread across. The radical couple, Edwin and Bene Madunagu had moved from the University of Lagos to the University of Calabar where they mentored lots of students. University of Benin and its students were mentored by people like the trade unionist and dramatist, Jonathan Ihonde and Festus Iyayi the management lecturer and novelist, and there was T.U Nwala in Nsukka. The University of Ife (now OAU) I attended had a large tribe of radical lecturers led by Dr. Segun Osoba who mentored generations. Another centre was Ibadan where there were lecturers for whom, to paraphrase Nelson Mandela, the struggle was their life. They included Ola Oni, Omafumi Onoge and Bade Onimode. Comrade Laoye Sanda was also mentoring students in The Polytechnic, Ibadan. When in 1978, the campuses in the country erupted with student protests, the government descended on Ibadan and flushed out all these lecturers. However, their mentees rose to their defence so strongly that they were recalled to their jobs. One of such mentees was Rauf Aregbesola, an Engineering student who two years earlier, had been admitted into The Polytechnic. He was speaker of the students parliament, a leader of the Marxist Youth Movement and president of the Black Nationalist Movement, BNM. He mentored my contemporaries in the movement including the unforgettable Kunle Bakare and human rights lawyer, Femi Aborishade. The influence of Aregbesola and other pan-Africanists in Ibadan also spread to other campuses including Ife. Comrade Ola Oni had in the Second Republic broken from the mainstream radical movement to advocate that revolutionaries should participate in electoral politics. This was known as entryism. Aregbesola has been the most successful of that concept’s advocates; he has spent two terms as the governor of Osun State. A number of us who were students in the late 1970s and early 1980s owe people like Aregbesola our political and pan-Africanist consciousness. Coincidentally, he was, like the OAU/AU, born on May 25. So tomorrow, as the Africa Day is celebrated, so will Aregbesola’s birthday. Congratulations. Protecting sanctity, image of House in choice of presiding officers By Abdulmalik Ahmed AS the countdown to the election of presiding and principal officers of the ninth National Assembly winds down, the jostling, political maneouvering and horse trading has intensified among the key players seeking one office or the other in the Senate and House of Representatives. While the mid-night meetings of the various caucuses are going on, one hopes that contenders for the various offices and their backers are not oblivious of the now famous “banana peel” in the National Assembly when the sack and election of presiding officers became commonplace, especially during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. From the sack of the first speaker of the House, Salisu Buhari, to the impeachment of then Senate president, Evan(s) Enwerem, to Sen. Chuba Okadigbo et al, one singular thread ran through their brief stay as presiding officers: they carried what can be termed as excess luggage, meaning that they had something in the past that haunted them in the future when they thought they had reached the epoch of their political career. It is, therefore, wise in counselling those throwing up their hats into the race for the speakership of the ninth House of Representatives to stop and examine their past, to see if there is anything that can become an albatross to their ambition. Rather than the House being bogged down and enmeshed in a leadership crisis so early in the day because of the sordid details of the private life of a speaker, it would be advisable for such a contender to throw in the towel in the national interest. Anyone holding the number four position in this country, ought to be spotless like a lamb and shouldn’t be someone who will attract odium and ridicule to the position locally and internationally. The world is a global village and there is little or nothing that is happening in any particular nation in the globe that goes unnoticed by the international community. Two things may likely happen if the ninth House of Representatives elects as speaker, someone with a crooked past. First, is that he would be held hostage by a cabal in the House who will ensure he dances to their tune as a reward for keeping him in office or secondly, he becomes a stooge of the executive, rather than protecting the independence of the legislature. Both ways, the nation suffers. Therefore, it’s important and crucial that the sanctity of the three arms of government be protected not only by the other two arms of government, but by the National Assembly members themselves. A weak and compromised National Assembly will be ineffective in ensuing good governance and in promoting the fight against corruption There is a time when a man aspiring for something he has yearned for in years, concludes that it’s better to put such interest in abeyance in the overall interest of the bigger community when its principal officers are themselves guilty of corruption. It will also be unable to discharge its role of check-mating the other arms of government. Caution is the advice to returning and in-coming House of Representatives members. In spite of party loyalty, they must look at all the issues relating to the election of presiding and principal officers dispassionately and view the bigger picture in terms of the likelihood that they choose a leader whose global image is smeared, the integrity of the institution of the legislature and the image the outside world have of the country. The nation can but hope that with the issues of insecurity, killings, kidnappings, decaying infrastructure and the economic challenges plaguing the nation, we are not further dragged downhill by those who put their personal interests far and above the national interest. There is a time when a man aspiring for something he has yearned for in years, concludes that it’s better to put such interest in abeyance in the overall interest of the bigger community. The time for such a man to take such a path is now and who knows, posterity will judge him kindly. The contest for the speaker of the House of Representatives, in my opinion mustn’t be a do or die affair. The greatest of men is he who sacrifices his ambition or interest for the fate of others. The sanctity of the House of Representatives as the House of the people is too great to be sacrificed on the altar of politics and personal ambitions. •Ahmed, a public affairs analyst, wrote from Abuja
Page 1 and 2: May 29: Katsina cancels inauguratio
Page 3 and 4: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2019 —
Page 5 and 6: vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguar
Page 7 and 8: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2019—7
Page 11 and 12: Tonto Dikeh calls out 2face, Annie
Page 13 and 14: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 24 , 2019—1
Page 19 and 20: Finance ministry set to automate im
Page 21 and 22: Mobilising Nigeria's human and natu
Page 29: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2019 —
Page 33 and 34: Vanguard, FRIDAY, MAY 24 , 2019 —
Page 41 and 42: Who will enforce presidential direc
Page 43 and 44: THREE airlines have been approved b
Page 47 and 48: OSAZON I, formerly known as Osazon
Page 49 and 50: May 29: Tribunal declines to stop B
Page 51 and 52: YOUR LUCK TODAY By Joshua Adeyemo P
Page 53 and 54: Conte adds Victor Moses to his Inte

24052019 = May 29: Tribunal declines to stop Buhari’s inauguration

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?