₦airaland Forum

Former Minister of Transport and member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees,
Chief Ebenezer Babatope, tells LEKE BAIYEWU
why President Muhammadu Buhari’s corruption
probe into the last administration led by former
President Goodluck Jonathan may fail

The Peoples Democratic Party has said the
probes being carried out by the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led administration are
selective. Why are they?
Any government is free to transact any business it wants to transact. So, Buhari is correct to say he wants to probe. But all that we are saying is that he must ensure that the probe is not coloured with injustice, bias and unfairness. Once he can do that, let him go ahead. He has not unfolded the programme; when he unfolds the programme, we will know.

If he has decided to probe only the last
administration, does it have any shortcomings?
He has the choice on whoever he wants to probe.
If he wants to limit it to the Jonathan administration, he has the freedom. But what is important is that the probe must be free and must not be done against those that they want to persecute or humiliate because of their political affiliation. Nobody can question whatever method Buhari’s administration wants to use. It is his government and it is in his best interest to ensure that his government meets the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians. If he says he wants to probe the administration of GEJ (Goodluck Ebele Jonathan) alone, that is good for him but all we
know is that he must endeavour not to turn the probe into a kind of witch-hunt. This is why we are appealing that he should allow justice and fair play to characterise all the exercises that will be carried out on the probe. I don’t care who wants to probe; he can probe anybody he wants to probe but at the end of the day, he should be careful not to endanger or destroy the integrity of innocent people.

With what you have seen or heard so far, does
the campaign look like a witch-hunt?
I cannot substantiate the witch-hunt claim now, even though the civil servants that were said to be having their property confiscated by the government have raised their voices to say they did not do (commit) anything (crime). I want President Buhari to ensure that the security agencies do very thorough job, and should not do a hush-hush job that will amount to nothing but witch-hunt. We are waiting for when they will start to see or hear the names of those who are now being called looters. As it is now, almost every Nigerian is a looter unless you are proven not to be a looter.

Would you have called for the extension of the
probe to the administrations before Jonathan’s,
especially those widely believed to have been
very corrupt, if you had your way?
I am not a supporter, really, of what is called probe. Our leader, my benefactor, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, warned against a country getting itself into the mess of probing; that there would be no end to it. That was why he said the current administration should erect a thick wall between the events of the past administration and the present. That he would rather strengthen the Nigeria Police to ensure that it is mobile enough to do its job properly; to arrest and
prosecute. All we are saying is that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Police and all other agencies who are to help the government must do their job well, bring culprits to book and ensure that they bring those guilty of looting to book.

But is it appropriate for a new government not to
check the books of the previous administration,
especially when government coffers have been
looted?
At the end of the day, I hope that this probe on corruption will not end up being a mere illusion; when you say somebody has looted but establishing the looting is very difficult. Nobody is saying it is not good for the country to fight corruption, all we are saying – and I want to repeat it – is that in establishing new morality for Nigeria, we must not cast away justice and fair play in the manner we investigate all the cases. If we do so, we will subject Nigeria to a state of
irredeemable despair, and that will be very bad for us.

What then is your take on Prof. Ben Nwabueze’s
stance that certain administrations recorded
corruption of threatening magnitude should be
probed, especially those led by former military
Heads of State, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami
Abubakar and former President Olusegun
Obasanjo?
I am very convinced that no amount of probes on
Jonathan will establish that Jonathan was a corrupt leader. He was not a corrupt leader. That is why I am proposing fairness and justice in this probe. Jonathan is not going to be found guilty of anything; I am telling you the fact. And if he (Buhari) says he wants to extend his probe to other regimes, it will be ridiculous. That was why Awolowo said any nation that goes deep into the ‘probe-probe business;’ that nation is
jeopardising the future of its citizens because it can never get to an end. That was why Awolowo said he would erect a thick wall between the events of the past and of the present. All we need to do is to strengthen the Police. That is all.

