Nigerian Elections 2023: GeoPoll Post-Election Survey

Nigeria Elections: what happened?

Nigeria went into General elections on 25 February 2023. GeoPoll conducted a nationwide survey to assess public perception before the election. After the highly charged election, we followed up with yet another survey to learn about people’s voting experiences on election day, as well as their confidence in the election process and results. 

Contents
• Voting Experience
• Trust in the Electoral Process Pre- and Post-Elections
  • Election Results Acceptance, Fraud, and Violence
  • Perceptions of INEC’s Performance
• Witnessing Election Day Interference
• Perceptions of Democracy
• Interactive Data Dashboard
• Conduct Democracy and Governance Research with GeoPoll

After four days of vote tallying, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria formally declared Bola Tinubu the winner of the country’s highly contested presidential election. The declaration is not without controversy, however, as multiple opposition parties have disputed the legitimacy of the election and promised to challenge the results in court. For his part, president-elect Tinubu has appealed for reconciliation with his rivals and urged all Nigerians to unite behind his administration when he takes office in May.

GeoPoll conducted a survey prior to the election to gauge public sentiment about the state of the country, people’s trust in the electoral process, and their intention to vote. Now that the presidential election is over, GeoPoll implemented a follow-up study to learn about people’s voting experiences on election day, as well as their confidence in the election process and results.

Findings from the post-election survey are detailed in this post. To view the full results, filterable by question, state, gender, and age group, scroll down to the Interactive Data Dashboard.

Voting Experience

See complete analysis with data of the statistics on 

https://www.geopoll.com/blog/nigeria-post-elections-survey/

#Nigeria

#presidentialelection

#nigeriadecides2023 

#elections 

#voters

#INEC

#pollingunits

#ballots

#presidentialcandidates

#Tinubu

#Atiku

#Obi

#APC

#PDP

#LP

2023 Presidential Election in Nigeria: Delusions of Grandeur of Peter Obi, Chimamanda and the Obidients

2023 Presidential Election in Nigeria: Delusions of Grandeur of Peter Obi, Chimamanda and the Obidients 

The followers of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) need a reality check for their bloated political Delusions of Grandeur for his victory in the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

Making the loudest noise does not mean you are making sense.

Emotional immaturity, intellectual insecurity and political hypocrisy  of majority of them are glaring from their widely circulated lies of demagogy and now worsened by the intellectual hypocrisy of the celebrated Nigerian novelist and feminist, Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie who is misinforming the ignorant foreign news media on the current affairs in Nigeria. She has been posing and posturing in conceit and deceit to show Peter Obi as a new political personality. A lie.

She has known him since he became the Governor of Anambra State in South eastern Nigeria from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and June 2007 to March 2014 as a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and later decamped to the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in 2014.

He was in the PDP when the party lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 presidential election.

He was a leading member of corrupt and incompetent administration of the former President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP that failed to tackle the insurgency of the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in northern Nigeria and failed to rescue the unfortunate  hundreds of Chibok secondary school girls abducted by Boko Haram in April, 2014.

On 12 October 2018, Peter Obi became  the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2019 presidential election and they lost to the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Oluyemi Osinbajo of the APC.

When Peter Obi was in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan,  Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie rejected the national honour given to her by the Nigerian government. 

She and Obi are from the same Anambra State and of the same Catholic Church.

In May 2022, Obi became the Labour Party nominee for President of Nigeria in the 2023 presidential election, after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party.

Living in denial of the truth is foolishness.

It is delusional for the followers and supporters of Peter Obi to claim that he won the 2023 presidential election held on February 25 as the presidential candidate of the dysfunctional Labour Party (LP) without formal functional offices in the 36 states and federal capital of Abuja.

During the last presidential election in 2019, LP had only 5, 074 votes nationwide for the presidential candidate Alhaji Muhammed Usman Zaki and his running mate, Chief Ezekiel Akpan.

