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Tag: Afenifere

  • Afenifere: How we reconciled Adebanjo, Fasoranti – Makinde

    Afenifere: How we reconciled Adebanjo, Fasoranti – Makinde

    Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde has disclosed that he and other prominent leaders in Yoruba land have decided to reconcile the two elders in Afenifere Ayo Adebanjo and Reuben Fasoranti.

    Makinde made this disclosure during a meeting of Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba sociocultural group.

    The reconciliation meeting was held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Tuesday.

    It was  gathered that Adebanjo and Fasoranti had been at loggerheads over the leadership of the group.

    The two leaders have been trading words over who is the authentic leader of the group for the past few years.

    Makinde has, however, revealed that he and other prominent personalities in Yoruba land have decided to end the crisis between the two leaders.

    Makinde, while speaking, declared that he and some frontline leaders in Afenifere had decided to resolve the differences between the two leaders of the group.

    He stated that it is now time to begin the process of fostering unity in Yoruba land.

    Makinde said, “We are all aware of the issues between our two Afenifere leaders; Pa Ayo Adebanjo and Pa Reuben Fasoranti.

    “Basically, partisan and election issues have come and gone and we are now talking about the unity of the Yoruba race. So, these frontline leaders thought it fit to come together to start the process of seeking for unity in Yorubaland.

    “And we know that once our two Babas come together, we will also have the deserved unity in Nigeria. If you put it in proper perspective, whenever Yorubaland is united, Nigeria is united, and whenever we have issues and challenges in Yorubaland, it usually spirals into other parts of Nigeria”.

  • Afenifere urges Tinubu to stop government institutions from increasing prices of commodities

    Afenifere urges Tinubu to stop government institutions from increasing prices of commodities

    Following a move by some government institutions to jack up prices of commodities and services,the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to urgently put a halt to their plans.

    A statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Comrade Jare Ajayi, said such would further worsen the precarious situations of hapless Nigerians.

    Ajayi noted that various steps taken lately by Tinubu-led administration may have the potential of lifting Nigeria up in the medium and long term. “But there is the need to ensure that the people are not squeezed out of breath before that good time comes, as it’s only a person who is wholesomely alive that would enjoy the largesse of tomorrow!”

    While calling on President Tinubu to checkmate steps capable of alienating his administration from the people, Afenifere urged him to be mindful of actions by government agencies that may be tantamount to sabotaging his good intentions.

    Recall that the electricity Distribution Companies in the country (Discos) on June 25, 2023, announced that from July 1, this year, the tariffs being paid by electricity consumers in Nigeria will go up by 40 percent.

    In the same vein, Engineer Abdulhafiz Toriola, permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation on Tuesday, June 27th instant, quoted the Federal Government Joint Tax Board as imposing a levy of N1,000 per annum on every vehicle owner in Nigeria. The payment was said to be in form of Proof of Ownership Certificate (POC). This is without regard to various taxes vehicle owners pay yearly viz Vehicle Licence, Insurance, roadworthiness and hackney permit (for commercial vehicles) etc.

    In many states across the country, some road users (other than pedestrians) have daily payments to make to be allowed to ply the roads. An example is the one in Oyo State being carried out by the Park Management System (PMS). Many other states have similar arrangements.

    According to Ajayi, this directive amounts to making members of the public ‘to pay’ for the failure and negligence of relevant organs of the government in carrying out their constitutionally assigned duties.

    “The CBN, through its Director, Financial Policy and Regulations Department, Mr. Chibuzo Efobi, said that it gave the directive with a view to ‘bolstering compliance with anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism provisions’.
    Already, every telephone user in the country got captured as directed by the National Communications Commission (NCC) with the National Identity Number (NIN) incorporated. Besides, every bank customer now has what is known as Bank Verification Number (BVN). Email addresses were also registered with the banks into which information from banks are sent to the respective customers. Meaning that the information this new directive is seeking is already within the purvey of government agencies.”

