| Copyrights © 2007 All Rights Reserved African Examiner Online is owned by RD Frontline LLC, a state of Maryland registered company P. O. Box 11582 Baltimore, MD, 21229, USA Tel: 443-904-1239. Editor-In-Chief: Oludare Sunday Fase |
News, Politics, Sports
about Nigeria and all Africa
about Nigeria and all Africa
Custom Search
| Get our News Update fast, download AE Toolbar! Click here to download Now! |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| Online media |
+THE GUARDIAN
+THE STAR
+THE PUNCH
+NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
+TIMES OF ZAMBIA
+THE SUN
+DAILY GRAPHICS
+THISDAY
+MAIL & GUARDIAN
+VANGUARD
+D/INDEPENDENT
+234next
+The nation
+Daily trust
+Ghana Times
+7amnewsextra
+THE STAR
+THE PUNCH
+NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
+TIMES OF ZAMBIA
+THE SUN
+DAILY GRAPHICS
+THISDAY
+MAIL & GUARDIAN
+VANGUARD
+D/INDEPENDENT
+234next
+The nation
+Daily trust
+Ghana Times
+7amnewsextra
| Newspapers |
Nigeria’s south-south State of Bayelsa is the setting for a latest political dance
with all the salacious macabre tinge, and the promise of long-drawn showdown
that would embarrass everyone involved when the beats eventually stops. In the
forefront of this deadly dance in the jungle are two prominent sons of the land,
the president of one hundred and fifty million compatriots, Goodluck Jonathan,
and the lone quarter-back in the affair, the governor, Mr. Timipre Sylva.
Most fights in Nigeria, especially the political type, are usually over resource
control and the authoritative allocation of what goes to hard, “shakable” or
sometimes immovable men of “timber and caliber”.
This latest rough shove between Governor Silva and Mr. President, since we are
not furnished with the shadows of the palaver, that has now become very open,
would therefore not be casually assumed to be borne out of the regular petty
sibling rivalry, or soon-to-lift disagreement. At least, the media has feasted on
and served remnants of the savage jists to a badly starved, hardly informed
Nigerian spectators, snippets of the squabble which one must remember has
lingered for about five years now.
We have all been entertained by similar juvenile quarrels in the political arena
from the time the foundation of Nigeria as a modern nation was laid. The tempo,
and indeed, the frequency of these hard-to-explain deadly disagreements have
however become more intense in the last twelve years of elective democracy in
the homeland. Such scary fights often become deadly and distracting. And for a
good man as Dr. Jonathan, whom we have often mistakenly underrated to want
to unseat his home governor with venomous determination, one cannot but
wonder if we would ever know why he and Sylva want to create a river of blood in
Bayelsa this time around.
Nigerians have learned to be cynical since the days of “read my lips” and “Insha
Allah”. The political virginity of Jonathan and his seductive promise of conducting
business of nation-building with openness and transparency coupled with
symbolic generational shift since his election made our hope for a new day a
pardonable bet. If the truth most not be as bitter as a violated bile or poorly-
squeezed bitter-leaf, the sudden descent from the height of lofty aspirations for a
possible new day, to a climb-down from Aso Rock tops to meddle in the affairs of
Bayelsa State, means that things are threatening to derail. So are Nigerians
again stuck, to paraphrase of immortal words of the country’s founding president,
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, in an interview with Elizabeth Blunt of BBC as the nation
began its second missionary journey to nowhere called the Second Republic,
where “our politicians have learned nothing”? So what is being done differently
here?
Dr. Jonathan is at the center. One expected that there would be enough files on
power devolution, federal character and authoritative allocation of resources,
values and loots that would keep a determined commander-in-chief occupied.
One would also expect him at this point when his support base is fast eroding, to
be the commander-in-chief for our troops, to halt the ambition of Boko Haram and
other sectional militia from turning Nigeria into a Federal Republic of Mebutu and
Madubu, rather than to be distracted by what one would consider to be a
harmless political rhetoric of a state governor allegedly threatening to annihilate
the first family. No one has so far entertained the that the tape on this doubtful
conversation between Sylva and the president’s brother ought to be played before
the national audience.
