Gov Orji Gives Terms to Join PDP

From Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Governor of Abia State Theodore Orji has given conditions to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ahead of a planned meeting with the party on Wednesday.

Also, National Assembly legislators from the state are kicking against the planned move that is expected to be finalised this week.

Orji listed five conditions for leaving the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) that he only joined less than a month ago.

He said in a document circulated among journalists in Abuja yesterday: "All officers of PDP Abia State Chapter as presently constituted are asked to resign and the structures dissolved from the ward level to the state level to allow all of us equal footing in order to avoid unnecessary litigations as was the case in Anambra.

"That the leadership of your party at State level be given to me to constitute as commonly practiced when a governor joins a new party.

"That the National Executive make a pronouncement in giving waivers to me and all intending aspirants to enable us contest the primaries of PDP without being held to the two-year membership clause.

"That the other aspirants of the PDP, particularly the governorship aspirants must indicate their total support for ceding the governorship and others to us.

"That the leadership of PDP meet with the National Leader of APGA Ikemba Odimegwu Ojukwu to appeal to him to support us in this journey. It is absolutely necessary to receive his blessing hence we do not intend to go contrary to Ndigbo agenda and do not want to be perceived as sell-outs."It is expected that the meeting between Orji and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP in Abuja would sort out the areas of differences.

But some politicians from the state are kicking.Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe has written to the PDP, informing the party that he intends to contest the 2011 governorship election. He was deputy governor when Orji's predecessor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu ruled the state in 1999.

Other members of the National Assembly from Abia State are kicking against Orji's move on grounds that they were not carried along.

Meanwhile, Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has asked the PDP to stop poaching people elected on the platform of other political parties in its bid to retain its position as the largest political party in the country. CNPP dared the PDP to go to the polls and win Abia State instead of urging Orji to cross carpet.

A statement by CNPP Secretary General Chief Willy Ezugwu said the CNPP's reaction followed last weekend visit to Abia by the PDP Chairman Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo and other PDP chieftains to pressure Orji to abandon APGA.

"Any right thinking person will immediately see through the trap that the PDP is setting for the Abia State governor. The man just got out of one form of bondage and they are offering him another term of slavery with the PDP."

The statement said it is surprising and appalling that Nwodo who promised his party and Nigerians that the era of political impunity is over, is now leading the campaign to have Orji cross carpet again.

"Dr. Nwodo should know better that he and the PDP can only build credibility by going to the polls to genuinely win votes (and not allocating votes and offices to themselves) instead of wooing those already in office to jettison their mandates.

"We are worried about what the PDP will do next if Governor Orji turned down their overtures as we are all living witnesses to the underhand tactics that the PDP had employed in the past. They may not stop short of resorting to the outrage that characterized the Olusegun Obasanjo regime when those who refuse to follow the PDP are hounded on trumped up charges.

"As for the sweet talks of reforms in the PDP that Dr. Nwodo is using to woo the Abia State governor, we advise him to first go and implement them in the states where the PDP holds sway and that includes allowing for credible elections at all levels as well as giving the Independent National Electoral Commission a free hand to conduct the polls."

CNPP urged the PDP chairman to shop for competent candidates from within his party as his attempt to lure Orji has further confirmed that the PDP as presently constituted lacks credible candidates.

CNPP warned Orji to perish any thought of dumping APGA for any other political party. "People understand that the problems he had in PPA made him leave the party for APGA. But he will be portraying himself as unserious, unstable, unreliable and not worthy of receiving even one vote if he drops APGA so soon for whatever reason because he was supposed to have carefully gauged the situation before joining APGA."
Source: This Day, 26^th July 2010.

CNPP Cautions Orji Against Dumping APGA

FROM MOHAMMED ABUBAKAR, ABUJA

AGAINST the backdrop of the alleged moves by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to woo Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, into its fold, Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) yesterday warned the party against poaching people elected on other political platforms.

A statement by CNPP Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu, said the Conference's reaction followed the weekend's visit to Abia State by the PDP National Chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo and other PDP chieftains to pressure Orji to join the PDP and abandon his new party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), where he defected from the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA).

The CNPP charged the PDP to go to the polls and win Abia State instead of asking Orji to "insult the people of that state by cross carpeting to PDP."

It noted that "any right-thinking person would immediately see through the trap that the PDP is setting for the Abia State governor. The man just got out of one form of bondage and they are offering him another term of slavery with the PDP."

The statement said it was surprising and appalling that Nwodo, who promised his party and Nigerians that the era of political impunity was over, was now leading the campaign to make a governor leave his current political party for the PDP.

It added: "Nwodo should know better that he and the PDP can only build credibility by going to the polls to genuinely win votes (and not allocating votes and offices to themselves) instead of wooing those already in office to jettison their mandates.

"We are worried about what the PDP will do next if Governor Orji turned down their overtures as we are all living witnesses to the underhand tactics that the PDP had employed in the past.

