₦airaland Forum

EMMANUEL Iwuanyanwu, frontline politician and businessman, says the Igbo do not wish to secede from Nigeria “because they have invested in the country more than the Hausas and Yorubas”.

According to online Punch Newspaper, he said this in Imo state while speaking at a national unity summit organised by Arewa Ambassadors Congress of Nigeria in partnership with Youth Assembly of Nigeria.

Describing the Igbo as major stakeholders in the country, Iwuanyanwu said they would not be party to any move to divide it.

He said the Igbo want to be one Nigeria in fairness.



Faulting the federal government over the arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Iwuanyanwu said “Biafra is not about secession”.

“He (Kanu) only expressed his view. No arm was found in his possession. We are Biafrans and we are not ashamed to say it,” he said.


“Igbo have invested more in Nigeria than Arewa and Oduduwa. We want to be one Nigeria in fairness.

“Biafra is not about secession. It is a name of a particular people in Nigeria from the south-east. Therefore, it is not an offence to say that I am a Biafran.

“There was no victor, no vanquished after the civil war. I am impressed with Yakubu Gowon because he implemented all the agreements reached at the end of the civil war. Igbo were not deprived at the end of the civil war.”

Iwuanyanwu also accused the federal government of marginalising the Igbo “simply because the zone voted en masse for the peoples Democratic Party in the last presidential election.”



He, therefore, challenged the youth in the country to always “shun tribal and religious sentiments” and work for the growth of the Nigeria.

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has
said fiscal federalism was the system that would work better to facilitate development in the country.

Speaking at the occasion of the Rivers State 50th year anniversary in Port Harcourt, Wednesday, Mr. Jonathan criticised the Niger Delta Development Commission, saying the agency has failed to provide the needed infrastructural development in the region.

“This will allow states to assume control of the exploitation of their natural resources and mandate them to pay adequate taxes to the Federal Government,” said Mr. Jonathan.

“My conviction that fiscal federalism will initiate faster development is born out of a comparison between the intervention Agencies and the 13 percent derivation. From the days of Special Funds, through OMPADEC to now NDDC, the Federal Government has provided funds for the development of the oil bearing communities but very little physical infrastructure to show for it.



“This is so because these bodies are highly political and lack continuity as tenures are hardly completed. New Federal Government administrations appoint new teams who award new contracts hence the zone is littered with abandoned projects.

“I believe that without the 13 percent derivation, action governors like Wike would not have the capital to drive his ambitious developmental projects. With fiscal federalism, the pace of development will be even faster.”

Mr. Jonathan said although the country is doing well in many areas, several issues have continued to agitate its citizens.

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“Our people want us to improve on the way we govern ourselves. That was why in 2014 I set up the National Conference to examine the grey areas and proffer viable options that will accelerate our political, social and economic development. I am convinced that implementation of the Report will help resolve some of the problems in our country,” he said.

“It is also my conviction that the future of democracy, not only in Nigeria but across the entire continent of Africa, lies in putting the people first. This will entail not only working to improve their lives but also respecting their rights to freely chose who to represent them, without let or hindrance.



“That way, they will be able to wrap their hope and future around the certainty of the declaration that real power belongs to them, and that the maxim of one man one vote is not just mere platitude.”

THE Nigeria Defence headquarters has dismissed speculation that a coup plot was being hatched to overthrow the democracy in the country.

Last week, Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, issued a statement warning officers and men of the army to desist from having meetings with politicians.

He said he had information that some officers were meeting with politicians for “undisclosed reasons”.

He said he had information that some officers were meeting with politicians for “undisclosed reasons”.

This fuelled speculation that a coup d’ etat was imminent.

But speaking with journalists on Wednesday, John Enenche, spokesman of the DHQ, said there was "no confirmation that a coup plot was being hatched".

Enenche said the warning issued by the army was a caution to officers to maintain professional conduct.

He said the armed forces remained loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari, and “in complete subordination to civil rule.”

“All fears about a coup should be allayed as the contemporary Nigerian military is abreast with the best international practices in governance, which is democracy,” he said.

