₦airaland Forum

chloride6:
Hush stop saying what you don't know.

SmilingMary:
No No, she will become invisible instanta

NNEWI—THE Nigerian Army yesterday said it will soon commence its annual training programme, the ‘Operation Python Dance III’, also known as Exercise Egwu Eke III, in South East States formations and units under 82 Division, Nigerian Army.

This was disclosed yesterday by the General Officer Commanding, GOC, 82 Division Nigeria Army, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Boman Kabuk, at the 302 Artillery Regiment, (General Support) Onitsha, Anambra State, when he paid a familiarisation visit to the military cantonment, having resumed duties in Enugu on August 6, 2018.

He said: “Exercise Egwu Eke III, is a training exercise for troops of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army and during the training, if there are criminal activities like armed robbery, kidnapping and other criminal activities that distort peace and tranquility of the citizenry along the line, the Army will not close its eyes and watch those criminals activities to thrive.”

The Nigerian Army therefore urged all law abiding citizens of the country, particularly the people of South East to go about their legitimate, lawful and genuine businesses, saying that “those afraid of the exercise are criminal elements that do not want their activities checked and are just being afraid of the consequences of their heinous criminal actions.”

Maj. Gen Kabuk , who was accompanied by some senior Army officers from 82 Division, was led round the Onitsha military cantonment for inspection of equipment and facilities by the Commander, 302 Artillery Regiment, General Support, Col. Idongesit Akpan.

Warns pro-Biafra agitators

He warned that the Nigerian Army will not tolerate any distraction or trouble from any group including the pro-Biafra activists and killer herdsmen in the South East, before, during and after the exercise, saying that they will ensure that law abiding citizens in the zone and Nigeria in general live in peace.

“The Army trainS on daily basis and at times, as a group annually, so Exercise Egwu Eke, from the beginning was Python Dance I. We changed it to Egwu Eke to align with the environment which is the South East, still referring to it as Python Dance II and so, we are now saying that Exercise Egwueke III is going to hold. It is still going to be a training exercise.

“Whenever Exercise Egwueke is mentioned, people always think the Army has come to do some dangerous things in the South East. It is a wrong impression, it is a training exercise, but I must tell you that the people that get afraid are criminal elements who are looking for cover in their crimes.

“We want to let Nigerians know that if we are training, we are training to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria. So, the pro Biafra activists and killer herdsmen are also Nigerians who are misguided. We should not allow misguided elements to disturb our peace. What we want is for law abiding citizens to live in peace. If you are not law abiding, the law will take its course.That is all we are saying.”

Gagare1:
Dude you funny walai!

Stevoohlicent:
I just imagined this guy slapping Dija...

trapQ:
Yesso , only criminal or igbo smoker
So if not for PDP campaign now we for no see the guy again.

Greyworld:
Alex wariboko

trapQ:
The guy craze no get part 2.

trapQ:
Authentic samo

charlesazeh:
Alakwa!! Lol

ybalogs:
*Idi Amin* once wanted to change the name of *Uganda* to *Idi* because he thought he could do anything with Uganda.

Everybody was afraid to challenge that decision _except_ one man close to him. His name was Prince.

He said: your excellency sir, do you know *Cyprus*?

Idi Amin asked what has Cyprus got to do with my decision?

The man said the people of *Cyprus* are called *Cypriots*, so if you change *Uganda* to *Idi*, we will be called *Idiots*

He dropped the idea.

Sannisege:
And useless catholic priests and CAN will be condemning Buhari, see how they cannot even manage their small University. Bloody hypocrites.

Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, wednesday stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is a man of integrity and impeccable character, but too old to steer the affairs of Nigeria.

Addressing the various associations, students and youths, who paid him solidarity visit in Sokoto, the state capital, the governor admitted that pressure is being mounted on him to declare for presidency.

He, however, debunked reports that he is one of the enemies of President Buhari.

“We love President Buhari and that was why we supported him in 2015 unconditionally, and while doing that, we are too sure that he will seek re-election after his first term, but when things are wrong we have to tell him.

“We still believe in his integrity, patriotism and courage but these are not enough for a leader.

“We all know that there is a vacuum in the government occasioned by his disposition probably because of his old age or health condition. That is why Nigerians are yearning for younger ones to lead this country,” he said.

The governor alleged that some cabals have hijacked the government and are now discharging the functions and responsibilities of the president.

According to him, the country needs somebody who will respect the rule of law and would not be selective in fighting corruption.

The governor admitted that pressure is being mounted on him to declare for presidency in 2019.

“I have been receiving support and encouragement from our leaders and people across the country, and even from abroad to contest for president, and this pressure is there.

“It is not my making but there’s quantum of pressure from everywhere because of leadership gap in the country. In the next few days, I will make my position public on the matter,” he added.

madridguy:
You get mouth.

madridguy:
Are you Liverpool fan?

Ever8054:
that first picture,is he wearing a small cap abi na the shape of him head be that?....

madridguy:
Ronaldo is gone so forget. Life goes on

madridguy:
Face your front.

Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has urged Nigerians not to despair in the face of impunity, persecution and maladministration noting that “anything evil cannot last for long.”

He said that it is better to be persecuted for doing the right thing than being associated with despicable conducts and antecedents.

Jonathan stated this at the 2018 new yam festival of the Obi of Obinugwu and Chairman, Igbo Traditional Rulers Forum, Eze (Dr) Cletus Ilomuanya in Orlu Council Area of Imo State, Tuesday.

The former president urged Nigerians to appreciate and always endorse goodness and character above parochial momentary interests.

“We must appreciate goodness even when threatened with persecution because evil doesn’t last for long. A leader must be prepared to face a lot of challenges at some point in life, which is what leadership often entails.”

He described the new yam festival of Obinugwu community as “a spectacular cultural showpiece with the potentials of a national event.”

Also speaking, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Emeka Ihedioha described Jonathan as “a friend in need and a friend indeed.”

According to him, the former president remains a reference point in leadership in Africa, stressing that Jonathan has laid a lasting foundation for all other succeeding presidents to build upon.

Ihedioha commended the Obinugwu Community for their spirit of oneness and resilence.

“We associate ourselves with what former President Jonathan has said. We made mistakes and have also learnt from our mistakes.

In his remarks, the Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere, dissociated himself from the persecution and injustice Eze Ilomuanya suffered in hands of the present Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha.

Represented by a former Commissioner for works in the State, Ichie Best Mbanaso, the Deputy Governor noted that “Eze Ilomuanya is a good man. I am with him and the Obinugwu community because they did nothing wrong and that is why we are here to identify and celebrate this year’s new yam festival with them.”

While welcoming his guests, Eze (Dr) Cletus Ilomuanya described the new yam celebration as significant to the agricultural calendar of the community. He stated that August 14 every year is always set aside for this traditional festival which he said, they inherited from their forefathers.

The Monarch expressed gratitude to former President Goodluck Jonathan and other dignitaries from across the country who graced this year’s New Year festival of Obinugwu Community, pointing out that “it is an indication that Nigerians are one irrespective of linguistic, tribal and religious diversities.”

Sijo01:
Are each of the men going to be feeding on a live cow per meal?

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Brigadier-General Sule Kazaure and the NYSC over failure to publish specific documents and information on Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun’s application for NYSC exemption, and also seeking to compel them to explain if Adeosun obtained any Exemption Certificate from the NYSC.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/1369/18 filed on Tuesday at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, SERAP is seeking “An order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus directing and/or compelling General Kazaure and the NYSC to urgently provide specific documents and information on Mrs Kemi Adeosun’s application to the NYSC for Exemption and to publish widely including on a dedicated and on the NYSC website, any such information.”

The suit followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information request dated 2 August 2018 to General Kazaure, giving him 7 days to provide “Information on specific details and documents on the Exemption Certificate applied for and obtained by Mrs Adeosun; clarify whether the NYSC actually granted her the Exemption Certificate and if it did, the circumstances and the provisions of the NYSC Act under which the Exemption Certificate was granted.”

The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its counsel, Ms. Bamisope Adeyanju read in part: “Suspicions of obtaining unauthorised certificate involving a senior member of the government if not urgently and satisfactorily addressed would weaken public trust in the government’s oft-expressed commitment to transparency and accountability.

“By the combined provisions of section 104(1) of the Evidence Act, 2011 and sections 14(2)(b) 14(3) and 19(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, the NYSC, being the public institution in charge of issuing exemption certificates from the compulsory NYSC Programme, and having publicly declared that Mrs. Adeosun applied for exemption, has a duty to provide SERAP with details and documents containing the application for exemption and the exemption certificate itself, if it was granted.

“SERAP requested the NYSC to provide the information within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of the letter. But since the receipt of the letter by the NYSC and up till the filing of this suit, the NYSC has failed, refused and/or neglected to respond to or grant SERAP’s request.

“This matter is of utmost national importance and public interest because it borders on allegations of circumvention of the law, brought against a high public officer of Nigeria, who has sworn on oath to uphold the laws of the nation; including the NYSC Act. The grant of this application will help reveal the truth about the authenticity of the Exemption Certificate granted to Mrs Adeosun.

“By the combined provisions of Sections 1; 2; 3(4); 4; 7(1)&(5); 9; 14(2)(b)&3; 19(2); and 20 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, the right of access to information is guaranteed and there is a statutory obligation on the NYSC being a public institution, to proactively keep, organize and maintain all information or records about their operations, personnel, activities and other relevant or related information or records in a manner that facilitates public access to such information or record.

“The NYSC has no reason whatsoever not to comply with the demands by SERAP. There is compelling public interest in the disclosure of the information sought by SERAP, which concerns whether a high-ranking Minister had circumvented or disobeyed the law. The public interest, in this case, outweighs any private interest that the NYSC may be protecting. By the provision of Section 20 of the Freedom of Information Act, SERAP is entitled to apply to this Court for a review of the action of the NYSC.

