IAMTHEHERO:
Op, is high on Tinubu's weed.

By Sunday Dare

Though the October 11, 2015 presidential elections in Guinea Conakry have come and gone, not many would forget in a long time the key role played by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And just like he did in the Nigerian situation serving as the catalyst, the fulcrum alongside others and perhaps the “babalawo” that brought the opposition to power and chased away the PDP after 16 years, Asiwaju Tinubu has helped retain a trusted friend and pan-Africanist in power.

Prof. Alpha Conde, the first democratically elected president of Guinea, is back for a record second term of 5 years after a commanding first round victory of 58 per cent of total votes cast.
The victory that came when the final results were announced was reward for handwork and a campaign that was on message.

The political campaign of the incumbent president got a bite when Tinubu moved in to help his friend, a brother and a true African leader. The journey for Alpha Conde’s re-election began sometime in May 2015 when he came to Nigeria for the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

President Conde not only met with Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, he met with other African leaders. He described his meeting with Buhari as very useful and insightful. President Conde in several conversations maintained that Africa has found in Buhari the leader it needs to lead it and move it forward. He said Buhari is best suited to lead Africa where Goodluck Jonathan failed.

On that same May trip, he also met with Tinubu to learn more about Nigeria’s political and election experience. He also discussed the political situation in Guinea and the Presidential election ahead. I recall that the President also met with the governor of Lagos State Akinwumi Ambode.

[b]After the initial May visit, Tinubu in June 2015 visited Conakry to further assess the country’s political terrain and the direction of the presidential campaigns. Soon after, Tinubu moved into Conakry personally with his team.

The Tinubu election strategy and planning team comprising of six people quickly settled down to work with barely 60 days to the elections.

Embedded within the Alpha Conde campaign organization, the Tinubu team worked on political messaging, speeches, social media interventions, election monitoring and countering the opponents and a day-by-day review of the campaign.

Perhaps, the most the defining aspect of the presidential campaign was the ROBO call element, which was used for the first time in any election in Guinea.

The Robo call involved the sending out of an automated message recorded by President Conde to about 6 million voters asking for their support and telling them he was their best choice.

At least one in every 4 Guinean received such a direct phone call from the president. It soon became the talk of town as the president’s message in four languages went out to the electorate.

It was out in French, Fular, Malinke and Sousou. The social media also went abuzz discussing the timely direct voice messages from the president to the people.
[/b]
But back to the dynamics of the politics in Guinea. The last Presidential elections had some strong candidates in the opposition who were backed by big money and were armed to ensure they either win or create problems.

The toughest challenger to Alpha Conde was the Fula leader and former Prime Minister, Ciello Djallo, who had a strong 40 per cent support from his economically powerful Fula tribe. Several weeks to the election, the calls for the postponement were rife coming mainly from the opposition.

They hinged their calls for postponement on the non-preparedness of the electoral body in the issuance of voter cards and the fear that the elections will be marred by violence. However, they had a game plan.

Their game plan was to force a second round ballot in which situation they would a very good chance of unseating the president. They failed in their attempt to postpone the election.

They however did not fail to generate some violence. The final campaign by Djallo turned out very violent. Five deaths were recorded. Tension rose. It was a day before Alpha Conde’s final rally for the RPG party.

The campaign organization had to re-strategize quickly. If the president went ahead, there would be violence and that would play into the script of the opposition to have the election postponed.

The president took the hard decision with his team to cancel his final rally. It turned out to be a very smart political decision. It brought down the tension and calmed nerves. The opposition bit their fingers.

The president went on Robo call to millions of Guineans asking them to remain calm. Not to burn Guinea but to build Guinea. He asked them to come out and vote peacefully on October 11. The decision not to postponement election was a tough one.

Asiwaju Tinubu played a key role in advising the President to stick to the date, October 11. He provided context for the President by letting him into the experience Nigeria had during the last presidential elections.

This insight along with the understanding of the dynamics of the Guinean political situation helped the President Conde not to postpone the elections.

The electoral body also stuck to its gun that it was ready to conduct the elections. Perhaps the most important voice was that of the diplomatic community that rang out in unison that Guinea was ready for the October 11 Presidential elections and that the talk of violence was perhaps exaggerated.

