Towards 2011 General Election in Nigeria: Profile of Presidential Candidates 2

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) CPC Presidential Candidate

Muhammadu Buhari (born December 17, 1942) was the military ruler of Nigeria (December 31, 1983 – August 27, 1985) and an unsuccessful candidate for president in the April 19, 2003 presidential election. His ethnic background is Fulani and his faith is Islam; his family is from Katsina State.

Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Presidential Candidate was former head of state and commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria from Jan. 1984 to Aug. 1985.
Born on Dec. 17, 1942 in Daura, Katsina State. Buhari started his education at Mai’Adua Primary Schools, Daura from 1948 to 1952. He was at the Katsina Middle School, Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College), Katsina between 1953 and 1961.

* He enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1962 and was trained at the Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna, 1962;

* Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, United Kingdom, 1962-63;

* Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, India, January-November, 1973 and Army War College, USA, 1979-80;

* He held many strategic military and political posts;

* He was Military Governor of North-Eastern State in 1975;

* Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Energy 1976-1978;

* Chairman of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) 1978-79;

* General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2nd Mechanised Infantry Division, 1981 and GOC 3rd Armoured Division, 1981-83.

After a bloodless coup on 30th Dec. 1983, Major-General Buhari was sworn-in as Nigeria’s seventh Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He was ousted in a bloodless coup on August 27, 1985. Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was the Chairman of the state owned Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) from 1994 to 1998.

He holds the national award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR) among other laurels.
Minister of Petroleum

Buhari first came to limelight in 1975 when He became the Minister (or “Federal Commissioner”) for Petroleum and Natural Resources under then-Head of State General Olusegun Obasanjo. Before then he was the Governor of the newly created North Eastern State of Nigeria during the regime of Murtala Mohammed. He later became head of the newly created Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. in 1977.
Chad

In 1983 Chadian soldiers invaded and took 19 islands in the Lake Chad- Nigerian territories. The then Brigadier Buhari, who was the General Officer Commanding commanding the 3rd Armoured Division (which he did from November 1981 – December 1983) successfully carried out a blockade of Chad. After which all the territories were returned. The Nigerian Army under Buhari then pursued the Chadian Army as afar as 50 km into Chadian territory. The 21st Armoured Brigade carried out the blockade and the fighting.
Buhari Administration

Major-General Buhari was selected to lead the country by middle and high-ranking military officers after a successful military coup d’etat that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983. Buhari was appointed Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and Tunde Idiagbon was appointed Chief of General Staff (the de facto #2 in the administration). Buhari justified the military’s seizure of power by castigating the civilian government as hopelessly corrupt, and his administration subsequently initiated a public campaign against indiscipline known as “War Against Indiscipline (WAI).” Despite authoritarian tendencies, the campaign is still lauded by many to have instilled the most orderly conduct of public and private affairs in Nigeria since its independence in 1960.
1985 Coup and Overthrow

Buhari was himself overthrown in a coup led by General Ibrahim Babangida on August 27, 1985 and other members of the ruling Supreme Military Council (SMC) ostensibly because he insisted on investigating allegations of fraudulent award of contracts in the Ministry of Defense. If that investigation had been carried through, it is believed that many senior military officers would have been implicated. Buhari’s insistence on this investigation was to become his fait accompli. A Palace Coup was planned and carried out by Gen Ibrahim Babangida and some senior military officers whose necks were heading for the chopping block following the conclusion of the investigation. Without a doubt, this would have become Buhari’s and Idiagbon’s most bitter and shocking lesson on how endemic and widespread corruption had become in Nigeria.
Later years

Buhari served as the Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund, a body created by the Government of General Abacha, and funded from the revenue generated by the increase in price of petroleum products from, to pursue developmental projects around the country. His transparent and efficient handling of this agency endeared him to Nigerians.

In 2003, Buhari contested the Presidential election as the candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP). He was defeated by the People’s Democratic Party nominee, President Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, by a margin of more than eleven million votes. It was claimed by Mr Buhari’s supporters and other members of the opposition that out that in some states, like Ebonyi, there were more votes than there were actually registered voters. Although some allegations of fraud were conclusively proven in the courts and the conduct of the election was criticized by the same Commonwealth body that criticized the recent Zimbabwean Elections – Commonwealth Observer Group,the consensus among Nigerians was that he should not waste his time in court as he did not have the necessary resources to “buy” himself justice. Eventually, the same court also decided that the level of proven electoral fraud was not sufficient to affect the outcome of the election and to warrant the cancellation of the whole Presidential election.

