₦airaland Forum

Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari will on Monday depart for Accra, Ghana to attend the country’s 61st independence anniversary scheduled for Tuesday.

According to a statement on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President is the only foreign leader invited to the event holding at the Independence Square as Special Guest of Honour.

The statement read, “It is noteworthy that the President is the only foreign leader invited to the historic event as the Special Guest of Honour.

“Similarly, other than his host, President Nana Akufo-Addo, the Nigerian leader is the only foreign guest scheduled to address the august gathering.

“President Buhari will use the unique opportunity to reaffirm the long-standing warm relations between the peoples and governments of both brotherly nations.

“He will also underscore Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening the bilateral ties in furtherance of democracy, good governance and overall development not only in the West African sub-region but also the African continent.”

Adesina said the President and members of his delegation which include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, will return to Abuja after the celebrations on Tuesday.

http://punchng.com/buhari-travels-to-accra-addresses-ghanaians-at-61st-anniversary/

Popular American musician and evangelist, Don Moen, has dispelled rumours that his marriage to his wife is over.

Don Moen speaking at Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, COZA, on Saturday said he is alive and still married.

According to him, he is still married to his wife, Laura and living with her.

“I am not divorced, my wife and I are still married

“We have been married for 45 years with five children.

“Infact we are blessed with children and grandchildren all around us.

“You can’t believe everything you see on the internet

Don Moen thanked Nigerian for their support and prayers towards his ministry and family

“I have the highest followers from Nigerians o Facebook, i thank you all for the prayers and support.”

Recall that, the gospel singer had sometime in 2017 dispelled rumours of his death.


http://dailypost.ng/2018/03/04/don-moen-speaks-divorce-rumours/

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said on Sunday it was subsidising the supply of petrol to the tune of N774 million every day, given the landing cost of the imported fuel and the regulated pump price in the domestic market.

This disclosure is coming a few days after the corporation turned down a freedom of information request by Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, on how much the government was spending on subsidy.

The benefit of this costly subsidy to the national treasury, according to the NNPC, is being enjoyed by only a few as well as in neighbouring countries on the account of the continued smuggling of the fuel across the borders.

Maikanti Baru, NNPC group managing director, has made a passionate plea to the comptroller general of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, a retired colonel, to help check the proliferation of fuel stations in communities with international land and coastal borders across the country.

He said it had energised unprecedented cross-border smuggling of petrol to neighboring countries, making it difficult to sanitise the fuel supply and distribution matrix in the country.

“NNPC is concerned that continued cross-border smuggling of petrol will deny Nigerians the benefit of the Federal Government’s benevolence of keeping a fix retail price of N145 per litre despite the increase in PMS open market price above N171 per litre,’’ an NNPC statement quoted Baru saying during a visit at the weekend to the customs chief.

“Based on the heightened petrol consumption rate of 50 million litre per day, the corporation was incurring an under-recovery of N774 million every day.”

According to Baru, because of the obvious differential in petrol price between Nigeria and other neighboring countries, it had become lucrative for the smugglers to use the frontier stations as a veritable conduit for the smuggling of products across the border.

He added that this had resulted in a thriving market for Nigerian petrol in all the neighouring countries of Niger Republic, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad and Togo and even Ghana which has no direct borders with Nigeria.

The activities of the smugglers he said, led to recent observed abnormal surge in the evacuation of petrol from less than 35 million litres per day to 60 million litres per day and even to as high as 80 million litres per day as at December last year.

Nigeria imports around one million metric tonnes per annum of petrol due to the poor performance of the four oil refineries managed by the NNPC.

NNPC is the only entity currently involved in the fuel importation after private companies pulled out due to their inability to recoup their investment in their venture.

http://petrobarometer.thecable.ng/2018/03/04/revealed-fuel-subsidy-now-gulps-n774m-daily/

Senate spokesman, Sabi Abdullahi, has explained why a penalty of death sentence was included in the hate speech bill and fired at those opposing it.

Abdullahi is also the lawmaker who introduced a bill for the establishment of Independent National Commission for Hate Speeches.

The bill which passed for second reading at the Senate, prescribed death by hanging for any person found guilty of any form of hate speech that results in the death of another person.

A barrage of criticisms have trailed the introduction of the bill, with many of the view that it was aimed at hunting critics of the government.

But Abdullahi insists the penalty was only for those who were found guilty of any form of hate speech, that results in the death of another person after judicial processes in a Federal High Court.

“The issue there is that why not death penalty when you are responsible for deaths of other people? After all, our present law says if you do anything that result in the death of another person and it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that you caused the death of that person, the penalty is death by hanging.

“It is very clear. It has to be proven that there is hate speech, it has to be proven that the hate speech led to the death of that person. There is a condition that it has to be proven beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. The jurisdiction of the bill is the Federal High Court,” he said.

Abdullahi claimed those against the Bill had not lost a relative to violence instigated by hate speech.

“People who may be having some opposing views about it definitely are not in the category of people who have lost dear ones and family or livelihood to similar circumstances. If they are, I think they will be saying how I wish this was in place before this thing happened to me.

“We are also careful not to allow anybody take that and think he can continuously use it to oppress other people for whatever reason,” he said.

“That (victimisation) is not possible, the bill does not leave it as an administrative act. The jurisdiction here is purely before the Federal High Court. The commission is independent and nobody can direct or influence it. The moment it is put in place, no authority can give it directives. It is independently empowered.

“They have processes through which they will do conciliations, and where there are conciliations between parties, they have to sign agreement as an undertaking to abide by whatever terms and conditions are agreed upon with that conciliation. But where it becomes necessary that a person needs to be charged to court, it must be the Federal High Court for prosecution and at the court, you are entitled to your counsel.

“The commission is expected to do conciliation first and that is why they are also expected to monitor under their functions and when they monitor and see different kinds of people who are already going in the way of hate speech, they will draw cautions.

“By the time you get about five people that some people are involved in this kind of speech and they are being asked to refrain which they did, then you can see that we are already taking preventive measures,” he added.

http://dailypost.ng/2018/03/03/senate-blasts-nigerians-criticizing-death-penalty-hate-speech/

Suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike a.k.a Evans, on Wednesday asked a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere to quash the two separate charges filed against him by the Lagos State Government.

The Lagos State Government had brought a fresh five-count charge bordering on conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping and attempted murder against Evans and three others.

Evans is charged alongside Joseph Emeka, Ugochukwu Nwachukwu and Victor Aduba.

In the second charge, Evans is being tried alongside Joseph Emeka, Linus Okpara and Victor Aduba.


At the resumed hearing of the case on Wednesday, Counsel to the first defendant, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje informed the court that he had filed a motion on notice to quash all the charge filed against the first defendant (Evans).

In the motion on notice, Ogungbeje said that ‎all the charges and the proof of evidence before the court did not establish any prima facie case against the first defendant.

