Why Senate President will not be produced by the South East; Okorocha laments…

The governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, on Thursday lamented the “unholy act” exhibited by political leaders in the South East zone during the National Assembly elections, saying it has now robbed the zone of the opportunity to produce either Senate President or the Speaker of the House of Representatives in June.

All Senatorial and House of Representatives candidate of the All Progressives Congress lost their elections in the elections held March 28.

The 15 senatorial districts in the five states, namely Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo were picked by the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party.

With the victory of Muhammadu Buhari from the North and his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, from the South West, the Senate President or Speaker of the House slots would have ordinarily gone to the South East but for the outcome of the elections.

Speaking in Owerri, the Imo State capital at a rally organised by the South East APC to celebrate Mr. Buhari’s victory, Mr. Okorocha said the zone should have elected a ranking senator or member of the House of the Representatives on the platform of the party to occupy either of the positions if PDP leaders from the zone had not engineered the rigging of the National Assembly election held the same day with that of the presidency.

He specifically noted that a serving senator and former governor of Anambra State, Chris Ngige or a former senator, Osita Izunaso, both of whom contested the election, would have been elected Senate President if they were not rigged out at the election.

He said, “The South East is entitled to either the Senate President or the Speaker of the Federal House. But as I speak to you now because of the unholy act of last Saturday they (Igbo leaders) have not been able to give us any ranking member of the Senate or ranking member of the Federal House.

“You cannot be a Senate President, you cannot be a Speaker unless you are somebody who has been there before. It is our plan that Osita Izunaso should go to the Senate, Ngige should go to Senate.

“Gentlemen, the truth is that one of them should have been Senate President of Nigeria. But our people, in their myopic thinking, in the smallness of their brain could not see the light and today this act of theirs has denied Ndigbo the Senate President, this act has denied Ndigbo the Speaker of the Federal House. I weep, I weep that this kind of thing can be allowed to happen here.”

Mr. Okorocha, who is a member of the APC, said political leaders in the North do not play the kind of politics being exhibited by South East leaders.

“This kind of thing could not happen in Kano, it could not happen in Sokoto,” he said.

“But here in Igbo land they use soldiers to kill their people. It is our political leaders who sponsored this unholy act and we shall hold them responsible for every blood dropped during this election.

“We know them and they know we know them. They can be having their children abroad and be killing the poor people here. We will resist it and we will say no. “

The governor alleged that the Igbo leaders that perpetrated the rigging plans wanted to allocate 1.3 million votes to Mr. Jonathan in Imo State “but for our resistance they could not do it”.

He stressed, “It is not true that anyone defeated Buhari in Imo State. He won this election in this state. The nonsense is over. We have the details of all that happened in INEC headquarters. It will be embarrassing if we show all that happened to the world.”

Speaking earlier, Mr. Ngige recounted how he was rigged out of the election in which he lost to a serving member of the House of Representatives, Uche Ekwunife, of the PDP.

He explained that one of his agents was kidnapped during the election and that the collation officers were not spared the ordeal.

He said although he lost the senatorial election, the emergence of Mr. Buhari as president-elect was a joy to him.

According to the former governor, “The only thing I want to assure you people is that you have lost nothing. General Buhari has won the election. APC will form the next national government. We are going to recover all these seats, all the allocation they gave to us. All the allocations they gave to us, they allocated to me 20 votes from Anambra Central and Buhari 17, 960 votes, for the whole of Anambra. Is it possible?

Mr. Izunaso, who is the national organising secretary of the APC, vowed to reclaim the mandate given to him by the people of Orlu Senatorial District but stolen by election riggers.

“We are not unmindful of that fact that what we produced in the South East was not a reflection of the votes of the people,” he said.

“I assure you that it is not going to take long before all those things will be corrected. Anambra results were rigged. For a man like Ngige to come third on the ladder, is this the correct result?

“In Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, results were rigged, Imo results were rigged. But I can assure you that is the end. As for my people in Orlu Senatorial Zone who voted for me the victory that you gave me on Saturday must remain our victory.

“I am not going to let any criminal to go away with the mandate you gave to me freely. Out of 12 LGAs in Orlu Zone I won in 12 LGAs and there were no elections in three zones.”

[PREMIUM TIMES]

Jonathan embarrassed by the leaked recording congratulating Buhari; investigation underway…

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the Presidency had commenced a discreet investigation into how a recording of the telephone call by the President to Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on March 31, congratulating him on his victory at the last Saturday’s presidential election was leaked.

The recording which revealed details of what transpired between the two leaders went viral on the Internet on Thursday.

The audio of the conversation credited to one ENDS.ng @EveryNigerian was titled, “Historic congratulatory call from President Goodluck Jonathan to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on March 31, 2015.”

A government official, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent on Friday that the Presidency was embarrassed by the leaked recording.

While saying that a thorough investigation is underway, the security source said the first step was to ascertain whether the recording was leaked from the Presidency or was made public from the President-elect’s camp.

He said it was only if it was discovered that the recording was leaked from the Presidency that further investigation would be conducted to ascertain those behind it in order to mete out appropriate punishment.

He, however, refused to talk on how long the investigation will take.

“Definitely, unauthorised release of a raw recording of the President’s telephone conversation, if from our (Presidency’s) end is a security breach that cannot go without being investigated,” he said.

[PUNCH]

MUST READ: The No Holds Barred Interview with Ambode.

Ambode, Tinubu and Fashola

THE PUNCH INTERVIEW with the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. 

