₦airaland Forum

A 14-year-old stowaway who was found unconscious inside one of the airlines of United Nigeria at the domestic wing of the Lagos airport was tired of Nigeria and wanted to travel out, the operators of the MMA2 terminal, Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, has said.

A statement by Head of Media of the company, Oluwatosin Onalaja, on Sunday, identified the stowaway (name withheld) as an orphan from Kwara State but based in the Badagry area of Lagos.

“At around 6:10a.m. on Sunday 4th September 2022, United Nigeria (the Airline) informed Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Ltd (BASL) of a 14-year-old stowaway boy found unconscious inside one of their aircraft,” Onalaja said in the statement.

The spokesman for the company said the boy told investigators that he gained access into the airside through an opening at Ile- Zik, the perimeter fence along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

He said the orphan passed through General Aviation Terminal, Air Force hanger and walked down to MMA2 where he hid himself at the Apron. “He saw staff on duty at GAT and Air Force hanger but dodged them and passed through the bush,” the statement noted.

“The incident boy was brought out of the aircraft and taken to the MMA2 clinic for first aid medical attention. He was later transferred for further treatment to the FAAN clinic where he regained consciousness at about 10:20a.m.

“We are an active part of the ongoing investigation to ascertain exactly what happened and to aid the prevention of any such occurrence in the future,” Onalaja said.

According to the statement, the boy has been discharged from the hospital and taken to the FAAN Crime Office at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport along with United Nigeria Security Guard for further questioning.

In the infamous interview, the Kannywood star whose leaked nude videos led to her suspension in 2020 explained the rationale behind her conclusion[/I].

In an interview with BBC Hausa, a famous Kannywood actress and singer, Safiya Yusuf, popularly called Safara’u, has revealed shocking statistics about Nigerian women.

The Kannywood star whose leaked nude videos led to her suspension in 2020 said 70 per cent of Nigerian ladies also keep pornographic videos on their phones.

She said: “About 70 per cent of ladies nowadays have nude videos on their phones. It is done for fun, not on social media, and many ladies do that. I can’t specifically say the person who released the video, but all I know is that it must be among my friends and associates who took my phone because I used to give them my phone.”

She made the remarks while revealing why she shot and stored nude videos of herself on her smartphone.

The talented actress also said her friends invaded her privacy by leaking her nudes, which affected her thriving career at the time.

Stigma

Safara’u, a popular character in the Arewa 24 Hausa film series, Kwana Casa’in, meaning 90 days, said she stayed indoors for three months for fear of stigmatisation.

She also said she felt devastated and lonely when her nude video surfaced on the internet.

” One of my producers and director, Hassan Giggs, called me one day and said, Safara’u, why did you do that? I asked him what is he talking about. He then told me that my nude video was all over the internet. He then sends it to me.

” When I saw the video, I eventually collapsed immediately. I couldn’t believe it. It happened. I do record myself naked and save it on my phone. [i]Many girls do that.

The actress added that she almost deactivated her social media accounts over the number of insults she got from people. Still, her parents and relatives advised her to take it as destiny.

She added that she has never faced any challenges with her parents, as they permitted her before joining the film and music industry.

She, however, said she would return to Kannywood soon.

The actress has also said she is aiming to become like top Nigerian singer Davido.

“I do sing, and I am working hard to make waves in music, that is, to make my name a prominent brand just like Davido.

Although she was born in Kano, she had her secondary education in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Suspected hoodlums on Wednesday pelted the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, with sachets of water while on a visit to Kogi State.

Kwankwaso was in Lokoja, the state capital to inaugurate the party’s secretariat and his campaign offices.

On getting to a popular hotel where he was meant to address his supporters, suspected hoodlums invaded the venue and started throwing sachets of water at the candidate.

Kwankwaso had earlier visited Ogbonicha, the country home of late Abubakar Audu, where a similar scenario played out.

He was accused of trying to hide under the canopy of the late ex-governor to woo supporters of the All Progressives Congress.

