So a few random thoughts on food inflation, cassava, luxury hotel rooms and misplaced priorities.

1. This is the Saint Regis hotel, New York. It’s a 5-star luxury hotel located in the heart of New York City. It’s where our President and his entourage allegedly lodged during their trip to UNGA 78. It’s a very,very nice hotel.

(I’m a bit surprised at this because typically our Presidents stay at the Millennium Hotel Tower, another really nice hotel, which is right next to the UN Headquarters).

Anyway, to a citizen of the poverty capital of the world, the difference between St. Regis and Millenium Hotel is the difference between po-tay-to and po-tah-to.






2. This is cassava. I’ve also found a rare picture of the mythical food of the gods called cassava bread; or Cassy Bread as @akin_adesina affectionately called it.

What magical ties bind the @StRegisNewYork to Cassy Bread?

Hmm.

1. I think the National Assembly has been captured by the APC. Sad to hear that the PDP “stayed away” from her responsibility to produce the minority opposition leadership in the Senate and House of Representatives.

I’ve never seen this level of irresponsibility. Rubber… https://t.co/iqko0ydisytwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
2. On @drsimonmwadkwon. A brilliant legislator. 2 term house of reps member. 2 Masters degrees. 1 PhD. Lecturer. ASUU member. His pedigree is unquestionable. His emergence was driven by the North Central Caucus. They will clearly dictate his legislative agenda; not his Party.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

A few random thoughts.

1. It’s feels like we’re at a tipping point; doesn’t it? Elections have come & gone; reality is starting to set in

Like the reality that for several reasons LP was able to blast PDP away in Edo State. Yes, we got our 25%, but no one saw this upset coming. 2. There’s also the reality that Obi cannot win. Our Constitution & federal structure means Obi can neither get the popular vote nor 25% in 24 states. A few of us saw & said this, now here we are

Democracy is an imperfect way of choosing leaders; but it’s the best imperfect way.

1. Getting ready for our @atiku mega rally in Benin City today, and my mind is still troubled by the @officialABAT manifesto I read yesterday.

I was going to let the public read and decide its value for themselves; but I have a few random thoughts I feel compelled to share. 2. First of all, presentation-wise, the document is SEXY as f*ck. Glossy, nice pictures and graphics, reads like a piece of great literature.

Get past the ephemeral allure of the manifesto; and you discover it is a painted sepulcher; a corpse with makeup applied by a mortician.

I’m really angry. Not at Datti’s ridiculous comments; but at the ludicrous defence people are putting up

Go watch the full ducking interview. It’s even worse. Didn’t we agree that #EndSARS was our red line?

This is how I responded this morning to Wike’s endorsement of Sanwo-Olu How did Datt respond?

By asking youths why they chose to protest SARS when there were more pressing issues like a falling Naira.

By saying there must be hidden political motives & actors he will one day uncover.

By playing semantic games over the murder of young Nigerians. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

A few random but serious thoughts as they concern the 2023 General Elections. It'll be a long thread but please bear with me.

1. The BVAS System.

Most people think the new Electoral Act compels @inecnigeria to use BVAS for the biometric accreditation of voters. That's a lie. 2. What the EA says in sections 47, 60, 61 & 62 is that a smart card reader or tech device will be used to accredit voters; then results transmitted according to guidelines set by INEC.

Nowhere in the ENTIRE EA are the words 'biometric' or BVAS used. Even e-tranmission no dey.

First of, it’s necessary to declare my bias. @AnthonyEhilebo na family member; so there’s that.

I agree with most of what he said. I’ve gone through his tweets and his responses, and I think people are mining outrage where none should exist.

In fact I WANT IPOB to adopt Obi. I’ve always said Nigeria should be fairer to Igbos. I think the SE should be able to produce a president (see my pinned tweet).

But I’ve also ALWAYS said that the right to self-determination is a constitutional one; and that a referendum should be included in our constitution.

Are y’all ready for an HONEST deep dive into the @atiku interview?

It’ll be long o! @abati1990 and @TundunAbiola kept peppering him with questions.

Let’s go! First of all, it wasn’t live

It appears to have been recorded at the Candidate’s residence.

I prefer live interviews bcos you get to see the candidate think on their seats; but I’m happy with this bcos there were no ‘content-edits’ so what you see is what was said.

#AtikuArise

@atiku: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow

1. In 2019, shortly after the presidential election the Supreme Court said he lost to Buhari, Atiku warned about the consequences of our doubling debt and the burden it would place on future generations

https://twitter.com/atiku/status/1149589427112464385?s=21&t=ZoaWuif83gIoud3pCzRfIw

https://twitter.com/thecableng/status/1550154211500900354

2. In 2020 @atiku again warned that debt-to-revenue had reached 99% & that again this voracious appetite for debt would bankrupt the nation and put future generations in financial jeopardy.

He advised the Govt on how to exit this debt trap but they sent Lai Moh’d to attack him.

https://twitter.com/atiku/status/1272838676800831488

2. How was a question about the need for police reform and state police answered by Baba gloating about how he sent @seyiamakinde packing and instead said the solution to our security problems was a return to the empowerment of traditional/local leaders.

Like…how, Oga? 3. In case you did not hear well, Baba repeated it for the ones at the back:

APC is not going to give you state police.

