₦airaland Forum

Nigerian men take bribes more than women, says UN report

By Samuel Bakare

Nigerian men take bribe more than women, a new anti-corruption research focusing on corruption trends has revealed.

The research conducted by United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes, (UNODC) indicated that Nigerian men are notorious for taking bribes more than Nigerian women. Presenting the report to the media and civil society today in Lagos, the lead researcher, Dr Adebusuyi Adeniran said the research indicated that women in Nigeria are less likely to take bribes that their male counterparts.

The report was presented at the 17th Anti-corruption Situation Room, organized by Human and Environment Development Agenda, (HEDA Resource Centre) in collaboration with MacArthur Foundation and pctj.

It was designed to engage the report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes Second Survey on Corruption in Nigeria, following the first review held in 2016. The report is aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in governance and public affairs in Nigeria through evidence and knowledge based approach.

The 17th Anti-corruption Situation Room was attended by various anti-corruption groups among which were representatives of National Orientation Agency, (NOA), the Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC), Trade Union Congress, (TUC), Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), Islamic Organisations, civil society organisations like Democracy Vanguard, (DV), the media, Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA-Ikorodu branch), Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA), Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE) amidst many other community based organisations all of which gave solidarity messages.

The UNDODC report which gave a graphic account of corruption trends in Nigeria through an extensive research that involved 33,067 persons interviewed across Nigeria, using Stratified random sampling, representative for each of the 36 States (plus the FCT) with about 900 households, focusing on 18 years adults and above as targets. The theme of the research was Corruption Patterns and Trends: A review of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Second Survey on Corruption in Nigeria 2019. A similar research was conducted in 2016.

According to the report, in Nigeria, while 89 percent of men are to take bribe, only 11 percent of female would; Police, Male, 95%; Female 4%; Judges/Magistrates, Male 94%; Female 6%; Teachers/Lecturers, Male 65%; Female 6%; in Public Utilities, Male 93%; Female 6%; Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, Male 92%, Female 6%; Doctors and Nurses, Male 54%, Female 40%. The Chairman of the event, Prof Shehu Abdullahi, said Nigeria cannot move forward unless adequate steps are taken to halt the corruption trend

In his remarks, HEDA’s Programme Officer, Mr Sina Odugbemi, said the report has raised important issues that will assist civil society groups in the anti-corruption campaign.

In the communique issued at the end of the event, the participants noted that data gathering is crucial to the campaign against corruption and that civil society and anti-corruption institutions should strengthen their capacity to develop an effective data-driven mechanism in the anti-corruption drive.

The participants stated that an important aspect of anti-corruption campaign is asset recovery urging HEDA to review cases that have been handled through plea bargain to know how effective it has been. Civil society should intensify monitoring of government and private activities in the anti-corruption drive.

The groups also stated that corruption cannot be effectively subdued when there is a moral deficit in the country noting that efforts should focus on changing the ethics and national orientation of the civil populace, elected officials and public servants. Nigerian educational system should have integrity related content.

Nigeria needs to focus on strong and effective institutions which is necessary in the fight against corruption.

The civil society groups urged the authorities to provide adequate funds should for the National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) to carry out rounds of experience-based corruption surveys.

“Merit should be a key guiding principle in the public service recruitment as a step towards eliminating corruption and nepotism in service delivery.Law enforcement agents should demonstrate higher integrity, be more patriotic and transparent in enforcing the various anti-corruption laws. Nigerians as a whole must work against impunity and emphasize dissuasive sanctions while promoting reward for good conduct, individual and corporate integrity”, the groups stated in the communique.

They also urged the media to set agenda for investigative reporting and public responsibility on the coverage of corruption and Governance while commending HEDA and the partner organisations for the strategic focus on anti-corruption crusade.

UN, HEDA, others launch fresh Africa caucus campaign against corruption in UAE

By Peter Adekunle

The United Nations, (UN), Nigerian foremost anti-corruption group, Human and Environment Development Agenda, (HEDA) and several pro-transparency groups from across the world will on Wednesday begin a week long summit towards creating a strong African caucus against corruption in a continent that hosts the world’s poorest countries. The event holds at the Premier Inn Hotel, Abu Dhabi Capital Centre, United Arab Emirate, (UAE).

The theme of this year’s conference is Towards Establishing an Africa Caucus Agenda on Asset Recovery at Conferences of the States Parties to the...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/un-heda-others-launch-fresh-africa-caucus-campaign-against-corruption-in-uae/

HEDA, Civil society groups mark World Anti corruption day, list 100 high profile
By Samuel Bakare
The World anti corruption day was marked in Lagos on Monday with right groups calling on Nigerians to work together in the global drive against corruption and illicit financial flow.
Leading the event at Radisson Hotel in Lagos, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA Resource Centre) with the support of the MacArthur Foundation launched Nigeria’s 100 high profile cases of corruption perpetrated largely by politicians and government officials. The total amount of stolen funds in the 100 listed cases runs into several billions of naira.
HEDA said the compendium is aimed at keeping afresh gory memories of sleaze funds stolen by politically Exposed Persons, (PEP). Nigeria is rated as one of the world’s most corrupt countries and home to the world’s poorest people inspite of the...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/heda-launches-compendium-of-corruption-cases-in-nigeria/

Right groups commend SEIC on Ekiti LG poll, urges FG, States to learn new lessons
By Jide Sanmi

Ado-Ekiti The State Independent Electoral Commission, (SEIC) has been commended for the peaceful local government election held on December 7.

The election took place in 16 Local Government areas and in 177 wards.

In a statement by the Nigerian Human Rights Community, (NHRC), a coalition of 135 civil society and community based organisations, (CBOs), issued in Ado-Ekiti on...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/right-groups-commend-seic-on-ekiti-lg-poll-urges-fg-states-to-learn-new-lessons/

Tunde Fowler out, Mohammed Nami in as new FIRS boss
By Kunle Odewole

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the composition of a new board for the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, subject to Senate confirmation. The statement signed by Shehu Garba was made available to Irohinoodua on Monday
The President nominated a renowned tax consultant, Muhammad M. Nami as the...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/tunde-fowler-out-mohammed-nami-in-as-new-firs-boss/

Obasanjo condoles late Titi Ajanaku family
By Femi Moshood

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has sent condolences to the family of Ogun State politician, Mrs Titi Ajanaku. The late politician was star actor in Ogun and National politics until recently when her activity dimmed.

In the condolence message gotten by Irohinoodua correspondent Obasanjo said “It was with a deep sense of personal loss that I learnt about the transition to eternal glory of your...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/obasanjo-condoles-late-titi-ajanaku-family/

COPEAIDS calls for greater anti-HIV campaigns in rural areas

Thursday, December 5, 2019

As the World marks the World’s AIDS day, the Community Peoples Initiative Against AIDS, (COPEAIDS Foundation), has reiterated the need to increase National HIV response through more vigorous community engagements.
The pro-life group said Nigerian manpower potentials are at risk unless the epidemic of HIV and AIDS is tackled headlong. The Executive Director of COPEAIDS Foundation Mrs Feyisike Adeoye, who stated this...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/copeaids-calls-for-greater-anti-hiv-campaigns-in-rural-areas/

Gowon releases Chief Awolowo from prison
By Jide Samuel

Gowon releases Chief Awolowo from prison. 1966 and his historic arrival in Lagos thereafter. A true leader different from dealers of today. He was welcomed by groups among which were market women led by Alhaja Abibat Mogaji Tinubu (Asiwaju’ Tinubu’s mother)

Irohinoodua was informed by a source that the young Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu was in this video with his mother at the huge welcome rally held for Awolowo....watch the video here: http://irohinodua.com/gowon-releases-chief-awolowo-from-prison/

50 years of TV: Yoruba group asks FG to return valuables worth 1billion dollars
By Ayo Akanle

The Federal Government has been asked to return valuables including intellectual property rights taken away from the defunct Western Nigeria Television Station, (WNTV) located in Ibadan.

In an exclusive chat with Irohinoodua, the Vice Chairman, O’odua Nationalist Coalition, (ONAC) Badejo Olowokere said: “It is now 50 years since the creation of Western Nigeria Television, (WNT). It was the first in Africa. This great enterprise had a lot of intellectual properties endowed from 1959 to 1976 when the Nigerian government formally took over the station and converted the edifice in the most ignoble manner. While taking over the WNTN, the FG took possession of many intellectual properties belonging to the Yoruba people of the old...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/50-years-of-tv-yoruba-group-asks-fg-to-return-valuables-worth-1billion-dollars/

Malabu Oil Scandal: Italian Judge says corrupt companies destroy nations
By Mike Ogbu

The Chief prosecutor at the ongoing trial of criminal suspects associated with the controversial Malabo oil deal, Francesco Greco, opened up a can of warms this week when he blasted corporate organisations including those in Nigeria of investing in corruption to cripple local economy fueling poverty and chaos. The report was made available to Irohinoodua.

