₦airaland Forum

THE JUDGES' ABDUCTION AND THE PUERILE LIES FROM THE DSS:

Regardless of your political affiliation, if you have any stake in the country called Nigeria, last Friday night's abduction of Judges of the High Court, Appeal Court and Supreme Court by Operatives of the Nigeria Secret Police known as the DSS over allegation of corruption should give every Nigerian a cause for concern.

The barbaric manner the whole operation was conducted suggests that rather than an attempt to cleanse the judiciary of corrupt Judges, it was a clear case of vendetta by the Muhammadu Buhari-led executive arm of the government against another independent arm.

A betting man would bet that this is nothing but a ploy to get back at some judges who have given unfavourable judgements against the APC like in the elections petition cases, the DSS as in the case of Nnamdi Kanu where Justice Ademola ordered the DSS to release the IPOB leader unconditionally and the Executive arm of government in general like the ongoing corruption cases where judges have refused to do Buhari's bidding of jailing suspects even without enough evidence.

Personally, I am not even pained by the actual act of breaking the doors to the houses of sitting Judges and abducting them in the middle of the night as much as I am pained by the moronic, imbecilic, idiotic and puerile defense put up by the DSS as justification for their action.

If the DSS guys had not insulted our intelligence further with that trash they released in the name of press statement to justify their action, I would have just taken this as just another of Mr Buhari's tyranny.

But no, the DSS had to prove they actually think our brains are all in recession by releasing that bundle of badly constructed, terribly packaged puerile lies known as press statement.

Let's look at the so called defense put up by the DSS:

First, they said it was a sting operation, yet, thesame DSS claimed the affected Judges have been previously invited to their offices and questioned.

I am putting it to the DSS that it is either they do not know the meaning of a sting operation or they think we, Nigerians, do not know the meaning.

For avoidance of doubt, a sting operation is a deceptive operation aimed at catching a person in the act of committing a crime. It usually involve a law enforcement officer or a cooperative member of the public posing as a criminal partner or a potential victim to the targeted 'suspect' with a view to encouraging the target to go on with the criminal act so he could be caught in a red-handed position committing the crime.

This method is commonly used by the FBI with recorded audio and video evidence of the said target committing the said crime.

There are two things we need to take out here: One is that it is designed primarily to catch the target in the act of committing the said crime with more than enough audio and video evidence such that even if you were to allow the suspect try himself as the judge, he will have no choice but to convict himself due to the volume of watertight evidence at your disposal.

And two, the targets are never aware that they are even under investigation. If you tip the target off by inviting him for questioning before or in the middle of the sting operation, you will have defeated the purpose of the operation as such a target will now take extra measures to cover his track having known you are now on his trail.

From the above, it can be deduced that it is either the DSS were lying to themselves or they were lying to us. Either way, they were not being honest when they claimed the illegal arrest of the Judges was part of a sting operation and still claimed the judges had been previously invited for questioning in their offices.

Does it not strike anyone as odd that the DSS claimed to have surveilled those judges for months, yet, they ended up raiding the wrong house and beating up an innocent man before realising the warrant they had was for another house??

Also in that press statement, the DSS claimed that the unnamed Portharcourt Judge had $2million in his house even when they clearly stated that the River state governor, Nyesom Wike and his group prevented them (the DSS) from gaining access to the Judge's house and later moved the money.

You are the DSS. You came to Portharcourt to arrest a judge in a Gestapo style at an ungodly hour. The governor being the chief security officer of the state mobilized people and stopped you from carrying out your roguery. You were denied access to the Judge's house. Yet, somehow, you still knew the judge had $2m in his house which was later moved by the governor and "a sister agency" (the police) according to you. This is the 8th wonder of the world!

How did the DSS manage to count the money to know it was $2m since they were prevented from entering the house??

Quite frankly, this would be fantastically funny if it wasn't such a crying shame.

It takes a man whose brain has been in recession from birth to believe these puerile lies from the DSS.

Since the DSS which is statutorily in charge of crimes and actions bothering on national security has become the EFCC responsible for corruption cases, when is the agency moving against President Buhari's chief of staff; Abba Kyari who allegedly collected N500million bribe to help MTN reduce their fine??

When will the DSS conduct another sting operation against the SGF who used 270million just to cut grasses growing around hunger-ravaged malnourished IDPs?? Or has the DSS not heard those cases?

No amount of sophistry will obliterate the fact that the action of the DSS is criminal. You don't invade people's homes in the middle of the night, break their doors as though you were a criminal gang, subject their innocent wives and children to emotional trauma before abducting them only to start bandying around outrageous and mind-blowing figures as the amount you recovered from the criminal operation and expect Nigerians to roll out the drum for you. You cannot break one law to enforce another law.

You cannot knowingly break the law and hope that mentioning earthquakic figures will blind us to your thuggery. It doesn't work that way.

Luckily for me, I don't even have a door. So if they come to abduct me, they won't see any door to break neither will they see any brother to manhandle.

Democracy is all about procedures. There are laid down Procedures in handling cases of corruption cases involving Judges.

The judiciary is an independent arm of govt. As the DSS, you are a branch of the Executive. If you have a case against any judge, you petition the NJC.

It is the NJC that will look into the matter and if it deems your case credible enough, it will retire that judge compulsorily and recommend him/her for prosecution. That is only when you the DSS or the police can institute criminal proceedings against the said Judge.

The biggest tragedy in all of these is hearing some so called youths utter garbage like, "what is a judge doing with $2m in his house?"

Those mentally retarded intellectually malnourished simpletons have not seen any $2million ooo. They just heard the DSS say it and that is all.

