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Kwara apex students body honours Kwara Must Change convener

The National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) national headquarters has honoured the convener of Kwara Must Change, Mr Abdulrazaq Hamzat with an award of excellence over his outstanding contribution to nation building, as well as his consistent advocacy for freedom and good governance in Kwara State, particularly as it relates with youths and students.

The event, which took place on Saturday, 27th April, 2019 at Kwara Hotel have many great personalities within the youth community in attendance.

While presenting the award to Mr Hamzat, the Former Chairman of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Joint Campus Committee, Comrade Abdulrazaq Jeje who anchors the program noted that the organisation decided to surprise the recipient as he doesn't have prior knowledge of the award.

In his remarks, Mr Hamzat thanked the organisation for the honour, promising never to betray the confidence of the young people.

He also admonished members of the organisation to aim higher, adding that all members of the organisation have the capacity to attain success both in public and private sector.

Other award recipient at the program include a former federal house of representative aspirant in All Progressive Congress (APC), Comrade Ibrahim Akaje, Special Assistant to the outgoing Kwara State Governor, Comrade Olalekan Lawal etc.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1174102476084800&id=932061520288898

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INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION CONDEMNED IGWala'S CONVICTION AND JUDICIAL HARASSMENT
 
Full statement


On 15 April 2019, human rights defender Ibrahim Garba Wala was convicted by the High Court of Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, Nigeria on the charges of “management of or membership in an unlawful society”, “public incitement”, and “criminal defamation”, and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

His lawyers plan to launch an appeal of the sentence highlighting irregularities in the proceedings.

Ibrahim Garba Wala (popularly known as IG Wala) is the National Coordinator for Citizens Action to Take Back Nigeria – CATBAN which is a human rights, anti-corruption and pro-democracy platform. 

CATBAN has led various campaigns and peaceful movements to promote human rights and the rule of law while documenting human rights violations resulting from practices of impunity and corruption by state actors. Ibrahim Garba Wala has submitted a number of petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), detailing corruption in several organisations, specifically highlighting extortion by members of the National Hajj Commission, which is a public body tasked withlicensing, regulating, performing over-sight, and undertaking supervisory functions over agencies and other bodies.

According to the human rights defender’s lawyers, during the course of the court hearing, the prosecution produced no evidence to demonstrate that CATBAN was an illegal or unlawful organisation.

Furthermore, they maintain that there was no evidence produced to support the charges of defamation and public incitement brought against Ibrahim Garba Wala.

The charges of defamation and public incitement were based on statements that the human rights defender made on his personal Facebook page.

According to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, a judge is required to refrain fromimposing a maximum penalty on a first offender; however, in this case, the human rights defender, who is a first offender, was sentenced to the maximum penalty for each of the three charges for which he was convicted.

Front Line Defenders condemns the sentencing of Ibrahim Garba Wala and expresses concern over irregularities reported during the course of his hearing.

Front Line Defenders believes that he has been targeted for his legitimate work in defending human rights and exposing corrupt practices in Nigeria, and urges the government of Nigeria to quash his conviction.

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/judicial-harassment-ibrahim-garba-wala

Islam, IG Wala’s sentence and the indictment of Hajj Commission
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

“Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand [by taking action]; if he cannot, then with his tongue [by speaking out]; and if he cannot, then with his heart [by hating it and feeling that it is wrong] – and that is the weakest of faith”

The above hadith by the noble prophet of Allah is a direct instruction to every one of us to always strive to correct the ills in our society in the manner convenient for us and to my understanding; this is what propelled the Human Rights Crusader, Ibrahim Garba Wala to embark on a mission to hold the National Hajj Commission accountable to the numerous corruption allegation leveled against the institution over the years.

On the 16th of April 2019, an Abuja court sentenced Human Rights Activist Ibrahim Garba Wala popularly known as IG Wala to 7years imprisonment and since that fateful day, many opinion articles have flooded the media, both conventional and social.

Some of the op-eds are well thought out, others full of fabrications and some are outrightly sponsored. What is important here is that IG Wala has succeeded in achieving the first phase of his advocacy, which is to focus the searchlight on the National Hajj Commission, a government agency for Muslim pilgrims, alleged to be extorting the Muslim Community.

Before we all get carried away by the paparazzi of joining a popular narrative, let us pause and ask again, what was Wala’s crime? Like many before him, he was said to have uncovered monumental acts of corruption, running into billions of naira in National Hajj Commission (NAHCOM) against the Muslim Ummah of Nigeria and he took action to stop it.
Contrary to reports by several media agencies, IG Wala didn’t only go on the social media to accuse the Chairman of NAHCOM, that’s a false narrative. He actually petitioned the relevant agencies, which include but not limited to the Nigerian Senate, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and others and all pieces of evidence at his disposal was presented to these statuary agencies for further investigation. If i am not mistaken, it was a portion, from the petition submitted to these agencies that IG Wala posted on the social media.