A media aide of the presidential candidate, who identified himself as Musa Yunusa, described the action of the supporters as normal in politics, describing Kogi as home to Kwankwaso.

Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta, says it will be absurd for a vice-president to take charge of the nation’s security. 

Okowa, who is the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was reacting to the comment made by Kashim Shettima, the vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference last week in Lagos, Shettima said he will concentrate on fighting insecurity, while Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, will focus on fixing the economy — if they are elected in the 2023 elections. 

“I have been in the theatre of conflicts for 18 years. I will lead the troops, my principal is an economy wizard who has transformed Lagos into the third largest economy in Africa. He will concentrate on the economy,” he had said. 

“By God’s grace, I will handle the security, and not only handle the security, I will lead the troops to battle across the length and breadth of this country.”

Reacting to the comment in a video published by Daily Trust on Wednesday, Okowa said a vice-president cannot take over the constitutional responsibility of the president. 

"I don’t want to talk about their policies. If the vice-president will take charge of security, is he (the president) not going to preside over the security council at the federal level? I don’t understand that. Because there is a commander-in-chief. Is there a reversal in position?” he asked. 

“He can offer advice. But I’ll find it absurd that he speaks about: ‘I’ll take charge of it’. Possibly they have agreed that he’s to be the commander-in-chief.”

WHAT DOES THE CONSTITUTION SAY?

Shettima’s remark, which has been taken to suggest that if elected, he will act as the nation’s chief security officer, has elicited varied reactions from Nigerians.

The 1999 constitution vests the exclusive authority of the commander-in-chief on the president.

Section 130 (2) reads: “The President shall be the Head of State, the Chief Executive of the Federation and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation”.

Nigeria is missing in the list of beneficiary countries for the $315 million World Bank fund for African countries to support food security.

The second phase of the West Africa regional Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP-2) approved yesterday in International Development Association (IDA) financing will benefit some additional two million Africans- from Chad, Ghana and Sierra Leone.

Nigeria was not included in the new financing plan that will help to  increase the effectiveness of agriculture and food crises prevention and management and strengthen the capacities to adapt to climate variability and change.

The financing plan is also expected to strengthen the adaptive capacity of the food system’s productive base and make it sustainable, and support the regional food market’s integration by linking the beneficiary countries, consolidating their food reserve systems, and strengthening the development of strategic regional value chains.

Nigeria was also not part of the first phase of the programme, FSRP-1, $330 million, approved last November and launched in June, this year, bringing together four countries – Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Togo.

Annual commitments by the International Development Association (IDA) have averaged about $18 billion over the last three years, with about 54 per cent going to Africa.

The global bank explained that the FSRP-2 will support the beneficiary countries to increase their preparedness against food insecurity and to improve the resilience of their food systems.

This comes at a moment where it is projected that approximately 38.3 million people in West Africa are projected to be in a food security crisis.

Across the targeted areas in the three countries, FSRP-2 will help to reduce food insecure people by 25 per  cent.

Access to hydro and agrometeorological advisory services will be extended to over 400,000 food system actors, while nearly 500,000 producers are expected to adopt climate smart agricultural technologies.

The World Bank said about 12,000 hectares of land area will benefit from integrated landscape management practices, and intra-regional traded productions in selected value chains will increase by 30 per cent.

“Multiple shocks, driven by climate change and environmental degradation, weaknesses of the food markets, conflicts and insecurity, Covid-19 implications, and the war in Ukraine have further deteriorated food insecurity and inflation across West Africa”, declares Ms. Massandjé Toure-Litse, the Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

World Bank’s Vice-President for Western and Central Africa, Ousmane Diagana, said: “FSRP-2 further expands cooperation across the ECOWAS region to ensure food security, now and into the future. Facilitating the trade of agricultural goods and inputs within and across national borders in West Africa is a key element to address food insecurity in the region.”

World Bank’s Director for Regional Integration for Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Northern Africa, Boutheina Guermazi, said the approval of FSRP-2 and incorporation of Chad, Ghana and Sierra Leone expands impacts not just of national activities, but of targeted spill-over effects from regional activities. “We are eager for this innovative program to maximize its reach across West Africa,” he said.