"They may not stop short of resorting to the outrage that characterised the Olusegun Obasanjo regime when those who refuse to follow the PDP are hounded on trumped up charges."
Source: The Guardian, 26^th July 2010.

Orji, Look Before You Leap

Bolade Omonijo

FROM all indication, Governor Theodore Orji is about to leap again. He is about to move into the discredited Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Only about a month ago, he left the Progressive Peoples Alliance for the All Progressives Grand Alliance. As a matter of fact, I was one of those who hailed his decision. I felt that it was the best in the circumstances in which he had found himself.

This column had been written before fresh facts emerged. I had written the second in the series on the Battle of the Orjis. I had commended the governor for working in the best interest of his people. I thought his decision would help the cause of Ndigbo in Nigeria . That the process that began with the 2007 election that gave PDP only two of the five Igbo states would be restored and, if the election is truly free and fair as the president has promised, we could see a re-enactment of the AD phenomenon of 1999 in the South East next year.

But, if the governor of Abia State decides to join the PDP bandwagon, that could be the end of the dream. However, I do not know how it would portray Governor Orji, politicians from Abia State and Ndigbo in general. There is really no explaining away the decision when it is taken. It will come down to sheer and cheap opportunism. Just a few weeks back, the Eze Ndigbo gburugburu, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was in Umuahia for a ceremony to welcome the governor into the APGA fold. He was well received. In the Ojukwu entourage were Chief Victor Umeh, the national chairman of the party and the only APGA governor up till the time, the adorable Mr. Peter Obi.

All those who spoke on the occasion, including Governor Orji, pointed out the PDP road was not in the interest of the people. The governor gave reasons why he chose to abandon the PPA and said he felt at home in APGA. His arch-enemy, or so it seemed at the time, Chief Orji Uzor was painted black. A few days after, Kalu jumped ship into the PDP which he had denounced in 2006/2007. Now, the inconceivable is about to happen, Orji is equally headed in the PDP direction. It will be a shame indeed.

I have met the governor on a couple of occasions. I believe that he is a gentleman, a man of peace. I believe that he means well for the people. I believe that he would have done much more for Abia State if the resources were available. I know that the debt deduction at source from the allocation from Abuja has made governance in the state a difficult task. I believe him when he says that his predecessor incurred the debt for which he is being castigated and pilloried. I also know that he might have been tempted by the promise that he would be handed the PDP governorship ticket by the PDP lords. I also appreciate that it would be a grim battle to defeat the PDP in 2011.

But, I was brought up to know that words like honour, principle, integrity and fidelity exist in the dictionary, even the dictionary of politics. It is better to be identified with a principle and stand by it than enter the hall of infamy by jumping from one party to another.

Indeed, what kind of people are our politicians? What do they take us for? There is a woman legislator from Anambra who is said to be considering moving to APGA? Her name? Hon. Uche Ekwunife. She was elected into the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP in 2003. Two years after, she decided to dump the party for the PPA in a quest to be governor of Anambra State . She knew that the PDP ticket was not available to her. Then came the February 6 election. She failed in her bid and there were suggestions that she was on her way back to the PDP. As if that is not bad enough, there are now speculations that she could have decided for APGA.

Enough of political harlotry. There is need for fidelity even in office. At a point, Chief Don Etiebet was on the Board of Trustees of the PDP. He was one of the founding fathers. Then, he headed for the All Nigeria Peoples party (ANPP) when his overriding and overarching interests could not be accommodated in the PDP. He was handed the national chairmanship of his new party on the basis of his political antecedence, stature and experience, but what did he do with it? As soon as the ANPP lost the 2003 election, he found the excuse to move to the PDP again. He then attempted to contest the Akwa Ibom governorship but lost the PDP ticket to Godswill Akpabio. Now, he is a major supporter of the governor.

His counterpart in the ANPP, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke was a member of the PDP, when he thought that the going was no longer good, he moved to the main opposition party and has been running the party as if he is there to assist the PDP. After the 2007 presidential election in which he featured as the running mate of General Muhammadu Buhari while still holding the party's chairmanship, Ezeoke ditched his boss at the election tribunal. It is unheard of in the history of presidential elections in Nigeria .

There are so many examples. In the Senate, House of Representatives, among state governors and party leadership. My concern is that Governor Orji should not join the crowd. So far, he has acquitted himself well. That crowd of PDP leaders, led by another man who has crossed party bounds many times, Chief Okwesilieze Nwodo, does not wish him well. No one in the PDP should be believed when he makes promises. If in doubt, Orji should ask the AD governors who believed Obasanjo in 2003.

Please, Governor Orji, look very well before you leap.
Source: The Guardian, 25^th July 2010.

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'This Country Was Forced Upon Me; Every Nigerian Is Under The Yoke Of Slavery...'

BY JOE ADIORHO

Fred Omadeli Agbeyegbe celebrated his 75th birthday last week Thursday July 22 even though he looks much younger He is a legal luminary but has contributed greatly to growth of the theatre vocation in the country. He spoke to JOE ADIORHO on his birthday and national issues.