Have you recovered from the shock of the recent election in Lagos State, which saw a close contest between your party, All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party?

I’m not sure it’s appropriate to use the word — shock. Let’s go back in history: in the 2011 elections, the President and PDP recorded 1.3 million votes in Lagos State. So for PDP to have recorded about 670,000 votes in 2015 actually means that it lost over 800,000 votes when you compare the two elections. That’s the way to look at it. Fewer people actually voted for him in Lagos State this time around. That’s the way I want to look at it. Maybe the other part is to say that the margin between APC and PDP was not much. We looked at the conduct of elections in relation to how the Independent National Electoral Commission performed. In Lagos State, you will see that in most areas, a whole lot of Lagos residents were disenfranchised due to no fault of theirs which could explain the number that came out to vote eventually. Also note that there were apprehensions before the last election; the whole place was militarised and everyone felt there would be violence and that it would not be safe. That could also account for why a whole lot of people kept away from the streets and did not come out to vote. I believe strongly that we will see a different pattern in the governorship elections.

Igbo community in Lagos seemed to have voted for PDP and seems to be gaining ground politically in the state. Are you worried about the challenge posed by this population in the state? 

We need to quickly correct something, there is nothing like Igbo challenge. Every Nigerian living in any part of Nigeria is free to exercise his or her right and according to their choice. We have not seen any pattern evolving like that in Lagos State. So if a pattern is evolving in a particular area, we need to start analysing it. That has not been analysed yet so there is nothing like Igbo challenge. What we see is that people will stand up and vote for whoever they like. And like I told you, it wasn’t as if there was any pattern that was shown in 2011. We will see what happens next Saturday.

Are you saying the margin between PDP votes and APC votes will be wider on April 11 in your favour?

Absolutely. In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan won the presidential election by a very wide margin. 1.3 million to almost 200,000 votes but in the Lagos State governorship election, Governor Babatunde Fashola won with 1.5 million votes as against 200,000 votes of the PDP candidate. It was a reversal of the presidential situation. But it’s going to repeat itself next Saturday.

But the feeler we got is that between the last presidential election and now, APC has quickly made overtures to the Igbo community in Lagos. Is this not true?

Yes, this is politics. You talk to everybody because you want to bring them to your camp. You don’t just sit down and say that a particular set of people did not vote for your party in an election, then you will close your eyes and leave them so they can vote against your party in another election. So I will strategise and try as much as possible to talk to those who did not vote for APC and convince them of the reasons why they need to vote for us. For me, there is no tribal votes in Lagos. The state is too cosmopolitan for that. People have their choices and their interests. As of that last Saturday, some people voted to protect their interests. When it’s time for the next election, they will review it again and to protect their future interests, they will vote in a different direction. And that is the way we think it is going to happen.

Alleged deported members of the igbo community

We hear that the Igbo community in the state is actually trying to protect its future interests. Governor Fashola allegedly deported some of their kinsmen two years ago and they are reportedly planning to retaliate against the party with their votes to prevent another experience like that in future.

It will be unfair to say that they are retaliating or offended by whatever was done by anybody. There is no truth in talks that the governor has been unfair to any tribe in the state. His policies and all the infrastructure being provided in the state are for everybody. There is nowhere you find a bridge he provided for the use of only Yoruba people. The infrastructure is for everybody, so to say that somebody has been unfair to Igbo is unfair. The next four years is about Akin Ambode and we are giving assurance that every person in Lagos will count. It is a government of inclusion. We are not going to be tribalistic in terms of the provision of infrastructure. If there are any ill feelings, I just want to assuage their fears and tell them that this is a government of inclusion. Nobody will be left behind and they can be assured that everybody’s interest will be protected.

Gov. Fashola inspects the light rail.

When is the light rail going to be delivered, the project seems to be going on for years?

I just said it, it’s being funded by Lagos State and the Federal Government support is not there. But I believe strongly that we will create a financial restructuring that will allow us to deliver that light rail within the next 18 months.

You spoke about the traffic situation which you described as unacceptable. Is that not an indictment on the current administration in Lagos State?

No! No! No! let me tell you, there is nothing like indictment. Go to New York or the major cosmopolitan cities in the world, there is always traffic. Nobody wants to even stay in New York if there is a chance to be in other parts of America. As structured as London is, it still imposes congestion charges to allow fewer cars to be on the road. So ours is not different. What is important is for us to be able to create traffic management solutions that will be efficient and effective. And beyond our roads, we have created other modes of transportation which we are already addressing. People can go on the waterways. Once the light rail project is completed, that will take a whole lot of people off the road. Then because we also have the centre, do you know what it means to now activate the monorail. Because we will now be working with the Federal Government to be able to use the monorail from our Iddo Terminus to other parts of Lagos. That is a plus for us.

The programmes you have highlighted are things you can achieve if you win the election. But presently, artisans, okada riders (commercial motorcyclists) and market women are not happy with the APC government in Lagos. What are you doing to to change their perception?

I’m not too sure of the fact that all the artisans want to vote for the opposition party.

Actually, this set of people have described the APC government in Lagos as elitist.

