OBJ, IBB, Anenih Prepare 5-Points Plan For Jonathan

It emerged on Saturday that the Elders Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which met with the warring factions of the party in Abuja on Friday has prepared a five-point action plan for the attention of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The committee, which was led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and included former military leader, General Ibrahim Babangida, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party, Chief Tony Anenih, had, on Saturday, wrapped up the five-point action plan, which it believes would aid President Jonathan in resolving the logjam in the party.

According to Sources the elders’ committee’s recommendation to the president included the reinstatement of the Adamawa State chapter of the party loyal to Governor Murtala Nyako, reinstatement of the executive committee of the Rivers State chapter of the PDP, which is loyal to Governor Amaechi, as well as the re-absorption of Governor Rotimi Amaechi into the party, in line with the party’s constitution.

Sources also said that the elders committee also recommended that President Jonathan should intervene and bring an end to the crisis rocking the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) by calling a heart-to-heart meeting with the Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, and his Rivers State counterpart, Amaechi, to agree on a resolution of the crisis.

Another recommendation of the elders committee, which is to be submitted to the president, is the suggestion that the 31 August mini convention should be reviewed to rectify any anomalies.

2015: ‘How APC Will Beat PDP’

Since the advent of the present political dispensation, Katsina-born Senator Mahmud Kanti Bello, erstwhile Senate Majority Whip, has literally traversed all major political parties, including PDP, ANPP and CPC. Now, he is a member of the newly registered All Progressives Congress (APC).

In this interview, he laments the danger corruption posed to the future survival of this country, insisting that only Buhari can deal with the menace.

Excerpts:

You have traversed literally all major political parties- PDP, ANPP and CPC. Are you now comfortable in APC? 

Yes, so far I am comfortable. We just had our stakeholders’ meeting and I am happy that the Interim National Chairman has set out a well articulated manifesto for the party. We are out to check insecurity, devolution of power, agricultural development for food security aS well as free education. As you have said, I have been in this political game for quite some time.

My own understanding is that we are giving this country something that will salvage the economy from the clutches of indiscipline, high level of corruption and insincere leadership. I am also happy that all our governors and leaders are committed to moving this country forward.

You know I am a grassroots politician and from all that I have heard, Nigerians are very happy about the party. Nigerians want a party that is different from PDP. They don’t want what has happened in the defunct parties. They want an honest democratic party. They want people to be elected on merit. And this is why this interim leadership must live by example. If they do very well, their names will be written in gold. If they mess up with their selfish interest, there will be problem for the party and it will spell doom for Nigeria.

Are you in a nutshell saying that the party is now well positioned to bring about the change people are yearning for? 

I will rather say that the party is now well named. You cannot say a party is well positioned when you have not elected your executive. The people that are there are all interim. They were selected or appointed by our previous parties. Yes, we have confidence in them, but Nigerians should be given opportunity to elect their leaders when the time comes for election. And it should be from ward level to the national level. So, if this interim management is honest from registration to congress, then they have done great for Nigeria. If they mess up and bring certain interests in, then they mess up this country, mess up the party and mess up the hope of Nigeria. At this movement, a savior for Nigeria has been borne. The only thing is that this baby should be nursed very well.

As a core Northern leader, how acceptable is APC in the north? 

Northerners in general wanted a change because they are not happy. The reason they are not happy is that they have seen that their standard of living has gone down. If you go to Kano, so many factories have closed down. There is no longer textile industry you know. Before this government came in, we knew how many mega wattS of electricity we were generating. Today, we are generating less than 3,000 mega watts. There is nothing to show for the trillion of naira invested in the power sector. People are no fools. 

No industry can grow without regular electricity. Even we cannot cope with our domestic consumption. Every single northerner wanted a change from what is happening today. I joined the CPC because I followed the people. I wanted to be where the people are. It has been made clear that if we are able to win and get to power, we are going to pursue devolution of power, we are going to do our best to develop agriculture to ensure food security, and we are going to provide good health care system. These are not mere wishful thinking.

The security situation must be improved; educational system must be improved, electricity must be improved, if this country is to move forward. People must have gainful employment. And the great sector that can employ people is Agriculture. No northerner is happy to see young Al-Majiri on the streets begging because it is a time bomb; it is like explosive ready to blast off. Something should be done.  That is why some of us out of patriotism prayed so that there will be merger.  And thank God that merger has now become a reality. Now, the next stage is for the people who are put in charge to move the merger forward. This is the most critical period in the life of the party.

So, the Interim management must live above board.  I am not saying we haven’t got confidence in them; we have. But we are watching. They must make sure that they do things right. If any of them is interested in going for any elective position, he must resign from management position. I believe not only northerners but the entire Nigerians are interested in embracing the party. It is a necessity.

There is a general apprehension that there may be a clash of interests when the time comes for nomination of presidential candidate of the party. Don’t you think so?

If you have listened to me carefully, not only the presidential candidate, but even election into party positions must be done transparently because that is what will show to Nigerians whether there will be honesty or not.

What about zoning matter? 