On 18 December 2006, Gen. Buhari was nominated as the consensus candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party. His main challenger in the April 2007 polls was the ruling PDP candidate, Umaru Yar’Adua, who also hails from the same home state – Katsina. In the election, Buhari officially took 18% of the vote against 70% for Yar’Adua, but Buhari rejected these results. After Yar’Adua took office, the ANPP agreed to join his government, but Buhari denounced this agreement.

Towards 2011 General Election in Nigeria: Profile of Presidential Candidates 1

Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, and President, Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was born to a humble Niger Delta family of canoe makers on November 20, 1957. Growing up in the warmth of a close knit family, Dr. Jonathan had humble yet adventurous beginnings. In spite of the enchanting beauty of the Niger Delta and the pristine innocence of those times, the young Jonathan rather than take after the family trade, chose to go to school.

He attended St. Stephens and St. Michaels Primary Schools, Oloibiri, finishing in 1969. He proceeded to Mater Dei High School, Imiringi, where he passed his West African School Certificate with flying colours in 1975.

On completion of his secondary education, he worked as a Preventive Officer with the Nigerian Customs Service for two years before proceeding to the University of Port Harcourt as one of the pioneer students of the new university nestling on the shores of the Choba River. He chose Zoology. As a child he had been fascinated with nature, and growing up by the shores of the intertwining rivers and waterways of the Niger Delta, aquatic life was second nature.


He graduated with Second Class Upper honours in 1981. In 1985 and 1995 he studied for his Master’s and Ph.D degrees in Hydrobiology and Fisheries Biology, and Zoology respectively, from the same University. But this was not until he had completed his mandatory one year of National Youth Service in Iresi, old Oyo State, now Osun State of Nigeria.

Returning to the warm embrace of family and friends in 1982, he was appointed as Science Inspector of Education, Rivers State Ministry of Education, while studying in between for his post-graduate and graduate degrees. Between 1983 and 1993 he took up employment as a lecturer in the Department of Biological Science, Rivers State College of Education.

In 1993, he was appointed Assistant Director (Ecology of the defunct Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) in charge of Environmental Protection. Working in a developmental environment, his desire to better of the lot of the people motivated him to answer the call to service. He resigned his job in 1998 and went into politics.

His honesty, simplicity, charisma, quiet strength and determination made him an ideal running mate to Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha on the Bayelsa People’s Democratic Party, PDP, gubernatorial ticket. They won the elections, and he served as a Deputy Governor from 1999 to 11 December 2005. On 12 December that year, he became the substantive Governor of Bayelsa State.

It wasn’t long after that fate once again beckoned. He was busy preparing for re election to his first full term as substantive governor, when the PDP, which is the largest political party in Africa, nominated him as running mate to the Presidential candidate, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua. After a keenly contested election, the Yar’adua/Jonathan ticket won, and on May 29, 2007, he was inaugurated as Nigeria’s Vice President.

Precisely on February 9, 2010, Dr. Jonathan assumed office as Nigeria’s Acting President by virtue of a National Assembly resolution empowering him as Acting President, following President Yar’Adua’s long absence for medical attention in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was sworn-in on May, 6, 2010 as President, Commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria following the passing away of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on May 5, 2010.

Dr. Jonathan has received several local and international awards. He was voted the ‘Best performing Deputy Governor’ in 2002 by IPAN, given the ‘Democracy and Good Governance Award’ by Nigeria Union of Journalists in 2004. The Africa International News magazine league conferred on him the ‘Niger Delta Development Award’; the Nigerian Bar Association, the ‘Distinguished Personality’ award in 2006, and the All African Students Union in South Africa, the ‘Africa Leadership Award 2006’.

Additionally, the Nigerian Union of Teachers voted him the ‘Best Performing Governor in Education in the South-South’ in 2006. He was also recognized by the International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP) in 22 July 2006, with ‘Ambassador for Peace Merit Award’ as well as the ‘Leadership and Good Governance Merit Award’.
Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is married to Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan, and the union is blessed with children.

The Man Who Won't be President

It is the season of politics and the atmosphere is feverish; the stakes are high and a vicious struggle to win at all cost is on. The air is mixed with excitement and promises and fouled in equal measure with all manner of allegations, accusations and violence. There is tension in the land.

Everything is suddenly in slow motion, the hours tick by lazily, and the air waves are awash with rumors, revelations, truths and half truths, just as uncertainty pervades the land. People can hardly sleep safe and sound in their homes without the threat of violence and bomb blasts. The race for public offices is as far away as it is as close to the neighborhood, but we feel the heat and see the violence.

Finally, the chicken came home to roost for some frontline politicians. On Thursday 13 January at the Eagle Square, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku’s fate was decided. Even though the general election is yet to hold, the outcome of the Peoples Democratic Party primary has significant implications for the real elections in April. At least we can begin to decipher with some clarity of thought and forecast the direction the pendulum will swing in the general election.

