How I Cleared over N35 billion Arrears of Pension and Gratuities - Obi

How I Cleared over N35 billion Arrears of Pension and Gratuities - Obi

Former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that the details of how he cleared off over N35 billion in arrears of pension and gratuity had never and could not be in dispute as all the actions he took as Governor were all properly documented and would be made available to anybody who desired to see it.

Obi, through  a Statement made available  to the Press and signed by his  Special Adviser, Mr. Valentine Obienyem,  was reacting  to the claim by Sen. Chris Ngige that Obi did not pay the N35 billion in arrears of pension as he said.

The statement said that  Obi was not interested in what anybody else paid or claimed to have paid as pensions and gratuity except his own payments and would therefore not join issues with anybody  in that regard. The statement further said that Anambrarians were aware that the details of Obi’s pension and gratuity payments  had always been volunteered by the Commissioners of Local Government during his tenure, Mr. Dubem Obaze and Mrs Azuka Enemo, but that  in any case, the records would  be made available to  any person who desired them. 

Insisting that the issues at hand were easy to decipher, the Statement said: “There is no point trying to make up issues where there are none. Most pensioners are still alive and very alert mentally; anybody desirous of knowing the truth as it pertains to the payment of their pension and gratuity should go to Anambra State and ask them.”

On the allusion to faulty recourse to statistics by Obi, the statement avers: “In Nigeria today, Obi is a known expert in economics and he is empirical in discussing economic issues which makes him to quote a lot of statistics by heart to almost every purpose. In doing this, he makes sure he quotes the right statistics and in the event where mischief makers had tried to dispute his figures, he rested the case by volunteering the source of his statistics. We therefore wonder what any person wants to gain by resurrecting a dead case.”

Though the statement  acknowledged seeing Ngige’s claims clearing over N60 billion in arrears of pension   gratuity,  which almost doubled what Obi paid, it said it was not its brief to  start interrogating him, as, according to him, anybody is  free to claim anything, but that in Obi’s own case there were documentary evidence to show.

On the claim by Dr. Chris Ngige that he returned schools to the Church, the statement  said that those – the Church – that received the schools back have continued to quote Mr. Peter Obi as the person that they received their schools  from. The statement queries: “From Sen. Chris Ngige’s claims, does it mean that the owners of the returned schools are so confused and irrational as not to know who returned their property to them? “In any case”, the statement further submitted, what should  be of concern to Ngige is the joyful news of the impact of the return of school in the state and not who retuned it.” 

On the continued claim by Sen. Chris Ngige that he left N13.87 billion in the treasury, including over N2.4 billion in UBE’s funds, the Statement maintained that proving such assertion was very simple, as when Obi’s over N75 billion savings were denied, he had to clear the air by publishing the names of the accounts, account numbers and banks where the monies were saved, which were collaborated by the mentioned banks.

In A Story, An African Man Was Given The Opportunity To Ask For

 I FELT WE COULD LEARN, A BIT FROM...

In A Story, An African Man Was Given The Opportunity To Ask For 

anything he wants

 spread his diseases, and not the cure; 

to transfer his problems, and 

not the solution

When an African man fails, he wishes his brother same fate so that he won't be the only one who had tasted the bitterness of failure.

An African man is happy when evil besets his brother.

When most African men succeed, they want to enslave their 

brothers; they try to make the class gap between them and their brothers widen daily. 

 An African man wants to outperform his 

brother in every area and most African men do not want to let their brothers have any chances of success because they want to be the only ones succeeding.

 When an African man gets to sit on a seat of authority, he wants to 

keep it to himself and refuses to give anyone else a chance to sit. 

 In African schools, students who can afford textbooks do not let other students borrow their textbooks because they want to stay top of the class or they don't want to give another student the opportunity to perform better than them. 

 When one independently discovers the way to success, an African man who refused to give directions would still do all he can to stand in the way of that success. 

 An African man is ready to spend money to intimidate his brother and make him look like nothing.

 Africa will become better;When we begin to share books to pass knowledge, not just our drinks. 

 When we begin to let others also lead without our influence.

