TheNewsGuru

Tag: TRUST

  • Major gestures I took for granted – By Francis Ewherido

    Major gestures I took for granted – By Francis Ewherido

    During my university days, I became friends with some fellow students. Some of these friendships graduated to brotherhood.  In fact, my mum called me one day and said, “Emma and Deno are no longer your friends; they are your brothers. Misunderstanding can arise between brothers, but do not allow anything to separate you.” Deno housed me in the late 80s for about 10 months after I came back to Lagos before I got my own accommodation. He and Christy, his wife, were already dating before I went to stay with him. Of course, after marriage, my visits continued. Without GSM then, you were never sure the person you were visiting would be home. If he was not home, I stayed with Christy until he came back. She would prepare ukodo for me (pepper soup and plantain/yam). We stayed until Deno came back. After GSM came, I would call Deno and tell him I was coming on a certain date and time to drop documents. He would simply tell me that, “I nor go dey house, but Christy dey.” “Ok, just tell am to prepare my ukodo.” I would go, drop or pick the documents, eat my ukodo, gist for some time and leave.

    Like Deno, I met Emma 40 years ago. We relocated to Lagos after we left the university. When Emma met Ezinne, I was among the first persons he told. I was involved throughout the courtship and eventual marriage. Incidentally, Emma and I got married two weeks apart. We were also neighbours. Without GSM, we visited each other without notice. Till date, Emma pops in without notice. Ezinne is like my younger sister, so I can go to their house and “harass” her in my usual style. Emma does not need to be home. When I returned to Nigeria in 2022, after being away for nine months due to ill-health, it took her time before she came to see me. I adapted one Lenten hymn for her: “Ezinne, what have I done to you? How have I offended you, answer me?” She gave me her trademark laughter and apologised, attributing her action to work pressure. All the women named here have become big sisters to my wife. Only Ezinne is her age mate and she calls Ezinne, “senior house girl.” Find out from her how that came about, if you are curious.

    Ese and I met during registration of new students at the University of Nigeria. Once we knew we were Urhobos from Bendel State, the friendship started. Ese had been living in Lagos with the elder sister. After NYSC we reunited in Lagos. Somewhere he introduced me to his fiancée, Agatha. There was no GSM at the time Ese got married, so I rode my luck a few times to visit. On two occasions, I met only Agatha, but it was not an issue. When Agatha was a branch manager at the bank near my office, I visited her a few times either alone or with my wife.

    I met Holy Mary, as I call her, in 1986. She came for the priestly ordination of my eldest brother, now Bishop Anthony Ovayero Ewherido, with her mother. My brother mandated me to take care of them, which I did to Mary’s satisfaction. That was the beginning of our friendship. When I relocated to Lagos after my NYSC, I met Jim, her fiancé. She left Jim in no doubt that I was special to her and Jim also treated me specially. After their marriage, I visited them without prior notice because there was no GSM. They spend more time in Awka now, but when she calls, that is at least one hour talk. Thereafter, I will speak with Jim. He is also an Arsenal fan and we’ll do our own talk.

    Beatrice and I met in 1990, when we were working in Victoria Island. She is Isoko and we became very close due to my Isoko links. We spoke mainly Isoko. She loved my Ozoro accent. When I came back after my health ordeal, Beatrice came to see me. Once she stepped in, she hugged my wife, dropped her bag, stood over me: “Me n’uzo na” (let me see the head) and started running her hand through my head, examining the scars and the contours. I smiled and said to myself, “omote r’Adaghara (Adaghara’s daughter)! Only someone like Beatrice can do this and in front of my wife for that matter.” As far as my wife was concerned, it’s a brother and sister affair.

    Oga Chris was my former boss, I went to his house for the first time in 1999. He introduced me to his wife, “meet your brother.” She is a Deltan. My bond with Oga Chris soon extended to her and later, my wife. When we were away for those nine months, his wife was among the friends who came to check on our children.

    I made more friends, more like big brothers, later. I would call Olorogun and tell him that I am coming over the weekend to collect items. He would simply say, “I am leaving Lagos for Ovwodokpokpor (Delta State) on Thursday. Meet Nuvie (His wife).” On Saturday, I would go there. The wife treated me specially the way her husband did, so I couldn’t just collect the items and leave. If Arsenal was playing, she switched to the football channel. Now this was the problem. Olorogun has security men at the gate, but he lives alone in the main house with his wife. I didn’t want the security guards to wonder why I was spending so much time alone with madam when oga was not in town. For the sake of the security men, I always went with my wife or one of my children. Chief Simeon is another big brother. I call the wife big sis. I am home with the wife, whether or not he is home. I would call another big bros, “Presido, you dey house? I dey your neighbourhood.” He would “order” me, “Go house go wait for me, madam dey house. I go dey house in 30 minutes.” There are a few more of these special relationships.