No proof that any money was even recovered and was actually recovered from those judges. All we have is the word of the DSS and nothing more. Yet, those intellectually kwashiorkored youths are already jumping up and down calling for the heads of those Judges.

These are the same gullible lots who believed 90million pounds was recovered from Diezani Allison Madueke, Billions of naira recovered from a soakaway pit in the house of one service chief, another billions recovered from ex governors in Dubai and yet another billions upon billions of naira recovered from looters but before the eyes of these gullible youths, thesame govt that claimed to have recovered all these monies is now crying that the country is broke.

How gullible can some people be??

This govt knows we have so many gullible youths who would swallow anything hook, line and sinker as long as they hear "corruption" and "billions" or "trillions". So after hearing the condemnation that trailed their action, the DSS quickly went to their coven and came back with their normal line of, "We recovered so so and so billions of naira and millions of dollars in the houses of these judges".

Supposedly well lettered adults want me to believe that learned Justices of the highest court in the land would be so dumb to collect bribe from politicians in hard currencies and still leave those monies in their houses even when they were supposed to know the DSS was on their trail having previously invited them for questioning as claimed by the Agency.

Honestly, some people need to have their certificates withdrawn and the awarding institutions sanctioned.

While you are celebrating this idiocy, just pause and ask yourself: If Justices of the Supreme Court can be humiliated in this manner by the DSS just on mere suspicion, what kind of treatment do you think you, an ordinary man will get from thesame DSS??

Just so we are clear, no one is saying there is no corruption in the judiciary or that corrupt judges should not be prosecuted. All I am saying is that this particular operation by the DSS doesn't seem like an operation against corrupt Judges.

The Buhari administration should stop trying to fool us with the sham that is the anti-graft war. When this government wants to fight corruption, we will know. For now, I have enormous reasons to believe justifiably that this government is still aiding and abetting corruption by friends, families and close associates of president Buhari.

Who released ex-governor Timipre Sylva's 148 houses to him after withdrawing all corruption cases against him simply because he donated generously to Buhari's Presidential campaign?? Who defended General Buratai after SaharaReporters exposed his Dubai properties??

Who aided and abetted stint illegal recruitments into CBN, FIRS etc?? Who is protecting Justice Okon Abang??

C'mmon, we are no fools! When this hurricane that is the Buhari-led APC government wants to fight corruption, we will know. For now, he is doing a great job destroying all the critical institutions upon which Democracy has been built.

Gradually, Buhari is making Tyrants like Idi Amin, Adolf Hitler and others look like saints. Even Stalin's Russia wasn't this bad!!!

The legislature has since been bullied into submission. Now it is the turn of the Judiciary. Perhaps, when he is done destroying the two arms of government that are supposed to checkmate his tyranny, he will now proceed to running the country like a full-blown dictatorship.

I have said it before and it bears repeating now, the glory of democracy is fading away with the unpopular policies of Muhammadu Buhari as the President of Nigeria. People are dying of sufferings and miseries, and God Almighty would judge you and I for continue to pretend about the pains Nigerians are cruelly undergoing.

Argue all you want, lie to yourself if it makes you feel better, call me prophet of doom if that will help cure the economic recession just like your mental recession, but the truth remains that, this country will never survive Buhari's 4 year tenure if we continue on the part of self-destruct by refusing to insist on quality Democratic Tenets and Dividends and speaking truth to our government.

This is less than 2years of this administration but all we have achieved is sinking sands of Recession.

Ask yourself, if it is this bad when we have not even reached half of his 4 year term, how will it be by the time we get to 2019?

Perhaps by the end of Buhari's 4 year term in 2019, if we all don't die of hunger before then, we might be too weak trying to afford one 'unsquare' meal a day that we won't even have the strength to ask Buhari to respect our laws.

May God Almighty continue to Bless Nigeria and may Buhari take corrections so that we can succeed as a Nation.

Patriotism is the act of voting in a Government and helping it to succeed by holding it accountable for the Security and Welfare of the State; that is what I am purposed to serve. May Buhari Succeed Rightfully.

I invite other lawyers sworn to uphold the constitution in this forum to share their determination on this case.

I don't see FG winning this battle. The case will still go back to courts.

Lalasticlala mynd44 Seun

#BRING BACK OUR JUDGES NOW!!!

We protest for the following reasons amongst others:

All the Judges affected are the ones that sat in Election Tribunals and awarded victory to PDP, so what happened to the perceived APC Judges?

Is the DSS the Nigeria Police Force, EFCC or ICPC that they now exercise powers of arrest and detention in matters of corruption? Where did they get that power?

Where did they get the Warrants to arrest, detain, torture and search the judges?

Is the DSS an enforcement agency of the National Judicial Commission Rules?

Why raid judges at night and humiliate them over mere allegations that stands to be proved?

How can they prove that those monies were found in the Houses of the judges when we all know the capacity of the DSS to plant evidence and witnesses against suspects contrary to Law?

So the Judges at home had money, while the ones that were absent had no money, how can you explain that?

Which independent person was there to search the DSS officials before they commenced their illegal breaking and entry and searches of the judges.

So you think if the Ghanaians were so idiotic to take such nonsense outside due process, we Nigerians should excuse same even when we are not idiots?

Anti-corruption is a concept of Law and order and the fight in its favour must fall within the ambit of the law.

The DSS being a creation of law cannot afford to continue operating outside due process and law. Apologies to Justice Nnamdi Dimgba who took judicial notice of their immaturity and barbarisms.

We totally condemn all forms of impunity and affront on the independence of the judiciary. The President is wrong on this one, with due respect.