    Arguing that this new directive from the CBN is another way of traumatising Nigerians as was done to youths three years ago when the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) made it a condition for them to obtain NIN before they could register for its examinations that year, Ajayi submitted that the youths suffered greatly as the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) that was supposed to issue the NIN could not cope.

    “In making it compulsory for every telephone user to be captured by telecommunications network, the NCC said that it was to make it possible for security agencies to be able to track kidnappers who use telephone to contact families of those they kidnap. This has been on for more than four years. Yet, kidnapping still continues.

    “This means that the security failure in the country is not due to lack of information about the kidnappers and other terrorists. Rather, it was due to the failure of those who are in charge of security. Various reasons could be adduced for this including perhaps sabotage and lackadaisical attitude of the government. The terrorism that occurred in Bauchi state this Ileya season during which terrorists operated for hours, according to reports, is another instance. Reports certainly went out during the course of the operation, yet the terrorists not only killed some people, they kidnapped many including the wife of the community head just as they burgled supermarkets and houses without being checked.”

  • I can assure you there is no President-elect – Afenifere leader, Adebanjo

    I can assure you there is no President-elect – Afenifere leader, Adebanjo

    Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, has said the nation has no President-elect despite announcing Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress winner of the February 25 presidential election by INEC.

    In a recent interview with Arise TV, Pa Adebanjo insisted that what the country currently have is “a sham that will be pulled in due course.”

    He said, “It is just the result of a bad government. A disaster that God will help us to get rid of. I can assure you there is no President-elect at all; it is just a sham that should be pulled in due course.

    “This is a game we all see. We are all living witnesses to it. Why don’t you [INEC] follow the laws that will guide the elections?”

    The 95-year-old said Tinubu’s camp in their attempt to reply to the groundswell of criticisms that trialed his controversial announcement as the winner of the presidential election, picked up the messengers and leave the messages which is the main issue.

  • Afenifere wailing over loss of investments on Obi – Lai Mohammed

    Afenifere wailing over loss of investments on Obi – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has condemned the attack on him by pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, for stating Federal Government’s position on the 2023 elections.

    The minister responded to the organisation’s attack in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Washington.

    Afenifere had berated the minister for admonishing Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate for inciting people to violence over the outcome of the February 25 presidential elections.

    Responding to Afenifere, the minister said the attack on him was borne out of frustration and anger on the loss of their investment on Obi’s election.

    “It is clear from what they said that Afenifere invested heavily on Peter Obi’s presidency, and they failed woefully, that is the reason why they are lamenting.

    “They have refused to get over the loss of what they invested in Obi’s presidency campaign.

    “But the earlier they do, the better for them,’’ he said

    The minister said that Afenifere had lost its reputation and relevance as the voice of the South-West.

    “Fortunate were days when Afenifere sneezes the whole country will catch cold. It is not the same thing right now.

    “When Afenifere talks and you begin to ask yourself, which Afenifere? you know what that means,’’ he said.

    He stressed his position that there was no provision in INEC laws that allows the Commission to transmit the results of election electronically.

    Mohammed said that the entire process from voting to collation to sorting to tabulation and transmission was manual.

    He said the laws setting up INEC, gives the Commission the right to determine the mode of elections, the mode of collation and transmission of results.

    The minister also responded to a call by a civic organisation, Integrity Group calling for his national apology over the admonition of Obi.

    He said the group had failed to understand the position of the Federal Government on the unacceptable postures of the Labour Party presidential candidate

    “I said Peter Obi and the Labour Party should stop inciting people to violence since they have submitted  themselves to the election tribunal..

    “They should stop asking people to go out on the streets, they should stop the reckless statement that if the President-elect is sworn-in,  it will be the end of democracy,’’ he said.

