25 October, 2017

BUHARI IS GOOD, JONATHAN IS EVIL! By Agha Egwu

BUHARI IS GOOD, JONATHAN IS EVIL!
By Agha Egwu


Tinubu did two brilliant things in the APC campaign to overthrow PDP. First he painted Buhari as a reformed Angel, as a Messiah bringing change. Anybody who really knew Buhari knew that this was false. But the most brilliant thing about Tinubu propaganda was that he painted Jonathan as evil. They defined GEJ as immeasurably clueless and totally corrupt. This too was false.


So their hordes not only voted for Buhari as the Messiah, but actively voted against Jonathan as the devil incarnate, the harbinger of all things corrupt.
People often underrate propaganda. They think of it as a set of untruths that can be blasted away by simple truths. But propaganda can turn the purest untruths into hardened reality, constructing imaginary world's with its own logic as hard and logical as the real world.


Pick a lie. Repeat it continuously and people come to believe it as truth and incorporate it into their mental world's as hardened truths. It was a method developed by the nazis and deployed to devastating effect in the mass murders of the Jewish holocaust. And that was how the hordes of APC and fellow Nigerians constructed the lies of Tinubu's media machines into their mental worlds as hardened irrevocable truths.
Slowly, as the Buhari disaster unfolded they blamed it on GEJ the devil. Eventually, Buhari 's blunders became so glaring that the excuses have worn thin and more of their followers are now openly regretting ever voting Buhari.


For many of the Hausa Fulani and Northern muslim followers, for whom change meant an Islamic revolution, they still see Buhari as the Mahdi, the Messiah, and are enamoured of his glaring actions to advance an Islamic agenda and Northern dominance. They love it. The economic and social collapse mean nothing to them as Islam comes first, and anything can be sacrificed for it.


For the Yoruba and other southern followers who wanted true social and economic change, and were thoroughly decieved into believing that was what was on offer, a certain cognitive dissonance has set in, in which what they are seeing is in severe discordance with what they expected. They have tried very hard to reconcile and justify the obnoxious actions of Buhari, till they have now become mentally and emotionally exhausted.
For many it is difficult for them to believe that they wanted the best for their country, but have inflicted the worst upon it. Many have realised they made a grievous mistake and have gone silent. Some realise they have been grossly deceived and have come out blazing in anger. Still others are looking for justifications, too embarrassed to admit their terrible error.
But one strand of thought is still keeping them sane - and that was where Tinubu was at his brilliant best - the conviction that Jonathan was so corrupt and clueless he just had to be changed. You would hear them say, but I don't regret removing Jonathan. He was so corrupt. This is now the only justification that the Southerners, especially the Yoruba, are holding on to.
But this must be stripped of them too. The so-called wailing wailers have concentrated on proving the absurdity of a Buhari presidency, and have done so most successfully. But the ex-Buharists are still clinging to the illusion that Jonathan was terribly corrupt and inept and so they removed him.
This propaganda clutter must be removed from their eyes so that by 2019, most former Southern Buharists would face the outrageous truth, that they removed the best President this country has ever had and replaced him with the worst ever.
Jonathan was certainly not as corrupt as those before him. The truth is that all Nigerian administrations, including Buhari have been enormously corrupt. So corruption is a given. Everybody did and does it, so in comparing Nigerian adminstrations, corruption must be taken as a constant.


But what about Jonathan 's achievements. They are simply staggering for a Nigerian President. The ex-Buharists have been so propagandised that when you show facts of these achevements they deny it.
Jonathan made Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy, first destination in Africa for foreign investrnent, third fastest growing economy in the world after China and South Korea. The ex-Buharists will say it's a lie or did it put food on the table. But now that we have a recession under Buhari they keep mute or mutter excuses.
You point out the trains GEJ developed they said those are outmoded, even though they later claimed it. You point out the 10 or more Federal universities he developed, they say they are not functioning even though they have graduated students. You point out the Almajiri schools they say where are they? You show them the airports he reconstructed, they look the other way.
You now look at the people oriented policies, the democratic credentials, the freedom of speech, the Youwin programme that bred so many young entrepreneurs and compare these things under Buhari or any previous President, you realise that the Jonathan slogan of a breath of fresh air was no lie.
Reforming Ex-Buharists are still trying to justify that it was right to vote out Jonathan. I call upon all wailers to start shifting focus. The depicting of the true demonic and imbecilic, clueless nature of Buhari has been thoroughly exposed.