Said Greco “In Milan we are full of proceedings for international corruption and we see the negative effects, both against the victim states and against our companies that instead of investing in innovation, invest in bribes”. Many see the judge’s statement as an open indictment of the oil companies involved in the...read more at:http://irohinodua.com/malabu-oil-scandal-italian-judge-says-corrupt-companies-destroy-nations/

Buhari leaves for Saudi Arabia, London


By Akin Ajibade

President Muhammadu Buhari leaves Nigeria for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The President is on an official duty to attend Economic Forum of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, a State House release made available to Irohinoodua stated.

According to the State House statememt signed by Femi Adesina, President Buhari will hold bilateral talks with His Majesty King Salman and His Majesty King Abdullah ll of Jordan.

On Wednesday, 30th October, 2019, the President will participate in the High Level Event titled “What is Next for Africa: How will Investment and Trade Transform the Continent into the Next Great Economic Success Story?” with Presidents of Kenya, Congo-Brazzaville and Burkina Faso.

At the end of the summit, President Buhari will on Saturday 2nd November, 2019, proceed to the United Kingdom on a private visit. He is expected to return to Nigeria on November 17.

CDHR elects Obayuwana as new President
By Ayo Salewa

Nigeria’s oldest human right organization, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, (CDHR) in Abeokuta at the weekend has elected foremost lawyer and activist, Dr Osagie Obayuwana as its new President, Irohinoodua learnt on Monday.

Osagie of Benin origin was overwhelmingly elected unopposed by the CDHR delegates from many of the 36 states of the Federation. The election took place during....http://irohinodua.com/cdhr-elects-obayuwana-as-new-president/

This is from 1967 or 1968. St. Murumba College, Jos. My class constituted all of the school's first XI football team. How did that happen?
Following the pogrom of 1966, the school's student population was badly depleted by Igbo students that were forced to return to the East.
On resumption some months after the unfortunate political incident, because of the low number of students in the different schools owned by the Catholic Church, the decision to merge students into their different schools was adopted as the best way forward.
In St. Murumba College, the students in all other classes except class one were moved to St. Joseph's College, Vom, near Jos.
My class, therefore, restarted St. Murumba College again. That's how we became pioneer students of the school in 1966.
16 of the 17 students that restarted the school automatically constituted the school's football team. The team had only one...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/football-my-civil-war-experience-in-jos/

PRESS STATEMENT
59th Independence: Rights group releases audio peace messages, calls for unity against violence

Audio messages in different Nigerian languages preaching peace and non-violence were released to the public on Sunday ahead of the country’s 59 independence Anniversary which takes place on Tuesday.
In the messages targeting about 50 million people, Nigerians were asked to put their differences aside and unite against violence and killings that threaten livelihood and sustainable development in Africa’s most....https:///OOKWpid8pg?amp=1

*MAKING SENSE OF ALL THE FAKE NEWS ABOUT VP OSINBAJO*

So let us set some of this orchestration of lies, and rife speculations about the Vice President straight

1. Yes, the President in the exercise of his powers has formed a new Economic Advisory Council and replaced the Economic Management team otherwise led by his beloved VP. This is really a change in strategy and not a reduction of the statutory functions of the VP.

2. As the Chairman of the constitutionally created National Economic Council, the VP will continue to play a leading role in matters Economic in singular support and assistance of his Principal, Mr. President.

3. Only last Thursday the VP at the NEC meeting clarified that both NEC and the new EAC will interact.

4. On the issue of agencies under the VP, the truth is that NOTHING IS CHANGING & THERE ARE NO NEW DIRECTIVES. This is because nothing has gone wrong at all. A Presidency Statement already clarified this.

5. All the other stuff you read are all lies!

6. Let us review some of the lies so far. That the new presidential directives have effected the take over from VP his Chairmanship of NEMA, NDPHC? It is a lie. In fact on the same day NEC met last week, VP also presided over an NDPHC board meeting.

7. That there has been some kind of mismanagement of funds in agencies chaired by VP. There are wild speculations on this, but they are all FABRICATED without exception.

8. Specifically on the much nosed NEMA probe, the House of Representatives did not indict the VP. The report of the Committee is in the public.

The Committee said the VP, then Acting President did not seek appropriations for the money he approved to deal with the impending famine in the North-east.

9. But the Presidency issued a public statement to say, No, the money the Ag President approved for release in those dire emergency situation was sourced from the Rice Levy which HAD ALREADY BEEN APPROPRIATED in that year's budget. And that explanation settled the matter.

10. Why is it coming out now again? Desperate elements who just want to confuse those who are gullible. Please be above such fake news.

11. A new lie discovered is that some money was found in some private accounts related to VP family or that some FIRS funds were traced to VP'S office and that Asiwaju Tinubu and Baba Akande were informed of some financial scandals or that Asiwaju himself is behind the attempt to smear the VP. All of such sorts are grand LIES.

12. FINALLY, there is CERTAINLY a group of people within and outside government who want to attack the cordiality between the President and his constitutional deputy, the VP. So they are actively seeking to sow seeds of discord as some of them are afraid of what 2023 portends.

By Femi Adeseni
Ijare community, in the Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State on Saturday witnessed a great shock as lightning struck 36 Fulani herdsmen cows due to grazing on sacred land.
It was gathered that the Fulani herdsmen who were in the area used to lead their cattle to graze on farmlands, which had caused crisis between them and the farmers in the agrarian community.
A source said the herders took their cattle to a bush called Oke Owa, which nobody was permitted to enter except the king because the land was sacred. It was gathered while grazing, lightning struck and killed no fewer than 36 of the cows.
“The whole town shook when the lightning struck and we started wondering what could have happened. But later we heard the herdsmen stepped beyond their boundaries by going to the place to graze. It is a sacred land, we don’t enter there, it is only the king that can go there.”
The source, however, noted that there was no life lost, saying immediately the cows were struck dead, the herdsmen took to their heels.
Confirming the incident, the Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr Femi Joseph, described it as a natural disaster.
“It was a natural disaster and there is nothing anyone can do about it. It is very unfortunate,” he said.
But one of the traditional chiefs in the town, Wemimo Olaniran, said the cows were killed because the animals were taken to a traditional ‘no go area’.
He said, “We were there this morning and we saw about 36 cows dead apart from the one inside the bush. It has happened and there is nothing we can do; we regard it as the act of God which nobody can query.
“There have been occasions like that but not as massive we have it now. Some individuals who desecrated the land in the past did witness lightning attack.
“Five days before this time, we learnt that Fulani men were there to carry wood to build their tent and we feared they were taking over the land from us? And we pray to God to save us, to intervene because we don’t want anything to desecrate the place because it is a very special place as far as Ijare community is concerned.”
In his reaction, the state Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Bello Garuba, who also confirmed the killing of the cattle, described it as sad.
He said there was nothing they could do about it because it was an act of God, saying, “The owner must take heart.”

Mandate group commends Aregbesola
By Femi Osisanmi

A group within Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured Nigerians that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the newly appointed Minister of Interior will perform excellently well in his new assignment.
The Mandate Group gave the assurance in a statement made available to irohinoodua in Lagos.
The group which based its assurance on what it described as Ogbeni Aregbesola’s striking legacy in the...read more at: http://irohinodua.com/mandate-group-commends-aregbesola/

Parents appeal to Ilorin University over students’ admission
By Jide Famodu

Parents whose wards applied to the University of Ilorin for admission have appealed to the Minister of Education and the authorities of the University of Ilorin to reopen the porter closed by the school.

The parents expressed deep worry about the future of their children following the University’s decision to close the school’s porter.