Muhammad Ibn Chambers, the head of the UN delegation played a bit of shuttle diplomacy within Guinea nudging the diplomatic community to speak with one voice.

He worked through the ranks of the Presidential candidates urging them to shun violence by speaking to their supporters to participate fully in the process.

Fortunately, Election Day came on October 11, 2015 and there was no single act of violence or voter intimidation. Polls were extended from 6pm to 8pm to accommodate all the voters. At the end, the people of Guinea demonstrated their love for democracy and peaceful elections.

The United Nations in fact adjudged the presidential election in Guinea as one of the most credible and peaceful in Africa.

The people of Guinea were patient enough for the electoral body, SENI, to compile all results from across the country. It took about a week.

But by the time 70 per cent of the results came in, the excitement began to build because Alpha Conde was in the clear lead and a first round victory was suddenly within reach.

Sensing defeat the other candidates quickly held a press briefing to reject the results and ask for cancellation. It was a last ditch effort that failed. There was no way they could cancel the wish and the votes of nearly 6 million of their countrymen.

Alpha Conde went ahead to win and earn another 5 years in power. But after the celebration of victory, he must settle down to govern and place Guinea on the path of accelerated development.

The Kaleta electricity project that was the corner stone of his performance and electoral success must be expanded quickly to generate more power beyond its present 240-mega watts.

The roads need attention, more foreign direct investments are needed, urban renewal, job creation, education must be subsidized and programs to reduce poverty must be rolled out.

Therein lies the only way he can reward the electorate for trusting him to be their leader for another 5 years.

The Nigerian experienced rubbed off. Thanks to Tinubu and many others who worked silently behind the scene to make sure democracy not only grows but also survives in a country like Guinea.

Nigeria’s neighbor. Tinubu seems to be about the business of installing presidents across Africa. But beyond that he is more about ensuring democracy thrives and good governance is enthroned in Africa.

Nigeria under the current leadership now has the moral and political leverage to support and lead other African nations on this path.

A Senior advocate, Mr Femi Falana, Sunday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari “to address the bloody clashes which occur regularly between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in the various parts of the country.

He also warned police and DSS not to bungle Falae’s abduction case.

He said, “through the negligence of the State the country has continued to witness the reckless killing of innocent farmers and the destruction of farmlands. Farmers, like other citizens, are entitled to the protection of the right to life and property.”

To halt the alleged wanton killings by Fulani herdsmen, Falana said: “the primitive movement of thousands of heads of cattle from the north to the south should be stopped without any further delay.

“In the interim, States which have large livestock populations should take advantage of the Land Use Act to acquire land for the establishment of grazing reserves.

“In view of the increasing incident of cattle rustling, security measure should be put in place to police the grazing reserves. The said grazing reserves will be phased out gradually and replaced with ranches and abattoirs.

“However, since the federal government is obligated to protect the life and property of every citizen urgent steps should ve taken to avert further killings and destruction of farmlands by herdsmen.

“If the Buhari Administration does not discharge its constitutional duty by stopping the unwarranted civil disturbances we shall not hesitate to pray the federal high court to compel it to act responsibly in the circumstance by ensuring the protection of the fundamental rights of every farmer to life and property.

“At the same time, we shall equally ask the Court to compel the federal government and state government with large livestock populations to establish grazing reserves and ranches,” he added.

Declaring the Mall open yesterday, Governor Olusegun Mimiko said it would add value to the commercial and economic activities of the state.

He added that when the International Event Centre, The Dome, located along the same road as the Shoprite Mall is completed, Ondo State would become the Tourist destination and commercial hub for business activities in Nigeria.

Mimiko, who was accompanied to the elaborate opening ceremony by his wife, Olukemi, his Deputy, Alhaji Abdulazeez Oluboyo and his wife, Fatimat, Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Jumoke Akindele, members of the House and members of the State Executive Council, expressed
satisfaction with the project.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Top Services Nigeria Limited, developer of the mall , Chief Tokunbo Omisore said his company not only met the target of the project but exceeded it with the opening of Shoprite in the 14th month of its ground
breaking.