    I grew accustomed to this trust until I had a shocker.  I told a young couple I would come to visit them. I have known the wife for a long time as a spinster, but the husband only recently. As a rule, I want to know and possibly be also close to husbands of married women who are my friends, just as my female friends have to know my wife. I told them the time and kept to it. The husband went out and was caught up in the notorious Lagos traffic. I decided to wait for him. All of a sudden, I heard a bang on the door and someone frantically trying to open the protector. Then he stormed in sweating profusely. I had thought he was rushing because he kept an older person waiting. Then he saw my wife. His demeanour changed: he was apparently embarrassed and deflated because he thought I was home alone with his wife. I was soooo pissed off.

    Then I remembered my friends who trusted me when I was alone with their wives. I have been taking their trust for granted. I dedicate today’s article to Deno Bayagbon, Emma Esinnah, Ese Omosivwe, Chief Jim Ogugua, Dan Aghwadoma (Beatrice’s husband), Oga Chris, Olorogun Jacob Diedjomahor, Chief Simeon Ohwofa, Prince Austin Enajemo-Isire and a few others. Your trust has a new meaning to me.

  • I will disseminate truth to engender people’s trust – Information Minister

    I will disseminate truth to engender people’s trust – Information Minister

    Minister of Information and National Orientation, Muhammed Idris says his office will truthfully disseminate programmes and activities of the federal government to engender people’s trust.

    The Minister said this on Monday while briefing newsmen after the inauguration of 45 new ministers at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said that the management of government information was vital for the progress of the country nationally and internationally.

    ‘’As a minister of Information and National Orientation, I have the duty of telling Nigerians the true picture of what transpired about the various programmes and projects of the administration in all sectors.

    “Being truthful and effective as minister of Information is essential to engender the trust of the people on various programmes and projects of the administration.

    “I cannot say that it is a thankless job because the minister is only expected to truthfully disseminate the activities of the government.

    “If you do that, then you are free with God and the people,’’ he said.

    On his part, the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Zephaniah Jisalo, thanked the president in realising the dreams of the Federal Capital Territory citizens to have a minister.

    ‘”All I want to say is thank you to Mr President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for making our dream comes true in the Federal Capital Territory.

    ‘”As Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, I will not disappoint Mr President and Nigerians.

    “I will contribute my quota towards achieving the renewed hope agenda of the administration,’’ he said.

    Tinubu inaugurated 45 new ministers into his cabinet on Monday with a charge for them to serve as federal officials rather than regional or sectional ones.

    “You are not a minister of a particular state, colony, region, or ethnic nationality, you are a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    ‘’It is an honour to be chosen to serve as a minister in the federal executive council, and such a high honour comes with tremendous responsibility,” he said

    The President further charged the new ministers to hit the ground running because Nigerians are eagerly expectant of excellence in service delivery, accountability, and transparency.

  • Nigerians still have trust in APC – National Chairman, Adamu

    Nigerians still have trust in APC – National Chairman, Adamu

     

    The National chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC)  Abdullahi Adamu, has said that the party’s presidential candidate Bola Tinubu won the election fair and square.

    According to Adamu, the people of the country has spoken and it’s loud and clear.

    “Jagaban is the informed choice of the electorate. He clearly won fair and square,” his statement on Thursday reads.

    The politician noted that with Tinubu’s victory, the people have “renewed the tenancy of our political party in Aso Rock.”

    Adamu said Nigerians spoke “loud and clear” and congratulated the president-elect as well as party members and supporters “celebrating the resounding victory of our party at the polls.”

    The former Nasarawa governor commended Buhari for “the peaceful conduct of the elections” and for delivering on his promise to provide a level-playing field for parties and their candidates.

    Adamu, however, condemned “the shameful conduct” of the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Labour Party, LP, in their “attempts to sabotage the elections.”

    He said their demand for suspension of the announcement of results could have thrown the country into “chaos and avoidable crisis.”

    “It is a pity that they take their loss so badly. They ought to be good sportsmen and women in the political arena,” the statement added.