Congratulations on your 75th birthday. You have surpassed the U.N life expectancy for average Nigerian, which is 50 and that of the Bible, which is 70 and yet you look younger than some who are 50 and below.

Glory be to God

What is the secret behind your look?

Well, I don't know about secrets. I keep saying we have the good Lord to thank. I do my normal chores, I wake up in the morning, pray, and set out for work and come back. I don't have anything in particular; I can't say why the good Lord had chosen to keep me the way He did.

You were born in Warri, how was it growing up there?

It was a lot of fun. It was a lively place; never mind what they tried to turn it into. In the family, I was the 51st child of my father, who had 19 wives and we lived in a huge village with all the people and I had a lot of care from members of my family. We were brought up as one, sometimes, not knowing whom your mother was. We lived in a very happy family setting, well of course, that was many years ago. My father had the economic ability to look after his wives and children.

How many children did your own mother have; and you?

My mother had five, three boys and two girls and I have eleven children, seven boys and four girls but not from as many as 19 wives!

But as few as how many?

I wont say more than that.

It's okay, so you are a Christian, are you?

Well, I believe in God; I don't know if that is tantamount to Christianity.

Do you have any denomination where you go to every Sunday to fellowship?

I go to any church that is nearest to me when I feel like thanking God or congregating with other people. I am not extremely denominational. I am a Godist. I mean to say I believe in God. I do not particularly subscribe to the idea of club membership; it is what I believe that denominations are all about.

How does it feel being endowed with many years and great experiences?

Well again, we have the good Lord to thank. I take it all in my stride, I do as many things as I have an interest in participating. The experiences have been quite varied from professional angle, to the political, to the business and the arts. I pay attention to everything I am involved in and I find time for all as well.

Looking back at your 75 years on earth, could you say you are fulfilled that all your expectations, your aspirations were met.

As an individual, vying in many sectors of life, yes. I have had fulfilment. I have found fulfilment in practising my profession as a lawyer, as a playwright and theatre enthusiast. At the last count, I have written about 16 plays, four books on poetry, and my interest as a writer, I have written for The Guardian, Thisday, Vanguard, Daily Times, Sunday Times, all the newspapers that were there during my time. I have had the pleasure and privilege of writing for them.

In certain publications I read about you, it was said you are a successful writer but they also added that, you had only two books to your name.

Who said that? That person was very mistaken. I mean, which two books are they talking about. Maybe, they mean the two most successful plays. The Confused World in 1988, and Woe Unto Death. These are the two books that were recognised.

Well, I have written, The King Must Dance Naked, Woe Unto Death, The Last Omen, This Confused World, which is not a play, it's a book on poetry, Human Cargo, Conflict Resolution…you want me to carry on?

Where did you attend your primary and secondary school and what influenced your travelling abroad?

I went to many schools because my elder brother, whom I lived with, was a police officer. I went to as many schools as he was transferred. I was at Government School, Auchi, African School, Forcados. I was at B.N.A School, Ewoeilai in Benin, C.M.S school, Utagba-Ugbo, Kwale, N.A school Kwale, and others. There were so many of them. After that, I went to P and T School Oshodi; I am not sure, it is still there, to become a wireless telegraphy operator. I was tutored in moss code. It was a means of secret communication in those days, and I was a member of the communications division of the Nigeria Police, where we read and interpreted moss code for secret messages.

I left the police force and I went to Customs, I went to Federal Training Centre in Broad Street and trained as a stenographer and I worked as the secretary to the Comptroller of Customs of eastern Nigeria and got involved in the closing of border towns when Cameroon left Nigeria. I was working in a place called Ufum, Ikom and Ekang. I think there were three divisions that the Comptroller was involved in at the time and we worked day and night for months.

I was a confidential secretary. That was what we were called at the time. When my boss, Mr. John Wood Green, a British, was leaving Nigeria, he said to me that you work too hard and you are an honest person and that you will waste here in the Customs.

He said I must come with him to England. I thought he was joking but he took me to my family in Warri and told them, 'I'm taking this your little boy abroad; They were all surprised and they thought it was a joke, but behold on the particular day in 1961, I boarded M.V. Tarkwa, belonging to Elder Dempster. In January 1962 I went to Pitman's College in Southampton Road in London and did a verbatim reporter'S course that was meant to last for one year but finished the course in March; and after that, I went to write my O and A level and I listed as a chattered secretary at a law languages and commerce.

I worked in the Harold Wilson's Government in 1963, and from there I went to London University to read law and I was at the School of Oriental and African Studies. I went to University College of London University to do my Master'S. My classmates at this time were the likes of Brodrick Bozimo, who was Obasanjo's Minister of Police. After that I went for doctorate.

I got a job in the Commonwealth Secretariat. I was the first legal adviser there, and after that, I came to the Nigerian Law School and I was admitted in the Nigerian Bar in 1973. I registered at University of Lagos. I went straight to research in the Nigerian Law of Financial Institutions, and after that, I started practising my profession.