Making the appeal on behalf of the parents, the Nigerian Human Rights Community, (NHRC) said the ...read more at:http://irohinodua.com/parents-appeal-to-ilorin-university-over-students-admission/

By Osa Amadi, Arts Editor In furtherance of the restoration and promotion of Yoruba civilization across the globe, The House of Odùduwà led by His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, in partnership with governments of Brazil, Cuba and over twenty other countries, has initiated Oduduwa Mobile Museum. The project, which promises lots of economic, political and socio-cultural benefits, seeks to draw global attention to the richness of Odùduwà culture and stimulate a

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/09/the-coming-of-oduduwa-mobile-museum/

End political ties with South-West, northern group beg Buhari
By Jide Adeyemi
The Coalition of Northern Groups on Wednesday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to It urged the North to severe political ties with the South-West.
The group, in a statement by its spokesman Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, gotten by Irohinoodua correspondent, faulted the South-West, which it claimed had been a major beneficiary of the Buhari administration, for allegedly being in the forefront of efforts to discredit the administration.
He said “The alliance is already turning out to be unhealthy. We are calling on the northern elders and leaders to review the region’s position by realigning with our traditional political friends which had served the whole nation for decades before the coming of this unholy and unprofitable union with the south-western bloc.”
“We also wish to ask the President if in all honesty he still considers the south-western players as true friends who are genuinely desirous of his success.
“…To the entire northern leaders and elite, we categorically say that the current political alignment with the South-West is not paying and it never will.
“The vital task at this point is for the northern political leadership to renegotiate its current alliance with the South-West which has never been North’s political ally
It said although the North was aware of Buhari’s lapses, northerners decided not to take part in the #RevolutionNow protests because of their belief that disagreement could be resolved through engagement rather than confrontation.
It said, “We submit that instead of just sitting back to thank Nigerians for not joining the overthrow plan, President Buhari should rather sincerely apologise to the nation by reflecting on how he has dragged the country into such a desperate situation, own up to his inadequacies and take genuine steps to address the mounting national grievances.

Yoruba lady, Kemi Adegoke Badenoch becomes Minister in Brittain

By Kay Great

Nigeria will destroy you, make you useless and kill your dream unless you have a strong connection to the political godfathers.

I have met Kemi Adegoke-Badenoch in 2010 while she was distributing flyers of her election campaign to passersby around Dulwich Library in 2010. She was contesting for a member of the London Assembly. She didn't win and She was 30years old at the time.

In 2012, Kemi Adegoke stood for the Conservatives party in the London Assembly election where she was placed fifth on the London-wide list.

In 2017, Kemi was elected as MP for the Saffron Walden constituency and became the first woman to represent that constituency.

Former Prime Minister, Theresa May, appointed Kemi Adegoke-Badenoch as the Conservative Party's Vice-Chair for Candidates in January 2018.

Today, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Olukemi Adegoke- Badenoch, aged 39, as Children and Families Minister.

Though Kemi was born in London but grew up in Nigeria where she finished her primary and secondary education and returned to the UK for her university education but why Kemi was able to win elections into London Assembly, House of Commons and became a Minister in a country she arrived at age 16?

The answers are simple. Kemi is living in a country where hard work is rewarded. A country where good university grades are rewarded with good jobs. A country where merits are sought after. A country where politicians are elected based on their debates, ideas and manifestos.

Would Kemi have become a councillor in Lagos or Ibadan by relying on her brillancy and articulation of ideas without employing the service of Agberos to snatch ballots or beat up voters, warm the beds of a few political godfathers and agreed to a percentage of her income as a political office holder be shared with her political godfathers every month?‎

Ethnic, community groups launch fresh peace building platform
By Samuel Moshood

Major stakeholders in Nigeria on Tuesday July 30, in Lagos launched fresh effort towards peace building and conflict prevention amidst real and imagined threats to stability occasioned by a wave of violence and hate killings spreading across the country.

The opening ceremony of the initiative was attended by over 100 participants mainly leaders and youth representatives of Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups, civil society, security operatives and top government officials.

The programme was put together by foremost Nigerian media group, Journalists for Democratic Rights, (JODER) and the New York based Institute of International Education, (IIE) facilitated by the Ford Foundation West Africa Regional Office. The project focuses on Lagos, Nigeria’s former capital, the country’s most significant State and host to the country’s different and diverse groups.

The 12-month programme involves extensive training for youth leaders and community based groups, CBOs on strategy and tactics of peace building, management and prevention of conflict. It also involves advocacy visits, media outreach, workshops and community engagements.

After the opening ceremony, the Special Guests left leaving about 35 participants for the training on negotiation and setting agenda of peace conducted by a former United Nations, (UN) peace keeping officer, Lt Col Ayo Ajayi.

Participants held that the summit was coming at a difficult moment for Nigeria, a country of 190 million people bedeviled by recent mass killings, kidnapping for ransom, violent extremism, ethnic suspicion and terrorism. The organizers put the programme together as a people-driven initiative aimed at free, prior and constructive engagements of stakeholders towards prevention of the myriad of potential conflicts that star constantly put the nation at a cliff edge. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes has estimated about 64,000 Nigerians are murdered every year in Nigeria. Homicide rate is put in the North East at 70 percent of 100,000 inhabitants and 65 percent for the same number in the North-Central

The Guest Speaker, retired Head of Department of African Studies in many American Universities including Harvard University, Prof Banji Akintoye said Nigeria was at a critical junction in her history.

He said “We are facing a terrible hydra-dreaded monster of ethnicity, extremism, mass killings in the face of a grossly incompetent political leadership. We hundreds of people killed everyday. Gang banditry is taking firm roots in Nigeria. Killings and maiming of innocent people have become a way of life. The security operatives appear helpless. There is the real fear that something terrible may happen unless efforts life this are put in place.” He said the prospect of a government-driven peace and conflict prevention mechanism in Nigeria is remote.

Other speakers were Sec General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Dim Uche Okwukwu, Secretary General, Ijaw World Congress, (IWC) Mr Digifa Werenipre, representative of the Eze Ndigbo, Pastor Joe Ihitegbulem, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, (AYCF), Suleiman Tijani, The Etsu Nupe of Lagos, Alhaji Jubrin Dogo, the Onu of Igala, His Royal Highness, Sanni Yakubu Ejima and others

Apart from terrorism, Nigeria is confronted with the problem of kidnapping and herders-farmers violent clashes blamed largely on Fulani herdsmen. An estimated 30,000 Nigerians are believed to have lost their lives in related conflict in the past few years.

The leader of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, (MACBAN) Alhaji Abdullahi Lailiga whose group is blamed largely for the kidnapping and banditry in some parts of Nigeria, said his nationality has been demonized through ethnic profiling and stereotyping which he said are promoted by the media. “We are not all bad people. There may be a few bad eggs but these elements are in all the ethnic groups in Nigeria,” he said. He added that the summit provided the first opportunity for the Fulani people to meet those who see them as “murderers” saying his group is ready to share their fears and aspirations with other Nigerians.

Speaking at the programme, the Executive Director, Journalists for Democratic Rights, (JODER) Mr Adewale Adeoye said “We have designed this peace building and conflict prevention project to last for one year, bringing together the variegated colours of our diverse people, exploring their rich indigenous knowledge, walking with them and creating a nexus that will strengthen the bond of peace and brotherhood.”

He said further “We move from the premise that peace is indeed possible. Peace is cheaper. It is cleaner. It is friendlier and more comfortable to live with than violence and conflict.”

He said “We shall be working with organized youth groups, leaders and members of ethnic associations, leaders and members of community-based organisations, (CBOs), civil society, professional groups with records of active involvement in disputes. We shall organize training, advocacy visits, campaigns and programmes aimed at ensuring peace and conflict prevention in Lagos and by inference in Nigeria as a whole.

Some of the aims of the project are to prevent a major ethnic backlash, rebuild fractured solidarity and friendship among the various ethnic and social formations in Lagos State, subdue and prevent a major conflict in Lagos between the different ethnic groups, use Lagos as an example of cooperation and peace building among Nigeria’s ethnic groups and also identify the key actors and facilitate constructive round table engagements towards peace and mutual cooperation in Lagos and Nigeria at large.

Other participants at the event included representatives of Ijaw, Shuwa Arab, Igbo, Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and other nations, Oodua Peoples Congress, (OPC), O’odua Liberation Movement, (OLM), Ohanaeze Ndigbo, United Middle Belt Indigenous Peoples Congress, (UMBIPC), representatives of professional bodies, labour, artisan groups among many others.

Tackling the presidential tribunal’s legal technicalities

By Gabriel Uduafi July 7, 2019 #TheNation

Events at the ongoing Presidential Election Petition Tribunal have again thrown up the foibles of Nigeria legal system.

Like in many cases, where lawyers and their clients try to bore down the legal process, the legal team of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, appear to have a trick up their sleeves to ridicule the whole process.