If you think Jonathan was not corrupt and will be off the hook, would you admit that he had people whose activities should be probed around him?
If they are found guilty, they should be brought to book. But the way it is going; one governor was on the entourage of President Buhari to America, he came back and told Nigerians that one minister (under Jonathan) stole $6bn. This is a ridiculous thing to say. $6bn! We are talking of stones; we are talking of hard currency. All these comments are really making fun of what President Buhari is trying to do. Let them base their probes on concrete facts. It is not possible for a minister of any country to steal N6bn and stash it away in foreign banks. Which bank can accommodate that? Any of the banks that aid corruption abroad will be hesitant to take that kind of money. I know very well that Buhari’s probe will help us in this country but trying to implicate people who are innocent will be bad for Nigeria.

The PDP also said President Buhari should look
inwards and prosecute corrupt persons in the All
Progressives Congress and among those close to
him to set an example. Does this really matter?
Of course (it does)! It will be foolhardy for anyone to think that there are no corrupt people in the APC. They also ran government (at the state level) either as Action Congress of Nigeria or any other party (before their merger). The PDP was right to say ‘place your binoculars of corruption probe on your men in the APC.’

Must the probe start from within the APC?
It can start from anywhere but make sure that you do a thorough job. If the leaders of the APC are said to be corrupt and you are investigating them, do a thorough job.

What about loyalists of the people who are accusing some leaders of the APC; are they not also expected to provide proofs?
Anybody who alleges must prove the allegation. If a PDP man says an APC man is corrupt, that PDP man must be brought forward to prove his allegation. And those accusing PDP leaders of corruption must prove their allegations against them.

What do you make of the National Peace Commitee’s meeting with the President and the advice given to him on his anti-corruption war?
We must examine what the committee said very
carefully. There are many individuals in that committee who are very good ‘materials;’ like Bishop Mathew Kukah, he is a fine material; and to a great extent, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.) is a fine character. All they are saying is that we must not, in the guise of fighting corruption, do things that will lead to impunity and criminality. That is all they are saying. Those who are blaming them (members) are very wrong; the committee is not saying it is begging
for Jonathan or (for the President) not to deal with anybody; the hand that sins must pay for its sin. But then, we must be sure that we are punishing people who have really committed the crime. If you start punishing innocent people, you are jeopardising the future of this country.

lalasticlala

BeardedMeat:
That was how they started in the Pdp. From Buhari to Tinubu to Obj to Ibb to Abdsalaam into the hands of the opposition! Apc had better swallow their foolish pride and put their house in order before its too late!

Okoye alleged that he was beaten so badly that
he suffered a spinal injury and sustained cuts on his face and all over his body while his friend had a fractured upper and lower jaws, internal and external ear injuries, torn lips, bloodied eyes and abdominal and chest pains.

Another suspected receiver of stolen cars, Alhaji Oba Suleiman, who wept intermittently when they were being paraded by the police, said he
sometimes bought stolen cars for as little as N25,000.

THE presidency has said that official portfolio was yet to be assigned to Aisha, the wife of president Mohmmadu Buhari, overruling what hitherto was known as “First Lady’s office”. Apparently renaming it “Office of the Wife of the President”, the presidency however stated that Mrs. Buhari would, for now, be saddled with women and youth related issues in the country.

By Levinus Nwabughiogu
THE presidency has said that official portfolio was yet to be assigned to Aisha, the wife of president Mohmmadu Buhari, overruling what hitherto was known as “First Lady’s office”. Apparently renaming it “Office of the Wife of the President”, the presidency however stated that Mrs. Buhari would, for now, be saddled with women and youth related issues in the country.

The Presidency was reacting to allegations in some Nigerian media that the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari has moved into the First Lady’s office in the Aso Villa.
Describing the allegation as totally false and fictitious, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said that even though there was absolutely nothing wrong with Mrs. Buhari making use of the office space reserved for the First Lady, she had not done so in her capacity.
Shehu stated that under president Buhari, the office shall be completely different from what obtained in the past, saying that the era of the First Ladies issuing oil wells and licenses was gone.
“President Buhari promised that there would be a clear difference between the role played by his wife during his tenure and that played by many previous First Ladies. “All that ostentation, ubiquitousness and arrogance we have come to expect from the office are over and done with. Change has come.
“The ideal platform from which she will be useful to Nigeria’s women and children is still being thought out. Once this has been concluded on, Mrs. Buhari’s role will become clearer to all Nigerians. There will be nothing shady or hidden about it. There will be no access to public funds. It will be purely private and voluntary”, he said.
The presidential spokesman recalled that the time Mrs. Buhari had to make use of the office was at the beginning of the present administration.

