PDP BoT election ends in stalemate

National Chairman of the party, Dr. Bamanga Tukur
| credits: File copy

The three-hour meeting of members of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday failed to produce a new chairman of the board as expected.

The meeting was meant to elect a replacement for former President Olusegun Obasanjo who resigned from the position last year for personal reasons.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting which ended at about 11.30pm, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, said a committee was set up to streamline membership of the board in preparation for the election of a new chairman.

The committee has three weeks to conclude its assignment.

Maduekwe was joined at the briefing by the board’s Secretary, Senator Walid Jibrin; former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, and presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati.

Maduekwe said the mandate of the committee was to properly align membership of the board in such a way that the election of the next BoT chairman would be a model of internal democracy.

He however said apart from the procedure for the election, the meeting did not come close to discussing the aspirants or endorsing any of them.

“The meeting did not come close to election, nomination or endorsement of any aspirant. There was no deadlock and no gridlock,” he said.

Gana, on his part, admitted that the decision to set up the committee arose because some members were already challenging the legality of some people to vote.

He also faulted reports that some PDP governors were planning to unseat the party’s chairman, Bamanga Tukur, saying the governors were law abiding party members.

Jibrin said so far, 12 members of the board had shown interest in the chairmanship job.

He said it was when Gana’s committee concluded its assignment and submit report that a date for the election will be chosen.

Maduekwe however added another dimension when he said the BoT had no constitutional duty to conduct election in the meeting.

He said the latest move was to reduce likely area of challenge since the simplest of election would stand the risk of being challenged.

Maduekwe said the committee, which would be headed by Gana, has Dr. Shettima Mustapha, Governor Ibrahim Shema, Chief Olabode George, Hope Uzodinma, and Mrs. Stella Omu as members.

He added that the meeting resolved that Jibrin should continue in his position as the secretary.

He denied reports of any rift or cracks in the PDP.

Maduekwe however said as a big party, minor disagreements based on interests could not be overruled.

He said while efforts were being made to resolve issues, including that of Adamawa State, members of the National Working Committee had been directed to stop media war.

On the Adamawa issue, Gana said a committee of party elders including the President, Vice President, leaders of the National Assembly and some others would resolve the issue.

President Goodluck Jonathan presided over the meeting which was attended by Vice President Namadi Sambo; President of the Senate, David Mark; and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwwal.

Obasanjo did not attend the meeting.

Others who attended the session were former Vice President Alex Ekwueme; Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur; Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Women Leader, Kema Chikwe; former chairmen of the party -Bello Haliru Mohammed; Ahmadu Ali; Barnabas Gemade, and Vincent Ogbulafor.

Others are former Presidents of the Senate, Adolphus Wabara and Ken Nnamani; former Speakers of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba and Patricia Etteh; former Deputy President of the Senate, Ibrahim Mantu; Governors Ibrahim Shema (Katsina); Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Ambassador Hassan Adamu, Don Etiebet, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, Danjuma Goje and Shuaibu Oladokun.

Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, Chief Ojo Maduekwe; his United Kingdom counterpart, Senator Dalhatu Tafida; Chief Richard Akinjide, Chief Olabode George, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Chief Emmanuel Nwanyanwu, Mrs. Josephine Anenih, Don Etiebet, Senator Bode Olajumoke, David Jemibewon, Victor Attah, Shuaib Oyedokun and Ebenezer Babatope also attended.

I’ve found possible cure for AIDS –Don

University of Benin

Dean, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Benin, Prof. Isaiah Ibeh, on Tuesday announced the development of a new drug that can cure HIV and AIDS.

Ibeh told the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin, the Edo State capital, that the herbal drug had undergone “a series of successful tests.”

The University Public Relations Officer, Harrison Osarenren, confirmed the story to our correspondent in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

He said the professor had found the solution. “The professor just developed a drug that can cure HIV/AIDS and it has been tested. He has solution to AIDS.”