DO YOU ALSO KNOW I CONDEMN THE DSS's CONDUCTS FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

1) Search Warrants are executed between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM except on weekends.

2) Search Warrants are valid only if issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.

3) Search Warrants obtained in one State of Nigeria cannot be executed in another State excepted it is endorsed by a Magistrate or Judge equal in rank to the one that issued the Warrant.

4) Only two or three agencies in Nigeria are charged with the investigation of corruption cases namely the EFCC, the ICPC and the Nigeria Police.

5) Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and VIPs who do not constitute a flight risk are usually invited to appear before investigation Agencies.

6) The National Judicial Commission (NJC) is the only body empowered to sanction Judges and Justices found wanting in the discharge of their duties.

7) A current Governor is the Chief Security Officer of his State.

A current Governor enjoys immunity in terms of prosecution and the inviolability of his person.

9) The Judges in question have issued unfavourable judgements against the arresting Agency in the past, thus casting aspersions on the motive for their arrest.

ISSUES FOR DETERMINATION
1) Did the arresting Agency actually procure an Arrest Warrant from a Court of competent jurisdiction?

2) Did the arresting Agency adhere to the rules governing the procurement and execution of a Search Warrant?

3) Did the arresting Agency exhaust the option of extending an invitation to the suspects before procuring the Arrest Warrant?

4) Did the arrested suspects at any time pose the risk of taking to flight?

5) Does the arresting Agency not have people at all the land, sea and air borders to prevent an escape of the suspects?

6) Did the arresting Agency at any time write a letter to the National Judicial Commission (NJC) highlighting the offences committed by the suspects and demanding their release for an interview?



This Court reserves judgement in this matter. I will rise.

#Judiciary must not be gagged #Liberty & Freedom

House of Representatives committee investigating alleged diversion of funds and materials meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS), especially the alleged use of  N270m just to clear grass by the office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) said it was being frustrated by the refusal of  the SGF, Mr Babachir Lawal to appear before it.

The committee particularly decried the failure of Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal, to honour summon to him to appear and clarify some issues on the allegation.

Read further


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/10/reps-cry-foul-as-sgf-lawal-allegedly-used-n270m-to-clear-grass-at-idps-camps/

Who owns leadership newspaper.

My guess is that it has northern inclinations.

No southern newspapers will like to loose readership and followership in this recession giving a failing man award.

Gov Oshiomole was in INEC office when the result was announced. As he stepped out and ran into the car. The people shouted Ole and pushed his amour ed car away.

The police ensured peace was maintained


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtE9Q20WywI

The same governors are supporting sale of National assets and Buhari will not learn.

I have asked people who support sale of national assets.

If we sell our assets to fund 2016 budget today. What shall we sell to fund 2017 and 2018 budget?

I am totally against sale of any damn thing. APC government has proven to be monumentally clueless about governance .

Our problem began with the stupid policy on Dollars.

The APC government said Nigerians can't withdraw or deposit dollars into their own accounts. This was after a dollarised elections.

Dollar left circulation and scarcity was created. This lasted 3 months before the reversed the policy. People looked for alternative to hide their dollars or push it outside Nigeria. Till today we have not recovered from that stupid policy of APC led government.

If APC can't make Nigeria better than they found it. Can't they atleast maintain the status quo. Leave bag of Rice at 8k you met it and other commodities.

2019 please come.

kenonze:
U seems to be ignorant /confused.
Surrogacy is also God's way of giving couples having medical challenge of carrying their own babies.
The babies are biologically theirs..... Pls try and read wide.
Am much in support of Surrogacy.
It was never on record that Dickson's wife was pregnant. Giving birth to 4kids definitely must be via CS so she will come back with her scars


So why showing us only the pics of the babies without the mother at least side by side on hospital robe.

Mr Record keeper of pregnant women. Please how many women are currently pregnant in your state. It was not on record that she was pregnant. ..do they owe you publicity of her pregnancy. Gush. How can people pathetically poknose in people's affairs.

In your wacky opinion. ..till they snap her and her kids and post pictures for newspapers and bloggers to have news. She never carried the children. When was the last time you saw mrs Dickson in public mr surrogate.

johnsonjosbles:
aaah! Aye Oh, I Salute! But They Lied, They Kidnap 4 Babies Frm Nigeria, Took Them To US, my opinion tho

Are you a family member of the Governor?

I am just startled at which part of your brain manufactured the costly assumptions above.

See the way you put the narrative with sense of certainty. Yet no evidence to back your claims. Be sure don't guess. God is the giver of children. And if you are not married yet or don't have children. Talk less. Hate kills faster than you think

kenonze:
I guess this must be via surrogacy.

The woman's mental health cannot cope with conventional pregnancy.

.... . No wonder Gov Dickson keep traveling abroad( to donate sperm.)

Congratulations to them.

Are you a family member of the Governor?

I am just startled at which part of your brain manufactured the costly assumptions above.

See the way you put the narrative with sense of certainty. Be sure don't guess. God is the giver of children. And if you are not married yet or don't have children. Talk less.

belzabull:
Okay! Now this is strange and almost unbelievable. A yoruba man speaking with so much objectivity, honesty and rationality. Thats great.

Built2last has earned so much respect from me for the above attributes, ditto firefire, tomakint, acidiosis and some others cant mention now

firefire, tomakint, acidiosis and some others cant mention now.

Quote me anywhere. Nigeria will break someday. It's only buying time. Indeed, Yoruba race is the only cord holding Nigeria together. Once Yoruba turn their back on the North. The South will break away.
I stand for greater South.

