As campaigns begin in August: Can technology deliver credible elections in Nigeria? By Ejiro Ofoye
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SubscribeParadox of debt accumulation in spite of healthy reserves
The subject of reckless debt accumulation has been discussed in several articles such as “Another Useless Debt Burden” November 2006, “National Assembly Fiddles as Debt Burden Cripples” May 2008, etc (please see www.lesleba.com). Incidentally, when Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO) was established in 2003, the excruciating existing burden of external debt was over $35bn; domestic debt, however, was still tolerable and manageable, with treasury bills accounting for about 60% at over N800bn, while treasury bonds accounted for about N430 billion.
Sure-P: Okonjo-Iweala’s Waterloo
But in Nigeria, it almost invariably ends up getting bogged down in colossal corruption. The minute government embarks on a multi-billion naira enterprise the sharp guys devise the plans to subvert it by robbing the programme blind. SURE-P is going the way of National ID Card Scheme, Obasanjo’s $13-16 billion IPP for which we had nothing to show until PHCN was privatized and the National Water Rehabilitation Scheme of another regime.
Old wines, new bottles
Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber. – Plato
Far from me stating the obvious, the writing has been glaringly on the wall and so it came as no surprise. The mutineers have finally taken a decisive turn. So rather than walk the plank, the renegades seven jumped the ship in a spectacular fashion.
Where is the honour in Nigerian politics?
Because I am a Christian Evangelist and have boldly made several predictions on these pages, which have turned out to be true, unlike those who wait for a disaster and then call a press conference to claim they predicted it, let me start with the last among the things which Ghandi predicted would destroy any nation – “Worship without sacrifice”. In my entire life, and my family was deeply involved in politics since the First Republic, I have never known of a religious leader, Muslim or Christian, who had ever, so openly, wrapped himself around a Prime Minister or President as the present CAN President.
Ending militarism in the home
As men, we own the house with its entire property, including our wives. If women shouldn’t be our properties then why are we asked to pay so much to take them from their parents? Beating your wife is not violence, so, the world should stop putting it that way. Women ask for too much and sometimes have to be dealt with to be called to order! My wife is my property and I have every right over her; after all, didn’t I buy her with my money? Sometimes you hear people say husbands rape their wives, but how possible is that? Is the man not supposed to have right over his wife? Anyway, if my wife dares to deny me sex then it means she has given me a clean license to go out and enjoy myself!”
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