Ibeh told NAN, “We are at the threshold of making history, in the sense that we seem to have with us something that will permanently take care of what over time seems to have defied all solutions.

“We are talking about the latest discovery of an oral drug made from plants extraction in Nigeria for the possible cure for the pandemic, HIV and AIDS virus.’’

According to him, research on the project was started in 2010 and culminated in the development of “Deconcotion X (DX)–Liquid or Bioclean 11 for the cure of HIV and AIDS.”

Ibeh added, “The existing retroviral drugs are intervention drugs for the management of AIDS but our new discovery is a possible cure. We have tried to look at the product first; its toxicological analysis and discovered that it has a large safety margin.

“This means that if animals or human beings are exposed to it, they will not suffer any serious harm at all from the exposure.

“It also helped us to know the quantity we can conveniently give to animals and will feel secure that nothing untoward will happen.

“We have also done the bacteriological analysis on it, after which we looked at its effect on the virus and the result was quite revealing and refreshing.’’

Ibeh also said that the drug had been exposed to series of medical examination both in Nigeria and in the USA. He added that the drug had performed well on patients with the HIV virus and had shown evidence of total restoration of damaged tissues.

He said, “The result showed an increase in the body weight of the individual administered with DX.

“The body weight was statistically significant when compared with the control group.’’ He said that further tests were being conducted to determine “at what point will a patient become negative after being administered the drug?”

He said, “This verification is necessary because it is what is used to measure whether infection is still there or not. So we need to know the siro-convention time.

“But preliminary results showed that of the five latest patients orally administered with the drugs, our findings is that up to seven months three of them were siro negative while two were still faintly positive.’’ Ibeh appealed for support from the Federal Government and relevant bodies to assist the university with relevant equipment to sustain the research.

How to tackle Boko Haram, by Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo spoke to Zain Verjee of the popular America’s Cable News Network (CNN) yesterday on a number of  issues. These include Boko Haram and, how the Jonathan administration is tackling the Islamist sect which has killed over 2.,500 Nigerians since the group’s debut in 2009.
Obasanjo, who now heads a foundation that is promoting security of lives across Africa, also told the CNN International how the foundation is responding to the crises in Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. On Boko Haram, the former president advised Jonathan to adopt the ‘carrot and stick” approach: Excerpts:
What aspect of security have you chosen in your Foundation?
Obasanjo: To improve human security where it is most needed in Africa. We have chosen four areas which are very important; these are food and nutrition, security, education, particularly girl/child education, youth empowerment and employment, security and health issues. These are the key areas we are focusing on.
Let us talk a little bit of security in Nigeria and the group, Boko Haram. Do they undermine the kind of goals your foundation has?
Obasanjo: Boko Haram undermines security and anything that undermines security, undermines development, health, education, agriculture and food and nutrition security.
Do they have links with Al Qaeda or any other group?
Obasanjo: About a year and half ago, I tried reaching out to them and I asked their lawyer who was acting in proxy if they are acting on their own or they have external supports. And he said to me, either Nigerians who have resources abroad are supporting them or other organisations from abroad are supporting them. And if they had 25% support, today, that support is doubled. To deal with such group, you need “carrot” and “stick” approach. “Carrot” is finding out what, how to reach out to them and “Stick” is when you are trying to reach out to them, those that are amenable to be reached out to, you have to use the stick approach.
Do you think President Goodluck Jonathan has been doing a good job with Boko Haram?
Obasanjo: Well, he has been doing a bit of job but it has to be a double track job
What do you mean?
He must have two tracks (CNN) so, he is using the stick approach? Yes, he is using the stick (CNN) so you don’t think he is handling it correctly? I say that he is doing one aspect well; the other aspect must not be ignored.
Will Nigeria ever split into North and South?
Obasanjo: No, no, I think Nigerians now know that it will cost us so much more to break up than it will cost us to come together.
On DRC, can you tell us what Rwanda role is in it?
Obasanjo: I would not believe that Rwanda is back in M23 but I believe that if Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) put its own house in order, then, no matter how much Rwanda wants to put its dirty finger into it, it will not succeed much”. I don’t think the Rwandan government is directly interfering with the M23 rebels, but I can’t be sure that tribes on both sides of the border aren’t involved with them.

