13062021 - Amid protest , Buhari vows:: i can die for Nigeria

PAGE 28, SUNDAY VANGUARD, JUNE 13, 2021
Viewpoint
JUNE 12: The pains, gains of democracy
BY KAYODE ADARAMODU
WHEN the Greeks thought of a system
of governance that was all-inclusive,
never would they have imagined that it
would one day be the most preferred system
of administering governance all over the
world. From the great city of Athens to the
famed halls of the American Capitol building,
democracy has garnered strength all
over.
Even the great President Abraham Lincoln
attests to the inclusiveness of the democratic
process and describes it as “the government
of the people, by the people and for the
people”. A quote that has reverberated the
world over and Nigeria is not left out.
The beauty of the democratic process must
have motivated the hearts and minds of Nigeria’s
founding fathers to bond across ethnic
and religious differences. This bond
forged by the zeal to attain a common goal
led to the attainment of independence in
1960.
Sadly, shortly after the attainment of independence,
our young country soon found
itself navigating the murky waters of religious
and ethnic differences which culminated
in incessant military interventions in
governance. The end result of this series of
interventions was the annulment of the June
12, 1993 election, which signalled the birth
of a new struggle in our dear nation.
*Kayode Adaramodu
Needless to say that on May 29th, 1999,
the country returned to a democratic dispensation
and the struggle for the actualisation
of the June 12 dream was put to bed.
But has the country really enjoyed the dividends
of the June 12 struggle?
In his 1999 speech delivered in Nigeria,
former United States president Bill Clinton,
posed a series of questions in which he asked,
“can a great country that is home to one in
six Africans succeed in building a democracy
amidst so much trouble?
Can a developing country, blessed with
enormous human and natural resources,
thrive in a global economy and lift its entire
people?
Can a nation so blessed by the verge and
vigour of countless traditions and many
faiths be enriched by it? I believe the answer
to all those questions can and must be, Yes”.
While Bill Clinton saw a way for the nation
to progress, the country’s reality has
been far from that. The successive Nigerian
government in this democratic dispensation
has continued to make light of the supreme
sacrifice paid by those who fought for the
return of the country to democratic rule.
From 1999 till date, our nation has experienced
woes of bad governance, corruption
of epic magnitude, series of human rights
abuses as well as economic downturns. In
the last few years, security has taken a turn
for the worse also, and most recently, the
country appears to be seemingly retrogressing
from democratic principles. Sadly, my
dear state, Ekiti, has not been entirely immune
to these multitudes of woes.
The journey so far has not been all bleak
for my country Nigeria as well as my State
Ekiti. Far and few in between, some government
policies have been geared towards the
right direction. We must agree that Democracy
is far better than military dictatorship.
Since 1999, we the people, have through
our democratic institutions, made laws and
policies that directly advanced the course of
the people.
In fact, without democracy, people like us
will not have any chance whatsoever to aspire
to lead our people, as we are doing
now. Whatever plans I have for our people
is a direct reflection of our interactions due
to the liberty of association, guaranteed by
democracy.
We can take pride in the fact that as a
nation and `state, we have lived together
surmounting various challenges, and I believe
that as the Fountain of knowledge, the
poor delivery of the dividends of democracy
only stands to improve more with the
right calibre of servant-leaders at the helms
of State affairs.
I will continue to put in my bit for a better
Ekiti knowing full well that someday on the
near horizon, we shall once more reap the
beauty of our democratic process.
We must change the narrative.
We will revive Agriculture; we are an agrarian
State. We must bring back our textile
industry, creatively employ our youths and
empower our women. We will invest more
in Education. Our processes will benefit
from the emerging opportunities in digital
technologies.
My sleeves are already rolled up, my strategy
is ready.
It is up to you and me. We won’t let the
pain outweigh the gain. It is time for us to
start to see our desired change. God bless
the people of Ekiti State. And God bless
Nigeria.
*Adaramodu is a policy consultant and
2022 governorship aspirant in Ekiti
2023: Why Delta Central should produce next governor
Delta 2023: Fred Okiemute Majemite — The Man Who the Cap Fits
BY AMOS IGHORODJE
THERE are discordant arguments in some
quarters in Delta State that the next gubernatorial
candidate for our great party, PDP,
should not come from Delta Central Senatorial
District.