  • Ohaneze lauds Afenifere for exonerating Iwuanyanwu

    Ohaneze lauds Afenifere for exonerating Iwuanyanwu

    The Apex Igbo Socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, has lauded the Pan Yoruba Socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, for exonerating the Chairman, Council of Elders, Ohanaeze, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, over an alleged anti-Yoruba comment.

    Afenifere disassociated itself from reports that it berated Iwuanyanwu, for allegedly calling the Yoruba people as “political rascals”.

    The group stated this in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, in Enugu on Sunday.

    It was reported that Iwuanyanwu had, while speaking in Awka, Anambra State capital, on Saturday at the event to mark the one year in office of Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, condemned individuals fuelling ethnic baiting in Lagos State.

    Ogbonnia said Ohaneze commended the wisdom and maturity in which Afenifere, led by Chief Ayo Adebanjo, discountenance itself from the handiwork of mischief makers in an attempt to misrepresent the remarks by their patriotic, charismatic and detribalized leader, Iwuanyanwu.

    He described wuanyanwu as a thoroughbred cosmopolitan, inter-etnic unifier with diverse national and international contacts; and a committed champion of the Nigerian unity.

    Ogbonnia added that it was inconceivable for Iwuanyanwu to contemplate an uncomplimentary remark against any group in Nigeria.

    He said: “The attention of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has been drawn to the Communiqué issued by the Afenifere at the end of its monthly meeting held at the residence of its leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, at Isanya-Ogbo, Ogun State, Nigeria.

    “Ohanaeze Ndigbo salutes the courage, tenacity, dedication, robustness and unwavering commitment to the ideals of pan-Nigerianism and the continued existence of Nigeria without caring whose ox is gored.

    “We want to place on record that when the history of Nigerian travails is written, Chief Ayo Adebanjo will feature most copiously on the side of justice, nobility, honour, courage, character and integrity,” he said.

    The publicity secretary added that Ohaneze applauded and aligned itself to the resolutions of Afenifere meeting in its entirety and prayed that God Almighty would continue to grant the group the wisdom and courage to always champion the cause of a better Nigeria.

    “We are persuaded that the Afenifere resolutions as published are fundamental and foundational to the current socio-political crisis gnawing at the heart of Nigeria; and that those resolutions speak truth to the conscience of the powers that be in Nigeria.

    “Ohanaeze supports those resolutions in all ramifications and join in calling on the President and Government of Nigeria to, as a matter of urgency, restore public confidence and hope in the Nigerian project,” he said.

    He further added that Afenifere’s unflinching stand on the side of equity and justice had not come to them as a surprise given that the organization had at various times, stood for truth each time Nigeria finds herself at the cross-roads.

    “We are not unmindful of Afenifere’s role in restoring democracy to Nigeria through the platform of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO).

    “The Afenifere leaders, with alliances across the national divide and the international bodies, launched the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which eventually gave birth to the Committee for Unity and Understanding (CUU), among others.

    “We thank the Afenifere for telling the world the true position on the February 25 Presidential election,” Ogbonnia added.

    Ogbonnia stressed that Ohaneze commended the Afenifere for its reassurances of security and support to stranger communities in Yorubaland, particularly Lagos State and for reassuring the people that there was no war between the Yoruba and any other group in Nigeria, especially the Igbos.

    “We encourage other ethnic socio-cultural organizations to borrow a leaf from the Afenifere in standing up for principles of equity and justice and to be counted each time Nigeria is confronted with political crises.

    “We also join Afenifere in restating our confidence in the the judiciary with the hope that it will acquit itself creditably in the election litigations presently before it without fear or favour,” he prayed.

  • APC irked by Afenifere’s endorsement of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

    APC irked by Afenifere’s endorsement of Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

    The APC in Lagos State has  described the public endorsement of the Labour Party Governorship Candidate, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour by the Yoruba Socio-cultural Group Afenifere in the state as irrelevant.

    APC’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Seye Oladejo in a statement on Thursday, said that the group’s endorsement of Rhodes-Vivour was allegedly borne out of envy and bitterness.

