FG and Umahi’s roads to hell – 2
By Dele Sobowale The Benin-Agbor-Asaba highway to sudden death symbolizes everything wrong with how the Federal Government and Minister David Umahi have been managing Nigerian roads. The horrors of that road are being replicated everywhere – as will be demonstrated shortly. Umahi obviously is the wrong man for one of the most important assignments. Nigeria’s […]
G7 defection: Matters arising
When a major political event like the defection of the rebellious members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, takes place, it is easy to get confused. When confusion sets in, you will see people who should be sober or suspicious rejoicing as though they have won a major trophy.
Paradox 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.