“It is pertinent to state that if there are signs of actions that point to likely breaches of military code of conduct as it were, professionally, it is a command responsibility to caution officers and men on routine basis to conform to ethics of the military,” he said.

“Officers and men are cautioned to exercise command and control by appropriate superior authorities through commanders at various levels.

“This is to prevent members of the armed forces from derailing from their core focus of total dedication to their oath of allegiance.

“Cautions or warnings are issued with investigations following.”

On Monday, Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said any coup attempt would be resisted.

He added that Nigerians must be ready to grow democracy because they had sacrificed much for it.

Lalasticlala

HUMAN rights lawyer , Mr. Femi Falana ( SAN) , has described as anomalous the likely bid by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to seek re – election in 2018.

Fayose had said on Monday that he would contest the 2018 governorship election so that he could serve his first term which was truncated in 2006.

Fayose was impeached in 2006 , but the Supreme Court in 2014 nullified the impeachment that ousted him from the office about seven months to the end of his first term.

Speaking on a live broadcast on Ekiti State Television in Ado- Ekiti on Monday evening, Fayose said that since the apex court had said that his impeachment in 2006 was illegal, he would then have to approach the same court to interpret what that ruling meant and also consider seeking a re -election in 2018.




But Falana said on Tuesday that Fayose ’s bid to seek re – election would amount to tenure elongated which no court could grant.

He said , “ Tenure extension by a governor under any disguise is anomalous . No court can prolong the tenure of a sitting governor buying the two terms prescribed by the Constitution.

“ In the case of Gov Rasheed Ladoja v INEC the appellant wanted an extension of his term of office to allow him to spend extra 11 months while he was fighting his impeachment from outside.

“ Although the Supreme Court had set aside his impeachment it was held that the relief was illegal and unconstitutional.

“ Similarly, the governors who were re -elected after their initial election was annulled, the Supreme Court made it abundantly clear that tenure extension was unknown to the Constitution. In view of the settled position of the law on the matter , Governor Ayo Fayose cannot be granted by any court in Nigeria .”

THE Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Folorunso Adewole, has said President Muhammadu Buhari could not be treated in Nigeria because of the long existing bond between him and his foreign doctors, saying health was a complex issue.

Buhari is currently in the United Kingdom seeking medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment.

His current trip is the third in the past year solely for medical reasons.

“One thing we must realise is that health is a complex issue. There’s what we call patient-doctor relationship; there is also a bond between the patient and the doctor and these are things we can’t play with,” the minister said in a report on Thisday Newspaper while assuring Nigerians and the international community that there is no cause for concern over President Muhammadu Buhari’s health.

Adewole, who is a professor of surgery, added: “I used to have patients in Ibadan and they still call me, and say ‘we will like to see you’. Then I have to say no to them because I’m no longer available and ask, ‘why can’t you see somebody else?’ But many of them are reluctant to do so. That’s the complex thing about health.

“We should give him (Buhari) that choice. What we really wish is for Mr. President to be well and hearty.



“However, this is also a complex country, so I am not too happy about some of the insinuations, because we should pray for our leaders. We should continue to pray for him,” he canvassed.

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Still addressing the concern among many Nigerians and the international community over the president’s continuing absence because of his health, the minister said: “There is no cause for alarm,” describing Buhari as an unusual man.

According to Adewole, “He (Buhari) came back and told us that he was ill and that he was treated. When we have that type of leader, I think we can go to sleep.”

Assessing the administration’s performance in the health sector, the minister scored the government very high.

He said the first thing is that the president assured Nigerians two years ago that health care would be accessible and available to Nigerians, adding that the country was on the path to achieving that.

The minister stated: “The first thing we have done is to approve the policy, that’s the third Health Policy in the history of Nigeria. So this government can take credit for putting a policy in place, that’s number one.

“We also launched a programme called the ‘Save One Million Lives Initiative’, where we took money from the World Bank and gave it to the states as seed grants to develop programmes that will impact on the lives of women and children because we want many of our indicators – maternal and child health indicators – to change. We don’t want our women to die as if they are chickens, that’s number two.