There is no way anyone can honestly defend
or substantiate the reasons for this crooked
thought whatsoever and by any stretch of the
imagination.
Now, let us start the discussion from the beginning.
During the series of events that led to
the gubernatorial primaries of our Party in
2007 at the expiration of the maximum two
terms of Chief James Ibori, the first elected
governor under this dispensation, the leaders
and major stakeholders of the Party from all
the Ethnic groups and the senatorial districts
of the state held a meeting, and in unison, they
all agreed that the governorship ticket of the
party in the state will henceforth be rotated
turn by turn amongst the three senatorial districts
that make up Delta state in a well documented,
sincere and gentlemanly agreement.
And the incumbent governor being an Urhobo
from Delta central , the governorship ticket
was rotated and given to Delta south, even
though there were massive protestations from
Urhobo political stalwarts of the party for the
governor to remain in Delta Central as compensation
for sociopolitical equilibrium, having
been shortchanged by the federal government
for siting the state capital in Delta North
senatorial district, despite the glaring demographic
and economic reasons and realities
for the capital of the new state to be sited in
Delta central.
This singular act of cooperation from the
Urhobos brought absolute peace to the party
that was highly heated up hitherto, because of
arguments as to where the governorship ticket
should go to. Thereafter, and as a result of the
magnanimity of the Urhobo political leaders
of Delta central in keying into the senatorial
districts rotation of the governorship with sincere
sense of purpose, the PDP in Delta state
delivered a landslide victory at the governorship
elections in 2007 because, every Deltan
then felt a sense of belonging and commitment
to the growth of the party.
Then came 2015. At the expiration of Dr.
Emmanuel Uduaghan’s two terms tenure as
governor from Delta South senatorial district,
the major stakeholders and leaders of our party
again affirmed that the rotational principle
or formula must be strictly adhered to for equity
and fairness. Moreover, it was believed it
will definitely foster a sense of belonging and
unity in the party. At our party primary in Asaba
before the 2015 general elections, PDP delegates
from the three senatorial districts were
prevailed upon to vote in a candidate from
Delta North in compliance with the rotational
*Fred Majemite
lise the trophy and make it shine so that every
Urhobo from Jesse to Obiaruku and from Abbi
to Sagbama round to Bomadi and Forcados
unto Gelegele will be made proud. But first, the
election must be won. The only way this prodigious
feat can be clinched is for all PDP Central
Urhobo party stalwarts to sheathe their personal
interests and project only the collective interest
of all Delta Central Urhobo people. I am wholeheartedly
convinced that Urhobo Delta Central
formula. Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa emerged
as our torch bearer for the governorship election
of 2015, which he won overwhelmingly.
Consequently, now that we are approaching
the maximum tenure of Governor Okowa in
2023 from Delta north, and the three Senatorial
Districts having taken their turns accordingly,
the office of the governor should and ought
It should start from Delta Central
for so many reasons and I will just
cite a few potent ones
to be rotated back to Delta central to kick start
another circle for the governorship position
because the rotation started with Delta central.
This should be, because the rotation of the
position was based on senatorial districts as
agreed upon and it has been adhered to tenaciously
for the last two changes of the governorship.
Now that this rotational formula having
worked smoothly and seamlessly without much
rancour in our party, why would anyone contemplate
jettisoning it for whatever reason?
Such reason or reasons if they exist at all are
By Ovie Edomi
THOSE conversant with Delta State poli
tics would no doubt remember that after
the gubernatorial primaries of PDP in 2007 which
followed the expiration of the two-term tenure of
Chief James Ibori’s governorship, key stakeholders
of PDP from all the major ethnic groups from
the three senatorial districts of Delta State held a
stakeholders meeting where they all unanimously
agreed that the governorship ticket of the party
in the state will be ROTATED amongst the
three senatorial districts in Delta state.
