It is on a very sad note that I address the State today to condemn in very strong terms, the violence that has been witnessed in Anambra in the past few days.
Since last weekend, some armed persons have unleashed terror with sporadic attacks on innocent citizens in various parts of the State.
From the briefings I have received from Security Commanders, Offices of some political parties, branded campaign vehicles and individuals occupying them have been attacked with killings and burning of vehicles observed.


Other innocent road users have become victims of this menace with many losing their lives and others, their properties.
Between Sunday 26th and yesterday 28th September, 2021 attacks on citizens at Oko, Agulu, Obosi, Nkpor, Nnobi, Nnewi and other places have left about ten (10) people dead including an illustrious son of this State, Dr Chike Akunyili, husband of late Prof Dora Akunyili who was reportedly gunned down yesterday around Nkpor.

These are our own people dying every day and for what reason?
Ndi Anambra, these attacks and accompanying deaths cannot be justified and must stop now.

I have therefore conducted an extensive security meeting and have directed all Security Agencies to step up and confront this monster ravaging our land. I charge everyone involved in the security architecture of Anambra State to take very seriously, this threat to our livelihood and boldly rise to confront same. Everything that needs to be done will be done and no stone will be left unturned in this effort. My directive to this effect is clear and i urge every security personnel on duty in Anambra State to do his utmost best to secure our people.

To all citizens of Anambra State and every person living and doing business in our State, I urge you now to join forces with us to confront this common enemy. We cannot condone this savagery for any reason whatsoever.
I therefore call on all our youths in the State to rise up and protect our communities.
Traditional Rulers, Presidents General, Clergy men, Vigilante Groups and all leadership structures must now take responsibility and in conjunction with the Police, Military and other Law Enforcement Agencies, work to restore order immediately.

To reinforce our commitment and seriousness on this issue, I on behalf of the State Government, wish to announce a twenty million Naira (N20,000,000.00) reward for any useful information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators of these heinous attacks on our State. The people behind this must be unmasked and brought to book.
I urge Citizens to report to us, anybody bearing firearm who is not a Security or Vigilante personnel, so we can deal with this monster, once and for all. Call 07039194332 or approach any Security deployment if you have any information. As the Americans say, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING.
At this point, I wish to most heartily condole with the families of all those who have lost their loved ones in the course of these senseless attacks. I promise you that we will leave no stone unturned in getting justice for them. May their souls rest in peace.

Finally, I urge all citizens of the State to unite in this fight against all forms of terror, intimidation and tyranny. We will not succumb to invaders as I am convinced that no Anambra son will indulge in this kind of heartlessness. I warn all those promoting and participating in these violent attacks to leave our State or pay a high price as we will definitely catch up with them.

To all law abiding citizens and persons living in our State, I urge you to go about your lawful businesses but we must now ALL go to work and take back our State. This is Anambra, the Light of the Nation, where darkness has no place. The events of the last one week will not be allowed to fester and by God’s grace, we shall overcome.
Thank you and God bless.

Gov Willie Obiano, FCA.
29th September, 2021.

Former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is planning to declare a state-of-emergency in the South-Eastern part of the country.

This development, if true, is most likely due to the recent high-profile murders occurring in the region with the latest being the assassination of Mr. Chike Akunyili, husband to late NAFDAC DG, Dora Akunyili.

Omokri, in a tweet on Wednesday, disclosed; “News from sources in Aso Rock is that General Buhari is thinking of the declaring a State of Emergency in the Southeast.”

“Let the man whose trousers never reach the floor be warned: Emergency in the SE and Business as Usual in the NE/NW will ignite crisis in Nigeria!”.

Similarly, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, an Apex Igbo organization while reacting to Akunyili’s murder revealed that the Federal government may indeed declare a state-of-emergency in the region.

The South-east has been plagued with several pockets of insecurity and violence following the detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu. The group had ordered a ‘sit-at-home’ every monday until Kanu is released.