Having keenly watched the whole scenario from day one, I surmise that if some things are not quickly addressed, a blame game will soon surface that the presidency or Buhari (as is usually the case these days of the opposition) is circumventing the process.

I’m neither in the legal team of any of the parties to the presidential petition but I think posterity will not forgive me as a lawyer if I keep silent over the way lawyers on the Atiku side are working assiduously to slow down activities at the tribunal.

First, it was the request that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should make available the materials used for the presidential election held on February 23, 2019 for inspection. The request was contained in an application filed by Chief Chris Uche (SAN) before the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.

Even when this was granted, the party’s propaganda machinery still flooded the media with the shout that their request was not granted. By this time, days were counting and the clock was ticking, but everybody pretended as if everything was fine.

Fast forward to when the tribunal was inaugurated and Nigerians were expecting a smooth legal process, the party and its candidate again asked the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, to recuse herself from presiding or sitting as a member of the Presidential Election Tribunal sitting over the petition filed by Atiku, who is contesting the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the February 23 polls.

The party premised its rejection of Justice Bulkachuwa’s membership of the tribunal on the ground that her husband is a Senator-elect from Bauchi State in the recent election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Even when many analysts had thought this would be a tall dream, it was shocking when a member of the Buhari legal team, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), stood up at the sitting and urged the woman to consider the request in the interest of the eventful years she had put into her calling as a jurist.

As far as I’m concerned, it is a fact known to all the parties that the issue of a “server” for purposes of proving or contesting the outcome of an election in Nigeria is a non-starter, as there is no provision of such in Electoral Act to that effect.

Recall that President Buhari refused to assent to the amendment of the law to allow the usage of server by INEC due to the fact that the entire country is yet to be covered by “networks.”

Till date, except we want to play God or create tension in the land, internet penetration has not reached many parts despite our so-called digital revolution. With this, it will be an effort in futility to be talking about a “server” in a judicial contest as a Presidential Election Petition Tribunal when same is not provided for in our laws and even more when many parts of Nigeria have no access to internet.

At this point, one may be forced to believe a joke at the Tribunal from the petitioner’s lawyers that Atiku has been scammed by smart ‘Yahoo Yahoo boys’ who impressed it on the former vice president that central server actually existed.

Ask Mike Ozekhome, SAN (Atiku), Festus Keyamo, SAN (Buhari) & Kayode Ajulo (APC), who ought to traditionally speak out about this popular joke, but owing to the fact that they are all counsel to parties at the Tribunal these senior lawyers have decided to keep mute.

However, my position may be different. Since the outcome of the 1979 election petition, which was ruled in favour of Alhaji Shehu Sagari, the winner of the election, I have come to realise that it is against public policy to nullify a presidential election.

In the cycle of legal practitioners, it is being debated till date that the panel that sat on Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s petition against Shagari knew that 12 was not the 2/3 of 19, but it was allowed to stand in the national interest. Knowing well that nullifying presidential result could lead to coup or breaking down of law and order, tribunals are always circumspect in taking decisions.

Again, while I’m not saying this to talk Atiku out of his decision, I’m using my open appeal to prepare his mind against unfavourable outcome of his case and the need for him to calm the nerves of his followers in the interest of all. But as I have always maintained, the petition itself is a stillbirth and it should be called so!

El Rufai is Wrong

By Babafemi Ojudu

I love reading my friend Mallam El Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State. You may not always agree with him. You may not like his style. Some even think he talks too much. But here is a man who is passionate about Nigeria, and about governance. He fears no foe and he says and do what he believes in.

I prefer him to the caterwauling princes who pretend to be concerned about advancing the cause of the people but are always thinking of the next election and the next appointment. These are those a friend of mine refers to as the “kids without the whiz”. They abound in our land, El Rufai is different.

Hence, when El Rufai talks we must pay heed. To this end, I’m worried about the the statement made recently by El Rufai about two Nigerias; one the backward North and second the developing south.

I think he got things wrong and he needs to be quickly corrected. It is very important to correct this assertion so that some non-discerning elements from the South will not start jumping up and dancing. They will not as profoundly delusional as the elephant, who was about to be made king of the jungle where the lion has set a trap with his chief adviser the tortoise on a throne set atop massive hole; a o merin jo ba!

It is a fallacy to say that the south is developing. Every part of Nigeria is at best yearning for development. At worst we have a profound reality, an uneven pace of development across states around which Nigeria has been divided since 1967.

See, it may be high time we stop analyzing Nigeria in the spectrum of North and South protectorates, because that regional divide ceased on January 1, 1914. Nigeria since 1967, has been a nation of states. Some state being lucky every now and then to be blessed with great administrators like Baba Jakande in Lagos or Chief Ajasin in Ondo, or Ahmed Tinubu and his golden team in Lagos in a more recent era.

What becomes obvious on deeper analysis, is that discounting for historical advantages secured between 1952 to 1966 with regional governments in place across Nigeria, what emerges is a nation deeply united in bad governance, poverty index and quality of outcomes.

We have one large underdeveloped country which calls for the attention of all of us be it North or South.

El Rufai assertions may be true some twenty to thirty years ago, with the advantages the South secured in pre-independence governance. I can write a book to put a lie to that assertion now based on the facts known to me.

I have traveled around this country North and South . I have seen things for myself . I am therefore not talking from the prism of someone who sits in Washington and the western capitals and come up with some fake indicators . I know and I can assert that the neglect of many years has come to haunt both the North and the South.

I am from the South West. That part which I know so well is living on past glory. Today education in the Southwest is growing in quantity and not quality. The products rather than portending hope for the future is largely lethal to the health of society. Just go to Facebook and see the quality of the grammar these products of neo-Southwest education propound daily on the platform. It truly will sadden everyone or anyone.

I come from Ekiti which is largely in conventional wisdom regarded as the bastion of education in the Southwest. The myth abroad is that every household can boast of one or two professors. While this may be true in the past, it unfortunately no longer ring true. Here is a state where a governor used to encourage “miracle examination centers” for students, with invigilators bribed to look away so that the students could cheat and top the league table of states.

This produces at the end of the day a high percentage of performance and rating for the state, that is subsequently celebrated by the Governor whose perfunctory attempt at caring is a careless head fake to excellence and perpetual ode to mediocrity!

Now the products of that appalling situation are out of school and are recruited into “yahoo yahoo” and “yahoo plus” as they are called. Parents are now known to look for money to buy laptop for their wards to engage in this despicable business of scam. What a country!

Contrast this with the thousands of students sent out on scholarship by northern governors to some of the good schools abroad yearly,a policy akin to that of China that has made major leap by learning or stealing from the accomplishments of western nations.
So southerners, let no one deceive you that you are developing. You’re living on past glory!

Leave education and go into food production. Or do I say agricultural production. Most of the food consumed in the South today are produced by the North. The youths down here are no longer encouraged to farm. Where there is some modicum of farming going on, it is done by the Igbiras of Kogi, the Igedes Of Benue State and the young farmers from Benin republic. Travel through Benue to any surrounding states you will encounter a gang of youths with cutlasses in hand and hoes hanging on their shoulders joyously heading to farm. Now we have Benue yam, oranges, mango, cashew etc.

Contrast this with a trip from Kabba and go through Ondo or Ekiti and head towards Lagos you will see villages all the way where young and able bodied men are playing table tennis and other sports at 11.00 am or filling pot holes while begging for money from travelers. This cannot be progress

The beef we consume, the tomatoes, the yam, the beans , the water melon, the goats for our pepper soup are grown or reared by peasant farmers and transported to the South for our dinner table.

The average southerner wants an office job, and there are not enough to go around! In vast areas of our land, young people roam the streets with half bottle filled up with codeine and hard drugs, when they grow despondent and dangerously educated.

In the past four years there has been a near revolution in the agricultural production and processing in the North. The landscape of Kebbi, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto and many other northern states have been turned to huge plantations of wheat , rice, and sugar cane. This is being followed up with huge processing plants put in place by the private sector in collaboration with the Central Bank.

These programs were on willing state, willing partner basis. After all, the CBN Governor is Igbo and we cannot claim discrimination. Over three hundred billion has been disbursed through Anchor Borrower Program and NIRSAL was originally capitalized to the tune of $500 million to work with states that have leadership and capacity to engage.

