₦airaland Forum

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The Kano State Police Command, has arrested a 22-year-old man, Stanley Arinze, for allegedly transporting hard drugs (Tramadol) worth N17.2 million from Lagos to Kano.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Magaji Majiya, made the disclosure while briefing newsmen on Tuesday in Kano.

He said that the suspect was arrested on July 16.

“Arinze who resides at Jaba Quarters in Kano is an indigene of Anambra state; he is in police custody for transporting 25 cartons of hard drugs (Tramadol tablets) valued at N17.2 million from Lagos to Kano.’’

He said that the drugs were concealed in LG Plasma TV to beat security agents on the road.

“The suspect passed through security checks from Lagos, but the trailer was intercepted along Kano Eastern Bye-pass by vigilant detectives” he said.

The PPRO, who said that the suspect had confessed to the crime, added that detectives had swung into action to arrest his accomplices. (NAN)

Source : https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/police-in-kano-arrest-courier-with-illegal-drugs-worth-n17-2m/206060.html

Good

Former N-Power volunteer, Daniel Joshua, of Taraba, who returned N60,000 to the Federal Government last week, has gained N300,000 courtesy of Nigerians who paid him for his truthfulness.
Mr. Joshua made news when he refunded two months of stipends he was paid by the job creation scheme after he duly resigned after getting a new job with another federal government agency.
According to Afolabi Imoukhuede, the presidential aide on job creation, five Nigerians called N-Power officials to collect bank details of the honest Mr. Joshua and each had repaid the equivalent of what he returned.
Mr. Imoukhuede, who announced this when he addressed N-Power volunteers in Akwa Ibom at the state secretariat complex, said his office was inundated with calls to commend the former volunteer’s exemplary behaviour.
“As at Wednesday morning five Nigerians have paid N300,000 back to Joshua for being an agent of change in the country,’’ the Senior Special Assistant to the President said.
Accordingly, he urged volunteers who had secured employments elsewhere and still kept the N-Power job to emulate their former colleague by relinquishing one job to maintain their honour and dignity.
Mr. Imoukhuede remarked that those who thought that N-Power was an opportunity to defraud the federal government or to get their own part of the national cake should drop such wrong ideas.
“N-Power is not cake sharing scheme as there is no cake to be shared.

“If you have another job that conflicts with this full time volunteer community programme, you have to decide today which one to take and the one to drop.
“You must emulate Joshua’s kind of honour,’’ he advised.
Mr. Imoukhuede informed the volunteers that the direct payment of stipends to them conferred a lot of responsibilities on the beneficiaries.
He said volunteers who remained diligent in the work would find fulfillment in the programme.
He added that truants would be fished out, dismissed and be forced to return all stipends paid to them, adding that such persons will be prosecuted.
“We are convinced that the 774 local government areas and 36 states and FCT are benefitting from the N-Power scheme.
“Every Nigerian is a stakeholder in N-Power and like the Acting President said on May 29th anniversary the employment scheme is not a favour but the right of the youths,’’ said the presidential aide.
He said the government was aware of the unemployment challenges facing the youths, adding that the volunteer scheme is one of many ways the federal government planned to address the challenges.
“This scheme is real and working,’’ he said, and advised graduates seeking for employment to utilise the ongoing application to be empowered.
He assured that every skill that would enhance the employability of the youths would be imparted to them with loads of materials in the scheme’s portal.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Economic Development, Labour and Manpower Planning, Idorenyin Udo, advised the volunteers to be level headed and obey their supervisors because “out of this little, great things can come”.

According to him, this programme is real and the 3,040 of you that are in the scheme in our state are not a rented party crowd.
“This is an opportunity that has been given to us by President Muhammadu Buhari and no one knows the intention of the Federal Government at the end of the two years.
“This is why your commitment is needed so that such benefits will not be lost,’’ he said.
The commissioner assured that the state was gaining experience in the programme and would address all the challenges facing the participants. (NAN)

Source :http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/236027-former-n-power-volunteer-gets-n300000-returning-money.html

