RRS use drones to recover Dele Momodu's stolen SUV

The Lagos state Rapid Response Squad in a statement released this week, narrated how it used the drones available to them in recovering an SUV belonging to Ovation publisher, Dele Momodu. One of his staff was driving the car when it was snatched..Read the story after the cut...

New photos of Diezani Alison-Madueke in The Boss Newspaper

Nigeria’s former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke in Ovation Magazine publisher - Dele Momodu‘s The Boss Newspaper. She insists that she didn't steal the alleged billions they claimed she stole. More photos after the cut...

Full Interview By DELE MOMODU “I DID NOT STEAL NIGERIA’s MONEY” – Diezani Cries Out

What you are about to read is probably the most anticipated story of the year birthed in the long awaited authoritative investigative newspaper of the future. This pregnant saga fell into labour last week in the pre-natal wing of Pendulum ward of Thisday clinic and it has now given birth to a big bouncing baby christened The Boss.

This is an apt metaphor for the melodramatic scoop which is the cover of the first edition of what I believe will be a catalyst for unbiased investigative reporting in Nigeria. The Boss had long been conceptualised as a Leadership newspaper to occupy the void created by lack of true and credible investigative journalism in some traditional and online media. The original plan was to launch in December or early January. But the Diezani-Alison Madueke story changed all that. It was too compelling to restrict to the Pendulum column alone.  And here we are with what promises to be an exciting addition to the media landscape in Nigeria and beyond featuring an enthralling cover story that will run and run.

Things to remember the 2015 Elections in Nigeria for

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan promised the country free and fair elections, and he kept to hisword. He also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in the democratic process while the whole world was watching, which happens to be one of the best legacies that has come to stay in the Nigerian political system.

However, some political stakeholders have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) due to some irregularities which occurred during the electoral process, however Mr President has urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow the due process according to Nigerian constitution and electoral laws, in seeking redress.

Mr President set the tone for a successful election by appointing Professor Attahiru Jega as INEC’s Chairman and giving him thenecessary support to ensure that the 2015 presidential election is free, fair and violence free.

Professor Attahiru Jega aware of the power conferred on him as the INEC Chairman, ensured that the election process was free, fair and very transparent.

The acceptance of the card reader was the beginning of the end of the ruling party (PDP) and President Jonathan, their attempt to drop the idea proved abortive, they tried all they could to revert the use of the computerised Card Reader Machines by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for accreditation and tracking of information on the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). According to INEC, the machine could help to put a check on  rigging as it is programed to display information on any person who has voted. But the PDP feared that the machine may not provide credible elections, or might not give them room for manipulation. Despite immense pressure on the President to flush out Prof. Jega, the INEC Chairman continued to maintain that he would only leave on his own volition. When asked if he would resign weeks before the elections, the 58-year-old academia  said, “It is unfair for me to say I will resign when I have a job to do. I remain focused”.

All thanks to Professor Attahiru Jega for insisting on the use of the card reader, which was a strategic masterstroke that has added to the credibility of this crucial elections.He was also fair of Mr Jega to have allowed Mr President to use the register after three failed attempts made on the card reader to read Mr President and the First Lady’s permanent voter cards after about 30 minutes. The same process did not take General Buhari and his wife more than two minutes to be accredited using the same card reader. Although, the card reader recorded 0.25% of failure across the nation, the process was still rated free and fair by international communities like ECOWAS, US and UK.    

There is greatness in following the rule of law, orderliness and extreme patience in all you do, all these attributes were practically put to use by Professor Attahiru Jega. He is always calm;For a man who is in the eye of the storm at the moment, Jega remained cool, calm and collected. His focus and determination to make a success of the most keenly contested elections in the country appears to be unshakable, most especially during the proceedings of election collation, when Nigerian former Minister of Niger Delta, Elder Peter Godsday Orubebe attacked him “Professor Attahiru Jega”, alleging that the result of the elections have been falsified and accusing him of being bias and partisan.

        Professor Jega was magnanimous enough to have allowed Elder Peter Godsday Orubebe  to throw tantrums before addressing the issue reasonably stating among others “……….Mr Orubebe, you are a former Minister of the Federal Republic. You are a statesman in your own right. You should be careful about what you say or what allegations or accusations you make. Certainly you should be careful about your public conduct". Professor Jega's response to Orubebe has been hailed as mature and worthy of praise.