    “Our attention has been drawn to a laughable charade called the endorsement of the Labour Party’s Lagos state governorship candidate  by the factional leader of Afenifere, Chief  Supo Shonibare.

    “We will  ordinarily have ignored this non-event but it will be a disservice to the general public if the records are not set straight.

    “The so called endorsement by a group of attention seeking and politically irrelevant group of people is ominous as they have consistently backed the wrong horse out of malice, envy , bitterness and political frustration.

    “Our political history is replete with many victims who lost elections as a result of the backing of these people who lack electoral value.

    “The most recent was the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Mr  Peter Obi who’s now facing the reality of their valueless support,” Oladejo said.

    The APC’s spokesman lamented that it was difficult for the group to acknowledge ‘the landmark achievements of the incumbent governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-olu across the famed THEMES agenda.”

    He said that the group sacrificed on the altar of bitter politics,  Sanwo-Olu’s proactiveness during the scourge of COVID-19, the inauguration of the light blue rail and Imota Rice Mill and massive construction of roads across the state.

    Oladejo also listed Sanwo-Olu’s achievement to include huge investments in education, healthcare, the environment, transportation, entertainment, youth and social development, women empowerment sports, tourism, science and technology.

    “Thankfully, Lagosians who are the ultimate deciders know better,” he added.

    According to him, Afenifere’s recommendation of a candidate whose pedigree, antecedent and political experience is shrouded in mystery is dead on arrival.

    Recall that the Pan-Yoruba Socio-cultural group, Afenifere and the Committee of Indigenes of Lagos State on Wednesday,  declared support  for Rhodes-Vivour in the forthcoming governorship election billed for March 18.

  • Afenifere condemns outcome of February 25, 2023 Presidential Election

    Afenifere condemns outcome of February 25, 2023 Presidential Election

    The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has condemned the outcome of the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election, won by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.

    The group also faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on the conduct of the election, saying the commission did not comply with electoral guidelines.

    This was contained in a communique issued after the general meeting of the group. The communique was made available to our correspondent by the Secretary General of the association, Mr Sola Ebiseni, in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Wednesday.

    The results of the lawful votes at the election available to the Afenifere through credible sources confirm that His Excellency Peter Gregory Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party won the said election and we thus support his decision challenging the contrary Declaration by the INEC

    According to the group, the alleged non-compliance with the electoral guidelines by the INEC caused a series of malpractices during the last general election.

    The communique read in part,” The deliberate non-compliance by the Commission with these mandatory guidelines encouraged electoral brigandage at the polling units which included the destruction of ballot papers, snatching of ballot boxes, doctoring of figures and swapping of votes of candidates at the coalition centres by amended and outlawed manual procedures which rendered the 25th February 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections flawed in several respects as confirmed by local and international observers.

    “The results of the lawful votes at the election available to the Afenifere through credible sources confirm that His Excellency Peter Gregory Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party won the said election and we thus support his decision challenging the contrary Declaration by the INEC.”

    The group, which declared that the Labour Part’s candidate- Peter Obi, won the presidential election, “denounced in strong terms and dissociated Afenifere from any congratulatory message in the name of the Organisation or howsoever to any candidate as illegally declared by the INEC.”

    “Afenifere reiterates that for equity, fairness, national cohesion and peaceful corporate existence, the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a person of its Southern part and specifically the South-East,” the statement added.

    Chief Supo Shonibare, the Afenifere Leader in Lagos State

    The group called on Nigerians to troop out en masse and participate fully in the governorship and houses of assembly elections.

    Earlier, the leader of the group worldwide, Pa Reuben Fasoranti in a congratulatory letter to the President-Elect, Tinubu over his victory in the last presidential election.

    In the letter, Fasoranti advised the President-Elect to avoid the mistakes of his predecessors.