Jigawa is going heavily into the red goat rearing with the goal of processing their hides for the consumption of the world animal skin market which has hitherto been dominated by Morocco. Cash trees are being planted by the forward looking governor of Jigawa who has seen that the market for both hard and soft wood in China is limitless. He got the idea when he attended a meeting where deforestation and illegal lumbering was discussed. Instead of digging in against loggers, he volunteered to plant more trees for collective prosperity!

In Kaduna where Governor El Rufai governs, the biggest animal feed plant in Africa was commissioned two years ago. Just imagine the spin-off effect on grain farmers across the North. In Healthcare, his state has been the largest recipient of aid from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as the Kaduna’s primary healthcare system is being transformed.

This is even as only a small glitch which will soon be resolved will ensure Kaduna state get the cheapest ever loan from World Bank to transform her schools. Of course, this is after the Governor bravely reformed the school system by sacking fake teachers and employing more real ones!

El Rufai knows the truth. He is too clever not to. I think he may be saying what he said to ginger his brother governors to do more for their people or at best humoring our people for political advantage. Least of course and very unlikely was that he sought to lure the South of the country to a false sense of accomplishment.

For four years the Buhari administration advertised her anchor borrower program in agriculture. Let us ask how many southern governors took advantage of this program? The ministry of agriculture under the same government came up with a cocoa farm renewal program. No enthusiasm was shown to it. Instead we had a fellow, whose best idea was to cultivate marijuana for export. Good luck.

A friend of mine visited a government agent in charge of this last week. What he told him was depressing. “Why are your government so disinterested in this program that would have been of benefit to your people?”, was the question he raised that requires answers from our governors.

Travel around the South and see the army of youths who are unemployed. Yes there are similar army in the North as well but the values even in their deprivation is different. Northern unemployment numbers are also seasonal according to NIBSS, rising in the dry season due to lack of irrigable lands. That is not even going to last forever, as various programs to revive the River Basins are ongoing and the employment number up North will stabilize.

I have journeyed around the country with people of power. Wherever we have been we have been mobbed by this youths. While the Northern variants of it shout “Sai Baba”, the South variants shout, “give us the money”. Their eyes are bloodshot , their teeth discolored and reeking of the smell of drugs , enough to get you high. Their sense of entitlement is legendary. When you try to pacify them by offering them the change in your pocket they throw it back at you saying “ this is not our money “. Before you know it they are throwing rocks at your convoy. This was my experience as we travelled around the Southwest during the last election. I was ashamed.

Yet our governors live in affluence, appointing several assistants with no defined or productive functions. All they are after is making money from government. This for me is not an indicator of development. We have too many gods rather than governors. This may not be pleasant to some of my friends who are governors. My apologies. I am saying this because it time we must say the truth to ourselves. It is kidnapping and banditry we are seeing now. If we don’t take actions rebellion may knock on the door.

Young men and women who should be employed after half baked Education are unemployable. Even after massive cheating schemes, Southwest states still continue to underperform in standardized tests done in Nigeria. At last count, Abia and Anambra led in 2018 while Oyo, Osun and Ogun were below National Average. Add to the fact that the gap in education is inevitably closing. While in 1990, the North had 14 universities, the South had 27. Today that number is 58 and 102 respectively. This is a 414% versus a 370% improvement. Slowly but surely.

In poverty ranking, while the impact of a more diversified economy is felt in lower poverty rates, the Southwest especially continue to house the highest numbers of the urban poor who continue to depend on welfare from remittances to stay afloat. Poverty better measured in the number of people living their best life will reveal a very different measure I suppose.

In the ease of doing business category that measures current governance, Kaduna was the leader, followed by Enugu while Southwestern states lagged behind at last 10 position with Oyo and Osun struggling for last position with Nasarawa. It is horrible. It is bad. Our Governors are now Demi-gods. They will rather do business with themselves, the Lebanese, than with Nigerians, and have infused the system with frustrated businessmen who rather take their monies elsewhere.

Truth is, a fair comparison will reveal that we are jostling for position among laggards. Let our governors, both in the North and the South, come up and reassess themselves and govern in the true sense of the word. The accoutrements of power is so much than the responsibility. They should begin to do away with the meretricious and opt for the things that will uplift their people. They should not abandon their role to the omnibus Federal Government .

Nigeria as a whole cries for development not a part as expostulated by my dear friend Governor El Rufai. The devil is in the details. We must rise up and demand good governance across board.

Senator Babafemi Ojudu is the former Special Adviser Political Matters to the President , and aide to His Excellency, Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

You can’t recover stolen funds without a fight, foreign expert warns FG
By Seun Samuel

The Government and people of Nigeria will not be able to effectively recover stolen public funds stashed in foreign countries without a fight, an expert on Asset Recovery, Mr Nicholas Hildyard said in Abuja midweek.
Hildyardwho is co-Director, The Corner House, a global anti-corruption concern, pointed out the hypocrisy of Western countries accusing them of double standards.
He spoke at a conference on Asset Recovery organised by Human and Environment Development Agenda, (HEDA) in Abuja monitored by Irohinoodua correspondent. His paper was titled All Hat and No Cattle The scandal of the West’s anti-money-laundering regulations.”
He said stolen funds are usually not recovered intact but involves associated high cost leading to diminishing returns to the benefit of most Western countries who are the recipient of such sleaze funds.
He cited the case of funds stolen by former dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha regretting that it has taken Nigeria over twenty years – and millions in legal fees - for just a small proportion of $5 billion or more looted by Sani Abacha to be returned. He said even where funds have been frozen and recovered, some Western nations have insisted on taking “their” share.”

He said “many of you, I am sure, will be familiar with the caught-on-camera remark by David Cameron, the former UK prime minister, that Nigeria is “fantastically corrupt”.
Hildyard praised President MohammaduBuhari’s response to Cameron when he said rather than seeking an apology for a remark that he acknowledged to be true, he would prefer to have “the billions stolen from Nigeria returned”.
He saidBuhari’s response was “a superbly diplomatic riposte. In just one phrase, he brushed aside the lazily racist view that corruption is an African problem and refocussed attention on the role that the West has always played, and continues to play, in fomenting, facilitating and profiting from corruption.”

Citing geo-political realities, Hildyard saidthe harsh reality is that Nigeria can request the US and UK all it likes for the hundreds of billions of looted dollars held in the West to be returned “but nothing, nada, zilch will come home without a fight.”
He asked rhetorically, “Will Nigeria get the full $267 million recovered from a bank account in Jersey? Not a bit of it. The monies will be shared with Jersey (which hid the money) and the US (which had a role in the recovery).
And what is returned comes with conditions on how it can be spent.
Of course, it would be a very different matter if the boot had been on the other foot. He said if an American politician looted billions of dollars from the US treasury and salted away the proceeds in banks in Nigeria, it is inconceivable that the US would have waited for over 20 years for just a small proportion of that looted money to be returned.
Hildyard said “The US would have mobilised every means at its disposal to force the speedy, unilateral, voluntary return of the funds. Sanctions would have been imposed. Visa bans executed. Pariah state status promulgated. You would probably even have had the Sixth fleet weighing anchor off Lagos. And do you think for a moment that the US would have accepted Nigeria imposing conditions on the return of the funds? Of course not. On the contrary, conditions would instead have been imposed by the US on Nigeria’s banking system.”

He condemned the geopolitics and the gross imbalances of bargaining power that imperialism continues to create saying they are just one of the obstacles that Nigeria faces in reclaiming what is rightfully hers.
“At a more tangible level, the regulations in western countries that are supposed to prevent money laundering and enable the recovery of funds are simply not fit for purpose.The West talks big: but (to use a Texan phrase) its anti-money laundering framework is “all hat and no cattle”- self serving.”
He said though an estimated £36 billion to £90 billion in dirty money is said to be laundered through London every year, but the number of banks convicted of money laundering in the last decade can be counted on one hand.
According to him “no senior bank executive has been jailed or prosecuted, unlike in some other jurisdiction, such as Denmark, the fines imposed are a fraction of those imposed in the US – the fine imposed on Coutts was 600 times less than the penalty that was levied by the United States on BNP Paribas. The UK government and the Financial Services Authority—now the FCA—successfully lobbied the US not to prosecute HSBC for money laundering.
He said while the US has a better record for prosecutions, it also has a record of ensuring that the penalties amount to little more than a slap on the wrist.
“Neither HSBC nor BNP Paribas was barred from the American financial system following their convictions for money laundering. On the contrary, the prosecutors reportedly worked hard to limit the damage hard to limit the damage from the BNP Paribas guilty plea so that it could continue to function as a global bank.Despite promises to tighten up the system, little has been done.
Citing another example, he said even after Russia’s chemical weapons attack on Salisbury, when politicians were fighting to get into the TV studios to promise sanctions against corrupt Russian oligarchs using London to launder their loot, nothing substantive has been done to cleanse London of dirty money.
“Too many powerful people are making too much money to bring the system under control: and the Treasury is too scared of losing the taxes that flow from London’s pre-eminent position as financial centre to wield the whip. It is not a question of lack of political will – the usual explanation for inaction.The truth is that there is immense political will – but that it is aligned behind those who benefit from doing nothing rather than those who would act decisively to root out corruption”, Hildyard said to a thunderous ovation of the audience.