If there’s one thing I very much appreciate about professor Jega style of leadership, it is  how he was able to calm the nerves of all Nigerians , by taking his time in announcing each states results and also going on recess, which gave a lot of Nigerians the time to quickly do the summation themselves and also wait patiently for the final result. Prof. Jega has proved to be the only man with the power to keep Nigerians glued to their television sets for hours just to listen to him read out boring figures. By the time the final result was announced, all Nigerians already knew who the likely winner was.General Muhammadu Buhari was announced to have won with 52.41% votes as against the incumbent president with 43.67% votes and a 2,571,759 margin.  

Jega’s systematic approach in announcing the final result, gave President Jonathan and his camp enough room to concede defeat early enough and also prepare his official statement, a concession speech.

The President’s concede to defeat after he realised that he  lost the contest, made him an hero in the eyes of all Nigerians and international observers according to Lai Mohammed, APC spokesman.  

One major tool that was an advantage to the 2015 Nigerian Presidential election was the social media. APC won the presidential election long before it was announced. This we knew with the help of the social media by engaging professional social media entrepreneurs/freelance like @Omojuwa, @chude, @delemomodu and many others. They  did a very good job in promoting the image, vision and manifesto of APC on twitter, Facebook, blog sites, Instagram and many others. The APC slogan “CHANGE” also strikes a chord in the heart of many Nigerians who are ready for rapid change at the national level.

For the very first time in Nigeria’s political history, an opposition candidate won the presidential election and the final results was majorly accepted by all Nigerians and international observers with little or no complains. In a way it’s no surprise that the social media was accurately reflecting a trend. Nigeria happens to have the highest percentage of social media users.In 2014the social media added 10 million new users which gives a total of 75 million internets users today in Nigeria. Nigerians who voted during the presidential election were about 30 million. The #OccupyNigeria and the #BringBackOurGirls nationwide campaign in 2011 and 2014 respectively invited a lot of Nigerians to the social media.

One of the factors that  made President Jonathan lose his re-election campaign according to Omojuwa, was his absence from his twitter handle @presgoodluck with 32 tweets and 25, 000 followers, which was abandoned since 2011. Wondering what could have happened to the president’s social media image if he had not abandoned it for good four years, unlike his main challenger Gen Buhari who only joined twitter in December 2014 with 900 tweets and 117, 000 followers alongside his running mate Prof. Osinbajo who, with 430 tweets has almost 80, 000 followers. APC understood the trend in Nigeria and they were quick enough to plug their campaign into the organic anger against the government that has been cooking in Nigeria’s social media space for at least 4 years.

Finally, the presidential election has made me realise that, you don’t surround yourself with people you do not trust, nor do you give your subordinates too much freedom in running your campaign with little or no checks and balances like Ayo Fayose and Fani Kayode who used their personal characters to destroy the image of President Goodluck Jonathan. It is worthy to note that you should never allow your best tools for success leave you for no reasons, because they might come back to hurt youas was the case with Chief Obasanjo, Dr Saraki and Gov. Amaechi. 

@papabaks, papabaks@gmail.com

My Kobo Advice for Mr. President By Dele Momodu

My Kobo Advice for Mr. President

By Dele Momodu...

Your Excellency, please permit me to commiserate with you on the unfortunate and untimely death of your dearly beloved brother. I sincerely join other Nigerians in mourning what must have been a sad loss for you and your family in particular. As you travel back home to your tranquil village to pay your last respects, I pray you ponder on the free advice I’m about to offer you in good faith. Even if you’ve already returned to the gilded cage of Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, I wish to plead that you find the time to read this open letter which I would have communicated directly if I had the privilege of a private meeting with you.

Perhaps, I should quickly introduce myself as a journalist and politician.  Though I have seen you a few times at functions, we have never properly met. The only time we ever shook hands was when I joined others to mourn the death of, and celebrate, your father in Otueke village of Bayelsa State when you were still Vice President. I also saw you briefly in South Africa in 2009 but did not approach your table because your bodyguards didn’t look like they would appreciate any lesser mortal disturbing your peace.