Two things now. I will explain why this government is not elitist and I will tell you why this government is about the artisans. As we speak, 90 per cent of the working class of Lagos State are artisans. And that means that a lot of people in Lagos are actually in the informal sector. Everything we have done in the last 16 years is about them. It’s about lifting them up and making life more comfortable for them. The basic thing that artisans are looking for is an enabling environment for their enterprises to thrive; they want the ability to move from one point to the other and to have a secure place for them to trade and do their businesses. We have done all these mostly in the last eight years. We have created the BRT; we have lit up almost every part of the major streets to allow people to be safer. You cannot compare the security status of Lagos in 2007 to what it is now. People are moving freely. I just want to assure the artisans that anything that we have provided in terms of infrastructure does not preclude artisans from using them. All the roads they use in transporting their goods were made for them. There is nothing on the roads that says that only elites can use them. We have been giving them facilities and even as part of my programme, I have decided that I will have a small scale credit guarantee scheme for artisans. We are going to improve on vocational training and skills acquisition for artisans. My project that talks about tourism, hospitality, entertainment and sports is to create that lower level generation of work for carpenters, makeup artists, tailors, drivers, security men and others. That’s where I’m going. It’s not about the directors. Yes, I will allow a climate that allows investors to put money here and put the structures in place, but it will also create more room for people in the lower level and that is where my target is.

You say our government is elitist. I want to tell you today that the most expensive project in Lagos right now is the 10 lane road project from Mile 2 to Badagry. The light rail project that will be moving people from Mile 2 to CMS. it’s situated on the Mainland. It’s not in the urban part of Lagos, not in Victoria Island. Do you know that the people in Mile 2, Okokomaiko, Mazamaza, Ajangbadi, Badagry and Festac axis are the ones that will benefit from this. The road being constructed between Mile 12 and Ikorodu makes life more comfortable for the people living there; these are not elite. So it is absolutely wrong to say that this government is elitist. The projects that are being done on the Island are even to allow people to have freer access to move from the Mainland to the Island. So I don’t agree with that. The projects are more about the Lagosians than anybody else.

Akinwunmi Ambode

You left public service at age 49 but what people generally think is that there is more to the story. Some people say you were sacked from government. Is this true?

It’s very good I use this platform to clear whatever insinuations that are being bandied about. When you do something that is not normal, people want to adduce reasons to it because it’s abnormal to them. I’ve heard in some quarters people saying that I was sacked by Governor Fashola and I’ve also heard that I stole and that was why I left the service. The issue is this; if I was sacked or if I stole, this campaign would have been a great opportunity for those people to bring the issues out and use them against me. We are approaching the end of this campaign and nobody has been able to bring out the sack letter or say this is what I stole. So I see it as a campaign of calumny against my candidature. The other part of it is this: I have in my hands a letter of commendation written by Governor Fashola four months after I retired. I’ve displayed it for people to see. Governor Fashola is still in power. Journalists can ask him if he wrote a commendation letter to me or not. Did you sack him? Did he steal? This will put it to an end forever. I have served Lagos State meritoriously. I left an exalted position in service, where I had the opportunity to stay for another 13 years. But I wanted to challenge the system and say you know what, you don’t have to stay in an exalted position forever. There is dignity everywhere and people of character must be able to stand up and be counted. That’s what I’ve done. I left on my own volition because I wanted to give other people a chance, because I know also that there are other things ahead of the position of Accountant-General. That’s why I’m contesting for governorship. So we need to let our people know. We have a few days to the election, if anybody has anything, let them bring it out. It’s not true. I also have a letter of voluntary retirement from the Lagos State Civil Service Commission which the commission gave to me and it is well documented. So if other parties just want to use it to diminish my status, God has said that I will be the next Governor of Lagos State and that’s why I’m appealing and pleading with voters to vote for people with character, credibility and experience.

Many aspirants wanted the APC governorship ticket in Lagos State but the feeler is that the primaries were manipulated to your advantage. 

Thirteen aspirants contested but there will always be one candidate. The party made the primaries as open as possible. We had over 5,000 delegates. These delegates were not ghosts, they are human beings like you and I. They came out and decided individually and it was televised. Each delegate had the choice to choose one of the 13 candidates. We were not standing there with the delegates so how on earth was it possible to manipulate the process? Nobody stood there with them. They were there individually. It’s just the same way we went out last Saturday to make our choices. And then when the votes were counted, they said GMB won. Similarly on that day, when the votes were counted, they said I won. Now the issue is this, I did not in anyway say that delegates should not vote for other aspirants. The delegates made up their minds and we have to respect their choice. That is as far as that goes.

Tinubu with Fashola

But we hear the party leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, favoured you and that he worked things out for you for him to benefit. Are you going to be Tinubu’s stooge if you become the governor?

This whole idea that the former governor of Lagos favoured me… Everybody has a choice to favour anybody he or she likes; the same way that it will be said that Bola Ahmed Tinubu favoured Fashola in 2006. The same way that it will be said that he also favoured Buhari in the presidential election. It’s his choice. It’s not as if people are coerced to vote for Buhari, Fashola or Ambode. But what is the resultant effect? The resultant effect of him supporting Fashola is what the whole of Lagos state is enjoying today and has been enjoying in the last eight years. The last election was peaceful particularly because we were not being forced, but people went to choose Buhari. That is it. But again, it’s the same man that supported and endorsed Buhari. If a man has a knack for choosing excellent people that he knows will be beneficial to Nigerians and he is consistently doing it at the local, state and national levels, come on, he is an unsung hero. We have to give it to him. We cannot continue to bastardise our heroes. Everybody is saying Nigeria is peaceful now and that we have Buhari, but some people stood there to support him. This is a man laying his life down as sacrifice so that Nigeria can be peaceful. We are not seeing that part of it. Check my profile and my antecedents, do you remember the time that Lagos State created new local governments and the Olusegun Obasanjo government held on to Lagos State funds. Some people stood on behalf of Lagos State to say that those local governments must be created. Some people stood and said that we would recreate the financial template that would allow these local governments to survive. We were no stooges then. We were fighting the cause of Lagosians. Today, we have 57 local government chairmen and more people are being employed. The financial fortune of Lagos State is on the rise. We were not stooges then. We have sacrificed so much, we have served and want to continue to serve, so it’s now that we are going to be stooges. It’s not going to happen because we believe strongly in the prosperity of Lagos State so what people are saying outside is because they want to becloud the ability of Lagos State to prosper more. We stood when it was tough. It’s tough now, we will still stand. We believe in the larger vision to make Lagos State the best of all states. We want to be like the rest of developed cities; that is the vision.