He added that the meeting during which she hosted the wives of governors was held in a section of the Villa’s banquet hall, not in the First Lady’s office. “Her only visit to that office was at the point of the take-over of the Villa by the incoming administration.
“Out of respect to Mrs. Buhari, the Sierra-Leonian First Lady, Mrs. SiaKoroma recently surrendered her position of head of Africa’s First Ladies to Mrs. Buhari, inviting her to take up the same seat which Mrs. Jonathan hurriedly handed over a few weeks to the handover of her husband’s government to President Buhari. Again, all these things are currently under consideration and no decision has been arrived at presently,” Shehu said.

lalasticlala

BY GILBERT EKEZIE AND EMEKA ANOKWURU

The Catholic community in Lagos is yet to come to terms with the tragic death of Rev. Francis Alex Okafor. The man drowned during a send-forth party organised in his honour at the Ibeshe Beach in Oriade Lo­cal Council Development Area of the state. Eyewitness account said, while Rev. Okafor and some of his guests were swimming, a strong current came and carried him, together with some of the people. Divers who were immediately mo­bilised were able to rescue three of them, while Rev Okafor could not be found. Two days after, his lifeless body was found floating at the edge of the sea.

Rev. Okafor who was in his 30s, was ordained Deacon on July 4, 2015, and was subsequently posted to St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, Agboju, Lagos for the mandatory six weeks apostolic work.

When Saturday Sun visited the par­ish within the week, the whole place wore sombre look. There were no ac­tivities in the premises. The few peo­ple around were in groups, obviously discussing the incident.

Describing the incident as a rude shock, Mr. Percy Okuofo, president of Redemption Youth Vocation Ministry (RYVM), the group which organised the ill-fated send-forth, told Saturday Sun that the late Reverend was an ex­cellent example to the youths.

According to him, “By Catho­lic rules, before one could become a priest, he must have undergone about nine years of intensive and rigorous training, which also involves an apos­tolic work in a Catholic church. This would enable him to get acquainted with all it takes to celebrate a mass and acquire more experience in the vari­ous aspects of church administration. For the late Rev he has already been ordained a deacon, and waiting to be ordained a priest next year.

“Having completed the six weeks apostolic work at St. Stephen’s Catho­lic Church Agboju, the late Okafor was full of joy and was warming up to meet his family in Zaria. The Par­ish Priest Rev. Father Michael Okoh, the parishioners and the members of the church planned a colourful send-forth for him on Sunday, August 16, after which he would leave for further engagements.”

Ahead of the proposed sent-forth party, the youths of the church under the umbrella of RSYVM, decided to organise the beach party for him.

Battling to control his tears, Okuofo said: “while some of the youths and the late Reverend were swimming, three of them, including the clergy were swept away by a strong current and vanished in the water. Onlookers and other swimmers were surprised at what had happened and immediately went on a rescue mission.

“Luckily, some divers around were able to save two of the youths, a boy and a girl, while Okafor’s body could not be found. We kept monitoring the area till his bloated body surfaced.”

During the Service of Songs organ­ised by the church, Priest in-charge, Rev Fr Michael Okoh described the late Okafor as an obedient servant of God and a hardworking gentleman who did his best to lift the church within the short period he came.

The late Okafor who hailed from Anambra State, was trained by his single mother. He was to be ordained priest in July 2016, after about nine years training. It was also learnt that he was the only son of his parents.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command confirmed the incident and described it as unfortunate.

pfijacobs:
False story... I live few compounds away from dem... The boi was caught in his own wickedness... Know d full story before u paste rubbish...