    The letter read in part, “You now have the opportunity. Now is the time for you to prove me right. I pray to God to be with you.

    “In going about this, avoid the mistake of some of your forbears. Be fair to all concerned. Go ahead to unite the country, see and treat the country as one.

    “Be a federalist. Allow the big ethnic groups to exist and respect one another, but also allow the small ones to feel proud and wanted in the spirit of federalism as practised in the USA.”

  • 2023: South-East presidency is a right, not a favour – Afenifere leader

    2023: South-East presidency is a right, not a favour – Afenifere leader

    The leader of Afenifere, the socio-cultural group of the Yoruba people Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has stated that clamor for Nigeria next president to emerge from the Southeastern part of the country was not up for negotiation.

    It would be recalled that weeks ago, a factional leader of the group Reuben Fasoranti, hosted the APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his house and offered prayers for him, which many interpreted as an endorsement.

    But speaking on Monday in Lagos on the sidelines of a public lecture organized by the Ohnaneze Ndigbo socio-cultural group tagged: “Nationalism and Nation Building in Nigerian History”, Adebanjo stated that the principle of Afenifere is founded on ideological basis, on rightness, on inclusiveness not on any sentiments.

    He accused the Northern Elder’s Forum (NEF) of insincerity and slammed them for creating an impression that nobody can become President of Nigeria, unless they are endorsed by the north, noting too that some individuals in the South have now accepted this position.

    “What right has the north to dictate who will be our president? The case of the east is not a favour, it is their right. Each time I hear people say they should come and negotiate with the north because they have the population, what population? It is a fraudulent population. You can’t sell that to me.

    Chief Ayo Adebanjo making his remarks during the public lecture held in Lagos on Monday.

    “The APC (All Progressives Congress) that chose my countryman, haven’t they got Igbos in their party? Why did they neglect the Igbos among them who have been supporting them the most if they are fair and sincere; if it’s not lip service to the country.

    “If a prodigal son has a property, you can’t deprive him and say because he is a prodigal son he does not have right to his property,” Adebanjo said, alluding that Peter Obi has by a right to the President, not because he is Igbo, but because he is a Nigerian.

    On his part, the spokesman of the NEF Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, stressed that the north had not endorsed any candidate, and would keep an open mind in supporting a credible candidate for the 2023 presidential election taking place in February.

    He however, expressed worry about the division among elites from the Southeast in supporting the ambition of the Labour Party’s presidential flag bearer Peter Obi and challenged leaders from the region to organize themselves if they must get the support of other regions.

    A group photograph of attendees at the public lecture on Nationalism and Nation Building in Nigerian History, held in Lagos State on Monday.

    “In the north, we have long given up the idea that the elites can play a role. We got our fingers burnt in 2015 and that’s why we are being very careful now. We are saying allow people to see the best of these candidates and let them choose. That’s why we created the joint Arewa forum,” the NEF spokesperson said.

    However, Baba-Ahmed added: “We worry about the Southeast. From the little we see, we see a divided elite. We don’t know whether all of you are in support of Peter Obi, or whether some of you are not in support. You need to put your house in order because the nation can see and if you can’t line up behind someone, don’t expect somebody else somewhere to line up behind him.”

    Earlier, former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany Professor Akintola Osuntokun, advised that for Nigeria to succeed, it must discover a collective and equitable solution to the way it decides it government and open the administration of the country to talents through a merit-based system.

    He added that Nigeria was running out of time to find an appropriate constitutional architecture to administer its affairs and called to the leadership of the country to give consideration to the various demands for restructuring the country and “control events from above rather than leaving the people to demand by force of numbers from below”.

     

    Restructuring: Nigeria must urgently adopt an appropriate constitutional architecture – former Nigerian Envoy

    Oghenekevwe Uchechukwu BY OGHENEKEVWE UCHECHUKWU
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    A former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany Professor Akintola Osuntokun, has advised that for Nigeria to succeed, it must discover a collective and equitable solution to the way it decides it government and open the administration of the country to talents through a merit-based system.