You spoke highly about your chances but have you considered that some of the aspirants that lost out to you at the primaries are said to still be aggrieved?

Naturally, that is a human thing but the truth is that as we speak, all aspirants are members of the APC. They are on the winning side and we have all come together. It’s not about my candidacy and everyone has come to agree that the future of the party overrides any individual interest. You would have seen the aspirants coming out to campaign for us openly, soliciting for votes for the party. There is no aspirant right now that will be working against the interest of the party.

People say the wind of change is blowing across the country. PDP was in power at the federal level for 16 years and people wanted change and voted the party out. In Lagos, ACN/APC has been in power for 16 years also and people are also talking about change. Are you scared that the wind of change could come to Lagos on Saturday?

The change we have been talking about is positive change because change could also be negative. The changes you will see in Lagos will be for the positive wellbeing of our people; that is our own concept of change. What ordinary Lagosians are concerned about is better life. So the change you will see here is that positive change that will make life comfortable for the people.

The PDP governorship candidate, Jimi Agbaje, said he would review the alleged wrongful sale of public properties to APC cronies in Lagos. Are you going to investigate the allegation if you get to power?

You have just used the word ‘alleged’. Sometimes candidates come and say all sorts of things to win votes. At this point, somebody that has been in politics for so long and all that he is saying is that properties were sold and he doesn’t have evidence or documents. Is it when he gets there that he will now start asking questions and then find out that what he was saying is not true. So just leave it, we will not respond to things people say are allegations. I’m not going to mislead Lagosians to start saying things wrongly about others just because I want their votes. You have to be factual and sincere. When it is time to do things, you do them. I’m not going to respond to allegations about that when he doesn’t have any facts. You know they also said I was sacked from service but they don’t have any paper to prove that. I’ve produced the paper to show that I retired from service voluntarily. That is a statement of fact.

Speaking for the students, Governor Fashola increased tuition fees at the Lagos State University, Ojo and reverted to the original fees as election approached. People feel it was a gimmick to win votes. If you’re elected, are you going to jack it up again?

We are not going to increase school fees anywhere; they are pegged where they are but what we will do is to invest more in education. This is a centre of excellence. I’ve had the opportunity of going to good schools and Ivy league schools. It’s my responsibility to make my tertiary institutions up to the standard of the ones I attended. I want to invest more in education and it won’t have anything to do with their school fees.

Heaps of confiscated bikes destroyed by the state

Even okada riders are all over the place now and people say it’s another gimmick not to arrest them during this period. Is this another election strategy?

I’m not aware of that. In our engagements with them, they want us to review some of the roads in schedule two (where their movements have been restricted) and we have told them that it is what the law says. The law enforcement people will deal with that situation.

There is no gimmick in what is happening. There are over 9,500 roads in Lagos State and the ones in which okada riders are restricted are just 400 plus roads. So they still have over 9,000 roads. Look, it’s not as if okadahas been banished from Lagos roads. The law says they cannot ply some roads which are less than 5 per cent of the total number of roads in the state.

Has it ever occurred to you at any point in time that you could lose this election?

Not at all. We have worked hard. I’ve been working in the last two and a half years. I had the most gruesome primaries when nobody ever gave me a chance. I came out early and they said I was going to burn out but here I am still standing. God will see me through.

We hear you would actually have preferred Musiliu Obanikoro to Agbaje because you see Agbaje as a greater threat. Is that true?

It’s very straight forward. After the presidential election, you can see where the trend is going. Let me tell you, Mr. Agbaje is my brother and I have a lot of respect for him but unfortunately, he’s in a wrong party. I can tell you for free. He’s moved from one party to another in the last how many years. So he will be contesting with a more experienced and competent person. When you check the profile of the other candidate (Agbaje), you will see that he has not done anything for Lagos State. It can’t be now. I wish him well but the truth is that somebody has to be the CEO and it has to be me. If this was not an election and we were facing a panel of interviewers for the job of the CEO of Lagos State, you bring your experience and the panelists will ask who is the better man for this job? The public should situate things as if they are employing someone for the position of the CEO of Lagos State. Think of the possibilities of what Lagos will be getting with a Buhari as President.

You say the APC government in Lagos is not elitist but residents in areas like Ayobo and Egan wonder why places like Victoria Island and Surulere have better roads?

It’s more from you journalists. The number of projects we have in Meiran, Ayobo is what we have in VI but because you all work around urban areas, you don’t seem to see or report those ones. Go to Meiran, it’s a dual road, it wasn’t like that before. Constructions are ongoing at Ikotun axis. Ejigbo wasn’t like it is today four years ago. This government is for the poor, for the ordinary Lagosian. It’s about liberating our people, it’s about their welfare and security.