Did you obtain your doctorate degree or you stopped midway?

I got my PhD.

How come you went through such rough road when your father was such an influential personage?

Well, I tell you nobody will believe the story I have just told you because the Agbeyegbes that they knew were all spoon fed, and they went to all the best colleges in Nigeria. This person you are talking to is the one exception. Not because there was no ability, but that's just the way my own went. In fact, I never decided to read law; once I finished the things I was doing, and there was a lot more time before coming back to Nigeria, so I decided to do a degree in Law.

You had things going well for you there abroad, why did you come back to Nigeria?

Very good question. Few days ago, my son was here and we were talking about why I did not take British nationality and passport. It is because I was a patriotic Nigerian. I was even the leader of the studentS group saying that 'keeping Nigeria one is a task that must be done.' I was a leader of International communities of students in so many fronts, anti apartheid, United Nations work; I was instrumental to making sure that Ian Smith of Rhodesia, the Prime Minister who declared unilateral independence, was brought to book.

We set up an international court of Justice, a mock one of course, under the auspices of the Royal Institute of International Affairs and tried him and got him convicted. In that exercise, I involved three universities in the United Kingdom, Oxford, Cambridge and London Universities. Those were the type of activities in which I was involved, in England.

Now I came back because I believed I had a fantastic country.

Are you a politician?

I did my bit; I was chairman of one local government council for a very short time, from 1982 to the end, when it was one, not now it has been divided into 20. It was before Buhari came and crashed all of them. I was put there by the NPN-led government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

Now you are no longer a politician?

That's a difficult question for me to answer. I take part in political activities, so I can't say I am not a politician, but I do not belong to a political party. I took part in the formation of PDP, ANPP and AD before we had to leave all of those because Bola Ige was the one taking us from one party to the other. We had so much trust in him until we discovered that we were all making a mistake anyway.

People know your connection with plays and theatre. Is there a conflict in your mind when you were making a choice of academic and career pursuit? What kind of crisis was going on in your mind that you would read law and come out to practise theatre arts?

There was no conflict at all. As I have told you I never chose to become a lawyer. The circumstances in which I read law were what I just narrated so there was no conflict there. Those who know me in theatre arts know me in theatre arts, those who know me in law know me that I have practised law all that time in spite of my writing plays and staging them and running a theatre group. I have never dropped my legal practice, I have practised law since I came back to Nigeria and I was called to the Bar in 1973 till today.

Last week, I was in the federal High Court wearing my wig and gown. That will show you that I have never stopped practising law.

What attracted a legal luminary into theatre art?

There was no special attraction. Before I became what we call a legal luminary or whatever, I had been in theatre. I wrote my first play when I was 14 and I had written so many plays before I read law at all. When, in 1963, BBC London broadcast my plays, I had not become a lawyer. I started reading law in 1965, so it's something that has always been there. I don't know where those things come from but I do them. If you ask some people they will tell you that I am a journalist because they've seen my articles not only in Vanguard but your newspaper, The Guardian. I have a stock of 111 articles that were recorded and published and those are the ones we could find. I am a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Is there any landmark case that can be associated to your name?

I don't know of any landmark case, but I have done what lawyers do in a legal practice. I have practised mainly in the federal High Court because one of my specialisation is Maritime Law that deal in ships, vessels, buying, arresting, releasing from arrest. I did admiralty law before I left England. So what do you mean by landmark cases?

I was in the Supreme Court very early in my practice, participating in cases involving land in Warri. I had the privilege of appearing against Chief Awolowo in a court in Warri very early in my practice. Funny enough, I went with Chief Awolowo in the same car from Lagos to Warri to stand against him in that position. My PhD research is on the Nigerian Law of Financial Institution.

Does the prevailing situation now in the country live up to that dream you have of Nigeria that made you come back home?

In fact, everything that you have seen so far shows me that the Nigeria that I thought I had, was not the Nigeria that is worth living for. Everything here has been upside down and I wouldn't say I regret coming back. I am here now. It is my country but it's only now that I am beginning to realise that this country was forced upon me.

Neither my parents nor  myself participated in bringing about this country, so my rights to choose to belong to an entity called country was forced on me. I am here by force of British colonisation, and after they left, the military came, kept us here and gave us the 1999 Constitution, which is slavery to the people of this country.

You can quote me; everybody here is under the yoke of slavery. We've had no chance in participating in how we want to live with each other. I have nothing from my mangrove swamp in Warri in common with the guy who is coming from Sokoto. I am held here by force.

So you are saying you want a country of your own outside this?

I wouldn't mind. I am an Itsekiri man long before the British came. Recently a book was launched at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. It's called Warri, a focus on Itsekiri. I belong to a group of people who have a very rich heritage.

Ojukwu talked this way and you fought him?