The question should be asked as to what should be our business if two kinsmen
decide to go for cutthroat political tactics? That would be a proper pose, but we
are all part of the same humanity. We are part of the same Nigerian polygamous
rancorous family and we would not stand by and allow what should be an
insignificant family feud develop into an inferno that could end up consuming the
entire house. In the same country where General Muhammadu Buhari and former
vice-president Atiku Abubakar, threatened worse physical harm to our corporate
existence as a nation, and some of their blood-thirsty loony followers have acted
out a script of the promise to hold Nigeria hostage and heaven is still where it is,
and heaven did not fall, pray, why should Silva, who controls no army, be the a
target that must be unseated at all costs.
Jonathan is fast unraveling that appealing humanity of hope and improved
standard that initially endeared him to Nigerians. Now he is gravitating more
towards the mentality of Obasanjo, Babangida and all those things that eerily
pound our psyche and memory as vindictive.
Dr. Jonathan is still loved in spite of the fact that he has not done enough to
secure Nigeria. He should paddle himself away from Bayelsa backwaters to the
center where we all want him to take care business. He should not hand his
people over to the strangers who call the shots as the Central Working
Committee of the PDP in Abuja. Dr. Jonathan, if he must be believed on the
promise of sterling reforms, must allow local people to conduct local political
affairs. He should let the PDP in Bayelsa take care of whatever fears they have
about Silva. We want our president on the seat taking care of federal business.
Oladimeji Abitogun is the Editor-in-Chief of SharpEdgeNews.com based in
Kansas City, Kansas, USA.
with all the salacious macabre tinge, and the promise of long-drawn showdown
that would embarrass everyone involved when the beats eventually stops. In the
forefront of this deadly dance in the jungle are two prominent sons of the land,
the president of one hundred and fifty million compatriots, Goodluck Jonathan,
and the lone quarter-back in the affair, the governor, Mr. Timipre Sylva.
Most fights in Nigeria, especially the political type, are usually over resource
control and the authoritative allocation of what goes to hard, “shakable” or
sometimes immovable men of “timber and caliber”.
This latest rough shove between Governor Silva and Mr. President, since we are
not furnished with the shadows of the palaver, that has now become very open,
would therefore not be casually assumed to be borne out of the regular petty
sibling rivalry, or soon-to-lift disagreement. At least, the media has feasted on
and served remnants of the savage jists to a badly starved, hardly informed
Nigerian spectators, snippets of the squabble which one must remember has
lingered for about five years now.
We have all been entertained by similar juvenile quarrels in the political arena
from the time the foundation of Nigeria as a modern nation was laid. The tempo,
and indeed, the frequency of these hard-to-explain deadly disagreements have
however become more intense in the last twelve years of elective democracy in
the homeland. Such scary fights often become deadly and distracting. And for a
good man as Dr. Jonathan, whom we have often mistakenly underrated to want
to unseat his home governor with venomous determination, one cannot but
wonder if we would ever know why he and Sylva want to create a river of blood in
Bayelsa this time around.
Nigerians have learned to be cynical since the days of “read my lips” and “Insha
Allah”. The political virginity of Jonathan and his seductive promise of conducting
business of nation-building with openness and transparency coupled with
symbolic generational shift since his election made our hope for a new day a
pardonable bet. If the truth most not be as bitter as a violated bile or poorly-
squeezed bitter-leaf, the sudden descent from the height of lofty aspirations for a
possible new day, to a climb-down from Aso Rock tops to meddle in the affairs of
Bayelsa State, means that things are threatening to derail. So are Nigerians
again stuck, to paraphrase of immortal words of the country’s founding president,
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, in an interview with Elizabeth Blunt of BBC as the nation
began its second missionary journey to nowhere called the Second Republic,
where “our politicians have learned nothing”? So what is being done differently
here?
Dr. Jonathan is at the center. One expected that there would be enough files on
power devolution, federal character and authoritative allocation of resources,
values and loots that would keep a determined commander-in-chief occupied.
One would also expect him at this point when his support base is fast eroding, to
be the commander-in-chief for our troops, to halt the ambition of Boko Haram and
other sectional militia from turning Nigeria into a Federal Republic of Mebutu and
Madubu, rather than to be distracted by what one would consider to be a
harmless political rhetoric of a state governor allegedly threatening to annihilate
the first family. No one has so far entertained the that the tape on this doubtful
conversation between Sylva and the president’s brother ought to be played before
the national audience.