Pastor accused of raping 12-year-old girl

The entrance of the toilet. Inset: The victim

A pastor, Alasco Sobowale, has been accused of raping a 12-year-old girl (name withheld) in Epe, Lagos State. The pastor was said to have allegedly had carnal knowledge of the girl at their home located at 10, Togodo Street, Temu Town.

The victim’s aunt, Mrs. Ngozi Anjorin, said that the incident occurred on December 15, 2012.

Anjorin said the victim only spoke Igbo Language and had recently arrived Lagos from Imo State.

She said Sobowale, who also speaks Igbo, allegedly lured her niece to the toilet around 9pm and had sex with her.

She said, “My niece was sent to Lagos about two weeks before the incident so I could send her to school because she doesn’t speak English Language. She only speaks Igbo and only I and the pastor, who is our neighbour, speak Igbo.

“On that particular night, my children were in the room watching television but I couldn’t find my niece. I kept on shouting her name but I got no answer. I then proceeded to the toilet which is detached from the building. I knocked on the door of the toilet and the pastor immediately ran out and I saw her inside the toilet.

“When I inquired of her what she was doing inside the toilet with the pastor, she said he lured her into the toilet and covered her mouth with his palm so she wouldn’t scream. She said the pastor brought out his penis and forced it into her anus. She said he also put his penis in her vagina and when she discharged a particular fluid, he used a handkerchief to scoop it.”

Anjorin said Sobowale, who lives with his wife and children in the same compound, fled after the incident.

Anjorin said two days later, she reported the matter to the Epe Police Division and the policemen began to look for him.

It was learnt that two days later, the police were able to arrest him.

Residents told our correspondent that after Sobowale’s arrest, some of his church members accused a six-year-old girl of bewitching the pastor and had her flogged and paraded.

A source, who craved anonymity, said, “Sobowale is not actually the head pastor. His wife is the senior pastor of the church known as Okiki Imole. A few days after the incident, a six-year-old girl was branded a witch and accused of manipulating the pastor to commit the dastardly act.

“The poor girl was beaten up and paraded round the town. They said when the pastor was conducting deliverance for her; her spirit took over his body.”

Anjorin said the alleged rape victim was rushed down to Epe General Hospital where tests were conducted on her.

A copy of the doctor’s report made available to us, stated that the victim’s “vaginal hymen is no longer intact and bruises were observed in the anal region.”

The report further stated that there was sperm residue in the victim’s private part and it was concluded that she had been sexually assaulted.

A doctor, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said because Sobowale had not provided his sperm sample, it was impossible to ascertain if it was his own sperm that was found in the victim’s private part.

Sobowale was released a few days later and charges against him dropped.

Anjorin however protested the development, adding it was not safe for her niece to live in the same compound with Sobowale.

A neighbour, who craved anonymity, said it was the habit of policemen in the area to cover up such crimes.

 “Whenever a crime of this nature occurs, the police would ask the suspect to offset the victim’s hospital bill and then grant the suspect bail. It is very common in areas like Epe because it is not situated in the metropolis,” he said.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, confirmed that the girl was raped.

Braide said the police had not taken sides, adding that the pastor was released on bail because courts were not in session.

“The pastor is in charge of a white garment church in the area. He will be charged with sodomy. He was released on bail because courts are not sitting but once courts resume, he will be charged,” she said.