LP has had only one state governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who ran successfully as Governor of Ondo State under the banner of the LP for a period of two terms (2009-2017). Then he returned to the PDP in 2021. 

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu achieved more than all the state governors combined as the Governor of Lagos State from 1999 - 2007.

He made Lagos attractive to FDI.

His economic blue print made Lagos the 4th biggest economy in Africa: the Startups capital of Africa and with the most Unicorns and attracted Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world.

Majority of people attacking the APC do not understand the indices of human capacity development and achievements of Nigeria under the government of the APC.

Over 10 million new jobs have been created since the administration of the APC came to power in 2015.

Most of the jobs have been created in Lagos.

Lagos is the best and safest state to do business in Nigeria.

The economic development master.plan of Bola Tinubu, include the Eko Atlantic City; the Lekki Port Project, a $1.5 billion  project to develop Lekki port in Lagos. 

The acceleration of any ecosystem depends on the environment.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu made Lagos the best place to do business in SubSaharan Africa.

Achievements of the Administration of the APC

Majority of the supporters of Peter Obi are ignorant of the unprecedented achievements of Nigeria under the dynamic economic policies of the administration of the APC since 2015 - 2023.

The booming fintech sector created more than 2 million jobs from the POS vendors on every street to those trading on the internet with over 300,000 online traders.

There were over 41 million micro-enterprises in Nigeria in 2017, which represented over 99 percent of the micro. And the numbers have increased.

Number of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria in 2017.

For more details, contact Sylva Ifedigbo

Head, Clients and Markets Development, PwC Nigeria

https://www.pwc.com/ng/en/events/nigeria-sme-survey.html

$256 billion: The total sum of money Nigerians transferred electronically in 2019.

Digital payments in Nigeria have surged more than fivefold since 2014, hitting 105 trillion naira ($256 billion) by 2019. This rise was partially fueled by companies like Flutterwave and Paystack, which developed easy-to-use payment solutions for individuals and businesses.

This is why it wasn’t a surprise when U.S. payments giant Stripe paid over $200 million to acquire Paystack in October 2020, or Tiger Global valued Flutterwave at over $1 billion in March. Others are also getting involved: The Nigerian Inter-Bank Settlement Scheme (NIBSS) and Interswitch have developed infrastructure like real-time transfers that fintechs rely on.

https://restofworld.org/2021/five-nigeria-fintech-stats/#/256-billion-the-total

All these unprecedented achievements happened during the administration of the APC with the visionary leadership of President Muhammad Buhari and tech savvy Vice President Oluyemi Osinbajo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-jjMBCgthM

The acceleration of any ecosystem depends on the environment.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu made Lagos the best place to do business in SubSaharan Africa.

Hundreds of thousands of Igbos did not come out to vote on Saturday, February 25, because of their fear of attacks by different fringe elements of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)

 that threatened to enforce the Sit-At-Home order declared by the Simon Ekpa-led faction of IPOB that the 2023 general elections will not take place in the South East geo-political zone of the country.

Peter Obi has not condemned the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and this has implications for his presidential ambition, because majority of Muslims and others, especially non+Igbos who are against the breakup of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will not vote for him.

It is even unbelievable that Peter Obi defeated Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos State, the home state of the presidential candidate of the APC! 

Wherever the LP won, they were happy and even claimed that they should have won more votes than the national ruling party of the incumbent administration of the Nigerian government. 

How can you claim you have won in more states than the APC that has been ruling the federal government since 2015 to date; with 22 governors in 22 states of the 36 states in Nigeria; majority of Senators in the Senate; majority of members in the House of Representatives and the Houses of Assembly in the 36 states with functional offices in all the states and in Abuja.

Peter Obi and the Labour Party cannot win the presidential election in more states than the national ruling party. 

Peter Obi actually exploited the gullibility and political naivety of majority of Nigerians by widespread defamation of the personality of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and labelling the APC as an evil political party and lied that the APC has failed in the administration of the federal government. They deliberately ignored the outstanding achievements of the APC since 2015 to date. 

