MY RECENT FACEBOOK STATUS COMMENT:

Tom Ikimi The ACN Action Congress of Nigeria was safely born yesterday at the AC convention in Lagos. Membership registers will now be opened Nation wide to admit all members from the merging political parties and groups leading up to Congresses from the Ward,Local Government and State Levels to the National Convention in Benin ... City on 24th September to elect new Party National Officers. Amendment to the Party's Constitution at yesterday's Convention has now made it mandatory in the composition of delegates to State Congresses to comprise of 3 members from each ward which must include one woman and one Youth.

8 hours ago · Comment · Like Unlike · View Feedback (12) Hide Feedback (12) · 6 people like this.

Roz Ben-Okagbue Hmmm....thats a good sign. More women should be encouraged to join the race...... about an hour ago · Like Unlike
Uche Iwuala If the New ACN can brake that jinx and attract 'credible' members that are capable of making the difference for the people, then PDP will be finished despite its strong hold now. The ACN MUST be that realistic alternative or we might as well say good night Nigeria about an hour ago · Like Unlike

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Tom Ikimi VISIT TO LAGOS TO ATTEND THE ACTION CONGRESS AC CONVENTION ON 9TH august 2010.

NEW & NOTABLE By: Tom Ikimi Photos: 7 8 hours ago · Comment · Like Unlike · View Feedback (21) Hide Feedback (21) · 6 people like this.
Obinwanne Onwuchuruba I concentrated only on one prayer topic in many this morning ,..that is for God to do to all rogue politicians, (Military and Agbada) and their cronies the samething HE did to Pharoah and his followers as they pursed the Israelites into the ... red sea....if countries like China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, and even Ghana can use just simple "laws and enforcements" to transform the furture of their children and their country, how can a rich country like Nigeria suffer so much that Nigerians are treated like 'dogs' in all countries of the world. May the looters and enemies of Nigeria never know peace here and hereafter. See More about an hour ago · Like Unlike

Osadebe Ibegbu Amen about an hour ago · Like Unlike

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Tom Ikimi The proceedings at the Action Congress (AC) Convention in Lagos today was businesslike. The hard core leadership of The Party was present. It is now clear who and who are no longer in the Party. The party has now changed its name to ACN..Action Congress of Nigeria and hopefully has now opened up for merging political p ... arties and groups to join its ranks. The stage is getting set for the 2011 battle

See More http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100810229915 www.punchng.com 9 hours ago · Comment · Like Unlike · View Feedback (11) Hide Feedback (11) ·
Emeka Aneke AC/ACN have done their best and needn't worry any longer. They should just relax and put up their feet as CPC will do everything humanly possible to move Nigeria forward.

Peace! 2 hours ago · Like Unlike
Osukoya Paul Kehinde pls take this party to the well acceptable level you have done once you can do it again 49 minutes ago · Like Unlike

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Tom Ikimi It is amazing the manner in which General Obasanjo, former Nigerian President frequently tries to manipulate events in Nigeria. After he benefited so much from a zoning arrangement enshrined in the PDP constitution he announced in the US recently that the arrangement never existed at all. He is now holding secrete meet ... ings with IBB.
He was fully briefed of late President Yar'Adua's poor health status before he drafted him into the Presidency, only to turn round just before the man died to claim complete ignorance of the situation. I was similarly shocked last week to read these comments on the National Assembly by OBJ. Please see my further comments below. See More Obasanjo Slams N'Assembly Members over Allowances Culled From Chuks Okocha, 08.05.2010 THISDAYONLINE http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=180025 Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday slammed members of the National Assembly, saying they constituted a heavy drain on the nation's lean purse. ... By: Tom Ikimi 10 hours ago · Comment · Like Unlike · View Feedback (9) Hide Feedback (9) · 5 people like this.
Victor Adefila ?@Chief Tom, issue if zoning is not and should be celebrated as a national discussion. It is purely a PDP affairs. PDP is just one of the registered 54 parties but opportune to rule Nigeria thus far due to non-existence of viable opposition ... parties. They were able to go this far because there is alternative political party that is ready to lead Nigeria.
Chief, rather than we wasting time discussing internal wrangling of PDP, our focus should be more on preparing ACN in practical and realistic form ready to take over from PDP.
This zoning issue is just a distraction deliberately created by PDP and unfortunately everyone is unconsciously falling into the trap.
Everyone has now admitted that CORRUPTION in Nigeria is beyond human comprehension. This is good as we have identified it as the major problem in Nigeria, the next to this identification is to source for realistic and practical approach to solve this problem.
Let ACN be fully developed as alternative party ready to take over and lead Nigeria out of this tsunami of corruption in Nigeria. Time to act is now. God bless you my Chief Tom See More 10 hours ago · Like Unlike
Akemokue Lukman PDP ZONING PALAVA: PLOTS AND SUB-PLOTS WITHIN LARGER PLOTS