Yes, that was the mistake I made. Like I said, I was in the

forefront carrying placards saying we must keep Nigeria together. Well, I don't know what Ojukwu thought, but I can tell you that my believe today is that if we understood what Ojukwu was talking about, we won't have been here under chains.

Have you made attempt to pursue this thought at the United Nations?

No I haven't, but there are moves, there are people who are saying enough is enough, they don't want to take this anymore and they want to belong to a society where they have a say and where they all agree as to how they are going to live together not being forced and being dictated to from afar. Somebody stays in Abuja and wants to fix the leaking pipe in Warri.

Can you say something about the Nigeria you came into as a son and the one you are now living as a father and an elder statesman?

The Nigeria I came into was a place you can be proud of because it gave recognition to merit, it gave recognition to hard work, it gave the sense of value. The society I was born into was up there, today there are no values other than money. It doesn't matter how you came by it, hit somebody on the head and you take his money nobody ask you how you got it. In fact, they will give you a chieftaincy title and a doctorate that you don't merit. You've never been to school, but they call you doctor and they would not put it in inverted coma showing that it was not obtained by research. That's what happens in this country today, corruption; Ghana must go bags are the ruling factors.

The National Assembly, the people who are there getting paid up to 200 million in a year for doing nothing and that's why the people who were there are not even qualified to call themselves leaders or rulers because they were never elected, they were selected by those who wanted to carry on to use this country against the interest of the ordinary citizen. Even the constitution that we have is a lie, a fraud and it manages to call itself Federal Constitution. Have you ever seen a country where there is a Federal Constitution and there are no supporting federating units? Nigeria is the only one example in the whole world.

Do you know that there is a case in court saying that the 1999 Constitution is a fraud? Do you know that there are two cases in court, in fact one is by someone like Oki who is 90 years old, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), joined by so many people including Wole Soyinka and Odumegwu Ojukwu. Do you, also know that in this so-called constitution the power that the people who are controlling your life have are so enormous that they can do away with you when they want?

With all these works there is no such thing as SAN attached to your name why?

What do I need SAN for? Has it been given out on merit? Answer me, people have gotten SAN because they belong to a particular part of the country where there have been no SANs for some time. People have gotten SAN because they are the sons of SANs, people have gotten SAN because a governor has intervened on their behalf. Is that the SAN you want me to get? What do you want me to do with it?

You heard the argument between Prof. Nwabueze and General Danjuma, What do you expect Danjuma to say?

He was a soldier, and part of the people who came and took away our rights. He was the one who said Obasanjo gave him something that yielded him one billion dollars and he didn't know what to do with it. Don't you know what to do with one billion dollars in Warri, where oil comes from? Don't they know what to do with one billion dollars in Rivers, Port Harcourt, Ogoni land, all over the place where the oil comes from. How come somebody who comes from Sahara suddenly found himself with one billion dollars and he didn't know what to do with it. Since they've refused to listen all these years, it means change will come naturally. No situation is permanent in life.

You said the bible says God blesses the work of your hand and you've done a lot of work. Are you a rich man?

What do you mean by that? The only thing I can say is that God has given to me, good health and the ability to suffer and smile. Yes, I'm a wealthy man. I can never subscribe to being judged as to my state of wealth or otherwise by virtue of cash. Money, they say, is the root of all evil; money is a very devilish thing. I don't participate in that sort of club. I have satisfaction. God is helping me to look after my children, my family and God knows I have educated hundreds of people and I'm not exaggerating. But I will never take part in any measure of success that is built upon cash or wealth.

What is your assessment of Goodluck Jonathan's performance so far?

Well, I wouldn't say he has not tried, but don't ask me about what he has tried because anybody who is operating the 1999 Constitution has to be more than an angel to succeed. Maybe, if Jesus Christ or God starts operating the 1999 Constitution, there will be success, but to think that a fellow human being, a mortal, is going to show any measure of success under that constitution, is a waste of time whether his name is Jonathan good or badluck.

The topical issues today is on zoning, they say Jonathan is not qualified to contest, what do yiou say?

Iam not in PDP. But whether there is zoning or there is no zoning, it is a PDP affair. The only comment I made is that the failures from leadership that we have suffered so far is as a result of not giving cognisance to merit and when you zone that, what you get will not be the best, so goodluck to them in PDP or wherever else they want to adopt that system that has no regard for merit.

Do you think is the best way to move forward from your past experience?

You don't need any experience to notice that if you don't have a true physical federalism in this country, it will never work. People must leave their slave status to be able to do their best for this country. People must enjoy the benefit of the resources that God gave to them.

Until you have a people's constitution and by that I mean to say, in which they have participated, and in which they have decided what rights to cede to the ruling authorities, there will never be peace, there will never be a country that you can call a country worthy to be lived in.

All that struggle about 2011 election or no election, for me it's a waste of time; they are not talking about how to solve the problems of this country, they are talking about how the looting game will continue. I don't have any other advice to give than what has been given over the years.  