The Labour Party accused the APC of rigging the presidential election. But I have a video showing the LP rigging the election. 

They lied by calling Peter Obi "Mr. Clean" and incorruptible politician. But Peter Obi was linked to the misappropriations of funds by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when he was a leading member of the former national ruling party, People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo, the MD of Fidelity Bank was arrested by the EFCC and he told his interrogators that he was under instructions from Peter Obi, believed to be one of the owners of the bank, to go to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s residence in Abuja for a “financial transaction that could benefit the bank.”

Peter Obi was once the Chairman and is a major stakeholder in Fidelity Bank.

He is among those named in the Pandora Papers for international financial crimes in illicit foreign assets.

PANDORA PAPERS: Inside Peter Obi’s secret businesses — and how he broke the law

Peter Obi serially violated the law by failing to declare to the Code of Conduct Bureau the companies and assets he tucked away in secrecy havens.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora_Papers

Read the following for more details on the consequences of foreign illicit assets.

This Act governs the freezing, confiscation and restitution of assets held by foreign politically exposed persons or their close associates, where there is reason to assume that those assets were acquired through acts of corruption, criminal mismanagement or by other felonies.16 Aug 2016

https://www.unodc.org › 201...

PDF

Foreign Illicit Assets Act (FIAA) of 18 December 2015

The IMF and the Fight Against Illicit Financial Flows

Illicit and tax avoidance related financial flows (ITAFF) can have a significant impact on the economic stability of a country and

https://www.imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/Sheets/2023/Fight-against-illicit-financial-flows

It is really baffling that Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie would endorse such a character, because they are from the same tribe and church when she should know that suspects in similar situations in the United States of America would have been on trial for their crimes and not contesting for public office.

#Nigeria

#nigeriandecides2023

#NigerianDecides

#presidentialelection 

#President 

#Tinubu

#Atiku 

#PeterObi 

#NnamdiKanu

#kwakwanso

#Chimamanda

#Obidients

#Igbos

#IPOB

 

Peter Obi: Facts Don't Lie

Peter Obi: The Acclaimed "Messiah" Without The Credentials - Politics - Nigeria

- By TonyeBarcanista

Since the commencement of the 2023 electioneering season, the term 'Obidient' is a slogan that has dominated the media airwaves, especially on social media. Subscribers to the Obidient slogans are Nigerians that are advocates of Chief Peter Gregory Obi the presidential candidate of Labour Party. Majority of his supporters are driven by rare display of patriotism coupled with the popular yearning for political change in Nigeria, a handful of his advocates have taken to the extreme of portraying him as an infallible mortal that is at par or a little lower than a sacred deity. To this set of people, it is abominable to criticise, question or express displeasure in Obi's credentials or candidacy.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State who until May 23, 2022 was a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party and Presidential hopeful on the Party's platform, is portrayed by his promoters as the long-awaited messiah to deliver the country from the calamity brought upon the country by the Muhammadu Buhari led administration. He is marketed as one with a "frugal" personality in terms of spending (perhaps a miser) who will not allow waste of public resources as President, and will ensure that Nigeria has enough in its reserves like Anambra had under Obi's administration as governor of the state like he (Obi) claimed - though this claim is disputed by his successor, Chief Willie Obiano - but that is a discussion fot another day. Aside his supposed frugality, Obi is portrayed as an incorruptible public officer that has never engaged in financial misconduct while in office. We'll see how true this claim is!

While I agree with the Obi promoters that Nigeria needs a new political leadership that will rescue the country from its current woes and entrench a working system for sustained improvement of the lives of Nigeria citizens, I disagree with them on the choice of Obi as the ideal pilot to lead Nigeria to greatness. Here is an individual that relies in his personal abilities for leadership. Obi has not made mention of any team that he assembled to work with whether while as governor of Anambra state. Even as the candidate of Labour Party, he has no known campaign team (structure) aside Chief Doyin Okupe. Whenever he speaks, he is always about self. The implication here is that as President he will the typical 'Mister Know-it-all' leader, which will be counterproductive to the expectations of Nigerians. But that is not my biggest concern about Obi.