I was amazed because I had just left the official residence of President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria and did not see more than a few guards in the house. I had spent quality time with him without any other soul than my South African friend I went with. I had gone there in a rented taxi but no one had asked us to go through metal/bomb detectors; or to drop our phones with members of the secret service. I did not see any ADC, CSO, CSD or any other security aide with similar nomenclature only known to, and made in, Nigeria. I think we just love big titles.  

Anyway, I saw you again when you invited Presidential candidates, of which I was one, to Aso Rock, last year to brief us on the need for peace during the elections. I doubt if you saw me, though the invitation came from your office. Most of the candidates snubbed you but I chose to attend out of respect for your person and office. I remember seeing Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, who sat close to me, and Mr John Dara and so many politicians who I believed came because it was Aso Rock but really had no roles to play. Unfortunately, that meeting was nothing but a waste of time. You came and without even shaking hands with your co-contestants delivered your homily, answered a few questions and disappeared. There were no banters or interactions with us to cement a bond of friendship even if we wanted to take over your office.

I was surprised that you or your aides could not persuade most of the candidates to attend. Yet you went ahead to host an event that was obviously doomed before it began. I can only imagine how much was charged Nigeria for such hogwash. Ghana held a similar peace conference about two weeks ago and it was a star studded event. Part of great leadership quality is the ability to attract certified enemies and convince them to rise above prejudices and pettiness. I believe you have not reached out enough. Your aides have also not helped matters by their paranoia and neurotic approach to issues. They see enemies where none exist and fire all guns blazing at shadows. That is not how to build a nation.

One more example should suffice. You went on an official visit to Ghana.  I was invited by the then Nigeria High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to attend the brief reception held for you at our High Commission in Accra. Again, it was impossible for most of us to have a simple handshake with you as your security aides practically treated us like common criminals unworthy of communion with the Almighty.  I finally gave up.

Sir, let me say emphatically that the biggest problem with Nigerian leaders is that once they attain power, they vacate this earth and migrate to another planet far away from fellow citizens. Leaders are elected to serve the people but in Nigeria we are compelled to serve our leaders and if possible starve to death in the process. We are not allowed to ask questions about how we are led or in reality, misled. This is the reason it is difficult for most of you to know what goes on in the real world. I suggest you borrow a leaf from Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola whose style fascinates me to no end. He drives through Lagos with no disruption to the lives of the people.

He responds promptly to reasonable text messages and emails. I know you’re very busy, but take time to see how President Obama jogs down or sprints up the Air Force One. It demonstrates a man on a mission.  Feel free to drive on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and see things for yourself. Go into a pub and mix with the boys like President Clinton once did in Ireland. Refrain from blocking the house of God because you are attending a church service. Sir, no evil shall befall you. You are too distant from the people you lead. Show them love and you shall reap bountiful adoration. No massive security is necessary, once you make God first and suffer not his people. Conversely total security is no security where there is no Godliness. The love and prayers of Nigerians will keep you going.

I have decided to adopt a new approach in my column. I will take it upon myself to write this open letter as regularly as necessary and proffer solutions to different issues, in the hope that you will get to read it. I will tell you what your aides will never tell you. It is up to you to carefully read what I write and take your own decision. Let it be said that we told you but did nothing about it. I would have freed myself from the burden of “siddon-look.” I’m reasonably convinced that if you know the magnitude of problems confronting Nigerians you will work harder and change your style of governance unless you’re determined to fail spectacularly like others before you. I pray this will not be your portion.

Let me state categorically that I write this letter without any malice. More importantly I expect no personal gratification other than to see change in the lives of our people. I needed to make that clear since it is now in our culture to read motives to every good intention.

I have no other reason than out of patriotic fervour. I have not been to Abuja since last year because I’m dutifully engaged at home and abroad, and really have no reason to run up and down the corridors of power like the proverbial yo-yo. Every man must determine his needs in life. I know mine and I am happy and content to manage whatever God in his infinite kindness has given to me. We all have friends and families who have nowhere to go. If Nigeria becomes the country of our dream and there is a level playground for all of us, most citizens would thrive without living like pathological beggars. You’re in a position to leave Nigeria better than you met it. Look at most of the politicians and businessmen around you today. They were the same faces you saw with your predecessors. You are their new god today because of your position. Tomorrow, when you have departed, as you surely must do, they will move on again to the next person, without any qualms.

