Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman: The right candidate for PDP National Publicity Secretary
It’s barely 37days to the Elective National Convention of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a political party which once prided itself as the Largest Political Party in Sub-Saharan Africa. The D-Day is December 9, 2017. On a very serious note, I picked interest in the forthcoming National Elective Convention of the PDP, particularly, […]
It’s barely 37days to the Elective National Convention of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, a political party which once prided itself as the Largest Political Party in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The D-Day is December 9, 2017.
On a very serious note, I picked interest in the forthcoming National Elective Convention of the PDP, particularly, the office of the party’s National Publicity Secretary, owing to the fact that the unique role of the opposition party in the sustainance of the true tenets of democracy and good governance cannot be under-emphasised.
The unending flip flops of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC government, at the centre, led by former military dictator, President Muhammadu Buhari, like a child suffering from teething problems, can’t not be corrected, without a virile opposition on ground.
Thus, the office of the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP must be occupied by a gallant and indefatigable individual with the verified capacity to put the ruling government on its toes, thus, holding it accountable to the Nigerian people.
Nigeria, in the last two and half years under President Buhari has suffered its worst recession since 32years; Nigeria, in the last two years, like never before in its chequered history, has become more divided along ethnic and religious fault lines.
Like never before, more lives have been lost in Nigeria, to sectarian violence, farmers-herdsmen clash; Boko Haram menace and State-sponsored massacres such as Nigeria’s Army killings of over N347 Shia Muslims and dumping them in a mass grave in Zaria, Kaduna in December 2015; killing of members of separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on several occasions, in Asaba, Delta State, Anambra, Abia and Rivers State, by the Nigerian Army.
Are we to talk of the tragic bombing of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in Rann village of Kala-Balge Local Government Area of Borno State by the military, where a fighter jet in January 2017, bombed aid providers, soldiers and displaced persons in what military authorities described as ‘ERROR’ killing over 100 persons?
What of the massive job loss, as a result of retrenchment of workers caused by the recessed economy, backlog of salary arrears in private and public institutions, poverty, hunger and starvation, steep cost of essential goods and services, increasing number of suicide missions? These have continued unabated over the last two and half years, owing to the directionless policies of the current administration.
Nigeria, no doubt, needs urgent help, and only through a virile opposition can we achieve this.
Since May 29, 2015, even though, the voiceferous Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State; former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode and many a Nigerians, including but not limited to Reno Omokri, Prince Deji Adeyanju, Jude Ndukwe, Prince Henry Nwazuruahu Shield, among others, have daily kept the President Buhari’s regime on its toes, Nigerians without any further delay yearn for a virile opposition mouth-piece like we had during the days of Alhaji Lai Mohammed as Spokesman of the Action Congress (AC), later Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and later the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This is not to say that Alhaji Lai Mohammed didn’t throw caution to the wind in his stint as opposition spokesman.
Without much ado, I boldly say that the PDP needs not go to Jericho looking for that right man for the job as he is here with us.
That right man is the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) activist and former Minister of National Planning, Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman.
It has gone down in the history of Nigeria that Professor Sulaiman was that man who checkmated the many false claims made by stalwarts of APC and officials of this current administration against former President Goodluck Jonathan and his administration. Prof. Suleiman backed with facts rubbished many of these false claims, especially those made by Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
But the last straw that broke he (El-rufai’s) back, was when he told Nigerians via his Facebook page on October 1, 2015, that the Jonathan administration spent a mind-boggling N64billion for the country independence anniversaries in four years (2011-2014).
El-rufai who was as usual then, still basking in the euphoria of Buhari’s victory, perhaps wanted to please Buhari by proclaiming that while Buhari earmarked N70 million as the spending for the 2015 Independence anniversary, the Jonathan administration had spent N64billion to cover the country independence anniversary spending in four years, giving the breakdown as:
N13billion spent in 2011
N15billion in 2012
N14billion in 2013 and
N22billion in 2014.
Where the pint-sized Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai got that falsified statistics is yet to be explained to Nigerians till date by him, even after he was busted by Prof. Sulaiman.
Busting El-rufai, on October 4, 2015, Prof. Sulaiman who is also the Spokesman for former Ministers’ Forum, had in a strong-worded and widely circulated press statement, disclosed that the Goodluck Jonathan administration only spent N333 million on three independence anniversaries (2012-2014) and not the billions of naira alleged by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
In the statement, Prof. Sulaiman described as “tissue of lies” the statement by Mr. El-Rufai on his facebook wall that the Jonathan administration spent billions of naira on Nigeria’s independence anniversary celebrations between 2011-2014.
In response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by BudgIT Nigeria on the raging controversy, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation confirmed that indeed the Kaduna State governor lied.
In a response to the October 2, 2015 request by the Lagos-based online accountability and public finance platform, the Office of the SGF said governments (past and present) spent a total of N2.24 billion on the Independence Day Celebration/Centenary Actual Expenditure from 2010-2015.
The director (Finance & Accounts) in the Permanent Secretary’s Office, Mohammed Garba, said N1.7 billion was spent on the country’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2010, while no money was released for the celebration in 2011.
Similarly, about N107.6 million was spent in 2012; N45 million for 2013 and N180 million for 2014.
The figure also included the N70 million spent by the Buhari administration for the celebration last October.
Mr. Garba, however, explained that although former President Jonathan had given approval for N223.8 million for the 2013 celebrations, only N45 million was actually released to the OSGF.
He said about N138.14 million was also released by government for the Centenary honours awards.
Howbeit, I hereby seize this medium to say kudos to Prof. Sulaiman, the incoming National Publicity Secretary of the PDP. He actually tamed El-Rufai with the Truth.
The PDP, thus, Nigerians, yearn for a Brave Man with High Intellectual Sagacity like Professor Abubakar Olarenwaju Sulaiman to tame the monsters within the corridors of power
THE PROPHESIES OF PROFESSOR ABUBAKAR SULAIMAN
Not only did the incoming NPS of the PDP name and shame liars, he seems to be a Prophet. He may know this or not.
Having followed series of his interviews on National Dailies, I bring you some of the Prophesies he made in his interview with Daily Trust Newspapers et al, in the early stage of the current administration.
Speaking on Buhari’s Fight Against Corruption
1. The exercise to fight corruption made by this government will end up a nullity.
(Daily Trust, December 26, 2015). See link: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/people-exploited-jonathan-s-simplicity-former-minister-suleiman-olanrewaju-abubakar/126210.html
Speaking on the Constant Blame Game on Jonathan by the Buhari Government
2. Everything that happens now is Jonathan. Everything that will happen up till 2019 will be caused by Jonathan. My brothers in the APC are not prepared for governance; they are just masters of opposition politics. They are good when it comes to opposition, and that is what they will keep doing till 2019. When it comes to governance, forget about it.
(Daily Trust, December 26, 2015). See link: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/people-exploited-jonathan-s-simplicity-former-minister-suleiman-olanrewaju-abubakar/126210.html
Speaking on Buhari’s 2016 Budget’s Pegging of Capital Project at 30 per cent
3. The budget should be appreciated within the context that the Buhari government wants to impress Nigerians. They want Nigerians to believe they want to live up to their campaign promises. What the PDP is saying now is that “yes, you want to live up to your campaign promises, but on what premise?”
What the APC is trying to do is to mount debts for future generations of Nigerians because the budget is unachievable. In the budget, the oil benchmark, for example, is $38 per barrel. But already the price on the international market is below $38 and the projection is that it would go below $30.
The budget is not realistic and automatically, it will have to ride on credits, debts, loans which would be transferred to another generation-
(Daily Trust, December 26, 2015). See link: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/people-exploited-jonathan-s-simplicity-former-minister-suleiman-olanrewaju-abubakar/126210.html
Looking at the three prophesies, are they not already happening?
Is the exercise to fight corruption made by this Buhari government not ending up a nullity already? The endless scandals rocking the Buhari government is becoming odoriferous as the day goes by.
Is the Buhari government not still blaming Jonathan for its countless failures?
Is the Buhari government not piling debts upon debts for our unborn generations?
Indeed, the PDP needs a man like Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman as its National Publicity Secretary.
At this juncture, and ahead of the December 9, PDP Elective Convention, billed for Abuja, I call on well-meaning PDP Delegates across States of the Federation, to endorse the indefatigable and brilliant Professor Abubakar Olanrewaju Sulaiman for the office of the National Publicity Secretary, NPS.
Ikenna Asomba is a Social Commentator, he wrote from Lagos.