A major objective of holding a political party convention is to elect a candidate for president in an election year. The 2010 Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would' ... ve amounted to no more than another avenue for financially ...inducing the endorsement of a fait accompli if Umaru Musa Yar'Adua was alive. But his death has upset the apple cart, precipitating a new set of permutations and simulated outcomes in the process. The presidential ticket is normally given to an aspirant that has secured a specified minimum number of delegates' votes at a party convention. The way the constitutions of major Nigerian political parties have been drawn up, state governors, with their retinue of commissioners, special advisers and aides, account for the largest proportion of delegates (not counting the large state delegations they control), hence they constitute beautiful brides to be ignored at great peril. The governors have equally capitalized on the ensuing horse-trading to negotiate golden handshakes/parachutes, such as automatic return tickets, for themselves.

It's the quest for rich veins of delegates that is driving the ‘Mungo Park' search of PDP national chairman, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, for missing ribs – sitting governors that were formerly members of the PDP, such as Theodore Orji and Olusegun Mimiko of Abia and Ondo states respectively. The plan also calls for the intensive wooing of opposition party governors that are either currently in the firing-line of overbearing political godfathers or dissatisfied with the present state of affairs in their parties. This latter group includes Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo (both of Action Congress), as well as Senator Modu Ali Sheriff and Ibrahim Gaidam of Borno and Yobe respectively (both of ANPP).

Instructively, Gaidam reportedly abstained from casting a vote on the contentious zoning debate at the recent ambivalent conclave of the Northern Governors, while Bauchi's Isa Yuguda was very conspicuous by the fact that he was the only governor that went AWOL. Yuguda's dilly-dallying is understandable. If he openly roots for Jonathan (as his recent utterances and body language seem to indicate), his traducers would scream ‘betrayal' (of his Katsina in-laws), and coalesce forces through strategic alliances to scuttle his second-term ambition. On the other hand, if his support for Jonathan is lukewarm or doubtful, there are many, such as FCT minister Senator Bala Mohammed, ready and willing to upstage him, with the president's connivance, at the state party congress.

Of the 15 PDP-controlled states represented at the meeting, eight voted for the retention of zoning while seven (Adamawa, Benue, Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau and Taraba) voted for its abandonment. Of the naysayers, only Plateau has consistently maintained a parallel line to the ‘Core North' in electoral matters. Kaduna's support is understandable given that prior to his promotion to vice-president, Namadi Sambo was the state governor. Gabriel Suswam is facing a very tough opposition (and a likely realignment of powerful political forces) in Benue and can only continue on his present zoning trajectory if he isn't interested in a second term.

Taraba is likely to vote for the scrapping of zoning because of the Gen. T.Y. Danjuma factor but it would be a very close battle given the long reach and influence of the Caliphate through the emirate system. Kogi's Ibrahim Idris would also like zoning to be jettisoned so his majority Igala tribe would have an alibi for monopolizing elective and appointive offices. It's crystal-clear that the zoning debate is fully laced with intrigues and politics, with all kinds of sub-plots embedded in larger plots – it is certainly not one for political novices. Still, when the die is cast, I fully expect 10 of the 16 PDP-controlled states in the North to vote for the retention of zoning, three to vote against and three battle-ground states.