(History Is Not Taught In Nigeria So The Stereotype of "Awolowo Hates Igbo" Can Be Furthered To Destroy Any Hope Of Southern Unity. Yes, Awolowo resigned from a government he was practically Vice President on principle after ensuring Easterners were not victimized in a post-war Nigeria. but of course, many will still argue.

CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO'S RESIGNATION LETTER FROM THE FEDERAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL DATED JUNE 13, 1971 TO GENERAL YAKUBU GOWON

June 3, 1971.

My dear Commander-in-Chief,

You will recall that in a statement made by me and published in the SUNDAY TIMES of March 30, 1969, I declared, among other things, as follows:

“Even at the federal level, I have no desire whatsoever, and I certainly cannot be tempted or induced to develop one, to head, or participate in an unelected or even an electoral-college elected civil administration in a military or any setting. At the moment, I am participating in the activities of the military government because I have been invited, and I also think it is right, so to do.
I am, therefore, obliged, morally and for the purpose of keeping Nigeria united, to take part, as fully as I can, in any measure designed, in particular, to keep the Ibos as a constituent ethnic unit in the federation of Nigeria, enjoying equal and identical status and benefits with other ethnic units, and in general, to preserve Nigeria as an economic and political entity.”

I should have, in accordance with this declaration, relinquished my present offices soon after the end of the civil war in January last year. But one main matter decided me against such an immediate course of action. As you know, before January 1970, the four-year development and reconstruction plan had been under active preparation, and it had been hoped that it would be launched early in the 1970/71 fiscal year. It was my strong desire to participate in the consideration of this plan. As it turned out, however, the plan was not actually considered until August 1970.

By that time, three other factors had supervened. First, the capital estimates for 1970/71 had been delayed until the launching of the four-year development plan, which did not take place until November last year. At this late stage, I decided that the capital estimates of 1970/71 should be incorporated into those of 1971/72.

Second, by November 1970, the time for the introduction of the 1971/72 budget was only some four months away.

Third, as from September 1970, our foreign exchange position had started to undergo an unusual rapid deterioration. It occurred to me, in all these circumstances:

-that it would be untidy for me to leave without completing the budget for 1970/71;
-that it would be hardly fair to my successor for me to leave at a time when preparations for the 1970/71 budget had actively begun under my direction, and;
-that it might be interpreted in some circles as an act of bad faith for me to leave at a time when our foreign exchange was in such a bad state, and no sensible formula had been found for arresting its deterioration.

Now with the peace and unity of our great country fully restored and firmly re-established; with the four-year development plan already considered and launched and the capital estimates for 1970/71 completed; with the 1971/72 budget done and a reasonable solution devised for our acute foreign exchange, I feel free to act in accordance with one of my fundamental beliefs, referred to in paragraph 1 above, and publicly declared on March 10, 1969-EIGHTEEN CLEAR MONTHS before the military government’s political programme was announced by you on October 1, 1970.

I would, therefore, like to notify you that, with effect from July 1, 1971, I am no longer willing to continue in the offices of federal commissioner for Finance and vice-president of the Federal Executive Council.

Supplementary to the forgoing, there is another important reason for my present action. After four truly (I hesitate to say exceedingly) exacting (though thoroughly stimulating and educative) years in the Federal Ministry of Finance which, throughout the period, was incessantly beset with fiscal and monetary problems of unprecedented dimensions, and of peculiarly complex and tantalizing nature, I deem it to be in the interest of my continued good health to have a complete change of full-time occupation.

As to my future plan, I have decided to go back to legal practice. I also want to seize the opportunity, which the military government’s six-year political programme provides, to write, if my professional engagement permit, three books which have always been very much on my mind.
The research connected with two of these books will take me to selected developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well to ECA and OAU secretariats in Addis Ababa, the offices of some United Nations agencies in New York, and London University.

I would like to state that though, by this resignation, I am leaving your government and literary activities as mentioned above, it does not mean that I am completely relinquishing all public services to our country and people.

On the contrary, it is my resolve to continue, in all circumstances and until my life’s end, to see the best interests of our fatherland, and promote the welfare and happiness of our people, in every way possible.

In this connection, I would like to assure you that I shall always be willing, on a purely AD HOC basis and providing my professional commitments permit, to render, at your request and without any remuneration whatsoever, any particular service which is within my competence to give.

After my appointment in 1967, I submitted to you a STATEMENT OF AFFAIRS (i.e. OF MY ASSETS AND LIABILITIES) as at June30, 1967. In keeping with the code of conduct to which I subscribed, I am obliged to send you my statement of affairs as at June 30, 1971. It is, however, not possible to send the statement along with this letter. But my accountants are already working on it and as soon as it is finalized up to June 30, 1971, I shall forward it to you.

In closing, I would like, in all sincerity, to say two things:

Firstly, I have tremendously enjoyed working with you; and it is not without considerable reluctance, therefore, that I have to take this step.
Secondly, I will always remember with deep gratitude, your kindness to me in releasing me from prison, and in giving me, within a year of my release, an opportunity to serve our people of Nigeria once again in a ministerial capacity, and at a time when the very existence of our fatherland was in grave peril.

With best wishes to Victoria and your good self, and love to Ibrahim.

Yours very sincerely,
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO.

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
GENERAL YAKUBU GOWON'S REPLY:

My dear Chief,

I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated June3, 1971, intimating me of your decision to relinquish your appointments as the vice-president of the Federal Executive Council and Federal Commissioner for Finance with effect from July 1, 1971.