“Unless the reliefs sought by SERAP are granted, the NYSC will not provide SERAP with the documents and information requested and will continue to be in breach of the Freedom of Information Act.

“SERAP is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on the Exemption allegedly applied for by Mrs Adeosun.”

No date has been fixed for hearing.

Last week, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman, Itse Sagay (SAN), described the controversy about Adeosun’s certificate as unnecessary.

Sagay also stated that President Muhammadu Buhari cannot afford to sack Adeosun because the minister is “brilliant”.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

Immediate past Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-weala, has shared an insider account of what transpired in Aso Rock as the 2015 election results were being collated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP lost the popular vote to then opposition backed Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

A lot has been shared about the moment Jonathan placed a concession phone call to Buhari. However, one more account from a major player in the nation’s affairs at the time, won’t hurt.

“The state-by-state announcement of election results by Professor Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of INEC, began at noon on Monday, March 30. I joined a few colleagues from the Economic Management Team at the office of one of the presidential advisers where a team was monitoring the results”, Okonjo-Iweala wrote in her book ‘Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous, the story behind the headlines’.

Okonjo-Iweala captures the moment when it dawned on the room that Jonathan was going to lose the election:

“The atmosphere was electric. Throughout the day, vote counts came in from different states, mostly from the South-South and South East. The president was leading, but his margin was getting slimmer. And the results from the northern states—the opposition stronghold—had not yet come in. By 8pm, these results began to arrive, and the tide turned against the president. By 10pm, it became clear that the Jonathan administration was now on a losing streak”.

Announcing the votes

When the counting and announcement of results resumed at noon on March 31, Okonjo-Iweala wrote that, “we all assembled again in the adviser’s office—which we now called our situation room. A couple of hours later, the Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, called me to say that a concession speech was being drafted by Mr. Reuben Abati, the president’s speech writer, and they wanted my contribution. What did I think he should emphasize in the speech?

“I drafted a few thoughts on the economic achievements of the administration, the president’s legacy and the difficult economic challenges facing the nation that needed immediate attention. By 4pm, I felt I had enough material and decided to go to the Villa to talk to those working on the speech. I wondered where the president was and what he was doing”.

Okonjo-Iweala writes that when she got to the Villa, she found a group of politicians urging Jonathan not to accept defeat and another group cajoling him to throw in the towel because it was all over.

“At the Villa, I was met outside the residence by Osita Chidoka, who collected my input for the speech and told me the president was in the residence. When I entered the Villa, the president was in one of the living rooms with the Vice President, some advisers, and a group of politicians who were arguing passionately about the conduct of the elections and irregularities of which they said they had evidence, such as videos of underage voting in certain parts of the country.

“They were urging the president not to concede the election. More politicians came in and joined them. On the opposite side of the room were the Minister of Aviation Osita Chidoka; the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke; and the Minister of Agriculture, Akinwunmi Adesina. They were relaying a dissenting view, arguing that the president should concede”.

A whisper that worked

Okonjo-Iweala says she was one of those in the room who advised Jonathan to throw in the towel.

“I was immediately drawn into the argument as everyone turned to hear my views. I said I thought the president should concede and do so before the announcement of the vote count was completed. The Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Affairs, Dr. Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, a politician, whom I expected to side with the politicians, also said he sided with those who thought the president should concede.

“A heated argument ensued. Throughout the discussion, the president said not a word. He kept his own counsel and just kept welcoming guests and party loyalists who were joining us at the Villa.

“According to the announcements we were all following on the big screens, only a few more states were yet to report their election results”.

Okonjo-Iweala recalls the moment when she whispered to Jonathan to concede.

“I sat next to the president and whispered to him that if he was going to concede, he probably should do so before the announcement of election results ended.

“Suddenly, he got up and left the room. We all thought he had gone off for a few moments of quiet. He returned about twenty minutes later and sat down without saying a word. I decided to take a chance and press him again on a timely concession. As I whispered again for a second time, the president responded to me out loud, “CME(Coordinating Minister of the Economy), it is done. I have called President-elect Buhari and conceded!”

“We were stunned! He had said not one word to us, but it was clear that this was a man who had made up his mind and done what he thought was right. The president repeated something he had often said to his ministers and advisers: “I have always said that power for Jonathan is not worth shedding a drop of blood of a single Nigerian”.

Buhari won the 2015 presidential election with 15,424,921 votes. Jonathan came a close second with 12,853,162. It would be the first time an incumbent president would lose an election in Nigeria.

About Okonjo-Iweala

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala served as Minister in the administrations of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.

Okonjo-Iweala was Minister of Finance under Obasanjo from July 15, 2003 to June 21, 2006.

Okonjo-Iweala also had a brief spell as Foreign Affairs Minister under Obasanjo from June 21, 2006 to August 30, 2006.

She is credited with achieving debt forgiveness for Nigeria under Obasanjo.

Okonjo-Iweala returned as Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy under Jonathan; a position she held from August 17, 2011 to May 29, 2015.