The stakeholders of the South-East have apparently resigned themselves to playing two-bit roles and acting as political errand boys. Going by their recent press statement, Jonathan would seem to have locked up the delegates of the three PDP South-East states of Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo. The president's campaign strategists shouldn't, however, count their chickens before they are hatched. In 2003 all five states were controlled by the PDP and the governors publicly endorsed the candidacy of son-of-the-soil Dr. Alex Ekwueme. But when D-Day finally arrived at the Eagles Square in Abuja, all five without any exception cast their ballots for then-President Olusegun Obasanjo's second-term bid!

I'm predicting two of the four PDP-controlled states in the South-West to vote for zoning and two to vote against. Gbenga Daniel is championing the zoning of the governorship ticket to the Yewa of Ogun West Senatorial District and cannot be seen to be toeing a no-zoning path. Even with the presence of Olusegun Obasanjo – alleged to be Jonathan's biggest backer – on the other side of the divide, I expect Daniel to go with his gut feeling on the issue of justice and fair play. Given his longstanding military and social ties with Ibrahim Babangida, I fully expect Osun's Olagunsoye Oyinlola to vote for the retention of zoning. Obasanjo purportedly played a yeoman's role in the outcome of the Ekiti rerun governorship election (still being contested in court) so Segun Oni will vote against zoning – same for Oyo's Adebayo Alao-Akala.

The South-South appears very supportive of a Jonathan candidacy but it paradoxically remains the zone with the greatest plots and sub-plots as well as political intrigues and scheming, largely because of the age-old fears attributable to majority/minority tribes' cohabitation. I've no doubts whatsoever that if the voting process can be guaranteed to be free and fair, and there's no possibility of political victimization, three of the five PDP-controlled states in the zone (Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Delta) would vote for zoning given the political reality in their areas.

If President Jonathan had the luxury of more time, things might turnout differently, but he doesn't. The possibility of postponing the dates of the election (to April) and handover (to October) has become moot since INEC chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega and leaders of the National Assembly publicly insisted that the May 29, 2011 handover date remains sacrosanct. But it's still early days and the president's campaign strategists can find solace in the fact that nothing is impossible in this nation! The way things are stacking up, it would seem that the only way the president can surmount the tough hurdle posed by stiffening Northern opposition is by doing whatever it takes to secure the minimum number of delegates required to hold the convention floor.

If Jonathan was the ‘proper son' of Obasanjo, he would've disbanded the PDP and ensured that only those who support the abandonment of zoning would be re-registered! Or, he could arrange the balloting process such that it is very easy to ascertain the votes of individuals – like Obasanjo did in 2003 to browbeat mutinous governors! One tell-tale sign of increasing desperation on the part of the president's camp would be if and when the Nwodo-led national working committee starts dissolving state executive committees and substituting them with caretaker management committees. Everything will be riding on the 2010 PDP Convention. If Jonathan adopts all the tricks in the book – and more – in a bid to secure the presidential ticket, then it would simply be a case of “the spirit is willing but the body is very weak
See More 5 hours ago · Like Unlike

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Tom Ikimi Obasanjo Slams N'Assembly Members over Allowances Culled From Chuks Okocha, 08.05.2010 THISDAYONLINE http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=180025 Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday slammed members of the National Assembly, saying they constituted a heavy drain on the nation's lean purse. ... 10 hours ago · Comment · Like Unlike · View Feedback (25) Hide Feedback (25) · Segun Sega Awosanya and 6 others like this.
Adebola Ogboja The fact of the matter and the 'koko' of the present issue is that our legislative arm is stealing us blind, and what have u got to say....

Thanks to Ufuoma and Roz, all of the comments above focus more on OBJ as a person and not on the obvi ... ous issues the man raised in the article above, anyway i am not suprised at all of you, it is this kind of attention, pretense and grandstanding from nigerians that made the country drift to the precipice that it is now hanging on.