Investigation by Vanguard revealed that there had been a lingering quarrel between Emmanuel’s
family and the landlady. It was gathered that both
parties had been to the Ajeromi Police Station
several times to settle quarrels.

"Iyabo solicited the help of her friend, Olawe, to help to beat up Dauda for breaking up with her.

Who doesn’t love music? Certainly, there are some; but for the most part, music is a big part of our lives.

Whether it’s the music that we listen to on the way to work, while we work out, or the music we hear in films, it can elevate our moods or make us sober.

Music has touched cultures and united many nations of the world. But what does not readily come to mind is the stress-relieving power of music.

New evidence has emerged that when it comes to relieving the stress of daily life, music can be more effective than drugs.

If you doubt this assertion, simply cast your mind to how good you feel when you are listening and dancing to your favourite song. Science has proved over and over again that good music soothes the body, soul and relieves stress.

Researchers say playing and listening to music has great benefits for both our mental and physical health. A review of 400 research papers in the Neurochemistry of Music found that music can improve the function of the body’s immune system, reduce pain and blood pressure, in addition to treating depression.

The lead researcher and professor of medicine, James Levitin, says listening to and playing music lower the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone).

He states, “Music has the potential to influence us both psychologically and physiologically. It is an important area of therapy for stress management. Music therapy can make use of biofeedback, guided imagery, and other established techniques to play an important role in the treatment of people with stress-related disorders.”

Music boosts moods

According to scientists, depending on the taste of the individual, slow or fast-paced music supplies adrenaline to the brain, which is necessary for mental activities. They note that listening to thrilling and loud music gives similar health benefits that food and good sex gives during a mental or physical exercise.

The report states, “Music gives more pleasure and it makes you anticipate, which is similar to the feeling you have during sex. When this happens, your system secrets more dopamine, the hormone that makes you happy and reduces pain and stress.”

There is more to music, though. Levitin says playing and listening to music reduced pain and anxiety levels in cancer patients.

He states, “We have found compelling evidence that musical interventions can play a health care role in settings, ranging from operating rooms to family clinics. But even more importantly, we were able to document the neuro-chemical mechanisms by which music has an effect in four domains: management of mood, stress, immunity and as an aid to social bonding.”

He states that listening to music increases the production of the antibody, Immunoglobin A, which plays an important role in helping the body to fight infections and diseases.

“The body produces higher levels of this antibody, Immunoglobin A, when you listen to music or sing a song from your heart. This antibody attacks germs and bacteria invading the body.”

Relieves back and muscle pain

Experts say that music works on the autonomic nervous system – the part of the nervous system responsible for controlling our blood pressure, heartbeat and brain function; and also the limbic system – the part of the brain that controls feelings and emotions.

According to a research published in Vienna Medical Weekly by Austrian doctors, when slow rhythms are played, our blood pressure and heartbeat slow down, which helps us breathe more slowly, thus reducing muscle tension in our neck, shoulders, stomach and back.

They add that apart from relieving physical tension, music also reduces psychological tension in the mind.

Clinical psychologist, Franz Wendtner, who led the study, says, “Music is an important part of our physical and emotional wellbeing – ever since we were babies in our mother’s womb listening to her heartbeat and breathing rhythms.

“Listening to music for about 25 minutes every day for at least 10 days can help prevent back pain and also make you sleep better. Music can help migraine and chronic headache sufferers reduce the intensity, frequency, and duration of the headaches.”

The experts believe that any type of classical music that is calm and slow can help relieve muscle pain.

Reduces blood pressure

By playing recordings of relaxing music every morning and evening, people with high blood pressure can train themselves to lower their blood pressure – and keep it low. According to a research reported at the American Society of Hypertension meeting in New Orleans, listening to just 30 minutes of classical, Celtic or raga music (melodic modes used in Indian classical music) every day may significantly reduce high blood pressure.

Medicine for the heart

Music is good for your heart. British researchers recruited young men and women, half of whom were trained musicians. The participants slipped on head phones and listened to six styles of music, including rap and classical pieces, with random two-minute pauses. As the participants kicked back and listened, the researchers monitored their breathing, heart rates and blood pressure.