For many years now, Nigeria has remained one of the most expensive places on earth to travel to hajj, even though the country is not among the most distant places to Saudi Arabia. Countries that are more distant than Nigeria to Saudi Arabia are said to be paying less and it continued to remain a misery, why Nigeria’s hajj fare is so exorbitant.

After the Nigerian Senate received IG Wala’s petition with all the supporting evidence, they set out to investigate the claims.

The Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Accommodation, Logistics and Feeding sent some delegations to Saudi Arabia to verify some of the claims in Wala’s petition and when they returned; they also held series of public hearings in which IG Wala and the Chairman of Hajj Commission were given an opportunity to present their case. Those who witnessed the public hearing gave accounts of what transpired.

Consequently, having properly investigated the matter with both parties presenting what they have, the Senate established the facts and made its report public on 19th October 2018 and in Vanguard Newspaper, the headline screamed ‘’ Senate panel indicts NAHCON in hajj extortion, fee hike probe’’

In the report also carried by several national dailies, it was said that:

The Senate had on July 20, 2017, resolved to conduct the probe following the adoption of a motion moved by Senator Ibrahim Dambaba, titled, ‘Extortion of Monies from Nigerian Pilgrims by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria.
The report partly read, “The committee has observed that the commission’s procurement processes on the annual hajj operations were marred by many contraventions and infractions as it flagrantly breached the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, the Public Procurement Act 2007, and the Federal Government’s Financial Rule and Regulations in the conduct of its role as mere regulator of hajj operations.

“Similarly, it was also observed that under the normal circumstances, Saudi Arabian authorities recognize two institutions as far as hajj is concerned: the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the (Nigerian) Civil Aviation Authority. The Foreign Affairs Ministry’s recognition was based on the international laws under the Vienna Convention on Consular Matters. The role of hajj commission is limited to national issues.

“However, NAHCON has usurped the responsibilities of these agencies and deals directly with Saudi Arabian authorities without recourse to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In fact, the committee has realized that the Nigerian Consular General in Saudi Arabia has been turned into an employee of NAHCON. This explains why there is a conflict of interest in almost all the offshore transactions engaged by NAHCON.” The committee also accused NAHCON of “over bloated charges,” onshore and offshore, saying, “The charges escalate the cost of pilgrimage,” it said.

NAHCON was further accused of short-changing and extorting Nigerian pilgrims, intending air carriers, and service providers “through spurious charges without regards to the Second Schedule of the Utilities and Charge Commission.
The committee added that “ the so-called revenues realized by the commission were not paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, contrary to Section 80(1) of the 1999 Constitution. “Just as in the same manner, the commission generates its revenues with total disregard to extant Acts, so it expends them without following the provisions of the Constitution. “Similarly, NAHCON often goes on spending spree from the said generated revenue, quite beyond the approval threshold of the Accounting Officer, which is a breach of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s circular with reference number SGF/OP/S.3/XI/894, dated 14th January, 2016.”

The above indictment against NAHCOM wasn’t done by IG Wala, but by the Nigerian Senate through evidence provided by IG Wala and subsequent investigation of the matter.

So, what I am driving at here is that, even if we remove IG Wala from the equation, the corruption allegation against NAHCOM is still very valid and it is only a matter of time before the NAHCOM chairman is prosecuted unless those in charge choose not to.

However, rather than for our Muslim Ummah, whom IG Wala is trying to protect from extortion to see this as something worthy of attention and ask relevant questions, our leaders are looking the other way, as if IG Wala who made the Senate report possible has committed a crime by trying to protect the Muslim Ummah against possible extortion and make hajj more affordable.

One must then ask, where are the so-called Muslim organizations always claiming to be fighting for the interest of Muslims? Have they not seen the Senate indictment on NAHCOM about possible extortion of the Muslim Ummah? What has been their contribution in ensuring everything is corrected?

In all honesty, the judgment against IG Wala wasn’t strange to him. Long before now, Wala had revealed several times that he has been promised jail by hook or by crook and he vows never to back down, even if it means going to that jail. The first time he was sent to jail, he saw it as a learning opportunity and this will not be any different. However, he is certain that the truth, which he stands for will prevail, now or later.

Many had accused IG Wala of turning down out of court settlement, but what is there to settle really?

Will settlement between IG Wala and NAHCOM suddenly bring justice to NAHCOM over the senate indictment or will the settlement make NAHCOM chairman saint?

If you ask me, IG Wala’s case can be equated to that of Yusuf in the Holy Quran. In Suratul Yusuf, Prophet Yusuf prefers prison against the temptation of compromise.

In verse 33 of that chapter, Yusuf said, ‘My Lord! The prison is DEARER to me than that to which they invite me” and like Yusuf, IG Wala refused to negotiate if that negotiation would mean rejecting the truth.