One will think after acknowledging the role OBJ played or did not played, we will now look at the issues raised and brainstorm on probable solutions, we are all castigating OBJ as if he alone is responsible for the situation the country found itself, for the avoidance of doubt, yes corruption abound during his tenure but the man did well for this country, to mention a few, our debt was paid, rotten institutions were revitalise and needed attention was given to infrastructural development including railway, aviation and power generation like "never before"

it is this kind of reaction from people that gave support to the Y'ardua administration's truncation of the power generation dream for example, what came out of it? nothing but delay, no one was found culpable, the old contractors were eventually ask to return to site, albeit at an additional cost, and instead of the project already completed and functional, here we are still looking unto God for the projects delivery.

It is also this kind of emotional and short sighted reaction that we gave in support of the bastardisation and frustration heap upon the banking industry by your 'Hurricane Sanusi' that lead to the sacking of thousands of employed Nigerians and caused the collapsed of the credit system leading to the hardship that industries and average Nigerians are now suffering, The corruption was at the top, being perpetrated by a few 'Cecelias and erastus', but what did we get? a wholesale onslaught on the whole industry, with Sanusi's head being swollen by such as undeserve accolades by people that knows next to nothing about economics.

I suggest to you all facebook and archair critics to go into the field and trenches and make your impact felt, be original in your citique and be 'OBJ'etive as well, lol

peace!! See More about an hour ago · Like Unlike
Chike Okonkwo My people, if OBJ supported NASS for their greed,you would have criticized him still! Now he has spoken as a statesman,just as he spoke against the man he single handedly installed at the last days.
He has spoken well,and history would be ha ... rsh on him for not speaking out! Abeg lets leave the messenger! See More about an hour ago · Like Unlike

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Tom Ikimi Collection of my art works from Paintings, Miniatures and Sculptures

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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tom Ikimi I am disturbed by this new diversion, destined to squander time and funds in pursuing an electronic voting system for the up coming 2011 General Elections. At the moment we have not been able to produce the most rudimentary version of an authentic voter's register which will indicate across the country for every pollin ... g station the authentic names of persons numbering not more than 500 who are eligible to vote at that location. An electronic Voting system will depend on a more complicated version of this non existent rudimentary document. Our people of the Ministry of Science and Technology should be encouraged but we can not gamble with the real exercise.
We have no stable electricity in the urban areas of our country and non at all in most rural areas. Electric power, will be a fundamental requirement for electronic machines. Please do not tell me of generators which will have no diesel oil at the critical moments or batteries that will fail under rain or excessive heat. They may be...

The Nation - 2011: Federal Govt considers electronic voting to curb rigging thenationonlineng.net 2011: Federal Govt considers electronic voting to curb rigging July 12 at 7:44pm · Comment · Like Unlike · View Feedback (44) Hide Feedback (44) · Share 14 people like this. View all 30 comments

Joy Aigbogun-Agboola ?@ M chiazor and T pop, nobody is sayiny anything is wrong wit biometric or e-voting! Wot we are saying is dat d timing is very wrong considering the state of power, our people's knowledge on d use of e-voting,e.t.c in such a short time to election! Dis particular election is too delicate 4 experimentation! I think its jst another avenue 4 siphoning ... See More our 'scarce' resources once again! Honestly I m getting confused, wots GJ out 4? Must he award all d contracts now? And he has patience by his side? He shld be patient!! July 14 at 8:25am · Like Unlike

Joseph Aluya ?@Joy, you are absolutely and unintimadately correct. I like you. July 15 at 4:29am

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tom Ikimi Collection of my art works from Paintings, Miniatures and Sculptures