I have studied men and women of power at home and abroad and have sympathy for their tragic flaws. My discovery is that most leaders often fail to remember that whatever has a beginning must have an end.  Time also flies. And it waits for nobody.  Who could have imagined PDP in power since 1999 with nothing tangible to show for all the trillions of naira spent by various administrations? Who would believe that President Olusegun Obasanjo’s two terms came and disappeared within a twinkle of an eye? Or that even you have spent two years already as President and Commander-in-Chief?  The question that will later haunt you, as it is haunting others before you, for the rest of time is: what did you do with all your time in office and all the resources under your control?

I will say without any fear of contradiction that the money at your disposal right now is enough to transform Nigeria into a true giant if frugally managed. I will now go on to demonstrate what I mean.

Sir, for every one billion naira we waste on frivolous projects, the dream of a fresh thousand millionaires would have perished. If you hand me the N2.2 billion naira you are about to spend on building a new banquet suite in Aso Rock, I will instantly create 2,200 brand-new millionaire farmers from our large army of brilliant but unemployed youths.  Each of them would be able to employ 10 to 20 people in production, preservation, processing and distribution. If you think I’m joking, please hand me the money and I will urgently invite applications from potential beneficiaries. I and my team pledge not to earn a kobo from the project.

If I may ask, what is wrong with the banquet suite you presently have? Is it not better to spend money on providing jobs than trying to show off to visitors that we are prosperous in the midst of wanton poverty? I’m writing this letter from Cambridge University, one of the oldest surviving institutions of learning. The buildings of most Colleges here are as ancient as history, yet there is no plan to demolish them and build new ones. The problem with us is lack of a maintenance culture. You can rehabilitate the old banquet suite with less than N100 million and turn it into an architectural masterpiece. I’m sure you won’t spend your personal money the way ours is being poured away like rain water. Do you know how old Buckingham Palace is? If it was in Nigeria, we would have demolished it many times over in order to award some horrendous contracts.

I gather you want to build a new home for the Vice President at over N6 billion. This is sinful in a nation with over 12 generations of unemployed, and unemployable, graduates. What is wrong with the current Vice President’s home, Akinola Aguda House and wherever Alhaji Atiku Abubakar once lived? It smacks of gross insensitivity to waste resources in this manner. Please, give us that N6 billion and I will give you 6,000 productive millionaire entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Imagine each of them employing 10 people within the first year or two, we would have taken more than 60,000 youths off the streets. We’ve done it several times through Goke Dokun’s creative Entrepreneur Series on television and can do it even bigger in real life. As President, I would rather do this than build a home for a family of less than 50 people.

Mr President, Nigerians are not difficult to lead. In fact, we get carried away by little mercies. I know you have your sight on contesting elections in 2015. Let me assure you that you won’t have to campaign much, or spend billions to get re-elected if you listen to me. All you have to do is demonstrate to Nigerians that you can resist those carpetbaggers who see power only in terms of enjoyment. The world is building monuments and creating new inventions everywhere but we are busy wasting ours on flights of fancy like super jets, palaces, women and champagnes. We can do a lot better because God has endowed us with all we need to be among the greatest of the world. All it takes a little bit of vision and discipline.

Sir, there is nothing you want in life that God has not given you on a platter of gold. It is time for you to reciprocate by humbling yourself like all Saints. I will tell you about them and great names in history when I write my next epistle to you. If you hearken to the voice of reason, you will etch your name in gold.

Truly, like Jesus Christ (apologies to Christians), you will ride triumphantly into your own Jerusalem.

Personally, I think Dele Momodu is not just a brilliant journalist in Nigeria, but he is also a visionary Journalist whose analytical power is beyond description.  Being a Nigerian I believe that Nigeria as  a country has the potential to become a super power , first, at the continental level (Africa)and then join the rest of   the world super powers, if our resources are being manage properly… Else we are going nowhere!

Meanwhile, my suspicion is that Mr. Dele Momodu has been "fenced" from the corridor of power (for some unknown reasons to Him as a person) and he didn’t like it (Maybe Maybe not). That is my opinion and I think I have the right to that, I believe if he have been given access to the president, He would have been singing a different tune by now, and not “wasting” his precious time writhing an open epistle to Mr. “Sidon look”. Personally I think this is another Rueben Abati in d making, a social climber pretending to be social crusader. This might sound odd to your point of views, but that's just the simple way I see the whole scenario.

Best Regards.