He said 2,700 square metres of space in the shopping mall would be occupied by local retailers and commended Governor Mimiko for his vision and vigor in making Ondo State great in Nigeria.

“Though Governor Olusegun Mimiko is a medical doctor, to me, he is a city changer. I thank the Governor for not only providing the enabling environment which is very important to the developers but also fast tracking all that was necessary to make the project come to reality on time ”

He said the Akure Mall will provide job opportunities directly and indirectly to over 1, 000 residents of Akure adding that the chain store will partner with the management of the Ondo State Semi Mechanized Abattoir to ensure that the over 2,000 cows planned
to be slaughtered daily will be consumed.

The State Coordinator of Public, Private, Partnership, Prince Adenekan Olateru-Olagbegi who said the project was a dream come true noted that the mall can compete favorably with its counterparts across the globe.

Gowon said he was sure that majority of the Igbo were not part of the group and ts agitations.

A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.) has said the resurgence of a group claiming to be Pro-Biafra will not in any way pose a threat to the sovereignty of the country.

He added that Nigerians had put the memories of the 1967 civil war behind them, saying the recent activities of the group did not pose a threat to the country as they were only seeking to reintroduce what had long been forgotten.

Thousands of members and supporters of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra had on Tuesday embarked on a protest in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital,
demanding to break away from Nigeria.

And in a swift reaction, governors in the South East and other leaders in the zone had dissociated themselves from the protests, saying they were not in support of the group.

Speaking with Channels TV on Friday during his visit to Nassarawa State, Gowon said he was sure that majority of the Igbo were not part of the group and ts agitations.

He explained that it was in the interest of peace and to avoid hard feelings that the phrase, “No victor, no vanquished” was adopted after the war.

He said, “There is no threat. If there’s any problem like that, just as Boko Haram, Nigeria should deal with it in a mature way. I even wish I could meet some of those young people as a soldier too.

What I saw was what the late Ojukwu saw too. So, it’s not a question of hatred against any tribe but it is about seeking the unity of Nigeria.

“I hope and pray to God that it is only those few that are there and the majority of the Igbo are not with them in that group. Yes, it is a democracy and they can say their views, but let them remember that, with Biafra, it is finished.

“What I saw was true and that’s what my old colleague, Ojukwu saw. It is not because of hatred and that is the reason at the end of the war, in order to make sure there was no hard feelings, that’s why we used the expression: ‘No Victor, no vanquished.”.

Soldiers from the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army bust a notorious “baby factory” in the Gariki area of Enugu, the capital of Enugu State. The operators made it look like a hospital, sources say. A unit of soldiers raided the location after one of its victims tipped off the army.

The informant who exposed the factory was a young woman, who had managed to escape the “breeding ground”. Soldiers found at least 10 pregnant girls held hostage awaiting childbirth.

According to the source, after the women delivered, their babies were taken from them by the operators of the baby factory and sold.

The escaped victim said she had been introduced to a woman identified as a “nurse,” who was to assist her deliver her baby. She gave birth a month later.

Soon after she could stand on her own, she was told to go take a shower. When she returned to the delivery room, her newborn baby had vanished. The “nurse” offered her N120,000 and told her that her baby had been given to a couple who could not have children.

The ‘factory’ operator identified as Chinyere Nome was arrested and handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and soldiers from 103 Battalion rescued 10 other women locked up inside a high-fenced compound in Gariki, Awkunanaw, Enugu South LGA, Enugu State.

They said no-one coming into the facility left without first giving birth. “Any girl who came in would not be allowed to go outside again until after delivery,” one victim said.

Soldiers used a decoy-a woman who pretended to be pregnant and looking for a nurse to help her get an abortion. The operator opened the door and the soldiers, hidden inside a tinted bus, charged at the building, weapons drawn.

Having gained access into the heavily secured facility, the soldiers saw a mini-clinic and several young women at various stages of pregnancy. Three of the women were within five days of delivery at the time of the rescue.

A source said the operator of the factory sold each baby for between N300,000 to N400,000.