I don't know what Professor Nwabueze is calling for and I don't know what General Danjuma is saying we shouldn't have. The revolution is already here, so goodluck to all of us.
Source: The Guardian, 25^th July 2010.

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Nneka Egbuna Taking Territories in Music World

By Ben Efe with Agency reports

Nneka Egbuna  may be petite, but her soulful voice makes her stand tall and the world is eagerly waiting to see just how far she can go with her music.

It is no surprise that the Warri-born singer and songwriter lists Bob Marley and Nina Simone among her influences. Just as it was for them, Nneka's music "isn't just about the music" __ it's a call for change.

"It's to show the world that people come together for one reason __ in this case music. We are representing that love," said Nneka who is currently touring the USA.

Her music is a celebration of diversity. "We are all different in color, everybody has their own baggage, their own experience, but we have a way to communicate and this is the essence of this tour."

Nneka's musical profile has steadily risen since her 2005 debut album titled "Victim of Truth," __ which was listed as one of the records of the year by Timesonline.co.uk in 2006. In 2009, she won the Best African Act award at the UK's Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards.

Now on her fourth album, Nneka is garnering rave reviews from the likes of Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines, while Spin magazine described her as one of the artists to watch for 2010.

Earlier this year, she performed on the David Letterman show introducing her to a massive U.S. audience.

At times it is easy to mistake her cool and laid back attitude for shyness but get her talking about issues close to her heart and she emerges as a firecracker with a big heart and many passions.

Born to a Nigerian father and German mother, Nneka grew up in her hometown of Warri, Nigeria, before leaving at the age of 19 to study in Germany.

Those years away from home made her examine what it meant to be Nigerian. And in the process, she found herself.

"The period of time that I spent in Germany educated me a lot about being Nigerian. Before, I never really was that conscious of my surrounding, of our politics. I knew that there was something going on, but I never really felt responsible," said Nneka.

Today she is on a crusade to address issues affecting her people __ her haunting cry for peace and love for her motherland written all over her music.

Fans are familiar with the various themes of injustice and oppression that drive her music and performances.

"If you listen to my music, I do have a lot to do, issues that are very delicate to the Nigerian ear, talking about our politics at present, or the corruption, or the oil exploitation in the Niger Delta," said the singer who is from the troubled region.

Nneka equates her time away from Nigeria as a "personal pilgrimage," one which led her to an accidental musical career, something she admits she "slipped into."

"It used to be something I did as a kind of a therapy especially when I was living in Germany and never had anything to do with this part of my heritage," she said.

Getting to know a society with "a totally different mentality" forced her to discover her passion. "That is how music found me, or the other way round," she told CNN.

With her growing universal appeal, Nneka has now assumed the responsibility of a continent on her tiny shoulders.

"I see myself having a voice that would represent the people who do not have the courage to speak their minds or to allow the world outside to see and recognize what is happening within Nigeria, within Africa," she said.

However, she knows change isn't immediate but it is coming __ if we all play our part. "I see light," she says. "As long as we are part of the change that we want, then things will change."
Source: Vanguard, 24^th July 2010.

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2011 Presidency: Why South East Governors Won't Contest –Ohakim

By NDUBUISI ORJI

Imo State Governor, Ikedi Ohakim has said that the decision of the five governors of the South East not to contest next year's presidential election is in the best interest of the Igbo nation. He stated this at the weekend in Lagos at an interactive session with Ndigbo Lagos. Ndigbo Lagos is a socio-political association of Igbos living in Lagos.

The governor stated that since the five South East governors issued a communiqué that they would not be contesting the election as president or deputy, they had come under severe criticism.

He explained that by choosing not to contest the election, they stood in a better stead to protect the interest of the Igbos in the next political dispensation. According to him, they intended to listen and negotiate with the main candidates for the next election and choose which of them would better protect the interest of Ndigbo.

Ohakim recalled that between 1999 and 2007 all the South East governors were presidential aspirants, campaigning from one state to another and at the end of the day nothing concrete came out of it.

"Between 1999 and 2007, the whole five governors we had in Igbo land were presidential aspirants. They were not talking to themselves; they were not having meetings; none of them attracted one project from the Federal Government; they were busy campaigning from Yola to Maiduguri to Bernin Kebbi. I am not blaming them. It was the system.

"But we are working together, and we decided that the five of us irrespective of party, let us stay in one place. If one of us goes and starts contesting for the presidency, it would be difficult for Ndigbo. Others may go and contest. But the five of us will sign a memorandum of understanding that none of us would contest. The five of us will stay and be looking out for the best interest of the Igbo nation, canvassing that anybody the Igbos would support must do certain things for our people," Ohakim stated.

He lamented that what they got from the Igbo nation for that decision was condemnation.

Speaking on the insecurity challenge in the South East, the governor said the menace of kidnapping in the zone would be a thing of the past soon. He stated that the Forum of South East Governors had decided to tackle the issue frontally and collectively.