Now that web of propaganda that trapped so many into believing that Jonathan was so bad he had to go, must be ruthlessly rooted out. They must face the full horror of the crime they committed against the Nigerian State - they removed the best President we have ever had and replaced him with the worst ever.
That is the only way we can ensure they do not repeat such a grievous mistake in 2019. They must learn to resist all propaganda, shine their eyes and pick the best out of whatever choices they throw at us.

03 October, 2017

Oct 1 speech: Ohanaeze, Ezeife, others blast Buhari

By Emeka Mamah, Ben Agande, Dapo Akinrefon, Simon Ebegbulem, Gbenga Oke, AbdulSalam Muhammad, Peter Okutu & Dirisu Yakubu 


Say he’s trying to push S-East out of Nigeria; full of excuses 
•Speech disappointing, empty —Ozekhome, Junaid Mohammed 
•He has opportunity to bring Nigeria back on track—Afenifere 
•He was rationalising failure
Osuntokun; 

  • it’s laudable— ACF, Oshiomhole


LAGOS – President Muhammadu Buhari’s Independence Day broadcast elicited strong reactions from across the country, yesterday, with Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA, taking strong exceptions to the indictment of Igbo leaders over the escalation of agitation for Biafra. 
The President’s speech was, however, welcomed by the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and some of the President’s political supporters, including Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
 However, critics from across the country, including Dr. Junaid Mohammed, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, Senator Roland Owie, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN; Mr. Akin Osuntokun, among others, flayed the speech for either being empty, sectional or lacking in imagination. 

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which was the object of criticism in the broadcast for allegedly superintending over what the President described as the years of the locust between 1999 and 2015, failed to articulate a reaction yesterday.

Warning against the sustenance of ethnic agitations, Buhari had in the broadcast said: “As a young army officer, I took part from the beginning to the end in our tragic civil war costing about 2m lives, resulting in fearful destruction and untold suffering. Those who are agitating for a re-run were not born by 1967 and have no idea of the horrendous consequences of the civil conflict which we went through,” he said.

Chiding leaders of the region involved, the President said: “I am very disappointed that responsible leaders of these communities do not warn their hot-headed youths what the country went through. Those who were there should tell those who were not there, the consequences of such folly.

” Buhari’s govt always has excuses — Ohanaeze 

Responding to the broadcast, Ohanaeze, responding through its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Uche Achi Okpaga, who described Buhari’s policies as sentimental, lopsided and sectional, advised the APC-led Federal Government to always take responsibility for the current situation in the country.

Ohanaeze Ndigbo said:  “The issue is that the Buhari administration has always found one excuse or the other for the challenges facing the country. They have never taken responsibility before (because) they were not prepared to rule Nigeria. 

“Hate speech started from Buhari and he has continued to implement policies against the existence of Ndigbo. The agitations did not come from oblivion; it is part of his policies which I describe as sentimental and lopsided. These policies had over time fuelled agitations and so, he should not blame Igbo leaders but his administration.

“We blame the agitation on his administration and not Igbo leaders.” ECA, in a statement said it was a regret that the President, helped by his kitchen cabinet, had continued to see Nigeria on  an ethnic prism.

ECA Secretary, Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, while reacting to the speech said: “Mr. President has finally confirmed to all and sundry that he is light years behind global trends and far away from the political reality of the Nigerian situation. This is exactly what happens when a leader surrounds himself only with his kinsmen.
 “They erroneously mistake their sectional worldview as the national interest. Gen Buhari has clearly misread the resolve of the younger generation to change their lot in Nigeria through any means necessary.
“His kitchen cabinet is obviously living in an ancient world where the fear of the inevitable restructuring forced them to take solace inside the cocoon of an outdated, unrealistic northern daydream of forcing Nigerians to head to a National Assembly which was created by a discredited military constitution. “The obstinacy of those scared of the inevitable new people’s Constitution, regional autonomy, and true fiscal federalism gave birth to the agitation for secession; this same obstinacy will ultimately destroy Nigeria. “As the agitation rebounds and resurges, time will unveil the price we all will pay for delaying the return of Nigeria back to regional format.”