The militia arm of the proscribed group, the Eastern Security Network has been attacking innocent individuals who violate the order. Several shops and vehicles have been burnt, people beaten and killed allegedly by members of the group for disobeying the directive.

donttouchme
The man was assasinated by the same group that killed an hausa man at eke nkpor, a man driving a bike with civil defence inscription at inland door, and shot at two security men at sisters fellowship yesterday evening. They drove with 1 venza, 1 lexus 350, 1 sienna and another ox-blood jeep. They drove through nkpor junctionand afor nkpor and people were hailing them. They were ipob men. I stay close to eke nkpor. Infact the two security shot are my guys. They are lying critically at crown hospital. This people(ipob) has turned to somethingelse. Any small resistance they will shoot. They shot dora husband and drag him out of the prado jeep. They thought he was a political figure. His death is more of trigger happy. They were shouting no election.

Ichiebillion:
honestly, anybody claiming that this killing wasn't done by Ipob is a demon.
I witnessed the Oba shooting and on my way back to osha, saw the dead Civil defense guy near inland doors. For those supporting this madness, one day go be your turn. A borno scenario is seriously loading while the gullible amongst us are still cheering these monsters.
Though, I have always known that a movement mostly speerheaded by illerates would definitely have disastrous consequences.

Pray for the East.

“Where was it done and at what occasion?”


The caretaker chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, has refuted media reports that the party has zoned the presidency to the southern part of the country ahead of the 2023 poll.
Buni stated yesterday that there was no iota of truth in the speculation making the rounds in a section of the media.
The report in an online medium indicated that the Buni-led caretaker committee had zoned the President to the South, Vice President to the North, Senate President (South) and Deputy Senate President (North).
Others include House of Representatives Speaker (North) and Deputy Speaker (South).
Said he: “This is absolutely false! Where was it done and at what occasion? This is a mere fabrication of the writer’s imagination. It is completely misleading.”

A suspected militant leader, weekend, laid ambush on the Benin River for members of Egbema Kingdom Peace Keepers collaborating with ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, to keep peace in Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State, massacring six of them.

The atrocity forced the Joint Task Force, which suspended the siege to Egbema kingdom, following the attack and killing of some soldiers at a Military Base in Obodo, Warri South local government area, by militant leader and his boys, early July, to lock down the kingdom afresh in the last two days.

“On Thursday, the army deployed about 12 gun boats looking for the militant leader, but as at today (yesterday) when I am speaking to you (Saturday Vanguard), nothing has come out of the matter. We just heard they are fighting. The river has been closed since yesterday (Thursday) and today (Friday),” a villager revealed.

Chairman of Warri North Local Government Area, Hon Smart Asekutu, who also spoke to Saturday Vanguard, confirmed: “Six members of the Egbema Kingdom Peace Keepers were killed by the notorious militant leader, kidnapper and pirate, N.K, but we have recovered the remains of the three and taken them to the mortuary at Warri.”

“It is not nine persons that were killed, I think they are about six, the boy has been causing security challenges for us in the local government and the present lock down by the army has the support of the local government council because security agents have to track him down before he commits more havoc,” he said.

Asekutu urged the people of Warri North to cooperate with the soldiers, saying: “The current lock-down is to track down those kidnapping people and causing trouble so that there will be peace in the area.”

He said that those who had personal relationship with the militant leader had reached out to him, but he refused to stop his atrocities, hence the soldiers had to do what they were doing now to arrest him.

“He can be in the midst of people and when soldiers open fire, innocent people will be affected, that is why we want our people to cooperate with the security agents by giving them all relevant information,” he said.

The fleeing militant leader, who defied the pleas of Tompolo and Egbema leaders to stop his criminal activities went into hiding after killing the peace keepers .

Previous visits to his camp to arrest him failed, as he got wind and fled with his boys. However, Tompolo deployed some of the peace keepers, during the week, with soldiers to visit his camp once again and clip his wings.

“He reportedly got wind of the plan and laid siege for them on the waterways where he killed nine of the peace keepers, these are people with families, so there is still much wailing in Egbema since Thursday.

A source said militant leader was dislodged by the military in Lagos after which he relocated to Ondo state and later re positioned to Egbema kingdom, where he built a militant camp in the last few months and had committed many atrocities.

“In Egbema, he turned a terror, kidnapping hostages and collecting various ransoms from people and all efforts to rein him proved abortive.

