Buhari never took Nigeria to OIC
I was greatly saddened to read the material written by Mr. Eyieyien urging “The Remnants” to vote out the current Governor of Osun State Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and vote in Chief Iyiola Omisore. I am also still somewhat puzzled as to how what appeared to be an opposition to a bond issue and other sundry allegations degenerated to the running down of the APC as an Islamic party, a propaganda tool notoriously deployed by the PDP through its various organs.
Are we as Christians now being urged to support the PDP or what exactly is the message? Reason is one of the most important contributions of the Gospel to development. From it emerged the practical concepts of fairness and justice for all, especially our enemies. Which is why lynching, even of an intellectual kind, is unacceptable.
I am not an unbiased intervenor. I had the good fortune of serving in an AD/ACN government in Lagos State. The ACN is a major partner in the APC. I will come back to the PDP APC issue presently.
Also, I have known Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of the State of Osun, since 1999. We served on the policy committees of the then newly elected AD governor of Lagos State. He served in the infrastructure sub-committee and I, in the Justice sub-committee. I also served with him for 8 years in the government of Lagos State. He as Commissioner for Works and I as Attorney General. I developed a close personal relationship with him. His early ideological belief was shaped by Marxist-Socialist thinking, which probably influences his left-of-centre worldview in governance. His first son Kabir went to university in Cuba on a scholarship. In 2005 when he graduated, only Rauf and I attended his graduation. He is a devout Muslim but liberal in his approach to other faiths. This is not unusual amongst the Yorubas largely because most families have both Muslim and Christian members and have always interacted without rancour. Of his six siblings only one other is a Muslim. All the others are Christians. His sister who is of the RCCG is widowed (her husband died a Christian) her two sons have lived with Rauf for years, he insists that they must practice their father’s faith faithfully. They both attend the RCCG.
He and I shared and still share a burden to provide honest, transparent, people-centered governance. He is a scrupulously honest person, as Commissioner for Works in Lagos State he left office without a home and no financial comforts. I know, because aside from my personal and official interaction with him, I coordinated his legal team for the reclamation of his mandate for over three years. I know first-hand, his difficulties with sustaining his family, and a small staff for that period. Not surprisingly no one can accuse him in Osun State of corruption. He is just not wired that way.
Indeed, in keeping with that commitment to serve the people with complete fidelity, his major projects have been solely directed at alleviating the suffering and deprivation of his people. The hiring of, now 40,000 unemployed graduates, the provision of free balanced meals for all primary school children, provision of free uniforms, the provision of tablet computers for senior secondary school students containing all their textbooks, past jamb questions etc., monthly stipends to the elderly – all of these in a State that is the third poorest in Federal allocations and currently gets N2.6 billion monthly, a 40 percent reduction from 2013, courtesy of the Federal government. Mr. Eyieyien perhaps was not aware that even the 10 billion sukuk bond was purely for the building of 24 model state-of the art schools, most of which are now completed. The Wole Soyinka-led Osun education summit recommended the replacement of the completely broken school infrastructure in Osun State with schools capable of accommodating 1000 students with modern labs, classrooms, power and sports facilities. The idea was to use economies of scale to benefit the largest number of students.
When Mr. Eyieyien describes him as “Sheikh” it is clearly to give the impression that he is an Islamic fundamentalist. The facts on the man completely belie this. First, as Commissioner for Works in Lagos State, he built the chapel at the State House Marina. Pastor Adeboye at the opening commended him and remarked that he would be a pastor soon! Within a year of coming into government, he commissioned in Ilesa the Open Heavens Christian Evangelical Arena, a purpose-built facility for evangelism which according to him was to celebrate the icons of the Christian faith who are from Osun namely- the Late Apostle Babalola , the Late Apostle Obadare, Pastor E.A. Adeboye, Pastor W.F Kumuyi and Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo . Today, his government supports the establishment of five Christian universities in Osun, including The Redeemers University at Ede, the Joseph Babalola University, Dominion University , and Bowen University.