Buhari trying to push S-East out of Nigeria —
Ezeife Former governor of Anambra State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife on his part said President Buhari was trying to push the region out of the Nigerian State. “Buhari is the engineer of the problems. He is trying to push the South-East out of Nigeria by marginalising, dehumanising and humiliating them,” he said, adding that the development led to the agitations by the youths that has now morphed into a national concern. “The young ones couldn’t understand what he was up to and so they reacted as young people. “We didn’t have these problems under President Olusegun Obasanjo,  Umaru Yar’Adua or Goodluck Jonathan but immediately Buhari took the oath of office and swore to protect the Constitution, he reneged on such things as the federal character.

“He told us he belongs to everybody and to nobody but we have seen that he belongs to Katsina,” he added. Buhari’s speech disappointing, says Ozekhome Rights activist and constitutional lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, flayed the speech as not good enough. 

Describing the speech as “disappointing” Ozekhome noted that President Buhari left the real issues for trivialities, wondering why the Commander-in-Chief failed to say a word on the threats issued against the Igbo by the Arewa youths. He told Vanguard that the President’s perceived hatred for the Igbo, again manifested in his national broadcast, saying his description of the nation under his stewardship is far from reality.

Nothing interesting from Buhari—Junaid Mohammed
 In his reaction, Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, said the speech lacked substance, adding that there was nothing interesting about it. He said: “I feel very sad that Nigerians have found themselves in this quagmire and it is very unfortunate. “Unfortunately, he surrounded himself with family members who have no experience about government. So what do you expect from such government? “I strongly believe Buhari cannot take this country to the promised land and for him to be telling us his experience as a junior officer in the military when the country needs urgent attention is unbecoming of a leader.”

He has opportunity to bring Nigeria back on track—Afenifere 
For the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, the President has the opportunity to bring Nigeria back on track by restructuring the country. Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said: “The only way Nigeria will not disintegrate under him (Buhari) is for him to begin to lead the conversations around the need to restore Nigeria to better federalism as promised in the APC manifesto. “He still has the opportunity to bring Nigeria back on track. The call for restructuring is the call for a better Nigeria, the call for restructuring is to avoid a breakup.

” Nothing new, says Yakasai
 Yakasai on his part, dismissed the speech as empty on the claim that the President did not say anything new. “From my own understanding, President Buhari did not say anything new, and there is nothing new about the speech most especially if you are conversant with his style,’’ he said.

 He was rationalising failure —Osuntokun 
Mr. Akin Osuntokun, who served as Political Adviser in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, said there was nothing remarkable about President Buhari’s broadcast. He said: “First I am happy for the President that he looks well-rested and apparently in good health. There is nothing particularly remarkable, negative or positive about the speech. “It was all about exaggerating modest achievements and rationalizing failure. You can see the escapist argument he was making on the seeming intractability of the Boko Haram insurgency.” 

No hope in the speech — Owie 
Former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Roland Owie, also faulted the speech saying: “I see no hope in that speech. It is unfortunate that Nigeria has found itself in this situation under a government that has no direction. The anniversary speech does not give hope to anybody. “He was elected to preside over the country, but he is not doing that. When I compare what happened in 1983 when he came first and when he came now, nothing has changed.

” Buhari’s speech is way to go — ACF 
The ACF, however, welcomed the President’s speech as soothing, saying it was the way to go. The ACF in an email reaction sent to Vanguard through its Publicity Secretary, Muhammadu Ibrahim Biu, said the speech was  “a score card of the Buhari administration on securing, economy and corruption which was the hallmark of his campaign promises. “ACF advocates peaceful and meaningful dialogue on all issues of national importance and the use of our democratic institutions to achieve better results. Agitations that come with threats and intimidation have no place in our present democratic dispensation. ACF would, therefore, support any restructuring that comes with clarity of purpose and is just, fair and equitable to all sections of the country,” he said. 

Buhari deserves applause — Oshiomhole
Former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, while also praising the President’s speech said:  “I think the President’s speech made it clear about what is being expected and the progress made so far. The president has emphasized that the unity of this nation is non-negotiable and that is the stand of most of us. “That is sending a message to all those who are plotting one evil or the other against this nation. The President also emphasized plans to create more employment for our youths to check restiveness. So I see hope because if you look at where we are coming from you will know that we are on the right track with President Buhari as President. He deserves applause for this” he stated.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/oct-1-speech-ohanaeze-ezeife-others-blast-buhari/