The wife of Abia Gov., Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, has rescued a widow, Mrs. Amarachi Okechi, who was brutally assaulted at Umueghu Amaegbuato Community for alleged witchcraft.

Mr Chika Ojiegbe, the Chief Press Secretary to Ikpeazu, confirmed the development to PM News on Monday.

Okechi was flogged repeatedly and held hostage for several days after being accused of being a witch by her husband’s relatives.

Ojiegbe said: “When the First Lady heard about it on Sunday night, she immediately swung into action to rescue the woman.

“Several stakeholders were involved in rescuing her alive, which is the first action that needed to be taken and this has been done.

“Also, the woman has been taken to an undisclosed public hospital for treatment.

“The next stage will be to address the issues surrounding the matter.

“The case will be closely monitored,” he said, adding that Ikpeazu would foot the bill for her medical treatment.

Ojiegbe said the rescue team included officials from the Gender-Based Violence Resource Centre and Office of the Wife of the Governor.

He described the allegations of witchcraft as strange to the laws of the land.

According to him, what is known to law is that no one can take the law into their hands to execute jungle justice.

“In this case, the law will take its course.

“Ikpeazu will continue to work to prevent and mitigate such violence against humans.

“She will also continue to sensitize the people against such harmful traditional practices, especially in rural communities,” Ojiegbe said.

He further said that such incidents were not acceptable in the state.

He said that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law had been domesticated and implemented in Abia.

Ojiegbe also said that efforts were being made for the House of Assembly to domesticate the Obnoxious Widowhood Practices Prohibition Bill, Equal Opportunities Bill, Child Rights Bill, Disability Bill, and many other rights bills.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna, said that the matter had been brought to the command.

Ogbonna noted that the command had commenced a full investigation into it but no arrest had been made.

• Want Sylva, Kyari sacked

Protesters, under the auspices of Amalgamated Arewa Youth Groups, yesterday, stormed headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, demanding termination of a multi-million dollar pipeline contract awarded to former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo (popularly known as Tompolo).

The demonstrators, a coalition of 225 youth groups in the North, warned that they would paralyse activities at NNPC headquarters if the contract is not revoked in seven days.

The protesters brandished banners with inscriptions, reading: “How can a fugitive be in charge of national assets’, ‘Chief of Defence Staff militarising other zones but romancing Niger Delta militants’, ‘revoke the pipeline contract now’, among others.

Spokesperson for the groups, Victor Duniya, said implication of the contract was that, “a private citizen like Tompolo will be allowed to handle not just light but sophisticated weapons to be able to ward off possible attacks from vicious oil bunkering cartels.”

The Federal Government had reportedly renewed a multi-million dollar pipeline surveillance contract to Tompolo, who was Commander of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND).

According to Duniya, the development is coming at a time the North is bleeding profusely due to activities of terrorist elements, while youths are not allowed to get weapons to defend their communities.

He, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd., Mele Kyari and Group Executive Director, Upstream, Adokiye Tombomelye, over the roles they played in the contract procedures.

Duniya continued: “We are aware that Tomopolo and his boys are major beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), wherein the Federal Government under the leadership of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua extended same to the restive youths of the Niger Delta.

“Till date, supposed ex-agitators are being sponsored to world-class universities, others are being trained to acquire skills, while those with established businesses are constantly being empowered.”

Zambians Shouldn’t Thank Me For Doing My Job -President

The president of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, has said that the citizens of his country do not need to thank him for doing the job he requested their votes.

Hichilema said this via Twitter on Friday.

“Zambians don’t have to thank me for the job I’m doing. It’s what they voted for me to do” he said[/b]

“They must not agree when I do wrong things like acquiring excessive debt. #ChangeIsHere.”

combined team of security operatives during the early hours of Friday sealed a hotel, bar and a filling station in Port Harcourt, while some people, including staff of the facilities were arrested.

The facilities sealed are Preray Hotel at Eagle Island, Priscy’s Bar in Elekahia and Mega Tool Filling Station along Ojoto Street in the Diobu axis, all in the Rivers State capital.