“We also initiated a programme called the ‘Rapid Response Results Initiative’, distinctively factored for the poor. We started with 10,000 surgeries for the poor and I am happy to say that all over the country, we are offering care to poor Nigerians.”

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He also revealed that the federal government had developed a lot of policy documents – working on fistula, developed a policy to further the new born care programme, developed a policy for clorocydine, and working with pharmaceutical groups.



The drive on pharmaceutical groups, according to the minister, was targeted at ensuring that Nigerians patronise Made-in-Nigeria goods.

“Last year, I challenged local manufacturers to produce Made-in-Nigeria mosquito nets and they are out, which is also something that we should credit this administration with. So we are moving on day by day to make sure we fulfill our promises.

“We have started primary health care revitalisation, as part of the RRRI. Very soon, we are moving on to really injecting life into our tertiary centres. We have identified three reasons why people go out of the country and die: cancer, renal and cardiac diseases,” he said.

In the 2017 budget proposal, the minister explained that his ministry proposed a project called strategic investment in tertiary centres in seven centres, adding that when the work is completed, the seven centres would be fully equipped to handle cancer, renal and cardiac diseases in Nigeria.

UNKWOWN gunmen, said to have posed as security agents, in the early hours of Saturday invaded the home of Alhaji Bashir Adoke, the junior brother of a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN).

The gunmen, who did not identify themselves as security operatives, but claimed to be searching for cash in the three-bedroom bungalow, did not present any warrant.

But when they could not found money, they beat one AbdulGaniyu, who is the caretaker of the house, to a pulp.

According to a relation of the Adokes, the gunmen forcefully gained entrance into the bungalow at Nagazi Area of Okehi Local Government Area about 12.30am.


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The relation said: “They broke doors and started shouting where is the money kept in this house?

“They were desperate.

“They upturned the furniture and ransacked every part of the building.

“Getting frustrated, they vandalized everything in the house because they could not get any cash.

“They later pounced on AbdulGaniyu, they took him to a part of the compound and asked him to start digging the ground for hidden money.

“When the search for cash was fruitless, they beat AbdulGaniyu to a pulp and injured him.”

The younger Adoke, who is the owner of the house and resident in Abuja, was not at Nagazi in Okehi for the weekend.


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Ex-Minister Adoke, who is being tried by the Federal Government over his alleged role in the Malabu Oil scandal had few weeks back raised the alarm that security operatives are planning to invade his house.

He said the plot was to plant monies and guns in the house to implicated him.

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday told a Federal High Court in Lagos that the apartment on Osborne Road, Ikoyi, where $43.5 million was found, was bought for N360 million by a company allegedly owned by Folashade Oke, the wife of the suspended Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ayo Oke.

In an affidavit and exhibits tendered to support a prayer for the permanent forfeiture of the money to the Federal Government, the EFCC said a company called Choba Ventures Limited bought the Flat 7 and paid for it between August and September 2015.

Fine and Country Limited was the vendor.

Up till now, despite notices published in newspapers, neither Folashade Oke nor Choba Ventures had stepped out to claim the money.

This is because a source in the NIA said, the flat does not belong to Mrs. Oke as claimed but bought by her and sold ultimately to the NIA.

The property was said to have been procured through a proxy company and is legally owned by NIA with relevant documents.

The source said if normal and civil procedures are used for security duties, then nothing will work.

It was said that the details given by the EFCC is the normal security way of doing things, adding that there must always be a means of covering up for all acts within the security circle for operations to be successful.


The source said this is why it is normal to use proxy for classified actions.

In most cases, it was said, the proxies are not even aware of the full details of the assignment they are embarking on as intelligence agencies use fronts for actions.

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The property was said to have been procured through a proxy company, thus it is legally owned by NIA with relevant documents.

The source explained that this was why Ambassador Oke had claimed before the Presidential Panel, headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, that the money belongs to the NIA.

Reports said the money was part of the $285 million withdrawn from the account of a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for covert operations in the South West part of the country with the approval of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

In the affidavit filed in support of its prayer for forfeiture, the EFCC tendered the receipt of payment to Choba Ventures Limited issued by another company, Fine & Country Limited.