For some time, there have been rumours about your leaving the government, but I was sure, however, that if there was such an intention you would have not hesitated to notify me.

Since I know that you must have taken your decision after the most careful consideration, no useful purpose would be served by any attempt to make change your mind.

It is, therefore, with the greatest regret and reluctance that I have to concede to your request.
In accepting your decision, I would like to place on record my personal appreciation of your most valuable contribution to our achievements during the last four years.

You have earned for yourself respect from all of us who have seen you at close quarters, for your patriotism, coupled with a strong well-meaning conviction on issues of national importance.

I respect your maturity, objectivity, and sagacity, all of which you placed at my disposal; above all, for your advice and co-operation at all times.

Your outstanding performance as this government’s Commissioner for Finance during one of the most critical and turbulent periods of our history will always be remembered. You demonstrated, consistently, great courage, forthrightness, leadership, and a spirit of understanding which helped us to get out of our financial disaster.

That we did not succumb to the temptation to devalue our currency during the crisis and were able to win the war entirely out of our own resources and face resolutely the immediate post-war problems of rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation was due, in no small measures, to your skill in the management of our finances.

I am aware that your position in this government, particularly as Commissioner for Finance, will be difficult to fill. However, I have a consolation in the fact that during your tenure of office, you laid a sound foundation on which your successors could build and carry on the good work.

I have no doubt that, at this moment, you will have the feeling that you have done your best. I share your feelings, too; and wish to extend my appreciation of the contribution of your dear wife who had had to bear more than her share of domestic burdens as a result of your public assignment.

I am glad to note and to accept your offer to hold yourself in readiness for assignment which the Federal Government may consider necessary to give you even when you will no longer be directly associated with public life.

Since there will be occasions soon for me and your colleagues in government to state our assessment of your contribution to the service of this nation in the last four years, I now merely wish to say how sorry I am to lose your services. We will miss your great sense of humour, your debating ability and useful suggestions at all times.

On behalf of myself, your colleagues on the Federal Executive Council, and the people of our great country, I wish you many more years of useful life.

My wife and Ibrahim join me in wishing you every success in your next sphere of life.

Yours most sincerely,
MAJOR-GENERAL YAKUBU GOWON
Head of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

SpicyJosBabe:
Seriously, i think we need to start opening threads on this issue to make the mods understand our dissatisfaction over this issue. Not only muslims, many atheists are free to insult or antagonize christians on christian threads. That very wrong!

Seun and Lalasticlala, you people should do sth about this pls!

We do not need to create threads for Seun to be civil enough to provide explanation to millions of Christians who wonder why they must accept Islam by clicking yes to be able to comment on their supposed threads.

Seun lalasticlala Ishilove mynd44 and others know that Christians are more in this forum than any other religion.

We must respect Islam and what it represents, my gross is making me accept Islam to comment.

How about we are simply asked if we are Muslims and we answer yes or no. If you say .No..A pop up tells you clearly you will be banned or your email will be released to state authorities if you incite religious violence.

Seun must not compel me or many Christians in this forum to accept Islam to comment on Islamic topics

God done pick her call...congrats to her.

I will like to ask Seun and all Mods why I as a Christian can not comment on Islamic topics in this forum unless I accept Islam by clicking yes to the Islamic quote that Allah is the only true God and Mohammed is his messenger. And if you click "No" you are not permitted to comment.

Why are Muslims free to comment in topics posted on Sundays about Christianity without questions or any bible quote requesting them to say yes to be Christians but I don't enjoy same privilege as a Christian.
I just wanted to comment on the topic about the American who performed Hajj and Seun wanted me to accept am a Muslim to comment.

Seun why this discrimination? I just need to know.