In Enugu State, the Police Command also raided a “baby factory” and arrested nine pregnant girls. The operation, carried out by the 9th Mile Division of the Nigeria Police Force, took the police to a baby factory located within Etiti Amankwo Ngwo of 9th mile, Udi local government Area of Enugu state. The factory is allegedly owned and operated by one Ikechukwu Onoh of Etiti Amakwo Ngwo in Udi LGA of Enugu State.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the State, DSP Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the arrest, said the pregnant women and girls later gave their names as: Stella James, 19, from Ohaozara, Ebonyi State; Eze Jennifer, 19, from Obukpa in Nsukka, Enugu; Ugwu Christabel, 17, from Aku Igboetiti, Enugu; Happiness Mbaonu, 17, from Nnewi, Anambra; Ovunna Ifeoma, 20, from Ezza, Ebonyi. Others include Esther Nwankwo, 21, from Nkalagu, Ebonyi; Onyedika Agu, 23, from Isuawa Awgu, Enugu; Blessing James, 23, from Ohafia, Abia; and Chibueze Ujunwa, 24, from Nenwenta Aninri, Enugu. They are said to be helping police investigations.

Amaraizu said the factory owner claimed he “got a provisional approval in October 2007 from ministry of women affairs and social development Enugu State to admit and shelter pregnant women in his hospital called ‘Tex Hospital and maternity home’,” and that the hospital is no longer functional, hence he is now running the home from his house.

“He also admitted that under the authority, he was supposed to inform the social development and women affairs within 24 hours of admitting any pregnant woman.”

Some of the girls claimed that they were raped by unknown persons, but that they found relief in the home.

One said she could not report her rape to her parents until her pregnancy set in; they said she was left with two options: be forced to marry an old man or leave the family. Her search for help through a relation directed to the baby factory.

Incessant raids and closure of illegal breeding homes had put a tight squeeze on so-called baby factories in nearby Imo State.

The illegal business mushrooms around parts of the state under cover of orphanages, tactically harbouring pregnant teenage girls, who are settled with paltry compensation after they give birth. Operators give out the same babies at higher amounts.
Despite repeated raids, the boom continued to grow.

It burst when operatives of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Imo State Command, arrested and paraded four pregnant teenagers from an orphanage used as baby factory. They also rescued 17 babies.

NSCDC commandant in Imo, Pedro Idiba, in Owerri admitted his men were tipped-off. They stormed the orphanage, known as Jihovah Jireh, located in Orlu at about 9:30am on October 2 and rescued the victims.

Idiba said the names of the teenage girls involved include Onyedikachi Obialor, Oluchi Uzoma, Hope Ndukwu and Ogechi Njoku.

The commandant who was unhappy about the development also said that a two-week-old baby delivered by one of girls, Kasarachi, was among the babies rescued from the supposed orphanage.

A search uncovered an expired licence for the orphanage dated 2007 belonging to a local government council staff in Orlu named Cecelia Egemole. The location was used as maternity amongst other purposes, rendering it unhealthy, said Idiba.

He also said that a nanny who is an elder sister to the proprietress Felicia Egemole confessed that some of the girls come to the orphanage to deliver their babies and leave them behind.

Also, barely few weeks ago, another ‘baby factory’ located at Orsu LGA of Imo State was also smashed by policemen, where four pregnant teens were rescued.

Imo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem said that the recent arrest of the operators of the illegal establishment to clean up illegal orphanages in the state.

The government has directed security operatives not to hesitate to flush out such illegal homes in any part of the state.

Governor Rochas Okorocha had in a recent press interaction, stated the resolve of his administration not to condone such inimical practices in the state. A special committee has also been set up to monitor in and around the state to uncover orphanages.

But the question remains: Is that enough to stop the return of ‘baby factories’? Only time will tell.

ChikezieU:
They knew Nigeria is not a Nation but they just live in pretense.

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Thursday, pledged the state’s commitment to remain the industrial capital of Nigeria.

The governor stated this while commissioning the multi-billion naira Flexible Power Cables Factory built by Coleman Wires and Cables located at Arepo, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

While congratulating the management and members of staff of Coleman Technical Industries Limited for the multi-naira factory, Amosun described it as a further demonstration of his administration’s determination in providing conducive atmosphere for industrial growth in Ogun State.