Two members of the same family were drawn in mortal struggle for supremacy over who gets the presidential ticket. One is down and out and the other is on a victory lap. As the countdown began Thursday, the minutes ticked away, one man’s dream and his desire to become president increasingly looked unlikely. Atiku’s subdued countenance when addressing delegates at the convention was an indication of what was to come. It came in a crushing torrent as delegate after delegate, and state after state turned their back at him. At the final tally of votes, President Goodluck Jonathan grossed 2,736 votes against Atiku’s 805 in a free, fair and transparent delegate election.

On the basis of the result, it is now impossible for the man Atiku to find the compass to navigate the numerous criss-crossing tunnels, crannies, and minefields, at least on the platform he chose to berth his presidential ambition with, the PDP. Call it the final demystification of Atiku and his famed political prowess.

When Atiku signified his intention to run for office of president, only a few expected he would want to realise his dream in the PDP after a very acrimonious exit from the party, the fallout of a very public spat with his then boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. But as politics come in this clime, anything is possible. He left PDP with malice to all and with charity to none and returned with equal malice and such bitterness many who would have ordinarily been sympathetic to his ambition were turned off by his vitriolic outbursts on the issue of zoning.

His dream came crashing yesterday as PDP delegates finally dealt him a crushing blow, choosing President Jonathan over him to fly the party’s flag in the presidential election. He had run a dogged race no doubt. Money was hardly his problem; his campaign organization appeared well-oiled. But on strategy, it is difficult to see how well it panned out.

Yesterday, he was thrust from the full tide of expectation, hopes, aspirations and victory into the gorge of defeat. Stunned and dazed by the humiliating defeat handed him in the wee hours of yesterday. It was the final decimation of Atiku’s political career and all that he stands for and has come to represent lately. The results also shame Mallam Adamu Ciroma, one of the chief proponents of zoning and consensus candidacy who could not even deliver Yobe, his own state, or any state in the North -east geo-political zone to Atiku.

So, what next for Atiku? Will he defect once again to another party? If yes, then which party this time around? Maybe to Action Congress of Nigeria where Ribadu, the man who once investigated him for corruption, is a front contender for the party’s ticket; or will he go to another unknown party like the elder Saraki who went to Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN)?

Atiku took the nation through days of an acrimonious campaign, through weeks of agonizing and divisive statements on zoning, and through the Frantz Fanon threat. He stirred deepened passions on the North vs South divide, with its consequent religious coloration, that will most certainly take a lengthy period to heal. His dogged determination to pursue his ambition blinded him to nationally sensitive issues. Now, his broken plans have become a smoldering heap of wreckage.

Atiku’s zoning sing-song and the attendant threat, only revealed the immeasurable distance between the values of the pre- and the post-June 12 era. Times have changed and many Nigerians may no longer be interested in which zone their president hails from or the religion he practises. They want food, electricity, roads, hospitals and an education. They want the economy to grow so that they can live a good life in peace and harmony with one another. They yearn for a leader who will rise above primordial clannish sentiments and religion and take Nigeria into the ambit of progressive nations of the world. The scorching irony here is that the fierce apostles of zoning, ethnic and religious cleavages once held the highest national offices in the land and are even aspiring to such offices once again.

It was a bemused nation that held its breath in total consternation, and watched as the zoning masquerades removed their masks, poured out a fiery stream of biting ridicule and withering sarcasm on old wounds of the nation many thought had healed. It was a selfish attempt to regress the nation into the bottomless abyss, play up hypocrisy’s thin veil to cover up crimes and to create an atmosphere of fear among the citizenry in order to realize the vaunting ambition of a few individuals whose modus operandi is the savage exploitation of the zone they so much want power to shift to and have consistently played one section of the country against the other to their own benefit.

Atiku lost not because he lacked education, as the Jonathan camp forcefully pointed out, not because he lacked money to promote his presidential ambition, and not even because he lacked any other personal attributes of leadership. As a matter of fact, he has a more confident presence than President Jonathan and more presidential in stature and carriage. But this strength is immediately mitigated by his poor articulation and doubtful charisma, and the unbridled pursuit of his ambition which appeared to be “at any cost” to actualise.

By contrast to Atiku’s brash, aggressive and confrontational outlook, President Jonathan is simple, ordinary, trusting and trusted, and meek up to the point of being seen as weak. While many feared he would fumble at the convention, it was a fired up Jonathan who stole the hearts of delegates. He stumped, thumped and pumped his fist at the same time to convey his message. He was passionate and appeared sincere.

