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Impeachment Saga: A Recurring Decimal In Nigeria Political Development.

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IN Africa political Kingdom, historical developments had been repeated with impeachments. Leaders who flouted Kingdoms’ established norms, cultures, laws were removed by persons, institutions and bodies set up as checks and balances.

For example, in old Oyo Kingdom in Western Nigeria, many Kings were made to ‘open the calabash’- the traditional impeachment process and such leaders were banished from the throne. The Oyomesis had to have the majority to remove an erring Alaafin.

To be a member of the Oyomesis is one of the most prestigious offices one could hold in Oyo town even today, as there is long standing integrity, thoroughness and sacredness attached to it.

Since independence, hardly had there been a government and constitution in Nigeria that the issue of removing leaders had not been germane to.
The modus operandi, modes and models of impeachment in Nigeria had been novel, more bizarre, more crude with each passing republic, and contrary to commonsense not to talk of globally accepted standards and practices.

The Peoples Democratic  party (PDP) had demonstrated flavor for illegal impeachments more than other parties in Nigeria. For example, on 16th October 2006, Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in Ekiti State after the hurried unconstitutional impeachment of  Governor Ayodele Fayose. Retired soldier, General Tunji Olurin was subsequently appointed as Sole Administrator.

Governors that suffered impeachment in Nigeria.

To impeach Peter Obi and bar him from staying in office between 17th March to 2nd November, 2006 representatives of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo met in neighbouring Asaba, Delta State and were subsequently accompanied to Akwa to finalize the impeachment under heavy security provided by the mobile police unit. The House of Assembly members arrived Akwa at 5:00am and they began sitting afterwards.

Eventually, Peter Obi was impeached. On 13th November 2006, ex –Governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye suffered the same fate.

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Pacesetter Oyo State’s ex-Governor Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja was impeached on Thursday January 12, 2006 in an Hotel rather than the normal sitting of the legislators at the State House of Assembly. Notice of impeachment was served the victim through newspapers and the impeachment was carried out by 18 legislators loyal to the strong man of Ibadan politics and garrison commandant , the late Lamidi Adedibu instead of the legal requirement of 22 legislators.

Due to the hurried venal nature, there was unavailability of affidavit of the suspension and the declaration of lack of jurisdiction of the High Court was set aside. Only God saved Ladoja’s life from the evil death machinery of PDP set against him like war landmine under the auspices of ex-General Olusegun Obasanjo.

Similarly, late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was impeached as the executive governor of Bayelsa State, on 9 December 2005 for alleged corruption which includes, theft of public funds, abuse of office, and money laundering while,  Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State was also a victim of same allegations in July 2014.

Many years later, the same scenario and episode replayed itself in oil-rich Rivers State. In July 2013, five PDP Legislators without meeting the statutory requirements attempted to serially impeach the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, and the Governor Oluwarotimi Amaechi. It did not matter to them what the majority legislators felt or the tenets of the Constitution.

Many twists and turns, blackmails, lies, disorderliness, intrigues, manipulation, shameful fracas, injuries, deaths and potential deaths juxtaposed the democratic foolery of these five legislators.

In between these occurrences, over the years in the various States’ Houses of Assembly, same shameful retrogressive democratic imbroglios had similarly played themselves out at both the hallowed chambers of the Senate and House of Representatives, among ‘honourable’ members.

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Nigerians  could recollect seeing Dimeji Bankole watched the boxing bout and drama among his fellow ‘distinguished’ colleagues right inside the hallowed chamber he presided over few years ago. What Nigerians find comical and ironical is that despite these evidences of idleness in our hallowed chambers, our legislators are the highest paid in the world!

Some of the above scenarios were orchestrated by educated and enlightened leaders; so the problem of wanton impeachments without recourse to due process is not lack of basic education by perpetrators who carried them out with impunity.

In saner climes, impeachment processes are well articulated, legalized and enshrined as instruments of socio-political developments towards ensuring good governance, accountability, checks and balances of leaders’ excesses. In Nigeria, the monster of impeachment had been set loose as tormentors of the democratic experiment and elected leaders. Poverty of ideas, dearth of decent approach in matters, poverty of the mind and of the pockets, fuel impeachments in Nigeria.

Impeachers had used and are using impeachment against the impeached as instruments of vendetta, brutality, cruelty, bestiality, flagrant show of ego and globally- rated indecency.

When will sanity be brought to this continual cannibalistic orgy of ugly shame, being masqueraded as impeachment and or at least witness some sanity in the conception and execution of impeachments in Nigeria?

Until saner men are brought to governance in Nigeria and God fearing people who have alternative means of livelihood embrace politics and elective positions in Nigeria and the emoluments and perquisites attached to elective officers reflect passion to serve and made so financially unattractive.

Until we revert to part time-legislature. Then it would not be a do or die affair. There shall be disagreements between opposing views based on principles, divergent reasoning’s, conviviality, dialogue, peace and progress.

The interest of the nation, not of individual pockets, shall then be paramount. Then, we shall have soundness and sanity from the hallowed chambers of honourable members.

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May God give our country real men and leaders who will be ruled not by their bellies but by reasoning, who can mentor younger generations and will not be ashamed to answer questions to be posed to them by their children and grand children.

Imagine your children ask you the question, ‘Dad, did you do this, are you the one in that picture?’ Nigerians need democratically-compliant leaders, not war mongers.

In 1949 at the inauguration of the United Nations Chapter on Human Rights, American President Truman said ‘regard for human rights is indispensable to political, economic and social progress…..disregard for human rights is the beginning of tyranny and, too often, the beginning of war’.

