₦airaland Forum

phayvoursky:
PDP!!!
POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

TonyeBarcanista:
We shall reverse the March 28 fortune in 2019! Power must return to the People(PDP)

ABEOKUTA—Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), yesterday, disclosed how he lobbied the matriarch of Awolowo family, late Mrs. HID Awolowo to convince her husband to
serve as federal commissioner for finance and vice president of the Federal
Executive Council under his
administration during the civil war.

Gowon, who ruled Nigeria between 1966
and 1975 ,however, urged Nigerians to be
patient with their leaders, describing the
country ”as most difficult to govern.”

The former Head of State, who is the
Chairman of Obafemi Awolowo foundation led his team which comprises former World Court Judge, Bola Ajibola, Professor Emeritus, Oladipo Akinkugbe and Afenifere chieftains Ayo Adebanjo’and Sir Olanihun Ajayi, among others to Awolowo family’s house in Ikenne, Ogun State over the death of HID Awolowo.

Gowon, who spoke on behalf of other members eulogised the late Mama HID Awolowo for her role in his government, saying, he had to lobby her to convince her husband to serve under him. According to him; ‘’In paying condolence
to Mama, you cannot do it without really
mentioning Papa Awolowo. And of
course, you know that Papa was very
instrumental to some of our successes in
government in those days. “

It was my fortune and I thank God that
it was me that had the opportunity to
release Papa from prison in Calabar to
Lagos and to be able to help us have
peace in the West at that time. Mama
was very grateful for what has happened and I can assure that was what earned
me the respect of Mama throughout her
life. “

But, despite the fact that what we did
was alright, there was also a need to get
papa involved and that would probably
seal what we wanted to achieve,
especially in the West, which was at the
time pretty dicey. ‘’

You’d remember Operation Wetie and then the coup and what not. So we had to seek Mama’s support to see if we could get Papa to come and join the government to help and of course, our hope was that when that happened we would be able to finish the war as quickly as possible so that we could return to democracy.

‘’Yes, we really pleaded with Mama; She
was the one who encouraged Papa to
accept that invitation and for that, we
will ever remain grateful to her for what
she did”, he said.

While urging Nigerians to be patient with their leaders, Gowon said; “You know what happened after then; we had a government that was not totally military but with some political juggernauts as the saying goes and we were able to start to make a move towards returning to
normalcy.

"Let me tell you this; it was not easy.
When I became Head of State, I hoped
that three, six months the most, we would
be done. But when you have problems in a
nation, it is not easy to solve them
overnight. So, you’ve always got to give time and you’ve got to be patient with
leaders to be able to put things in order”.

Speaking on Nigeria’s present
government, Gowon said “Whenever any
government comes in, give them time to be
able to really put things right. Nigeria is
not an easy place to govern.

“I can assure there are as many problems
as there are Nigerians in the world and
everybody wants to do things in his own
way and probably for his own interest.

‘’And you think of that, how are you going to get all that put together and put things right? I think we’ve got to be patient and then we got to cooperate with the government to do the right thing.
Always never be tired of telling the government what needed to be done in
order to improve things”.

Speaking on behalf of Awolowo family,
the eldest child , Omotola Oyediran,
lauded the members of the foundation for
their efforts.

Oyediran, who appealed to Nigerians to
pray for the family to continue enjoying
unity amongst themselves, assuring
Nigerians that, though , the family is
large, the unity of the family will be taken
seriously.

CALABAR—A woman and her seven-year-old daughter died Wednesday froma generator fire which also razed their
apartment located at15 Andem Street, 8
miles, on the outskirt of Calabar metropolis in Cross Rivers State.

Vanguard learned that two other family
members, including husband of the
deceased, Mr. Lawrence, and his
brother-in-law, who also sustained burns
are currently hospitalised.

Old generator set

It was gathered that the duo were trying
to refill the generator with petrol when it
caught fire.

However, a source who preferred anonymity, revealed to Vanguard that the generator had not been in use for a long time, and that the husband of the
deceased had instructed his brother-in-
law to re-engage it.

Having fuelled the tank, the young man was said to have yanked off the cord before the generator exploded.

A neighbour, Mrs. Gift Peters, said of the
incident: “It had been long since they
used that generator, so the man, Mr.
Lawrence, asked the boy to start the
generator and warm it properly since it
had been long since they used it. So they bought the fuel and put in it. Immediately
they started the generator, it exploded.”

Explosion

Vanguard gathered that the explosion set off other generators belonging to the deceased, and also that of the occupants
of the twin flat which were all lined up at
the backyard and walled in by burglary
proof.

Occupants of the twin flat were said to
have fled upon sighting the fire, but the
deceased and her daughter were
reported to have been trapped inside their
own apartment as the doors and windows
apparently were shut in the heat of the flames.

Eyewitnesses said they noticed the fire at
about 8:45 pm Wednesday , and battled
to put out the flames while alerting the
Quick Intervention Squad, QIS.

One neighbour, Mr. Age Edward, said:
“When I heard that there was a fire, I
rushed over to assist since they are my
neighbours. When I arrived, the fire was
so thick that we could not help out.

