The campaign team of former military president, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, has declared that he will be the People’s Democratic Party candidate for the 2011 general elections.
They dismissed reports that alleged that governors from the south-west had declared their support for President Goodluck Jonathan.
Kassim Afegbua, Mr Babangida’s spokesperson, said Nigerians are coming out to lend their support to the former general’s ambition.
“[They] are too highly educated and politically sophisticated to endorse President Jonathan, who has not declared his intention whether to run or not to run,†he said.
However, he said the campaign would not reveal its strategies for winning over the south-west region on the pages of newspapers. He assured that Mr Babangida had solutions to the problems confronting the country. “IBB cannot lose,†Afegbua said.
“Rather, we are to ask if Jonathan loses the primary to him, will the former military ruler fly the PDP ticket?â€
Not all confidence
Mr Afegbua also debunked recent media reports that Mr Babangida’s meeting with former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, suggests the former general may not be as confident as his supporters claim.
“Atiku is just one of the individuals we are talking to,†he said.
“We are not limiting our consultation to Atiku; we are consulting other notable personalities and groups all over Nigeria.â€
However, supporters of the vice president were equally confident of their chances at the PDP primaries – provided he is allowed to rejoin the party.
Henry Iyanyan, an Abuja-based lawyer and member of Mr Atiku’s campaign team, said he was angry at the delays stalling Mr Atiku’s return.
“It is moral corruption for them not to allow Atiku to contest in PDP, waiver or no waiver. If the PDP grants Atiku a waiver today, he will empty Jonathan’s camp. That is why they are afraid of him,†he said.
Mr Iyanyan disagreed with Mr Afegbua that Mr Babangida was a force to be reckoned with.
“Atiku’s credibility cannot be found on any of [the other] politicians jostling to rule Nigeria today,†he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Abdulyekeem Umar, the national campaign coordinator for former president Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, on Monday said that Nigeria’s incumbent leader is being tossed around by the team that tried to enforce a third term in 2009 but failed.
Speaking to correspondents at the Murtala Mohammed Airport 2 (MMA2), Lagos, Mr Umar argued that the ex-military leader will emerge as Nigeria’s president come the 2011 general elections regardless of whoever it is that governs the country currently, adding that should the forthcoming polls be free and fair, most citizens will vote for Mr Babangida.
“If you look at people who are pushing Goodluck, you will agree that those are the third term losers. I tell you authoritatively, and if you don’t know, then I will point them,†he said. “Those are the third term losers; they have lost before, for it is not the first time for them to loose, and I can bet you as far as we are going to contest, conduct a good election that is free and fair, IBB will take 85 per cent of the votes.â€
No incumbency power
Calling on Goodluck Jonathan to declare his interest for the seat of the country’s helmsman, Mr Umar said that the election is all about the number of people who cast their votes in favour of a candidate, adding that Mr Jonathan cannot exercise any power of incumbency in the forthcoming elections.
“Ever before I prayed that Goodluck will not come out and tell us that he didn’t want to run, for he is coming to face IBB and I wish him good luck,†he said.
“Everybody is talking about power of incumbency, forgetting that is a game of numbers, so I wonder why people will always say he (Jonathan) will use power of incumbency. It is game of numbers and Goodluck is coming to test run his popularity and what he thinks he can give to Nigerians.â€
Mr Umar further stated that his presidential candidate is not disturbed about the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries, which is coming up later in the year, as he boasted that Mr Babangida will come out tops.
“Babangida has proven to be the man to beat in the 2011 election, as well as the primaries and I know that he will emerge Nigeria’s president,†he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
I have been a proponent that the fate of the African continent lies in the hands of Africans. No amount of foreign aid will solve our problems when we lack basic understanding of the concept of self development and true patriotism. Our dependence on nations that thrives on the principles of capitalism to create a model of self and economic development for us is foolish at best knowing that their partnership is motivated by their image promotions and economic gains. This is because our true economic independence will create another competition that will minimize their monopoly on economic dominance.
The unfortunate explosion of a BP offshore rig that resulted in the deaths of eleven workers and unleashed the nations worst oil spill on April 20, 2010 and the subsequent actions of the government further exposes the hypocrisy of the so called developed nations and their attitude towards the actual value of life with regards to the African continent. My question to Africans and our various governments is where is the outrage? For 96 days, the British Petroleum has spent nearly $1.6b to clean up the oil spills around the gulf coast, this amount does not includes fines of $69m sought and received by the federal government through the attorney general’s office, it does not include law suits that will be filed by individuals and businesses that have claimed deprivation of their livelihood due to the spill and this is also with the blessing of the federal government through the justice department. According to BP, they are speeding up payments towards 90% of the large commercial claims filed as a result of financial losses. BP further stated that they have approved 337 payments to businesses that have filed claims larger than $5000 a piece. The federal government continues to pressure BP to speed up payments of claims.