“This project is an enviable step which, no doubt, will facilitate the attainment of a self-reliant and self-sustaining economy,” Amosun said.

He said as a mark of the success of his administration’s industrialisation drive, not less than 70 factories have so far commenced operations in Ogun State since he assumed office on May 29, 2011.

“It is heart-warming to note that today’s commissioning of the Flexible Power Cable factory just ten months after we commissioned the Medium and High voltage power cable factory on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, is an attestation to the fact that Ogun State is blessed with the necessary resources and potentials for rapid growth of industries,” Amosun said.

The Ogun State governor described the electrical products factory as one of the ways the organised private sector is identifying with the power sector reforms of the federal government.

The Governor further assured investors that the provision of an enabling ambience for businesses to thrive as well as adequate security would remain a top priority of the Ogun State government under his watch.

Amosun also seized the occasion to remind all the industries operating in Ogun State to always be mindful of their corporate social responsibility to host communities while also urging the host communities to reciprocate by displaying a high level of cooperation, tolerance and understanding for the industries.

The Ogun State governor also urged industries operating in the state to constantly ensure that their operating environments are kept clean at all times.

“The common word on the lips of all and sundry is ‘keep Ogun State clean.’ Therefore, I enjoin all the industrialists to be abreast of the dangerous nature of the waste product used in their respective factories and ensure the effective management of their industrial waste,” Amosun said.

Speaking earlier at the event, Chairman, Coleman Wires and Cables, Asiwaju Solomon Onafowokan, advised the Federal Government to diversify the nation’s economy in order to get the teeming youth gainfully employed.

The event had in attendance, the Ogun State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Onanuga, Akarigbo and Paramount ruler of Remoland, Oba Michael Adeniyi Sonariwo and the Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, among others

Over 5 million subscribers of MTN, Africa’s largest mobile phone operator, have ditched their lines with the telco outfit in Nigeria.

MTN reported a slowdown in quarterly subscriber growth on Thursday, caused by stiff competition and tougher regulation in the Nigerian market.

MTN said users increased 0.9 per cent in the three months to end-September, a slowdown from 2 per cent growth the same time a year ago.

Chief Executive Sifiso Dabengwa said the company’s subscriber base in Nigeria fell marginally after more than 5 million users disconnected from the network having failed to register their SIM cards.

“Aggressive price competition, weakening macroeconomic conditions in most of our markets and unfavourable exchange rate movements continued to impact financial performance for the quarter,” Dabengwa said.

Although mobile phone penetration is still well below 100 percent in Africa, growth in users is set to slow sharply in the next five years because the industry finds little commercial logic in deploying networks in remote, rural areas.

Some members of the Peoples Democratic Party in the House of Representatives are contemplating passing a vote of no confidence on their leadership over what they described as partisanship and favouritism in the appointments of members of the party into the standing committees of the House.

Sources among the aggrieved PDP lawmakers mainly from the South-west caucus informed THISDAY that they are up in arms against the leadership led by Minority Leader, Hon. Leo Ogor, over the way the affairs of the caucus are being managed, alleging that the leaders are running a one man show and not consulting other members before taking important decision that affect them.

The lawmaker who wants to remain anonymous also accused the leadership of favouring PDP members from the South-south in the appointments made so far including the ongoing constitution of the membership of the standing committee of the House.

They also accused some South-south governors of using money to influence the appointments of South-south members in the minority caucus to juicy House committee chairmanship positions to the detriment of members from other zones.

“We (PDP members from the South-west) are even contemplating pulling out of PDP if the leadership continues to marginalise us in the scheme of things, particularly in the composition of leadership of the committees.

“Why should the South-west caucus with 23 members not given any leadership position, whereas North-west with five members got the position of the Minority Leader occupies by Hon. Umaru Barde from Kaduna State.

“Beside, the North-east with seven members got the position of the Deputy minority Whip in the person of Hon Binta Bello, while South-east with 37 members got Deputy Minority Leader occupies by Hon Wilfred Chukuma.

Hon Leo Ogor from South-south with 55 members is the Minority Leader,” he said.