While most citizens are demanding for devolution of power to the grassroot through restructuring of the Nigeria political system, Obi does not come across as a political leader that believe in power devolution. His record as Anambra State governor shows a man that does not believe in the third tier of government; which is supposed to be the closest to the grassroot. While the Constitution of Nigeria empowers State Governments through their State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to conduct council elections for this tier of government, Obi who became Anambra State governor in March 2006, wilfully elected to run the local government through appointees under the nomenclature of Caretaker Committee in flangrance disobedience to the Constitution. Obi's refusal to conduct council elections drew the anger of stakeholders within and outside Anambra state, including the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) that he was not just a member but the Vice Chairman. The NGF in its report on Peer Review Mechanism that was released on March 18, 2013 (Obi 7th year in office) decried the action of Obi as undemocratic. Mr. Afeikhema Jerome, who was the National Coordinator of the State Peer Review Mechanism NGF, went further to appeal to Anambra Government under Obi “to urgently set the machinery in motion and conduct credible local government elections”.

(please find Premium Times report on the story here: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/127070-ngf-scolds-anambra-ekiti-16-others-over-non-conduct-of-council-polls.html).

inspite the scolding by NGF, Obi still refused to conduct Council election. He waited until 2 months to the expiration of his tenure (ten months after release of NGF report) to eventually conduct it. Specifically, the election was conducted on 11 January, 2014. In other words, Anambra State had no functional governments at the local government level for 7 years and 10 months out of the 8 years of Obi's reign. Many believed that the council election was hurriedly conducted by Obi so as to get necessary structures on ground to mobilize for votes for Chief Willie Obiano, his anointed candidate for the 2014 gubernatorial election of the State.

(See PT publication on NGF report: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/127070-ngf-scolds-anambra-ekiti-16-others-over-non-conduct-of-council-polls.html). 

If Obi as Governor stifled the local government system in his state, what magic will he bequeath Nigeria as a whole with respect to power devolution?

Nigeria is plagued with insecurity, terrorism, banditory and insurgency that citizens cannot live their lives freely due to fear of the men of the underworld. The country is in dire need of a leader that will change the tide; but is Obi competent enough to handle such burden? Let's see how he handled similar issue in Anambra State.

As Governor, Obi faced the Biafra agitators under the banner of Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, and led by Mr. Ralph Uwazuruike. Obi's solution to address the MASSOB agitation was a declaration of an undemocratic "Shoot-at-sight" order on MASSOB members. The order, which which drew condemnation by many, was issued in June 2006 (3 months into his government), and also extended to members of NARD and "other hoodlums" in the State. As a consequence of the order, security forces combed Onitsha, Nnewi, Oba, Ihiala and environs and were alleged to have shot, killed, and maimed anyone suspected to be member of MASSOB. On 20th January 2013, residents woke up to discover over 40 floating corpses in Ezu River located in Amansea, Awka, Anambra State. Following the discovery, MASSOB through its spokesman, Mr Uchenna Madu (now factional leader of MASSOB), released a statement on 10 February 2013, identified the corpses as that of its members that were arrested by DSS and handed over to Police on November 9, 2012 but disappeared afterwards. He identified some of the bodies as; Basil Ogbu, Michael Ogwa, Sunday Omogo, Philip Nwankpa, Eze Ndubisi, Ebuka Eze, Obinna Ofor, Joseph Udoh and Uchechukwu Ejiofor. Excerpt of the statement reads;