Some of the feelers we get is that residents of Ibeju-Lekki are likely to vote against your party in the next elections because they say that APC government keeps taking their land. 

Nobody has taken anybody’s land. What you are saying is not true. Check the last election results, APC won in Ibeju-Lekki, APC also won in Epe. The mere fact that we have assured them as a party that their interests will be taken care of is why they are going with APC. It’s about their development. In that axis alone, we have the export processing zone in Lekki, deep sea port in Lekki also and an international airport in Epe. What does that say about future development? There will be new developments and new towns. It’s about the future and prosperity for that axis.

Interview with DAYO OKETOLA and GBENRO ADEOYE

[PUNCH]

Buhari: Surviving Sister Speaks about her calm brother…

DAURA, the country home of the president-elect is still agog with celebrations since the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC declared him winner of last weekend presidential and National Assemblies elections.

Since the pronouncements of the results, residents of the town had not relented in ceaseless celebrations as party faithful and supporters of the All Progressives Congress APC were seen rolling out drums with victory songs when vanguard visited the town yesterday.

A joyous mother, Hajia Rekiya Adamu, popularly called Amadodo who incidentally is the only surviving sister out of the 24 family members of the President-Elect. Mohammadu Buhari was also in celebration mood.

In an interview with Saturday Vanguard, the Octogenarian revealed how the President-elect was raised, his childhood and relationship with members of the community.

Hajia, now that your only blood brother has emerged as Nigeria’s President-elect, what do you have to say about his upbringing?

Buhari, since he was a boy has always been a calm person. He doesn’t talk so much and he avoids trouble with others. He is very caring, he is very close to his relations, he is such a person that doesn’t like to break family ties. He tries as much as he can to link up with others anywhere. He lived with me before when he was schooling in Katsina. I was married then and every one was amazed by his conduct because no one ever reported him to me. He is intelligent and I remember during his childhood he was outstanding. He has no enemy. Even now, go around Daura town, he has no enemy. His attitude has endeared him to all.

How close is he to the family, having been such a public figure?

I’m his only elder sister, he always visits me. Even during tight schedule especially during election campaign, he always found time to see me. I mean he would sneak in to see everybody. Anything that I or any distant relation needs, he never hesitates to provide. He tries his best to make the family happy.

Among his siblings, how do they see him?

We were 24 in the family, all others have died remaining Buhari and me. They used to call him Akali during his childhood. That is the name our parents and relatives call him. I cannot recall why they called him that, because I was small then but I know that is the name we called him. We also call him Leko because he was born after twins.

How did your parents regard him?

They held him in high esteem. He returned when he was held in prison when our mother died, they really loved him and showed all of us love and care.

Now that he is the incoming president how do you see his victory?

It’s blessing to Nigeria because he had held that position before, but as a military man. He is honest and trustworthy and these attributes are still his hallmark. We pray God to see him through this national assignment. We call on Nigerians to give him the needed support to enable him transform the country.

 

[VANGUARD]

PHOTOS/VIDEO: Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Today marks the 47th anniversary of his death.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Today marks the 47th anniversary of his death.

FILM: FURIOUS 7 gunning for multiple records…

There is nothing the box office likes more than a record, and Furious 7 is set to deliver in a big way. Exactly six years after Fast and Furious revitalized Universal’s street racing franchise, the seventh entry in the series is gunning for multiple records, including the best opening in Fast and Furious history and the biggest April opening of all time.

The last time we saw Vin Diesel, The Rock, and their lead-footed compatriots behind the wheel was in May 2013, when Fast & Furious 6 had a huge debut over the highly-competitive Memorial Day weekend. Though box office logic typically dictates that a series is past its prime by the time it hits the decade mark, Fast & Furious 6 wound up securing a new record for the franchise, as well as an all-time high for Universal, with its $97.3 million opening.

Both of those records are now set to fall courtesy of Furious 7. This year’s first bona fide blockbuster (American Sniper was released at the end of 2014) took in an estimated $67.3 million from 4,004 locations on Friday, including $15.8 million from its Thursday p.m. previews. That puts F7 on track for at least $140 million through Sunday.

For months now it has been an article of faith that Furious 7 would speed past the $95 million debut of last year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier to secure the biggest April opening of all time, but this level of success tops even the most optimistic early projections. If estimates hold, Furious 7 will rank as the tenth best opening day of all time, ahead of The Hunger Games and The Dark Knight, before adjusting for inflation.

The only question now is how high Furious 7 will rise this weekend. The film is claiming the best reviews in the history of the franchise (81% on Rotten Tomatoes) and, more predictably, received a near perfect ‘A’ from CinemaScore audiences. Grosses from the film’s IMAX locations were especially strong on Friday, and with no other major studio releases to siphon interest, some projections put Furious 7 closer to $150 million through Sunday. Check back tomorrow to see how big 2015’s first blockbuster will become.

	Title	Friday	Total
1.	Furious 7	$67,300,000	$67.3
2.	Home	$11,300,000	$79.4
3.	Get Hard	$5,000,000	$49
4.	Cinderella	$4,071,000	$161
5.	Insurgent	$4,000,000	$97.3

[COLLIDER]

PHOTO: Diezani’s ‘Soft Landing’ Lobby. Visits Abdulsalam Abubakar.