As Baba start to yarn opps, @seunokin sharply change topic! 😂😂😂

A few random thoughts, as it seems we have forgotten the mistakes of 2015.

Before we start, go take a look at my header. That is politics.

It is not fair. It is not just. It is the pursuit of power. And it will ONLY act fair, or just if that will secure power.

Let’s begin: 1. The 2023 elections will NOT be about fairness, or justice, or equity. It will necessarily be a choice between the two candidates the PDP and APC will present.

2. I’m seeing “anyone but [Atiku/GEJ/Osinbajo/Tinubu] tweets. Stop with the silliness. That’s how we got Buhari.

The Democratic Alternative.

1. The next Nigerian President will be either a PDP or APC candidate.

2. The only role a 3rd force party can play is by either tipping the vote one way or the other for the two aforementioned parties; or forming an alliance with one of them. 3. For legislative elections into houses of assemblies or the National Assembly, 3rd force candidates can shine.

4. We need brilliant people to occupy the vacuums that currently exist there.

5. Securing APC/PDP legislative tickets can be an expensive & non-inclusive process.

An incident on a 7am @ArikAirlineNg fight to Benin at the Lagos airport left me a lot more understanding of delays caused by “operational reasons”.

So I got to the airport early o; checked in early; boarded early.

Plane started taxing down the runway. Then it stopped. Ah ah. Engine is turned off. Wetin dey happen?

Pilot says over the intercom: Sorry ladies and gentlemen, we have to deal with an issue.

He comes out of the cockpit and asks his crew to open the door, then goes back in.

Wetin dey happen o?!?

A wise man told me that Buhari did not create these divisions, he merely exposed them

I think about the outrage when Boko Haram raised flags in Nigerian towns in 2014; the derision when the military drove them out in 2015

“Too little, too late”, people crowed. “We want change”. Today, the outrage has been replaced by a chilling silence, as Boko Haram raises flags and levies taxes and kills citizen and soldier alike.

And all of this in next door Niger State, an hour and a half away from Abuja.

No outrage. No protests. Just...silence.

The Face of Corruption.

A @NetflixNaija Original
Produced by @OfficialAPCNg
Directed by @MBuhari

Act 1
It was over even before it began for @ProfPondei when @BTOofficial, Chairman of the @HouseNGR recused himself over claims that he had a vendetta against Pondei & the NDDC Act 2
Pondei fails to realise that his victory would be short lived, as the House of Reps zeroes in on the one criminal allegation they can prove: extra-budgetary expenditure.

They quietly flank him on the left. His ED Projects Dr. Cairo, senses the danger, and starts panicking.

@saniyusuf Happy to break it down for you:

1. The industrialization of the North argument. Not a business-case focus on the SW and Lagos, or SE, or even industrial gas-powered clusters in the ND? What competitive advantage does Kano hold in the production of petrochemical goods? @saniyusuf 2. We have existing gas-fed power plants struggling with gas supply and transmission. We don’t have light. Common sense would suggest all funds be users to solve those immediate problems if the aim is truly to kickstart an industrial revolution.

A few random thoughts on @mbuhari and #COVID19

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” - Sherlock Holmes

1. I believe that Buhari is GRAVELY ill.
2. I believe the patriots around him are hiding this information from us. 3. I do not know where the President is, but if (as has been reported) his Chief of Staff Abba Kyari is receiving medical attention in the UK, I suspect Buhari has been flown out as well.

4. This same EXACT scenario played out in 2009/10 with President Yar’Adua.

Dear diary,

It has been exactly 28 days since I returned from the abroad.

Walahi I am going mad.

What is all this? Take me to London, Abba said no, there is firus. Toh, let me go and greet my good friend Donald, he said there is virus there too.

So what do they want me to do? The other day they carried me to Ondo to commission road Gov. Amosun has built. Today they said I should go to Argungu to look at fish.

Fish!

I was even happy. I thought it was in Chad. I even told Aisha to dust my passport. Till we now landed in Kebbi. What rubbish!

Let’s cook conspiracy theories about why @realDonaldTrump might extend his travel ban to Nigeria.

Suspend disbelief:

1. It’s an election year. Voters love war & a crackdown on job-stealing immigration. He’s ‘won’ his showdown with Iran, now it’s time to get tough on immigrants. 2. Security concerns. The White House has said a travel ban helps it prevent terrorists from coming into the US.

Nigeria would need to show compliance with US-standard travel and ID security protocols, against the backdrop of rising security threats here in Nigeria.

Doc, I find this entire conversation troubling, and I’ll try to articulate why as best as I can.

As you know, I’m partisan, but I’ll try to put that aside, for now.

https://twitter.com/DrJoeAbah/status/1210132412220497921

1. Who is this @ChiefOjukwu you are apologizing to? A faceless bot created by this admin? A bot that decided to use the likeness of one of the most revered Igbos?

2. This handle regularly threatens people with arrest or violence using state resources it claims to have access to.

Story story! Who wants to hear a story about the newly created Economic Advisory Council, Osinbajo, and 2023?

The Road to 2023 - Another Conspiracy Theory (Act II) Yesterday, the 16th of September, 2019, @ProfOsinbajo presided over the weekly Economic Management Team meeting. This was reported by @akandeoj

It was a routine meeting, and it adjourned to meet next week, as usual.