“MASSOB with deep sense of grief and sorrow wishes to inform Mr. Ban Ki Moon (UN Secretary General), President Goodluck Jonathan, US President Barack Obama, United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) and Amnesty International about the gruesome murder of MASSOB members by the Special Anti Robbery Squared SARS, of Nigeria Police Force, Awkuzu Anambra State. Some of our disguised members and family relations of the detained members were denied access to them. Efforts by our counsel to secure their bail from the police were futile. Our demands for their arraignment before a competent court of law were frustrated by SARS officers. We got information from an insider at SARS headquarters, Awkuzu that armless MASSOB members detained at SARS were secretly killed alongside other robbery suspects. Our lawyers, who confidently waited for their arraignment in January 2013 did not believe that such barbaric, primitive and wicked act could happen because, according to them, a comprehensive police reform on Human Rights was being carried out by the new Inspector General of Police.”

(Ref YNaija: https://ynaija.com/bodies-floating-in-river-are-our-members-secretly-killed-by-security-agents-massob-graphic-image/)

Mr. Uchenna Madu again in November 2013 indicted Governor Peter Obi as being responsible for the killing of MASSOB members through his "Shoot-on-sight" order and even vowed to arrest him afer his gubernatorial tenure. In his own words: “We hold Peter Obi responsible for the killings. This reminds us about the 2006 shoot-on-sight order by Governor Peter Obi who massacred about 2,000 MASSOB members. We shall arrest him and pay him back in his own coin in our own way immediately he steps down as the governor because his recent action of killing MASSOB members will heavily affect APGA chances of winning this election.” Madu spoke on November 14, 2013 while reacting to killing of MASSOB members by security forces the previous day.

(ref: https://www.cknnigeria.com/2013/11/we-ll-arrest-peter-obi-after-leaving.html?m=1)

On April 12, 2014, Mazi Chris Mocha, the Deputy Publicity Secretary of MASSOB released a statement on behalf of Uwazuruike fingering Obi alongside Chief Achike Udenwa (former Imo state governor 1999-2007) and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo of ordering killings of MASSOB members extrajudicially. An excerpt of the statement reads; “Mr. Peter Obi and former Imo State governor, Dr. Achike Udenwa, had ordered the killing of MASSOB members between 2003 and 2006 and would be tried in court in due course. Obi had on May 11, 2006 under the Presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo deployed over 200 federal troops most of who were of Hausa and Fulani tribes to Onitsha and issued a shoot-at-sight order to them. Thousands of our members were killed, including a pregnant woman and 65 others still missing,”

Read the complete report on Nairaland

https://www.nairaland.com/7261280/peter-obi-acclaimed-messiah-without

The Political Ignorance of Peter Obi and His "Obidients" on the 2023 Presidential Election

The Political Ignorance of Peter Obi and His "Obidients" on the 2023 Presidential Election

The North East and South East have challenges of widespread insecurity  caused by homegrown terrorists that will prevent majority of them from voting in the presidential election in 2023.

Many of the people shouting "Obidients" don't have and will not have PVCs on the date of the presidential election.

Both Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, and his followers are politically ignorant of the fact that the presidential election will be won by political expediency and not by popularity on the internet.

I have already seen several opportunists who want to exploit this popularity in various sharp practices.

Peter Obi has never won any election on self recognizance, but by the tribal hegemony of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the South East region of the Igbos.

The majority of Igbos will most likely vote for him. But outside the region, the Labour Party cannot win any state for Peter Obi even if all the Igbos in these states vote for him. Majority of non-Igbos will not vote for him. And without their votes he cannot win the presidential election.

Majority of the so called "Obidients" on Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp groups and Nairaland are ignorant of horrifying communal wars going on between the Igbos and other tribes. These hostilities will favour Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the incumbent national ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election.

The fate of Nigeria in the general elections in 2023 will be decided by existential realities and not by emotional sentiments.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Author of "The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream: My Eyewitness Account of the 2015 Presidential Election", "In the House of Dogs", "The Prophet Lied", "Scarlet Tears of London" and other books distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers worldwide.

