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Let’s Be Patient With Yar’Adua
July 07, 2008 16:08, 237 views
Former Military Administrator of Kano and Benue states and ex-chairman, NFA, Brigadier General Dominic Oneya (retd) speaks with EJIRO EJEKUKOR about life after retirement
Q: What is your typical day like since retirement?
A: My typical day is simple. I stay in Warri with my family. I wake up early to go to Church (I’m a Catholic). I go for the first mass. After that, I do a little exercise, take my bath and go to the plastic industry I run to see how things are faring. I also visit my fish farm, help feed the fish and see to other things there.
Basically, I spend time with my family since I retired. I am also a technical member of the NFA and I support them the best way possible. I sleep well.
Q: What are your passions?
A: Sports. Generally, I like sports just like other Nigerians.
Q: Sir, you recently celebrated your 60th birthday in Warri. How does it feel to be 60?
A: I feel good, strong, and I thank God that I’m 60. I really give thanks to God.
Q: You recently launched your book Strides Of Honour on the anniversary of your birthday. What propelled you to write the book and what challenges did you face while doing it?
A: Let me correct you there. I didn’t write the book. I got three gentlemen to do it. I wanted to know how people feel about me and how I’m rated, to know how I have influenced people’s lives and how they feel about me, especially now that I’m alive, rather than when am dead. So, I got Fred Odueme, Swill Mama and Hugo Odiongor to write about me.
Q: As a former NFA chairman and sports lover, what do you think about future of NFA and the state of Nigerian football?
A: That is a tough one. I normally do not like pointing fingers at people because I have been on the hot seat before and I know how it feels to be there. So far, I can say the NFA chairmanship today is not the same as when I was there.
The present NFA is more independent than when I was in charge. The two administrations are quite different. As for football in Nigeria, they are not doing badly, at least they have been able to play their matches successfully and qualify for the Nations Cup, which is an achievement on their part.
Q:Can you assess the Yar’Adua administration?
A: The administration is just a year old, so far so good. At least, we have a president for once that openly declared what he has as an agenda.
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Femi Jones
7 July 2008 16:55This man should shup up if he lacks good advise . This was the same song that was sang during the regime of Babangida, Abacha, Obasanjo and now same type of advise to Nigerians, for how long?. Does it occur to this retired general that we have crisis of an ill-prepared president who is so confused that he doesn’t even know what to do with power he suddenly find in his hands, courtsey of Obasanjo.
Dr Patrick Kolawole Boboye
7 July 2008 16:58It is quite amazing the way people from the Northern part of Nigeria continue to display their non-chalant-attitude and inept ,corrupt behaviour toward our nation’s strategic affairs.President Umar Yar’dua was rigged and imposed on Nigeria by Gen Olusegun Obasanjo.but today,Nigeria is suffering for lacked of good,experienced,visionary and good palnner leadership in person of president Umar Yar’dua.After his first year in office that Yar’dua did not make any mark with any of his policies in the lives of Nigerians including the people from the North like Major-Gen Dominic Oneya.And still they are voicing out that one year was too soon to rate any regime.This is a big surprise!Within one year if Umar Yar’dua was sleep-walking from Abuja to Katsina state would he not have arrived Katsina?Nothing tangible about power and roads.And it was the same PDP that installed Obasanjo into office for eight years that nothing was achieved except life gotten more difficult and miserable for NIgerians.Instead of Umar Yar’dua performing,moreso with his borrowed-law-and-order tag,Umar Yar’dua was ideally active and not slow when it came to running to nip the impeachment of the corrupt and thieving Yar’dua/PDP-imposed Adamawa state-Nyako.Umar Yar’dua is very corrupt hence,he saved his corrupt-PDP-Gov Nyako from the impeacment jaw nakedly at the last minute.Shame!The whole World is watching Umar Yar’dua and noted that since Umar Yar’dua gotten into Nigeria presidency-Aso-Rock, corruption’s war has collapsed and seized from been fought in nigeria.The Governors and the Federal seat of power has been reckoned as the bastion of corruption as corruption charges against many former governors have been dropped against Ibori,Odili because they financed Yar’dua campaign with billions of stolen monies from Rivers and Delta states.Yar’dua may be sick but very corrupt president who have refused EFCC and ICPC to arrest and prosecute Obasanjo who stole billions of dollars as shown so far through various probes embarked on in the National Assembly. Dr patrick Kolawole Boboye,Canada.