The Igbo Spirit
By Peter Alexander Egom
I am of the Igbo stock from Ukala-Okpunor in Oshimili North LGA of Delta State. I am 61 years of age and have from late 1965, during my undergraduate days at Downing College, Cambridge, England, been fascinated by my people, the Igbo, and specifically by what makes them such a pulsating enigma of a people.
It was, indeed, a chance remark by the late and distinguished scholar in Social Anthropology at Cambridge, Professor Meyer Fortes, which set me on my lifelong journey of private enquiry into the ethno-spiritual makeup of the Igbo. My then larger-than-life and boon companion was my fellow undergraduate at the Cambridge University faculty for Archaeology and Anthropology, Mallam Ibrahim Tahir of BBC Bush House fame. As was our wont, we were on this particular autumn afternoon having tea at a teashop that was just across Ibrahim's King's College when our Professor in Social Anthropology, Meyer Fortes, walked in and sat with us for a chat. One thing led to another and we soon found ourselves discussing ethno-types in Africa.
Professor Fortes had been one of the bright lights in Lord Bailey's team of Africanists that did the regular tome of Africa Survey for the British Foreign and Colonial Office. And Professor Fortes told us that, according to Lord Bailey, the Igbo, out of the legion of African ethnic groups they studied, were the least encumbered with any cultural baggage. In a manner of speaking, the Igbo come light and go light with the baggage of culture.
Of course, Professor Fortes assumed that Ibrahim and myself knew what Lord Bailey meant with the concept of cultural baggage and did not venture into any explanation of it. But as soon as he took his leave of us, Ibrahim and myself fell to a very passionate but friendly discussion of this hazy concept. And, if my memory serves me right, we eventually let the matter be without agreeing on what the concept of cultural baggage stands for. But there was something, which my mind could not let be after this encounter. I had to know more about my people, the Igbo, who come light and go light with the baggage of culture.
My lecturer in Social Anthropology at Cambridge, Mr. G. 1. Jones an ex-colonial administrator in the Eastern Region of Nigeria, and an Igbophil of sorts, was on hand to give me advice on where to find materials on the Igbo. And what I could glean from the diverse tomes of Igbo historical and ethnographical that came my way was this. There was no love lost between the European slave-dealers and colonialists and the Igbo either on the continent of Africa or in the Diaspora. Igbo slaves were difficult to handle, prone to rebellion and bad for the economy of the slave-owner. And, the fear of the Igbo was, in a manner of speaking, the beginning of economic wisdom among European slave-owners and, later, colonialists.
The Igbo was a troublemaker and a troubleshooter in bondage as one saw in Haiti in the rebellious years leading up to the overthrow of the French and the independence of the island in 1805 and in the Southern States of North America where Igbo slaves jumped into the sea rather than face slavery! So, the Igbo were bad news as a slave. And in the restricted freedom of colonial Nigeria, as the colonialists saw to their continued irritation, the Igbo was uppity, difficult to convince and difficult to lead. He was never really the darling of the mandarins of the British Foreign and Colonial Office at Whitehall, London!
But, all of the above was what European predators thought about the Igbo! I was not satisfied with it. I wanted to know what made the Igbo uppity, difficult to convince and difficult to lead in the restricted freedom of colonial Nigeria and what made him a troublemaker and troubleshooter in the bondage of slavery abroad. I simply wanted to touch the Igbo spirit in order to better understand who I am. And the books I read then in England could not lead me anywhere in this direction. And so I shelved the project of my search for the essential attributes of the Igbo without knowing whether I would ever come back to it.
But, did I really shelve this project? Not at all. For what I failed to realize at this time in Cambridge is that I had begun a lifelong journey of an inquiry into my essential, I as a member of the Igbo stock and that this project could never be shelved until the very day I died. Indeed, my search for what makes the Igbo what he is is my search for my true identity as a full-blooded Igbo. There is no way my mind could rest the matter as soon as it had embarked upon its search. So, what I do now see, in retrospect, is that my mind has been, for nearly four decades now, trying to put a tangible structure to the Igbo spirit. And what I do give in this brief write-up is my status report on what I think makes the Igbo what he is as a man of vision, mission, adventure, integrity and compassion. But, before I embark upon this my brief ode to the Igbo spirit, let me fill in the reader with a few titbits about my life after going down from Cambridge in June 1966.
My flight back to Nigeria was scheduled for that blighting day of July 29 1966 and had to be shelved until August 4 1966. I made it to Lagos on that day and came to see a Nigeria that was calm on the surface but was doing unspeakable horror and mayhem to the Igbo in Lagos, at Ibadan and all over Northern Nigeria. But I never felt that I was in danger and went about Lagos without any fear for my life. And in so doing I came to catch an instructive glimpse into the mind of the Igbo.
The heavens were about to fall upon him and even the ground he stood upon was giving way under him. Yet, he did not panic. He reacted with bone-chilling firmness and maturity. Kai, was I happy to be an Igbo? Save, for the Roman Catholic Church, the Igbo had no friends at home or abroad. This is what I saw with my own eyes in Lagos from August 4 1966 until July 18 1967 when I was taken into a seven month detention spell at Ikoyi and Kirikiri prisons and mercifully kept out of harm's way in the hands of my fellow countrymen. And after my release from detention on March 14 1968, I bolted for Europe on April 18 1968.
I spent the ensuing fourteen years in Denmark and Tanzania teaching social anthropology, reading and teaching economics and doing research in economics. But in late 1982, nature and culture reached out to me in Denmark and brought me back to Nigeria for keeps. And on my coming back to Nigeria, what I saw, after twelve years of the end on January 15 1970 of the Biafran hostilities, was as marveling to me as it was encouraging. The Igbo, my people, were back into the mainstream of the Nigerian socio political and economic life as if nothing had occurred between 1966 and 1970.1 was happy to be back to Nigeria and I have no desire whatsoever to ever leave Nigeria again for anywhere else. Why so? Because the Igbo spirit is the future of Nigeria.
The Igbo spirit is not a conquering spirit, an imperial spirit or an exploiting spirit. The Igbo spirit is an Afro centric spirit, a competitive spirit, a liberating spirit and a spirit that restores. In fact, the Igbo spirit is the quintessential IslamoChristian spirit of the common good as one finds in the holy books of the Quran and the Bible. Thus, the Igbo spirit thrives and lives by the democratic ethic of one for all and all for one.
This is the liberating and restoring spirit that is about to encompass Nigeria and to take her to great heights of material and social plenty and of individual freedoms. And there is nothing anyone anywhere on this earth or in the heavens can do to stop this Igbo spirit from encompassing and elevating Nigerians and the black race as a whole. For the matter has long been settled in the highest heavens, the abode of God Almighty.
So, it is quite understandable that the Igbo must go through, as they are doing today, the harassment and chicanery of the sworn enemies of light and of the liberation and restoration of the black race. The Igbo spirit is the bearer of light and where light comes, darkness must disappear. So what we are experiencing in Nigeria today is the era of pitch-darkness, which must precede the dawn of freedom and plenty. In fact, what we are witnessing in Nigeria today, with the Igbo bearing the full brunt of it, are the thrashing death-throes of an old and uncaring dinosaur of a Nigeria of the ungodly where local slave dealers have unleashed, on behalf of their old European slave-dealing puppet-masters, a culture of impunity and lawlessness on all Nigerians and especially on the Igbo. But it will not last. This is simply so because the 21St century is the century of the African and the Igbo are in the forefront of the war for the economic liberation and empowerment of the black race. This is what makes the Igbo spirit the ethical template of the future for the common good of all Nigerians and every black person.
What then are the attributes of the Igbo spirit? One, it is God-fearing and God loving. Two, it is democratic to the core. And three, it is private enterprise write large. The Igbo puts God Almighty at the center of his sociopolitical and economic life and this is what explains why he is so fiercely democratic and so competitively entrepreneurial but so passionately communal to the core.
So, the Igbo spirit is not about the ethnic subjugation of one group by the other. Rather, it is about the opening up of equal vents of opportunities for the small as for the medium size and for the big, for the weak as for the half-weak and the strong.
It was, indeed, this very stark and unmistakable difference between the Eurocentric spirit of oppression and enslavement that rules Nigeria today and the Afro centric Igbo spirit of liberation and restoration which will rule Nigeria tomorrow that I had in mind when I wrote as follows on pages xviii and xix of the Preface to my book of 2002, "Globalization at the Crossroads: Capitalism or Communalism? "
"Consequently, the centre is extremely attractive to any budding ethnic politician in Nigeria. For, they are all ethnic politicians. It is there at the centre that the financial and fiscal power of Nigeria is concentrated. So, every ethnic politician wants to get to the imperial centre at all costs. And when he eventually gets there, he wants to keep the imperial reins of Nigeria's financial and fiscal power within his ethnic bailiwick for all time and at all costs. It is an ethnic winner-take-all affair where only the ruthless and the idolatrous survive.
"However, we do want a Nigeria that has ample room for all of us. This Nigeria must deal, even handedly and fairly, with all of us no matter the physical size of our persons or the purported numerical strength of our ethnic origins. Equal representation and participation for all of us shall be the whole of the law. Thus, each and everyone of us, individuals and groups, who belong to Nigeria must be allowed to use our native and achieved financial, human and material resources for our private good and for the common good..."
But the reigning Eurocentric spirit of oppression and enslavement in Nigeria today is the sworn enemy of democracy. This is so because it puts Mammon, instead of God Almighty, at the centre of the socio economic and political life of the Nigerian. This is the source and sustainer of the culture of impunity and lawlessness, which pervades all levels of governance in Nigeria today. For where Mammon is in charge, do what thou wilt is the God-hating and God-baiting whole of the law. Fortunately, however, the Afrocentric Igbo spirit which seeks to put God Almighty first in the thoughts, words and deeds of the Nigerian, is, most certainly, around the corner to consign this Eurocentric spirit of the congenital blighter, the cowardly scourge of the Nigerian and the black race, back to the pit of hell where it belongs.
Therefore, the Igbo in Nigeria have nothing to fear but fear itself. They should always bear it in mind that to whom a lot is given, a considerable much is expected in return. God Almighty has blessed them with the knowledge of the financial and industrial ways and means of turning sand into gold. It is their duty to open up and spread this knowledge among their ethnic neighbors in the near and far beyond of Africa in order to forge such an ever widening and concentric wave of financial solidarity among different ethnic groups in Nigeria and Africa, that will empower each African ethnic group to yield its best of social and industrial products for the common good of all Africans and to the glory of God Almighty.
In fact, the true social message of the Igbo spirit for the Nigerian in particular and for the black race in general comes straight from the Catholic Social Teaching and more specifically from St. Paul's 2 Corinthians 8: 1315 and St. Peter's 1 Peter 4:10 as follows: Financial solidarity among Nigerians and Africans leads to the industrial subsidiary of each Nigerian and each African. This is what the dividend of democracy is essentially about. It is the enabling environment to dream dreams and to see one's dreams work out in practice in one's lifetime. And this social message that allows the zillion flowers of entrepreneurial excellence to bloom in Nigeria and in Africa as a whole is the essential social ethic of Islam as in Qur'an 16:90 al'adl walihsan. Hence, the Igbo spirit is the IslamoChristian ethic for the economic liberation and restoration of man in Africa and beyond.
Consequently, the Igbo in Nigeria and in the Diaspora should take heart and continue to put all before the Throne of Grace. For their past and current tormentors, both Eurocentric and local, are just but a passing storm in a God-baiting and God-taunting teacup. Uyagami!
* Peter Alexander Ashikiwe Adione Egom, the Legendary “Motor-Park Economist”, wrote this article before he died on March 3, 2013, aged 70.