#Nigeria
#PeterObi
#Obidients
#Tinubu
#Atiku
#APC
#PDP
#APGA
#LabourParty
#insecurity
#terrorists
#voters
#PVC
#politics
#elections
#2023elections
#2023presidentialelection

The Facts Peter Obi is Hiding from Ignorant Nigerians

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi for the 2023 general elections has secrets he is hiding from Nigerians and others in the world.

#PeterObi

#Peter

#Obi

#Labourparty

#Nigeria

#Nigerians

#elections

#presidentialelections

#2023

Who Is Afraid Of Timi Alaibe?

Timi Alaibe


Who Is Afraid Of Timi Alaibe?

~ By Daniel Wilcox.

Since the day Mr. Timi Alaibe declared his interest to contest for Bayelsa State governorship under the Labour Party many nerves have been racked. Those who are yet to grasp the reality of Alaibe's declaration are already hell-bent on snuffing life out of him. This is to be expected from a people who have no political credibility.
Alaibe decided to team up with the Labour Party to wrest power from the incumbent non-performing governor of Bayelsa state. It is natural that when superiority challenges inferiority, the complex in the lesser party would seek to annihilate the higher party. This is precisely the situation in Bayelsa state today. It is now a consensus of opinion that Alaibe is bringing the Midas touch to the governance of the state if voted into power. Not a few would agree that the state desperately needs speedy transformation. But those who want the status-quo of the frittering of the state's resources would do all the pernicious things to stall the machine of re-engineering the state. The recent bomb blast near his home is one desperate effort by the bruised and the humbled opposition to dissuade Alaibe from contesting the governorship of the state. Having traversed many paths assiduously and successfully, Alaibe is not one to give up so easily. His power is derived from the strength of the people who have massed around him like an impregnable wall.
“I will never let our great party and my people down by giving up the support the people have given me,” he said. Such a statement could only come from a man who knows the people to be his constituency. Alaibe knows that this is his hour to bring about a rebirth in Bayelsa.

The current government has failed us in Bayelsa. Security has collapsed because there are no conscious and concerted efforts on the part of the government to build a virile state where relative peace and tranquility will prevail.

The state has an almost a nonexistent commerce. Governance is not only about putting up phony adverts with the money of already bruised citizens. Governor Timipre Sylva promised to address issues of infrastructure, environment, security, youth empowerment and agriculture but he has so for failed to fulfill his promises. There is no time now to do that, because his time is up. The people are now determined to vote out the ruling government in the state, by voting in a responsible Labour Party government spearheaded by Alaibe.

Accountability had been murdered in Bayelsa state by the current administration as huge allocation of the Federal Government to the Local government areas had been misappropriated by the state government cronies. The rate of unemployment in the state had tripled, this partly accounts for the high rate of criminality in the state. You cannot blame the people because the government has been a great disappointment. Rather than the state government to create job opportunities, it continued to deceive the people with unrealistic and unobtainable schemes.

“The Labour Party is resilient, united and fights the cause of the common man,” he stated. I am for the common people. I also will not overlook the needs of others. He understands the Niger Delta terrain and what the rural masses need.
Though Bayelsa State is one of the major oil producing states in Nigeria, majority of its people still live in poverty.

Adequate transportation system, health, education, and other infrastructure are grossly inadequate in the state as a result of decades of insensitivity of government of the state.

The labour gubernatorial candidate urges all Bayelsans to come out and participate in the on going voters exercise; Bayelsans according to him must resist attempts to manipulate the voter registration. If we want a better Bayelsa state, we must take action and join the efforts to make it happen.



Wilcox lives in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State.

Alaibe: The Only Choice For Change In Bayelsa State

Timi Alaibe

Alaibe: The Only Choice For Change In Bayelsa State

~ By Daniel Wilcox

That Mr. Timi Alaibe has declared his interest to contest for Bayelsa State governorship under the Labour Party is no news. It is also no news that he decided to team up with the Labour Party to wrest Bayelsa state from the shackles of the ruling party. What is news is that Alaibe is bringing the Midas touch to the state because it desperately needs speedy transformation. He is known as one not given to failures. His rise from grass to grace attests to his commitment to a purpose driven mission.