By Vincent Ujumadu NO fewer than 18 houses were torched following a renewed boundary fight between Aguleri and Umuleri, both in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State, with the people of Umuleri appealing to Governor Willie Obiano to quickly intervene in the matter before it engulfs the area. It was gathered that what triggered off the latest face-off was land dispute between the two communities, with Umuleri laying claim to the said piece of land. President-General of Umueri community, Chief Pius Okonkwo, and other leaders of the community told reporters, yesterday, in Awka that they were being pushed to the wall, even as they insisted that they did not want another war in the area. He alleged that about a month ago, some youths suspected to be from Aguleri invaded Umuleri and destroyed houses and fences, in addition to inflicting injuries on some people. According to him, the bone of contention was a parcel of land allegedly belonging to Umueri, adding that the attack was against the spirit of an agreement reached in the wake of the infamous war between the two communities from 1999 to 2002 that claimed many lives and called on the state government to implement the recommendations contained in the white paper. He said: “Umuleri people want peace. We do not want to fight wars with our neigbours because we believe that wars are anathema and an ill wind which blows no one any good. “Specifically, Umuleri wants enduring and genuine peace with Aguleri because we have built relationships (personal as well as business and even religious) with Aguleri people over several decades, if not centuries. We cherish these relationships and want to protect them.” “We appeal to the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, who hails from Aguleri, to use this opportunity of being at the helm of affairs in our state, to put in place the machinery for achieving genuine peace between Aguleri community and Umueri. “We are also worried that his people are spoiling for war at a time he is facing re-election challenges. “It is our prayer that Aguleri and Umueri should be at peace so that our people responding to the Arewa quit notice and other sad developments in contemporary Nigeria, can run home to take refuge therein if they can no longer put up with the unbearable situation elsewhere.”

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/18-houses-torched-renewed-aguleri-umuleri-war/

KANO – Kano state Government has declared Tuesday as work free day to mourn the passage of an astute politician, Alhaji Maitama Sule.

Maitama Sule Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has declared tomorrow Tuesday a work – free day in the state to mourn the death of the elder
statesman. A press statement signed by Government spokesman, and Commissioner of Information, Alhaji Mohammed Garba “Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has declared tomorrow Tuesday a work – free day in the state to mourn the death of the elder statesman. ” The statement said further confirmed that “he death has occurred today of Alhaji (Dr.) Yusuf Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano.” The commissioner revealed that “Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule died at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt where he was receiving treatment for an illness. ” He revealed that “funeral prayer for the deceased will be conducted today at the Emir’s Palace, Kofar Kudu, by 4:00pm.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/07/maitama-sule-kano-declares-tuesday-work-free-day/

Very nice

Lool

Very good news for kanawa.