How about the composition of government in Osun State? You will notice that his critics are never able to say that Christians are marginalised in government, why? Because only Muslims can make that allegation! In the Cabinet of Osun State there are 10 more Christians than Muslims. In addition, the largest Ministries are headed by Christians – Ministries of Finance, Justice, Education, Health, Environment , Agriculture, Physical Planning and Youth and Sports. The Legislature (House of Assembly), which came into office after he won back his mandate in court in November 2010, has a majority of Christian members – 18 Christians and 8 Muslims. Everyone knows that at that level if the Governor does not support your nomination by the party your ambitions are dead in the water.
The State Judiciary is headed by a Christian who he appointed although he had preferred and proposed a judge from Lagos Justice Olubunmi Oyewole also a non-Muslim. Of over 30 new Permanent Secretaries appointed by him 22 are Christians. If the majority of your cabinet (including your Attorney-General), your Legislature, Judiciary and top echelon of your civil service are Christians how can we in truth say that such a person has an Islamisation agenda? Surely the least a “Sheikh” with an Islamisation agenda should do to achieve his objective is to populate the structure that can achieve that objective with Muslims! It is also entirely false that he patronizes or uses “TAAWUN” guards for his security. It is common knowledge that he hardly even uses any security at all, except for a couple of SSS men, his monthly LIFE WALKS , where he walks alongside his people for kilometres without any significant security cordon was commended recently by a former Governor in the South East. It is incredible what prejudice can do to us. Everyone in Osun knows that the State was nicknamed “State of the Living Spring” in reference to the Osun River after which the State is named. Renaming the State “the Omoluabi State ” – meaning “the State of children born of God” or “the State of men and women of virtue” certainly gives greater glory to God.
To suggest that benefiting from a Sukuk bond to better the lives of his people of all faiths, is enough to justify the grave allegation of an Islamisation agenda, is with all due respect , calling a dog a bad name simply to hang it. I agree that it may have served the politics of religion better not to take the bond, but it is a fairer judgment of his motives, knowing him, that this was borne out of his desire to serve his people well. The 24 mega schools with state-of -the art facilities is a quantum leap in education for the majority of children of the poor who before now schooled in what the Soyinka committee saw as scandalous. The alternative was not to build the schools. When a man who is doing right by the poor and deprived people he governs, is being condemned by those of us who are called to serve the poor, the sick, , the naked, and the hungry then it is fair to ask what the values in governance we really intend to promote are? In any event the alternative is Chief Iyiola Omisore whose antecedents we ought, to put it delicately, be cautious to associate with.
A problem with uncritically accepting as useful advice this viciously anti-APC propaganda, is that it throws the baby out with the bath water. So we are now expected to reject the landmark achievements in Lagos, in Ogun ( the huge infrastructural developments), Oyo (which for the first time most admit is making real progress) , Edo, and Ekiti (where almost everyone agrees the governor did a good job but Fayose understood stomach infrastructure better!) Or now Kano or Rivers (where a REAL rail service is about to begin; Lagos is also about to complete a rail service amongst other exemplary achievements)!
It is also false that the APC’s new executive reserved its top positions for Muslims! The Chairman of the party Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is a Christian, the Deputy National Chairman (South) Engr. Segun Oni is a Christian, so are the National Organizing Secretary Senator Osita Izunaso, Deputy National Secretary Hon. Orji Ugofa and Chief Pius Akinyelure , theVice Chairman of the South West. For what it is worth, there are 22 Muslims and 21 Christians in the APC National Executive Committee.
Regarding the rather thinly veiled ‘support the PDP/ JONATHAN’ message, it is incredible that we are invited to ignore the cynical manner that our President Goodluck Jonathan uses Christianity and the church to further his political ambitions. Why are we being urged to support a PDP/Jonathan bid again? The platform has largely on account of its tragic failure to perform, decided to exploit Nigeria’s religious fault lines in the most cynical manner to win support, in the process he continues to divide Nigeria in by the far most extreme manner in our history.