He also said that all the charges were “grossly defective, incompetent and constituted an abuse of court processes”.

He stated that the prosecution had earlier filed similar charges and amended charges bordering on kidnapping against the same first defendant pending before the same High Court of Lagos State.

He averred that the two separate charges were brought in bad faith to “harass, oppress, hound, frustrate, vex and intimidate the first defendant.”

“It will be in the interest of justice if all the two separate charges are quashed and the defendant is accordingly discharged.”


Ogungbeje, however urged the court to ‎adopt the facts as stated in the affidavit in support of the motion on notice.

‎In her response to the motion, the State Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, said there was sufficient proof and evidence linking the first defendant to the offences brought before the court.

She,therefore, urged the court to dismiss the application.

Shitta-Bey said that the first defendant was charged with the offence of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping of one Uche Okereafor.

She also said that other charges filed against the first defendant before other judges involved different defendants, different offences and different victims.

“This particular charge is premised on Evans involvement in the kidnapping of Okereafor and collecting ransom in the sum of two million dollars from his family.”

The DPP urged the court to expunge the submission of the first defendant as it constituted opinions, conclusions and argument contrary to Section 115 of the Evidence Act.

Meanwhile, the second defendant, Joseph Emeka has urged the court in a motion on notice to quash the two-count charge preferred against him.

He said the proof of evidence did not disclose any prima facie case against him.

However, the counsel to the fourth defendant Emmanuel Ochai, aligned himself with the submission and arguments of the first and second defendants’s counsel.

Justice Adedayo Akintoye, after listening to all the arguments, adjourned the case until March 22 for ruling.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN ) reports that the alleged kidnap kingpin was arrested on June 10, 2017 and was in August 2017 arraigned before Justice Hakeem Oshodi at an Ikeja High Court for kidnapping.

He was also arraigned before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of Ikeja High Court, Lagos.(NAN)

http://thenationonlineng.net/evans-asks-court-to-set-him-free-says-charges-defective/

igerian government has released the names and other details of the 110 girls declared missing after Boko Haram attack on the Government Girls Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, Yobe State, on Feb 19, 2018.

The list was attached to a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

A statement from the office of the minister indicated that list which was handed over by the Yobe State Government, contains the name, age and class of each of the 110 students.

A breakdown of the list revealed that out of the 110 missing girls, eight are in JSS1, 17 in JSS2, 12 in JSS3, 40 in SS1, 19 in SS2 and 14 in SS3.

The girls' ages range from 11 to 19 years.

The Minister of Information also said the list which also contains the contact address and phone number of each missing girl, was verified by a 26-member Screening Committee that includes the Executive Secretary, State Teaching Service Board, Musa Abdulsalam; Director, Schools' Management, Ministry of Education, Shuaibu Bulama; Principal of GGSTC, Adama Abdulkarim; the two Vice Principals, Ali Musa Mabu and Abdullahi Sule Lampo; Admission Officer, Bashir Ali Yerima, and the Form Masters for all the classes.

In the same statement, the minister informed that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, on relocated to Yobe State to personally superintend the search for the girls on Tuesday.

He added that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) had earlier deployed more platforms to the North-east for the search, as the security agencies ramp up their efforts to locate and rescue the girls.

According to him, NAF had flown a total of 200 hours while conducting the search.

http://saharareporters.com/2018/02/27/fg-full-list-nigerian-govt-releases-names-other-details-missing-dapchi-girls.

1O herdsmen have been caught red-handed while destroying farmlands in Benue state by troops of the Nigerian Army participating in the ongoing Exercise Cat Race.

Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Texas Chukwu, explained in a statement on Monday said the troops, who were on patrol caught the herdsmen destroying some farms in Tse-Tigir and Tse-Ndugh villages of Benue.

He added that the herdsmen fled upon sighting the troops, but the troops went after them, caught up and arrested them.

“While in the act of destroying the farmland, the herdsmen sighted the aggressive troops and fled into the bush. The determined troops pursued and arrest them,” he said.

The Army spokesperson added that items recovered from the herdsmen include five motorcycles, two machetes, charms and a sum of N120,000.

Chukwu added that the herdsmen arrested have been handed over to the Police for investigation and prosecution.

http://saharareporters.com/2018/02/27/nigerian-troops-caught-herdsmen-destroying-farms-benue

A coalition of human rights and good governance organisations in the South East geopolitical zone has described the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha as the worst governor in the South East region.

Speaking at the presentation of a twenty two page paper in Onitsha, Anambra State, entitled, “The best and the worst in south east Nigeria: A comprehensive review of good governance in the geopolitical zone dating to the second republic among other burning national issue.” the leader of the coalition and chairman board of trustees of International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi said the governors of the south east have failed in good governance and visionary leadership.

The group made up of seventeen Civil Society Organizations particularly took a swipe on Imo State Governor, Rochas Okoracha saying describing his administration as an unmitigated disaster and total shame to the zone followed by Abia State.

According to the CSOs, Abia State had serially produced bad governors in performance.

The text read: “It is therefore no longer news and new that good governance and charismatic leadership have eluded the Southeast Zone. The zone is now shackled by transactional governance and chronic bad leadership.

“As a matter of fact, corridors of power in the Southeast are now majorly under the grip of The Anarchists. Art of governance has become transaction of businesses in the corridors of power and shameless display of political rascality and immorality.

” Many, if not most of the legislators in the Geopolitical zone are no longer legislating and checkmating the executives for good governance and public good, but transacting by cornering public funds into moveable and immoveable investments. Use of public funds for public good is now strange and has become a thing of the past in the zone. Many, if not most state and Federal House legislators in the Southeast Zone now operate or own private revenue windows and task forces.”


While saying the zone is now shackled by transactional governance and chronic bad leadership, the group pointed out that Anambra’s good governance record was “dented by a certain governor who ran a single term”.

They called on the governors of the geopolitical zone to wake up to their responsibilities decried what they called “the near total, if not total collapse of good governance and visionary leadership in the South East zone”.

The CSOs further said in the text: ” Part of what aided bad leadership in the zone was the legislatures which abdicated their roles of checkmating the executives for good governance and concentrating on cornering public funds to buy movable and immovable investments.


“From the second Republic to date, Chief Sam Mbakwe of old Imo state, Chief Jim Nwobodo of old Anambra state and Mr. Peter Obi of Anambra stood out as former governors whose performances were excellent.

“Within the zone, Chief Rochas Okorocha of Imo state stood out as the “worst serving governor, while Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju of Anambra state (1999-2003) Chief Orji Uzor Kalu and his successor Chief Theodore Orji of Abia State belonged to worst past governors.



“South East governors should be proactive and efficient in strengthening the internal and external security of the zone against well oiled and coordinated widespread violent attacks against Christian population and their churches by the terror Fulani herdsmen.

“The governors must stop supporting measures that are against Igbo interest such as cattle colonies and insisting in making inputs into security arrangement in the region.