“I will never let our great party and my people down,” he said. Such a statement could only come from a man who knows the right time to do the right thing. Alaibe knows that this is his hour to bring about a rebirth in Bayelsa. He knows that the possibility is within his reach judging by the stunning following he enjoys in the state across political, ethnic and religious spectrum in the state. Almost all his life seems a preparation for this moment.

“I chose Labour Party because the party is resilient, united and fights the cause of the common man,” he stated.

Alaibe is not new to administration in any capacity. He has served the nation well and done exceedingly good for his Niger-delta constituency. He rose from being executive director (Finance) to becoming the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. He was later appointed Senior Adviser to the president on Niger Delta Affairs. He was until his resignation from the current administration a moving force in the implementation of the government’s amnesty program for ex-militants. Alaibe, oversaw the implementation of the amnesty, under which more than 20,000 oil militants, surrendered their arms in exchange for development of their region and a retraining program. He understands the Niger Delta terrain and what the rural masses need in Bayelsa.

A true son of the Niger Delta, Alaibe showed quite early in his life the qualities of diligence, intelligence, compassion.

Prior to his appointment as Managing Director, Alaibe was in the banking industry. He served as Vice President of Cosmopolitan Bancshares in 1994, and later as General Manager, Corporate Banking and Investment at Societe Generale Bank (Nig.) Ltd.
He has become a magnetic rallying point among the youth, the women and the elders alike, and at the national level where he has championed the cause of the Niger Delta people.

At NDDC, it is on record that he has been instrumental to the healthy financial and administrative regime of the Commission, in a charged socio-political environment where the mandate of the Commission faces a dire prospect of being easily overwhelmed by political exigencies and social pressures.

A major part of the success of the NDDC in addressing the daunting neglect of the Niger Delta region, as well as in reducing the agitation and violence prevalent in the region before the establishment of the NDDC, lies in Alaibe’s great compassion, brilliance, foresight, natural problem-solving and people-savvy skills.

In line with the vision of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Alaibe helped to enthrone a culture of enduring achievement for the NDDC. Along with his colleagues on the Board and Management of the NDDC, he strove to set in motion, a coordinated response mechanism to the short-term and long-term challenges of the Niger Delta, comprising as key ingredients, an integrated regional development Master Plan, interim action plan for key projects in the states, as well as skill acquisition programs and a re-orientation and empowerment of youths.

Alaibe has been described in many circles as peace advocate, catalyst for change, friend of the oppressed, conduit for development, and symbol of hope and inspiration for the indigent yet hopeful Niger Delta people.

Alaibe holds a bachelors degree in Accountancy from the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, and a Master of Business Administration from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

In recognition of his contributions to humanity and the society, Alaibe has been appointed a member of many professional organizations, including the Institute of Chartered Administrators, the Institute of Corporate Executives, and the Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He has also received many outstanding awards for excellence. In 1991, for instance, Mr. Alaibe was appointed a member of the Rivers State Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs. A one-time vice-chairman of the Rivers State Wrestling Association, he was also the founding Chairman of the Rivers-Bayelsa Professionals Forum.

He is, also, a member of the Presidential Committee Police Equipment Fund, where he serves as Chairman, Public Sector Sub-Committee.

Among his many awards are: Certified Doctor of Business Administration, Oxford Association of Management, Oxford, England; Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Commercial Diplomacy, UK; Certified Strategist Lifetime Award of the Cambridge Association of Managers, UK; Certificate of Honour from the European Market Research Centre, (Euro Market Forum) 2003; Distinguished Fellow, Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria; Distinguished Fellow, Certified Institute of Management, Nigeria; Distinguished Alumnus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; and Outstanding Alumnus Award, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.