The participants had faster heart and breathing rates when they listened to lively music. When the musical slowed, so did their heart and breathing rates. During the musical pauses, heart and breathing rates normalised or reached more optimal levels.

Whether or not a person liked the style of music did not matter. The tempo, or pace, of the music had the greatest effect on relaxation.

lalasticlala

A former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, says Nigerians are under a spell.
He, therefore, called for a drastic and far-reaching
change across the country.
Fani-Kayode, in a Facebook post titled, “When cometh our deliverer?” said Nigeria had been underdeveloped for too long due to bad leadership and a dormant citizenry.
He, therefore, argued that it was time for Nigerians to wake up. The former minister, who served as the spokesperson for former President Goodluck
Jonathan’s presidential campaign, said Nigeria needed a hero who could turn things around just as Oliver Cromwell did in England in 1653 shortly after the British Civil War when he sacked the Rump parliament and seized power.
Fani-Kayode said Cromwell, who was the Lord
Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, paid the ultimate price so that England could become a great country.
He noted that not only did Cromwell defeat the Royal Army of King Charles I in various battles and win the Civil War, “but he also apprehended the king, arrested him, brought him to justice before the courts of law and had him executed.”
This was the first time an English monarch was ever tried in court and sentenced to death. Fani-Kayode said it was with such zeal that Nigeria needed to treat its corrupt leaders.
He said, “I look at Nigeria today and the behaviour of our collective overlords reminds me very much of the behaviour of the pre-Cromwellian “Rump Parliament’’ in England. Can anyone be in any doubt that it is time for us to speak those same words that Oliver Cromwell spoke to the English Parliament on April 20th,1653 to our leaders here in Nigeria?
“Who will go forth courageously and speak truth to tyranny in the power of the Lord. When will
God raise our own deliverer?
“Where is our own Oliver Cromwell or our own
biblical Jehu? Where is our Elijah? When will the
Jezebels that rule our land be thrown down from the balcony and when will the dogs eat their flesh and drink their blood?
“When will our Ahab be slaughtered in battle?
When will the Nigerian people say ‘enough is enough’ and demand the change that they so desperately crave?
“When will they wake up from their accursed slumber and wipe away the faecal mess with which they have been stained, smothered, blinded, deafened and silenced?
“When will the spell that has been placed upon them be finally broken? When will they be free from this unwholesome bondage and be rid of their godless fears?
“When will their shackles be finally broken and when will they see, feel, hear and live again?
When, O when, will our people be free and when will they become the pride of Africa that they were destined to be?”
Fani-Kayode, who served as Minister of Tourism
under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, said the country continued to be ruled by charlatans while those who deserved to rule had been denied the opportunity.
He said Nigeria had remained stagnant because of its religious views. He said instead of facing the problems, Nigerians preferred to run to church or mosques for solutions.
He added, “In the Nigerian context, the question is this – when will our great stars emerge and when will Nigeria’s time to shine on the world stage come?
“When will the words of Oliver Cromwell find
relevance in our space and when will the Lord
answer our prayer and deliver us from the evil that plagues our land.”least a unicameral one?

lalasticlala

Dragonking:
Why get married and then deny your husband sex?? Some women are just plain evil.... Anyways, the beating is needed to reset her brain back to default mode.

frustratedmann:
I got the biggest dick on my hood

A man, said to be one of the lovers of a married woman, has set ablaze the woman, his rival and three of the woman’s children in Ede, Osun State.