Scores of Igbo shop owners on Secretariat Road, Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, yesterday protested what they called “outrageous taxes” imposed on them by the Ayo Fayose administration.

Over 100 shops belonging to Igbo traders, Zenith and Diamond banks and NNPC mega filling station were shut by officials of the Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) in an operation that began at 9am.

The traders marched from their shops to the BIR headquarters opposite Old Governor’s Office and sang songs such as “We no go gree o, we no go gree”, among others.

Frightened BIR workers shut their doors on the protesters and didn’t open them until the 4pm closing time.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Revenue Ropo Ogunjobi was not at his desk when the protesters invaded the BIR headquarters.

The traders claimed that they entered into an agreement with BIR for a tax rate of N5,500 but officials of the tax agency visited their business offices yesterday morning claiming the agreed tax no longer subsists.

Chairman of Secretariat Road Traders Association Uchenna Madunagu claimed that BIR imposed taxes ranging between N75,000 and N180,000 on the traders, which he said are too much for their businesses.

Madunagu said the traders were forced out of their shops by stern-looking armed policemen, civil defence officers and suspected thugs clutching chains and padlocks.

The traders’ boss claimed that most of the traders still had cash, passbooks, cheques and keys to their homes inside the shops.

Madunagu said: “The newly imposed taxes have no basis anywhere because a tax is supposed to be based on your income and you don’t do assessment of taxes in your room, you have to come to our shops and see the business we run.

“You don’t have to send hoodlums and thugs to close our shops.

Imagine a shop that the goods inside is not up to N200,000 being asked to pay N100,000.

“The most painful part is that we entered into an agreement with the tax people and they gave us a bill of N5,500 and as the chairman, I told my members because things are difficult in Ekiti and Nigeria now.

“We came to their office based on the agreement of N5,500 only for them to tell us that the one we agreed upon is no longer valid that they are coming up with new taxes.

“They came with keys, chains and other things and used force to intimidate us. Why should shop owners in Ajilosun be paying N3,500 and those in Fajuyi be paying N5,500 and those of us on
Secretariat Road be paying between N75,000 and N180,000?

“We have been paying taxes every year, not that we don’t want to pay but this latest tax regime is unbearable and their approach is selective because we contribute much to commerce and economy in Ekiti.

“Most of our belongings such as keys to our houses, cash, cheque books, passbooks and other valuables have been locked inside by the government agents.

“They should open our shops and listen to us, we are citizens of this country and we should not be marginalised because we are contributing between 80 and 90 per cent to the economy in Ekiti.”

Secretary of the association Chizom Unegbu urged Fayose to reduce the taxes, saying there should be no selective application of taxes in the state.

Ogunjobi said the question of the traders paying N5,500 never emanated from his office.

He said: “Those traders are lying. The N5,500 they are talking about is not from this office because what we are talking about now is the Personal Income Tax.

“We have assessed them, they should go and collect the assessment notice and go to the bank and pay their taxes.”

Diamond bank was said to be owing operational tax which used to be N10,000 in the past but has been jerked up to N120,000.

A source said the tax has been paid after which the bank was reopened, meaning that its doors will be opened to customers today

Adminisher:
It is cowards who want to break Nigeria. The only problem with Nigeria is corrupt leadership. It is a human problem not one of geography or administrative scope.
You cannot say because you failed JAMB they should close all universities. That is as ridiculous as saying you want to break Nigeria because it is not working.

Daughter of the late Brig. Benjamin Adekunle, Mrs. Busola Olagunju, said she had received several death threats from some people who claimed to be sympathisers of the Biafra struggle.

Olagunju said in an interview grantedThe Punchduring the first anniversary of Adekunle’s death in Ogbomoso that her late father, who was a commander of the3rd Marine Commando that fought in the Nigeria Civil War, and former president Olusegun Obasanjo did not quarrel over issues surrounding their contributions to the war.

“There is a historical fact about who ended the Civil War, there is no rift or debate about that. The debate is about who contributed the most between my father and Obasanjo. That is however subjective.

Some say my father had already conquered the whole of Biafra and that Biafra was already like a tablet of soap when Obasanjo took over from my father.