How time flies, the governorship ticket has
gone round the three Senatorial zones with Governor
Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration, and at
the end of his tenure, it will be the place of the
Urhobo to take the first place in the second era
and produce the next governor of Delta State
come 2023. This is the central goal behind a
consolidation pressure group appointed by Urhobo
nationalist elites and stakeholders to pursue
and implement the 2023 gubernatorial mandate
cordially vested on the Urhobo pursuant to
the early agreement.
Consequently, as of now, about 10 prominent
Urhobo sons are believed to have keen interest
in running for the 2023 Delta State governorship
elections. It is my conviction that nothing
would be difficult for the Delta Central Senatorial
zone to accomplish in Delta State considering
our ubiquitous number, spread and characteristics.
The unity of purpose and command of the
Delta Central leaders on this unique occasion is
the authority and magic wand that can make
or mar the choosing of the right candidate which
is the sine qua non to coveting the winning prize.
In fact, there is a strong need to optimally utination
shall not only smile at the polls in 2023;
but will install a government that will take the
region to the next level of positive developmental
accomplishments.
The major reason for this timely caution is for
everything to be done with utmost foresight and
vision right from the very beginnings. Everything
possible should be done to avoid promoting a
wrong candidate that could end up destroying
the chances of the ruling party come the 2023
Governorship race. The Bible talks of special
articles that are separated and dedicated for noble
use. First impressions cannot be made twice.
It’s very important that the right candidate should
be chosen, fortified, embellished, endorsed and
supported ab initio.
While there can be no doubt that one or two of
the present aspirants have worked for the common
good of Urhobo Central people in general
or particular in time past and are therefore eligible
for consideration for the race come the primaries,
there is a near astronomic or celestial
need to choose the very best and most prospectfull
amongst the aspirants that are presently expressing
interest in the gubernatorial race and I
believe the reason is obvious. There are candidates
and there are candidates; but there are candidates
with which to win and candidates that
will lead to losing. This is the reality and not a
wishful fact.
However, knowledge is tantamount to power
they say. The Bible alludes that people perish for
purely for selfish purposes that will not augur
well for the smooth democratic management
of the electoral gains and peace the party has
been enjoying since 1999 till date.
One wonders why any patriotic party faithful
should be contemplating such a destabilising
political calculation of abandoning such
a peaceful and workable arrangement all of a
sudden. It will neither work nor augur well for
party.
But let us even contemplate for a second, for
the purposes of dialectic ventilation that the
rotational formula from one senatorial district
to the other be jettisoned for now, having
successfully completed its first full circle because
no condition is permanent, then what
gave anyone the impression that any new
adopted formula would not start with Delta
Central? What? Tell me?
It should start from Delta Central for so
many reasons and I will just cite a few potent
ones.
Firstly, the rotational principle started with
Delta central and if there were going to be any
changes as may be agreed to by all the stakeholders
of ethnic groups in the state, then by
natural and sane sequencing of things, it
should be Delta central that will and should
start any new formula that may be agreed on.
I don’t see why anyone should bother to argue
on this point at all. It should and ought to start
with Delta central as the first district to commence
the new formula being the first to have
started the completed full circle.
*Ighorodje, a medical doctor, writes from
Warri
lack of knowledge. This is why it is obligatory
to give expository knowledge to present relevant
insights upon one of the aspirants presently
contending for the 2023 Gubernatorial race,
so that the people may know him and understand
his worth and know why we like and want
him; believing that you also will as well like
and want him, when you know what we know
about him. His middle name is Okiemute. It
means very simply but subtly, though not imperceptibly,
that there is a time for everything,
and by intentional extension, for everyone. Quite
mesmerisingly, there are some notable appurtenances
about the man, Hon. Fred Okiemute
Majemite that mark him out to be preferred for
this August role at this present time in the annals
of our state and senatorial history.
Hon Fred Majemite is a prolific son of Urhobo
land who practices politics without bitterness.
He is most unassuming but highly reassuring,
industrious, highly articulate, highly personable,
increasingly humble, a good mixer
and a team player. Besides, he is admirable, very
charitable and knowledgeable in politics and
governance having served as Special adviser on
Environment, honourable Commissioner for
Special Duties and later honourable Commissioner
for Land.
Continues on www.vanguardngr.com
*Edomi is the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief,
South South International, and former Publicity
Secretary of Association of Communication
Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria.