RATE PRESIDENT, GOVERNORS ON ZIG GOVERNANCE INDEX

 

Zik Governance Index is a web based polling system to rank the sectoral performance of federal and state governments based on the assessment and votes of the Nigerian People.

Named after Nigeria's first president Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Index is uses world class analytics tools to analyze and evaluate government performance through a set of surveys and polls with political, social and economic indicators. The index focuses on three cores measures of good governance: Transparency, Quality of public services and Government effectiveness. ZGI will produce statistically significant, valid results at the scale of real people.

The Index is to develop a widely acceptable standardized set of measures to assess the performance of governments at all levels in Nigeria and increase citizen's involvement in the governance process

Also to maintain a feedback system to help government improve their decision making and engender good governance and effective leadership by collating and analyzing public opinion on governance.

 

Surveys and Polls in the Index

•      The Goodluck Scorecard-a performance assessment survey for President Jonathan

•      State Government Performance Assessment Survey for each of the 36 state.

•      State Governors' Performance Approval Ratings,

•      National Assembly Assessment

•      Judiciary Assessment and

•      Key Appointees Performance Approval Ratings.

To vote visits www.zikindex.org     

email:info@zikindex.org , Facebook page: ZIK Governance INDEX  ,    Twitter: @zikindex

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2015: Who succeeds Fashola in Lagos?

Lagos state has been in the grip of the opposition since 1999. As the incumbent governor, Babatunde Fashola. rounds off his two term tenure in 2015, the battle for the state Alausa Government House promises to be fierce as interested aspirants on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state have already begun to flex their political muscles. Aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are equally not left out. Our Lagos Correspondent, Ayodele Samuel writes:

As the 2015 governorship election in Lagos draws nearer, the political atmosphere in the nations's commercial centre has begun to get heated. This is because the incumbent governor Raji Babatunde Fashola would have completed his two-term tenure by then. Gross of political heavyweights in the state, both in the ACN and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have begun to show interests in clinching the tickets of their parties.

On the platform of the ruling ACN, those interested in succeeding Fashola include: Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji; an ex-Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire; Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; Senator Ganiyu Solomon, representing Lagos West Senatorial District; Senator Gbenga Ashafa, representing Lagos East Senatorial District.

Other aspirants who have shown interest in the number one job include Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives; former Governor Bola Tinubu's aide-de-camp, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal; and the immediate past Accountant-General of the state, Mr. Akin Ambode.
Another possible replacement for Fashola is the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeola Ipaye, although he is said not to be interested in the core politics of the state.
It was however gathered that the governorship position might be zoned to the Lagos East Senatorial Zone, taking into cognisance the fact that the serving governor hails from Lagos Central while his predecessor, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, is from Lagos West.

If the governorship slot is eventually zoned to Lagos East, as is being canvassed, the move will put paid to the governorship ambitions of Hamzat (Lagos West), Gbajabiamila (Lagos Central), Lawal (Lagos Central), Banire (Lagos West), and Solomon (Lagos West) as possible contenders, leaving Ashafa, Ambode and Ikuforiji. The Lagos Assembly Speaker is currently facing graft charges, in the race.

Ambode and Ikuforiji also seem to be having an upper hand if the clamor for a Christian governor in the state is key to who represent the party at the poll. But Ikuforiji may have gotten his fingers burnt in the N35 billion scandal which is almost ruining his political dream to govern the state.
Sources close to Tinubu said a Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Hakeem Muri Okunola, whose father was a revered Justice in the Court of Appeal in Lagos state before he passed on was also being considered.

Gender twist is being added to the game with the coming of Senator Remi Tinubu, who obviously is nursing the ambition of becoming the first female governor in the state.
Senator Ganiyu Solomon, who is currently the Minority Whip of in the Senate, early this year declared his intention to run for the Oval House by 2015. GOS, as he is fondly called by his admirers, is the first aspirant in the state, irrespective of political party to come out to indicate interest in the Lagos governorship race in 2015.

He believes that with his experience and developmental vision nursed over the years for the state, he is more than prepared to take the state further,"I have the experience and I am convinced that I will take the state further from where it is now," he said.

ACN state Chairman, Otunba Oladele Ajomale, said the party's leaders "are not talking about the governorship election yet," stating that the party was yet to deliberate on such issue.
The chairman, however, expressed strong opposition to the principle of zoning, noting that the principle "is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) formula and not ACN's. We do not believe in such ideas. We believe in picking the best." According to him, the next governor of the state could come from any part of the state as he added, "Our responsibility is to get the best and only the best will be good for the state. Wherever the candidate comes from, it does not matter. It is only those that can perform that will emerge eventually.
He continued "It is not about zoning. Someone who cannot perform cannot govern the state. The state is too discriminatory for that. We always want the best. The only thing the state deserves is a quality candidate. We cannot choose someone who will drag the party backwards. The next governor of the state must be someone who will shatter the records of the incumbent governor. When the time comes, the right candidate will emerge. I have not seen anyone who is interested yet."

