AMAOPUSENIBO Shedrack Fubara Blog

Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa's daughter remembers her father Noo Saro-Wiwa was 14 when she found out her father, Ken, had another family. It took years – and his death – for her to begin to understand him Noo Saro-Wiwa, daughter of the human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was executed in Nigeria in 1995. Photograph: Linda Nylind for the Guardian Jon Henley The Guardian, Sat 31 Dec 2011 00.05 GMT To most of us, Ken Saro-Wiwa was a Nigerian activist and a martyr, a brave and inspiring campaigner who led his Ogoni people's struggle against the decades-long defilement of their land by Big Oil, and ended up paying for it with his life. To Noo Saro-Wiwa, he was Dad. Rather a distant dad, though; for most of her childhood, she saw him only three or four times a year, on his regular visits to England (where she lived with her mother, brothers and twin sister), and during the long summer holidays at the family home in Port Harcourt, where her father lived. Also, he wasn't al...

President Goodluck Jonathan, 2011: Is PDP the only Party? Posted: May 10, 2010 - 01:00 Posted by fubarashed On this, he warned: “We will fight. We will fight to ensure that rotation is retained in the PDP. We will insist that the rotation remains till the North gets its full tenure of eight years. And thereafter, if the country wants to abandon the concept of rotation altogether, then we will consider it.” Battle not over, Yakassai warns Jonathan: the Sun Newspaper, Monday 19 th May, 2010. The above statement quoted as said by Elder statesman and one of the leaders of the pro- late Yar’Adua camp, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, not only sparks off North-South divide(not the subject of this article), it also raises the question: Is PDP the only political party in Nigeria? Better still: does PDP’s wish represent the wishes and aspirations of Nigerians? Come to think of it, no one is yet to prove or show to Nigerians where in PDP’s constitution the rotational presidency clause(s...

RE: Goodluck Jonathan Withdraws Nigeria From Football Events For Two Years: Will Jonathan Withdraw From Office For Incompetent Leadership? Posted: July 1, 2010 - 01:00 Posted by fubarashed Dear Majek Adega, while I do not intend to join issues with you nor to glorify your "knee-jerk", arm-chair criticism of the decision of the President to withdraw Nigeria from Football events for 2yrs, but I want to point out a few facts you have with intent misrepresented. It will amount to disservice to millions of Nigerian whose hearts were broken following the failure of the Super Eagles at the World Cup Mundial to make a mockery of the govt’s decision. Lest we forget, Football is not the only sports event Nigeria participates in, so why the hullaballoo about the decision of the president? Perhaps, if I were the President or had the ear of the President, my directive or candid advice would have been to disband the NFF and the national team and after that probe all the adminis...

Nigeria: Fuel Subsidy - What Govt Must Do By Fubara Shed, 17 December 2011 Comment   opinion SOMETIMES what the people think is best for them is actually their albatross especially when they are ignorant of the fact as it affects their daily activities. An example is the on-going debate on fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Millions of poor and ill-informed Nigerians care less about the facts of fuel subsidy. All they worry and care about is how much they pay for a litre of petrol, kerosene, and diesel. Indeed, why is the government subsidising fuel when Nigeria's Niger Delta is blessed with abundant crude oil and gas reserves? Asked the other way round, what would have been of Nigeria if there were no drop of crude oil in the Niger Delta? A subject for another day, you will say! In the developed World, informed public opinions matter, not that the government listens and implements them all. Laid down rules, procedures, necessities and th...

The United States De partment of State has reduced Diversity Visa Programme fee as part of plans to adjust visa processing fees which is expected to take effect from April 13, 2012. This is contained in a statement from the Department of State and made available to the newsmen in Abuja. Diversity Visa Program Fee which was 440 dollars is expected to be 330 dollars.   It stated that the decrease is due to a reallocation of costs associated with immigrant visas and the decrease would affect all categories of immigrant visa processing fees. The categories  include Immediate Relative and Family Preference Applications which was 330 dollars and would be 230 dollars and Employment-Based Applications which fell from 720 dollars to 405 dollars. Visas that fall under Other Immigrant Visa Applications would be 220 dollars against the former fee of 305 dollars and the Determining Returning Resident Status would be 275 dollars against 380 dollars. It, however, stated that though...

My attention has been drawn to a message and an invitation by the organizers of the above named group and I wish to state the following for the records and for avoidance of doubt: First, I thank you for your compliments and for recognizing my determination to fight for a true and progressive Nigeria. I am a progressive and a true believer in a one United and egalitarian Nigeria where justice, fairness and equity shall prevail. Much as I am dissatisfied with some policy decisions and style of President Goodluck Jonathan in governance of Nigeria, I still believe he alone cannot change the decades of decay Nigeria has been plunged into by successive govt. To this end, rather than wish him failure or call him bad luck, we need to rally support for him by exposing the ills we see around us, making public issues that we feel ought to be addressed by govt, making constructive criticisms of policies and programs that will engender true development of the Nigeria and her people, making individu...