The agency also tendered a Deed of Assignment between Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and Choba Ventures Limited, while the third exhibit was a publication of the order of the court.

EFCC’s lawyer, Rotimi Oyedepo, said the commission’s finding in the course of investigation leaves no one in doubt that flat 7, Osborne was purchased by Choba Ventures Limited and that the company’s directors are one Mrs. Ayodele Folashade Oke and her son.

The agency said Folashade Oke, to buy the property, gave $1.658 million to Salla Petroleum and Gas Limited, which turned out to be a Bureau De Change company.

The latter converted the money to Naira and credited the account of Fine and Country.

Fine and Country acknowledged the receipt of the money on August 27 and 28 as well as September 2 and 3, 2015 with a Naira equivalent of N360 million.

“Upon the payment, a Deed of Assignment was then executed between UBN and Choba Ventures Limited,” Oyedepo said.

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Oyedepo therefore urged the court to hold that the commission’s submission that the house and the money found in it are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful act.


He also urged the court to agree to permanently forfeit the money to the Federal Government in view of the fact that no one has come forward to lay claim to the money within the 14 days given by the court.

The EFCC had during the raid on the Flat in April recovered $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000.

The money was kept in iron cabinets and “Ghana must go” bags.

The commission said in coming forward to seek the order for final forfeiture, it has complied with the court directives as contained in the earlier oder of interim forfeiture granted by the court by publishing the order in a national daily newspaper.

The commission said it did not only publish the order of interim forfeiture, it went further to serve the motion and order on the owner of the property where the money in question was found.

Justice Muslim Hassan had earlier granted an order of interim forfeiture, which must be published in a national daily newspaper to allow anyone interested in the money to come forward within 14 days and show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The anti-graft agency said so far nobody has come forward to show interest in the huge money found.

Justice Hassan has adjourned ruling till June 6.

THE Presidential Investigative Panel probing suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal may recommend him for criminal investigation and likely prosecution.

This is just as the panel may have set free the security chief of the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, Ayodele Oke.

A three-man panel set up by President Muhammadu Buhari, under the chairmanship of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was constituted two weeks ago and given 14 days to conclude the assignment. Though it has concluded the probe since Wednesday, May 3 the panel will submit its report to President Buhari on Monday.


The panel, which also had the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Munguno (Retd), as members, sat in camera throughout its work.

Lawal was accused of legal and due process violations in the award of contracts to companies handling the resettlement of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

Oke got into trouble following the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies totaling over N13 billion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in an apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos. The NIA subsequently claimed ownership of the fund, adding that the money was warehoused in the private apartment for covert operations across Nigeria and some neighbouring countries.

The Senate, which had been probing Lawal on alleged contract fraud, on Wednesday, recommended his prosecution after indicting him for allegedly taking bribes to the tune of N500 million from contractors his office awarded contracts to. The Osinbajo panel’s findings, it was gathered, agreed with the upper chamber of the National Assembly on virtually all the issues raised for consideration.

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Daily Sun quoting presidential sources reports that the Osinbajo panel was however convinced that the seized N15billion was no proceed of crime and that it truly belongs to the NIA for its operations following “overwhelming evidence of documents tendered and witnesses called to testify, all of who exonerated Oke of any wrongdoing.”

The panel was also said to have established that soon after Gen. Monguno was appointed the NSA, Oke briefed him “on all on-going operations and projects along with available funds, both in cash and in the banks.” It also agreed with Oke’s submission that the NSA in February 2016 directed a team to verify the NIA’s submissions, as a result of which Gen. Monguno did a memo to Oke on May 17, 2016, informing him of his decision to inform President Buhari on intelligence operations and projects embarked upon by the Agency.


The panel came to that conclusion following oral testimonies and submission of copies of the correspondence involving Buhari, Monguno and Oke. Though the panel in its report had issues with Oke’s explanations on why he used his wife’s company name to procure the Osborne apartment, it could not however indict Oke for money laundering as a result of provisions of paragraph 12(1) & (2) of the National Intelligence Agency Instrument No.1, a subsidiary legislation to National Security Agencies Act, 1986, which states that the NIA reports directly to the president and its accounts are prohibited from external auditing.