But beyond all of these are Atiku’s misunderstanding of the timeless lessons of power and its uses. This has continued to baffle not just students of power politics, but a significant proportion of his fan base who have watched their man stumble and fumble over and over and over again.

For whatever it is worth now, he may well go and read and properly understand the 48 laws of power and imbibe life’s cardinal lessons in there. And one of the most important lessons in it is: “Never outshine the master”. Especially not when one has a master like former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Atiku’s misstep in that direction ultimately defined his fall.

Another mistake was that just last year against the balance of all probability and expectations, the same Atiku went back to PDP. The same PDP he openly castigated on several occasions and vowed to teach a bitter lesson in the political arena. It was a humiliating descent. For a man who had built a considerable support base and admirers and had come to symbolise, rightly or wrongly, the face of the opposition, it was the greatest betrayal in whatever shape or form one chose to look at it. This singular move created doubts in the minds of many about his integrity, significantly watered down his public esteem and took a huge chunk of support from him.

It bears recall that joining PDP was no easy task, as he was roundly rejected from his own ward to the state PDP level as they repeatedly played hide and seek with his re-entry. Atiku practically struggled and begged for a waiver from the ‘strangers’ he abandoned the party to. It was a chilling sight to see Atiku lament to the press that he was entitled to a waiver and that some party men were working hard to deny him. Well, it took the magnanimity of the powers that be in the party to grant him the waiver. He got it and so began a desperate attempt to win the right to fly PDP flag in the presidential elections.

Immediately he got the waiver, something about him began to unravel. The real Atiku began to manifest, zoning and threats became part of his curriculum vitae. Is it not curious that his first shot at the presidency was seen as a struggle against injustice by many people across the length and breadth of the country, even though tribe and tongue may defer? In the eyes of many Nigerians, that struggle was to overcome the injustice meted to him by the leadership of the PDP and was therefore justified to exit the party. But that was then. This second attempt was widely seen as an attempt to become president through divisive tactics and scaremongering.

What went wrong? Why is this attempt seen differently from the previous one? The answer is in the air and only Alhaji Atiku Abubakar himself can answer it.

2011 Governor ship Elections in Lagos : Profile of the Two Main Contenders FASHOLA AND DOSUNMU

The 2011 Governoship election in Lagos state will be between two main challenger: the incumbent Governor Raji Fashola, SAN of Action Congress and Dr Ade Dosunmu of Peoples democratic party



>Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, was born in Lagos at the Island Maternity Hospital on June 28th, 1963. He was educated at Sunny Fields Primary School, Adelabu, Surulere, in Lagos, Birch Freeman High School, Surulere, Lagos and at Igbobi College, Yaba, also in Lagos. He studied law at the University of Benin from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, LL.B. (Hons), degree in 1987.

He was admitted to the Nigerian Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in November 1988 after completing the professional training programme of the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, which he undertook between 1987 and 1988. He subsequently enrolled to perform the mandatory One year National service under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in Benin, in the then Bendel State, from 1988 to 1989. During that period he carried out his primary assignment as counsel in the law firm of Late Dr. G.I.S Omonuwa & Company.

His legal career of almost two decades, commenced in the law Firm of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe and Belgore, where he cut his legal teeth as a litigator over such wide-ranging areas of specialization as, intellectual property (registration of trade marks), commercial law, covering general contracts, company activities, mergers, acquisitions, rights issues, ownership of shares and equity of corporations, as well as land disputes, criminal law and chieftaincy matters, in all of which he has come to acquire appreciable expertise and vast experience.

He has also, in the course of his distinguished law career, successfully pleaded a number of cases before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, different Divisions of the Court of Appeal and a host of Federal and State High Courts across the country.

In 1993, he voluntarily resigned his engagement in the Firm of Sofunde, Osakwe, Ogundipe and Belgore, and joined the law firm of K.O. TINUBU & Company, as an Investing Partner. He was Managing Partner, Lead Counsel, and highest fee earner of the firm from 1994 to August 2002 when he was appointed Chief of Staff to His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor of Lagos State

Prior to his appointment as Chief of Staff, Mr. Babatunde Fashola was privileged to have served Lagos State in various capacities. He was the Secretary of the Lands Sub-Committee of the Transitional Work Groups established by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu following his election as Governor of the State in 1999.
He later served on the State Government's Panel of Enquiry into allocation of houses on the Mobolaji Johnson Housing Scheme at Lekki.

He is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, the International Bar Association, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria and a Notary Public of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and has been variously honoured with Chieftaincy titles, awards and certificates of merit including the Distinguished Alumnus Award recently conferred on him by the University of Benin Alumni Association.