Abeg my people.

Does it make sense to start retreating for 2017 budget when we are at last quarter and 2016 has not recorded 35% implementation.

We were told money has been recovered.

How difficult can it be to tell Nigerians how much has been recovered.

Buhari promised to make public his asset and that of his appointees. Has any minister declared his asset yet? How difficult can it be to fulfil this promise if no money to pay 5k and feed school children.

I am looking forward to the lies APC will cook for the gullible in 2019.

He stole CBN dry

He is part of our terrible past.

Fear North.
If you have not lived in the north. ..you won't understand what it means to be used and dumped politically. They live and breathe politics and all antics it comes with.

Ok na.

APC can only win by rigging.

Ok.

Sadiq should not come back to Nigeria.

That babe wey collect his brain and energy in Brazil should keep him.

We had our chances in first half to even up and go ahead to win but SadiQ blockos was too heavy for him to move.

Ok

CRITICAL THINKING!!! Why Are All Lagos Governors Voted As The Best Alwaysssssss!!!

How come all Lagos State Governors from Marwa to Tinubu to Fashola and now Ambode are considered WONDERFUL governors, and yet Lagos is considered one of the smelliest, ugliest, most underdeveloped big cities in the world? Aside Adisa that destroyed Maroko or so, all are legends. If they were all so so good, why does Lagos not have common pipeborn water and why is she the "PURE WATER" CAPITAL of the world?