An igbo perspective on recent developments

https://www.nairaland.com/3887246/igbo-crime-culture-fredrick-nwabufo

The sweet memory of my youth service year in an Igboland of Asaba, Delta State in the 90s, is what I have continued to relish whenever a discourse on tribalism, sectionalism and the likes are on the front burner in my beloved country, Nigeria. As non-indigenes, especially young Northerners, we were well-received, accommodated and accorded respect and dignity. In fact, we freely walked into the Palace of the Paramount ruler, the Asagba of Asaba, Professor Chike Edozien for supports and guidance whenever the need arose. Since then, I have had a proper perspective and understanding of the Ndigbo whom I have as friends. In this tension-soaked period where various sectional groups issue reckless and unguarded threats, it is necessary to further distinguish between a peace-loving Nigerian Igbo from a Secessionist Biafran agitator. The Ndigbo, as I know them, are spread across every nook and cranny of Nigeria. The Igbo speaks local dialects and respects the culture of the host communities. He believes every part of Nigeria is a home away from home and adopted same as the place of residence. Experience has shown that if you go to any community and you cannot find an Igbo person there, your best bet is to leave that town immediately. Any city without an Igbo person is not business-like. On the other hand, a Biafran agitator is not exposed to other parts of Nigeria besides the Igboland and might have grown in the diaspora where he only learns the distorted history of Nigeria from myopic and eccentric points of views. The agitator hates other Nigerians and possibly believes in violent confrontation towards the actualization of his dream of the Republic of Biafra. Meanwhile, the successes of an Igbo entrepreneur is more visible outside the shores of Igboland with enormous investments in hospitality, housing estates, spare parts, automobiles and manufacturing industries among others in different regions of the country. However, the business enterprise of a Biafran agitator is restricted within his ‘Biafra-land’ without a vision for expansion outside the South-eastern region. The primary activity of an agitator is in constant pursuit of hate speeches through empty threats and arrogance posture. This is not the Ndigbo that I know so well. An Igbo Politician is a bridge builder, who establishes and sustains friendship across the Niger. The likes of Uzor Kalus of Abia, Rochas Okorochas of Imo, Peter Obis of Anambra among others are clear examples of successful Igbo businessmen who transcend geographic boundaries of Nigeria in wise investment in the productive sector, before venturing into politics to support the Igboland. Unfortunately, the Biafran agitator has completely lost touch with the reality of our existence. The secessionist has forgotten that the map of the South-Eastern region of the 60s has completely changed in the new millennium where the minority tribes are no longer in that realm but in mostly Niger Delta region of the South-South. The Biafran Politician fantasises on annexing other resource-endowed territories by visualising Ijaw, Urhobo, Kalabari, Ibibio, Ikwere, Efik, Igala, Idoma and Edo into the illusionary Biafran Republic. Some of these ethnic nationalities have in recent times come out to dissociate themselves from the so-called Biafra agitation. The Nigerian Igbo believes in oneness and indivisibility of Nigeria, he speaks Nigeria, breath Nigeria and will never leave Nigeria. An obvious example is the fact that Igbos in Kano populate the vast Sabon Gari District whose population is more than most big cities in the South-East. Apart from occasional sectional skirmishes which may not necessarily be their faults, the Igbos in the North are well loved by Northern leaders even protected by Arewa youths. The Igbos are allowed to acquire properties and establish businesses in every Northern part of the country, but the Biafran sympathisers have continuously denied outsiders from owning lands for business related activities in the South-East. This glaring discrimination currently creates the disparity of inequality of business ownerships where an average Northerner can quickly relocate without losing a dime, while the sheer volume of investment of a South-Easterner can never be easily recouped or transferred even in decades. It is necessary to point out that the modern day’s Biafran agitators hate Nigeria and Nigerians and have described the country as a zoo. The main agitator and Supreme Leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) known as Nnamdi Kanu has not only publicly threatened to wage war against Nigeria in a bloody and violent confrontation but has also described any Christian that attends “a Church with a Yoruba Pastor as an idiot, slowpoke and not fit to be a human being and worse than Boko Haram.” In series of his videos and audios, available online, Nnamdi Kanu engages in lousy intimidation and nauseating statements. It is just ridiculous, however, that rather than condemning him and bringing him to order, some respected Igbo leaders, who have themselves built bridges across the length and breadth of this country, celebrate and even stand behind him over his treasonable case in the court. While the rantings of Biafran agitators had gone on for a while without a reply, it was the reckless declaration of the ultimatum issued by the so-called Arewa Youths as counterbalancing response to the inciting statements that reawakens the consciousness of Nigerians to the danger of hate campaigns. While it may be justifiable to unleash a ferocious dog against a neighbour’s untamed mad dog, we should nevertheless tame the fury of Arewa youths who may have the exact mindset of Kanu’s IPOB. Some may not issue empty threat, they can just misbehave like the mad dogs. As Nigerians, we should deploy common sense through dialogue to resolve the contentious issues of our nationhood. After all the hullabaloos and threats, I am so sure that no one is going anywhere. We should remain united and stop the dirty politics of ethnicity, widely played by sponsored and misguided youths. The ill-advised agitators from both parties must have read slanted history books since they were not witnesses to the history.

By Yushau A. Shuaib

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/nigerian-igbo-biafran-agitators-northerners-perspective/

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In the sweltering heat of a serial lynching and killing of Igbo citizens in Asia in 2013, I wrote an article entitled, ‘The Igbo fallacy’. In it, I appealed to the Igbo to de-emphasise the culture of profligacy, decadent opulence, debauchery and vanity which fuels the pursuit of crime by their own.

I am compelled to revivify the article here, but with a few adjustments. I say it again; the Igbo take the inglorious front row in certain crimes – drug peddling, armed robbery and kidnapping – at home and abroad.

In August 2016, an Igbo drug dealer was guillotined in Indonesia. But his funeral in Anambra was a shin-dig of celebrations. He was even described as a “hero” by his kinsmen.

Once again, an Igbo kidnapping lord, who unleashed barbarity and savagery on many Nigerians, has steadied attention on the “special” crime proclivities of the ethnic group. I will not dwell on this; I will zero in on Igbo criminality abroad, and take a slight detour home.

As a matter of fact, a good number of Igbo youth in Asia are into crime. It was reported sometime in the year that the India police said all Nigerians – Igbo, of course – in their country were drug dealers. Although, this is questionable, it cannot be entirely repudiated.

Arguably, the reason for Igbo sojourning – to even the remotest of places in the world – has been attributed to their much vaunted entrepreneurial spirit. The truth is that this claim is enclosed in heavy, meaty layers of fallacy like the entrails of burger.