Babatunde Fashola is also a Patron of the Law Students Association of the University of Benin and he is only the second law graduate from the University of Benin and the first member of the Nigerian Law School graduating class of 1988 to be conferred with the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and the First ever Chief of Staff to be so honoured.

In 2006, he was appointed as Honourable Commissioner in the Government of Lagos State. He was the first person to hold both offices simultaneously.
A thoroughly detribalized Nigerian, Mr. Fashola speaks English with the same facility as he does his mother tongue, Yoruba.

On the 14th April 2007 he was elected Governor of Lagos State and Sworn in on the 29th May 2007, as the 13th Governor of the state.

He is the first Senior Advocate of Nigeria to hold office as Governor in Nigeria and the yougest elected Governor of the State.

An extrovert and a sunny personality who belongs to a number of social clubs, notably Island Club, Ikoyi Club, Eko Club, Lagos Lawn Tennis Club and Eagle Club, Surulere, Mr. Fashola is an ardent sportsman who passionately loves playing and watching soccer, besides enjoying swimming andplaying occasional billiards, lawn tennis, snooker and squash-rackets.

He is married to Mrs. Abimbola Fashola and they are blessed with two children.


Dr Ade Dosunmu was born 47years ago in Isale Eko to the famous Dosunmu family of Lagos. He had his Primary education at Surulere Baptist School and attended Jibril Martins Memorial Grammar School Lagos for his Secondary education. After successfully completing his Higher School Certificate Examination (HSC), he proceeded to the University of Ibadan where he graduated with B.Sc (Hons) degree in Sociology. He also obtained a Masters degree (M.Sc) in Industrial Sociology from University of Lagos and later proceeded to Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D) in Public Administration. He is an expert on Public policy.

Dr. Ade DosunmuHe started his career as a Productivity/Research Officer with the National Productivity Center a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Employment Labour and Productivity. He rose to the position of Senior Research Officer between 1988 - 1994 before joining the service of Lagos Building Investment Company Limited as Deputy Manager(Administration). Between 1994-2002 he rose to the position of Assistant General Manager(Administration and Corporate Planning) where he had full responsibilities for General Administration, Human Resources management and Corporate Planing. He joined the Nigeria Ports Authority as Assistant General Manager (Superannuation and Investment) where he was responsible for the coordination of both the Pension Portfolio and Investment of pension funds. A position he held till August 2006 when he was appointed by the Federal Government of Nigeria as Executive Director, (Finance & Administration) in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). In that capacity, he was responsible for the Financial Management, General Administration, Corporate Services and Research functions of the Agency.

Following the exemplary manner with which he discharged his duties as Executive Director, by May 2007, Dr. Ade Dosunmu was appointed by the Federal Government of Nigeria to the exalted position of Director General/Chief Executive officer of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), a position he held till July 2009. As the Director General of the Apex Maritime Safety Regulatory Agency in Nigeria he doubled as the Alternate Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the International Seabed Authority, Kingston, Jamaica. During his tenure in NIMASA, he was Chairman of the Technical Committee on Nigeria’s re-election and instrumental to Nigeria’s election into the Council of International Maritime Organization (IMO). He represented Nigeria on the council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and that of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Geneva.

Dr. Dosunmu lectures Public Policy at the University of Lagos and has served as Resource Person to the Association of African Development Finance Institute (AADFI) Cote d’Ivoire (1998 – 2000) Council Member, Association of Nigeria Development Finance Institutions. (ANDFI) (1997 – 2001) Member, Development Committee of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (1997 – 2001) Secretary, Lagos State Inter-ministerial Committee for National Productivity day Celebration and Director, Leasing Company of Nigeria (LECON), a subsidiary of Bank of Industry (BOI)

A Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria, Fellow, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and fellow of the Certified Institute of Shipping, full Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (CIPMN), an Associate member of Nigerian Institute of Training & Development (NITAD) and Nigeria Institute of Management. Dr. Dosunmu has attended many Courses, Seminars and Workshops both local and international among which are Anatomy of shipping at Cambridge Academy of Transport, Cambridge University, UK, Finance for Non Finance Managers at WITS Business School, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, Pension Reform Course, organized by Crown Agents in London and many others. He also presented papers at several local and international fora.

In recognition of his numerious strides, he has received many Awards and Honours, some of which are Gold Merit Award for the Best Maritime Administrator of the Year 2008, Maritime Personality of the Year 2008, Maritime Chief Executive of the Year 2008, Exemplary Contribution to Maritime Pollution Control and Sustainable Development of Nigerian Eco System 2007, Outstanding Public Service Entrepreneur 2007, Exemplary Leadership Award 2007. He was recently honoured for his contributions to National Development by the President Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan with the prestigious National honour of the Member of the Oder of the Niger (MON). Dr. Dosunmu is the first Chief Executive of any Maritime Agency to be so honoured.