In his words: "I want to assure you that in no distant time, that the militants that have come in and do kidnapping assisted by some disgruntled youth, we are set for them. Because it is a technology-driven crime, we are beginning to find a technology-driven solution and very soon kidnapping will be a thing of the past."

However, he blamed kidnapping in the area on the ostentatious living of Igbo elite, especially in the face of grinding poverty.

Ohakim said the money most persons used in buying exotic cars and building mansions, which they did not live in, was enough to provide jobs for the teeming unemployed youths. "In Imo State, we have three senatorial zones. There are nine persons riding Rolls Royce in each of the senatorial zones. We have 27 Rolls Royce. Each Rolls Royce costs 700,000 dollars, multiply it by 27, it would give job to at least 3000 graduates and about 5000 non-graduates. We have in Imo State, 250,000 buildings that cost nothing less than N500,000. So, it is in Enugu, Ebonyi, Anambra and Abia.

He said the kidnapping problem in the South East was a passing phase and urged the Igbos not to abandon their home because of it. The governor challenged Igbo sons and daughters to invest in the region as a way of creating jobs. He reminded his audience that there was no total security anywhere in the world. "If you wait for total security before you bring your investment home, you may never bring it, because you can never get total security."

Besides, he said, there was need for Ndigbo to compliment government efforts in the fight against crime.
Source: Daily Sun, 26^th July 2010.

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Brain Drain on the Rise in Nigeria, Says Study

By Our Correspondent

A study by the International Organisation for Migration indicates Nigeria is a popular destination to migrants in the sub-region. At the same time, the study finds an increasing number of skilled Nigerians are  emigrating abroad in search of employment.

Nigeria's National Population Commission shows the number of immigrants residing in Nigeria has more than doubled in recent decades and now stands at nearly one million.

The study shows the majority of immigrants in Nigeria come from neighboring West African states.

Jean-Philippe Chauzy, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, says Nigeria is a magnet for Africans in the sub-region because of its vibrant economy.

"It grew from 5.5 per cent in 2004 to about 6.4 per cent in 2007. This is basically due to the oil sector, which remains the primary engine of growth in Nigeria. Those migrants from the sub-region are also attracted by the growth in the informal sector of the economy, which is linked to the overall growth in Nigeria. And, those less skilled migrants or unskilled migrants continue to be employed in the informal sector in Nigeria," he said.

While more people are heading for Nigeria, the IOM report finds more people are emigrating from Nigeria. And, it says, this trend is set to continue.

A 2000 census indicates more than one million Nigerian nationals live abroad, mostly in Sudan, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom. Many Nigerian emigrants also settle in neighboring Cameroon and in Ghana.

The report says most of the people emigrating are highly skilled professionals, such as doctors and dentists. It says many Nigerians also go abroad to study and few of them return after they have completed their education.

Experts call this exodus of skilled professionals a "brain drain."

Chauzy says this brain drain contributes to the loss of valuable skilled people in Nigeria. But he says Nigeria benefits from the remittances sent back home by its nationals abroad. He says remittances are overwhelmingly used to improve the lives of families left behind.

"There is evidence that some of that money is used to create small businesses and, obviously, create wealth and employment in Nigeria. The report recommends, however, that the Nigerian government works more closely with the Nigerian Diaspora to make sure that they can contribute more in terms of skills, in terms of knowledge that could be transferred or should be transferred to the country to promote its development," he said.

The Central Bank of Nigeria notes a dramatic increase in the flow of remittances to the country from $2.3 billion in 2004 to nearly $18 billion in 2007. This represents 6.7 percent of GDP.

The United States accounts for the largest portion of official remittances followed by the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Spain and France.
Source: The Nation, 26^th July 2010.

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'It Is Difficult To Distinguish Between Persons In Child Adoption And ChildTrafficking'

Her passion for children is great while her love for them knows no bound. This, Mrs. Aino Oni-Okpaku is doing through her practical commitment to the plight of children as the Chairperson of Ebunoluwa Foundation. The organisation provides succour to children with special challenges, disabilities and those abandoned.

Oni-Okpaku's Foundation, which is ensuring that these categories of children are given benefits of living in a homely atmosphere, does not restrict its activities to Nigeria alone as some children unable to secure a family locally are taken abroad. This is carried out through its promotion and propagation of inter-country adoption. On two occasions, Ebunoluwa Foundation organised two international workshops on inter-country adoption for local and international stakeholders. And in the vanguard of all this is Mrs. Oni-Okpaku who told GBENGA SALAU that her special interest in children started when she was invited by the Lagos State Government in the mid-80s to be a member of the board of the Motherless Babies Home, where she served for 14 years.

Having special interest in children

It was while working with the Motherless Babies Home in Lagos that I got to know what is happening to children that live in that Home. Then we found out that they do not leave the Motherless Babies Home until they are five years and from there, they go on to the transit home and then to remand home.