Abugab:
She will go and love in jail. Stupid things people do in the name of love.

marcondo13:
I pity Nigerians because we are so gullible that they can not smell the coffee that PDP and APC are brewing in the national kitchen!
It is on record that GEJ never met Prof Jega in his life before his confirmation. Prof Jega handed over to Alhaji Wali. He is a brother to Ambassador Wali,the Sokoto State PDP Gubernatorial candidate,who happens to be Tambuwal's godfather and inlaw,because Tambuwal was his PA in 1999 when he was the Senate Leader! APC hawks flooded the media with petitions that he will influence the Sokoto Tribunal.
He was removed without any cogent explanation! No one has even informed the people who is the most senior INEC official,by virtue of appointment date.
Now,the lady was appointed and the PDP is protesting that she has shown bias in the past during the ward delineation and her interference in Jigawa,her home state. Balarabe and Yakassai have averred in the past that PMB spent part of his early childhood in her father's house,the palace of the Emir of Kazaure because his elder sister was married to him! If it is true,then,it is a case of nepotism!
Instead of beating about the bush,PMB should categorically deny that he is related to her by marriage. If it is possible,he should even list his sisters husbands,just to clear his name. A little suspicion is enough to soil a name irrepairably.
There is no way that she will be confirmed in the Senate because 49 senators are PDP members.
It is left for the President to consider other options who has no baggage, e.g. the REC of Edo State,Mike Egini. It is on record that the Cross River State Gov publicly begged that he should be transferred to another state because he was too stiff. He has been consistent in elections that he conducted.
God bless Nigeria

sageer1234:
Bros is it dat u don't av regards for mothers or u are addicted insulting peoples mothers? What has president Buhari's mother has to do with appointment of INEC chairman?

Intense lobby for juicy committees by lawmakers has forced Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki and the Speaker House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara to leave the country for the United Kingdom.

It was gathered that Saraki who left the country was joined by Dogara and the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu on Tuesday.
Saraki is the chairman of the selection committee and Ekweremadu is his deputy. The committee is responsible for the disbursement of specific committees to senators.

It was further gathered that Saraki has been facing intense pressure from senators on the committees allocation.
Our correspondent reports that last week, the deadline given to senators to indicate the committee of their elapsed.
The selection committee had given forms to senators to indicate their choices of committee.

It was gathered that Saraki is trying to use juicy committees to placate the aggrieved Ahmad Lawan’s camp.
Lawan was the preferred candidate of the APC but he was surreptitiously defeated by Saraki after conniving with the PDP senators.
But Saraki and Ekweremadu’s aides said their bosses went on separate missions.

The chairman of the senate adhoc committee on publicity, Dino Melaye did not pick his call when he was contacted for comments on the issue.
Similarly, Saraki and Ekweremadu’s aides declined further comments after confirming that their bosses have travelled abroad.
Our correspondent reports that before proceeding on the six weeks recess, the senators who were inaugurated on June 9, had spent six weeks holidaying.

Since inauguration, the legislators have not debated any bill and they only sat 14 times.
For his part, Dogara, who left Abuja for London Tuesday morning, was said to have gone with some of his loyalists.

A lawmaker told our correspondent that Dogara was to attend an event in London, but added that it was only an excuse as the speaker would use the period of his stay in London to appoint chairmen of various House committee before returning.

The source said Dogara had to move to London to avoid pressure from different quarters both at home and in the office.
“Lawmakers always besiege their houses and offices here in Nigeria, so I think that’s why they left the country. But it’s normal for people who want some favour to follow them wherever they go. Let me tell you, Dogara is a good student of (former speaker Aminu Waziri) Tambuwal. So, they’re used to meeting outside Nigeria,” said the source.

But another source said the London trip was beyond just constituting committees as former Speaker and Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is also there with them.

“For all of them to be in London at the same time, it means there is something. I don’t think it’s a mere coincidence, but let’s wait and see whatever it is they’re planning. It may be to strengthen their political alliance,” a source, who is familiar with the matter, said.
It was gathered that after Dogara left Tuesday, some members of the House who are interested in occupying some key committees’ chairmanship had begun trailing him.

A source told Daily Trust in Abuja yesterday that “some members are rushing to obtain London tickets in order to trail the speaker for committees.”

When contacted, Dogara’s spokesperson Turaki Hassan said he was not aware of the speaker’s trip to London.

BraniacX:
[s]From "the source"

I also have "a source" that says you're an idi0t!!![/s]

The source said Jonathan gave assurances of his willingness to cooperate with the government if
the need arises. “From the evidence so far, it is either the former president lacks the capacity to govern or abdicated his responsibilities.