Sometimes last year, a colleague narrated how he came in contact with an individual working in one of the anti-graft agencies and the hajj commission matter came up.

The gentleman narrated what he heard, which according to him was frightening, though cannot be verified.

According to the person he met, IG Wala made the biggest mistake of his life by trying to expose corruption in Hajj Commission. The person, who is not even a Muslim, pointed out that, even in his office, there are several petitions against hajj commission, but he dare not act on them. He said, rather than act, he will rather resign and walk away in peace than incur the wrath of the hajj commission cabals.

Curious to know why it is so, he said as an activist, you can fight corruption in NNPC and succeed, you can even fight corruption in CBN and succeed, but there are places you dare not go to fight corruption and one of such places is hajj commission. According to this information, if you dare do that, you will be dealt with and nobody can save you, not even the president. This revelation shocked many greatly, but the fellow isn’t done. He went on to explain that, when the cabals in hajj commission are ready to deal with anyone, they will get their own police that will arrest you, get their own judge that will sentence you and still get their own prison official that will ensure you are feeling the heat of the prison.

This person asked those close to IG Wala to advise him to settle out of court no matter what.

IG Wala became aware of this information and he laughed it off. He made it clear that he knows the capability of those against him, he knows what they can do, but rather than negotiate with an evil prophet Muhammed asked us to reject, he decided to face the consequences of the truth, knowing fully well that no matter how fast falsehood runs, truth will eventually catch up with it.

Yes, IG Wala maybe arrogant, but his arrogance is usually against corruption and bad governance. He may be proud, but only against injustice and he may be accused of taking activism too personal, but that is because he personally feels the effect of lack of good governance.

Although, for IG Wala, activism is an act of worship to Allah. It is in furtherance to the observation of the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammed (S.AW) and he is very convinced that even if he dies in the course of activism for a better society, Allah if not the society, will give him his reward.

Let me therefore conclude by saying that, IG Wala has been sentenced to prison for daring to fight corruption, not for stealing, not for committing any crime, but for observing the Sunnah of prophet Muhammed which says, “Whoever among you sees an evil action, let him change it with his hand [by taking action]; if he cannot, then with his tongue [by speaking out]; and if he cannot, then with his heart [by hating it and feeling that it is wrong] – and that is the weakest of faith”.

But according to Sheikh Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilori (May Allah continue to be pleased with him), when you are down, (like IG Wala is currently is), nothing worse can ever happen to you than rising up. I believe strongly that like Yusuf in the Quran, IG Wala shall rise again.

#IStandWithIGWala
Abdulrazaq O Hamzat
http://saharareporters.com/2019/04/21/islam-ig-wala’s-sentence-and-indictment-hajj-commission-abdulrazaq-o-hamzat

Hum

Esie Museum and my disappointment with Lai Muhammed
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

A few days ago, I took a trip to Oro town in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, the home town of Alhaji Lai Muhammed, the Honorable Minister of Information and Culture.

The trip was a courtesy visit to meet with political associates of our group, Kwara Must Change, some of whom had traveled down to Kwara from Lagos.

Within my short stay in Oro, what I heard, from people, whom I had assumed to be Alh. Lai’s supporter is, to say the least, disappointing.

With bitterness written all over their faces, they narrated different tales of Alh. Lai’s misdeeds and misdoing, which cannot be regarded as a rant by foes. However, what they said or did not say is not the reason why I feel disappointed in the minister, but what I saw in Esie museum, the first museum in Nigeria with the largest soapstones in the world. To put it mildly, I encountered what broke my heart in the minister’s home town.

In 2015, when Alhaji Lai Muhammed was nominated as minister of the federal republic, his major opposition came from Kwara South. At the time, many accused him of not being a Kwara based politician, a claim I found to be very unreasonable.

However, as ridiculous as that argument seem, the agitation against Alhaji Lai was so much that I had to become more like his unofficial spokesman.

Even though I do not know him personally, nor try to even get to know him, I saw myself always defending him and in the process, stepping on many toes. Maybe, just maybe this is why the outgoing state government always insisted that Kwara Must Change is being sponsored by Alh Lai, a claim far away from the truth.

After Alhaji Lai became minister of Information and Culture, the attacks against him didn’t subside. A lot of people from Kwara, particularly Kwara South continue to describe him with demeaning adjectives.

In 2016 specifically, we had what can be described as heated exchange with a lot of people on the social media about Alhaji Lai Muhammed which pitched me against the outgoing Kwara South Senator, Distinguish Senator Rafiu Ibrahim.

I recall vividly that within the heated exchange and in an attempt to defend Alhaji Lai Muhammed, I made a particular reference to the daughter of Senator Rafiu, a reference he found very offensive. To express his annoyance with my reference to his daughter, the senator had to send me a private message, urging me to desist from bringing his daughter into a political discussion on the internet. We disagreed fiercely and later agreed mildly with no love lost.

