I’m not as rich as Don Jazzy – Atiku

Former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, caused confusion on the Nigerian social media space on Saturday, when he declared on Twitter that he is not as rich as award-winning music producer, singer and songwriter, Don Jazzy.

A Twitter user, Dahiru Mustapha, tweeting via   @ZizouQA, had asked  Atiku why he had not been giving out recharge cards on the social network as Don Jazzy used to do.

The ace music producer enjoys creating a buzz on the micro-blogging service with the way and manner he shares money and recharge cards to his followers, a move many describe as a publicity stunt.

“Why can’t @atiku share recharge cards like @donjazzy?,’’ Mustapha asked in a tweet. But while responding swiftly to the inquiry, Atiku declared that he is not as rich as many Nigerians may have been made to believe.

He replied, “But I’m not as rich as Don Jazzy #smile.’’ Atiku’s reply immediately went viral on social media as tens of people retweeted it. The comment stirred up a debate among social media users.

Don Jazzy on noticing the claims of the Turakin Adamawa, expressed shock. He first moved to confirm the originality of the Atiku’s Twitter handle from one of his daughters, Meena Abu.

He asked, “Hello @MeenaAbu is this really daddy’s (Atiku’s) account? Abeg hail him for me o. Tell him to ignore dis kids on my Twitter handle o. lol.’’ Meena Abu replied saying, “@atiku is daddy’s Twitter handle. @Donjazzy.’’

Having noticed the buzz Atiku’s statement created online,  Don Jazzy tweeted, “Ahhhh, good afternoon, sir!’’ He added, “These children will not koba me o. If I get half of baba Atiku’s money, you think say I go still dey holla Eminado Eminado. hissss. I go need another session of #MakeOverbyGod oo.’’

A Twitter user said very soon some Nigerian politicians seeking to underestimate their wealth status would start lying that they borrowed money for their campaigns from the music producer.

“Soon,  politicians will be like ‘I borrowed money from Don Jazzy for my campaign,’’’ Ade Sleek stated.

But as the Twittersphere was agog with retweets and mentions about Atiku’s statement, Don Jazzy shared a link to a scholarship programme being spearheaded by the former VP. Atiku, who appreciated the gesture said, “Thank you, @Donjazzy. You are an inspiration and role model for your generation. Keep flying high.’’

Meanwhile, the controversy Atiku’s statement generated did not deter him from having an engagement with many of his followers.

One of his followers, Nwachinaemelu, said he noticed the link to the “Education Solutions Scholarship” scheme he introduced and wondered why he did not introduce such in his capacity as Vice- President of the country.

“I read @atiku’s Twitter handle, and I wonder where was this fount of wisdom between 1999 and 2003 when he was VP? I didn’t notice it then,’’ Nwachinaemelu said.

Atiku, however, said the job of a Vice-President is one that is usually “unseen.”

He said he made himself relevant while in power by being “assertive.’’ He described his then boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, as a “strong character.’’

He tweeted, “My job was in the background. Like managing the team (1999-2003), and the economy. I honestly think I did well in the capacity.

“When the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was set up, there were no funds to run it. I had to personally approve startup funds through the presidency.

“Most of a Vice-President’s work will be unseen, although I did push myself to be more assertive. My boss was a strong character too.’’

However, one Nnayelugo, tweeting via @eloka51  said he disagreed with his explanation. He argued, “I disagree with you Atiku. Between 1999 and 2003, you guys did not find your feet. No infrastructure, no clear cut policy on anything. You bungled privatisation.’’

One Alkali Mamman  said Atiku’s assertion that the job of a Vice-President is one that is usually “unseen” was not tenable excuse for under-performance in office.  “But the position of a VP in the Nigerian constitution did not make the occupant an employee of a sitting president,’’ Mamman argued.

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Race to succeed Orji heats up in Abia

•Orji

It was former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt that said that “we may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can, at least, prepare our children for the future.” This, according to pundits, fully captures what will form the basis for the contest of elective positions in Abia State when the polls open in 2015 for the different political parties. In the 2011 general election, the nation recorded not less than 50 political parties jostling for the few elective offices. For Abia State, the contest was mainly between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the Labour Party, LP, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA; the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) and others.

At the end of vote counting by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Governor Theodore Orji of the PDP was declared winner and eventually sworn in for his second and final term in office in a grand ceremony held at the Umuahia Township Stadium. The countdown therefore commenced for him and his party. Against the background of what happened during the 2011 general election, it has become crystal clear that the Nigerian electorates have come of age especially on electoral matters. Pundits insist that the outcome of the last general election would form largely what the nation is to expect in future polls with 2015 as the starting point. “The people saw that they could actually come out, cast their votes, and remain at the polling centres for their votes to be counted. Having savoured that experience, there is no doubt that they would go a step further, because the stakes are already high,” said Dr. Chukwuemeka Odife, a political analyst in Umuahia.