There is no zoning in our party’s constitution. After the registration of members, there will be congresses. If the registration is hijacked by some people for personal interest, then there will be problem. Every Nigerian who wants to be registered should be registered and should be given equal treatment. I know there are some bad gangs within the party, but we are watching them. Some of us are in this party with our lives and our souls for the interest of this country. And we will do everything possible to make it work. We are not going to leave any stone unturned to make it succeed.

There is also insinuation of a crack in the party. Is there no crack in the merger?

I am yet to see it. This is a new born baby. It was born a couple of weeks ago when it was registered and we just did the naming ceremony at our stakeholders’ meeting. Now, we have to nurse the baby to become a man. This is a developmental stage. At developmental stage, you cannot have a crack. Anybody who talks of crack is just speaking for PDP.

With your Interim Management, how do you think APC is going to cope with the aspect of the Electoral Act that stipulates that election must take place six months before the handover, which is likely to be November or December next year?

God willing, we should be able to conclude our congresses by the end of November. If we conclude congresses by the end of November, we have thirteen months within which to field candidates. And every hand will be on deck to move this country forward. If we are willing, we can make it. All we want is that it must be different from PDP. Nigerians expect a party that is different from PDP and crisis-free.

Putting the card on the table; is there a way your party can actually run away from the issue of zoning because majority of northern political elders want power shift? 

Which zoning? Zoning is not part of the constitution of APC. There is no where zoning is mentioned. But there is what they call fairness. The most important thing is capability, credibility and someone who can do the job. So, don’t bring in the issue of zoning. It is not part of our constitution. It is part of the constitution of the previous PDP. I said previous PDP because Jonathan kicked against it. And that is one of the things that made me to disagree with him. If I sat down with you and agreed on how we want to live together, you cannot just change the rule because you want an advantage. And that is what makes the difference between APC and the PDP.  I am not against Jonathan because he is from the South-South and I am a Northerner. There is a rule that is supposed to be obeyed. If we start disobeying rules, there will be trouble and that is why the PDP is in crisis today. And they will continue to have problem because a lot of people want to cut corners. That is what I am saying to the new party; don’t allow that to happen. Be honest in your dealing with people.

Apparently, if power shift cannot be actualized under the PDP, the North will be looking towards the APC. 

(Cuts in). That is what will help the APC to win. If it is a strategy to field a northerner so that we can win, so be it. But then, we should field a Northerner that is good enough, we should field a Northerner that is not corrupt, we should field a Northerner that is strong, we should field a Northerner that is liked by the people, we should field a Northerner that has the capacity to do the job. And that Northerner we know is in the party and he can do it.  We need somebody who can stamp out corruption. Corruption is our cancer in this country. Why do we spend trillion of naira on the power sector to generate just 3000 mega watts? Why is it that somebody who collected pension and embezzled it is still working freely?  We need somebody who will kill that corruption. And we have it from the North. But if members of the party decide that other person from other part of the country should run, so be it.

What then is the assurance that APC will not drift towards sectionalism when election time comes?

Our party is built on certain principles. I have never thought or agreed with devolution of power. But now that my party has come up with it, I see a lot of wisdom in it. We say we want to generate power; we have to have a way of generating it. With all the noise Sule Lamido, Rabiu Kwankwaso and their group of five governors are making, have they ever talked about the incapacity of Jonathan to produce goods for Nigerians? Rather, they have been talking about power shift.

If power must come to the North, it has to come to the North for a purpose. Nigeria is 53. When are we going to stop the issue of North, South, East and West? We need a leader that can really change this country. If we don’t, there will be problem in this country. Out of population of 160 million people, over 90 million are here in the North. And I can assure you over 50 million youths are roaming the streets without work and proper education. It is a big time bomb. I have to contribute my quota to make sure it doesn’t explode.

People are angry. And we are not even improving agriculture. We only rely on oil from Bayelsa. We are jokers. We can produce enough food for the whole of African continent, but we are not doing that. Instead, we are importing rice from China and Thailand. We need a leader to change this. We need a patriotic leader. When I say we need Buhari it is not because he is a Northerner or he is from Katsina, it is because cancer is our problem and we need to deal with it.

German Man Gives Birth to Baby Boy

A Berlin man has become the first in Germany to give birth to a baby.

He identifies as male, but has a female reproductive system.

The baby boy was born on March 18th this year in a home birth, as hospitals are required to write the name of the mother in their records when a child is born.

It was delivered with the help of a midwife in the Neukölln area of Berlin.

On government records the new father, who is transgender, is registered as a man.

This makes him the first male in Germany to give birth, Berlin newspapers reported on Monday.

He reportedly became pregnant through a sperm donation.

Officially the child does not have a mother, only a father.

The case is reminiscent of transgender Thomas Beatie who has given birth to three children in the US.

Transgender people are able to give birth to children because even when a woman undergoes hormone therapy to become more physically masculine, they can retain female sex organs.