  • #NigeriaDecides2023: Campaign promises and the issue of trust – By Dakuku Peterside

    #NigeriaDecides2023: Campaign promises and the issue of trust – By Dakuku Peterside

    Most societies do not trust their politicians, so it is not an anomaly peculiar to Nigeria. Whether it is an advanced democracy or a developing country does not make any difference. For instance, 63% of British people believed their politicians were mainly interested in themselves alone, according to the IPPR think tank poll conducted in 2021. Also, in another survey, 60% of Australians rank the politicians very low on the issues of honesty and integrity. Similarly, in the US, a 2021 Gallup poll showed that 60% of Americans do not have confidence in their politicians. A 2013 study by the World Economic Forum (WEF) pointed out that the people’s trust in politicians in India hit an all-time low that year.

    However, the case of Nigerians and trust in their politicians seems to decline with every cycle of elections since 1999. An extreme trust deficit hovers over Nigerian politicians, and the public hardly believes in the campaign promises or even the commitment made by politicians. Much of the trust deficit links to the fact that there is no mechanism of political accountability in the country. Even when one is in place, politicians and even institutions that are supposed to enforce this usually undermine it.

    The 2023 elections present a unique situation for the average Nigerian voter to confront the issue of trust deficit among the political class. Nigerians have run out of patience in trusting their politicians and those who hold public office on their behalf. There are five significant reasons why the average Nigerian citizen and voter cannot trust politicians.

    First, politicians have failed to keep to their many promises over time . A critical look at the campaign promises since the 1979 elections reveals that the themes and promises are the same: that of bringing about food sufficiency, constant electricity, pipe-borne water, the building of roads, coupled with the provision of quality education and healthcare . From the post-1999 political period till date, we can add to this list issues of security, employment creation through industralisation, fighting corruption, and fixing the economy, and the cocktail of promises would have been complete. I bet you that these will be the same issues and promises in the 2023 elections.

    Politicians have never kept any of these promises properly, none of which has been truly addressed and eliminated from the list of developmental challenges. The trend is as if, immediately after elections, politicians forget or even deny their promises. Many of our basic infrastructure are non-existent or in total disrepair. Youth unemployment is rife, despite the many promises of creating jobs and revamping social services, which are either non-functional or suboptimal. Issues of restructuring have featured in most election campaigns since the 1999 general elections, but despite all the promises by successive candidates, we are still at the same point talking about the same issues since then.

    Second, the inconsistency of politicians is legendary and often borders on creative lies and propaganda. Nigerian politicians change parties like the asoebi changes of bridal clothes during traditional wedding ceremonies. The politics of supremacy of personal interests has killed any serious ideological underpinnings of any of the political parties.

    Politicians have turned parties into vehicles to struggle for power without any enduring attachment to ideals, philosophies, and ideologies. On policy issues, one hardly ever knows where politicians and office holders stand. Besides, when issues of national importance arise, politicians flip-flop from one opinion or stance to another in alignment with their personal interests. For instance, many Northern politicians, especially PDP presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, supported the zoning issue in 2011 but opposed it in the 2019 and 2022 primaries because it favours them and the North.

    Third, many campaign promises have no precise details on how to accomplish them. Politicians create soundbites and colourful proclamations on massive projects they promise to build to improve the lives and material conditions of citizens. However, the politicians do not provide information on the feasibility or viability of these projects. They do not provide details on how and where they will get the funds for the project, who will oversee the project, the cost- benefit analysis, and who will benefit from it. What are the opportunity costs of the project, and how is the project linked to other projects to provide a system of infrastructure that supports economic sustainability and growth?

    Fourth, the average politician is a chameleon who change his/her persona during and after elections. The best time to easily access politicians is when they are canvassing for votes. They show an openness that surprises their worst critics and communicate compassionately and purposefully during election campaigns. However, immediately after the elections, these politicians become inaccessible and unapproachable, whether they win or not. It even becomes worse when they win an elective position because they become far removed from the people, and overzealous security officers and their entourages guard them heavily. Engagement with the people becomes rare once in office. They are far removed from the people they govern and only communicate with them formally through the traditional and social media. Little wonder that there is a disconnect and lack of trust between politicians and the people.

    Finally, there is opaqueness in the conducts of individual politicians, the party and government affairs. This opaqueness breeds disunity and hatred even within the party. The fluidity of the conflict of interest between powerful interest groups and government officials leads to scandals, the reign of innuendos and rumours that bedevil trust and faith in the political system and politicians. This partly accounts for why the two major parties in Nigeria are facing deep internal crisis and tensions today.