Dr. Ade Dosunmu has a very rich social network as a member of Island Club, Eko Club, Ikoyi Club 1938 and Apapa Club. He was at one time Asst. General Secretary and later General Secretary of the influential Eko Club, Lagos during which he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the club. He has also participated actively in several committees for these clubs. He has two (2) publications to his credit. He's happily married to Mrs. Funmi Dosunmu and they are blessed with children.

Voter registration: Jega wants N6.6bn for extension •Senate approves one month extension •Your reputation is at stake -Senate •INEC sacks 15 corps mem

THE chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, told the Senate, on Wednesday, that extending the voter registration by one week would cost the country N6.6 billion just as added that the country made gains from the money appropriated for the purchase of the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines.

However, the Senate extended the registration by four weeks, but with a warning to Jega that his reputation is at stake over the ongoing voter registration.

President of the Senate, Mr David Mark, who delivered the Senate’s stance while Jega appeared before the senators at plenary session to defend the lapses that have characterised the exercise, said that Nigerians were eager to participate in the voter registration.

Senator Mark said that though Jega was on the hot seat, he should not contemplate resigning because it was not advisable to quit in the middle of the battle. He also told the INEC boss that the credibility of politicians were also at stake and that they were ready for the conduct of credible elections.

Mark said: “Your reputation is at stake. I would advise you not to resign because you cannot threaten to quit in the middle of the battle. Politicians are also determined to win elections creditably because our own reputation is at stake.

“I would advise you to move out of your office and see what happens in the field. We are reasonably reassured that the exercise isn’t where it’s supposed to be, but we are reassured that you are taking steps to rectify that.”

Jega, who was grilled by senators for nearly three hours, also assured the nation that he was ready to make a success of the assignment. He stated that he had never told anyone that he would resign, adding that he took the job so that he could make a success of the job.

The Senate also passed an amendment to the 2010 Electoral Act to enable INEC to extend the voter registration period.

He declared: “l have never threatened to resign. When I accepted the job, I said I would give it all my best. The issue of resignation, I have never said I will succeed; my commissioners are all behind me.”

Jega said that reports he had received so far showed that by the end of work on Wednesday, the commission would have registered about 30 million Nigerians.

He said: “As I speak to you now sir, the average registration per day is about 4.3 million. So we did our projections from those statistics that we have that if we have additional one week just to cover the initial problems that we have, we should be able to register every Nigerian that comes out to register.

“Unfortunately sir, one of the contractors disappointed us, but as of two days ago, we now have all the machines delivered to us and we have them delivered to the states. But there are still some polling units which have not been reached but every state, except Kwara unfortunately, which even in the next two hours, will get their own; every state except Kwara, has received the full complement of their DDC machines plus the 10 per cent extra which we believe can be used to complement other places where there is none.”

He also said that the commission required a one week extension to the registration.

Jega said: “From our own projection as I speak with you now sir, if the Electoral Act is properly amended, we believe that if we have an extension of one week from the 29th to the 5th of February, God willing, we will be able to register every registrable Nigerian.

“The constraints we have as the provision of the Electoral Act stands now, is that we have to finish all registrations latest 60 days to the election which is latest by the second week of February. So as it stands now unless there is an amendment to the Electoral Act, we cannot do much extension beyond four days. That is between the 29th [January] to the second of February.

“But if the National Assembly graciously amends the provision of the constitution, if we have an extension of an additional one week, we believe, sir, that we will be able to finish this exercise very successfully. We have all the projections.

“The reports reaching us from the fields, sir, are that there are initial problems. First of all on the day that we commenced the registration, only 11,000 out of 132,000 direct capture machines has been delivered, but only about 120,000 have been deployed in the polling units.

“There were additional problems with the setting of the finger printing machine from the first day where we discovered that the setting was very high and that setting was for the highest standard of fingerprints for forensic purpose and election is not a forensic matter, that is why we have these difficulties because the scanners are sensitive. If you have any problem with your finger, whether it is stained with oil or whatsoever, it will refuse to accept you. So the first day was a disaster because the machine was just rejecting anybody that came to register.”

On substandard machines, Jega assured the senators that the commission would get it right.

He stated: “Because we expect that when machines are bought, some of them will arrive dead on arrival. After all has been done, you may still plug them and they will pack up. In the context that we are working. When they pack up, the contractors are there. They are replacing them.

Right now as I speak with you from the statistics that we have, there are not up to 1,000 equipment that have packed up nationwide.