This is coming after days after Governor Nyesom Wike’s state-wide broadcast where he alleged that some politicians were recruiting cultists and ex-convicts to destabilise the state over their 2023 political ambitions.

Though the reason for the action could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, but it is alleged to be a clampdown on perceived political opponents.

It was gathered that a team of security operatives, including police tactical units in several patrol van, stormed the facilities in the wee hours of Friday, effected the arrests and sealed the premises

It was gathered that the sealed facilities are owned by loyalists to a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Austin Opara

Opara, a former ally of Wike, is no longer in the latter’s good books for allegedly hobnobbing with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.

In a statement by Wike’s media aide, Kelvin Ebiri, the governor said the government was aware that owners of hotels and entertainment centres are in the process of giving out their premises to politicians and political parties as a convenient base for the gathering of “political thugs”.

The statement partly read, “Similarly, we will not allow any political party, be it the All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party or the Social Democratic Party to threaten the safety and security of lives and property during the campaigns with mayhem, thuggery or violence.

“Accordingly, we have already alerted and set the security agencies on the trail of these misguided politicians and leaders of political parties and stop them in their tracks with the full weight of the law.”

The governor warned that the government will pull down hotels and other entertainment places that are linked with such criminal political activities.

When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Friday Eboka, said he was not aware of the incident saying, “I am just getting to my office. I will find out.”

]b]The Federal Government has renewed a multi-million dollar pipeline surveillance contract to a former militant leader and Commander of the defunct Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo[/b].

It was gathered that the government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited signed the deal with Tompolo to end illegal bunkering, illegal refining and other forms of oil theft in the Niger Delta.

A source close to Tompolo, who spoke in confidence, said the deal was worth over N4billion monthly.

However, the figure and details of the contract could not be immediately confirmed officially as of press time.

The source said the former MEND commander, known for his creek credibility, will monitor and oversee other surveillance contracts, contractors and their activities in the entire Niger Delta.

He said it was a similar role Tompolo played during the former administration of President Goodluck Jonathan when Diezani Alison-Madueke was the Minister of Petroleum.

“The government merely reviewed and restored his old contract.

“Before the cancellation of his contract, the arrangements he put in place tackled illegal bunkering and increased production quota to over two million barrels per day.

“But the new government cancelled the contract, declared him wanted and he was later exonerated of all wrongdoings.

“They have realised the need to bring him back because currently, the country is losing over 500,000 barrels per day to illegal bunkering”, he said.

The source said the new deal was brokered by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva and some NNPC top officials including the Group Executive Director, Upstream, Adokiye Tombomelye.

He said NNPC as a new profit-making venture was determined to curb all illegal activities affecting its operations and making it run at a loss every month.

The source said Tompolo held a crucial stakeholders’ meeting in his Oporoza country home in the Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State on Wednesday.

He said a mammoth crowd of stakeholders from the Niger Delta, especially Bayelsa State, turned up for the meeting. He said the number in attendance was over 5000.

He named persons at the meeting as former presidents of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, Udengs Eradiri and Eric Omare; priests of Egbesu, Ijaw religious organisation, led by Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei; leaders of all youth groups in the Niger Delta, heads of notorious cult groups in the region among others.

He said prominent among those in attendance were former unit commanders of MEND such as Eris Paul, aka General Oguboss; Pius Wareyal, aka General Pius; Joshua Macaiver, Pastor Reuben Wilson, Young Shall Grow and all the second phase “generals”.

He said: “Tompolo brought back all his former commanders in MEND and extended invitations to youth leaders from all the warring cult groups in the states to attend the meeting. The attendance was massive.”

A former IYC President, Udengs Eradiri, confirmed attending the meeting, describing the new arrangement as a welcomed development.

Eradiri said it was heartwarming that the Federal Government has involved communities in the protection of pipelines crisscrossing their domains.

“I believe that this new deal will work because Tompolo has the network and credibility to act as a bridge between the communities and the government.