 When we begin to give the same quality 

of food and clothing to both our children and our maids. 

 When we let our servants eat on the same table with us.

When the boss lets 

his lower staff get paid before him.

  Africa can become progressive when we be

gin to look out for each other rather than stand in the way of one another. 

When we can sincerely say, let my brother get it too, and if I can't get it, let me help him get it.

LET'S RESET NIGERIA - MY STAKE.

UNDERSTANDING THE 10 PRINCIPLES OF POLITICS

 UNDERSTANDING THE 10 PRINCIPLES OF POLITICS

 In Politics you must understand that..

(1.) Nobody has your interests.

(2.) Everybody is chasing their own interests.

(3.) Dealing with politicians is like sleeping

with tigers; you must always have your eyes wide open.

(4.) In any Political equation, there's always someone being used. If you can't find one then it is you.

(5.) Serving politicians is like being a bandage on a wound. Once the wound is healed your usefulness ends. Politicians don't recognize and reward value they recognize their own needs and you are only as useful as the lifespan of their need for you.

(6.) In Politics never wail more than the bereaved. They will get the reward while you inherit their enemies.

(7.) In Politics, in any event that other interests conflict with your own interests and you have to choose, always choose yours.

(8.) Never cross oceans for Politicians; you will drown and the best they will do is give a benevolent speech at your burial, lie to your widow and children and eat your food. Politicians will never cross the streets for their foot soldiers.

(9.) Above all, Family and Health are things you should never use to attack a man. Politics is never that serious.

(10.) Lastly to all the Youths, it's too risky to sacrifice your Career, Health, Personal Character, Social capital and integrity in pursuit of short term and temporary rewards, offered by Politicians, unless of cause you are the one in control and have a long term game plan.

 Deeply Pause To Deeply Reflect!

COMMON MISTAKES IN LIFE; Seven Critical ‘DON’Ts’ That You Really Need To Guard Yourself Against.

 COMMON MISTAKES IN LIFE

One mistake you should never make is to allow yourself  to be  recruited by someone, to hate another person who hasn't wronged you.

Hear this: We must avoid taking hasty conclusion because of what others are saying about someone else.

What people say about others, says a lot about them. 

I am repeating this more directly: The things you say about others, says a lot about you! I can tell a lot about a person by what they choose to see in others.

 Character assassination is a pervasive and destructive phenomenon that is found everywhere. You find it in families, groups, organizations, work places, etc. 

 Wikipedia defines Character assassination as the deliberate, malicious, unjustified and sustained effort to damage the reputation or credibility of an individual. 

The Merriam- Webster defines it as the slandering of a person usually with the intention of destroying public confidence in that person. 

Athi Murugan defines Character Assassination as the act of lowering one’s character in a bid to ruin the character of others. 

There are people that take maximum delight in ruining other's reputation. These set of people have what I will like to call ‘Destructive Tendencies.’ They oil their own ego by pulling other people down -  PhD (pull him down). 

False allegations are the most chronic form of mental abuse. When people can’t kill your dreams and purpose, they will try to assassinate your character. There are some people that your spirit will always irritate their demons! Once they realize hating isn’t working they start telling and spreading lies about you. People are assassinated once but ‘Character Assassination’ kills daily! Character assassination is a form of emotional violence against others.

Someone once said, “A friend of my enemy is my enemy. One of the things that hinders us from living a fulfilling and inclusive life is bringing past bias and sentiments into present relationships. A friend of your enemy is not necessarily your enemy; it all depends on intentions and contributions. God can use your enemy’s friend to bless you!

 Seven Critical ‘DON’Ts’ That You Really Need To Guard Yourself Against.

Refusing to getting trapped in them will help you live a more productive, fulfilling and unbiased life. 

They are:

 1. Don’t conclude about people because of what others say about them: Never draw up conclusions based on what others tell you about someone. It is a lack of social intelligence that makes people draw conclusions on others based on what other people say about them. I know you’ve heard about emotional and financial intelligence, but there is something called social intelligence. This is the kind of intelligence that keeps you sane even when others are trying to pollute your mind against someone else until you have thoroughly confirmed the veracity of the claims before you. Judges are trained to have this kind of intelligence in order to avoid biased judgments.