    The difference between the Nigerian situation and politicians of other climes is that a more enlightened civil society can hold politicians accountable for their campaign promises by keeping an inventory of these promises and asking questions of politicians during campaigns and even after elections; how much will the proposed projects cost? Where the funds will come from? What are their real impacts and how will they contribute to improving the quality of living of the people? Only by interrogating and engaging the campaign promises of politicians will we start the process of holding them accountable.

    Nigerians must demand a rejigging of the governance structure that must embrace results – performance benchmarks, targets, timelines, achievable goals, and milestones. A result-oriented governance approach emphasises process and outcomes, whilst deemphasising ordinary rhetoric and promises not backed with actions.

    For the political class, political communication and marketing must be less of fact spinning and framing political messages to confuse or deceive the people. The political language should become less vague and empty. All politicians must strive to be honourable, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. Politicians always on the receiving end of the trust deficit must learn the benefit of facts, figures, statistics, historical patterns, trends, and time limits. These will assist them in addressing the trust deficit.

    All politicians in Nigeria must strive to let the 2023 elections give us something new to place our hopes and aspirations in. They must be open to
    being held accountable for their promises. Let the candidates speak for themselves on all key policy issues and not through some spokespersons they will later  deny as being unauthorised to make commitments and decisions on their behalf. This is the time to ask candidates for the finer details of vague campaign promises and to ensure that candidates keep their promises and commitments, and that none should or can take Nigerians for granted again.

    We hope the INEC is ready to painstakingly officiate a free and fair election in the 2023 general election according to the provisions of the amended Electoral Act. The more the polls are credible, the more legitimate and trustworthy that politicians will look and become.
    Voters must be ready to track inventories of campaign promises to hold politicians accountable for their promises. They should act decisively when they know politicians are taking them on rides and abandoning their
    promises. The people must create platforms to continuously engage political office holders, and were anyone is not acting in the overall interest of the people, they could initiate the process of recalling such a person from the
    Assembly, if s/he is a legislator, petition higher office holders about such a politician, embark on media campaigns against the politician, and ultimately, vote out the politician in the next election cycle. This will serve as deterrence for politicians from making promises they have no intention or plan of keeping.

    Although Nigeria is not unique in lacking trust for politicians, the people use even stronger languages than in most climes to describe these politicians, who are all lumped within the category of dubious thieves and liars. There is a pervading sense of hopelessness when politicians fail to keep their campaign promises and neglect the people with utmost impunity. The general elections of 2023 are a make or mar election in a generation.

    Preliminary findings thus far are indicating meaningful youth engagement during the early stages of the campaign; therefore, this is a clarion call and a call of duty to all influential Nigerians to check the campaign promises against the odds and realities of affordability, sustainability, and practical value, especially when the opportunity costs are calculated. Let’s sincerely hope that the 2023 general elections will herald a new dawn in electioneering campaigns dominated by issues-based debates, while campaign promises are interrogated and situatied within the current economic situations and realities, locally and internationally, in the hope that the best candidates win the elections to liberate Nigerians.

  • Do not lean on your own understanding – By Femi Aribisala

    Do not lean on your own understanding – By Femi Aribisala

    “God is not just the God of the possible: He is more pre-eminently the God of the impossible”.

    Jesus used five loaves of bread to feed 5,000 people. He then used seven loaves to feed 4,000. Nevertheless, instead of reaching the conclusion that because of Him they would never again have to worry about bread, His disciples were still concerned when they forgot to bring bread with them on a trip.

    He rebuked them, saying: “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?” (Mark 8:17-18).

    From Jesus’ questions, we can extract certain principles about trusting God.

    Unreasonable trust

    Jesus asks: “Why do you reason because you have no bread?”

    You don’t need to trust God just for what is reasonable. What is reasonable will come to pass because it is reasonable. But you need to trust God for what is unreasonable. Solomon says: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5).

    God is not just the God of the possible: He is more pre-eminently the God of the impossible. Jesus says: “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (Luke 18:27). God does not receive as much glory for the reasonable as He does for the unreasonable. Therefore, the more unreasonable the situation, the better it is to trust in God’s intervention.

    This was the case with Abraham. God promised him an heir. However, he delayed fulfilling the promise until it was impossible. He waited until Abraham was 100 years old and, presumably, sexually inactive, and his wife, Sarah, had long reached her menopause. Then He renewed their bodies and gave them Isaac.

    So doing, He stretched the faith of Abraham. “Against hope (Abraham) believed in hope.” (Romans 4:18). Thereby God was glorified.