In addition to his growing international profile, Alaibe has been invited to deliver papers on subjects as wide-ranging as politics, capital markets/country risk rating, sustainable development, peace and security.

These include: Security and Sustainable Development in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria,” by the Defense and Security Forum, United Kingdom; Development Challenges of the Niger Delta Region: The Path to Sustainable Development,” at the annual law week of the Nigerian Bar Association, Bayelsa State Branch; Country Risk Rating And Implications For Capital Market Growth In Nigeria: The Niger Delta Question,” at the Nigerian Stock Exchange Annual Conference, Abuja; and Peace and Development in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria,” delivered at the prestigious annual Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series of the Black Congressional Caucus, the United States of America, organised by the Leadership Roundtable of the US-Africa Partnership.

Though Bayelsa State is one of the major oil producing states in Nigeria, it is one of the least benefiting states from the oil income. Majority of Bayelsans still live in poverty. They are mainly rural dwellers due to its peculiar terrain and lack of adequate transportation system, health, education, or other infrastructure, as a result of decades of neglect by the central government and oil prospecting companies. This has been a major problem in the state since its creation and successive governments have failed to address and repair the damage. The state has an almost nonexistent commerce.

In his inaugural speech, following his election, the current governor of the state, Governor Timipre Sylva, promised to address issues of infrastructure, environment, security, youth empowerment, agriculture and industrialization. His government has so far failed to deliver on these promises.

Alaibe is undaunted and remains focused on his program to transform the state for the overall well being of its people.



~Wilcox lives in Yenogoa, Bayelsa State.

The Americanization of British Politics

30 Apr 2010 19:43 Africa/Lagos


The Americanization of British Politics

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the British election less than a week away, Americans may not have to wait until November to see which direction the political tide is moving in the United States. Voting results overseas may portend results here later, says David Coates, author of the new book Answering Back: Liberal Responses to Conservative Arguments, and a political science professor at Wake Forest University.

Coates, a former Brit, says the parallels between the U.S. and British elections are striking. "A moderately progressive Obama-like government is facing off against a party of compassionate Conservatives and a third party parading its concerns for individual liberty," Coates says. "Like voters in the United States next November, UK voters will be choosing between 'Big Government' and 'Big Society.'"

Britain also is contending with many of the same issues that are facing this country - from the economic slowdown and unemployment to immigration and crime. "Will the Labour Government survive?" Coates adds. "It is the question of the hour, certainly for the Brits, and possibly even for us."

Coates says there are a number of other reasons why the UK election is important for the United States. For starters, Britain is a major NATO ally, with troops in Afghanistan. In addition, the UK is Europe's leading financial center, strongly linked to Wall Street.

"The links between our political parties and theirs are close and ongoing. Where the UK moves today, we might move tomorrow," Coates says.

Currently, the opinion polls are giving the Conservative opposition a single figure lead, but no matter who ultimately wins, the closeness of the election is indicative of the deep unpopularity of the Labour Party under Gordon Brown, Coates says.

"That unpopularity is partly a product of Brown's own poor performance as prime minister. But it also represents another chapter in a growing alienation with Labour that began with Tony Blair's decision to invade Iraq," Coates says. "It also tells us how deep the recession has been in the UK since the financial crisis struck in September 2008. British electorates traditionally reward governments for good times and punish them for bad. Times in the UK right now are very bad indeed. "

Since the last election in 2005, incomes are down, job insecurity is up, and debt and foreclosures have increased. Says Coates: "All New Labour's considerable achievements on the economic and social front - unbroken economic growth, reduced unemployment, less child poverty, bigger spending on health and education - have been swept away in 18 traumatic months."

This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise(TM). For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com/.

Source: Wake Forest University

CONTACT: Carol Cirulli Lanham, +1-336-758-5237, carol@sternersedeno.com,
for Wake Forest University

Web Site: http://www.wfu.edu/