“If you deploy 120,000 machines and less than 1,000 have broken down, how can you say that they are substandard? I stand to be corrected, but I want to know anywhere in this world where what we are doing has been attempted. Where 120,000 machines have been deployed at one time and the situation is going on perfectly.

“There are people that have concluded in their minds that this exercise will fail and they have the answer. So, if they hear that one DDC machine has broken down, it is assumed that the whole thing is failing. I believe that there are problems but they are normal problems and we are working to address them.”

The contracts approved included the building of three waste transfer stations at Mpape, Apo and Kubwa, awarded to Messrs Goodness International Resources Ltd, for N2,957,572,096.35, with completion period of 12 months.

There was also the N6,664,244,869.17 contract for phase II to provide primary engineering infrastructure to Mbora district, which covered 634 hectares and where private developers had gone far in providing houses but without a corresponding provision of infrastructure. It was awarded to Messrs Sammya Nigeria Limited to be completed in 36 months.

Contract for the reconstruction of Lower Usman Dam to Gurara Dam was awarded to S.C.C. Nigeria Limited for N13,840,383,768.75 and would, on completion, ease access to maintenance of the facilities which provided water to the FCT and alternative shorter route to Kaduna.

FEC similarly approved the purchase of five Mercedes Benz 1518 model fire fighting trucks in favour of Messrs Cospam Nigeria Limited for N195,825,000, expected to be delivered in eight weeks.

According to the Minister of Information and Communications, Labaran Maku, who also briefed the correspondents, President Goodluck Jonathan had directed that all ongoing dam projects be completed in order to boost agriculture in the area.

Other major decisions included the completion of dams in the northern part of the country and the building of national public key directory for the Nigerian Immigration, which would interface e-passport data from 36 states of the federation to the World Centre in Singapore.

Also speaking, Minister of Finance, Olusegun Aganga, spoke on the successes his team recorded with the offering of the 500 million Eurobond which was oversubscribed by 2.6 per cent and its attendant gains for cheap finance for Nigerians in business.

He said the oversubscription of the Eurobond by 65 internationally acclaimed investors from 18 countries around the world was an expression of confidence in the Nigerian economy, especially with the successful conclusion of the presidential primaries which had removed concerns about political risk to investments.

Meanwhile, foreign investors are to inject over $5 billion in the building of 37-storey World Trade Centre in Abuja, Abuja Boulevard, film village, Botanical garden and $1 billion Housing for Africa project, among others.Oyo declares tomorrow public holiday.

In another development, the Oyo State government has declared tomorrow as work free day to enable its workers to register in the ongoing voter registration.

In a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Layiwola Olakojo, the public holiday affected banks, institutions and civil servants.

INEC sacks 15 NYSC members in Zamfara
The INEC has sacked 15 members of the National Youth Service Commission (NYSC) in Zamfara State, for allegedly circumventing the rules of the ongoing voter registration in the state.

The INEC legal adviser in the state, Malam Abdulazeez Sani, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau, on Wednesday, that the disengaged corps members included Ekundayo Oloritine and Chioma Okeke, caught doing the registration at illegal centres.

He said the 15 affected registration officers complained to INEC that they would go for religious worship on Sunday and, as such, could not work, but unknown to INEC, the corps members took the DDC machines and conducted registration unofficially at some places of worship.

Sani said it was when people queued up at registration centres in Galadima, Madaki and Tudun Wada wards in Gusau that INEC beamed its searchlight on the whereabouts of the registration officers.

He said the corps members were finally caught when they attempted to print out registration cards for those they registered at the “illegal” centres.

The INEC official said the 15 corps members had since been disengaged and replaced with reserved registration officers to man the affected polling units.

Commenting on the incident, the state coordinator of the NYSC, Mrs Lois Meller, confirmed the incident, but declined further comments, saying that “the issue is before the security agencies.”

Meanwhile the state police command has said two of the affected corps members were under investigation at the state CID.

Buhari Asks Nigerians to Search for Credible Leaders

From Thisday;s John Shiklam in Kaduna, 07.30.2010

Former Head of State and presidential aspirant of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the forthcoming 2011 elections, Maj-Gen.Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has challenged Nigerians to search and evaluate politicians that can address the problems bedevilling the Nigerian nation rather than engage in unnecessary and selfish detractions.

Buhari said it was unfortunate for Nigerians to be wasting their energy on discussing presidential zoning instead of scouting for credible Nigerians that would provide leadership and good governance for the country.