Like Truman’s America, God, please give Nigeria true men, please.

 

By Dr. Ajibola Esuola, Idowu Ayodele. 

 

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Politics

Oyo: Rep Oseni Inaugurates N120m Earthmoving Equipment for Grassroots Development

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Engr. Aderemi Oseni, the House of Representatives member representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State, on Monday, inaugurated N120 million worth of earth-moving equipment, aimed at enhancing grassroots development and ensuring food security within the federal constituency.

Oseni noted that the dire state of road networks in his constituency compelled him to procure the equipment, which includes a grader and payloader, to facilitate the seamless movement of people, goods, and services.

The lawmaker, who spoke shortly after the inauguration of the equipment in Ibadan said: “We are currently starting the rehabilitation of 80 roads in phase one of this project. Once completed, we will proceed to phase two. Additionally, we have selected certain roads in both Ido and Ibarapa East local governments for asphalt tarring.

He added, “Hiring equipment for road rehabilitation is no longer fashionable nor economical. That’s why we’ve invested in our own. In addition to ongoing health and education projects, we’ve finalised plans to dig 50 boreholes in polling units to enhance water supply. Currently, we’ve finished three boreholes, in addition to several others commissioned prior to the elections.”

While also distributing bags of rice to numerous communities as part of the measures to cushion current hardship, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) lauded President Bola Tinubu for the release of N100 million each to lawmakers through the Federal Government Ministry of Agriculture to address the plight of the masses.

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The legislator tasked Nigerians to be actively involved in the intervention of the Federal Government on road projects across the nation by reporting any contractor that indulges in the poor handling of projects to the agency’s offices.

“I have been telling our committee members in the House of Representatives that fixing our roads is our major challenge. But as community leaders and members of society wherever we find ourselves, we should be involved in monitoring these contractors. A lot of money has been appropriated for road projects.

“When you see contractors saddled with the responsibility of fixing the roads in your area and you see that the job is not being done properly, you don’t need to be a qualified engineer before you know when something is not being done very well or the way it should be done. Raise your voice and go to our offices in various states to report such incidents and we will be able to take it up from there”, Oseni posited.

Earlier in his remark, the Senior Legislative Aide (SLA) to the lawmaker, Alhaji Abdul-Hakeem Okedina urged the people to support him (Oseni) in his drive to improve infrastructural facilities in the constituency, assuring that more dividends of democracy will be available to all irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliations.

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Economic Hardship: Rep Oseni Lauds FG’s N100m Palliative for Each Constituency

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Hon. Aderemi Oseni, the lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State, has commended the proactive stance of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration towards addressing the welfare needs of Nigerians.

The lawmaker applauded the government’s commitment to ameliorating the prevailing hardships faced by citizens, particularly through the significant intervention of One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000) allocated to each federal constituency via the Ministry of Agriculture.

Oseni, in a statement on Thursday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, in Ibadan, emphasised the importance of such interventions in providing essential support to communities and constituents grappling with economic challenges, notably in the distribution of grains to cushion the impacts of the hardship in Nigeria.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said the allocation, aimed at cushioning the adverse effects of hardship, signifies a crucial step towards fostering sustainable development and resilience across the nation.

He informed that the palliative has no bias for partisan politics as it is meant for all vulnerable members of the public in the Ibarapa East/Ido Federal constituency, irrespective of political affiliations, adding that the contractor had supplied the rice in the amount of the money approved.

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“I want to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the several initiatives and interventions of the federal government to bring ease to the people. I also want to reassure all the constituents in Ibarapa East/Ido federal constituency of my commitment to their welfare at this time and always,” the lawmaker assured.

The APC chieftain appealed to members of the public to remain patient and calm as lawmakers are making frantic efforts to ensure the effective implementation and equitable distribution of democratic dividends for the benefit of constituents in their various constituencies.

Renewing his commitment and promising more dividends of democracy for his constituency, Oseni also hinted that in line with his campaign promises, he would be commissioning road construction equipment for the rehabilitation of rural roads this Saturday.

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APC criticises Makinde for alleged education decline in Oyo

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APC criticises Makinde for alleged education decline in Oyo

 

Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of education in the region, accusing Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration of negligence and insincerity in addressing the challenges faced by the sector.

In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to Mega Icon Magazine,  APC highlighted issues such as scarcity of teachers, deplorable infrastructure, lack of teaching aids and equipment, poor monitoring and supervision, erosion of competent administrators, and outdated policy and curriculum implementation as contributing factors to the decline in education standards.

Oyo APC emphasized the need for urgent intervention, stating, “It is time well-meaning citizens and residents of the state began to ask questions on why a key sector like that of education has had to be handled with levity in the last five years.”

The party disputed the state government’s claims of improvement, citing examples of severely understaffed schools and inadequate resources.

The statement pointed out specific cases like St. Joseph Primary School in Ibadan North West LGA, SDA Primary School in Egbeda LGA, Baptist Basic School in Tede, AUD Primary School in Igboora, Muslim Community Primary School in Itesiwaju LGA, and Christ Church School in Ona-Ara LGA, where an alarming shortage of teachers was evident.

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The APC also drew attention to the critical situation in public secondary schools, highlighting the lack of staff to teach core subjects.

“Examples included Baptist Secondary Grammar School in Atisbo LGA and Methodist High School in Ibarapa North LGA, where the Old Student Association and a mere four teachers, respectively, struggled to meet the educational needs of hundreds of students”.

The party urged residents to question the Seyi Makinde-led administration’s commitment to education, stressing the need for immediate action to prevent further deterioration.

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