    Spiritual understanding

    Jesus asks: “Do you not yet perceive nor understand?”

    How do you know anything?  Do you know it by what someone tells you; by the books you read, or by what you see?  That is not the source of true knowledge.

    True knowledge comes by faith. It is by faith that we come to the knowledge of the impossible. It is by faith we are brought to the understanding of what God can do. What does it mean to know something by faith?  “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17). This means true knowledge comes from what God tells us.

    Peter did not know he could walk on water until Jesus told him to do so. He believed Jesus, got out of the boat and walked on water. But even as faith comes by hearing, even so, faith goes by not believing what we hear. When Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked instead at the waves, he started to drown. He started drowning because he believed his lying eyes and stopped believing the truth of God’s word.

    Fake news

    Do you believe the truth, or are you a captive of CNN, BBC, Sky News, and Al Jazeera?

    It was carried in the news that Jesus had been defeated by His adversaries. They had arrested Him and killed Him by nailing Him to a tree. This dashed the hope of those in Israel who thought He is the Messiah. Except that this factual report of His defeat was in actual fact a lie.

    Isaiah asks: “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1). The arm of the Lord is revealed to those who believe the report of the Lord.

    Jesus rebuked His disciples for failing to believe the report of His resurrection. He was angry because they believed the report of the “BBC” and not the report of the prophets. He said to them: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:25-26).

    He was angry because He had told them beforehand that He would be killed but would rise from the dead on the third day. (Luke 18:31-33). Nevertheless, they still did not believe when what He predicted came to pass. Natural men say: “Seeing is believing.”  But Jesus stands this on its head by telling doubting Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29).

    Hardened heart

    Jesus asks: “Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see?”

    What do you see?  Do you see God at work, or do you see the devil at work?  Can you see what God is doing in spite of the hullabaloo around you?  The hardened heart refuses to accept the truth of God. God’s truth does not change his philosophy.

    Jesus says: “The miracles I do in My Father’s name speak for Me, but you do not believe because you are not My sheep.” (John 10:25-26). The hardened heart sees a miracle denies it, rationalizes it, or explains it away. The reason is simple, the human heart is not fashioned to receive the truth. It can only receive lies.

    Jesus says: “This people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:15).

    Therefore, in order to trust God we need a new heart. God says: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).

    Forgetful hearers

    Jesus asks: “Having ears, do you not hear? Do you not remember?”

    Do you know when it is God who is talking to you even though he might be using the mouth of a friend to do so?  Do you ask God a question and expect Him to answer?  Jesus says: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10: 27).

    Do you remember what God has done?  If He has done it before, He will do it again. He says: “I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). Do you remember what God has said?  If He said it, He will do it. “God is not a son of man, that he should change his mind.” (Number 23:19).

    God is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning as well as the ending. That means He will never begin what He does not intend to bring to completion. If you ever see Him move in your project, it means He is committed. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).

    The enemy is a thief. Do not allow him to steal your dreams. Do not allow him to steal your testimonies. “He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:25).

  • APC at all levels deserve the trust of Nigerians- Lawan

    APC at all levels deserve the trust of Nigerians- Lawan

    “This is to tell you that we desire to develop our country and that APC at all levels deserves the trust of Nigerians because we will always tell Nigerians what it is. We won’t hide anything because you gave us your trust.”

    These were the words the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Sunday in Lagos at the fifth edition of the empowerment programme of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola who is representing Lagos West Senatorial District.

    The event, which was held at the premises of the Nigeria Police College, Ikeja, was also witnessed by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

    PDP may tell you something funny about the administration of APC at the national level but PDP ruled Nigeria for 16 years and all that they did was to leave and bequeath so many challenges to us in 2015

    Urging Nigerians to continue to entrust the affairs of the country to the All Progressives Congress(APC), Lawan stressed that APC is the party to trust.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, which was made available to journalists, Lawan described Lagos as a home for APC and expressed the confidence that “APC, by the Grace of God, will continue to rule Lagos and rule Nigeria.”

    “All that we need to do is to continue what we are doing now. Support our leaders. Tolerate us. Unite ourselves and of course, remain focused.

    “PDP may tell you something funny about the administration of APC at the national level but PDP ruled Nigeria for 16 years and all that they did was to leave and bequeath so many challenges to us in 2015.

    “We are dealing with those challenges one after the other and if on the way, we encounter new challenges, we are equal to the task.