” The governors should ensure that the zone gets its share of federal resources, appointments and infrastructural developments and that South East is factored into the new national railways policy as well as comprehensive reconstruction of all federal roads in the zone.”

The CSOs further noted that the zone needs a standard international Sea Port and bridge linking Ogwu-ikpele in Ogbaru local council of Anambra and Ndoni in Rivers State.

https://newtelegraphonline.com/2018/02/okorocha-worst-governor-seast-csos/

This is commendable

John Charles, Makurdi

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Monday raised fresh concerns of possible herdsmen attacks in the state.

The governor dropped this hint when he led the senior pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Paul Enenche, and his wife, Becky, to the cemetery of the 73 victims of the New Year Fulani herdsmen attacks.

The governor hinged his alarm on the influx of over one million cattle into the state despite the launch of Ayem Akpatuma military exercise last Tuesday.

Governor Ortom, who decried the influx of herdsmen into the state, appealed to the military to flush out the invaders so that the over 160,000 displaced persons who had been in eight camps could return to their homes.

Ortom further said that more than 60 persons, including three people killed last week in Guma Local Government Area of the state, have been killed since the mass burial of the 73 persons initially killed by herdsmen in the New Year attacks.

“We appreciate president Buhari for the deployment of soldiers to the state to keep the peace, but our concern is the influx of over one million cows into the state despite the presence of the military.”

Conducting funeral service at the cemetery, Enenche anointed the land to signify the breaking of the yoke, declaring that the burial would also connote the interment of security failure, impunity, Jihadist agenda and all forms of evils.

He also prayed for God’s judgment against the killers and their sponsors throughout the country and charged the earth to rise up against them.

http://punchng.com/despite-military-presence-over-a-million-cows-have-flooded-benue-ortom-laments/

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Monday declared that its leader, Nnamdi Kanu is more “acceptable than any politician” in the All Progressives Congress, APC-led government.

IPOB made the declaration while accusing the current government of spreading false and fake news about its leadership.


A statement signed by the Head of IPOB’s Directorate of Service, Mazi Chika Edoziem, maintained that there is no faction within its ranks, stressing that Kanu remains its leader.

The statement reads, “Those people in the pay of this APC government that have taken it upon themselves to plant false and fake news in the public domain must understand they are undermining public trust in the media. It is particularly worrying that certain individuals will publish unsigned press statements from shadowy individuals working for dubious politicians with the sole intention of misleading the public.

“We urge media houses to refrain from publishing any press statement from anonymous sources. They should not allowing themselves to become unwitting agents of fake news as may appear to be the case in the ongoing effort by Okezie Ikpeazu, Nnia Nwodo and Lai Mohammed’s Ministry of Information in collaboration with DSS to mislead the masses into thinking that IPOB is factionilised when such is not the case.

“Verification of the source of every information and statement given for publication will help identify and isolate those bent on spreading falsehood. Similar exacting standards must be applied to purported statements issued by faceless persons claiming they are part of the great IPOB worldwide family?


“Reputable publications should not knowingly publish statements from person or persons they themselves know don’t exist? An unsigned press statement is confirmation that the information being peddled is false because you can’t link it to any conformable source.

“To prove that the latest ‘Okwudili’ installment is fake and going by their latest statement, nobody was identified as having signed the statement, it only said ‘news made available to’. In the interest of public confidence, we would like to ask media houses to please confirm the existence of person or persons issuing public statements regarding IPOB before publishing such.

“When the presidency admitted yesterday that they have not after all defeated Boko Haram we knew that a diversionary story will be planted in the media and surprise surprise their favorite fake news about the fake ‘IPOB leader’ surfaced again this morning.

“The only reason why this government could have coerced the media to carry this fake news about a non existent ‘new IPOB leader’ is because they know IPOB is the more popular than Nigeria, Nnamdi Kanu more acceptable than any politician in Nigeria.

“Not too long ago the masses were bombarded with the false narrative that IPOB had been defeated, weakened and crushed. Nnia Nwodo led Ohaneze Ndigbo, DSS and elements within the South East governors forum made considerable amount of financial gain and political capital out of perpetuating the myth that IPOB is no more.

“When it dawned on them that we IPOB are now even more potent than before the advent of Operation Python Dance II, given the successful boycott of Anambra governorship elections, they have re-strategised and re-engineered the narrative into a split within IPOB.

“Nnia Nwodo has been heard on many occasions recently boasting to his Northern handlers in the presidency, and in his words that “IPOB is riddled with factions and I’m in touch with leaders of these factions”. Nothing can be farther from the truth. He is peddling this myth to justify the money he collected from the presidency to sabotage the divinely ordained Biafra restoration project.

“To stop shameless corrupt politicians from further misinforming the public about the operations of IPOB, we have alerted all major governments of the world to be mindful of every information they receive from persons claiming to be part of IPOB. In this regard, we hereby inform the world that unless a correspondence emanates from IPOB world headquarters in Langenfeld Germany signed and sealed by Mazi Uche Mefor deputy leader of IPOB and Mazi Chika Edoziem head of Directorate of State, such document should be ignored. Enemies of freedom are going to extra ordinary length to subvert the will of the people but we assure them they will never succeed.

“We reiterate our call to Okezie Ikpeazu, Nnia Nwodo, DSS and Federal Ministry of Information to ask their fake ‘IPOB leader’ to tell the world who he operates from, where he comes from or which IPOB unit he belongs to. Planting written anonymous unsigned press statements in the Nigerian media with the hope that highly intelligent followership of IPOB, the largest freedom fighting movement in the world, will succumb to such nonsensical subterfuge is mere wishful thinking.”

http://dailypost.ng/2018/02/26/biafra-no-politician-buharis-govt-popular-nnamdi-kanu-ipob/

The Presidency has admitted that the war against Boko Haram insurgency has not ended, saying the terrorists have not been completely defeated.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said this during his appearance on Channels Television’s political programme, Sunday Politics.

Despite the series of attack by the insurgents in recent times, the presidential aide noted that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has recorded a notable progress in the war against the insurgency.

“If the operating word is ‘totally’, the answer is no obviously – but has Boko Haram been degraded? I will say yes, terribly so,” said Adesina.

“Compare how Boko Haram was in 2015 when this administration came, they were virtually running riot everywhere – how many time was Kano bombed, how many time was Abuja bombed, how many time was Kogi bombed; Boko Haram was everywhere.”

More to follow…

https://www.channelstv.com/2018/02/25/boko-haram-not-totally-defeated-terribly-degraded-presidency/

•’S/East determined to support Buhari’s re-election’

Chairman Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tarrifs, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has expressed determination of the Igbo to support the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari to pave way for an Igbo President in 2023.

Uzodima, who spoke in an interview in Abuja, said it was imperative for the Igbo to produce the president to fully put the nation back on the track of unity.