The final outcome of the result of the 2011 election which favoured the ruling PDP 100 percent at both federal and state poll has largely been ascribed to the governor because of the belief by the electorate that he had something to offer. Firstly, he had openly admitted his inability to deliver on the promises made to them in 2007 which he blamed on external forces, then he had caused a paradigm shift by taking the state out of the PPA on whose platform he rode to office and joined the mainstream party. Furthermore he had campaigned vigorously in all the 17 Local Government Areas meeting traditional rulers, captains of industry, the youth and others alike, assuring that having broken the fetters of iron which prevented him from performing, the coast was now clear for a rebranding of the area.

The governor had never hidden his angst over that period and never stopped talking about it when he was asked. Recently, he lamented of his regrets at what transpired during his first tenure. He said: “Of course, first and foremost the regret I have is that in my first tenure I didn’t do what I had in mind for the people. My constraints was godfatherism. This is my regret that those years that we were in bondage, those things that we were supposed to do for the people were not done. It is just now that we are as independent as your paper that you see action is on. If I had started from day one, if I was given a free hand from day one to run this government changes would have been marvelous; I could have achieved more than I have achieved now. The second one was that we wasted a lot of time on litigations, going from tribunal to the other and it wasted a lot of time. Instead of sitting down and planning for development, you are sitting down to plan on how to retain your seat. I appeal to Abians that once you lose an election, if you have a genuine case you go to the tribunal, if you lose at the first instance, you go and rest and wait for another time, but if you insist on going ahead, you can continue. The third one is the resources, both from the federation account and the internally generated revenue to do the job wasn’t coming as expected. What I met here as IGR was N200- N250 million every month, but with hard work we’ve been able to raise it and when combined with what comes from the federal we manage it and use it in achieving what we have achieved so far.”

It is no longer news that there has been appreciable dividends of democracy in Abia State, since the governor hit the ground running in 2011. These transformations which have cut across the health, education, agriculture, youth empowerment, roads, transport, housing among others has caused the popularity of the governor to soar and placed him in a sound position to have a large say in the person that will succeed him and where the successor would emerge from in 2015. The three senatorial districts of Abia North, Abia South and Abia Central, no doubt have been witnessing a flurry of political activities as interested occupants of the White House in Umuahia have embarked on what they called ‘consultations.’

Even as this is on, the guess as to which zone would take the next top job has continued to rage albeit surreptitiously, all apparently waiting for the governor to bare his mind on the issue. Though many had sought to have the governor speak out openly on the next line of action, it was not until recently while receiving the traditional rulers from Isiala Ngwa South Local Government that he broke the ice saying that equity, fairness and justice demands that the next governor emerge from Abia South. Another major question on the lips of the people is who will succeed Governor Orji when he tenure ends in 2015?

According to the governor, the Abia Charter of Equity provides that power should rotate between the senatorial districts and that Abia North and Central having had their share of the position hence it would be the turn of the South. He maintained that it had been the determination of his administration to foster peace and unity among the divergent groups in the state and that it is too late now for him to make a u-turn. Continuing, the governor insisted that Ukwa/Ngwa political bloc that made up the South zone of the state stood the best chance of producing his successor in accordance with the Abia Charter of Equity. To him power must rotate among the three zones, adding “I am the first governor to openly declare that the governorship seat will be rotational. I’m here to install equity and fair play in governance.”

No doubt the governor stands the best chance of successfully choosing who will emerge as the next governor of the state taking into cognizance his acceptance by all and sundry which had not come easy.  The possibility of a successor emerging without the express hand of the governor is very remote owing to these overwhelming successes recorded since the advent of his second tenure. Yet, there are some remaining rivers to cross including the capacity to keep all those in the fold happy even after the primaries that would emerge. The Peoples Democratic Party is one party that is known to engage in rofo-rofo battle before, during and after its primaries and conventions. At this time some tend to abandon ship and seek relevance in other parties, only to return when the dusts settle.

It would task the capacity of the governor to ensure that this does not happen before, during and after the primaries, and if he is able to hold the forth strongly just as he had been able to witnessed all diversionary tactics to leave his footprints on the sands of time, then he obviously would remain an icon that will enjoy visitations from those seeking political relevance for many years to come. But for now, he holds the ace on who will fly the banner of the PDP in 2015 because just as President Roosevelt said; Governor Orji has successfully not only won secured his own future, but has also prepared his political party for the future