On Somolon's declaration to contest for the position, Ajomale explained that all qualified candidates "have the right to say what he or she wants. But I am in the best position to tell the truth. The party is yet to decide who will be the next governor of the state. But when the time comes, we will do that."

On the platform of the opposition PDP in the state, the likes of Ade Dosumu, who was the party's candidate in the 2011 governorship election; Chief Mrs. Remi Adiukwu-Bakare, former Commissioner for Commerce in the State; Adedeji Doherty, who contested the party primary in 2007 and 2011 have indicated interest to contest the Lagos governorship by2015.

Former Nigeria's High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; Afenifere chieftain, Mr. Jimi Agbaje; former House of Representatives member, Hon. Setonji Koshoedo; Mr. Demola Doherty, are also among the politicians warming up for the ticket of the party in the 2015 election. However owing to the unending schism in the state chapter of the party, more gladiators may emerge to contend for the flag of the party in the poll.

Obanikoro and his loyalist in the party have flagged off discreet campaigns for the party's ticket, with his rested political machinery being revived with members daily thronging into his Lagos Island home as well as the homes and offices of his associates across the state.

Obanikoro is also said to be using selected elders of the party in the state to reach out to camps opposed to his candidacy within the PDP. Believed to have the backing of the Presidency, Obanikoro is working hard to win the confidence of the party leadership in the state.Members of the party might still be aggrieved with the former Senator over campaign funds released to him by the Presidency under Olusegun Obasanjo for the 2007 election.

Jimi Agbaje a governorship candidate of Democratic Peoples Alliance (DPA) in the 2007 election, is however favored within the party, though he has not officially joined the fold but serious efforts are being put in place to ensure he get the party's ticket. The party believed

Agbaje could change the negative perception of the party in the state if given the platform,.
Members of the party had severally warned Chief BodeGeorge not to begin another unending problem by imposing any unpopular candidate that might affect its chances in winning the 2015 poll. Several members are still aggrieved over the way Dosunmu emerged at the order of Bode George from his prison room as the party candidate in 2011.

Also all reconciliatory efforts in the party seem not to be yielding positive result for the PDP to face the 2015 task; the party still relies on the power and influence of the Presidency or its national secretariat to capture the state.

With the benefit of hindsight, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had attempted to use the federal might in 2003 and 2007 to "capture" Lagos for the PDP but failed woefully despite his annexation of the rest of the Southwest. 2015 is another test for the Federal Might.

Still, indications are that the PDP under President Goodluck Jonathan is intent on winning Lagos, but first, there is need for the party in the state to close ranks. A member of the party said the Presidency is ensuring that concerted efforts are put in place to pacify all aggrieved party members and bring them together.

Although the Alliance for Democracy (AD) is laying claims to being still politically active in the state, it is yet to be seen how serious the party is in Lagos political calculations in the race to the Oval House in 2015.

http://peoplesdailyng.com/2015-who-succeeds-fashola-in-lagos/

Government worried over high level of malnutrition in Northern Nigeria

Government worried over high level of malnutrition in Northern Nigeria 

Ayodele Samuel and Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

 The Federal Government yesterday said the northern region is worst hit with the menace of malnutrition which mostly affects children under the age of five.

The Minister for Health Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu in  a keynote address at the second Shared Value Media Workshop organised by Nestle Nigeria Plc in Lagos said the North West has 53% of  Stunting and wasting in the country.
While North Central has 44% , North East 49% , South West 31% South South 31%  and  South East 22%.

The Minster who was represented by  Deputy Director/Head, Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Chris Isokpunwu  said  is really unfortunate that despite the fact that most of the food being consumed in Nigeria are being produced in from northern Nigeria, yet the region has highest number of malnourished children in the country.

"The FAO has said that there is enough food that can feed the seven billion world population, yet over one billion people are still suffering from malnutrition. In Nigeria, most of the food we consume are produced from the northern part of the country, yet the region has highest number of malnourished children under the age of five" Isokpunwu said.

He lamented  that about 41 percent of Nigerian children under the age of five are suffering from stunted growth, 14 percent suffer from wasting while 23 percent are suffering from underweight. He added that the problem of malnutrition has been less noticed because when doctors write their post-death reports, they hardly attribute it to malnutrition.