One person who Nigerians have long certified as above the law is Diezani Alison-Madueke, the longest serving minister who served first under the late president Umaru Musa Yaradua, and was retained by Pres. Goodluck Jonathan.

Not even the Nigerian people through the national assembly could summon her as she defied them at will. She had the full backing and protection of Pres. Goodluck Jonathan.

A source however told the Scoop that the minister reached out to the APC leadership few days to the elections and made a donation to the APC campaign out of fear of what might happen in the event of an APC victory, which eventually was the case.

Senator Bukola Saraki who is being tipped to be the next senate president served as her point man and the minister is said to be asking for a soft landing considering the mountain of allegations against her in the course of her long tenure as minister of petroleum.

Diezani Alison-Madueke today has allegedly continued on her ‘soft landing’ lobbying with a visit to former head of state, Abdulsalam Abubakar, who has increased further in stature in the last few weeks following his role in brokering peace between the major gladiators in the presidential elections.

 

Woe betide the state in party opposition to Buhari’s APC? Jimi Agbaje – is he now suddenly in the wrong party?

In 2007, Jimi Agbaje left Action Congress, AC camp because he refused to play ball. 

He wasn’t going to be nobody’s stooge, a yes sir. Its was unanimously accepted by AC members only one man had the answer. Only one man knew best. Only one man had control. Only one  VOICE can speak. You dare go against that lone VOICE, you are demoted along with your political relevance. Jimi Agbaje didn’t want to be part of that set up.

He chose instead to contest under a minnow party, the Democratic People’s Alliance (DPA). He gave his all. He was refreshingly memorable. He left his mark against the anointed one – Babatunde Raji Fashola, BRF, the man who eventually won and had to fight tooth and nail with powers that be to become his own man.

BRF, under immense pressure from the VOICE almost lost his job with impeachment threats. He survived the coup. Many have opted to forget. Many have also chosen to forget BFR had his own man at the primaries, but now have to conform under strict instructions from the VOICE. 

In 2011, Jimi Agbaje who is not the typical politician chose not to contest, accepting the recognisable impact of BRF in governance.

In 2015, Jimi Agbaje chose to contest on the platform of a bigger party, the out going ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), just as Buhari .

The merger involved the ACN, led by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), headed by former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

The change of platform for both Buhari and Agbaje was to enable both to change status quo of 16 years. Buhari has succeeded. Will Agbaje be allowed to? or better still, will the votes be allowed to count? There is so much at stake.

Jimi Agbaje is contesting because he believes, not, that Governor Babatunde Fashola, BRF has done badly, on the contrary. He believes there is still much more to be accomplished.

Jimi Agbaje, JK for short, is now been told he has joined the wrong party. If only he was in another party, some lament. He has been called names, a liar, tax cheat and inexperienced by the same man, BRF, who was plucked out unceremoniously to contest.

What I find disturbing is the call for change at the centre, but continuity in Lagos, forgetting both had been under the clutches of a single party for 16 years.

‘CHANGE’ isn’t demanded just for the sake of it? Oh definitely not. Jk believes the Status Quo needs to be changed. It could no longer be business as usual in Abuja, the seat of presidency, as called for by APC. It can no longer be business as usual in Lagos says JK.

Unsurprisingly, the rally call by Lagos APC supporters is for Lagos to benefit from the centre with APC in power.

Really? 

So, woe betide the state in party opposition to Buhari’s APC party!

Is this the CHANGE Nigerians voted for? I doubt it!

Even more disturbing is the verbal war that has ensued between Igbo and Yoruba residents in Lagos, with vows by Igbos to vote en masse for JK. This has incensed Yorubas. The igbo lagos residents have not forgotten the unfortunate Igbo-deportation humiliation by Governor Fashola.

My call is for those in APC that point accusing fingers at JK sighting he is in the wrong party, surrounded by many accused of corruption to be mindful not to throw stones in glass houses. APC, in many quarters is seen as the new PDP because of the many familiar faces surrounding Buhari.

Nigerians are not fooled. Nigerians are ready for change all over. CHANGE isn’t restricted to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. Many demand for the same CHANGE in the commercial capital of Lagos. If CHANGE is imminent, the votes of Lagosians will carry it through irrespective of a godfather.

Those that suggest JK would be influenced by PDP’s bad eggs must not forget, APC is made up of a large quantity of former PDP members also perceived as bad eggs. Also, Buhari was consistently referred to as the military dictator, a reference disturbing yet to many Nigerians at home and abroad.  

For me, Lagos is about the person and not the party. The character of the leader and not the over whelming suffocation of a godfather. The plans and personality of the leader and not selfish interests of party stalwarts. The party should only be a platform. This to me is CHANGE.

Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe, great Nigerian leaders were both rejected in favour of Shehu Shagari. History records how many years this set Nigeria back. To Lagos voters, choose, based on the aspirant and not necessary the party. BRF may have been installed on the party just as Akinwunmi Ambode, the difference is BRF spoke at campaign rallies and Lagosians knew what they were having. Akinkunmi Ambode isn’t speaking.

All I read of are his brilliant academic achievements and experience at the local arm of government, while BRF goes around spitting fire on his behalf. To be honest, I haven’t heard enough from Ambode. He doesn’t have to be as eloquent to get his message across. Okorocha isn’t. Buhari isn’t. Tinubu has never been. For me Agbaje and Ambode are candidates aspiring to the hot seat, ultimately, the decision is down to the electorates. Things have changed. Eyes are now opened. Minds are now made up.There is no godfather that can undo anymore. Buhari will see to that, mark my words. The question is who would you trust to be single minded enough to take tough decisions? This is what I looked at when I decided to opt for Jimi Agbaje. Akinwunmi Ambode knows I don’t have anything against him personally.  