At that time, there were different groups - Scandinavian, Dutch - different women's groups here in Lagos who were also sponsoring and helping with the Motherless Babies Home. They employed teachers, nannies and generally took care of the children.

In 1988, they sent a girl to Holland for an operation because she had heart problem. The operation was carried out successfully but the doctor who handled the operation became interested in the girl who was an abandoned child. The doctor later came to Nigeria to adopt the child. And that was how it all started.

It was all about giving these children a chance to get on and live with a family that they could not have here. Since then, we have been working with organisations in Holland and Sweden helping children with different handicaps or those born by destitute parents.

Formation of the foundation

The name Ebunoluwa did not start until the late 90s though we had been working with Lagos State and the adoption of children since the early 90s. It is difficult for a Nigerian family to adopt a child that needs to go for medical care all the time, or children with sickle cell anaemia

a or those who are HIV positive. We have carried out the adoption of six HIV positive children and they are doing very well in Holland.

Is Ebunoluwa only about inter-country adoption?

Ebunoluwa is not only undertaking adoption in foreign countries, it is also helping children in Nigeria. For instance, we sent some children to boarding schools outside Lagos. And from there, we got an opportunity in ijebu-ode, where we established the Eruobodo House for handicapped children and children who could not be adopted or orphans. They all live there now.

Also through the Eruobodo House, the Foundation and the different states that we are working with, many children have been sponsored to schools.

Other successes

In the course of working, we have been able to help many children; children who have one form of ailment or deformity. For instance, there were children with the disease called 'water head'. All these are children that have been given away in adoption. It is all about helping them have families, which is very important.

Nigerians are not ready to adopt them and there is need to find a home for them. The family is the best place for a child as it needs love, security and that attachment, which can only be found in a home setting and not in an institution.

A child needs to be educated and have a sense of belonging as a citizen. Mind you, not as a second-class citizen and that is what you have in the institution but when incorporated into a family, he/she develops a sense of belonging. This is what we try to give the child.

Sometimes ago in the course of our work, we provided boreholes at Remand Home in Majedun. And now, there is water all over the place. Prior to this time, the borehole the Home had was completely broken down but we ensured that it is working again.

We also work with other states such as Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, and Oyo. I think our projects have helped a lot of children to leave the institution. Because there, they wouldn't have had a future, as they are destitute children and nobody wants to adopt thus category of children in Nigeria.

But through our adoption programme, these children now have a place to call their own and their foster families have also given them a place in their heart. From time to time, we visit these families to ensure that the adopted children are well taken care of. It is not enough for them to just come here and tell us that they want to adopt a child and that is the end of the story. We do a follow up to make sure that the children are really given conducive homes that are acceptable.

Challenges

One of the challenges has to do with the government. Sometimes, you make suggestions but there are people who create unnecessary bottlenecks to frustrate you just because they do not like what you are doing and they just feel that they must not allow it to work. Even when they know that it is something good, they have their own pre-conceived notions and that affects the way they see what we are doing.

Again, when the adopting parents have been given approval to leave, they sometime get to the airport only to be arrested. Then we have to go through the whole process again, even when these parents have their papers.

This is because it is somehow difficult to distinguish between a person who is into child trafficking and a person who has genuinely come to adopt a child and has been given approval for it.

These are some of the challenges we get. And so we spend one or two days trying to clear those families with NAPTIP and the SSS before they are allowed to go. Sometimes, you find that it is also from the society itself.

For instance, you find that it is not difficult in Lagos for a Whiteman/woman to move around with a black child, nobody challenges you. But in other states in the South West Nigeria, it is a problem, as they do not see the advantages or why such things should work out at all.

It is such a new phenomenon in Nigeria and a lot of people do not understand it. They do not know what it is all about and so, they put all sorts of meanings to it.

Having legal framework on adoption

The legal framework is the only thing with which you can work. We are talking about a child's life. If it is not well handled, it can affect the child's life permanently. Also, if it was not done properly and the child is returned to Nigeria, what will then happen to that child? Who will take on the child when he/she comes back?

If he has already lived with a family for some years and abruptly he/she is told to leave, it can leave a permanent scar on the child's consciousness. But if the legal framework is already there, it gives the right to live in any place as a full-fledged citizen.

On the other hand, our hands would be tied if it were illegal because we could be accused of many things.

The ratification of Hague Convention submission on adoption in Nigeria

It will help to regulate inter-country adoption because it has very clear guidelines of how it should be done and what should be done. And the countries that have the same policies will sign and indeed it will be an agreement between those two countries.

But unfortunately in Nigeria, some states have not agreed on the child right acts. The adoption programme we are doing is, however, acknowledged over there. And the states should work on it, once they know the importance of it.

Background

I have been living in this country since 1973. I have worked with children since 80s, and am still working with children.

I adopted two children who are now grown-ups and they are doing very well. I belong to so many social groups: Lagos Polo Club and Horticultural Society of Nigeria among others.
Source: The Guardian, 11^th April 2010.

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