"When doctors write their reports after a child's death they fail to attribute it to malnutrition but will only indicate missiles, malaria, pneumonia as sources of death. This continues to undermine the ravaging effect of malnutrition which often gives birth to some of these stories," Isokpunwu said.

 He said the federal government is putting policies and guidelines in place to address the issue of malnutrition in the country

He said the review of the National policy on Food and Nutrition is under way.

Declaring the workshop open, Managing Director and Chief Executive Nestle Nigeria, Mr. Dharnesh Gordhon  Said one third of pre-school children are deficient in Vitamin A, while more than three quarters of young children and pregnant  women suffers from iron deficiency.

He said to address this public health problem and help reduce risk of under-nutrition, Nestle embarked on micronutrient fortification of its product.

  He said the company helps farmers to rub profitable farms while developing a sustainable supply chain for grains.

"we trained 2,500 farmers through capacity building programmes, we purchased 8,000 tonnes of maize, 5,900 tonnes of sorghum and 5,000 tonnes of soybeans from farmers in Nigeria."
this story was first published in Peoples Daily Newspaper  20 -June-2013

Kpeyegyi community, closer to Power, far from safe water

BEAUTY AMAIKE, a Student and  AYODELE SAMUEL, a blogger at www.ayodelenews.blogspot.com on the hard life of Kpeyegyi residents to get safe water.

Living in Kpeyegyi community one among  Abuja (Nigeria's seat of Power) satellite snub might be the worst thing happening to its residents.

The community is not only close to the Nations seat of power but  lack so much –they have no good roads, potable water, health facilities and good transport system. Majority of them live in accommodation that are not befitting the status of people associated with a Federal capital city like Abuja.

In Kpeyegyi, absence of a health care facility, no proper drainage and toilet systems are indices of landmarks under development in the community.

Kpeyegyi, is a small settlement, after Jikwoyi community in Orozo Ward of AMAC situated along Karshi-Orozo road but its residents worse nightmare is access to safe water.

Due to the absence of pipe borne water in the area, residents are forced to drink from open hand dung wells which is unhealthy to their lives. 

During our visit to the community, we discover  that other major sources of water supply in the area are local river  and water vendors (mai ruwas) who fetch water from only God knows sources only to sell to residents at exorbitant rates.

In the history of Kpeyegyi, there have been many occasions when hundreds of people have died due to water borne-diseases, cholera among other germs  have been spreading through the  community by supply of polluted water to the people by Mai Ruwas.

Joseph Abah, an  Accounting Officer in Vestergaard Frandsen Nigeria  Limited   lives in Kpeyegyi ,  "the water situation in this area is extremely bad. In this community the only source of water is well water or privately individuals that own boreholes. We do buy water from the water vendors (mai ruwas) and a rubber cost N 20, by the time you calculated 5 rubbers you're spending N100 which you can use to do some other things that are very necessary and I don't think most people can afford it".

"The problem of water in this community is a serious one that we need the ministry of water resources to come to our aid. Sometimes people fetch water from the well to cook and I would not guarantee that is hygienic or safe water for one to use in cooking or to drink, even in bathing. 

He suggested that in order to ameliorate the sufferings of residents the government should provide boreholes in each location in the community.

"We are really passing time in this community especially in this harmattan season, the well gets dry up and the only means of getting water is from the borehole. A lot of people go as far as river to get water, so if government can think about it and provide us with boreholes I think it will save and lot of life," he said.

Another resident, Mrs. Joy Aaron, a trader  was worried about the health implication  the sources of water in the area to  residents relying on the sources.

"The source of water in this Area is well water and rivers that emanated from the rock.  It is bad because people wash, bathe and also drink from the same water. Some people also use dirty fetchers or container to fetch from the well water. 

"This well water also smells a lot. Our lives are in danger because these sources of water can cause water borne diseases such as typhoid. Also, some boreholes are bad therefore are not drinkable. If you boil the water the particles that will come out of the water will not allow someone to use or drink it".

She also appealed to the government to come to their  aid by providing portable and safe water for  them.

Speaking in the same vein, Thompson Ngene a student said: "In this area we are lacking good drinkable water because the well water which is the source of water here is very dirty. The well water smells a lot and after using it to wash; it makes my cloths to smell".

"Everybody cannot afford to buy water from the private owned bore holes. Therefore,  I beg the government to provide portable water for us because we are suffering a lot especially the less privilege among us. Some drink from this well ignorantly inviting sicknesses," he added.