So, it saddens and humbled me, to realize that Alh Lai may actually be guilty of some of the allegations made against him by many of our comrades in Kwara South.

While in Oro and still finding it hard to believe many of the things said about Alhaji Lai, we decided to take a walk to Esie, where we have the Esie Museum, the first museum in Nigeria and the one with highest Soapstones in the world.

Esie is the center of culture, not only in Kwara State and Nigeria but also in the whole of Africa. Esie became famous for the existence of the Esie Human Stone Images whose existence has attracted the attention of tourists and scholars around the globe.

As a result of the unique discovery of the Ere Esie, the first national museum in Nigeria, in which the colonial government placed great premium, was erected in 1945.

For years now, different groups have been advocating for improvement and investment in our tourist industry and with the appointment of Lai Muhammed as minister of information and culture, one would expect that the man who came from a cultural area like this would find it appropriate to give this historical center the deserved attention.

This museum is one that requires just a little bit of attention by government and investment and it would become self-sustaining, but unfortunately, nothing absolutely have been done.

What this basically means is that the first national museum in the whole of Nigeria, with the highest soapstones in the world, is located in the home town of the Honorable Minister of Information and Culture and yet, the place got no attention whatsoever.

It was also reliably gathered that since becoming minister, Alhaji Lai had never visited the Museum, not to talk of giving it the required attention. I must then ask, how would Alh. Lai, minister culture, if Nigeria’s cultural centers are deserted like plague?

As I walk away from the historic museum, what continues to bother me was that, if the first museum in Nigeria, located in the home town of the Minister in charge of it could not get the required attention, not even an ordinary visit, what hope do other museums across the country have?

If Alh Lai cannot help his home town shape its historic asset in the interest of the nation and the benefits of his own people, what else can he do? This is really saddening.

I later learned that despite the total neglect of the museum, the management of the historic center is doing its best to keep the place alive and functioning.

For example, it was said that every children’s day, 27th May of every year, the center organizes children’s day celebration, where it promotes Nigeria’s cultural values among children as well as create forum for children from different background to meet, interact and learn. Over 1000 children from various parts of Kwara often participate in the programme and this year’s children day celebration will come up next month.

Let me conclude by saying that, should Alhaji Lai Muhammed finish his tenure as minister of information and culture without seeing to the proper development of Esie national museum and make it an attractive historic center with sustainable public and private funding mechanism, he would really have been a very huge disappointment.

All speakers of KWHA since 1999 are first time members- KMC

Leading Pro-democracy group in Kwara state, Kwara Must Change has rubbished claims by some stakeholders that only a second term member should be given the speakership position of the Kwara State House of Assembly.

In a statement personally signed by President of Kwara Must Change, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group said since Nigeria's return to democracy in 1999, all speakers of the Kwara State House of Assembly are first time members and on no occasion has a second term member become speaker.

"Since 1999 till date, all speakers of the Kwara State House of Assembly are first time members".

Recall that Kwara Must Change had declared it's support for Kwara North senatorial district to be considered for the speakership position of Kwara State House of Assembly.

According to Hamzat, Kwara Must Change support for Kwara North to produce speaker is not only right and proper on the basis of fairness and equity, it is also inline with the history of our democratic practice in the 4th Republic.

"All over the country, the 3 major positions are usually shared among the 3 senatorial districts and this means that, if Kwara Central have the governor, Kwara South has deputy governor, the third position, which is the speaker should automatically go to the third district, which is Ķwara North".

Hamzat also explained that, there's no rule that said only a second term member should be speaker. Such rule do not exist, at least in Kwara State and the history of speakership in the state can testify to this. He said.

According to him, Hon. Benjamin Isah was a first timer when he became Speaker of KWHA, Hon. Ibrahim Bio Isa was a first timer, his successor from Kwara South, Hon. Balogun was a first timer, Hon. Rasaq Atunwa was first timer and the current speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Ali Ahmad is also a first timer.

In the history of Kwara State in this 4th Republic, there has never been a debate over whether or not first term or second term member should be speaker and that argument should not happen now.

According to the Kwara Must Change convener, it is unthinkable for anyone from Kwara South to be thinking of having the speakership position, knowing fully well that Kwara South already has the deputy governor, party chairman and even the current minister.

The group therefore appeal to all stakeholders to support Kwara North to ensure there's balance and equity.

KWARA MUST CHANGE

All speakers of KWHA since 1999 are first time members- KMC

Leading Pro-democracy group in Kwara state, Kwara Must Change has rubbished claims by some stakeholders that only a second term member should be given the speakership position of the Kwara State House of Assembly.

In a statement personally signed by President of Kwara Must Change, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group said since Nigeria's return to democracy in 1999, all speakers of the Kwara State House of Assembly are first time members and on no occasion has a second term member become speaker.