‘’We tried all we could to quench the fire,
it was so horrible, it was later I heard
that the man’s wife and child were inside.

“Personally, I contacted Quick
Response, QIS. I called over three
times, they did not respond. The first time
it was busy, the second time it rang and
stopped, the third time, it rang and
stopped. I did not have Fire Service number on the phone I was using
yesterday. ‘’I didn’t bother to call
anybody again. I tried my best since I
am equally a public servant. We did our
best, though it was not enough.”

When Vanguard contacted fire division of
the QIS, the officials said they
responded promptly, contrary to
neighbours who disclosed that the fire
men arrived two hours after they were
called, and that they ran out of water.

Unit Commander of Fire Service at the
QIS, Mr. Daniel Ibor, said his men
arrived the scene 30 minutes after they
were called due to the distance from
Calabar to 8 Miles, which is on the
outskirt of the city.

He said: “We were called at about 9:30
pm and immediately we turned out for the
fire. It is quite unfortunate that the fire
involved fuel.

‘We did our best’

‘’Despite the distance, we still did our
best to get there on time. We have been
asking people not to put fuel into a steaming generator. We advised them to
allow it cool first. ‘

’If it was a free burning fire, by the time
we got there, we still could’ve saved a lot.
Our response really stopped the fire from
spreading to other property.”

He further explained that the water in
their truck got depleted and that they had
to collect more from the fire unit of the
Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and not
from a private water tank as some
eyewitnesses reported.

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it has recovered from the initial shock occasioned by the loss of power at the centre in the last general election.

At its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting yesterday at the party’s Abuja national secretariat, the PDP said it found the loss disappointing.

The meeting said the party had started the process of rebuilding.

PDP’s Acting National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus, who presided over the NEC meeting, added that the loss afforded the party to do some soul- searching.

Secondus said: “Our party has witnessed challenging times after our disappointing loss in the last elections. We moved from pain, despair, soul-searching and now, by the grace of the Almighty God, we have started the process of re-building confidence in ourselves for a brighter future for the party.”

The first step pursuant to soul-searching, he said, was the resignation of Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu and Chief Tony Anenih as national chairman and chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Secondus called the attention of Nigerians to what the party described as selective implementation of the ongoing anti-corruption fight, saying members of the party were being singled out for prosecution.

“It would be morally repugnant to target PDP members while seemingly protecting All Progressives Congress (APC) members. All we are calling for is an equal and fair treatment of all Nigerians under the law. “

Government should prevent the slide of our dear country into a police state by controlling some of the brazen acts of the security agencies against state institutions as exemplified in the invasion of the Akwa Ibom Government House by some officers of the DSS.

“In the same vein, we call on the Federal Government to come out straight with Nigerians on the state of our economy, which is gradually sliding into recession. “

It appears that the lack of an economic direction and remedial actions from the government is having a debilitating effect on the economy. Jobs are being lost and small businesses are closing shops as a result of the lack of constructive economic engagement from the APC government,” the party’s acting chair added. Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko said the PDP liberalised the democratic space in the 16 years it held power at the centre.

According to him, the PDP lost power as a result of complacency on the part of its leadership organs and praised former President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding victory to President Muhammadu Buhari in the last presidential election.

The governor urged the ruling APC to avoid selective application of justice, a development, which he said, would not advance the cause of democracy and justice.

Mimiko called on the APC-led Federal Government to be ready for robust criticism of the administration’s policies from the PDP, adding that the party’s governors would set the template for good governance in the country.

Other governors at the meeting included those of Taraba, Abia, Kogi, Delta, Rivers and Enugu states.

Others were Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu; former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido; former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam among other party chieftains.

1. She first lays enough eggs before sitting on them. (Good planning)
2. When she starts sitting on her eggs, she
minimizes movement. (Disciplined)
3. She physically loses weight while sitting
on her eggs due to decreased feeding.
(Sacrificial and Self- denial.)
4. She can sit on eggs from another hen.
(Indiscriminate and Generous) 5. She sits on her eggs for 21 days, patiently
waiting and even if they don't hatch she will
still lay eggs again. (Faith, Hope and not
being Discouraged)
6. She detects un-fertilized eggs and rolls
them out. (Sensitive and Discerning) 7. She abandons the rotten eggs and starts
caring for the hatched chicks even if it is
only one. (Wise, Conscious and Realistic)
8. No one can touch her chick. (Protective
Love)
9. She gathers all her chicks together. (Unity of purpose)
10. She doesn't abandon her chicks before
they mature. (Mentorship)

Continue to nurture your dreams, one day
they shall hatch and you shall see them grow. Never give up your colourful destiny.
Have a great day.