He said: “It is supremely important because that will assure that the ugly events of the civil war have been truly put behind.


“By 2023, the presidency returns to the South, and if by acts of omission or commission it eludes Ndigbo, then that will only be a confirmation that the Igbo have not truly been accepted into the mainstream of Nigerian politics.”

He recalled former Vice President Alex Ekwueme was coasting home to picking the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) but he was stopped because of alleged “high level conspiracy believe and because of the stigma of the civil war.”

So, if in 2023, “Igbo are stopped again, the simple conclusion would be that the rest of Nigeria does not welcome them as equal stakeholders in the Nigerian project.”

The Senate Committee Chairman however said such a presidential candidate from Ndigbo must possess a pan Nigeria world view.

“The summary of it is that such a candidate must possess a pan Nigeria world view because it is the collaboration of other zones in the country with the South East that could make it possible”

On whether the 2023 agitation would push the Igbo to support Buhari for a second term, Uzodinma said it was the only opportunity left if it is to be a reality.


“If we (Igbo) don’t support Buhari who has only four years left, then how can 2023 be a reality?

“Any fresh northerner on the seat would be there till 2027.

“President Buhari is the only northern candidate who, if elected, must relinquish power in 2023, thereby paving way for the South East.

“So, yes, for the Igbo, like me, I will most definitely support Buhari for second term, and I think other right thinking South Easterners should do the same.”

http://thenationonlineng.net/igbo-must-produce-president-2023-says-uzodinma/amp/

Reno Omokri, former presidential aide has berated President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to act fast at a time when 94 secondary school girls were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Dapchi, Yobe State.

The former aide wondered why it took Buhari two days to address the issue despite the conflicting report on the release of the girls.


He noted that APC which condemned Goodluck Jonathan for not swinging into action when the Chibok girls were kidnapped are showing the same traits they once criticized him of.

Omokri, in a series of Tweets, wrote, ”When the #ChibokGirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, the then opposition @APCNigeria condemned the Jonathan administration most stridently for not swinging to action immediately and for keeping the public uninformed about the saga.

”so you can imagine my surprise that a bunch of people who were so critical of others during their time of testing, have now shown the same traits they once criticized in others.

”For instance, two full days after Boko Haram abducted almost a hundred girls from GGST School, Dapchi, Yobe State, on Monday the 19th of February, 2018, there was no word or communication from any level of the Nigerian government.

”It was only on Wednesday that Nigerians heard from President Muhammadu Buhari via Twitter. But of course, all he did was give his usual platitudes.

”But even sadder still is the fact that this incident happened in Dapchi, in Yobe State on Monday, and the very next day, the President was on his merry way to Adamawa for a so-called anti-corruption summit!

”What an insensitive Presidency! They see nothing wrong in celebrating an alleged ‘mammoth crowd’ that received Buhari in Adamawa a day after Boko Haram sacked the town of Dapchi.”

http://dailypost.ng/2018/02/24/dapchi-abduction-reno-omokri-attacks-buhari-not-acting-fast/amp/

The Nigerian military has accused Amnesty International of a deliberate attempt to weaken its effort towards ensuring peace and security in the country.

In a statement on Friday night, the military through its spokesperson, John Agim, a general, accused the global human right organisation of propagating “falsehood” through its 2017/2018 human rights report on Nigeria released on last Thursday.

In the report, Amnesty International accused the military and other security agencies in the country of widespread human right abuses, including operating sub-human mass detention centres where Boko Haram suspects are kept in overcrowded and disease-infested cell.

The organisation, which also accused the military of extrajudicial killings, said some of the captives are even starved to death in the detention centres.

It also accuse security agencies of muffling freedom of speech and breaching press freedom through intimidation of journalists and bloggers.

But the military on Friday accused Amnesty International of the habit of releasing “unconfirmed reports, unsubstantiated claims and figures relating to military counter-insurgency operations”.

“It is pertinent to reiterate that the AFN (Armed Forces of Nigeria) as a responsible institution, financed by taxpayers, is bound to respond to these allegations in order to put the records in proper perspective.

“The AI allegations of human rights violations and extra judicial killing of civilians by the AFN have followed a specific trend for some time now. It could be noted that the organisation’s allegations made against the AFN since 2011 to date are largely unsubstantiated.”

The statement however erroneously claimed that Amnesty International, while highlighting various cases of alleged right abuses and extrajudicial killings did not acknowledge the release of those found not guilty.

“Unfortunately, AI failed to acknowledge the ongoing fair trial and conviction of culpable members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect and the release of those not found guilty.

“The number of persons released and re-integrated with the larger community is over 500,” Mr. Agim wrote.

But Amnesty International’s report acknowledged that 468 suspects were discharged after ”first phase of trials.”

Mr. Agim said the suspects were ”well-fed and given medical attention while in detention.”

Mr. Agim said the military were never contacted to balance the report. He added that the organisation has turned down previous efforts by the military for discussions about its allegations.

He said the report, which he described as “deliberate falsehood”, was aimed at denting the image of the military so as to prevent it from acquiring military hardware needed to fight Boko Haram and other non-state armed groups.

Treatment of homosexuals

The statement while defending the federal government also stated that Amnesty International’s claim that the Nigerian government was infringing on the rights of lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals and transgender as well as intersex persons was unfounded as the law of the country and the culture of Nigerians forbids all forms of homosexuality.

The military also added that if Amnesty International was unhappy with the treatment of homosexuals in the country it should offer them admittance to countries where they would be tolerated.

“This position of AI, clearly shows lack of respect for the constitution of Nigeria which these laws have become part.

”Let it be known that the Nigerian Government and its people are not ready and would never be, even in future, to please AI or anyone with the introduction of ‘such things’.

“However, if AI feels strongly against the position of the Nigerian people on this issue and wants to assist the ‘victims’, they could issue these class of people with green cards to enable them re-locate to other places across the world that accept such practices as it may not be necessary for them to remain Nigerians.”

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/259768-nigerian-military-accuses-amnesty-international-spreading-falsehood.html/

John Alechenu, Abuja

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has acknowledged receipt of the letter written to him by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Odigie-Oyegun’s acknowledgment came after he held a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa Abuja, on Friday.

Although details of the party chairman’s meeting with the President were sketchy as of the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the President prevailed on the National Chairman to cooperate with the former Lagos State governor.

This came 48 hours after Tinubu wrote the APC National Chairman accusing him of undermining his peace and confidence building efforts.

In the letter acknowledging receipt of Tinubu’s letter; Odigie-Oyegun merely expressed gratitude to Tinubu for wishing him well.

Odigie-Oyegun asked Tinubu to rest assured of his support towards ensuring the success of the daunting task given to him by the President.

Oyegun’s letter read in part : “I thank you for your letter dated February 21, 2018 for your prayers and good wishes for my health.