"Since 1999 till date, all speakers of the Kwara State House of Assembly are first time members".

Recall that Kwara Must Change had declared it's support for Kwara North senatorial district to be considered for the speakership position of Kwara State House of Assembly.

According to Hamzat, Kwara Must Change support for Kwara North to produce speaker is not only right and proper on the basis of fairness and equity, it is also inline with the history of our democratic practice in the 4th Republic.

"All over the country, the 3 major positions are usually shared among the 3 senatorial districts and this means that, if Kwara Central have the governor, Kwara South has deputy governor, the third position, which is the speaker should automatically go to the third district, which is Ķwara North".

Hamzat also explained that, there's no rule that said only a second term member should be speaker. Such rule do not exist, at least in Kwara State and the history of speakership in the state can testify to this. He said.

According to him, Hon. Benjamin Isah was a first timer when he became Speaker of KWHA, Hon. Ibrahim Bio Isa was a first timer, his successor from Kwara South, Hon. Balogun was a first timer, Hon. Rasaq Atunwa was first timer and the current speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Ali Ahmad is also a first timer.

In the history of Kwara State in this 4th Republic, there has never been a debate over whether or not first term or second term member should be speaker and that argument should not happen now.

According to the Kwara Must Change convener, it is unthinkable for anyone from Kwara South to be thinking of having the speakership position, knowing fully well that Kwara South already has the deputy governor, party chairman and even the current minister.

The group therefore appeal to all stakeholders to support Kwara North to ensure there's balance and equity.

KWARA MUST CHANGE

Kwara Speakership: Don't be greedy and desperate like Saraki - Group warns Popoola

by Jerrywright Ukwu
- The race for the Speakership of the Kwara state House of Assembly continues to generate tension

- A group, Kwara Must Change, has warned Honourable Saheed Popoola to be cautious in his quest to emerge the Speaker

- The group advised the lawmaker not to be greedy and desperate like the outgoing Senate president, Bukola Saraki

A group, Kwara Must Change, has warned Honourable Saheed Popoola to be cautious in his quest to emerge the Kwara state House of Assembly Speaker.

The group accused one Abiola Faronbi of using its name to endorse the Popoola, under a non existing group he described as Kwara Must Change Forum.

The group said there is no group known as Kwara Must Change Forum, adding that the name was recently created to impersonate Kwara Must Change, “in a desperate attempt to misconstrue our position on the matter of Kwara Speakership.”

In a statement sent to Legit.ng on Tuesday, April 2 by the spokesman of the group, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, Kwara Must Change said: “We totally condemn the impersonation of Kwara Must Change by this desperate character.

“It is a known fact, that there is no group known as Kwara Must Change Forum. That shady name was recently created to impersonate our group, Kwara Must Change in a desperate attempt to misconstrue our position on the matter of Kwara Speakership, which will by the grace of God, go to Kwara north as fairness dictates.

“Our position is very clear and unambiguous on the position of Speaker and we have stated it repeatedly that our support is for Kwara north and Kwara north alone.

“Hon Saheed Popoola is a respected figure whom we hold in high esteem, but his quest to usurp the Speakership position from the rightful people in total neglect for the principal of fairness will hurt him more than anyone else in the future. In his own interest, we advise him to retrace his steps and back down.

“This attitude of the powerful and influential, using their privilege to cheat on the weak and less powerful, to our understanding is a Bukola Saraki style that we must never allow to take the centre stage in a liberated Kwara and should Hon. Saheed Popoola decides to become another Bukola Saraki, he may eventually end up like him.

“We do not want this to happen to Hon Saheed, hence the advice. Those around him may not be courageous enough to tell him the truth, but we owe him nothing but the truth.”

https://www.legit.ng/1231144-kwara-speakership-dont-greedy-desperate-saraki-group-warns-popoola.html

Press Statement

Ademola Adeleke: Flawed Bwari Judgement Won't Stand


We receive with shock and bewilderment the judgement of a Bwari High Court on the propriety of the statement of results of Senator Ademola Adeleke as a contestant for the governorship of Osun state.The judgement delivered today subverted justice by ignoring four critical evidence to rule against validated facts and submissions.

While we are set to appeal the judgement ,we also find it compelling to put the records straight by listing out the fatal flaws in the ruling and why it cannot stand before a superior court.

It would be recalled first of all that the matter in question has been addressed by two High Courts ruling ,affirming that in the face of the constitution,Senator
Ademola Adeleke is qualified to run for the governorship. The two rulings delivered in September 2018 held that Senator Adeleke satisfied requirement of the law to contest for office.It is trite in law that once a court of coordinate jurisdiction has ruled on a matter ,court of similar jurisdiction cannot entertain it.Shockingly,the Bwari judge breached this precept to subvert justice.