 

Microsoft at 40: Read Bill Gates’ anniversary email to employees #microsoft

Forty years ago, the world’s largest maker of software was nothing more than a startup, founded by two college dropouts named Bill Gates and Paul Allen.

Today, that company, Microsoft, has more than 125,000 employees, a sprawling 8-million-square-foot campus outside Seattle and its principal products running on nearly 90 percent of the world’s computers. It’s the third-most valuable company in the world, behind only oil giant Exxon Mobil and longtime competitor Apple.

On Saturday, Microsoft celebrates its 40th anniversary and Gates — who served as chief executive officer for 25 years before stepping down in 2000 — has advice for its employees to utilize in the years ahead: “Make the power of technology accessible to everyone, connect people to each other and make personal computing available everywhere.”

In an email to employees Friday, Gates reiterated his commitment to the vision he laid out four decades ago that software could empower the world, and asked Microsoft never to forget what it can do to change lives. “What matters most is what we do next,” he wrote.

Gates, who has since pulled away from Microsoft yet remains an adviser to CEO Satya Nadella, focuses now on philanthropic efforts as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. His personal fortune has kept him at the top of the list of the world’s wealthiest people 16 out of the last 21 years, but he’s pledged to give away 95 percent of it to charity by his death. So far, Gates has poured $28 billion into his foundation.

Here’s the full letter to employees, originally tweeted by Amit Roy Choudhary, which Microsoft confirmed:

Tomorrow is a special day: Microsoft’s 40th anniversary.

Early on, Paul Allen and I set the goal of a computer on every desk and in every home. It was a bold idea and a lot of people thought we were out of our minds to imagine it was possible. It is amazing to think about how far computing has come since then, and we can all be proud of the role Microsoft played in that revolution.

Today though, I am thinking much more about Microsoft’s future than its past. I believe computing will evolve faster in the next 10 years than it ever has before. We already live in a multi-platform world, and computing will become even more pervasive. We are nearing the point where computers and robots will be able to see, move, and interact naturally, unlocking many new applications and empowering people even more.

Under Satya’s leadership, Microsoft is better positioned than ever to lead these advances. We have the resources to drive and solve tough problems. We are engaged in every facet of modern computing and have the deepest commitment to research in the industry. In my role as technical advisor to Satya, I get to join product reviews and am impressed by the vision and talent I see. The result is evident in products like Cortana, Skype Translator, and HoloLens — and those are just a few of the many innovations that are on the way.

In the coming years, Microsoft has the opportunity to reach even more people and organizations around the world. Technology is still out of reach for many people, because it is complex or expensive, or they simply do not have access. So I hope you will think about what you can do to make the power of technology accessible to everyone, to connect people to each other, and make personal computing available everywhere even as the very notion of what a PC delivers makes its way into all devices.

We have accomplished a lot together during our first 40 years and empowered countless businesses and people to realize their full potential. But what matters most now is what we do next. Thank you for helping make Microsoft a fantastic company now and for decades to come.

CNET

MUST READ: Reno Omokri – “I believe in the leadership of President Jonathan. I am proud of him”; Congratulates Buhari.

Let me first use this opportunity to congratulate the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari. Congratulations on your hard won victory which is a testimony to your resilience. You give a new meaning to the lyrics of a song by the late US R & B singer, Aaliyah Dana Haughton, who sang ‘if at first you don’t succeed, pick yourself up and try again’.

Having said that, let me say this loudly: I believe in the leadership of President Jonathan. I am proud of him.  Much as it may be hard for some to conceive of now, I am certain that in the not too distant future, many will find themselves saying about President Jonathan that never in the history of Nigeria has so much being owed to one leader in so short a time as President Jonathan. Of course, I am paraphrasing Sir Winston Churchill.

General Muhammadu Buhari has won the most transparent elections ever held in Nigeria and it is President Jonathan that ensured we had this most transparent election. One only happened because of the other.

Think back to elections held before President Jonathan assumed power on May 6th, 2010. I am sure the phrase ‘do or die’ still rings familiar.

That Nigerians are today celebrating is because of what God did through Jonathan.

But perhaps President Jonathan’s greatest legacies lie in the intangible things he achieved for Nigeria.

Jonathan is the real change agent. He ensured Nigeria’s freedom of information via the Freedom of Information Law, FOI, and our freedom to choose leaders via credible elections. 

Elsewhere, I have said that you may not be able to appreciate a very good wife until you have divorced her to marry another. 

Even his most ardent critics will appreciate Jonathan eventually. He allowed freedoms blossom and from the way he institutionalized these freedoms, it will be virtually impossible to put the genie back into the bottle.

I have only written a few lines, yet the word change keeps popping up whenever President Jonathan’s name is mentioned. 

Nigerians may have voted for change, but I am skeptical that we will see as much change in the coming years as we saw in the last five years.

Apart from the intangibles, what were some of those changes you may ask?  

I will just mention a few.

In the midst of a brutal and subsisting insurgency, President Jonathan was able to lead the growth of our economy such that Nigeria became the largest economy in Africa and the 26th largest economy in the world. 

He was able to reduce hunger in Nigeria (not according to any data from the government or any Nigerian run organization, but
according to the International Food Policy Research Institute’s Global Hunger Index).