“I wish you the same and pray that our good God keeps you strong and grants you His peace. Let me once again formally congratulate you on the peace making assignment Mr. President has entrusted you with.

“It is most challenging but I believe you will ultimately justify the confidence reposed in you by Mr. President. In this you have my fullest support. Be assured, dear Asiwaju, of my highest regards now and always”.

http://punchng.com/you-have-my-support-oyegun-replies-tinubu/

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday night did not give a definitive answer to governors of All Progressive Congress (APC) who had requested him to declare his intention for 2019 presidential election.
Instead, he told them to give him time to decide on the matter.
The governors met him at the First Lady Wing of the presidential villa, Abuja in a meeting which lasted for about an hour and a half.
Chairman of APC Governors Forum and Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha, briefed State House correspondents after the meeting.
He said: “We discussed so many issues that affect the nations, our party and Mr President’s ambition to run for 2019 elections.

“It is the desire of the governors that Mr President should run for this exalted office given his performance in the last two years. We believe that if he continues Nigeria will be better for it.

“Anyway, Mr President in his usual manner has requested that we give him time and that he will address the nation’s and the caucus of the party very soon. So we should be full of expectations that Mr President will make officially known to Nigerians his intentions, but we hope that his response will be in line with what the governors are thinking.”

http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/2019-give-time-decide-run-buhari-tells-apc-govs/

The Council of State on Thursday approved a fresh one billion dollars to further boost the nation’s agricultural sector, Gov. Ibikumle Amosun of Ogun, has disclosed.

Amosun, briefing the State House Correspondents after the council’s meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, expressed hope that the amount would enhance the Federal Government’s diversification programmes.

However, the governor kept mum on how the funds will be sourced.

The meeting which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari had in attendance, three former Heads of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

According to him, an appreciable part of the one billion dollars is expected to be distributed around agricultural schemes, with conditions set out for the beneficiaries to meet before accessing the funds.

“The Council deliberated extensively on our economy, how to diversify our economy and the efforts that were being made to pull Nigeria out of the doldrums.

“The Council appreciated the efforts that had been in place to move Nigeria away from recession. Now, gradually we are getting it right and Council noted that what is being done is good.


“Council also noted what was being done in the area of agriculture; how Nigeria moved from one monolithic economy to now a diversified economy.

“Council noted that there is still more to be done. It was advised that we should improve on the funding and increase the funding on agriculture and it was paltry about 200 million dollars.

“But, if you compare that side by side with what we are investing, what we are pumping into the area of oil, the monolithic economy that we have running, we noticed that it is just insignificant.

“So, the Council recommended that at least about a billion dollar should now be pumped into agriculture,’’ he added.

Amosun said that the council noted how Nigeria moved the budget from about four trillion naira to now about eight trillion naira.

He said: “It also noted that when President Muhammadu Buhari came in, he was jostling at a very deep because oil had nosedived from 112 dollars in 2014 and in 2016 it was 30 dollars.

“Council also appreciated the efforts of the Ministers of Agriculture and that of Budget and National Planning after their briefings, on the efforts they are giving to Mr President and agreed they should continue in what they are doing.’’

Others were Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, state governors, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Muhammed Bello and National Security Adviser to the President, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Munguno.

NAN

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/council-state-okays-1bn-boost-agriculture-economic-diversification/

Anti-graft detectives at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, are questioning Azubuike Ihejirika, a former Chief of Army Staff, over his alleged involvement in the $2.1 billion arms procurement scandal, sources at the commission have informed PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr. Ihejirika, a retired lieutenant-general, arrived at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja around 11:00 a.m. Wednesday and was subsequently ushered into an interrogation room, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

Mr. Ihejirika, 62, led the Nigerian Army from September 2010 to January 2014 when he was dropped by President Goodluck Jonathan over his handling of the Boko Haram war.

His visit to the EFCC comes about 20 months after President Muhammadu Buhari said Mr. Ihejirika and others should be prosecuted after they were indicted by a panel of inquiry that probed the arms scandal, now widely dubbed the Dasukigate.

“He is being questioned as related to the procurement of arms and ammunition during the time he held sway as Chief of Army Staff,” an EFFC official told PREMIUM TIMES under strict anonymity because he was not an authorised spokesperson for the anti-graft agency.

“He will be released on administrative bail as soon as preliminary interrogations are over,” another source under anonymity said.

EFCC spokesperson Wilson Uwujaren did not respond to requests for comments.

Mr. Ihejirika said he didn’t immediately have answers to some of the questions thrown at him and sought the permission of his interrogators to go back home and retrieve more details relating to the arms purchase affairs, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

The arms panel suspected Mr. Ihejirika of using family members and fronts to procure arms contract.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately confirm if Mr. Ihejirika has contacted his lawyers, but the retired military chief has always denied any wrongdoings.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/259476-dasukigate-efcc-grills-nigerias-former-army-chief-ihejirika.html/

The military on Wednesday said it was unaware of the abduction of students of Government Girls Secondary School, Dipcha in Yobe State.

It said it was waiting on the school authorities’ briefing on the situation even as it said troops had been moved into the town to secure it and go after the fleeing insurgents.

Speaking on the telephone to The Punch on Wednesday, the spokesman of the military counter-insurgency operation in the North East (Operation Lafiya Dole), Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the military could not say for now if there was any abduction in the school as it was still waiting on the school authorities to make a roll call and check through the school register to ascertain if there was any student missing.

Nwachukwu said it was also gathered that some of the students who have relatives in the town ran home when gunshots were heard.

He said: “The Dapchi incident is quite an unfortunate one. The information so far received is that the principal of the school had dispersed the students on hearing sporadic shooting before the insurgents arrived the school premises.


“Many of the students some of whom are indigenous had scurried to safety in different directions. So far no destruction of property or killing has been reported but there were cases of looting of food and provisions.

“Our troops have moved into the community and are on the trail of the insurgents.

“I will like to add that the attack on Dipcha is diversionary because of the heat being brought upon the insurgents by our troops in the ongoing operation Deep Punch II.”

http://punchng.com/miltary-unaware-of-yobe-school-abduction-spokesman/

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday said some looters, who stole from the Nigerian treasury were now parading as messiah.

The Minister made the call when the Chief Executive Officer of TVC Communications, Mr. Andrew Hanlon, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

He noted that “the same people who presided over yesterday’s looting of our treasury are today posing as would-be saviours of Nigerians.”

“We are on a rescue mission. However, the way a section of the media is reporting the challenges facing the country today does not reflect that understanding.

“They are making a corrective administration to look like the culprit, to give the impression that the rain started beating us in Nigeria only from May, 29 2015, to play down the challenges that this Administration has faced and which it is successfully tackling.

“For example, we did not get to where we are today in just three years. It has taken successive decades of bad governance, unbridled corruption, and lack of probity, a culture of impunity and a near state of anarchy.

“These are the ills this Administration inherited and which it has set out to tackle, and this is what the media must reflect in their reporting,” Mohammed said.