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The paper quoted a source close to the panel to have said that Oke was able to itemise the $289 million intervention fund approved and released to the agency by the Goodluck Jonathan administration in November, 2014, just as he had stated in his memo to the NSA in 2016.

Though the panel failed to indict the acting EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu for not handling the investigation in a tidy and professional manner, it however acknowledged the fact that Oke did the right thing by visiting Magu in his office to brief him about the true ownership of the money while the operation was still going on at the Ikoyi apartment.

As at the time of filing this report, it could not be established whether President Buhari will indeed handover Babachir Lawal to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution, or whether Ayo Oke would be allowed to complete his tenure which ends in November or be asked to proceed on terminal leave as soft landing since no case of criminal breach could be established against him.

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday named Mrs. Folashade Oke as the owner of Flat 7B, No. 13, Osborne Road, Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, where the sums of $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23, 218,000 were recently recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Mrs. Oke is the wife of the suspended Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ayo Oke, whose agency had laid claim to the money.

According to the EFCC, Mrs. Oke made a cash payment of $1.658m for the purchase of the flat between August 25 and September 3, 2015.

She was said to have purchased the property in the name of a company, Chobe Ventures Limited, to which she and her son, Master Ayodele Oke Junior, were directors.

Payment for the purchase of the flat was said to have been made to one Fine and Country Limited.

The EFCC stated that Mrs. Oke made the cash payment in tranches of $700,000, $650,000 and $353,700 to a Bureau de Change company, Sulah Petroleum and Gas Limited, which later converted the sums into N360,000,000 and subsequently paid it to Fine and Country Limited for the purchase of the property.

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The EFCC on Friday tendered the receipt issued by Fine and Country Limited to Chobe Ventures Limited as an exhibit before the Federal High Court in Lagos, where it is seeking an order of final forfeiture of the recovered money to the Federal Government.

“The circumstances leading to the discovery of the huge sums stockpiled in Flat 7B, Osborne Towers leaves no one in doubt that the act was pursuant to an unlawful activity.

“The very act of making cash payment of $1.6m without going through any financial institution by Mrs. Folashade Oke for the acquisition of Flat 7B, Osborne Towers, is a criminal act punishable by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Act. I refer My Lord to sections 1(a), 16(d) and 16(2)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Act,” a counsel for the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, told the court on Friday.

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In an affidavit filed before the court, a Detective Inspector with the EFCC, Mohammed Chiroma, stated that “Chobe Ventures Limited is not into any business but was merely incorporated to retain proceeds of suspected unlawful activities of Mrs. Folashade Oke.”

While urging the presiding judge, Justice Muslim Hassan, to order the permanent forfeiture of the funds to the Federal Government, Oyedepo argued that the fact that Flat 7B, Osborne Towers was purchased in a criminal manner, made the N13bn recovered therein “extremely suspicious to be proceeds of unlawful acts.”

The lawyer noted that despite the newspaper advertisement of the initial order of April 13, 2017 temporarily forfeiting the money to the Federal Government, no one showed up in court on Friday to show cause why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

THE House of Representatives has been flayed for rejecting a proposal seeking the relocation of the operational and administrative offices of oil companies to the Niger Delta region, by the leadership of rights groups from the area.

The bodies, comprising the Niger Delta Security Watch Organisation of Nigeria (NDSWO), Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative (IPDI) and Foundation for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (FHRACC), stated that a motion of such nature coming at a critical time ought to have been appreciated by all and sundry, insisting that if Nigeria must continue to protect her unity, then everyone must be his biblical brother’s keeper.

Expressing dismay at the cold treatment given to the motion sponsored by Goodluck Opiah, the civil society organisations described the action as unpatriotic and provocative.

They contended that the people of the area have suffered untold environmental pollution and degradation over the years due to oil exploration while the northern and western regions enjoyed the accruing benefits that come with the exploitation of the resources.

They specifically condemned the position of Speaker Yakubu Dogara when he said he could not be forced to site a business in an unsafe environment, describing it as demeaning and an insult to a region which feeds the nation.