25 states benefit from Cash Transfer from Abacha loot, says Uwais
By Femi Ariyibi

Over N13billionsof sleaze funds recovered from late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha has been disbursed to 394,430 vulnerable people in 25 states across Nigeria as at May 2019. The Special Adviser to President Mohammadu Buhari on Social Investment, Mrs Maryam Uwais has said.
The bulk of the money was sourced from some of the loots recovered from former Head of State, the late Gen. Sanni Abacha. This is apart from the N4billion from the IDA credit.
Mrs Uwais who spoke on Utilisation of Recovered Assets for Public Good, Social Intervention Program in Focus at a conference on Agenda Setting for Citizens Interaction with Stolen Assets Recovery organized by the Human Environment and Development Agenda, (HEDA) in Abuja attended by Irohinoodua correspondent.
She said the implementation of the project has helped uplift millions of direct and indirect poor beneficiaries.
“The impact these Cash Transfers have made on improving household consumption and sustainable livelihoods cannot be over emphasized as most of the beneficiaries were living in extreme poverty. Children are going back to school, small trades and livelihoods are springing up; confidence and self-esteem slowly growing” Uwais said.
According to her, the impact of adopting social safety net programmes to address poverty has continued to facilitate economic growth in Africa (and many other developing countries), leading to buoyant commodity prices and better macroeconomic management.
“It is imperative that Nigeria also leverages on this initiative to wage war against poverty in our country. We all have a collective responsibility and role to play to promote socio-economic growth in our Nation. Nigeria is such a vast and diverse terrain, there are bound to be attempts are shortchanging the process or our beneficiaries. The majority of our beneficiaries are not exposed, literate or adept at financial transactions. At the very least, all of us can monitor and report grievances through the phone numbers provided in our call centre, or by escalating grievances, if any, through the numerous strands that have been established by the programme. We must all actively participate in the effort to enhance the conditions of our more marginalized citizens, depending on our skill sets, passion and empathy” she said.
She said part of the Abacha loot is being utilized to effect N10,000 bi-monthly transfers to cash transfer beneficiaries, through the operations of the National Social Investment Office operating from the Office of the Vice President.
Emphasizing what informed the government’s decision, MrUwais said that in December 2014, a Swiss Judge gave a Forfeiture Order to the effect that monies ($322.5m) recovered from the family of late General Abacha would be returned to Nigeria, one of the conditions being that the World Bank would be involved in monitoring disbursementstherefrom.
She said this was as a consequence to the opaqueness that surrounded the application of recovered funds prompting the World Bank to raise concerns some of which were who would bear the cost element of monitoring such disbursements and also the question of transparency.
“The World Bank,however, suggested, as a way out, that Nigeria could place the funds in existing World Bank projects, which meant that the pertinent structures would already have been established, thereby minimizing the monitoring costs. The list of World Bank projects was shared with the FGN, for the purpose”
She said after extensive deliberations, the FGN decided to place the funds in the cash transfer programme, since all the beneficiaries were being mined from a National Social Register being developed around each and every State and the FCT.
“The aim of dedicating National resources to improve the lives of citizens and strengthen the role of social protection in helping to distribute resources more broadly had always been a key strategy of this Administration. Social protection (SP) interventions had been prioritized for reducing poverty and socio-economic vulnerabilities in the population, so the decision to align spending with the National Social Safety Net Project (NASSP) was deliberate.”
Uwais said the project has been structured to avoid political manipulations adding that only people with genuine and verifiable cases of extreme poverty were the direct beneficiaries.
She said the National Social Investment Office oversees four broad programmes, which are the Job Creation (comprising NPower and Technology Hubs), the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, the Government Empowerment and Enterprise Programme (managed by BoI) and the National Social Safety Net Project (NASSP) led by the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO).
The NASSCO oversees the social safety net programs that are World Bank-assisted; comprising the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO), the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) in Nigeria and the National Cash Transfer Office. NASSCO also supports the development of the National Social Register (NSR; consisting of the Social Registers in each State & the FCT), hosting the NSR in Abuja.
She said that at inception, Memorandum of Understanding, (MoUs) were signed with each State, to clarify the roles and responsibilities of Federal and State entities, which include the provision of an equipped office at State level, and the deployment of State civil servants that have the requisite skills.
“We review the CVS and approve of the staff, before we commence work. Poverty mapping is our next step; basically to identify 30% (then 50% and finally 20%) of the poorest LGAs in each Senatorial district. NASSCO subsequently trains the civil servants in the States and the LGAs in the community-based targeting (CBT) process, as well as on enumeration,” Uwais said adding that NASSCO provides the android devices, a vehicle and the wherewithal for the development of the State Registers, all of which are hosted in the Ministries of Planning of each State.
She said the first step of the CBT is the poverty mapping which identifies the poorest LGAs while the Community Based Targeting (CBT) is then conducted in anopen and inclusive process, through homogenous focus group discussions, comprising of men, women.
According to her, critics are understandably impatient especially because people are evidently suffering and the numbers are increasing every day, she observed that since the task is colossal, “we have taken considerable care in our first 3 years is to establish a firm foundation, structure and mechanisms for States and communities to adopt. We are resolute about achieving results in an objective, transparent, cost-effective and efficient manner.”

APC Chieftain to PMB: Order arrest of Coalition for Northern Youth leaders
By Jide Arowolo
President Mohammadu Buhari has been asked to order the arrest and prosecution of Caolition of Northern Youths who issued a 30 day ultimatum on the controversial Fedeal Government RUGA project.
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC and former Oye Local Government Chairman in Ekiti State Mr Tope Longe said the President needed to sustain public trust by invoking the law to check the excesses of the group.
Mr Longe said President Buhari as the Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian armed forces should compel the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu to order the immediate arrest of Mallam Abdul-Azeez Suleiman and members of his association, the Coalition for Northern Groups.
"Mr President should realise the present and future danger the threat from the group portend for Nigerians living in the North and for the image of our great party, All Progressives Congress,(APC).
He said the action of the group threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria in the most irrational manner.
It will be recalled that this body had issued a threat to the
Federal Government to revert to RUGA, failing of which the group said it would unleash terror on innocent Nigerians especially the
Southerners.


Longer said "Such a rash and insensitive statement and threat to hold on to the implementation of an unpopular policy is irresponsible and should be condemned by all leaders of thought and good conscience irrespective of political affiliations."


He said APC leaders should no longer fold their arms and let any person, people or group no matter how highly placed arrogantly beat the drums of war in an otherwise peaceful nation.

"It's on record that Ruga was roundly rejected by Nigerians hence the tactical suspension of the dangerous policy by the Federal Government. None of us is greater than all of us. This unguarded statement and threat should not be taken lightly and should be acted upon. No ethnic group has monopoly of violence. People of good conscience in APC are not ready to trade the prosperity of our land with aggressors who systematically and consistently carried out violent attacks across the country. Therefore this madness must stop."

Longe who said he has been invloved in series of conflict resolution efforts between locals in Ekiti communities and herdsmen said the best solution is ranching to be set up in Northerm states where the herdsmen are indigenous.

He urged APC leaders across the country to unite around popular policies that transcends tribal and parochial instincts saying that it is the responsibility of honest people in APC to speak against programmes and policies that will stir public outcry and diminish the reputation of the party in the eye of Nigerians.

"We need to uplift Nigerians from base sentiments. APC leadership need to work alternative strategies to farmers-herdsmen clashes without living the impression that the solution lay in robbing Peter to pay Paul.We need a solution that will not compound the existing problem.We need thinkers who will offer enduring solutions that will command the goodwill of Nigerians irrespective of creed, faith, ethnicity or colour of the eyes" Longe said adding that the best friends of President Buhari are those honest enough to tell him when a policy is popular or not

PRESS STATEMENT

Lagos, Wednesday, July 03, 2019.