“It was the same arrangement under the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan that sustained an increase in oil production up to over two million barrels per day. It will work this time,” he said.

A former IYC President and spokesman, Eric Omare, said the Federal Government reviewed a similar arrangement that existed during Jonathan’s era and expanded the scope of Tompolo.

He said the resort to a community-based approach remained the best way of curbing illegal bunkering and refining of oil in the region.

Omare said: “This is what many of us have been advocating – a community-based approach – because Tompolo cannot work with outsiders.

“He will work with community people and that was demonstrated in his consultative meetings with some of the stakeholders.

“Once there is the consciousness of stakeholders at the community levels that the illegal bunkering is not in our interest because of its environmental consequences, 50 per cent of the problem is solved. Another aspect is to address the associated economic issues.

“In Jonathan’s era, the scope was not as wide as it is given to him now. Of all the persons engaged at that time, he was the one who came out and delivered on the assignment.

“Perhaps, those in the authority have taken note of that and decided to give him a wider scope to manage.”

A Priest of Egbesu, Apostle Bodmas Kemepadei, confirmed the deal, saying already some illegal bunkering operators were holding consultations with Tompolo to surrender their illegality.

He said: “This arrangement will work. It worked before and it will surely work again. The reason why illegal bunkering has lingered for this long is that there were no credible persons that could mediate between the people and the government, people they could trust.

“But now Tompolo is filling that gap. As I speak to you those operating illegal bunkering are now coming out to surrender. They are also discussing what is in for them.

“We believe that in the coming days more persons will come out and the issue of oil theft will be tackled.

“It may not be completely eradicated, but Tompolo will achieve 95 per cent.”

You’re an election rigger without peer, Tinubu blasts Obasanjo
January 23, 2019

NATIONAL Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday, took a swipe at the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo accusing him of being responsible for the flaws in Nigeria’s political economy since 1999.

https://cdn.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Screen-Shot-2018-06-25-at-07.02.49.png?width=588&auto_optimize=medium
All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former President Olusegun Obasanjo

Obasanjo, in his state of the nation address, tagged Points for Concern and Action, had expressed concern over the impartiality and competence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a credible election.

Reacting to the former President’s criticisms, Tinubu described Obasanjo as an “election rigger without peer.”

In a letter titled Chief Obasanjo – At war against his own deeds, Tinubu said the former president is shameless and has a wicked sense of humour.

The statement reads: “Former President Obasanjo is many things to many people; but he is all things unto himself. His recent contribution to our political discourse wherein he alleges plots to steer the coming elections shows he benefits from an exceedingly faulty memory, is purely shameless or has a most wicked sense of humor. Perhaps all three are facets of his makeup and were equally on display in his latest prosaic display.” the letter read in part.

“The crux of his long tirade was the allegation that INEC is poised to cook the election results. Chief Obasanjo should not get his dander up and waste good ink for nothing. This election will be a free and open exercise of the people’s right to choose their leaders. Obasanjo makes fiery allegations against this right but offers no corroborating evidence; he presents only reams of words. This is because Obasanjo is projecting onto the APC the misconduct he would wrought if still in power. Yet, the ways of Obasanjo are not those of the APC. And this difference has meant the better for Nigeria.

“Moreover, Chief Obasanjo should be the last to complain about election rigging. His administration was an unalloyed miscarriage of justice and of the best aspirations of the Nigerian people. We all know he was not elected in 1999. He was handed Nigeria on a silver platter; perhaps because Nigeria was so easily given that he went about treating the nation as if it was a less than precious thing; he thought it was a cheap give-away not a privilege to govern this nation.

“This man should have positioned himself to be the father of the nation. All the goodwill that could be granted a political figure was bestowed on him. The global economy was such that it fueled our growth. Everyone wanted Nigeria to succeed after emerging from years of noxious military rule. Despite the flawed exercise that rendered him president, we all bit our tongues in hope that he would say and do the right things that would move Nigeria forward.