Government, Tuesday, unveiled newly improved National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificates to be issued to corps members at the conclusion of the mandatory one year service to their fatherland. Speaking at the unveiling ceremony in Abuja, the Director General of the NYSC, Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi said the scheme took the step to wage war against forgery and impersonation. The DG, represented by the Acting Director of Certification, Alhaji Aliu Daura, explained that the new certificate would be embossed with the carrier’s photograph in line with the global best practices. According to Olawumi, the issuance of the new NYSC certificate would take effect from Batch ‘C’ 2014, who will be passing out on 15 October. “In our concerted effort to make the operation of the NYSC conform with global best practices, the scheme engaged in the holistic e-nysc solution with effect from Batch ‘C’ 2014 where prospective members register online before proceeding to the orientation camp. This resulted in the enhancement of issuance of NYSC certificates namely; Certificate of National Service, Certificate of Exemption and Letter of Exclusion. “With effect from Batch ‘C’ 2014, all certificate of National Service bear passport photograph of the corps members at the upper right hand corner of the certificate. “This is to guarantee the security
of our certificates from forgery and to block all chances of impersonation. Therefore batch ‘C’ 2014 corps members, who are due to pass-out on 15 October, 2015 will have their certificates embossed with their photograph,” he clarified. Shielding more light on the categories of the NYSC
certificates, the Director of Press, Mrs Abosede
Aderibigbe said Certificate of Exemption is issued to a Full- time graduate, who is above the age of 30 at the time of graduation or such corps member is a staff of security agencies like Armed Forces, Nigeria Police, Department of State Security, National Intelligence Agency (NIA)
and Recipients of National Presidential Honours Award. For Letter of Exclusion, Aderibigbe further said that it was designed to take care of corps population, who are graduates of Part-time, Distance Learning and Sandwich programmes, adding that issuance of letter of exclusion commenced in 2001, and that, they would be able to register
and print their letters on line. She noted that the scheme had gone digital, therefore verification of NYSC certificate could now be done electronically.

The children of a British man have called on David Cameron to intervene to save their father from being subjected to 350 lashes in Saudi Arabia. Karl Andree, 74, faces being publicly flogged as part of a
punishment imposed after bottles of homemade wine were reportedly found last
year in his car by Saudi police enforcing
strict laws prohibiting alcohol. The family of the oil executive, who is being held at Jeddah’s Briman prison, say he is already weak as a result of cancer and fear that the flogging will kill him.

They said in a statement reported by the
Sun:

“Our father has given 25 years of his
working life to Saudi Arabia, and this is how he is treated. Until his arrest, he has always been happy working there and felt safe.

“He is 74 years of age, has had cancer three times and his wife is dying in a home in the UK. He now
needs medical care for his cancer and asthma, and there is no doubt in our mind that 350 lashes will kill him. We implore David Cameron to personally intervene and help get our father home. The Saudi government will only listen to him.

” The Foreign Office said:

“Our embassy staff are continuing to assist Mr Andree, including regular visits to check on his welfare, and frequent contact with his lawyer and family. Ministers and senior officials have raised Mr Andree’s case with the Saudi government and we are actively seeking his release as soon as possible.”

Andree’s three children, Hugh, 46, Kirsten, 45, and Simon, 33, are reported to have been lobbying discreetly for their father for more than a month but have now decided to go public.

MosakuAW:
What is been humble got to do with this. Nothing special about him trying his hands on bricks and cement. The building under construction might be one of his projects and he is trying to make fun. Thats all.


Nothing special joor. Messi did same in one of the African countries months back.

goodmorning40:
Onye be unuoo

Seen this before on Nairaland. Abi posts don finish

Anyways, I thinks these set of people are somehow related to our erstwhile first lady.

exlink10:
I strongly believe this happens everywhere. Any tribe that permits a man and woman to cohabit without any rite and produce children, must imbibe this tradition, because pratically, the lady didn't die a single.

Its not new to me

goodmorning40:
Uwa mmebi

thiagoneves:
Foolish tribe.

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Enugu State Command, has arrested a young woman, identified as Nkechi Isioko, from Mpu in Aninri Local Government Area of the State for allegedly attempting to sell her baby for N100, 000.

Nkechi was paraded alongside some prostitutes and pipeline vandals. It was gathered that the suspect had collected the sum of N100, 000 from one Mrs. Blessing Egbo before operatives of the NSCDC arrested her and the suspected buyer.

She claimed that Mrs. Egbo initially gave her part payment of N10,000, and later completed the money.

She further confessed that she later gave back the N100, 000 to Mrs Egbo after she was advised not to sell her own baby, adding that she wanted to sell the baby because she needed money to treat herself.

Speaking while parading the suspects, the commandant of NSCDC in Enugu State, Mr. Lar Stephen Zwali, warned pipeline vandals to look for another business, saying his command had intensified surveillance.

He disclosed that the suspects were caught at Nenwe in Aninri Local Government in the night while they were vandalising the pipelines.

The NCSDC Commandant further told journalists that though the NNPC repaired the pipelines before it commenced pumping of petroleum products to its depot in Enugu, his command had informed the corporation of the development.

He further advised human traffickers and prostitutes to find another business, warning that his command was committed to stopping their illegal business.

The Chairman of the Committee on Child Adoption and Fostering in Enugu State and Archbishop of the Anglican Communion, Enugu Province, Most Reverend Emmanuel Chukwuma, who also spoke to reporters warned that the state would no longer be conducive for human traffickers and prostitutes.

He stated that the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had directed them to stop prostitution and illegal sale and adoption of babies.

Kudos Eagles