After 2 Rounds Of Sex, She Still Wants More -Husband Seeks Divorce Because His Wife Is Never Sexually Satisfied

A 42-year-old- factory worker, Mr Sola Babarinde, has asked an Orile-Agege Customary Court  in Lagos State to dissolve his 11-year-old marriage to his wife, Nurat, because she threatened to pour acid on his new wife and is never satisfied with sex.

Babarinde had approached the court to seek dissolution of his marriage over allegations of infidelity and threat to his life by his wife.

The resident of 91, Old Otta Road, Orile-Agege in Lagos State,  told the court that his wife, Nurat, had taken to adultery, does not cook for him anymore and has an extremely high libido.

“My wife is never satisfied in bed, she asks for more even when we have gone two rounds, she behaves more like a man than a woman. Because of this, she goes out at will and comes home late at night. I have never enjoyed my union with her.

“She left me for six months and before she came back, I had taken another wife to take care of the two children she left for me,” he said.

Babarinde further alleged  that Nurat threatened to pour acid on the new wife if she refused to leave the house for her.

“I can’t accept Nurat back because she has done a lot of damage to my life. I want the court to dissolve the union and grant me custody of my children,” he said.

However, 36-year-old Nurat denied all the allegations, adding that her husband was lying just to get rid of her.

Nurat, a trader and resident of 9, Gbadamosi Street, Orile-Agege, stated that since her husband didn’t want her again, she was also ready for divorce.

She also levelled allegations against Babarinde.

She stated: “My husband married another wife while I was sick and was taken out of Lagos for treatment.

“He goes around with anything in skirt and he is always drunk whenever he comes back from work. He came here to lie against me just because he doesn’t want me again.

“I met him when he was wearing rags and now that he thinks he has something, he said he is tired of me,” she said.

The court president, Mr Joseph Adewusi, told the couple to maintain peace and adjourned the case for judgment.

Actresses Beg Movie Directors With Sex- Nollywood Actress Exposes Secrets

Nollywood actress/movie producer, Ani Amatosero has exposed some secrets of desperate female movie stars in Nollywood.

Ani who is set to premier her first movie titled 'The Squeezed' is also the CEO of Effixzzy International  Magazine claims sexual harassment is a two sided thing in Nollywood.

According to Ani Amatosero most of the actresses do pester movie producers with sex in order to secure movie roles.

The actress in her own words:

“Sexual harassment is not a new thing to any grown girl. It’s not just in the movie industry but it’s also in the banking industry, the private sector generally and even in our universities. I am wondering why that of Nollywood is always a big deal to people. Some times some girls harass men though.

And the reason is that  some desperate girls who think Nollywood is all about sex come into Nollywood with the mindset of sleeping their way to the top and    so they harass the men. But it’s not always like that. There are some producers and directors who believe in what you can do and how to help you improve on your acting skills   and not for what is under your skirt. It’s so sad that people now see actresses like girls who must sleep their way to get to the top.

The desperate ones are the ones who fall into such traps. They come into Nollywood and they don’t want to grow. They want to fly to the level of Genevieve and Omotola overnight and earn what they earn forgetting the fact that they grew gradually into what they have become today. Growth is a gradual process.”

Obasanjo, Other Governors Shun PDP Dinner

President Goodluck Jonathan has said, that despite some disagreements in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party remains intact. 

He said at this party post convention dinner, Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja yesterday. This is even as the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the aggrieved governors were conspicuously absent at the dinner meant for reconciliation.

Jonathan described those with grievances as minor, assuring that all would be resolved. He said the dinner was a partial fulfilment of the party’s decision to encourage periodic meetings to interact with party members:

“In any human institutions there must be disagreements. What happened (the factional PDP) is a minor disagreements that can be solved.

“For those who have issues, we thank the elders and governors who have been meeting and listening to them, we are committed to resolving our differences. Even ordinary Nigerians believe PDP must remain one because is the only party that can continue to give leadership.

“Even those that are aggrieved call themselves the new PDP meaning they know without PDP they are nothing. PDP is intact, that we have some disagreements is normal. PDP is intact and will remain intact. Is only PDP that has not changed name or form.”

Vice President Namadi Sambo said the PDP has always provided leadership for others to emulate. Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, noted that Nigeria has faced major challenges in the past and did not break up and Nigeria will not break up under Jonathan’s watch.

The Senate President, David Mark, represented by his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, the Senate is undivided, united and will continue to protect the interest of Nigerians and support this administration. Speaker of the House of Representatives represented by his Deputy, Emeka Ihedioha, said the PDP members in National Assembly will continue to support the party through legislative means.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT), Tony Anenih, said this is the first time the party was discussing its future.

He appealed that the task ahead is enormous, “we must be seen as a team not as a group”. He urged Jonathan to come out and declare his intentions by the end of September, that it is no longer right to say the time is not right.

Speaking directly to the factional PDP members, the BOT Chair said, “We will not fire any shot but we will win the war. We should not recognise opposition within PDP.

Governors present were Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Benue (Deputy Governor)  Cross River, Delta, Gombe, Katsina, Taraba (Acting Governor), Kebbi,  Plateau, Kogi. Others present were former national party chairmen, former members of the National Assembly and former governors.

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