“Leaders of Egbema ordered him to leave the kingdom but he refused, prompting them to report his escapades to Tompolo, who called a peace meeting, but he declined to show up.

“Earlier in June, the militant leader had also attacked Egbema peace keepers, killed one of them and fled with one of their speedboats

“It was three days after the onslaught on Egbema peace keepers that some soldiers were attacked and killed, which led to lock-down in Egbema. The army people he killed were not even in Warri North, they were in Warri South,” the informant added.

Be Warned, We've entertained Enough of Your Nuisance-Anambra Elders warn Igbos

The recent reorganisation of Onitsha-Ado Vigilante Service in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State, has pitched Anambra Elders against leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

A tweet from Kanu’s verified Tweeter handle, on March 21, 2021, had alleged that the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, revived the vigilance group on the prompting of the Presidency and the Miyetti Allah, to counter the Eastern Security Network (ESN) in the commercial city and its environs.

Reacting to the development, a group under the auspices of Anambra Elders for Equity and Justice has cautioned the IPOB leader. Stating their position in a letter written, on behalf of their behalf, by Ejiofor Okafor, the group condemned the threat from Kanu, warning that Anambra people would hold him responsible should anything untoward happen to the monarch.
But the IPOB leader, yesterday, denied the insinuations making rounds that he insulted the Obi of Onitsha, insisting that he has great respect for the monarch and will continue to hold him in high esteem.

According to the elders, Kanu had warned Igwe Achebe not to “allow his office to be used by Fulani supporter of APC terrorists in Aso Rock to foment trouble for ESN around Onitsha and environs; otherwise it will end in tears for him and his local Miyetti Allah-funded vigilante named Onitsha Ado.” They argued that by so doing, he issued a direct threat to “Agbogidi and also the Onitsha Vigilante Service.”

The elders noted that the vigilance group in Onitsha was formed 19 years ago, long before Kanu contemplated his IPOB and ESN, adding that they were worried why he singled out the revered monarch for attack when every community in Igboland operated a vigilance group or security outfit. They also accused Kanu of trying to stifle alternative voices in the region.

The elders then stated in the letter: “We must warn you to desist from further denigrating Agbogidi for we are at a loss understanding why you’re intent on destroying his laudable attempts at safeguarding his domain and we’ll have you know that it is not a worthy Igbo trait to be seen insulting your elders, let alone someone as high and revered as the Obi of Onitsha who is old enough to be your grandfather.

“We know you currently brim with supreme arrogance and an incredible Messiah complex but like that child who pointedly and rightly raised the issue of the king’s unclothedness whilst others applauded his non-existent resplendent robes, you need to be told that if you have any modicum of honesty, you should by now use same Twitter platform to tender an unreserved apology to the Obi of Onitsha and his people for that baseless and unwarranted attack.”
However, a statement by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, insisted that Kanu’s comment merely advised the monarch and the security outfit against being used by the Fulani and the powers-that-be to fight the ESN.
“IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, never insulted the Obi of Onitsha as being mischievously misconstrued by these dubious characters and traitors in our land,” he stated. “They only want to twist facts for a piece of bread and crumbs from the Caliphate. The fact remains that our Leader, Kanu, has enormous respect for the Obi of Onitsha and holds him in high esteem.
“Our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, supports every genuine security outfit set up to protect our land and forest and to secure our mothers, wives and sisters from the incessant rapes and killings by Fulani terrorists. But any security outfit set up to attack ESN cannot be allowed to exist.”

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Tanko Muhammad, on Monday, asked Olasunbo Goodluck, one of the 18 newly sworn-in justices of the Court of Appeal to retake her oath of office because she replaced “God” with “Allah” in the officially recognised concluding remark.

Ms Goodluck who hails from Lagos, South-west Nigeria, broke the “So help me God” rule.

As the judge walked away from the microphone, the CJN ordered Ms Goodluck to return to the podium and say, “So help me God.”

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the inauguration was earlier scheduled to take place in April but had to be postponed due to the nationwide strike of the members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

The strike embarked upon by judiciary workers to press for the financial autonomy of the judiciary started on April 6 and went on to ground Nigerian courts and relevant institutions for over two months.

