AMNESTY HARAM
On the surface, I liked President Goodluck Jonathan’s tough talk about not granting amnesty to Boko Haram “ghosts” during his recent visit to Yobe and Borno State. You expect such a strong spine from a president. However, something was clearly missing. The amnesty offer in the Niger Delta was on ground before the militants started to show their faces in Aso Rock. If Jonathan really wants to consider amnesty for the Boko Haram chaps, let the offer be on ground first and let us see what happens next. The militants are no ghosts, I promise. Again, I support a combination of military action and amnesty, as we did in the Niger Delta.
Last week, the social media had fun in excess over the Channels TV interview by the Lagos State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC), Obafaiye Shem, who did not know his organisation’s website. After making so much fuss about “my oga at the top” being the only person who could give the correct address, he finally embarrassed himself by giving it as www.nscdc (“that’s all”) without adding .gov.ng. He has been ridiculed globally (my cousins in UK and US even sent the video link to me!) I won’t add to his problem. But how many ministers actually know the websites of their ministries?
WHY NOT APCO?
I think the All Progressives Congress (APC) need not worry about acronyms and abbreviations, since an association has curiously come up with the name African People’s Congress, with the same abbreviation. INEC’s claim that it cannot register two parties with the same abbreviation cannot be proved by law, but for the sake of peace, I think the opposition alliance can settle for APCO, which is even a proper acronym. In 1999, INEC, under late Justice Ephraim Akpata, refused to recognise the AD/APP alliance, eventually forcing Chief Olu Falae to run on the APP platform which confused many voters in the presidential election.
KEYAMO’S TURN?
Lawyer and activist, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has thrown his hat in the political ring. He has declared his intention to run for governorship in Delta State in 2015 when the tenure of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan expires. Obviously, the success of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Edo State has become an inspiration to others. In a way, unlike regular politicians, the activists believe they have a point to prove and a reputation to lose if they don’t do well in office. So the motivation to deliver the goods is there. I wish Keyamo all the best as he dives headlong into the… errr… murky waters of politics.
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