    “By the Grace of God, we are going to turn around the fortunes of this country for the better. We have done so much but we are also challenged especially in the area of security.

    “When someone tells you that the APC administration only takes loans or borrows money, PDP had 16 years of so many resources and they did very little infrastructure in the country if any. The money disappeared and our options are limited.

    “But one option that is not on the table at all is not to do anything. Because you don’t have money, so we shouldn’t develop your country? Nigeria’s administration at the national level is responsible and responsive.

    “We wouldn’t like to take loans or borrow money but when the options are limited and the imperative of development of infrastructure in the country is there, what do we do?

    “If we have to borrow, we have to borrow responsibly, targeted at capital development and today I want to say without any fear of contradiction that in every part of this country, there is infrastructural development either in terms of roads, bridges, dams and so on and so forth.

    “What you witness in Lagos is to tell you one of the best the APC can do and we have many APC states that are working so hard to develop those states.

    “I want to assure Nigerians that APC as a political party is the one that you can trust because, for us, the citizens of this country are the most essential elements and people that we must always focus on,” Lawan said.

    The Senate President urged Lagosians to consider Governor Sanwo-Olu for another term based on his commendable performance.

    On the Senate President entourage from Abuja were Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, Senator Micheal Opeyemi Bamidele and Senator Yakubu Oseni.

  • NDDC Board inauguration: Any further delay is clear betrayal of trust, Ijaw National Congress tells FG

    NDDC Board inauguration: Any further delay is clear betrayal of trust, Ijaw National Congress tells FG

    The umbrella body of the Ijaw nation, worldwide, Ijaw National Congress (INC) has demanded for the urgent inauguration of the NDDC Board, noting that “any further delay in the inauguration of the NDDC board is a clear betrayal of trust and display of State insensitivity on ljaw nation and Niger Delta region.”

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that while receiving the leadership of the INC at the State House in Abuja on June 24, President Buhari had said that the NDDC Board would be inaugurated as soon as the forensic audit report was submitted and accepted.

    The president said: ‘‘Based on the mismanagement that had previously bedeviled the NDDC, a forensic audit was set up and the result is expected by the end of July, 2021. I want to assure you that as soon as the forensic audit report is submitted and accepted, the NDDC Board will be inaugurated.”

    The INC President, Professor Benjamin Okaba, in a statement in Yenagoa on Friday, wondered why President Buhari “till date has not said anything about the report and the inauguration of the substantive board.”

    The INC frowned on what it described as the “complexities and superfluousity that trailed the said audit process, in addition to the diversionary comments of Mr Malami” which it stated “have left us with more worries and suspicion of the true intentions of the exercise.”

    Professor Okaba also expressed concern that President Buhari “till date has not said anything about the report and the inauguration of the substantive board, over two years into the life of his 2nd term despite public concerns and condemnation on the implications of managing the NDDC as a private estate for this long.”

    On the forensic audit report, he insisted that there should be transparency in the implementation of the audit report because, “The INC considers it as a huge integrity test and task on Mr President to immediately submit the Forensic report, undiluted to the corridors of public domain with the guarantee of free and easy access by anyone that cares, in line with the Freedom of Information Act.”

    The Congress also drew attention to the gaps and seeming inconsistencies noticed in the audit report which was submitted by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio to President Buhari. It stated unequivocally that “The ljaw nation is dissatisfied and displeased with the mere mention of figures such as N6trn spent on the NDDC and many others that when weighed and compared with figures from other available benchmarks published earlier by the External auditors and the office of the auditor general, exhibit clear discrepancies and confusion of data. Why de-emphasise the over N1.3trn owed the NDDC by the FGN? Why no mention of the hundreds of billions of naira paid to emergency contractors between Jan 2020 and August 2021 while genuine contractors are still owed several billions of naira? Why the passage of the NDDC budget with a provision of N452.2BN in December 2020 when the NDDC had received only 194bn as at that date?”

    The INC also demanded for fairness in the implementation of the report “to allay the fears that The Akpabio orchestrated NDDC Forensic Audit will not turn-out to be another scam or instrument of witch hunting, intimidating and blackmailing perceived enemies and to further short-change the ljaw nation,” and consequently demanded “the immediate publication of the Audit report with highlights on the achievements, strength and weaknesses of the NDDC and recommendations going forward.”

    Professor Okaba noted that “the INC frowns at the secrecy with which the outcome of the forensic audit is being handled.”

    According to him, the people of the Niger Delta region deserve to know every detail relating to the report of the forensic audit, insisting that there should be no cover up or sacred cows in the implementation of the outcome of the forensic audit.