“Instead of being a unifying figure as Commander-in-chief, he lowered himself to being a divisive, vindictive conniver. There was no table which he neared that he did not upset and overturn. There was no one who came into his company for any period of time with whom he did not fall out if he expresses a thought contrary to one of his.

“Given the vast margin between the good he could have achieved and the nebulous feats that comprise his true record, Chief Obasanjo is the person most responsible for the flaws in the Nigerian political economy since 1999. His ego is as expansive as the firmament but his good deeds would fit into a modest sachet with ample room to spare.

“The worst of Obasanjo’s record, I have yet to describe. When it comes to elections, he has been a rigger without peer. There is no election which occurred under Obasanjo’s watch or in which he participated that did not involve cheating on his part. Even the late President Umaru Musa Yar ‘Adua admitted he was the beneficiary of a flawed election engineered by none other than today’s vociferous complainant. For Obasanjo to lament over electoral malpractice is tantamount to the ocean complaining that a few raindrops are causing it to get wet.”

Go and rest in Owu— Sagay

Also, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay, yesterday, tackled former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s outburst against President Buhari saying the comments of the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo against him were unbecoming of a statesman.

Professor Sagay, in a statement entitled: Obasanjo and the power withdrawal syndrome, urged Obasanjo to let Nigeria be by going “to Owu and rest.”

Sagay’s statement reads in part: “The status of an ex-president is one of quiet dignity, respect, discretion, decorum, discipline and restraint. Obasanjo does not have a single one of these qualities. We have had a number of former Heads of State, namely, Gowon, Shagari, Babangida, Abubakar Salami and Jonathan. All of these former Heads of State have exercised discretion, restraint and self-discipline in relation to their successors, but not Obasanjo.

“Obasanjo’s boisterous, aggressive and hectoring attitude towards succeeding Presidents, strikes me as a case of one who has never recovered from the loss of power. By his meddlesomeness, rude and uncouth attitude towards later Heads of State, it is clear that he is addicted to a substance called power, and is angry and resentful towards any other person exercising it.”

The legal luminary, however, accused Obasanjo of acting like a dictator while in office by illegally removing state governors, declaration of illegal states of emergency, reckless abuse of power and carrying out alleged genocidal slaughter.

Sagay said: “As I stated earlier, Obasanjo believes that he can break all rules and ethics but it is a crime for others to even appear to follow his footsteps in that regard.

“He is a man who is not conscious of a sense of wrong doing and is probably unaware of the long list of depredations trailing his footsteps. The man is not just immoral, he is worse; he is amoral, i.e., he lacks a sense of right or wrong.

“Obasanjo is now an old man. It is now imperative that he learns to exercise some discretion and restraint in his public statements. His bombastic, false, misleading and destructive outbursts are not befitting of a so-called Elder State man; even more less of a former president. Obasanjo, let Nigeria be, go to Owu and rest.”

Yoruba patriots tackle Obasanjo

Also, speaking through the National Coordinator, Yoruba Patriots’ Movement, Chief Oladosu Ladipo, the elders opined that the unsubstantiated allegations against the president have “reduced Obasanjo’s value both politically and intellectually.”

Oladipo said: “Two things I see, making a U-turn or somersaulting in the broad daylight has reduced his value both politically and intellectually. It has reduced his integrity; reduced all his virtues and has put him as somebody whose words cannot be relied upon and who cannot mentor the up and coming generations. In fact, he is double-mouthed”.

“Two, the history of 1999-2007 is still with some of us; the facts between Obasanjo and Atiku. I mean facts that cannot be debunked. So, I want to leave that aside for now. The other one is that democracy involves propaganda and propaganda involves truth, half-truth, total falsehood and blatant lies. I can describe the things he is saying as total falsehood, mere propaganda. Can a good Statesman make propaganda? Shagari died at the age of 93, did you hear him say anything like this? What he is doing is propaganda for post-election riot, which can be an inducement for the military to take over, and military cannot take over in Nigeria again.”

Your comment reckless, improper, PDP tells Tinubu

Reacting to Tinubu’s chastisement of Obasanjo, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, described it as disrespectful, reckless, unguarded and indecorous.