As the controversy surrounding the rape allegation against the Senior Pastor of Common Wealth of Zion Assembly (COZA) Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo rages, the Community Peoples Initiative Against AIDS (COPEAIDS FOUNDATION) has called on the Nigerian Police to wade into the matter.

COPEAIDS FOUNDATION, a pro-life group urged the Nigerian Police to carry out diligent investigation in order to establish the truth in the festering rape scandal.

“There are two main versions. Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo has been accused of rape by Mrs. Dakolo. Nigerians have taken sides but there has not been any independent investigation that can establish the truth. This is where the police need to come in urgently”, COPEAIDS FOUNDATION said in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Mrs. Feyisike Adeoye.

On Wednesday, COPEAIDS FOUNDATION saluted the courage of Mrs. Dakolo for coming out with her story inspite of her status as a married woman urging other women or girls to summon the courage to speak out. The group said there was the urgent need for the police to unravel the truth by inviting Pastor Fatoyinbo to make a statement. The group said by stepping aside, Fatoyinbo has shown a good example expected from people perform public function urging politicians to take a clue from his action.

The group however said resigning from his position was not enough

It said rape remains a rampant scourge across Nigerian faith-based institutions, academic communities, the civil service, the military and other security institutions. “Most victims are traumatise and find it difficult to speak because of the stigma associated with rape and the obnoxious public perception that stereotype rape victims instead of rapists as suspects.

“We are in a society where information inflow and outflow continues to be dominated by men. We are in a society where people blame women even when they are raped. Women are at the receiving end of domestic and matrimonial duties and responsibilities; they are at the tiny end of the stick. They have little economic opportunities and the political structure that control institutions and public policies are controlled and manipulated by men. This adds up to the vulnerable status of women which makes them to be continuously exploited by men either through rape or other forms of abuse”, Mrs. Adeoye said. She added that increase in violence, extremism, proliferation of arms, cultism and the weak justice system combine to spur increase in rape and violent crimes against women and the girl child.

According to her, the Police should not wait for an official complaint to be filed before investigation is carried out by the security operatives.

“The police should see this case as a strong public petition that should be investigated. Though the crime was alleged to have been committed two decades ago, by calling witnesses, the police can establish the veracity of claims in the wild controversy” adding that a thorough police investigation is in the interest of all parties, the crime suspect, the victim of crime and the society at large.

COPEAIDS FOUNDATION said because of the sensitivity of the case Nigeria Police Force ought to carry out thorough investigation into the allegation to make sure that proper punishment is meted out if the Pastor is guilty and also to be sure that an innocent person is not punished for what he probably what he knew nothing about

COPEAIDS said both parties have the right to fear hearing instead of subjecting a crucial case of public interest into mob trial.

“Nigerians will be doing a grave dis-service to justice if the country continue to use the social medial to bully parties in a dispute without a conscious attempt to establish the truth for the sake of justice.”

Adeoye further stated that government should come up with more punitive measures for people engaging in the dastardly act of rape which is capable of destroying the lives of victims.

COPEAIDS FOUNDATION said the alarming figures of cases of rape and defilement in Nigeria should be of concern to all and sundry. In order to deal with this scourge, the group advocated that governments at all levels should set up mechanism that will empower women to speak up without necessarily facing the risk of public ridicule.

Adeoye also urged journalists to put on the antennae for investigative journalism to help unravel cases of rape adding that it is important to use the media to spread the messages that will sensitize the people most especially young girls and ladies who are the prime targets on the need to be more careful of the kind of company they keep and the places they go so as to guard against the menace of rape. She urged “collective positive action” to shame rapists and put rape to an end.

Civil rights group validates baseline report on Adamawa girl-child education
By Abayomi Olugbade


The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) with support from Malala Fund is set to validate the baseline survey report of its project “Community Led Collective Action for Girls Education” being implemented in Adamawa State, Irohinoodua reports.

The survey conducted to ascertain the trend of out-of-school girls in Numan, Song and Maiha Local Government Areas was also to unearth the issues, challenges and chat way forward to reconstructing the narrative of education in the State, and ultimately promote girl enrollment, retention and completion in secondary school.

A statement released by Frances Igwilo, Centre LSD Gulmakia Champion of the Malala Fund and made available to Irohinoodua states that Adamawa state is amongst the educationally disadvantaged states, characterized by low school attendance at all levels with an abysmal record of girl child education.

She stated that the trend is worsened by the increasing wave of insurgency, terrorism, kidnapping and brutal killing of innocent citizens by armed militant groups in the state.

The baseline report validation, therefore, is put together to have stakeholders’ input(s) to make the knowledge product that will emerge at the end of the day a document that everyone will relate with and reference.

The release enjoined members of the public particularly education stakeholders in the State to be part of the process by gracing the event with their presence, or be part of the proceedings at the Validation by following on our twitter handle #Girls2School @centrelsd

Ekiti: Goodbye to days of the locust

By Segun Dipe


Nothing can ever be violent enough to make taut their slack minds and bodies. They have been cheated and betrayed. They have slaved and saved for nothing.

If the above quotation, from Nathaniel West's “The Day of Locust" matches the feelings of the PDP goons in Ekiti at the moment, then they should blame no one but themselves and their former lord. As for the rest people in the state, the days of locusts have gone and happy days are here again.

As stated in Proverbs 26: 4-5, "Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest this also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." This time, the fools shall be answered according to their folly.

There is no doubt that the PDP goons in Ekiti are idle at the moment. Very idle indeed, because as the party in opposition, they are not having much to talk about. Their pot of criticism is dry, yet they are trying to scoop from its emptiness. As a result of the omoluabi conduct of the incumbent governor, Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, they have no negative rumours to spread any longer, thus they conjure up lies.

And, as the bible makes us to understand, an idle mind is the devil's workshop. It may therefore not be out of place to regard the idled PDP in Ekiti as the devil's workshop where evil intention is being cooked, day in day out, to scatter what is now being gathered in the state.

Because of the good naturednedness of Dr. Fayemi, good things are happening, not only to him and his household, but to the entire Ekiti people. Every Ekiti person can proudly beat his or her chest in any gathering that the lost values have been regained and good days are here with us again in the state.

But how does one explain the concerted attempts being made by the PDP goons to spread unsubstantiated rumours about Governor Fayemi? Indeed, where idle minds gather, deliberate falsehood is their trade. In their warped imagination, Fayemi has allocated billions of naira to himself from the state's fund, just for junketing purpose alone in 2019.

Phew! So they think Fayemi has the mind of Fayose who conjures up figures, type them by himself, bind them together by himself in the name of budget, take the budget to the House of Assembly by himself, and gavel its approval by himself, while the lawmakers look askance?

Lest they are ignorant of how budget runs in an era of good governance and the rule of law, Governor Fayemi's administration does not thrive in impunity. The governor doesn't even have any personal provision in the 2019 budget where they saw the imaginary billions meant for his travel. The government of Fayemi in Ekiti runs a central budget system. The same way the government makes general provision for vehicles, computers and other government paraphernalia, is the same way it makes provision for travels. And whatever provision is made for travels is for the entire government of the state, and not for the governor alone. In other words, the rumoured vote for Fayemi's travel in the 2019 budget is a figment of idle minds, devil's workshop.

I repeat, unequivocally, that contrary to what was operational in the time of Fayose, when crass opportunism and impunity had made it possible for the governor to convert the public fund to his personal use, Fayemi has no budget set aside for his personal travels. He can only draw from the central budget, if at all.

I hope this explanation clears the air, and I wish the harbingers of negative news good luck in their relentless search for the rope with which to hang themselves.

Fayemi is working, Ekiti is working. PDP is burning with resentment, praying these were not so. But for real, there is no impunity of any sort in Ekiti, and never again shall there be any.

Segun Dipe is the Senior Special Assitant to the Governor on Public Communications.

Odegbami releases rare evergreen footage on Nigerian sports

By Olu Akosile

Football maestro, Segun Odegbami has released rare pictures of Nigerian footbal events dating back to three decades. The Epic also included special interview with Chief MKO Abiola granted around 1991.

In a piece obtained by Irohinoodua, Odegbami said he had to release the intellectual property once kept in his archive for posterity sake.

Odegbami wrote "Yesterday, I sat in my studio previewing some recovered film footages from my diminished archives. Diminished because I found, unfortunately, that a lot of my film materials, still untransferred digitally, have become corrupted and may not be recoverable again.