  • Leadership crisis: PDP will not betray trust of Nigerians – Governors

    Leadership crisis: PDP will not betray trust of Nigerians – Governors

    The governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have pledged that the party would not betray the hope and trust Nigerians betrothed on it in spite of its ongoing leadership challenge.

    The Chairman of the forum and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, gave the assurance while briefing newsmen on after the forum emergency meeting held in Abuja on Thursday.

    Tambuwal said all measures were in place to resolve the crisis rocking the party.

    “We have come to discuss and to affirm to our teeming members across the country that we are still together.

    “Yes, the road can be bumpy but the most important thing is that we are still holding together strongly.

    “That is what we assure our members and teeming supporters across the country.

    “We are the hope of Nigeria and the hope of the future and we earned that confidence and trust of Nigerians and we are not going to betray it,” he said.

    Tambuwal said that the PDP governors at the emergency meeting discussed issues concerning developments in the Party.

    “You must have seen that the acting national chairman, alongside the deputy national chairman, the national Secretary came and briefed us on their meeting at National Working Committee (NWC) level .

    “We are a law abiding party that believe in the rule of law.

    “So when a high court in Port Harcourt restrained, Uche Secondus from parading himself as PDP National Chairman of the party, we advised ourselves that that is the way to go and we must comply with that court order.

    “In that, we have Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, the acting National Chairman, presiding over the meeting of NWC today.

    “He came to brief us on their decision which is in line with previous meeting of the governors’ forum and the meeting of stakeholders that there would be National Executive Council meeting on Saturday.”

    Tambuwal said that the party leaders shall at the meeting discuss issues about national convention holding in October.

  • Betrayal: ‘Trust Not in a Friend’, By Michael West

    Betrayal: ‘Trust Not in a Friend’, By Michael West

    By Michael West

     

    When the Holy Bible admonishes that “Do not trust in a friend; do not put your confidence in a companion” (Micah 7: 5a), it looks like a divisive statement but the essence of this scriptural counsel has dawned on many people who are currently nursing the wounds sustained through blind trust in supposed friends, companions and confidantes.

     

    There are three categories of friends: the true, loyal and dependable friends, the passive friends who have no evil or good value addition to your life, and, fair-weather friends who pretend to be your loyal friends only when they benefit from their friendship or association with you. The latter category is the worst type of friends. They are sly, not dependable, they can switch camp and allegiance the moment you’re down. They are bold to lie against you and confront you with their lies. It is easy for people to believe them because they know them as your friends. They gossip, disparage and gleefully betray your trust without thinking twice. These category of friends have wreaked many lives, homes, businesses, associations, friendships and sabotaged great opportunities.

     

    A woman lost her home to her single mother friend due to carelessness and taking to misleading pieces of advice. Another woman discovered that her younger sister was carrying a baby for her husband. It happened because both of them shared everything about their husbands with those who displaced them. While the traitors are shameless, covetous and inordinately selfish, the victims had reaped the fruits of indiscretion and indiscipline. There should be a limit to what a mature woman should share about her family. These are classic cases of betrayal. It succeeded because the secrets at their disposal were deployed to unseat the women.

     

    Betrayal is a breach of trust, abuse of confidence and friendship gone bad! Not a few people have unpleasant stories to tell about one form of act of betrayal or the other by those they wholly depended upon as true friends. Real friendship is tested when the going gets tough, when the situation appears uncertain and when a glimmer of hope disappears on the horizon. You will know a true friend when everyone turns against you and heaps blames on you; it is only your true friend that will identify with you. When contrived scandal, blackmail and false accusation or allegation is hanging on your neck, it is your true friend that will believe your story and watch your back even when you own up to a wrongdoing. Your true friend sees an innocent offender in your guilty state while others see a criminal in you. A true friend will undertake to stand for you and receive bullets for your sake. A true friend will share in your grief, burden and failure. A true friend is known by how he/she responds to you and your situation in periods of needs, challenges and troubles. The utterances of a true friend could be frank, harsh and critical about your action or conduct but it is uttered in love and not in your absence to denigrate you or complicate your situation.

