Oshiomhole and the social contract with Edolites

By Paul Arhewe


Governor Oshiomhole standing in queue to cast his vote in Edo state



The Edo State governorship elec-tions held on July 14, 2012, has since left in its trail a victor and a vanquished. Incumbent Governor Adam Oshiomhole triumphed over his closest rival, Major General Charles Airhiavbere (retd) of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), in what observers dubbed the ‘most one-sided electoral contest’ in Edo political history. The clear victory of ACN received enthusiastic responses even from people outside the state. Social media were awashed with commentaries from thousands of applauders and cen-surers.

My congratulations to Comrade Governor Oshiomhole for a well deserved victory.
The Oba of Benin, His Royal Highness Omo n’Oba n’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Solomon Igbinoghodua Aisiokuoba Akenzua Erediauwa I, had captured the endorsement of the incumbent governor for a second term thus: “You have cleaned up the roads not only in Benin Kingdom but in several other towns. The last time you came I prayed through our ancestors for you to come back and complete the work and also do more for Edo people”.

How relevant is NYSC now for national integration?

BY PAUL ARHEWE

NYSC members

There are strident clamours for the scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in some quarters, in the face of the prevalent near intractable insecurity situation in Nigeria. Ironically, the national unity raison d’être for the establishment of the scheme in 1973, has come under severe assaults as the country slides into pervasive insecurity. By the NYSC Act, partici-pating graduates could be sent to any of the 36 states and FCT, Abuja. More importantly, no participant is allowed to serve in his/her state of origin. There are few exceptions to this rule. However, the implementation of the NYSC statute in the face of the worrisome security challenge posed by the exacerbating insurgency in the North has exposed the programme to attacks bordering on insensitivity.

Jonathan’s new moves and the looming apocalypse

By Paul Arhewe

Scene of Kaduna terorrist attack

A recent cartoon created by National Mirror’s nimble-fingered chief cartoonist Leke Moses and used in the editorial page of last June 25 edition of the paper is both hilarious and sarcastic. It showed President Goodluck Jonathan in an airborne aircraft with fire extinguisher, destination Brazil to attend the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, and assuring he would have it refilled there, come back with it to attack the smoldering insecurity inferno in the nation. Since the Nigerian leader returned from the trip, he had taken some very hard and significant decisions, top of which is the major shakeup in the nation’s defence and security set up. Both the National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi and Defence Minister, Dr. Haliru Bello were relieved of their posts, an action Mr. President said was necessary to bring fresh ideas into the nation’s security strategic enforcement framework (SEF).