 2.  Don’t inherit other people’s enemy: It is total lack of education and enlightenment when you automatically make your friend’s enemies your own. Don’t make people your enemies just because they are not in good terms with your friends.

 3. Don’t use your children as weapons of war: God can use your enemies to bless your children! The Bible says that your children are for signs and wonders. Stop using them to fight those you don’t like. Your children will need to discern their enemies for themselves; never use your parental influence to make your children hate others. You may often need to guard them with their choice of friends but never plant the seed of discord in the heart of your children against someone else.

4. Don’t gang up with others to hate someone: Don’t join the majority to hate someone – you may realize that the person has no offence. Someone said, “If you don’t see it with your own eyes, or hear it with your own ears. Don’t invent it with your small mind and share it with your big mouth”. Never join the multitude to hate someone else.

 5. Don’t be used as weapon in other people’s battle: It is not every battle that you must involve yourself in. Refuse to be used as weapons in other people’s battle. When people fight dirty, refuse to take sides. Observe deeply before concluding finally.

 6. Don’t hate people just because they don’t behave like you: That someone is not your tribe doesn’t make them your enemy. It is a waste of education if the only people you like are those that are like you. The greatest proof of our education is in how we respond to people whose opinions are different from ours. People who think their opinions are superior to others are most prone to overestimating their relevant knowledge and ignoring chances to learn more.

The people who don’t think like you are your greatest source of enlightenment. It is normally people that are not like us that help us grow the most. Companies that had maximized growth are really those that value diversity and inclusion.

 7. Don’t judge people until you know the whole story: Someone once said, Beware of the half-truth. You may have gotten hold of the wrong half. Don’t judge other people’s choices without understanding their reasons.

If people say something bad about you or judge you as if they know you, don’t easily get affected. Remember this, dogs bark if they don’t know the person. People who are intimidated by you talk about you with hopes that others won’t find you so appealing. 

Stay away from people who talk bad about others daily; these kind of people carry a negative spirit, and a negative spirit is contagious. The real problem is not that they are unhappy about others, but they are unhappy with themselves.

 Stop the destructive habit of talking about people behind their back. Talking badly about someone else while they aren’t there to defend themselves says more about you than the person you’re talking about. When you have issues with people, try and discuss it with them. Stop discussing it with others. Someone once said, Don’t talk about me until you have talked to me. Stop spreading false information and rumours about others. 

Rumours are carried by haters, spread by fools and accepted by idiots! Stop creating walls of contention, rather help build bridges of understanding  among the People of irrespective of political ideology and class of bourgeoisies you belong. 

Unity in diversity is a great gain. 

Have a BLESSED Day!

Igbo Presidency, Babatope Roots for Peter Obi

Igbo Presidency, Babatope Roots for Peter Obi 

Elder Statesman and Former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, has joined voice with other Nigerians predicting a better future for the country if power is zoned to the South East come 2023.

Speaking to journalists recently, Babatope said Igbos are qualified to rule Nigeria and should be given a chance to serve the country at the presidential level. Babatope said, Mr Peter Obi, who would have become the Vice President of Nigeria, if Atiku had been allowed to win was known among Nigerians as a very sound fellow. That, according to him, is an evidence that Igbos are qualified and can be trusted to lead Nigeria and shouldiansll-decide-fate-of-ndigbo-

  I don’t believe the story that the South-East  cannot be trusted. If the PDP had been allowed to win the last general elections and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had become the president, of course, his vice president, Mr Peter Obi, would have been from the South-East and we all know that he is a sound fellow”, Babatope said.

  The elder statesman, who had always spoken for Igbo Presidency, maintained that every well meaning Nigerian who wanted a balanced federation must give support to the South East to produce the president. He insisted that every part of the country should be given a chance to lead if true and balanced federation is to be achieved.