    Osuntokun gave the advice on Monday in Lagos state, while delivering a public lecture on ‘Nationalism and Nation Building in Nigeria History’, organized by Ohnaneze Ndigbo, a socio-cultural organization in Nigeria.

    “Since 1966, Nigeria has struggled to find a modus operandi of ruling a multinational state balancing regional desire for autonomy under an overarching national structure.

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    “As a former Ambassador of Nigeria, I am in favour of finding a solution to our constitutional and structural problems. As late President Nelson Mandela said until Nigeria is successful, no one will have respect for the black man,” he reiterated.

    Taking his audience through the lanes of history, Osuntokun recalled that a former Nigeria military leader Ibrahim Babangida had set up a committee of Scholars from various universities in the North and South regions of the country, including himself, to design a formula for solving what was then called the “national question”.

    The committee, he said, worked under the Ministry of Special Duties in the presidency to come up with a the recommendation of a collective presidency where if someone from one geo-political zone became president, the remaining five zones would produce five vice-presidents, each of them heading the Ministries of Finance, Defence, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Education.

    Based on the committee’s recommendation, the presidency would be rotated every five years so that each zone will have the chance to head the country and no zone would be kept out of power.

    “Political parties will contest for power on this basis and whoever wins must locate people representing all the six zones within their parties…some members of the PDP (Peoples’ Democratic Party) later claimed zoning was their contribution to political engineering in Nigeria. This is not true, ” the former envoy stated.

    He added that Nigeria was running out of time to find an appropriate constitutional architecture to administer its affairs and called to the leadership of the country to give consideration to the various demands for restructuring the country and “control events from above rather than leaving the people to demand by force of numbers from below”.

    In his opening remarks, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and chief host of the event Ambassador George Obiozor, CON, noted that contrary to a popular statement by some members of the political class that the unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable, the unity of the country must be re-negotiated for it to stand the test of time.

    “Our national unity must interfere seriously with our freedom and liberty or it will be interpreted as tyranny of the majority or minority, none of which is acceptable,” he added.

     

  • 2023: Afenifere splits further, another group emerges, endorses Kwankwaso

    2023: Afenifere splits further, another group emerges, endorses Kwankwaso

    A group of persons in the Afenire pan-Yoruba socio-political group, has emerged with the name the’ New Afenifere’.

    The leaders of the group  had a meeting with the presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on Sunday.

    In the meeting, the splinter group endorsed the candidacy of Rabiu Kwankwaso.

    Findings show that the division within the camp of Afenifere has deepened recently after the group purportedly endorsed the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

    Meanwhile. the acting Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, is backing the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi. 

     As a result of the division in Afenifere, another group known as New Afenifere has emerged and is supporting Kwankwaso.

    The Coordinator of New Afenifere, Comrade Ajibade Adeyeye stressed that his group has chosen to identify with the NNPP presidential candidate because of his track record. 

    “The New Afenifere hereby states that we are concerned socio-political umbrella known as New Afenifere and I dare say we have decided to take our future into our hands to prepare for the upcoming 2023 election. We have called on our elder statesmen not to impose on us anymore but to allow us to choose our preferred presidential candidate because we believe we are old enough to make decisions for ourselves and for our future.

    “So, on behalf of the New Afenifere, we have decided to forge ahead and endorse the candidature of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, together with his running mate, Bishop Isaac Idahosa to see toward a new Nigeria.”

    The NNPP presidential candidate welcomed the endorsement and promised to run an inclusive government, stressing his party would salvage the country from the challenges bedevelling it.

    Afenifere was formed as a socio-cultural organization for the Yoruba people of Nigeria, with Chief Abraham Adesanya as its leader and Chief Bola Ige as deputy leader.