That means lost history.

I needed to have kept the invaluable materials in a permanently cool environment in the past 28 years that I have been recording, acquiring and keeping them.

In Nigeria, that has been an almost impossible task with the no-power situation in the country and the astronomical cost of providing independent power.

Anyway, I have managed to rescue some and one of them that I saw is an exclusive interview I had with Chief MKO Abiola in either 1991 or 1992 shot by Tunde Kelani, in MKO's residence in Ikeja.

It was almost immediately after he was honoured with the Pillar of Sports in Africa award in Dakar, Senegal. He was 54 at the time, had dreshly disbanded his Abiola Babes Football Club, and was still undecided whether to contest for political office or not.

I was mesmerized by the prophetic words expressed in that conversation, particularly at the very end, after the official interview had ended, and TK had kept his camera rolling.

In one unguarded minute, MKO candidly summed up his thoughts about politics, the future and the country.

It was vintage MKO, garnishing his responses on sports, business and politics with idioms and original proverbs.

I have decided to upload the entire interview, all 24 minutes of it, but broken into 4 parts of between 4 and 6 minutes each, onto my new website.

By the way, the site is interestingly growing bigger by the day as I browse through tons of materials that I think would inform, entertain and enlighten readers of my humble writings. I shall be doing a lot of uploading from today.

I am supposed to start my daily diary on AFCON 2019 today. Unfortunately, I am still stuck in Nigeria. My international passport, sent 2 days before the drop-box system was suspended by the US embassy on May 10, is still with the embassy. I wanted to renew my US visa on May 8th, something that used to take about one week. Now, it's almost 6 weeks and there has been no word from the embassy.
Without it I have been unable to process my trip to Egypt. So, fingers crossed I may still join the Nations Cup train and publish a daily diary on the championship.

I am contemplating using technology to still attempt to do the AFCON daily diary. We shall see.

At the same time, I am aware many people are still waiting for the conclusion of my political diary series, the closing chapter of my political oddysey.

Yesterday also, inspired by MKO Biola's words, I have started writing the final chapter.

All these things will be uploaded onto my new web site.

If you have not been to the site, or even if you have, create the time to go and check it out. A lot of videos are now being uploaded.

These are unbelievable pictures of almost 30 years of Nigerian sports, people, events and places.

I am done now.

Armed herdsmen will be worse than Boko Haram, says Fulani leaders

By Kunle Alaba

The upsurge in attacks by Fulani herdsmen may be worse than Boko Haram in the few years ahead, Fulani leaders have warned.

The Fulani leaders came together under the voice of Gan Allah Fulani Development Association of Nigeria (GAFDAN).

Irohinoodua monitored the reports by the group's National Chairman, Alhaji Sale Bayari while speaking to journalists in Jos, Plateau State also asked President Mohammadu Buhari to listen to wise counsel from leaders including that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Bayari said if the security situation in the country continues unchecked it may lead to a national crisis that may threaten peaceful coexistence in the country.

He said the Fulani leaders are worried about sectional agitations urging the President to rise up to the occasion.

The GAFDAN Chairman said the crisis in Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Sokoto, Taraba, Benue and Nassarawa as well as the agitations in the Niger-Delta by militants, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South East Afenifere in the South West threaten the unity of the country.

He said “In moving the nation forward, the government must listen to some elder statesmen, irrespective of what their political views or affiliation is. Obasanjo is one of them. I have found out that if any government in Africa is to tap one-third of what is in the brain of Obasanjo and use it, Africa will be better.

“Similarly, West Africa and Nigeria will be better for it. The leaders know our problem. And then whenever they talks and explode like Obadanjo sometimes, I have found out that it is because they have made efforts to be listened to without success. They will then feel that posterity will judge him harshly if he does not come out to tell Nigerians and the world the truth of things."

He said further “Undoubtedly, Obasanjo is an embodiment of knowledge, experience and he knows very well the problem of our country, Nigeria. There is nobody, dead or alive, today that thinks the way Obasanjo does or knows what Obasanjo knows. He knows Nigeria, Africa and the entire world like the back of his hand. That is why I am advising this government to tap the brains of people like Obasanjo. He is a person that can lead the government into looking critically at the problem bedeviling the nation and finding a way forward.”

GAFDAN said Buhari should also listen to other statesmen like Yakubu Gowon, Ango Abdullahi, Sultan of Sokoto, Oni of Ife and Obi of Onitsha. “These people have this nation at heart and would not want it to disintegrate. If they put their machinery in place, I bet you that peace and progress will be achieved. But unfortunately, nobody is mobilising them or seeking their input in solving the national crises. These people know what to do or the right people to call, among other things in solving the problems.”

GAFDAN was quoted by The Guardian Newspapers as expressing fear that if the crises across the country were allowed to degenerate, the government would not be able to tackle them.“If the nation has been unable to tackle Boko Haram since 2009, then it is a greater danger if crises burst out in other states or regions in the nation.

The said “Recently, the Secretary of the Government, Boss Mustapha said if the armed banditry was not carefully handled, it would be worse than the Boko Haram insurgency. I totally agree with him because if you look at the way the thing is building up now, you will know what I am talking about.

“Very soon, some religious and insurgent groups may capitalise on it to recruit people for other nefarious acts. We should not allow this to happen, and we should do everything possible to halt it,” Bayari cautioned.

The Guardian reported that, 30 persons have been confirmed killed and 42 others seriously injured when three bombers detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Mandarari community of Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State. The Director of Search, Rescue and Operations of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Usman Kachala, who confirmed the killings to newsmen when he visited the scene of the attack yesterday, said the incident occurred around 8:00p.m. on Sunday.

According to Kachala, the three suicide bombers, comprising two females and a male, detonated the IEDs in a local tea joint and a film cenre in the community, killing 17 persons instantly. The death toll increased to 30 on Monday as a result of lack of immediate medical attention.

The SEMA director said that his staff could not reach the spot of the incident as the military had closed the road to traffic and the hospital in Konduga did not have enough facilities to handle the situation.“When my team and I arrived at Konduga early this morning, the military prevented us from gaining access to the community to assist the victims. They told us they were given order from above not to open the road until 9:00 a.m.,” he lamented.

According to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report, newsmen who later visited the scene of the attacks along with SEMA team said dozens of the wounded victims were seen being conveyed in pick-up vans by their relations to hospitals in Maiduguri, the state capital, a distance of about 80 km from their town.

President Buhari has commiserated with families of the victims of the bomb blasts. In a condolence message sent to the government and people of the state, Buhari yesterday decried the heinous acts, stressing that perpetrators of evil have judgment awaiting them, not only from man, via the long arms of the law, but also from God Almighty.

Besides, in Taraba State, residents of Jauro Sabai, Kasuwan Bera, Jerbanbur and Kona communities, among other villages, in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area that adjoins Jalingo, the state capital, on Sunday night were terrified by indiscriminate shooting by gunmen suspected to be herders.

The Guardian reported that the situation has forced the people, especially women, children and the elderly ones in the affected areas to flee their homes for safety. Some of the residents said they suddenly started hearing the gunshots all over their communities on Sunday night.

Though security operatives claimed there was no casualty, an eyewitness told The Guardian that some people, especially those who were unable to run away, were “burnt inside their houses.” Even though it was observed that normalcy has been restored as angry looking soldiers were seen patrolling the areas, there was palpable tension in the Jalingo metropolis.

But for the timely intervention of the security operatives, especially the soldiers, the attackers would have overrun the communities as well as Jalingo, the eyewitness said.

Confirming the report, the state police command, through its Public Relations Officer (PPRO), David Misal, who could not ascertain if the suspects were herdsmen, said: “Heavily armed bandits on motorcycles invaded Tudiri village via Jauro Yinu ward of Ardo -Kola which is predominantly Fulani and Mumuye settlement and set some houses ablaze. On getting the information, we immediately mobilised patrol teams to the area, but before their arrival, the hoodlums have fled into the bush.”

The command said the situation was being closely monitored by the security agencies in a bid to forestall any further breakdown of law and order. At the time of filing this report, some residents were seen moving out of the affected communities en masse.

One of them who spoke to The Guardian, said: “We heard that the herdsmen are regrouping to launch another attack on us tonight. So we are relocating our women and children to Jalingo town for safety.

“Though the police have assured us of adequate protection of our lives and our property, with what we experienced last night, we are fast losing confidence in them. So it is better for us to be proactive because heaven saves those who save themselves.”