Secondly ,we want to note that the judge erred in law by failing to take note of the expiration of 180 days for ruling on pre-election matters.Even when a December 2018 judgement with respect to the issue was presented, the judge ignored it. We note that the judge violated the law by adjudicating over a matter whose filing and hearing period has expired.

Thirdly,the West African Examination Council was also summoned by the court at the instance of the plaintiff to present evidence of facts.The council produced the listing of all students who sat for the May/June examination in 1981 alongside the Senator.The Council produced certified true copies of school results.

The Council produced evidence which proved that Senator Ademola Adeleke was indeed educated up to secondary school level as stipulated by law and therefore qualified to run for the governorship, the judge still went ahead to rule otherwise.The WAEC at no point denounced the secondary school qualification of Senator Adeleke.The only statutory body empowered by law to determine authenticity of a secondary results is the West African Examination Council.The Council not only witnessed in support of Senator Adeleke but also presented certified true copies of his school results.What other evidence the judge needs to rule in favour of the Senator is not clear.

Fourthly, the plaintif shocked by WAEC testimony, again filed request that the court compelled the school principal to appear in court to produce evidence of facts as well as to confirm the authenticity of the statement of results. The principal appeared and confirmed that the statement was a product of the school and that any error on the statement was that of the school ,not that of Senator Adeleke.The school did not at any point disowned the statement of results .The school owned up to the error which was not about forgery but alleged false information.

From the foregoing ,we affirm that today's judgement of the Bwari court is a travesty of justice, a purchased ruling designed to negatively affect the outcome of Osun governorship legal tussle.We declare unequivocally that the ruling being so glaringly against tested facts and the law cannot stand.It is also clear that the ruling cannot in anyway stop the reality that Ademola Adeleke fulfilled constitutional requirements to stand for the governorship as confirmed by the WAEC,the school principal and previous judgements on the matter.

We appeal to our numerous supporters and good people of Osun state to remain calm
This is another failed bid in the efforts of detractors to stop the realisation of Peoples mandate.We are marching ahead as before the law,our candidate, Ademola Adeleke is qualified to seek the governorship and before people and God ,he is the governor elect of Osun state.

Signed

Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation.

We know very little about most of the earliest personalities. Just very little we could assemble through oral accounts and ESE IFA.

Like I wrote above, IFA is agreed to have come from Ado Ekiti. Take note that the mysticism we call IFA in Yoruba is a general esoteric knowledge to all ancient African civilization. From Egypt, Meroe, Zimbabwe, Kanem and Kanuri, Yoruba, Igbo, Ashanti, Nupe, Tiv etc

The universal spread of this knowledge points to the truth that Africans interrelated deeply in prehistorical time. IFA must have got in contact with the mysticism first at Ikole or Iyagba axis. The areas around Ekiti and Iyagba contain the largest Baba Alawo today.

Meanwhile, ESE IFA recorded the 7 children of IFA as: Oloye Moyin, Elejelu Mope, Ajero, Alara, Olowo and Owarangun Aga. Historians have difficulty with this list though, particularly the use of 7, which is a common phenomenon in Yoruba philosophy.

Ifa is the Foundation of Yoruba Land

The Yoruba people of South West Nigeria, are one of the largest ethnic group south of the Sahara Desert. In several ways they are one of the most interesting and important people of the continent of Africa. Their religion is called Orisa. The population of Yoruba people as of 1962 had reached 10-11 million people. Their traditions with in urban life give them a unique place among not only other African societies as well many other societies in the World. Yoruba society has been well known and advanced in the areas of Economics, Government, and in particular Art and Religion. They rank highly among other West African ethnic groups, representing the highest level of cultural achievement in Sub Saharan Africa.

Their religion called Orisa has been misinterpreted when missionaries came into their midsts. Orisa in Yoruba perspective, according to one Ese Ifa or Ifa stanza say, Orunmila said human beings became Orisa, I said, human beings became Orisa, Orunmila said, don’t you see Ogun, he is a human being, but when he demonstrated wisdom and power he was elevated and became Orisa. I said human beings became Orisa, he said don’t you see Obatala, he is human being, but when he demonstrated wisdom and power, he was elevated and became Orisa. The other Orisa where blessed as well from human being to Orisa. They worshiped a knowledgeable person it is human being that became Orisa.

Orisa is Yoruba cosmology. Those that selected their ori became more superior than others. Èniyàn tí Orí sà dá. If Jesus was born in Yoruba land he would have been pronounced an Orisa and like wise Muhammad.