In a joint statement by the representatives of the civil society groups namely Dickson Bekederemo; Comrade Austin Ozobo and Alaowei Ebikonbowei Cleric, they wondered where came the issue of insecurity when the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group Managing Director (GMD), Maikanti Baru had already told State House correspondents in Abuja that daily oil production has hit two million barrels.

“How did the NNPC achieve these figures? Can it be achieved in an unsafe and unfriendly environment as alleged by the speaker? People should not be driven by their personal interests or ambitions to instigate another round of avoidable crisis in the region. We have not recovered from the bloody oil war that is gradually given way to peace as a result of the Buhari government’s timely intervention,” the groups said.

Meanwhile, Governor Seriake Dickson labelled those opposed to the relocation as enemies of peace and stability of the region. A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworison-Markson, quoted the governor as saying this at a special dinner organised by the state government on the sideline of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, United States.

The well-attended event, was tagged “Bayelsa/Oloibiri Roundtable”. Dickson further espoused the vision of his administration to drive investment and support the growth of the state’s economy through active engagement of the private sector.


Reiterating the establishment of three modular refineries in each of the state’s senatorial zones, he assured the citizens that the board and management of the Bayelsa Petrochemical and Refinery Company would be constituted upon his return from abroad.

Also yesterday, the Senate passed the bill for the establishment of Nigerian Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Local South of Delta State. The development comes three years after its foundation-laying ceremony by former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

The bill was sponsored by James Manager (PDP– Delta South). According to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, physical assets were on site.

The legislation was passed following the report of the Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFUND chaired by Barau Jibrin, (APC-Kano). The upper chamber of the National Assembly had referred the bill for consideration in November 2016 when it scaled through second reading.

Manager had argued that the huge potential of the maritime sector necessitates a specialised higher institution for the purposes of producing capable manpower for the industry which, according to him, is currently dominated by foreign interests.

THE Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says the report that he has 1.2 billion dollars (about N400 billion) in his bank account is “fake and vicious’’.

The minister stated this on Thursday in Ilorin at the Annual National Conference and General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) with the theme; “Communicating Values for Development and Sustainability’’.

The minister said that the report was invented by opposition to malign him and the government, adding that the alleged fund is about the budget of his ministry for 25 years.

“How else can you explain that people will believe and circulate a fake report that the Minister of Information and Culture that is yours truly has 1.2 billion dollars in his imaginary bank account?

“Let’s examine this for a moment. 1.2 billion dollars is about N400 billion.

“The entire yearly budget of the Ministry of Information and Culture, where I preside, is under 15 billion Naira and these include salaries, overhead and capital projects.

“Assuming, without conceding that the Minister somehow manages to transfer the entire budget into his personal account, it will take 25 years for him to amass N400 billion.

“Yet, this disinformation was lapped up by the public, he said.

The minister said that similar imaginary huge sums of money had been credited to other ministers. He condemned the ugly trend by opposition, who were inventing the fake and malicious stories using bloggers and some online media to malign government officials.

According to him, the intention of the perpetrators and carriers of the reports are to distract the government to lose focus, but it will not fall to their antics.

The minister said that Public Relations gave him the first break in life being the profession he practiced after his graduation for over 40 years.

Mohammed, a Fellow of the Institute said that the theme of the conference was apt and called on NIPR members to be proactive in the discharge of their duties.

“You must neither be intimidated, cowed nor be overwhelmed by the cynics, you must set your own agenda and daily review such with a view to improving on them.

“You must never lose touch with your traditional constituents. You must understand the tactics of the opposition, which is an ambush and irrational,’’ he said.

The minister specifically tasked government information managers to equip themselves with qualities such as integrity, courage, abnormal capacity for hard work, ingenuity resourcefulness and ability to think out of the box.

The President and Chairman Governing Council of NIPR, Dr Rotimi Oladele said the conference was to deliberate on how the profession could be used to promote communication values for development.

He underscored the need for practitioners to showcase national values and present them to a global market.

Oladele commended the minister for the support given to the Institute and for creating time to attend the event.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister also inaugurated a new Governing Council for the Institute to run for two years under the leadership of Oladele.