The Minister said the situation of the country was prevented from becoming worse because of the prudence, probity and the anti-corruption stance of the present administration.

He added: “Instead of recession, Nigeriacould have had a total collapse of the economy and the power grid could have collapsed.”

Mohammed further said that the manner in which the government handled Boko Haram, prevented the insurgents from overrunning Abuja just as it did major towns in the North East.

He also said that the country’s “food imports could have tripled what it was pre-May, 29 2015 and the Naira might have been worse hit.”

He said it was the responsibility of the media to educate Nigerians about efforts been made by the administration to rebuild the nation “almost from the scratch with 60 per cent less revenue” while corrupt ones paint the government bad.

This, he added, was apart from poor infrastructure, low power generation, trillions of naira wasted as fuel subsidy, empty treasury and most parts of Borno under total control of insurgents.

”Today, the trend is being reversed and the results are showing as Foreign Reserves is now $42.8 billio, inflation has fallen for 12 consecutive months to 15.13%, N108 billion has been saved from the removal of maintenance fees payable to banks pre-TSA.

“The nation is saving N24.7 billion monthly with the full TSA implementation, the elimination of ghost workers has saved the nation N120 billion, capital inflow reached $1.8 billion in the second quarter of 2017, almost double the $908 million in the first quarter.

“While Nigeria’s stock market is one of the best-performing in the world, delivering returns in excess of 40

percent.

“Nigeria has also jumped 24 places on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking and earned a place on the List of Top 10 Reformers in the world.

“The administration has repeatedly given bailouts for states to pay salary.

“The administration’s Agricultural Revolution is a huge success, with agriculture export up year-on-year by 25%, rice import from Thailand dropping 644,000 metric tonnes to 22,000 metric tonnes and rice farmers growing from 5 million to 12.3 million.

“The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme has created jobs for 61,352 cooks, and it is providing 6.4 million school children in 33,981 schools across 20 states with one meal a day,” he said.

http://dailypost.ng/2018/02/20/%E2%80%8Elooters-now-parading-nigerias-messiah-lai-mohammed/

Forty-six associations, under the aegis of the Daura Emirate Coalition of Progressive Youths, on Tuesday, visited President Muhammadu Buhari in his Daura residence and pledged to fully support his fight against corruption.

The youth groups also expressed their unconditional support for the President’s efforts to transform Nigeria into a nation its nationals would be proud to serve, promote and protect.

Alhaji Ali Rabe, their chairman, who spoke at the visit, told Buhari that the coalition was already sensitizing Nigerians on the impact of his administration’s efforts and the need to support them.

“The policies of your administration have transformed the lives of many Nigerians, especially the rural dwellers. We are sensitising them to take advantage of the opportunities in the agriculture sector to improve their economic fortunes,” he said.

Rabe urged Buhari to seek a fresh mandate in 2019 so as to consolidate on the gains so far recorded.

The group blamed the rising cases of insurgencies and crimes in some parts of the country on people bent on distracting the President from fighting crime and insecurity, and advised him to remain focused.

“When you fight corruption, corruption will fight back; when you fight insecurity, it will also fight back. But we want the Federal Government to remain focused and be assured that all Nigerians of good will are behind them,” he said.

The coalition also commended Buhari’s efforts toward infrastructural development, especially roads, electricity, agriculture and the railways, and urged him to sustain the tempo.

It said the N-power programme had created job opportunities for many young Nigerians and reduced redundancy and idleness.

Responding, Buhari vowed to intensify the fight against corruption, describing it as “a cancer that kills the spirit of a nation and retards its progress.”

“I have always said and would say it again. Corruption is responsible for the myriad of problems Nigeria is facing today. We have to either kill it, or it will kill us,” he said.

The President advised members of the group to remain honest, transparent and God-fearing in their activities.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/46-daura-youth-groups-visit-buhari-beg-seek-re-election-2019/

Balarabe Musa, former Governor of Kaduna State, has lambasted ex-Presidents, Ibrahim Babangida and Olusegun Obasanjo over their separate statements advising President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019.

The former Kaduna State governor, who described statements by both ex-leaders as “stupid,” stressed that “nobody should be deceived.”

He maintained that both leaders never performed better than Buhari when they were in power.

Musa made the remark while responding to a question from The Sun.

According to Musa, “That is stupid. Nobody should be deceived. They have not performed better than Buhari. In what way have any of them performed better than Buhari? In fact, you can say Buhari is less exposed to so many things like corruption and so on.

“In the case of PRP, when we supported Buhari right from 2003 when he showed his interest in the presidency, we made it quite clear that of all the people that wanted to rule Nigeria, Buhari was the least risk, we didn’t say he is the most suitable.

“We said he is the least risk, because the level of his courage and credibility was higher than those who were contesting with him. I dare tell you, even today, if you look at those who want to contest with him, almost all of them came from the North.

“Take any of them, who among them can you say is credibly better than Buhari, better in performance than Buhari? This is Nigeria’s tragedy. There is no doubt, Buhari has failed, but those contesting power with him are more likely to fail than him. This is the trouble.

“So we have the task of bringing somebody who can perform better than Buhari. But it is not that easy, because of the leading role of moneybag politics. So how do we get somebody that will perform better than Buhari. I am not campaigning for Buhari. I have never campaigned for him. But this is the truth because we must attach quality to our judgment.”

http://dailypost.ng/2018/02/17/2019-babangida-obasanjo-stupid-asking-buhari-not-seek-re-election-balarabe-musa/

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation ( SGF ), Boss Mustapha on Thursday disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari will seek re-election in 2019.

Mustapha said: “We do not have an alternative to President Muhammadu Buhari for now.”


He spoke at the Unity Fountain in Abuja while addressing a rally organized by the Democratic Youth Congress (DYC), led by its National Chairman, Hon. Kassim Mohammed Kassim urging President Muhammadu Buhari to make a public statement and run in 2019 election.

The SGF told the group that other aspirants for the position of the president come 2019 have nothing to offer.

Mustapha who was represented at the rally by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political matters, Rt. Hon. Gideon Sammani said: “I will present your entire message to him. I congratulate you for your support for President Muhammadu Buhari to run in 2019.

“I am glad you have named some of the aspirants who are interested in leading this nation. If you give them the ticket they will do nothing with it. They have nothing to offer to this nation. You and I are here because we believe in President Muhammadu Buhari and we know he has the capability to lead this nation. Buhari is a man with several qualities of leadership, God sent; his coming is divine, so that he will rescue this nation from the total collapse due to the destruction that has been done to the economy by the past administration.

“We all know that Buhari is transparent, honest. He has come with the change philosophy. He has lived for these to bring change to this nation. Since his military days, he stood to fight corruption, indiscipline. Many people fear him because he does not compromise corruption. And corrupt people are afraid that they will be brought to book. And those who have already looted the treasury of this nation are followed by the security agencies. By the grace of God Buhari will not relent in this fight.