Every town and village in Yoruba Land has its foundation in Ese Ifa or Ifa stanza. Each town was established and founded with Odu Ifa. They used this Odu Ifa to established the culture and tradition of each town. Just as an adage says, Bayi ni àáse nile wa èèwò ni bomiran

The odu ifa for each town as follows

Ede – Osa Oloyan
Ila Orangun – Ofun Meji
Osogbo – Idin Ileke
Iwo – Obara Otua
Ado ibini- odi meji
Ipapo – Otura Meji
Ido Ekiti – Ogunda Wori
Ido Osure – Obara meji
Awori Ota – Irete Owonrin
Oko – Ogunda Meji
Agbada Rigi – Ogbe Ogunda
Ilu Apa – Oyeku Meji
Oyo Alaafin – Ogbe Otura
Ilorin- Okanran Iwori

Orunmila, according to ESE IFA came from "Eyin Igeti", which we know is Igbeti. The same ESE IFA made allusion to several Ado but we are inclined to accept Ado Ekiti as the birthplace of IFA.

The two migrated to Ile Ife at different time. The narrations in the oral accounts show Orunmila as far more ancient than others who eventually migrated yo Ile Ife. It seemed that the arrival of Orunmila at Ile Ife marked the beginning of codification of IFA corpus. It marked the beginning of articulation of the mystics, which Ile Ife was purposely created for. During Orunmila, the mystics seemed not to have name. The arrival of IFA and his dexterity in classification of the divinity into verses to reinforce the earlier codification later made the adherence of the mystics to define it as IFA.

Alhajipablo:
I came across this 2011 thread by blims and I found it interesting; I am posing the same question as the original poster had

Dear all,

i seek the attention of an understanding person to put me through my question,


How did Ifa originate?

like sango, sango is a man who lived as a powerful person and after his death people adopted him as a religion and source of communicating to their god to get their wishes,


Now to ifa, How did ifa originate, and where? how did they come about the opan ifa they use and the opele,

need your attention

Unknown Yoruba History

Obatala, according to Ese IFA, was a native of Ifon Osun. He was one of the inductees who migrated to Ile Ife for esoteric studies at the beginning of Ile Ife as a sacred grove. Orunmila was from Igbeti, Ogun from Ikole, IFA from Ado Ekiti, Esu from Ijelu Ekiti. They all migrated from their nativities to Ile Ife

Obatala became the Obalufe in the pre hereditary Ile Ife monarch. He excelled in all areas, including commerce and art craft. This success was due to the ingenuity of AJE, the minister of Commerce.

Obatala was deposed at Ife and with his supporters they migrated through forest to the present Ilaje to found Ode Ugbo.

Ese IFA praise Obatala as a man who reigned in two kingdoms: Ile Ife and Ode Ugbo

Oju Inu, The 3rd eye
By Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

The third eye also called the mind's eye, or inner eye is a mystical and esoteric concept of a speculative invisible eye which provides perception beyond ordinary sight.

The third eye is said to be the special mechanism that has the ability to control reality in omnipotent fantasy.

In Yoruba philosophy or traditional circle, it is called oju inu (eye from within). People with this oju Inu in Yoruba land are considered special and regarded as people with ability to see things beyond the ordinary.

While some people feel that this 3rd eye is more about the knowledge acquired from life experiences overtime, which gives one greater insight into life issues, others think that the 3rd eye is super natural or mystically developed. However, this writer feels that both perceptions may not be entirely correct.

Based on my personal experience, i can say with some level of confidence that everyone has a 3rd eye and as a matter of fact, everyone, at some point, consciously or unconsciously has utilized the 3rd eye. If you doubt my claim, kindly close your eyes right now, calm down your body, visualize and tell me if you are not seeing anything.

Don’t be mistaken please, understand that when you close your eyes, you may not be seeing things from outside or around you, but deep from within, you will be seeing something else.

At first, what you see from within may be dark, but as you settle down, some kind of vision will begin to appear and as you get comfortable, you might begin to see far and wide. That eye from within, which enables you to see things, even when your two physical eyes are close, is what is called 3rd eye.

The sharpness and accuracy of the 3rd eye is developed as a result of some higher level of consciousness about human body and mind.

If you pay conscious attention to your body and mind, the 3rd eye will naturally be developed and you may be able to channel it to see whatever you want to see, even in your physical world.

Furthermore, some section of believers in the 3rd eye concept had argued that, the pineal gland, a pea-sized gland shaped like a pine cone, located in the vertebrate brain near the hypothalamus and pituitary gland is known as the third eye, it is a revered tool of seers and mystics and considered to be the organ of supreme universal connection.

C.W. Leadbeater, a researcher on the 3rd eye concept claimed that by extending an "etheric tube" from the third eye, it is possible to develop microscopic and telescopic vision.

Similarly, It has also been asserted by Stephen Phillips that the third eye's microscopic vision is capable of observing objects as small as quarks.

It is believed that, humans had in far ancient times an actual third eye in the back of the head with a physical and spiritual function. Over time, as humans evolved, this eye atrophied and sunk into what today is known as the pineal gland.