His leadership saw Nigerians having the highest increase in Average Life Expectancy according to the United Nations Human Development Index which shows that life expectancy in Nigeria increased from 47 years pre Jonathan to 54 years today.  

For the first time in Nigeria’s history, the long neglected Almajiri children of Northern Nigeria are able to go to a physical school with modern facilities on a large and organized scale because President Jonathan built schools for them.

Our women folk have had their highest per capita input in government under Jonathan. Almost 35% of all high profile appointments President Jonathan made were for the benefit of women. He also opened up the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, to women.

The Igbo people of the Southeast, who are very mercantile and commercially itinerant, now have an international airport and do not have to travel to Lagos, PortHarcourt, Abuja or Kano, to take a connecting flight. They can travel out of the country directly from Enugu. Whenever they do so, President Jonathan is putting back ₦60, 000 they would have spent on connecting flights back into their pockets.  

In the Southwest, the two most important roads, the Lagos-Ibadan and the Benin-Ore Expressways are wearing a new look courtesy of the change brought about by Jonathan. It is worth mentioning that those roads had been in a state of disrepair for decades before Jonathan happened on the scene.

In the power sector, Jonathan fulfilled his promise to privatize power. It may take sometime, but Nigeria is going to see the same massive increase in capacity and delivery in power as she saw in the telecommunications industry for the simple reason
that government cannot do what the private sector can do and this is a fact known to every nation that has successfully solved its power challenges. 

Let me not go on and on about his achievements because I can. It suffices to say that under the rain, under the sun I will be for Jonathan! 

And I am not the only one. Some may sneer and say that it is because I have benefitted financially from this administration. If the incoming administration should investigate me, Nigerians will know that this is not the case. I supported President Jonathan because of passion not pocket. 

Now, this Change that has been voted for by Nigerians may be good and I hope it will be. 

For the vast majority of people chanting change, I pray that it will not be like a cow given to a child. That child will care for the cow as long as it is alive. The child will milk the cow, get it food and clean it every once in a while. But in many cases, the minute the cow is slaughtered and its meat is to be divided, the child then realizes who the owners of the cow really are. 

I have said and still say and will continue to say that by his uncommon and statesmanly action of conceding to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, even while the votes were still being counted, President Jonathan doused the political tension in the land and took the wind out of the sails of those who may have had the means and  the desire to instigate
violence. 

We may never know how many lives were saved by this action, but lives were indeed saved.

In my own opinion, President Jonathan deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for this gesture and at the very least, the Mo Ibrahim prize.

If we had had this legacy of conceding when Presidential elections are over, Nigeria would have been even more stable than she is right now and many many lives that were needlessly lost in previous electoral cycles would have been saved. 

I am so proud of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. So, so proud! 

And for the Peoples Democratic Party, its members must bear in mind that the All Progressive Congress is coming into power with control of the Executive and the Legislature and if history is anything to go by, a great deal of influence over the judiciary.

The people that are coming in are people who have tasted power before and have been away from it for far too long. They will not be shy in their use of power. 

But perhaps even more impactful than these is the fact that they are entering into power with something akin to near dominance or even control of the loudest section of the media. 

They have invested in the traditional media and even more so in the Social Media. Their influence over the youth is something like that wielded by the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

If the Peoples Democratic Party does not device an effective strategy that would see it increase its influence in those institutions that have traditionally been key to restraining the excesses of government, such as the media, labour and professional organizations and students and youth groups, market and road transport unions and so on, its ability to act as an effective opposition party that puts a democratic check on the excesses of the incoming ruling party will be severely eroded.

There is no time to have a pity party. What has just happened in Nigeria happens all the time in the advanced democracies of the West and even in next door Ghana. There is no shame to it. In fact, if the people involved know where they stand in the sands of time, they will understand that there is a lot to be proud of. 

Those in the PDP should not go and lick their wounds. Rather they should go and build their political machinery through intellectual development and genuine reconnection with the masses at the grass roots. 

Taking a cue from the behavior of the Republicans after they lose office to the Democrats, PDP mandarins should go back to school, take up newspapers columns, write books to tell their own accurate story before it is distorted, throw themselves into the lecture circuit (TED talks and conferences), set up foundations to help the less privileged and so on and so forth. 

They should not worry or despair. I am very certain that history will be kind to President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP and history has a way of repeating itself. 

Some may accuse me of being on a flight of fancy, so let me provide proof of history repeating itself in the democratic traditions of Nigeria. 

In 1956, Enugu elected Umaru Altine, a Fulani, as the first Mayor of the city.

In 2015 Amuwo-Odofin, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituencies have repeated that history by electing Chief Oghene Egoh, Mrs. Rita Orji and Mr. Tony Nwoolu as their Representatives to the House of Representatives. 

Those elected are all non-indigenes elected under the banner of the PDP, in Lagos state, which is an APC stronghold. Now that is Change! No. That is Jonathan’s Legacy of Change!

PDP members should not be down cast when gloaters ask them ‘how market’. What those asking that pedestrian question fail to realize is that the work of healing and uniting Nigeria must start now. There’s no time to gloat.

If they do not realize it, PDP members must realize it and begin to heal their party by building unity and infusing fresh blood into it. 

Four years may look like a very long time, but it really isn’t. Remember that a party that did not even exist four years ago is about to form a government at the center. Isn’t that instructive of what proper planning and execution can do? 

Reno Omokri is a pastor and author currently serving as Special Assistant on New Media to President Jonathan