Some of the members of the Council are, former Defence Spokesperson, retired Gen. Chris Olukolade, former Director of Press and Protocol in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Mr Peter Dama and his successor, Mr Timothy Oyedeji.

Others are Mr Wale Adeniyi of Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Sule Yau a former Chief Press Secretary to Kano State Government and Alhaja Bola Osifeso.

ADAMU Muazu, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has denied allegation of betrayal and conspiracy made against him.

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan had allegedly accused the former PDP boss of conspiracy with the opposition party to kick him out in the corridor of power.

“I felt really betrayed by the result from some northern states. Perhaps for ethnic purposes, even security agents colluded with the opposition to come up with spurious results against me.

“What happened was very sad not for me as a person, but for our democracy. Take, for instance, the PDP national chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. I believe he joined in the conspiracy against me. For reasons best known to him, he helped to sabotage the election in favour of the opposition,” Mr. Jonathan was quoted to have said in a book titled, ‘Against the Run of Play’, written by Segun Adeniyi, chairman of THISDAY editorial board.

Reacting to the allegation in a post on his Facebook page on Thursday, Muazu expressed surprise that the former president could speak about him in such manner.

Muazu who denied ever betraying Mr. Jonathan also said the people decided to vote out the former president.

“Ordinarily, I would have ignored the allegation that I betrayed President Jonathan and my party, but doing so could create the impression that I really did,” he said.

“I find it difficult to believe that President Jonathan would level such allegation against me. How can one betray himself?

“As the then national chairman of the PDP, I have been at the forefront of the presidential campaign train. Those who are insinuating that I betrayed President Jonathan and my party are being economical with the truth.

“In the face of abuse, insult and open ridicule by our friends and brothers we supported President Jonathan faithfully.

“In all sincerity, I gave my best and all to my party. Those who blame us for not delivering maximum votes to the former president in the north seem to have forgotten that it is the people who vote.”

Lalasticlala, mynd44

IBRAHIM Idris, inspector-general of police (IGP), has ordered a probe of Inusa Biu, said to be a police officer who threatened to kill 200 people if President Muhammadu Buhari dies in office.

Biu was said to have made the threat on his Facebook account.

In a statement on Wednesday, Jimoh Moshood, police spokesman, said police officers were under obligation not to make unauthorised public comments.

He said the police force is a highly disciplined organisation which had respect for proper behaviour and good manners.

“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to an online publication credited to a yet to be identified policeman’s Facebook account on the above caption: ‘Policeman threatens to kill 200 Nigerians if Buhari dies,” the statement read.

“The inspector-general of police has ordered immediate investigation into the unfortunate personal comments purportedly made by the alleged police officer named Inusa Saidu Biu on his Facebook account. Police officers are under obligation not to make unauthorised public comments.

“It is pertinent to state that the Nigeria Police Force is a highly discipline organisation with full observation and compliance with professional ethics, decorum, respect for proper behaviour and good manners within the ranks of personnel of the Force, the comment therefore, is a distraction and absolutely a shadowy imagination of the writer and should be disregarded and discountenance in its entirety.

“The force is therefore assuring the general public of it renewed determination and commitment to maintain law and order and guarantee the protection of lives and property of all Nigerians throughout the country.”

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan has said he lost the 2015 election because he was betrayed by the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, and some Northern leaders in the party.

Jonathan, who made his feelings known in a book: “Against The Run of Play,” written by the Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board, Olusegun Adeniyi, said Buhari could still fight corruption using a different style.

Jonathan also believes that his family is being hounded by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

He said: “I feel sad about the way my family is being hounded.

“Society is like a building. You build it one block at a time. If every president decides to go in to dismantle what his predecessor did, society will never make progress. I expected President Buhari to correct whatever mistakes I may have made and then carry on from there.

“But a situation in which people go into exile for political reasons is not good for us.

“His style of fighting corruption is different from mine and since most Nigerians apparently prefer his style, it is okay. There are steps you take that will help in retrieving ill-gotten wealth and punish offenders while restoring confidence in the system. But there are also things you can do to damage the system.”