Speaking in Kaduna yesterday at a book launch titled “The Sixteen Sins of Gen. Mohammadu Buhari” written by a former Minister of Petroleum, Prof. Tam David-West, Buhari said the right way to prosperity is the emergence of a credible leadership that would be transparent and accountable to the people.

Buhari, who lamented that the Nigerian nation had suffered so much from the art and science of deceit, corruption, sectional, ethnic and religious sentiments, stressed that only the conduct of free and fair elections could bring about credible leadership which would lead to prosperity for Nigeria.

“In my view, the right way to prosperity is for this country to get credible leadership; leadership that will provide good governance, transparency and accountability in the handling of the public affairs; leadership that will rule with the fear of God and be fair and just to all.

“This country has suffered so much from the art and science of deceit, corruption, evils of sectional, ethnic and religious sentiments. Let us for once address issues on how to repair our decayed infrastructure, provide energy, good education, healthcare, security and generate employment.

“I therefore challenge the people especially the media, organized labour, the academia and the civil society to evaluate us, the politicians, on these rather than engage the nation on unnecessary and selfish detractions.

“The Nigeria of this era should be made of a community that tasks its leaders on their past performance and how they will improve upon that. I think it is out of date to bore the people of where one comes from, the language he speaks or his mode of worship.

“We should ask: Can we trust him? Can he put our country right? This is what Nigeria requires today, leaders of character, achievement and accomplishment.
“In the end, getting credible leadership and the conduct of free and fair election is not the responsibility of anybody but that of Nigerians.”

“If Nigerians choose to remain where they are or even want to go backwards, it is their choice; if they choose to make the country better, it is also their choice,” Buhari said.
In his remarks, the author of the book, Prof.David-West, who served as petroleum minister under Buhari’s regime in 1984 urged Nigerians to give Buhari another chance in his quest to rule the country again.

According to him, Buhari performed well when he was in power, pointing out that one of the feats of the Buhari administration was the increase in Nigeria‘s oil quota.
He said; “Buhari performed a feat that no country has ever achieved. No one country has been selected to be given increase in oil quota. Nigeria made over $20 billion.
“So, I have to stand up for Buhari. I have to shout from the Niger Delta creeks to the Sahara, that here is a good man that Nigeria is suppressing, please God, let him lead us.
“Buhari used Shagari’s furniture till the end, he did not change anything. They are afraid of him and when people are afraid of truth, then they are evil.

“Nigeria must move forward. If you ask Nigerians what the greatest evils in this country are, they say corruption and indiscipline. Who is one leader that is not corrupt and disciplined, they say Buhari, then, why are they afraid of him. Buhari must win by the grace of God.”

New Electoral Law Bans Consensus Candidature

All candidates for future elections in the country must emerge through properly conducted primaries, as the new section 87 of the 2010 Electoral Act has outlawed the use of affirmation for endorsing candidates by consensus.

The law provides strictly for compulsory balloting at primary elections by parties with prescription that only aspirants with highest number of votes cast at primaries will be forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as candidates for the main elections.

This is one of the provisions of the 2010 Electoral Act whose harmonised version was passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly yesterday.
The final passage of the Act yesterday at the Senate followed the adoption of the report of the Joint National Assembly Conference Committee, which harmonised the differences in the versions passed by each chamber of the federal legislature.

The new electoral law, which is now ready for transmission to President Goodluck Jonathan for assent, also gives INEC longer time to prepare for the 2011 elections as it moved the period for the completion of registration of voters from the existing 120 days before elections to 60 days as requested by the commission.
This gives INEC up to late November to conclude the update of the voters register.

The report presented by Senate Whip, Senator Kanti Bello, shows that Section 25 of the new law which fixed the election of the president before that of state governors is retained despite pressure by some state chief executives to reverse the arrangement. It also increased limits of election spending by candidates by 100 percent.

To further ensure internal democracy in parties, the new law bars the use of courts to stop the conduct of primaries and placed restriction on the replacement of candidates by primaries except on the ground of death.

Also, Section 91 of the new law pushed up expenses for presidential election from N500 million to N1 billion, and that of governors from N100 million to N200 million.
The law also places the maximum election expenses for National Assembly at N40 million for Senate and N20 million for House of Representatives and provides for N10 million for state assembly, N10 million for local government chairman and N1 million for councillors.

Despite pressure from some state governors, the National Assembly maintained its position on the new order of election fixing that of the president ahead of the governors.
The new election order provides that the 2011 elections are to start with the National Assembly elections, followed by the presidential election and then governorship and that of state assemblies.

State governors had last week mounted pressure on the leadership of the National Assembly to reverse the order and place the election of governors ahead of that of the President, following fears that conducting the presidential election will give the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a lead and reduce their chances of winning in their gubernatorial polls.