Innocent Ojefia Blog

Lest we forget, like many past government, this administration rode to power on the back of the promise to fight corruption. It is safe to say though, that more than any previous administration, the present administration comes top on the perception that a government will actually fight corruption. For many Nigerians, the one reason why this government was voted into power was the belief that corruption which was perceived as the problem of Nigeria  shall be brought to a stop. President Buhari then General Buhari was the symbol of this perception. For many who voted for him, he was an embodiment of integrity, a man capable of doing no evil, an incorruptible disciplinarian and in their view, was what  Nigeria  needed at the time. He was even applauded by many when he claimed he could not afford the presidential nomination form of his party despite having served as a military head of state, a key player in another military government adjudged as most corrupt b...

The former governor of Cross River State,  Donald Duke and one of the leaders of the Coalition for Nigeria has debunked reports that the newly-formed political movement would benefit President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. The former governor speaking during the formal launch of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement at Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja said the group would not favour Buhari. Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross River State and one of the leaders of the Coalition for Nigeria has debunked reports that the newly-formed political movement would benefit President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019. The former governor speaking during the formal launch of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement at Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja said the group would not favour Buhari. “In fact, we’re here to express our frustration. We’re all frustrated people,” the governor said.

  In Nigeria, currently, a  Permanent Voter's Card (PVC)  is the holy grail. From religious leaders across the country to business owners (especially on the internet), to so-called social media influencers, and opposition leaders, the clamour for Nigerians to get their PVC is unprecedented. At the root of this clamour is an ugly reality that has chipped away at the Nigerian consciousness for the past three years (or longer, depending on who you ask). Many of the leading advocates for citizens to be more involved in the country's politics have relentlessly pointed fingers at the arguably disastrous tenure of  President Muhammadu Buhari . It is this gnawing exasperation with the status quo that has led to former Minister of Education,  Oby Ezekwesili 's  Red Card  movement  and former President  Olusegun Obasanjo 's deliberately vague  Coalition for Nigeria  which are desperate to 'change the change'. When you str...

  The proposed political movement by former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Coalition for Nigeria, CN, has been launched in Abuja. The launch held at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja Former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Donald Duke were in attendance. Obasanjo suggested the formation of the movement in his recent statement on President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration. Speaking at the event, Oyinlola said the group is not yet a political party. Oyinlola said for it to make electoral impact in the manner described by the former President, they would need to follow the constitution and register it as a political party. He said, “If and when we come to an agreement that we must metaphose into a political party, then we will. “We’re not a political party, at least, for now. “We recognise the facts that by the dictates of the Constitution, you can only contest on the platform of a political party.” Details later…

Chelsea have completed the signing of Brazilian defender Emerson Palmieri, and the 23-year-old will be at Stamford Bridge for the next four years. Chelsea were initially linked with Juventus defender Alex Sandro, but the Italian club refused to do any business with the Blues. The Blues' gaffer Antonio Conte then turned his attention to Brazilian defender Emerson Palmieri before Italian club Roma finally agreed to sell him on Tuesday night, January 30. Emerson Palmieri is reported to have completed a £17.5 million move to Chelsea from Roma and he is expected to be a cover up for Marcos Alonso. Palmieri began his career at Santos in 2012 and spent a year on loan at Palmero before joining Roma in 2015. He will wear number 33 shirt at Chelsea. "I came here because it’s a great team with a great history. "Today I am realizing one of my dreams to pull on the shirt of such a great club. "English football is something I have been watching since I...

No fewer than seven (7) Ministers of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, have already written their resignation letters, waiting for the right time to tender them to the Presidency, Post-Nigeria has reported. A highly placed source said that most of the Ministers are not happy with President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid, but are afraid of saying it, in order not to lose their jobs. The source added that apart from the Communication Minister, Adebayo Shittu, and few others, most of the Ministers have been silent on Buhari’s second term agenda. “Seven Ministers have already written their resignation letters, which are yet to be submitted. Those seven Ministers have secretly paid loyalty to former President, Olusegun Obasanjo’s Coalition Movement. “Believe me, there is going to be a tsunami, as most Ministers are no longer comfortable working with President Buhari, especially moving on to 2019. “Why is it that Ministers have not unanimously endorsed Buhari, apart fr...

Senator Shehu Sani, has rubbished a report of a Committee constituted by his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to look into the issue of restructuring. Shehu Sani revealed that there will be no restructuring in the country, before or after the 2019 general elections. Post-Nigeria recalls that the Governor Nasir El Rufai-led Committee had on Thursday, last week, submitted its report on restructuring to the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC, on Thursday. While speaking, Sani described the report as a ‘political gimmick’ by the El-Rufai-led Committee. “El-Rufai’s APC Restructuring Committee is a self-serving political gimmick, aimed at diverting attention away from Obasanjo’s letter. It is also a campaign document for 2019. It is not a report worthy of the paper it was written”, Sani said. Sani maintained that the country will have no restructuring, before or after the 2019 general elections. He said Mr. El-Rufai is “anti-restructuring”. “El-Ru...

The Independent National Electoral Commission, has stated that apart from giving physical copies of results of the 2019 elections to party agents, it will also be announcing the results electronically. The commission said the same mechanism would be used in the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections in July and September, respectively. The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said this when he visited the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, in Abuja on Tuesday. Yakubu said, “We are planning for full deployment (of electronic and manual transmission) this year in governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun. Thereafter we intend to deploy the system in the 2019 general elections. “INEC has developed the hardware and software. However, we rely on the operators for the transmission of both the figures and scanned images of result sheets. We wish to assure Nigerians that while we transmit the raw figures from polling units, sca...

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, on Tuesday said tackling corruption and fixing Nigeria required more than a God-fearing leader. Kukah said this at the launch of a book titled “The Shadow List’’ written by Todd Moss. He said to fight corruption and build the nation was not just about goodwill but about getting to the root of the matter and tackling it head-on. “I have said it severally; let Nigerians keep saying they want a God-fearing leader. “Nigeria does not need a God-fearing leader, because God-fearing has become an excuse to appeal to Nigerians and win elections. “Governance in Nigeria is a criminalized enterprise and a criminalized state cannot progress; so we must come to terms as to why it is that this country is in such low portion. “Fixing this country requires much more than that; national cohesion, holding our country together is the most fundamental project if we are to fix this nation. “This is what we need because I am aware of how ...