But even if it was a size of postage stamp, the truth is that Obasanjo took over when the war was still on,” she had said in the interview.

But on Wednesday, Olagunju, who is a legal practitioner, informed our correspondent that her life was threatened on Facebook, with some accusing her father of genocide.

“Some people attacked me over my comment in the interview. They said I must die for my comment on Biafra. I will not take the threat for granted, I will report to security agencies,” she said.

In one of the messages sent, Richard Onyema wrote, “U will die soon watch and see”.

Another message posted by Christian Rowland suggested that children of all Nigerian soldiers should be tracked and killed.

“It’s now time to kill all the Nigerian army children, track them and kill them all, kill, kill, kill, kill them, since their parents don’t want other parents to enjoy their own children, then all the
Nigeria armed forces children must be tracked and killed.

It’s time we started making our own statement and let’s keep the scores. The zoo called Nigeria must fall.

“This goes out to all the Biafrans in Port Harcourt, track her down, she will be used as a scapegoat to all others in the force, if they kill any of us, we will kill three to four.

It’s time we started doing what the director, Nnamdi Kanu, said we should do…Her father must see how burials taste like.”

In another message, Chimezie Williams said, “She (Olagunju) should consider herself dead. I have informed her.”

T. Mayor Edeh said Biafra would return while saying that Olagunju would join her dead father while Anyiamite Iscariot called for her hanging.

Christian Anyamele said, “Busola Olagunju the daughter of Black Scorpion, your father killed Biafrans and you are happy about it.”

Brig. Adekunle, popularly known as the Black Scorpion, died on September 13, 2014 at the age of 78. He retired from the Nigerian Army in 1974 after 16 years in service.

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, on Friday said Nigerians will no longer participate in the stoning of devil ritual, except they get accommodation close to Jamrat, where the exercise will take place.

He also reiterated his earlier position that blacks, particularly Nigerians were not responsible for the stampede.

The Emir’s reaction followed the recent stampede in Saudi Arabia that killed several pilgrims, including about 70 Nigerians.

The Emir, who quoted several verses of the Qur’an, said refusal to perform the stoning of devil ritual does not in any way invalidate one’s pilgrimage.

He said, “During the era of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he permitted pilgrims who came on camels to stay in Makkah after Arafat, instead of staying in Mina and sleeping at Muzdalifa.

“So, if the Prophet can give such grace to some people, just to protect their animals, why didn’t our scholars educate our people properly to avoid this untoward hardship and death?

“Therefore, it will be part of my recommendation to the Federal Government that, if we cannot get accommodation close to Jamrat where the Arabs reside in Mina, then this year may be the last time we will sleep in Mina and Muzdalifa because we want to stone the devil.

“If one deliberately refuses to perform the stoning of the devil ritual, all he needs to do is just to slaughter a ram.

So, if this is the situation, why do we go and suffer and die instead of sacrificing a ram.”

Cyriacus Izuekwe

Traders at Ladipo Main Market in Mushin, Lagos State, western Nigeria, were in shock and tears as bulldozer and a team of security personnel arrived the market on Thursday to demolish the market for reconstruction.

As at 4.30 pm on Thursday shops had been brought down while the exercise continues on Friday. Traders were ordered to leave the market with their goods and when they attempted to resist, the bulldozer moved in and started the demolition.

Some goods were destroyed as many of the traders were not in their shops because of the Independence Day celebration and public holiday.

Traders and the Mushin Local government had been at loggerheads over plans to re-construct the market and turn it into a modern plaza.

The traders, through their leaders alleged that they were not carried along before the plans to re-construct the market was carried out.

They expressed concern over what happened to shop owners in other markets where such reconstruction was carried out and they never got back their shops after the reconstruction.

It was because of that that they resisted the plan and went to a Lagos High Court to obtain an injunction to stop the demolition.

Following the order, the traders, developer and Mushin Local Government went into discussion and negotiation which led to a truce. And the traders, through their BOT chairman, Nnamdi Chukwuka, withdrew the matter from the court.

P.M.NEWS gathered that at the meeting it was agreed that the traders would vacate their shops on 1 October, 2015 for work to begin in some parts of the market.

