ON RECORD

      “The point is that Nigeria can become much less relevant to the United States. We have already seen evidence of it. When President Obama went to Ghana and not to Nigeria, he was sending a message, that Ghana symbolized more of the significant trends, issues and importance that one wants to put on Africa than Nigeria.

And when I was asked by journalists why President Obama did not go to Nigeria, I said “what would he gain from going? Would Nigeria be a good model for democracy, would it be a model for good governance, would he obtain new commitments on Darfur or Somalia or strengthen the African Union or in Niger or elsewhere?” No, he would not, so he did not go”

Princeton N. Lyman, the former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and South Africa, delivering a superlative speech on the panel titled “The Nigerian State and U.S. Strategic Interests” at the Achebe Colloquium at Brown University, USA

“Is Evans an Herdsman? The Herdsmen are also victim of conspiracy in Nigeria, nobody wants them anywhere. They are not the only group killing Nigerians. Let’s weigh the fact and stop sentiment. Every killer can’t be a herdsman. Some could be killing to paint herdsmen black just to hang them.

Where are the cows? Did you see anyone?”

 Tinubu Speaking to the media after a condolence visit to Pa ReubenFasoranti whose daughter was killed by gunmen in Ondo State

“I clearly disagree with the former Governor of Lagos State. His statement is uncalled for and watery. He is someone I respect a lot and I do not wish to dabble into his issue. But the statement he gave in Akure was a slap on the entire Yoruba land. It is out of place for his person to make such a statement. It is a slap and it could make one think that he has a limited interest in the lives and property of the Yoruba.”

Gani Adams reacting to Tinubu’s statement over the killing of Funke Olakunri

 “Let me make this clear, Air Peace will never be able to combat international aeropolitics without the support of the government.  We can only combat it if our government supports us. It is a shame that several Nigeria airlines are pushed out of Dubai either through unfair competition or some arm-twisting tactics, it is very unfair.”

Allen Onyema, Air Peace Chairman on airline challenges

A breakdown of the figure given by INEC showed that while only seven women were elected into the Senate during the 2019 elections, the House of Representatives has 11 women.

While four women were elected as deputy governors, 40 women were elected into the 36 state Houses of Assembly.

It is common knowledge that the number of women elected to public offices in Nigeria unfortunately dwindled despite efforts made ahead of the general elections to enhance women participation in the electoral process by various stakeholders.

The INEC held several programmes and activities to sensitise and mobilise more women to participate in the electoral process with the ultimate goal of having them elected to more public offices. These programmes held countrywide at the urban areas, as well as grass roots level.

Sadly, out of 2,970 women who contested for different political offices, only 62 were elected. The above data shows 4.17% women representation in the 2019 general elections, as against 5.65% elected in the 2015 general elections to the National Assembly.

Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor  Mahmood Yakubu, raising  concerns about women plight in Nigeria politics  at the annual convention of the Nigerian League of Women Voters in Abuja

“I am ready to crown more kings from the Diaspora as long as I remain the number one king in Yorubaland. I am the custodian of the Yoruba culture. I am going to give more Obas in the Diaspora crowns. Many of them will get crowns and staff of office from me and nobody can query me. They know that I’m a special Oba in Yorubaland. My father, Oba Makin Osangangan, is the owner of Ife. I am the leader of all Obas in Yorubaland. I speak with thunder in my mouth and I make bold to say so. No one is above me in Yorubaland in as much as it has been accepted that we are from Ife. I am the one that Oduduwa met at Ife.”

Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, The Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom, asserting that  he remains the leader of all Yoruba Obas during the  installation of  Yoruba Obas in Diaspora at his palace in Ugboland, Ondo State.

“In Nigeria, we have people that never went to school in our National Assembly. We have people with questionable qualifications as state governors. We will go nowhere as long as our best and brightest people are not in politics.” 

Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna State Governor on the importance of education in democratic governance

                             Point Blank

 “We have governors, they go to China and spend one month on a tour and come back with MoU on debts. “China will lend you $1.8b to build light rail. This light rail will be done by workers from China, the trains will come from China, the engines will come from China, the labor will come from China while the driver is Chinese. “At the end of the day, what do you benefit from them? Your citizens will ride on a train and when you ride on a train in northern Nigeria, in a state like Kano or Katsina, where are you going to? You are not going to industrial estate to work. You are not going to school. You are not going to the farm. You borrow money from China to invest in trains so that your citizens can ride on them to go for weddings and naming ceremonies.”

Emir Sanusi II  of Kano challenging  Dr Abdullahi Ganduje’s plan to secure a loan of $1.85b from a Chinese Development Bank that would fund 85% of a Light Rail project for the construction of a 74 kilometer facility in the state to be constructed by a Chinese company CR18G-CRECG with the intention of reducing traffic on the roads and to ease commercial activities