The question should be asked as to what should be our business if two kinsmen
decide to go for cutthroat political tactics? That would be a proper pose, but we
are all part of the same humanity. We are part of the same Nigerian polygamous
rancorous family and we would not stand by and allow what should be an
insignificant family feud develop into an inferno that could end up consuming the
entire house. In the same country where General Muhammadu Buhari and former
vice-president Atiku Abubakar, threatened worse physical harm to our corporate
existence as a nation, and some of their blood-thirsty loony followers have acted
out a script of the promise to hold Nigeria hostage and heaven is still where it is,
and heaven did not fall, pray, why should Silva, who controls no army, be the a
target that must be unseated at all costs.
Jonathan is fast unraveling that appealing humanity of hope and improved
standard that initially endeared him to Nigerians. Now he is gravitating more
towards the mentality of Obasanjo, Babangida and all those things that eerily
pound our psyche and memory as vindictive.
Dr. Jonathan is still loved in spite of the fact that he has not done enough to
secure Nigeria. He should paddle himself away from Bayelsa backwaters to the
center where we all want him to take care business. He should not hand his
people over to the strangers who call the shots as the Central Working
Committee of the PDP in Abuja. Dr. Jonathan, if he must be believed on the
promise of sterling reforms, must allow local people to conduct local political
affairs. He should let the PDP in Bayelsa take care of whatever fears they have
about Silva. We want our president on the seat taking care of federal business.
Oladimeji Abitogun is the Editor-in-Chief of SharpEdgeNews.com based in
Kansas City, Kansas, USA.
By Oladimeji Abitogun
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Why Jonathan Must Paddle Away from Bayelsa Backwaters
| Home | Sports | Interview | Articles | Business | Letters | Social | Photo | Archives | Adverts | Entertainment | Contact us | About us | Terms | Blog |
| Home | Sports | Interview | Articles | Business | Letters | Social | Photo | Archives | Polls | Adverts | Entertainment | Contact us | About us | Terms |
________________________________________________________________________
HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
Leave a Comment
Disclaimer: Comments posted on this site do not reflect the views of African
Examiner.com. Please avoid abusive, vulgar, racist or rude words. Our
editors regulate these comments. Any comment that violates this term
of use will be deleted and may be banned. Send report of any misuse to
editor@africanexaminer.com. Thanks
Disclaimer: Comments posted on this site do not reflect the views of African
Examiner.com. Please avoid abusive, vulgar, racist or rude words. Our
editors regulate these comments. Any comment that violates this term
of use will be deleted and may be banned. Send report of any misuse to
editor@africanexaminer.com. Thanks
__________________________________
Police boss confirms
death of five
persons in rival cult
clash in Bayelsa
African Examiner
Monday, Nov. 07, 2011
death of five
persons in rival cult
clash in Bayelsa
African Examiner
Monday, Nov. 07, 2011
Nigeria moves to
regulate noise level
African Examiner
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011
regulate noise level
African Examiner
Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011
Investors relocating
businesses from Nigeria
will regret –Jonathan
African Examiner
Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
businesses from Nigeria
will regret –Jonathan
African Examiner
Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
U.S relaxes security
alert on Abuja
African Examiner
Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
alert on Abuja
African Examiner
Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
Alison-Madueke
denies Vienna 20
million Euro mansion
African Examiner
Sunday, November 12, 2011
denies Vienna 20
million Euro mansion
African Examiner
Sunday, November 12, 2011
"Achebe’s Rejection of
National Honour
Regrettable"
African Examiner
Sunday, November 13, 2011
National Honour
Regrettable"
African Examiner
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Bayelsa Guber: I was
not allowed to run–
Ben Bruce
African Examiner
Monday, Nov. 14, 2011
not allowed to run–
Ben Bruce
African Examiner
Monday, Nov. 14, 2011
Tribunal nullifies Kebbi
governorship election,
orders fresh polls
African Examiner
Sunday, November 13, 2011
governorship election,
orders fresh polls
African Examiner
Sunday, November 13, 2011