MY ART COLLECTIONS 8 new photos July 10 at 10:30am · Comment · Like Unlike · View Feedback (59) Hide Feedback (59) · Share 21 people like this. View all 38 comments
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Tom Ikimi That fateful day, 8th July 1991, nineteen years ago, my beloved mother,
Madam Victoria Isemoa Ikimi (1917-1991) departed this World to join her ancestors above....
I was then National Chairman of the NRC Party and on that day I was traveling from South Africa (Jo'burg) to London after attending the first ANC Congress in ... side South Africa, in Durban, convened after the release of
Madiba Nelson Mandela from prison. I had my first audience with him on that occasion.
I arrived in London and as I entered my home, the phone rang and the shattering news was broken to me....An indelible experience!!!
The memory of this wonderful woman, my Mum, remains evergreen in us all her children as well as to all those who knew her... We fervently pray for her, that her dear soul may rest peacefully in the bosom of our Lord.

July 8 at 5:50pm · Comment · Like Unlike · View Feedback (101) Hide Feedback (101) · Share 23 people like this. View all 78 comments
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Tom Ikimi I feel obliged to communicate to all my friends who followed my recent journey, to inform them that I am safely back home to Nigeria. I arrived Abuja yesterday morning and I was pleasantly surprised that British airways provided the same type aircraft, the new Boeing 777, that ferried me across the Atlantic from Washin ... gton to London last Sunday for my journey across the Sahara desert from London to Abuja. It was a short over night 6 hours flight and they provided good on board service. They must have read my previous comments..Ha!Ha!Ha! I took the advise given to me by one of you not to disclose the details of my return journey so as to avoid being ambushed by some over zealous friends. Thank You!! My journey was slightly marred by the unfortunate turn of events on the Ghana/Uruguay encounter.. The match ended as our plane taxied off and the Captain broke the news..but I still give credit to the young Ghana team.
Now back in Nigeria,I am receiving first hand briefings on matters on ground. It seems the issue of the moment has to do with the speculated Candidature of GJ in the 2011 Presidential elections as against the Crisis of the PDP zoning of the Presidency North or South Nigeria. I will visit my home State - Edo State, this week and among other things consult with my State Constituency. After my meeting with the AC National leadership as well as a number of critical leaders Nationwide I will make up my mind on this explosive issue.
It seems the Government is adamant on its decision to withdraw the National Football Team -The "Super" Eagles from International Competition for the next two years. I believe the President has a good point in this matter. However FIFA has hurriedly given a 48 hour ultimatum to Nigeria to rescind their decision. I would not advise our President to bow to FIFA. After all Nigeria is a sovereign Nation which solely finances her own Sports Development including Football. FIFA must not be allowed to provide a safe avenue for fraudsters and looters currently responsible for the destruction of football in the country to flourish.

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Tom Ikimi

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Tom Ikimi I was pleasantly surprised by the much improved services provided by British Airways in my flight from Washington to London last night. There were many of my friends who had suggested that I should alter my airline choice following my bad experience in British Airways three weeks ago. But this time around I was fortuna ... te to travel in one of only two in BA service of their new Boeing 777 aircrafts, fitted out with a brand new seat configuration as well as state of the art and futuristic on board equipment, dedicated to passenger comfort. The two aircrafts are assigned to the US route for now. This time they had a full compliment of staff and crew on board, who were all very excited as they presented their new toy, attended courteously to every request. Sadly, my journey to Abuja in a few days time may be a return to square one... Africa has to fend for itself if to ensure her citizens keep abreast with world technology and have access to similar comfort.... and not a dumping ground for decommissioned aircrafts picked up from dust bins in the deserts of Arizona and elsewhere..
Now back to the FIFA World Cup..I arrived in the UK to find a country engulfed in sadness following their merciless 4-1 trouncing by their Arch football rivals-Germany. Germany has the youngest team followed by Ghana. These two countries have shown that a new generation of players have to take over the baton!! Although Britain invented the game of football, it is unfortunate that the descendants of the inventors have not been able to hold aloft the football flag ... They won the cup in 1966. Sadly Nigeria, has decided to take the path of their colonial masters and have since crashed out of the tournament but it is refreshing that our neighbor, Ghana, also a former British Colony is showing true independence in Politics and Sport.. their performance in the on going world cup is a joy to Africa...

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