On the 2015 poll, Jonathan said: “I felt really betrayed by the result coming from some northern states. Perhaps for ethnic purposes, even security agents colluded with the opposition to come up with spurious results against me. You saw the way the Inspector General of Police, a man I appointed, suddenly turned himself into the ADC to Buhari immediately after the election.

“How could we have lost Ondo, Benue and Plateau States if our people were committed to the cause? If you examine the results, you will see a pattern: in places where ordinarily we were strong, our supporters did not show enough commitment to mobilise the voters.

“What happened was very sad not for me as a person, but for our democracy.

“Take, for instance, the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu. I believe he joined in the conspiracy against me. For reasons best known to him, he helped to sabotage the election in favour of the opposition.”

Lalasticlala

AnanseK:
But you are the one threatening violence now.

deebsman1:
You are irrationally stupid for ur comment, Islam is for peace and as insinuated by you, give credible reference to all what u alleged.

For whatever reason, let him for no reasons demolish any house of God and c God's curse rain on him

MURIC: Nobody Should Blame Muslims For Any Breakdown Of Law And Order In Ekiti If...

THE Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused Ayodele Fayose, governor of Ekiti state, of plotting to set the country ablaze.

In a statement by Ishaq Akintola, director of the group, MURIC said its members had sighted “the governor’s bulldozers” around some mosques in the state.

The group had earlier raised the alarm that Fayose was plotting to demolish some mosque. Back then, it threatened to make the state ungovernable if such happened.

The governor later met with the group and the public believed that the matter had been resolved.

But Akintola has accused Fayose of breaching the truce reached three weeks ago. He alleged that Fayose was bent on removing all Islamic landmarks in the state.

“For reasons best known to him, Fayose wants to set Nigeria on fire. He knows that his action is capable of causing breach of peace yet he appears determined to go ahead,” Akintola said in a statement.

“This move is not only irrational but also highly provocative. Governor Fayose is deliberately provoking Muslims in Ekiti state and by inference, in Yorubaland and the country as a whole.

“Fayose has a phobia for Muslims and an allergy for seeing any Islamic monument in their neighbourhood. Fayose is determined to uproot every single Islamic landmark on Ekiti soil before his tenure expires in 2018.”

The group threatened violence if the governor were to go ahead with the demolition, saying, “nobody should blame Muslims for any breakdown of law and order if those mosques are demolished.”

“We are bewildered that the chief security officer of a state can be hell-bent on stoking religious riot in a country heavily beleaguered with religious conflicts,” the statement continued.

“Fayose’s belligerence and open display of hostility towards his Muslim citizens belies the perceived atmosphere of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in south-western Nigeria.

“Many people, including foreigners in the country, are under the impression that religious intolerance exists only in the northern part of the country.

“Nay, the truth of the matter is that Muslims in the region have been patiently bearing a long-drawn repression and denial of their Allah-given fundamental human rights.

“The reality on ground is that while a handful of Christians may be amenable to the idea of religious tolerance, many others like Fayose have a phobia for Muslims and an allergy for seeing any Islamic monument in their neighbourhood.”

It then called on traditional and religious leaders as well as well meaning Nigerians to intervene in the matter before “it gets out of hand.”

“MURIC calls the attention of leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to Fayose’s aggression against Muslims. We appeal to Western diplomats in the country to spare a little time to study the religious landscape in Yorubaland,” Akintola said.

“We charge leaders of the national assembly, lawmakers from Ekiti state and all men of goodwill to make Fayose see reason. We invite notable traditional rulers in Yorubaland, particularly the much revered Ooni of Ife and the Alaafin of Oyo to intervene in the matter before it gets out of hand.

“Finally, we warn that the fragile peace and one-sided religious ‘tolerance’ being enjoyed in the south-west may come under severe threat if Fayose carries out his threat to destroy those mosques.”

However, state government had justified its decision to demolish the mosques, saying that the mosques were not in right locations, and that worshippers could contract cancer as a result of radioactive emission from the petrol stations in which they are.

Lere Olayinka, spokesman of the governor, denied the allegation of his principal being against Muslims.

He said that the government was only acting in the interest of the people, to prevent loss of lives.