How I survived fire that gutted my house, by Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday recounted what transpired during the fire incident that gutted a part of his palatial building in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, last week, saying he would have died in the inferno.
According to Obasanjo, if not for divine intervention that made the fire to break out in the afternoon and not midnight, he would have been suffocated to death and become history.
Obasanjo, who was Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), disclosed this while receiving a delegation of executive members of the party from the Lagos State chapter, at his hilltop residence.
He was full of praises to God for sparing his life and for the opportunity to witness a new year, stressing that the smoke that beclouded his room would have killed him.
While recounting the experience to the delegation that was led by the Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the PDP, Mr. Tunji Shele, Obasanjo said many documents and consumables were destroyed in the inferno.
He said: “The fire, which occurred in the office of my Private Secretary, resulted in thick smoke, which pervaded my bedroom.
“If it had happened at night, I would have been a dead person by now.
“I want to thank all, and all those who called me on phone both within and outside the country.
“Let us appreciate the mercy and kindness of God.
“There are many, we started last year together, but no more today.
“We are not mocking them, but to extol God.
“In fact, that I am able to stand erect is God’s blessing.
“Many of my age group cannot stand well.
“I am not mocking them, but I am thanking God.”
While disclosing that he continued to receive telephone calls from within and outside Nigeria over the incident, the statesman prayed that the New Year would be a glorious one for the country.
He stressed the need for leaders of the party in Lagos State to be united to make it the one that would rule the state in future elections.
Obasanjo stressed the need for party leaders to sink their ego and sacrifice their individual interest for the general interest of the party.
He added: “If only the leaders would sink their ego and regard the party’s interest as supreme and above that of individual, then the party will come out strong and able to wrestle power from the ruling party.”
According to Obasanjo, if the leaders and members of the PDP in Lagos State could unite, they would take over power from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) .
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Mr. Shelle described Obasanjo’s advice as priceless.
He said: “Baba’s advice is invaluable and we are going back to Lagos as a happy family.
“We would return to build our party on the platform of his advice to re-launch our party into recognition.”

Is Okorocha becoming a disappointment?

Bayo Olupohunda

‘Never judge a book by its cover’

— Popular saying

My affection for, and bond with, Imo State and its people run deep. In providing the background to my fated encounter and love for a state which I consider the pride of the Igbo nation and the country in general, permit me to make a useful digression. This aside will provide the context to why the people who are among the best educated, open-minded and sophisticated people I have ever met deserve the best than the present crop of leaders that have governed the state since the pioneering and visionary leadership of the Second Republic governor, the late Sam Mbakwe. Mbakwe, for me, is unarguably the father of modern Imo.

In the 1990s, after graduation, I had received my mandatory National Youth Service Corps call-up letter with apprehension. I had been posted to Imo State. I stood rooted on the spot in my university’s Students’ Affairs office in Lagos, confused, sad and dejected. Here was I, born and bred in the South-West with a call to serve my country in the South-East. My situation was not even helped that prior to that time, I had not ventured out of the South-West. So most of what I knew about the history and idiosyncrasies of the Igbos were from the history books.

Nonetheless, I headed for Owerri, the capital city in one of the longest road trips of my life. But the rest is history. My one year sojourn in Imo and the adventurous foray into the vast heartland remain the best moments of my life. My primary assignment with a local newspaper in Owerri afforded me the rare opportunity of visiting virtually all the local government areas and other states. The fond memories still endure and are deeply etched in my subconscious. Today, I still reminisce on the good old days in the Land of Hope now called the Eastern Heartland. The hospitality, tolerance, openness and worldview of the average Imo indigene distinguish them from others. Since then, Imo has become my adopted home.

Owerri bears all the imprints of a modern state capital. The inner city roads that connect the streets built by Sam Mbakwe are asphalted and clean.  The interstate roads that link Owerri with major towns and neighbouring states are well-networked. The houses are planned. I remember strolling with fellow corps members on broad roads such as Amakohia, Douglas, Wetheral, Royce and Okigwe. The residential estates such as Aladinma, one of the many in the town, are also well-planned.