It was in line with the agreement that the developer moved in and started the demolition.

The traders who spoke to our reporter said they had agreed to vacate the market on Sunday, 4 October, for work to start on Monday, 5 October.

They said they were shockec when the the government officials came and asked the traders to move out and did not allow them to remove anything in their shops before demolishing their shops.

As at the time of filing this report the demolition was still going on as traders were busy removing their goods from the rubble in their shops.

Barely 24 hours after the Chairman, Senate Committee on Business and Rules, Senator Babajide Omowarare (APC-Osun East), backed out of the vote of confidence given to the leadership of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, by 83 Senators, another Senator, Sabo Mohammed Nakudu representing Jigawa South-West Senatorial District, has also purportedly withdrawn the said endorsement.

Nakudu in a widely circulated press statement said to have been personally signed by him, on Wednesday, said he wasn’t consulted before his name was included in the names of senators who signed the vote of confidence on Tuesday.

Vanguard had Tuesday, published the list of 83 senators who endorsed Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu-led senate. The list had had the names of 48 Senators from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 35 from the majority All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to the list, Senator Nakudu’s name was on No 41.
See the list here
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/full-list-of-83-senators-who-passed-vote-of-confidence-on-saraki/

However, in what looked like a backtrack, Senator Nakudu said he wants to assure his constituents and the general public that he is a loyal party man and loyal to his party the All Progressives
Congress (APC).

With this development, it remains 82 Senators whom have endorsed the incumbent leadership of the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

See a copy of Senator Nakudu’s purported statement below:

ArodewilliamsT:


Will a northerner vote a yorubaman, if another northerner is contesting?

baralatie:
the time is 11:52a.m

A meeting of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization,
the Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Enugu on Sunday witnessed poor attendance as most Igbo leaders stayed away.

The meeting, which is the first since the swearing-in of President Muhammadu Buhari, had only a handful of persons in attendance. Most regular faces in the previous meetings never showed up.

Ohanaeze had before the election, declared total support for former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Also, as a major fallout of the presidential polls, the Ohanaeze leadership declared that there would be no formal activity to mark the 2015 Igbo day celebration.

The event is usually celebrated on the 29th of September every year.

President-General of Ohanaeze, Chief Enwo Igariwey, who briefed journalists on the outcome of the meeting said this was a time for sober reflection.

He said “we had a meeting, a select group met in-house with Ohanaeze executive to discuss the Igbo day celebration.

“It will be held in low-key; branches are free to celebrate the Igbo day as they want, but at the national level, we have decided to retreat, to think back.

The situation of things in the country calls for tact and unity among Ndigbo. This is also why the theme of this year’s celebration is ‘Ako na Uche; Njiko Aka’, (tact and unity).”

Igariwey, however, stated that even though there would be no activity at the national level of Ohanaeze to mark the day, “we are calling on Ndigbo to observe the compulsory 3 minutes of silence on the 29th of September for people who died during the civil war.”

He added that “our people should not be agitated or disappointed by lopsided appointments made by the President. We should remain calm, steadfast and think home on how to develop our place. We should speak with one voice and avoid distractions.”

Earlier in an interview, former Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, Col. Joe Achuzie called on Ndigbo not to despair but to remain viable opposition.

The Biafra war veteran said “having known that the President has distributed key positions”, Ndigbo should only accept ministerial positions if they would use such in the interest of the zone.

“If one is taking up the position, the person should not use it to popularize himself as others did in the past, it should only be on the basis of working for the interest of Ndigbo.

“We are already in the opposition; so Igbos should maximize everything in the opposition and remain viable to get something better out of it”, he declared.

sweetorgasms:
ITS just a stage and a plan autograph to get fans talking again, nairalands are so gullible dat some have started writing trash, Nice is a boss to yemi

But seriously, I am ashamed of myself to see these charges, yes it is an allegation but you can see that they are solid and appear true as far as a layman can see. And then his efforts to stop that process were just admittance of guilt as far as I’m concerned.” Continuing, the Senator said, “I don’t see myself being viewed on national television defending that kind of thing. What will my constituents think about me? I cannot do that so I believe he should just step aside and clear his name, which is the most honourable thing to do.