Additionally, Dr. Rick Strassman has hypothesized that the pineal gland, which maintains light sensitivity, is responsible for the production and release of DMT (dimethyltryptamine), an entheogen which he believes possibly could be excreted in large quantities at the moments of birth and death.

Other experts on the 3rd eye maintained that, the two physical eyes are very deceptive, they make you see things the way it is necessary for your survival not necessarily the way they are in the actual sense. The two physical eyes are like a calculator, which helps to quickly sum up figures and arrive at answers. The 3rd eye on the other hand helps us do the summation ourselves, taking us through some routes to develop other aspect of our brain.

While the calculator helps in a great way to make things easier, sometimes, only our brain can get the job done and if left undeveloped, we become less effective. This is where the 3rd eye comes in and the need for its development. A developed 3rd eye helps us see what the ordinary eye cannot see.

In India for example, 3rd eye is called Ajna. Ajna is called the 3rd eye because with it, you see things the way they really are. Once your energies touch Ajna, it allows you to see things the way they are.

Similarly, Ifa babalawo in Nigeria holds the view that, every human has third eye, unlike some esoteric school of thought that teaches that only few people has it. We are souls in human body and third eye is the eye of the soul.

According to some Ifa babalawo, the 3rd eye has to be opened for it to be fully operational, but unfortunately; there are a lot of danger in opening the third eye. They opined that, if the 3rd eye is forcefully opened like those who wash their eye (weju), it can lead to insanity because it is close to the brain and you don’t want to tamper with your brain.

For you to activate your third eye and enjoy it endless benefitsm, you must detach yourself from your body.

The third eye is connected to clarity, concentration, imagination and intuition they believe. In certain dharmic spiritual traditions, the third eye refers to the gate that leads to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness.

In New Age spirituality, the third eye often symbolizes a state of enlightenment or the evocation of mental images having deeply personal spiritual or psychological significance.

The third eye is often associated with religious visions, clairvoyance, the ability to observe, precognition, and out-of-body experiences.

People who are claimed to have the capacity to utilize their third eyes are sometimes known as seers.

In Taoism and many traditional Chinese religious sects such as Chan (called Zen in Japanese), "third eye training" involves focusing attention on the point between the eyebrows with the eyes closed, and while the body is in various qigong postures.

The goal of this training is to allow students to tune into the correct "vibration" of the universe and gain a solid foundation on which to reach more advanced meditation levels.

Taoism teaches that the third eye, also called the mind's eye, is situated between the two physical eyes, and expands up to the middle of the forehead when opened.

In Christian theology teaching of Father Richard Rohr, the concept of the third eye is a metaphor for non-dualistic thinking; the way the mystics see. In Rohr's concept, mystics employ the first eye (sensory input such as sight) and the second eye (the eye of reason, meditation, and reflection), "but they know not to confuse knowledge with depth, or mere correct information with the transformation of consciousness itself. The mystical gaze builds upon the first two eyes—and yet goes further." Rohr refers to this level of awareness as "having the mind of Christ".

In Islam, 3rd eye is something that Islam doesn't practice. However, some scholars believe that you can only achieve a 3rd eye awakening in Islam through the purification of your soul (Tasawwuf) through following a spiritual teacher who has purified his/her soul and engage in consistent spiritual practices. According to them, when your third eye starts opening, you’ll become interested in Sufism and look for a Sufi Shaykh, because the Sufi is a Muslim either with an open third eye or in the process of opening it. Sufism is the path for a Muslim who is in the process of opening third eye.

In sufism, 3rd Eye is called Haqiqat, derived from one of the 99 names Al-Haqq, meaning the ability to see truth, or clairvoyance. In Sufism, you achieve Haqiqat through the path of Tariqat (Sufi order), where under the guidance of a Sheikh and additional spiritual practices you start receiving inner knowledge (Batin) of reality. This knowledge comes like an intuition directly to your heart. The most similar western terms for this is either “an Aha-moment” or “Heureka!”.

Opening third eye is not a binary (either open or closed) kind of thing. It’s a life long process. But unfortunately, for most of us, developing our third eye and its abilities is challenging at best, and may even sometimes seem out of reach. However, if we want to live a fulfilled life in its fullness, there is need to try, as much as possible, to develop our oju inu, the 3rd eye.

Abdulrazaq O Hamzat

BIGNEWS

O TO GE won all Assembly seats in Kwara

Source: Kwara Must Change

Leading Pro-democracy group in Kwara state, Kwara Must Change has reported on it's official Facebook page that from results collected by agents across the polling units, the All Progressive Congress (APC) has taken the lead with a very wide margin.

According to the group, out of the 16 local government in Kwara state, results from agents indicated that the APC has cleared 15 local government and waiting for completed results in the last local government.

It however noted that this pending the official announcement by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as it is only INEC that has capacity to declare a winner of an election.

Kwara Must Change