An average Imo is crazy about education. This explains why Owerri alone boasts a dozen higher institutions of learning. We walked freely in and out of the Government House without molestation (even under the military!). The serene areas around Alvan Ikoku, Shell Camp, Police Headquarters and Government House and the massive Catholic Cathedral were tourist attractions. Though I had arrived in the thick of military dictatorship, the enduring traces of good leadership which Mbakwe provided long after the thieving buccaneers came to wreck the state still endured. Like many other states in the federation, Imo, also bore the brunt of the long years of military brigandage. The military years are best forgotten. Those were the years when civil servants in the state were owed for months. All the good works done by the Mbakwe regime were left to rot. Concord Hotel, the Aluminium Smelter Plant Inyishi, the Paint factory in Abor-Mbaise, Avutu Poultry Farm and the Amaraku Power plant all became moribund.

I have visited the state in the last few years of democracy and recently during the incumbent, Rochas Okorocha’s leadership. In 2011, I was shocked that the two terms of former governor Achike Udenwa could not restore even Owerri to its former glory. The state of infrastructure was in a sorry state. Roads within the metropolis and those connecting the hinterland were impassable. The waterworks had dried up. I was especially scandalised by the state of inner city roads especially Okigwe Road and the agonising hours it took to navigate the Nkworji-Mbieri enroute Mbaitoli, my host’s village. The Ihedi Ohakim years did not fare any better. Apart from the much-vaunted beautification project, his tenure was largely defined by its many controversies.

Thus my joy knew no bounds when the current governor, Rochas Okorocha, was sworn in May 2011. His emergence was particularly inspiring, given his projected national image as a man that cares for the plight of the common man through the charity he founded. I tuned in to the TV to listen to Okorocha’s agenda to transform the state. His many speeches on national platforms portrayed him as a leader who will make a difference having been established in business and public altruism.  Sadly, my joy has turned from disappointment to despair. I had dismissed the criticisms of the incumbent as one of the many antics of disgruntled political opponents until my recent visit. I had expected the city to be turned into a huge construction site. But nothing has changed. It appears the situation has even gone worse.

To me, Imo is a classic example of expectations gone awry. What struck me during my last visit about Owerri is the filthy environment. Mountains of refuse dot the landscape. What does it take to remove garbage in a compact city like Owerri? The roads in the capital and its environs are in a state of disrepair. Apart from the Government House, other parts of the city cut a picture of neglect. Okigwe Road leading to Orji is in a parlous state. Roads leading out of the state are either neglected or haphazardly done.

Now my joy of a new Imo has been dashed. Governance in the state has degenerated into chaos. Executive recklessness that defined the Ohakim years has found its way into Okorocha’s government. Hardly a day goes by without news of abuse or the other involving the governor and his aides. If they are not allegedly beating up an opponent, the convoy is ramming lesser mortals off the road. For me, it does not matter who is in the right or wrong. The governor has built a name over the years that should not be associated with any form of impunity or rascality whatsoever. He should be a peacemaker, bridge-builder and rallying point for leaders in the South-East.

A worrisome trend is his quixotic ideas and approach to governance. In Imo, the lines between philanthropy and governance are blurred. Why, for example, will the governor declare a two-week holiday thereby shutting government business down? Even Barack Obama had to interrupt his holiday to attend to the ‘Fiscal cliff’ imbroglio in the United States. The state needs every second of serious governance to revive moribund industries, address distressing poverty, infrastructural decay and the growing crime rate.  Why, for instance, would the governor descend so low on national TV sharing rice, money and Indomie personally? Why waste state money so frivolously in the name of bonus? The governor’s so-called Imo Rescue Agenda is at best Utopian. Instead of the white elephant agenda, Okorocha should address concrete issues such as education, roads, urban renewal, potable water and health care. Job creation strategy must include efforts to revive moribund industries, attract new investors and encourage local production. The people of Imo did not vote for the governor to be more of the same. They voted for him to make a difference in their lives.

•Ms. Adamolekun is the National Coordinator  of Enough-is-Enough, Nigeria

Happy New Year Wishes 2013

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S. May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise. May New Year's Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends. May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.   May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues. May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance - and include generous amounts for charity. May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor. And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.