The available sources of water remain unsafe, residents get little or no good health from drinking from these sources, when will succor comes to the people closer to the seat of Nigeria power.

Ogbeni Odumakin hits Tinubu, says he represent deceit

 

Spokesman  of the Save Nigeria Group, Ogbeni Yinka Odumakin alleged that Governors of the ACN award one Kilometer of Road construction for N1 Billion.

Odumakin said, "I can tell you authoritatively that the most dangerous and terrible tendency in Yoruba politics is the house of deceit that Tinubu represents."

Odumakin in a facebook post recalled how he dragged former Governor Alao Akala to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for awarding One Kilometer of road forN50 Million and said most Yoruba leaders are "greedy."

 "I can tell you authoritatively that the most dangerous and terrible tendency in Yoruba politics is the house of deceit that Tinubu represents.

"Only those who have sold their souls will ignore this fact. There has never been any such greedy bunch in our nation; not even under the PDP."

"I took Akala before EFCC in 2010 for awarding roads at N50m per km in all the LGs in Oyo state. Today your Asiwaju is collecting N1b per km across the South-West.

"When Tinubu turned 60 ACN states contributed N1b for a bash, nobody tried that in Yoruba land before.

"Chief Adebanjo was chairman of AD in 1999 and not one relation of his got a ticket unlike your Tinubu, whose wife is a senator, son in law a Rep, Sister in law a House member in Lagos and daughter now Iyaloja via imposition .

Your grouse with the old men may be for reasons you have not stated but you know they are far more honorable than a million Bola Tinubu."

Sagamu charade: What President Jonathan has done wrong again

My Thoughts With Ayodele Samuel 

08074420617  (SMS only)

Good men must die but nothing can kill their good name and good deeds - Tunde Bakare

One of the very good leaders that have served this country in the recent past is the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. He was a President of many good deeds and Nigerians are just getting to realise this.

Late President Umaru despite his complicated health challenges and dubious men making a larger chunk of his cabinet, did not increase fuel price. He gave amnesty to Niger Delta militants and initiated many other landmark projects for the economic development of this country without any unnecessary publicity.

President Umaru awarded the 16-lane Abuja Airport road without any noise, signed a concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highway Services Ltd to construct the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway without stepping out of the Villa to make any noise.

Governance is the responsibility of any serious government, but President Goodluck Jonathan must be joking if he thinks what happened

Last Friday at Sagamu, where he purportedly performed "turning of sod" (Flagoff) for the repair of the Lagos/Ibadan road is anything spectacular to be celebrated with fun fare, drums and pageantry.

This needless ceremony is the second official function performed on this road; the first was when it was commissioned for use in 1978 by General Olusegun Obasanjo. No ceremony whatsoever by successive governments whenever the road is marked for repairS.

Here are major issues that must be of concern to every Nigerians and particularly about the Project and President Jonathan.

His late boss, Umaru, in a concession agreement with Bi-Courtney Highway Services Ltd, was to expand the lanes to 10 from Lagos to Sagamu, and six lanes from Sagamu to Ibadan. It was also expected to build trailer parks and five interchanges among other things at a cost of N89.5bn.

The Federal Government had, in November 2012, revoked the failed Lagos-Ibadan Expressway concession contract awarded to Bi-Courtney Highway Services Limited in 2009.

Last Friday, President Jonathan cut a tape to mark the commencement of rehabilitation and reconstruction of a two lane dual carriageway. From Lagos to Sagamu, only a single lane is added making it three lanes.

But from Sagamu to Ibadan, no additional lanes but just resurfacing, no interchange and trailer parks for N167 Billion.

Why did President Jonathan have to insult our collective sensibility?

This is the busiest road in Africa with average of 250,000 cars passing through that road per day. With the amount of lives that perish on that road day in day out and the kind of man hours lost, one would have expected the President to be more sensitive by making sure it's expanded to about six lanes on either side without increasing its cost.

Also, we haven't seen President Jonathan supervise any party to signal construction of any road in any part of the Country, not even in his home zone, South South, but he derives pleasure in gathering our Obas, chiefs and the political class to clap for him because he has just approved a contract to do a road that has killed many Nigerians irrespective of tribes.

Why did he have to do this in Yoruba land? Why did he have to play the race card? If this is to curry support of the South West people for the forthcoming elections, this has fallen flat. Nigerians cannot be fooled with this white Elephant project.

http://weekend.peoplesdailyng.com/index.php/opinion/opinion/1573-sagamu-charade-what-president-jonathan-has-done-wrong-again