     

    True friends are difficult to identify when you are comfortable. Everyone will claim to be your bosom friend when they have some benefits they enjoy associating with you. When you have money or in position of power or influence, you will have all manner of friends milling around you. Conversely, the moment the honeycomb stops dripping and wine bottles are empty, human traffic to your place will cease. Your phone lines will scarcely ring in hours. When you innocently fall victim of treacherous machinations or manipulations and you are accused of an offence you did not commit, when your children become helpless and vulnerable and your wife solicits support for the family needs, it is then you will know true friends. Don’t be amazed that beneficiaries of your kindness will be asking your wife out as a condition to help. Nasty and unfounded stories about you will be told by those you think are your friends. Fret not about such people, those are the character traits of fair-weather friends. Don’t be surprised to see them resume friendship with you when you recover. They are shameless lot.

     

    Friendship is the strongest and simplest form of relationship. Even in conjugal relationship, friendship is the bedrock of every working, lasting and happy marriage. Every fruitful interpersonal relationship is anchored on friendship. However, acts of betrayal have done incalculable damages to many relationships. In marriage for example, it is a common occurrence that spouses do betray themselves on the altar of infidelity. This is also responsible for the heartbreaking cases of why several DNA results are turning negative. Likewise, some women receive the shock of their lives during the funeral of their late husbands as children from unknown women with striking semblance are presented to the bereaved family. We are quite familiar with that phenomenon. Either of the two are morally wrong and disappointing. It takes a forgiving heart to stay in such a marital relationship.

     

    Unfortunately, not a few people have died untimely due to treacherous and murderous propensity of greedy and heartless business partners who wished to corner the entire proceeds of their transactions. It is not limited to business partners alone, some wicked clients or customers do kill their creditors to evade payment.

     

    A car dealer was assassinated by assassins who trailed him on a motorcycle from his office and shot him at a close range at the gate of his house. It was believed that one of his customers that bought cars at hired purchase might have orchestrated the dastardly act. Till date, no arrest has been made. To team up with anybody in business partnership, watch carefully, profile the person and pray about it.

     

    The act of betrayal that hurts the most is when secrets you shared in strict confidence and total trust become tools or weapons of attack, blackmail or ridicule during a quarrel. In many instances, such friends rarely stay in friendship thereafter. It is a destructive attitude that must be dealt with in every relationship. The attitude is common with women, and it has broken up many homes. It is the same reason some men refuse to tell their wives the ‘whole story’ they ask to know. Women are fond of rubbing painful past stories or secrets on the faces of their husbands or estranged friends in angry moments.

     

    A woman fell out with her closest friend over a weekly contribution. The issue turned messy such that bitterness and malice crept in. Mrs. AB started revealing some private issues and secrets pertaining to Mrs. CD’s husband. So, people were expecting her to also expose AB’s secrets but she didn’t utter a word. Her neighbours told her that her estranged friend said those things in order to destroy her home. Therefore they urged her to join the fray by revealing AB’s secrets, too. But rather than engage in a tit-for-tat game with her bitter friend, she kept quiet and walked away.

     

    When asked her why she refused to talk, she simply said “I won’t do that. She told me those things in confidence because she trusted me. Because she revealed some things I shared about my family with her does not intimidate my psyche. There was no quarrel when she told me.

    Whatever she has said about me does not matter. That’s her own level of understanding. When this faceoff is over, what will she say or do about what she has spewed out about me?”

     

     

  • Nigerians don’t trust Buhari’s government – Cardinal Onaiyekan

    Nigerians don’t trust Buhari’s government – Cardinal Onaiyekan

    The Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has said that Nigerians will be happy to have a government that can be trusted.

    The cleric who spoke on a monitored programme on Channels Televison on Friday (Christmas Day) lamented the lack of trust in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    “We will be really happy to have a government to trust,” he said, adding that “All those who speak on behalf of the government should believe in the sacredness of the truth.

    “Nigerians are ready to listen to the truth. But when they are consistently deceived, it is neither good for the government nor good for the governed.

    “Here, everybody needs to do an examination of conscience. I will throw the ball back, not only to President Buhari himself but all those who are with him running the affairs of this nation.”

    While regretting the spate of killings in the country, Cardinal Onaiyekan said Nigerians should not be living in the country with fear.

    While arguing that those in government move about with security details, the cleric explained that until the citizens move about freely without escorts, no one is safe.

    “We should not be living in a nation in which we are not secured. We should not be living in a Nigeria where I cannot travel from Abuja without my heart missing 10 beats.

    “I should be able to take my car and drive to my town in Kabba without fear of being hijacked by the way. And the fact that we are not safe is clear.

    “Those of them who are high up in government know under what condition they travel around, if they ever travel by road. Until Nigerians can move around without escorts, we are not safe,” he added.