“He will continue. The politics of this nation is no more the politics of money or do or die politics. Anybody who wants to lead this nation must sacrifices. Buhari has already transformed and changed the image of leadership and that of our leaders this country both locally and internationally.”


Speaking earlier , the convener of the rally and DYC National Chairman, Honourable Kassim Mohammed Kassim made it known that the team present was ready, committed and dedicated to work for President Muhammadu Buhari to be reinstalled in 2019.

Kassim explained that they are working around the 36 states of Nigeria including Abuja for the actualization of President Muhammadu Buhari’s continuity beyond 2019.

He explained that they were working with over 15 APC state Governors towards actualizing their goal.

His words: “We felt there is a need for us to mobilize for President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 reelection. We know the roll we played when President Muhammadu was away for medical checkup. A lot of people said Buhari will not come back but we kept the hope alive because many lost hope. We have mobilized for a rally in support of Buhari.

“We are calling on Buhari to come out and make a public statement to run in 2019. If this does not happen between now and Monday, we will be forced to go to court and invite him to come and make a public statement. Some of our leaders are misleading the youths in Nigeria that power should be given to the youths. We are not in a hurry, all what we are asking for is that our leaders should involve us in the system; all those who want to contest in other parties are older than Buhari.

DYC before moving to the Unity Fountain had unveiled the Abuja secretariat of the group.



http://thenationonlineng.net/2019-buhari-will-continue-says-sgf/

South African President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday resigned as the ruling ANC party finally turned against him after nine years of corruption scandals, economic slowdown, and falling popularity.

In a 30-minute national television address, Zuma said he had “come to the decision to resign as president of the republic with immediate effect”.

Nigerians have however taken to Twitter to express their varied opinions on the resignation of the South African President.

http://punchng.com/nigerians-reacts-to-jacob-zumas-resignation/


Here are some of their tweets:

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA – NATIONAL leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday boasted that the party will still win the 2019 presidential election.

Asiwaju Tinubu who stated this after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, also told former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and General Ibrahim Babangida who recently advised President Buhari not to contest the 2019 election to go home and enjoy their retiree club and pension.

The former Lagos State governor accompanied by the pioneer interim chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande said that the concern of every Nigerian now was on how to build a formidable country.

While fielding question on the chances of the APC to win the 2019 presidential election, he said, “You are asking me an obvious question. I belong to this party. My commitment is for this party. We have a better chance and we are strongly determined to prosecute the election in the most transparent, democratic manner and we will win.”


On how he felt on the appointment by President Buhari to head the reconciliation committee of the APC, he said, “Well, l feel greatly honoured with the mutual confidence that the president has reposed in me which is equally a very strong political challenge. We have started in earnest.

“I was honoured and with the mutual confidence that the president has reposed on me which is equally a very strong political challenge. We have started in earnest, he has given me free hand to put cohesion, confidence and trust in the party.


“Democracy is about conflict resolution mechanism, it is a process, you can’t do it without resolving conflict. We can’t build it without understanding the conflict and the sources of where we are coming from.

“But we want to leave a country with legacy not about Mr President that is what he is telling the nation, it is about our country and there is no other choice to a democratic fineness than through political party platforms.

“It is one of those rare things around the country, around Africa who had the experience both wars, fought a battle to save Nigeria and come to politics to save Nigeria, very rare people have such an opportunity and experience in their lifetime.

“And that is what we are talking about legacy and where we are for all those challenges what we should do and I am enjoying the challenges so far.”

Also on his take on the letter of Chief Obasanjo and General Buhari to President Buhari not to contest the election, he said, “I don’t address those shadows, the question is we should let our former presidents enjoy the retirees club and take their pensions but participate in our politics if they are interested because it is a free world and this freedom is not served a la-carte,it is taken but we should be allowed to move out country forward, it is a challenge to every Nigeria.”

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/02/2019-apc-ll-remain-ruling-party-tinubu/

Olusegun Obasanjo, former President has launched another attack at President Muhammadu Buhari over his administration’s handling of the fight against corruption.

In his latest attack, the former President maintained that Buhari has corruption on his nose.


In an interview with Germany’s international broadcasting outlet, Deutsche Welle, Obasanjo said the president’s anti-corruption fight has been polluted by people in his inner circles.

Obasanjo said the president could do better on how he goes about the war on curruption.

He said if he was the president, he “I would make sure people in charge of anti-corruption institutions are people of integrity. There is no point in fighting corruption beyond you and you have corruption on your nose.”

On his newly formed movement, Coalition for Nigeria movement, CNM, the former president said the movement will truly help Nigerians to move away from the old order of politics and into a new age where the interests of the citizens are truly represented.

He said, “It (Coalition for Nigeria) is not an old wine in a new bottle, but a new wine in a new bottle. I will not stand in the way of that movement if it decides to become a party. But in that case, I will withdraw.”

Recall that Obasanjo had on January 23, 2018, in a statement titled, “The Way Out: A Clarion Call for Coalition for Nigeria Movement”, lambasted Buhari over his inability to successfully run the affairs of the county.

In the statement, the former President cautioned Buhari against seeking a second term in 2019.

http://dailypost.ng/2018/02/13/corruption-nose-obasanjo-fires-buhari/

A Nigerian man has triggered discussions on the social media after making an unusual offer to pay people to register as voters in future elections.

Tochukwu Ezeoke said on Friday he would pay N1,000 to anyone who registers and shows evidence of registration by Friday. He said his offer goes only to natives of Nigeria’s five south eastern states.

“I am paying N1,000 to anyone who registers & obtains his/her PVC within the 5-SE states between today & next Friday. Just inbox me proof that you just registered & your account details. The token is yours,” Mr. Ezeoke, who leads a sociopolitical group, the Igbo Ekunie Initiative, wrote on Twitter.

His suggestion quickly drew varied reactions, with some Nigerians comparing the offer to vote-buying.

“What’s the difference between you and Politicians who give money for votes? If a citizen is interested in the future of his country, he should make the move to get his PVC! If he has to be paid to register, get ready to pay him to vote,” a Twitter user, Kiki popeyes, wrote.

But the offer was defended by many as well. Some argued the payment, notwithstanding the amount, will encourage Nigerians to exercise their civic duties of getting registered.

“What he’s doing is to encourage people to exercise their Civil rights. This is a means to awaken Electorates Consciousness not a means to manipulate their minds,” another user responded.

Mr. Ezeoke told PREMIUM TIMES the offer will cater for the transportation and feeding of the new registrants.

He said the offer was only aimed at “encouraging or provoking” people to key into the voter registration exercise.

“The disparity between registered voters and the overall population is disheartening, hence my offer is aimed at encouraging or provoking people to register,” he said.

“I believe the gesture is already generating the much-needed conservation and spurring the docile population within the stipulated region to go and register. It is the right kick.”