This ladies shack was burnt down in fire resulting from spill in the Niger Delta. No compensation recorded. I wonder who is processing her claims. The fisher men on the left also have families to feed. No catch for the day because of oil presence in the lake. Where is the outrage?
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While I am neither an environmentalist nor an ecological expert, the impact of oil spill is glaring even to the eyes of a lay man, many of the long-term effects may remain hidden as natural processes and chemical dispersants break up the oil into small globules dense enough to sink to the bottom. There, it has the potential to affect bottom dwellers for decades. What scientists know about how oil spills can affect the environment – and for how long – is drawn from a range of past events, no two of which have been alike. It means that the leading scientists can build a model for what they think is going to happen, but we may wake up the next morning and not know exactly what to expect.
Young man swimming in a lake glazed with oil from the nearby rigs, what do you think is the life expectancy of this man. Where is the EPA? Look at the proximity of this rig to the shacks in the Village in Niger Delta Most of the oil companies shares are not traded in the Nigerian stock exchange, 90% of all their capital investments are outside the continent, 100% of all their property uses in Nigeria for example are all leased with no long term capital liability to the companies, that means shell can pick up and leave Nigeria tomorrow without waiting to sell their buildings in Port Harcourt, Abuja or where ever else. Where is the outrage? It stunned me to realize that no singular Nigerian organization in the Diaspora has spoken up about the unfairness in attitude of these Multi National Corporations (MNC) particularly the oil companies doing business in Nigeria, particularly with regards to pollution, lack of respect to human life. Most Americans do not have a clue the unfair standards and the trepidation of human lives for these companies to extract oil for their personal consumptions here in the United States, tragedies like the gulf spill has always been a spring board for exposures that results in policy changes, why not in our country?. We have a duty to expose to the western world that spills like this occurs daily in Nigeria, fishermen go days without any catch, villagers breed polluted air daily from gas flaring in the Niger Delta by these same companies. The humane society capitalized on Mick Vick dog fight to affect all kinds of policy changes with regards to animal rights. It kills my mind to see all these foolishness about many Igbo organizations tying up their fate in courts, depositing all their monies in accounts of major banks with very minimal activities that allow the banks to really make money with our money.
Where is the outrage WIC? Where is the outrage ASA-USA? Where is the outrage Enugu State-USA? Where is the outrage ISCA, Abia State-USA National? Where is the outrage Ebony State –USA?
By our silence are we validating the silent known but ugly fact that the value of life in Africa is worth less even when the chips to change that fact lies in our hand. Has it become a hopeless expectation that Africans at home should not depend on Africans in Diaspora to bring about a much needed change that could benefit the continent. Have we all been good stewards and good ambassadors of our nations? Shall we ever rise beyond our selfish agenda for the common good of others? These are all pertinent questions that need answers. Are you tired of being tired of the foolishness of building an organizations that could be a vehicle for change, drafting the constitution, holding a convention and then breaking apart?
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The classical laissez-faire theory is not practised anywhere; even in the most liberal capitalist economies industries are still subject to regulation. A regulator is there to oversee the activities of operators or players in the industry under its supervision, ensure the efficient supply of quality products and check the exploitation of users of the products. Unfortunately, most regulators in Nigeria do none of such. Almost in all sectors, the Nigerian consumer or customer is abandoned to the whims and caprices of rapacious operators. More worrisome is that this issue hardly bothers the relevant committees of our “representatives†at the National Assembly. For instance, the complaints of impoverished Nigerians over poor but exploitative mobile telephone services in the country remain unaddressed by the appropriate authorities.
As an undergraduate at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, I offered courses on Law of Banking, Banking Methods & Process and even wrote my LL.B Project on “Bank Failure in Nigeria: The Legal Perspectivesâ€, yet I make no pretensions to expertise in banking and finance. Thus, any misconception here should be excused. This, nonetheless, is without prejudice to the fact that this essay is based on personal experiences and reliable information. I now face the thrust of my write-up.
There are daily reports of how Nigerian banks rip off their customers through various charges and practices. And, repeatedly, these customers complain and cry out for appropriate regulatory intervention. Unfortunately, their complaints seem to fall on deaf ears, for I am unaware of any positive regulatory action in response thereto. Emboldened by regulatory inaction and indifference (which suggest tacit approval), many Nigerian banks now engage in more exploitative practices. The categories of such predatory bank practices are unfolded daily.