  • Afenifere, Arewa, Ohanaeze back support for Obasanjo’s image to be on new notes

    Afenifere, Arewa, Ohanaeze back support for Obasanjo’s image to be on new notes

    The Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere,  Arewa Consultative Forum and Ohanaeze Indigbo, respectively, gave their backings to the proposition of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in 2023, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to have the image of Nigeria’s former president Olusegun Obasanjo on one of the the newly designed naira notes.

    Recall that Atiku via his Twitter page praised the former president for the role he played in restoring peace in Ethiopia after the two-year-long crisis.

    The Waziri of Adamawa added that the Owu politician deserves a Nobel Prize for peace for that feat in Ethiopia.

    Ethiopian government has been at loggerheads with a Secessionist movement government in the country known as Tigray People’s Liberation since November 9 2020.

    However, Obasanjo, ex-Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, and a former Deputy President of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka intervened and the crisis ended on Wednesday November 2nd, 2022.

    Adamawa born politician, Atiku has been full of praises for the  achievement recorded by his former principal in intervening in the subject matter.

    His tweet reads, “I celebrate the extraordinary prowess of His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in bringing peace to Ethiopia. I am not surprised. I know my boss. He did the same thing in Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe during our time in office.

    “If for nothing else, he is most deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, and I will nominate him when entries are open for nominations. Africa is blessed to have a statesman of such impeccable democratic credentials as Chief Obasanjo, a man whose image ought to be on the redesigned naira note, to inspire future generations of Nigerians to sacrifice for their nation and continent.”

    Reacting to Atiku’s proposition, the National Secretary-General of Afenifere, Chief Sola Ebiseni, said he agreed with the former vice-president that Obasanjo deserved to have his image on the naira note for his contributions and place in country’s history.

    He said, “The naira notes that are to be redesigned already have pictures of some personalities who are part of our history but Obasanjo is well deserving of any honour that Nigeria considers necessary for him. As a matter of fact, no one has been more part of Nigeria’s history as Olusegun Obasanjo, so a place of honour should be reserved for him. When you look round Nigeria so far, no monument of much importance has been dedicated to his personality. I have looked round, no airport, no university, no stadium.”

    Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, said, “Chief Olusegun Obasanjo deserves national recognition on the Nigerian currency. He is a moral edifice who governed the country with an appreciable level of equity, fairness and ethnic sensibility. The governance structures across Nigeria are dotted by his accomplishments. Obasanjo remains the conscience of not just the nation but the entire Africa.”

    On his part, the Secretary-General, ACF, Murtala Aliyu, said Obasanjo’s roles as an international figure stood him out.

    He said, “Looking at the history of the country, whether you like him or not, you cannot dismiss him when talking about the development of this country. From the roles he played during the civil war, as military head of state and handing over power to the civilian government and then during his time as civilian president and even being an international figure. There is nothing stopping a country like Nigeria from honouring Obasanjo.”

    In the same vein, the National President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Bitrus Pogu, said, “Former President Obasanjo did well during his time of administering this country as a military and civilian leader of the country. He started serious infrastructure development in the country as well as Operation Feed the Nation. Also during his time he was able to negotiate our foreign debt downwards.

    “Also in the aspect of economy, remember that when he came in, one barrel (of crude oil) was selling for the lowest ever experienced in the history of the country. He was able to grow the economy and handed over a robust economy to Yar’Adua. I think so far he has done well. And up till now he still behaves like a statesman in all his dealings. He deserves to be honoured. I believe that if that honour is given to him, I am in support. That will encourage others to do the right things and they will be honoured too when they leave public office.”

    Also lending his voice to the idea, the National Publicity Secretary of pan-Niger Delta Forum, Ken Robinson, said, “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo definitely deserves to have his image on one of the notes of the nation’s currency. It is very right. We will also say that elder statesmen who have consistently, from the 60s to date, promote the unity, stability and oneness of Nigeria should also be honoured in terms of being put on the naira note; (and this includes) someone like chief Edwin Clark.”