Mr. Ezeoke said the offer was specific for people in the five South Eastern states because of the low voter percentage in the region.

“I was shocked to see the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC registration report and the South-East has only 8 million registered voters. This is unacceptable. We are already disadvantaged even without casting our votes. The youth are on social media abusing themselves. I felt I needed to give them a push to see if they will take my challenge, and it is working. Some are opposed to it while some are taking the offer.

“People in the South are complaining of lack of information. There are also complaints that when people turn up at the INEC offices, the INEC staffs appear very reluctant to register them. I had a similar experience where I was even told to go get my international passport to show that I was not in the country during the last registration cycle.

“INEC can look into improving the current process. People shouldn’t spend much time trying to register to vote. This is part of the reason I have volunteered to pay their transport fare and maybe water while they wait to be registered,” Mr. Ezeoke said.

Voter turnout has remained a challenge to the Nigerian political process.

In 2001, Nigeria, with 50.3 per cent, was one of the countries with the lowest level of voter turnout in the world, ranked 157th of 169 countries.

Since then, voter turnout in elections has been declining with the lowest being the 2015 election which recorded just 43.65 per cent and a much lower voting age turnout of 32.11 per cent.

Under the Electoral Act, offering payments for voter registration, without the condition to vote a specific candidate, is not listed as an offence.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/258470-man-offers-nigerians-money-register-vote-elections.html/

Ade Adesomoju

The Federal High Court sitting in Wawa Cantonment, Kainji, Niger State, on Monday sentenced 35-year-old Haruna Yahaya for terrorism offences.

The convict, whose left arm and left leg are crippled, was convicted for being a member of the proscribed Boko Haram terrorist group and participating in the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014.

He was said to have participated in the group’s attacks in Chibok, Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State and Gabsuri town in the Damboa Local Government of the state.

Yahaya had on Monday pleaded guilty to the two counts preferred against him by the Federal Government but pleaded for mercy, saying he was forcefully conscripted into the terrorist group.
But the judge who sat in one of the four special courts established by the Federal High Court to fast track the trial of over 1,000 suspects said the court was “not fooled” by Yahaya’s story.

The court noted the convict was “using the misfortune of his handicap to draw sympathy”.
The judge, therefore, ruled that the 15 years sentence passed on the convict who had been in detention since 2015 would commence counting from Monday.

http://punchng.com/breaking-court-jails-chibok-girls-abductor-15-years/

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi 11 has declared that Fulanis are not terrorists or criminals as perceived by some Nigerians.

Sanusi made the declaration at the weekend in Minna at a National Executive Council meeting of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) attended by Lamido of Adamawa , Muhammadu Barkindo Musdafa, Professor Ango Abdullahi, Dr. Aliyu Tilde and other stakeholders.

According to him, Fulanis are Nigerians who are law abiding citizens that respect the constituted authorities in the country.

He urged Nigerians to avoid ethnic profiling whenever a crime is committed by persons of certain tribe saying criminals have no tribal marks.


The meeting was held with the leadership of various Fulani socio-cultural groups such as Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association (MACBA), Miyetti Allah Katul Houre and Gan Allah Fulani Development Association as a means to find way of ending the recurring violent clashes involving and other Nigerians across the country.

The Emir urged the various Fulani associations to identify criminals within their midst for prosecution and called on the herders to imbibe the culture of patient and perseverance even in the face of provocation.

Emir Sanusi urged stakeholders to also liaise with state governors of Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa and Kano who have indicated interest to allocate grazing reserves with a view to developing them.

The Zonal Chairman of the National Executive Committee of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association(MACBA), Alhaji Gidado Siddiki said state governors to emulate are Governors Willie Obiano and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Anambra and Enugu states who have been able to effectively stem the recurring clashes between farmers and herders while their others and the federal government were at a loss on how to begin.

He said that the two southeast governors were open-minded in their approach to tackling the clashes adding that through stakeholders meetings which included the leadership of the herders associations, farmers unions, traditional rulers and community leaders across all the local government areas in the affected states, they were able to understand the causes of the clashes and found amicable ways of addressing them.

Siddiki averred that the measures, which have worked in stemming the tide of violent conflict among herders and farmers in the two states should serve as models to other governors.


“Conflict between herdsmen and farmers has a long history; the solution has been to engage all stakeholders to find an amicable of resolving such,” he noted, even as he called on politicians to avoid exacerbating the conflict for selfish reasons.


http://thenationonlineng.net/fulanis-not-criminals-says-emir-sanusi/

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has lambasted former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida.

He said this in reaction to their recent statements on President Muhammadu Buhari.


In an article titled ‘Why President’s Muhammadu Buhari’s case is different’, Igbokwe said Nigerians are ignoring both Obasanjo and Babangida because their assessments of the nation’s leader were done in bad faith.

He wrote: “First was former President Obasanjo’s letter asking PMB not to contest in 2019 citing many reasons why he has to leave the exalted office. It was quickly followed by another letter from former dictator Ibrahim Babangida asking PMB to step aside In 2019 for a younger president.

“This was followed by the hate and weeping from the losers of 2015 elections who are yet to come to terms with the situations they found themselves since the feeding bottles were forcefully taken away from their rapacious greedy mouths.

“I am told that the loudest person in the room is not always the strongest. OBJ and IBB’s letter may not fly this time because PMB’s case is different. PMB is doing what OBJ and IBB did not do. IBB corrupted our democracy and democratized corruption.


“Former President Obasanjo wasted eight years of South West presidency and even wanted a third term. He could not find the killers of Bola Ige, Harry Marshall, Ogbonnaya Uche, Dikibo, Funsho Williams, Daramola etc.

“Those who destroyed our yesterday cannot be the ones that will control tomorrow’s potentials. This is why PMB’s case is different.”

Igbokwe, who also took a swipe at corrupt religious leaders, said Buhari is under constant attacks because some persons no longer have access to “free money”

“What of those in JAMB office, FIRS, NIMASA, CUSTOMS who stole billions meant for government coffers? They are not left out in the era of pains and tears. What about the experts in Budget padding found in the National Assembly? They are still weeping and gnashing their teeth.

“ What about the tragic stories and tales of woes from those whose ill gotten houses, hard currencies, and cars were confiscated by EFCC? They wished and still wish that PMB must die.

“Even those found to have stolen billions from the coffers of the Police, Army, Navy, Air Force had to cough out and vomit the money and they are not left out in the weeping contest.

“What about the religious leaders who got billions from GEJ in the days of the locust? Oh, they are weeping without control and wish that PMB will die immediately.

“PMB’s case is very different. He had a mission and vision of what he wants to do and he is doing it. The gang up cannot fly and it will not work.”

http://dailypost.ng/2018/02/11/joe-igbokwe-blasts-ibb-obasanjo-says-corrupt-religious-leaders-want-buhari-dead/