Normally, when a customer secures loan from a bank, the latter fixes a negotiated lending rate based on the prevailing interest rate approved by the apex bank. Any change in the interest rate should be brought to the notice of the borrower except otherwise agreed. In Nigeria, however, the lending rate is rarely negotiated and, when it is reviewed upwards by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the average bank automatically applies the new rate to the outstanding loan without notifying the borrower. Ironically, the same bank hides the fact of any downward review of the lending rate from its mostly uninformed customer, thereby illegally subjecting him to a higher interest regime.
Often, what bank staff present to a prospective borrower during loan negotiations as the total charges become hydra-headed once he swallows the bait. While processing loans, Nigerian banks impose on borrowers both “processing†and “administrative†fees which are duplicates. Again, they charge borrowers and corporate customers higher than what they pay lawyers to conduct searches at land and company registries. I believe that the interest rates Nigerian banks perfunctorily display at their offices and report to CBN per section 23 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA, Chapter B3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004) are different from what most of them impose on customers. To verify this, CBN may wish to randomly obtain and examine depositors/borrowers account statements from banks.
Ancillary to the above is the fact that in line with globally accepted banking rules and practices interest rates applicable to deposits are negotiable, and banks should inform depositors of their right to negotiate same and allow them do so. But contrary to this, Nigerian banks arbitrarily fix such interest rates and impose same on depositors. Again, most Nigerians banks now surreptitiously extend to savings accounts charges that are traditionally meant for current accounts. Comparatively, the new generation banks are notorious for imposing these very unjust and variegated charges on customers.
When one withdraws a million naira or more, Nigerian banks impose what they call “cash handling charges†of about N5 for every N1000 for counting the money! This is in addition to the usual commission on transaction (COT). Is it not a time-honoured banking practice for a cashier to ensure through a count that the amount written on a cheque, withdrawal or deposit slip matches what he dispenses or receives? Moreover, do banks not handle cash when people pay in cash into accounts? Perhaps, Nigerian banks may soon impose “cash handling charges†for such cash deposits.
Generally, a current account holder is entitled to receive from his bank monthly statements of account through post at the address he stated in his account opening forms free of charge. For a savings account holder, I learnt this is once every three months. Furthermore, in this era of advanced ICT – which Nigerian banks noisily lay claim to – such statements can also be easily emailed to customers at no cost to them. But what do Nigerian banks do? Some print the bank statements in fact but fail to mail them to their customers, probably to avoid postal charges. Upon inquiry, their staffers glibly claim that the statement has been posted to you and, since you have not received it, urge you to apply for a printout which costs between N250 and N500 per page! To get such a free bank statement, a customer has to visit the bank branch where his account is domiciled within the first week of a new month and demand same. This is my grouse with a branch of Zenith Bank Plc where I maintain an account.
At the extreme, some banks do not print the free monthly statements at all; rather, they browbeat their customers into applying and paying between N250 and N500 per page for them. Many Nigerian bank depositors who were kept in the dark over their accounts have narrated sad stories of what they saw when they eventually got their bank statements. Sometimes, account holders see several bank charges with confusing nomenclature in their monthly statements.
Hitherto, GT Bank Plc used to email my monthly bank statements to me but, without warning, it just stopped doing so recently. It only sends sms and email alerts when there is a transaction on my account. Recently, I read on the website www.nairaland.com that some Nigerian banks currently refuse to oblige customers with their account balances at the Customer Service Unit, and insist they check their balances through ATMs or telephone calls to designated numbers. I had dismissed this as untrue, only to confirm it about two weeks ago when I visited a branch of GT Bank Plc in Abuja. Surely, this is an indirect way of coercing customers to use ATM cards. Again, any stranger can now call and know When the wave of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) hit the Nigerian banking shores, banks began to compel their customers to use ATM cards for withdrawals. Many of them introduced several gimmicks under which they imposed many unjustifiable charges on customers, such as monthly charges whether customers use the cards or not. This writer had, in a piece entitled “Are These ATM Charges Approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria?â€published in 2008 by some Nigerian tabloids and websites, joined many Nigerians to condemn the ugly trend and urge CBN to address it. But recent events suggest that the CBN may have done nothing to check the ugly trend.
Ikechukwu A. Ogu, a legal practitioner, writes from Central Business District, Abuja. Email: ikechukwuogu@yahoo.com
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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