I have worked with many brethren since 2002 on issues around Islamization in Nigeria, in particular with Revd. Ladi Thompson of the Macedonian Initiative and the Omoluabi network. It is clear that Al Qaeda, ISIS , and more recently Boko Haram and their splinters are committed to an Islamization agenda. Their symphathisers certainly cut across all boundaries. The Late General Azazi, then NSA, pointedly accused the PDP of being behind the escalation of Boko Haram, I have that statement on DVD. The President, also openly lamented the infiltration of his cabinet by the Boko Haram. Recently a Nigerian pastor in a widely circulated CD, speaking on the Jihadist agenda accused General Babangida of funding the Islamization agenda from his days as President. Today President Jonathan’s most influential Northern supporter is General Babangida. His narrative unfortunately gives no credit to Gen Buhari, and his deputy Gen Idiagbon (also a muslim) who refused to join the OIC despite pressures. Or that Gen Buhari remains the one head of State who was able to defeat an extremist insurgency, the Maitatsine.
How can we fail to see that the incredible corruption, incompetence, poverty of 2/3 of our people after almost seven years of the present government is unsupportable? How is it that Diezani’s use of 10 billion Naira to run her private jet (the same amount of money for the building of 24 mega schools in Osun!) and the complete silence of the President on this travesty does not lead to calling for him to be voted out in 2015? So the allegation of the missing or unaccounted for 20.8 billion USD with 110 million desperately poor, should be dismissed as pure propaganda? So it doesn’t make a difference to us that under the PDP Nigeria has fallen behind in every human development indicator? 55,000 women dying yearly of maternal related ailments, only recently Stanford’s Professor Larry Diamond compared the yearly deaths of over 300,000 children yearly in Nigeria to the killing of 800, 000 mainly Tutsis in Rwanda. The latter was described as genocide, what is the description to give to mass deaths of infants caused by grand corruption?
We discredit our treasured platforms such as this when we mask our political preferences with a religious veil. The vast majority of our people need to be delivered from terrible want and deprivation, what is required now are capable, honest men and women of all faiths, who know that this country may not long survive the daily punishment of its own people.
[via TheCable}
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.GEJ MUST GO .PERIOD!
Seyi, I concur.
I am blessed by all these wonderful comments. It gladdens my heart that we are indeed ready for a change. Nigerians at home and abroad are saying every where give us Buhari/Osinbajo come 2015. All the political intrigues that PDP intends to use or is using are no longer sale able. They said Buhari is a moslem and that he is not qualified to be a president. Let them answer my questions before we enter the year 2015. Do Nnamadi Sambo, Adamu Mu’azu, Bamangana Turku, Prof. Aminu Jebril, Ahmadu Ali, IBB, Adamu Haliru, Aliu Guzuo and a host of other Northern PDP top members who are supporting Jonathan with the hope if he succeeds, he will eventually handover government to one of them in 2019, are they reading a better Quaran than the one being read by our own Buhari. Or is David Mark and his fellow PDP members in North-Central more catholic than the likes of Audu Ogbe, George Akume and other APC top members in the zone? It seems PDP is not smart in discovering the unfolding events. The game has changed. Everybody that cares should warn PDP that they should stop insulting our sense of reasoning. Their days are over. Buhari/Osinbajo 2015, securing our nation! prospering our people!!
Patrick you couldn’t have put it better. Sai Buhari…Sai Buhari.
I know and I am sure that Nigerians are now wiser than before, nobody is going to hoodwink us anymore with religious propaganda. Christian or Muslim, we are all Nigerians and if we find out that our leaders are becoming extremist in their religious approach, we can always vote the m out of power. A tree can not make a forest so the president can hardly single handedly islamise the country, he will only burn the nation by doing that.if Buhari is going to do the right thing, I will surely vote him come 2015. I am tired of GEJ’s goverment, CORRUPTION is just too much and he doesn’t seem to know that it is our bane in Nigeria. I want Buhari to come into power and shame his critics.