  To promote justice and fair play, we must allow the South-East to take part in the leadership of the country and if it is not possible, then, let them assure us that at one time or the other, those who have not been given the opportunity of producing the president of Nigeria, will be allowed to produce the president. But the case of the South-East is very important and we must not shy away from it.

  Having said that, fair play is fair play and justice is justice, we must allow the South-East to produce the president”, he submitted.

IN DEFENCE OF AWKA NORTH YOUTHS AND THEIR SUPPORT FOR SENATOR UCHE EKWUNIFE

 IN DEFENCE OF AWKA NORTH YOUTHS AND THEIR SUPPORT FOR SENATOR UCHE EKWUNIFE

It is a fact that majority of the very resilient and industrious youths of Awka north local government are progressively and voluntarily queueing behind the governorship aspiration of Senator UCHE EKWUNIFE (IYOM).

This is understandable, particularly for Awka north where past and present governors of Anambra state deliberately created a 'development shadow zone' with next to nothing for youths empowerment.

The awakened Awka north youths, in their determination to end the unwarranted marginalization of their primary constituency by these governors, have X-rayed the 'youth-friendly' antecedents of the personalities in the race to Agu-Awka government house.

Perhaps, without fear of stating the obvious, Senator UCHE EKWUNIFE tops the list with unchallenged and intimidating records of positive disposition towards the youths.

It is the believe of the youths of the constituency that a progressive and youth conscious governor will not only recognise the important place of the youths in national development but also create an enabling environment that will empower them to maximize their potentials.

In Senator UCHE EKWUNIFE, Awka north youths see an embodiment of youth-centred leader and administrator.

No wonder, in the commemoration of the 2020 international Youth Day celebration, Senator UCHE EKWUNIFE recognized the vital place of the youths in nation building and called for massive youths inclusion in governance.

Senator UCHE EKWUNIFE urged the country to go further to create a system that provides equal opportunities for young people, ensure the growth of small and medium scale enterprises while reiterating her commitment to using the  instrument of legislation to better the lots of Nigerian youths as a current lawmaker.

This is a tip of the many youth focused programmes and projects that will be implementated as Senator UCHE EKWUNIFE takes the saddle of leadership come March 17, 2022 as the Executive Governor of Anambra state

 On behalf of the Awka north youth support groups for UCHENDIANAMBRA2021, I urge the rest of Awka north youths to join hands with Senator UCHE EKWUNIFE (IYOM) and her campaign team for a resounding success in the forthcoming governorships election maka odi nma ndi Awka north youths, ndi Anambra youths na ndi Anambra a better place.

SENATOR EKWUNIFE CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION MOURNS AS MRS UJU AKABOGU IS LAID TO REST

 SENATOR EKWUNIFE CAMPAIGN ORGANIZATION MOURNS AS MRS UJU AKABOGU IS LAID TO REST

  Today, the Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Senator Uche Ekwunife, the entire members of her campaign organization, friends and well wishers of the Akabogu family paid their last respect to Late Mrs Uju Akabogu (Uju Rioko) who was laid to rest at her family home in  Eulogizing Mrs Akabogu who was her devoted supporter and friend, Ekwunife recalled the support she received from the late mother and grandmother during her election into the 9th Senate and the many support late Mrs Uju Akabogu had rendered to members of the campaign organization through her consistent expression of human kindness.

She described late Mrs Akabogu as a beautiful soul who left golden memories on the minds of everyone who was privileged to meet her. She noted that her death is a huge blow to her and to the campaign organization.

  In Uju, I had a charming, amazing, gracious and generous friend. She was every thing a friend could be and everything a supporter could be. Uju has left a vacuum which will be difficult to fill. She will be sorely missed by all of us who benefited from her charming, honest and humble personality."

  The Senator on behalf of her family and the good people of Anambra Central Senatorial District condoled with the family of the deceased for the loss of their Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Sister and Aunt. According to her, the death of Mrs Akabogu remains painful and irreparable.

She prayed for the peaceful repose of Mrs Akabogu and equally prayed God to give the family the courage to bear the loss.

Rest In Peace, Mrs Uju Akabogu. Jee Nkeoma!

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