Inasmuch as the “entrepreneurial sojourning” thread cannot be utterly pooh-poohed, it is judicious to explore other reasons why the Igbo are peripatetic. First, in Igbo ethology, it is a cringing evil for a native, man or woman, to commit a “stigmatised” crime (Alu) such as armed robbery, drug-dealing, etc at home. This is not an obviation of abhorrent crimes committed at home by some unabashed Igbo criminals. The truth is, the “home” Igbo criminals are a hopeless and shameless horde whose self esteem and sense of shame are terribly at their nadir, and as a result purvey crimes at home. Inter alia, for any stigmatised crime committed at home (Igbo land) there is a stern reprimand implicit in the cleansing of the crime. The sacerdotal process of cleansing the land of a crime or an abomination is called “Ikpu Alu”. However, “Ikpu Alu” (cleansing of abominations) does not extend to crimes committed by Igbo sons and daughters in places outside the native dome. It is therefore not surprising if some Igbo persons commit heinous crimes in obverse places, and come back home to take chieftaincy titles. As a matter of fact, in some morally weak Igbo communities it is a brave thing to traffic in drugs abroad. Drug barons are gleefully celebrated as Ndi kara Obi (lion-hearted people). Such is the pantomime of the Igbo and crimes.

It is therefore indubitable to posit that an unenviable number of Igbo persons with innate criminal manuals travel outside the Igbo enclave to pursue crimes. This confutes the general idea that the sojourning of the Igbo is driven solely by entrepreneurial inclinations and motives. To a large extent, the sojourning of some Igbo is driven by a morbid aim of shielding their evil trades from the peering eyes of their kinsmen. Their names are protected as long as they do not traffic in crimes at home. The important thing is to be successful in crimes abroad; successful enough to build vulgar mansions at home and throw lazy cash about.

To animate my argument further, what is the entrepreneurial inclination or motive of the Igbo in India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, South Africa, and other countries peddling drugs? Is the entrepreneurial spirit of the Igbo only awakened abroad? Why should the Igbo entrepreneurial spirit find its host cozily and lopsidedly outside Igbo land? Is there a marriage between Igbo criminality across the world and Igbo entrepreneurial genome? These are questions that defeat the long, tired argument of Igbo entrepreneurial “peripatetism.”

The fact is the “entrepreneurial” beat-up logic and reason for Igbo sojourning is a bored excuse.

Analogously, Igbo sojourning atavism is also effectuated by pride, ego and vanity. A typical Igbo person will want to prove he is successful in anyway. It is wickedly mortifying to be seen as struggling in Igbo land. This underscores the reason many Igbo persons smuggle themselves out of Nigeria, and because it is thought that any person in Obodo Oyibo (white man’s country) or even anywhere outside Igbo land is “doing well”. Those Igbo persons who are “cursed” to be in Igbo land are seen as struggling and as such do not deserve the courtesy of admiration and respect. It is a proud thing for an Igbo father to say, “All my children are in the abroad”; even though “the abroad” is Gabon. Such a father courts the respect, envy and admiration of other fathers in Igbo land. This is the awful linkage between Igbo sojourning and base vanity.

In all, there are Igbo persons in the scrawny good number whose sojourn in foreign countries is not tainted by any evil intent or base vanity, but it is a bleeding fact that the singular Igbo entrepreneurial logic for sojourning is one big smorgasbord of fallacy.

MEANWHILE…

Arabic is not Islam

You may be wrong if you believe that the insertion of Arabic in the secondary school curriculum as a foreign language elective is a path to the “Islamisation” of Nigeria. Your ignorance is pardonable. Why? I used to think that way too, and of course not by the governing of logic but by sentiment and emotion. I have been nudged to rationality by an elder. Now, here is my point. Arabic is a “staple” language in much of Africa – North, and some parts of East and West Africa. It is spoken by over 420 million people, making it the sixth most spoken language in the world. It also one of the six working languages of the UN. Again, there are many Christian Arabs – in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, etc, who speak the language. Why haven’t they been religiously sterilised? In fact, there is an Arabic Bible used by Christians in the Middle East. It is just a language, people. So, this hue and cry about the Islamisation of Nigeria through the learning of Arabic is needless.

No “peace” for Saraki yet

After surviving embarrassment and humiliation at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Senate President Bukola Saraki will now face another legal battle – at the appeal court. According to him, some people in government are desperate to pull him down; hence they will not let go until he is out of the way. Well, the prosecution put up a bad show at the tribunal; let’s see how they will bring Lazarus back to life.

Source : https://www.thecable.ng/igbo-crime-culture

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