President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment of the judges following their recommendation by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, struck out a suit demanding three slots for the South-east region in the process of appointing the 18 judges.

• Soludo wins the factional ticket, ‘suspended’
• Journalists barred at the venue of accreditation, voting

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which dropped the hint, yesterday, in Abuja, APGA’s disqualification followed the party’s failure to comply with Section 85 of the Electoral Act.

The commission disclosed that APGA did not notify it when it purportedly held its ad hoc congress to elect delegates for the party’s governorship primary.

INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Publicity and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, in a statement, insisted that parties must act within the confines of the law in the conduct of their congresses and primaries if they are to avoid issues and challenges that may complicate the conduct of elections.

INEC’s clarification came on the heels of the declaration of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, as the winner of the factional primary organised by the Chief Victor Oye-led faction of the party.

As of the time of filing the report, exit polls indicated the former CBN governor and frontline aspirant was cruising home to victory, even as reports indicated that a rival faction of the party announced the suspension of the economist-turned politician.

The Chief Jude Okeke-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party said Soludo was suspended from APGA for anti-party activities, saying that the NWC arrived at the decision after its meeting on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.

The acting National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, who disclosed this to journalists in Abuja, said the party leadership applauded the peaceful and successful “Special Delegate Ward Congresses, where three-member Ward Delegates were elected for the July 1, governorship primaries of the party.”

Journalists were barred at the venue of the accreditation and voting. The state secretary of the party, Tony Ifeanya, however denied knowledge of any order by the leadership of the party to bar reporters from witnessing the event, which was beamed live by dedicated television stations and the SoludoTV Facebook app

Ifeanya said journalists in the state were not accredited because they did not apply to the party for permission to cover the primary election.

“Maybe you people can wait around. When the process is over, the leadership of the party would speak to you about the outcome of the exercise,” he said.

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, and the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Wednesday, differed on the nation’s debt-to-Gross Domestic Product ratio.

Experts who spoke to our correspondents also expressed worry over the nation’s rising debt profile.

While Ahmed put the debt-to-GDP ratio at 29 per cent, Okojo-Iweala said it had risen to 35 per cent.

Both the minister and the WTO boss spoke at the African Development Bank High Level Knowledge Event with the theme: ‘From Debt Resolution to Growth: The Road Ahead for Africa’ which held virtually on Wednesday.

Ahmed also disclosed that Nigeria planned to borrow more money to fund its infrastructure capacity.

This is in spite of voices calling on the government to halt borrowing and concentrate on other means of raising funds for the infrastructure needs of the country.

According to the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s total public debt portfolio rose from N12.12tn in June 2015 to N33.11tn as of March 31.

Ahmed said the government was enforcing fiscal discipline to expand its fiscal space so that it could continue to service its debts and borrow more to build the nation’s infrastructure capacity.

She said, “As of Q1 2021, we have about a 29 per cent debt-to-Gross Domestic Product ratio. In terms of level of debt, we are still very healthy, and sustainable.

“We are struggling with revenues, which is what we need to pay our debts. We have put in place a number of measures to enhance domestic revenue.

“We are cutting costs, we are improving the ease of doing business, trying to leverage private sector resource capacity to invest in infrastructure to reduce government spending.

“We are working on increased transparency in public financial management; we are enforcing fiscal discipline to expand our fiscal space so that we can continue to service our debt and borrow more to build our infrastructure capacity.”

Ahmed also said that the total debt profile did not include that of some states, and that the federal government was making moves to correct that.

“In Nigeria, we’ve been making a lot of effort on a quarterly basis to disclose all the debts that we have and to also indicate what the debt service is.



Currently, we are working on including other state-owned debts that have not been included in public debt for the purpose of transparency. It is important and will help us going forward.”

However, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who also attended the AfDB’s event, differed with Ahmed on the nation’s debt-to-GDP ratio.

The WTO boss who had been Nigeria’s Minister of Finance in the past said the nation’s debt to GDP ratio had risen from 29 per cent to 35 per cent.

She said, “Middle-income African countries have also seen their debt burdens increase sharply. Amid falling prices and demand for oil worldwide, Nigeria’s debt to GDP ratio rose from 29 to 35 per cent; Algeria from 46 to 53 per cent, and Egypt from 84 to 90 per cent, Angola from 107 to 127 per cent.