Is it because of the power of the press wherein they as governors control the media and then perception?

Is it because Yorubas are very loyal to their leaders and while "dobale"ing lie too low to the ground to be able to see clear theft?

Is it because in comparison to say Kebbi, or Ebonyi, the Lagos state government's civil servant to population ratio is the lowest in Nigeria, perhaps the world?

Is it because Lagos state, unlike Delta state and many others do not even have to build hostel and such for their higher institutions? Yes LASU has no hostel.

Is it because private companies help the government employ her people unlike say Edo state and Osun who must create civil service jobs or die?

Is it because salaries do not take over 80 percent of entire revenue of Lagos state unlike Osun or Adamawa?

Is it because every spit by a Lagos governor gets maximum visibilty unlike a Peter Obi that had to bite a lion to death present it to his people to be recognized as the best governor in Nigeria?

Is it because governors of Lagos are Yoruba or Northerners as in Marwa's case and they are allowed to be thieves without consequence?

Is it because a Lagos governor like Tinubu and Fashola cannot be asked where is Lagos two helicopters or Floating hotel?

Or is it because Lagos state governors can do personal website for 78 million and build garages for themselves with Lagos money and MIRACULOUSLY DO NOT BENEFIT FROM THE PERSONAL GARAGE as Fashola opened his mouth to tell BBC.

Do other states have the National port, airport and all the factors that develop a state. Do you know what an international port can do for Warri or Port Harcourt or Calabar?

Maybe it is because with Lagos population, BRT becomes big business while Edo Line is a drain on govt pocket

Or maybe it is that the Lagos governor can seize any market, even get people to burn it and whatever investment made by the state to rebuild it, upon offering it to traders, it will be oversubscribed and profit made, unlike a Kogi governor who to build a market is not profit but drain on his finances

Or is it because just to employ people as LASTMA and KAI is big employment of the people earning praise cos of Lagos population and traffic congestion, while an Oshiomole employing people as KAI must throw away people's akara or else no kpaje for them.

Perhaps if Fashola is judged by his inexplicably and unforgiveably large loans and what he used them for, from TRAIN (he and Amaechi, no difference. Unlike GEJ they wasted money on trains that has no future. DUMB) to road to Benin Republic, and the interest that will accrue, perhaps they will not be so venerated. But of course, no papers dare do this or the building your printingpress is in wil be sealed for environmental sanition reasons.

Perhaps if Yobe governor has Lagos budget, and few civil servant per population ratio, perhaps if all the headquarters of companies can help Delta state employ her citizens instead of creating DESOPADEC and having the state employ asmuch of her graduates themselves, perhaps if Second Niger Bridge was already built by Federal Government using Niger Delta oil money, as so many bridges and fly overs and third mainland bridge was built for lagos by Fed Govt

Perhaps like Marwa, who retired from Lagos governorship and bought an airline.. JANKOLIKO LIKE HE,

Perhaps like Tinubu who removed a higher institution and seized the land and built TVC and shared the rest to APC chronies and with Fashola. And who now owns the nursing hostel belonging to the nursing school,

Perhaps like Fashola who is rewarded with three ministries, after making Lagos the most indebted non-sovereign state in Africa

Perhaps other governors can be heroes too.

Surely there is something deeeeeppllyyyyy deeeplyyyyy wrong when ALL LAGOS GOVERNORS ARE HEROES when common pipeborn water the poor do not have. It means something is wrong with the ratings and yardstick.

Judging Ambode by the bikes and cars he bought and using that to rate him is not the best yardstick. Like Akpabio, Like Donald Duke, what has Fashola or he done that shows vision for Lagos in thirty years? What would be the debt profile for the loans taken to achieve that? Is buying cars and bikes so difficult? At what price even? Was it above board and receipts shown to the public or just another thieving avenue for Godfather Tinubu and Ambode?

So cool down with the praise for Ambode. Like Fashola has proven as minister of DARKNESS, ruling Lagos is like boiling egg and claiming to be a good cook.

Ok

Artib:
is she your sister? why taking it personal to that level?

monitoring spirit, you no see me oo.

after how many months? you just dey coment

HungerBAD:
This na Boko Haram na.

Your case is pathetic

Keep playing politics with human life.

Killed with no one speaking for them and buried in a mass grave.

I am a Christian but this carnage doesn’t deserve this silence.

Let it be on record that I spoke up.

The shiite Muslims were slaughtered like ram in zaria Nigeria and we woke up the next day and pretended that all was fine simply because they are not our blood brothers .

Their blood speaks against all of us and cry for justice.

I am not a Muslim but no one will convince me that it is justifiable to slaughter humans like this just because they stood in the way of chief of army staff.

I am sure these ones killed are not the ones who blocked the chief. They went the next day to carry out this carnage.

We pretend like it doesn't matter.

Their head El-zazaky is in custody without trial since last year and we pretend it's ok under democracy forgetting that that man has wives and children. And that it could be father of any of us .

Where is the human right activists.
Where is Falana, Ozekhome, Oby Ezekwesili. .Japhet Omojuwa . The media. All of us who kept silent to this carnage are complicit.

You can't convince me that these kids deserve to die like this.

Hmmmmmm

Check his history

He either has Islamic gene down his generation or poverty has been slapping him. Here comes a mall with an irresistible offer. My guy took the offer.

Let him watch this video I saw in January.

Watch


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0f280g60G8

Pillyportions:
A million kisses to u for this write up.

Abeg send am real life

Shame