“I know and I am sure that Nigerians are now wiser than before…” this is the key. Thanks Akin for your comment.
Insightful informative and convincing with class. It’s really time for change. I hope the whole country is up to it because we may not get this chance again in a long time if we allow religious bigotry to polute our think and decision making.
“….because we may not get this chance again in a long time if we allow religious bigotry to polute our think and decision making.” I CONCUR Dotun. I really do.”
How gullible are we as people to be easily deceived by religion bigotry. Is Jonathan a Christian? That someone bearing a Christian name does not make him or her one. Please Nigeria, stop been deceived by politicians who use you to exploit the nation. We living in abroad know better that Nigeria is becoming a gonna in the committee of Nations. The politicians have milk the nation dry. It is time we ask for public Accontantability as do happen here in the western world. Awake Nigerian, stop the politics of stomach infrastructure as seen in Ekiti . Goverment are not to provide you food but the means of obtaining one through right political and economic atmosphere. May God help Nigerian to choose right this time around.k
Idowu, it is what 2015 election campaign should be based on issues and accountability. Thanks for your comment.
This is the truth all Nigerians should know for them to make an informed choice next year. Let he that has ear hear what the spirit is saying through this great man of God.
Very deep and insightful.
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This is not only a good read, but a must read for all Nigerians, especially those brainwashed by the PDP mouth pieces, its nothing but the truth. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and the PDP is a cancer to us all. Early detection and treatment will save us and our children. We need to vote out GEJ come february to liberate ourselves. But some people are just mentally blinded to see the truth, and time is running out. We can’t afford to remain in this situation for anothe five years.
This is not a good read… this is the truth.. enjoy it.
Hmmmnnnn, honestly, I agree with you that its the truth, however, a good read can also be truthful. Don’t you think? Good read shouldn’t only be fictitious.
Whatever!
Jona, you got ma vote…
I do not know you, but I am sad……not because “Jona you got ma vote”, but because you can say “Whatever!” at a time like this………I forgive you, your future generation may forgive you, but in all, be informed that the earth cries and blood cries out as well…..Those whose blood has been shed unaccountably during these 7 years will speak and I doubt if they will forgive you, persons like you and your generations for the utter disrespect and disregard!!! I I am certain if your father or wife had died in the Abuja bomb blast and you waited for the government to deal with the perpetrators and it is not coming but they are busy playing politics, you will not disrespect those Nigerians that have lost loved ones to the ineptitude of ‘Jona”.
Finally, I halfheartedly pray that you do not suffer what the families of the Chibok girls have suffered, or the victims of Boko Haram, or those who can not afford to but their Children things for this Christmas celebration because of lies and corruption in this government. The other half of my heart earnestly prays that you suffer something similar and I will like then to hear you say or write “WHATEVER!!!”
Very sad comment indeed…’whatever’…Jona you got ma vote’? Who are you? Anyway, you have unknowingly diminished your personality by spelling your dave in lower case. You have no place in the block of Nigerians that hope to get brighter grammar and future to the generation upcoming. Do you understand the principles behind a social contract? Cant you just open your mind and commend a good write up without spilling some stupidity in wiring? You are one of those who dont deserve the greenery Nigeria would provide when we vote PDP out come 2015. I for one would start encouraging forms to remove the field of religion, state of origin and languages spoken. All these have put us all on a huge divide al these years. May I inform you, Prisspal dave, only u waka come o! U think we will ‘Continue’? No! times have changed! We really do care about preserving the left overs of our social contract and forge our alliances in development. Your lack of understanding on the need to commit to nation building can never be tolerated!
Well written Edewor. Well written. Thanks for stopping by.
I just wish the loquacious attack dogs of Jonathan and their garrulous hirelings will learn how to do a genuine defence or make succinct presentation. Abusing everyone and calling all detractors can only show emptiness!
To say this is a good Piece is an understatement. It is an informative one for the ones who read. Nigerians should read to know and vote right come 2015 by God’s Grace.