“Debt to GDP ratios also increased for non-oil exporters including South Africa from 62 to 77 per cent. Morocco from 65 to 76 per cent.”

Okonjo-Iweala also said that scarce foreign exchange in certain African countries was creating scenarios where the governments were using scarce forex to fund the fund debt repayment rather than on capital investment.

“Even where debt to GDP or where debt to export ratios were not very high, tighter access to dollar financing because of the COVID-19 crisis means we are already seeing places where scarce foreign exchange is going to fund debt repayment instead of capital investment,” she added.

A professor of economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Sheriffdeen Tella, described as a cause for worry the amount being spent by the government on debt servicing.

He said, “What is important is not even the debt-to-GDP ratio but the ability to pay, and we are presently in serious problem with payments.

“If they want to borrow money from internal sources, that could be understood. But if they are going international again, I think it is not proper because presently the level of international borrowing is what is giving them problem now.

“We are selling oil and making money but we are using that money to service the debts that we owe, and that is unfortunate.

“So, one cannot but be worry. So, government should think about creating wealth rather than continue borrowing. If they need money badly, they should borrow domestically.”

Prof. Akpan Ekpo told one of our correspondents that there was an urgent need for the government to be more transparent concerning the borrowing.

He said, “There is nothing bad in borrowing but you need to borrow to fund infrastructural projects that will pay their way.

Looking at debt-to-GDP ratio can be quite misleading because we debased our GDP making the denominator very large compared to the numerator. Instead, we should use debt servicing to GDP ratio and debt to revenue ratio, which at the current rates are disturbing.”

Ekpo added, “FG needs to do more feasibility studies on these infrastructural projects before borrowing to fund them.

“Infrastructural projects like power and others have positive multiplier effects in the long run. For the debt acquisition, they also need to be more transparent on it too.”

President of the AfDB, Akinwumi Adesina, said that cumulative total debt in Africa was higher than cumulative government revenue.

According to him, in 2019, Africa’s total outstanding debt was $841.9bn, while total government annual revenue was $501bn.

Adesina said, “Africa’s GDP declined by 2.1 per cent in 2021. Growth is projected to recover to 3.4 per cent by 2021 and 2022. Africa’s cumulative GDP declined by $145bn to $190bn.

“Millions fell into extreme poverty on the continent. Thirty-nine million Africans could fall into poverty by the end of 2021.

Adesina said debt-to-GDP ratios on the continent was expected to rise to 10 to 15 percentage points, rising from 60 per cent in 2020 to 75 per cent in 2021.

He added that as of 2021, 17 out of 38 African countries for which debt sustainability was available were in dire distress.

Twelve countries were in moderate risk of debt distress, while six were already in dire distress, and one country had low risk of debt distress, he added.

Sheikh Imran Molaasan of Iwo City, the National President of Jama’ at Ta ’awunil Muslimeen, spoke at a recent lecture in Akure, the Ondo state capital, about some Muslims who prefer to use social media to condemn and attack themselves rather than to attack their common enemies, particularly those who have been digging graves in the name of Agitating for the Yoruba .

The sheikh spoke at a day lecture in Akure central mosque, which was organised by the Jama ’at Ta ’ awunil Muslimeen Akure chapter , which was a program to call the Muslims together and discuss the present and persistent situation of Nigeria.

He said the present situation with Yoruba Muslims makes him get worried, and he likened what is happening with what happened in Bosnia where millions of Muslims were killed for lack of comprehension, insight, and foresight amidst the Muslims in Bosnia, whereas other religious groups are secretly preparing for war .

He went and said ; "How can Yoruba Muslims at this delicate and challenging state be very quiet about the agitation for Oodua Nation as if it is like Paradise? How are they even at peace with the fight against Fulanis and not Islam, also how would their right be secured if the power finally falls in their enemy’s hands ?"

He was appreciated by the Chief Imam of Akure , Dr Abdul Akeem Yahya Akorede, who said the words of Sheikh are expensive and timely words that all Muslims need to hear and do something about . Also, he thanked the organisers of the program.