In a statement by Director, Media & Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan said: “Tinubu in his tirade against the former President sounded like a disrobed ruler facing a pang of defeat as he watches his empire being legitimately taken.

“It is shocking that Asiwaju of Lagos can be in cahoots with President Muhammadu Buhari, a known anti-democrat, who has always been in league with all known dictators, while at the same time claiming to be on the side of democrats.

It is, however, not a surprise that Tinubu is in severe pain because President Obasanjo exposed their rigging plans. Asiwaju had always won elections for himself and his cronies through rigging and these accounts for his bitterness.

“His reliance on rigging was typified in the Osun election where results were manipulated in order not to “disgrace” the fading politics of the Asiwaju of Lagos.

“Let it be placed on record that the story of that election has not been fully told by Tinubu in his snide remarks against President Obasanjo. He chose to be silent on that phone call which was clandestinely put across to Abuja, consequent upon which INEC declared an election already won by the PDP, as inconclusive. Since the matter is in court, we will not join Tinubu in abusing court processes.

“However, PDP states in unequivocal terms that President Obasanjo, contrary to Tinubu’s claims, did not at any time, assure our party that he holds sway throughout the southwest and as such will deliver Osun state to the PDP.

“It is also important to state that the people’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, did not also claim to have rigged election in the South West. However, if Tinubu today denies his affinity with Atiku Abubakar, which is well known in the entire nation, then he can deny even his own existence.”

“It is ridiculous that Tinubu can attempt to justify the sharing of N10,000 each to traders, in the market by Vice President Yemi Osibanjo. The PDP believes that Asiwaju of Lagos has not read and like President Buhari is also unaware that the same poor people which Osinbajo claimed to be helping with his ‘tradermoni’ voodoo, chased him out of the UTC market in Abuja.

“It is imperative to ask Tinubu if he saw the cartoon making the round, where poor people were depicted thronging around him with paltry N10,000 naira in their hands while he sat on his throne with full chicken in his hands and telling the famished lot that he has nothing to offer them.”

“Nigerians already know that their help is not in the hands of people like Asiwaju of Lagos and President Buhari, who are amassing wealth for themselves and their generations yet unborn, while the people live in squalor.

Since Asiwaju of Lagos understands the reason for collation of PVC numbers in exchange for the N10,000 trader money, he will do the nation good, especially at this time, if he provides explanation for this joint venture outside rigging of elections.

“It is shameful that Tinubu can compare any administration in the history of our nation to the Buhari administration. Nigerians have never been this hungry, our purchasing power has never been this low, our fault lines have never been this manifest and our nation has never been turned into a huge funeral parlor as we have witnessed under President Buhari’s incompetent, divisive and colossally corrupt administration. At no time in our history had Nigerians gone to the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos to take a plunge of death.

“It is therefore strange that Asiwaju of Lagos can have the temerity to accuse anybody of leaving the poor unattended to, when he has been a pretender in the circle of the poor.

“It is unfortunate that Asiwaju of Lagos has forgotten how in 2014/2015, he assembled his team for the election of President Buhari, how he put in everything for Buhari to get elected, and how, as soon as Buhari assumed office, he ostracized him, chastised him before the people he brought and reduced him to one state leader, in spite of his pretentions as the National leader of the APC.

“Nigerians have not forgotten how President Buhari rose in a public function and said Tinubu cannot call himself a saint

PDP lambasts APC over attack on Obasanjo

Meanwhile the PDP has berated APC over what the party called “needless attack” on ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo over his comment on the last Osun governorship election.

The PDP, in a statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said Obasanjo did not say anything new about Osun governorship election, adding that all that transpired, especially during the September 27 Rerun Election was already in public domain.

The statement reads: “The statement by APC and an aide to Ogbeni Aregbesola, in reaction to what our respected former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo said on the last Osun governorship election should not have ordinarily attracted such an outburst from those that stole the collective mandate of Osun people during the last election.

“The world knows APC colluded with INEC to rig the last Osun poll. Reports by election observers exposed all their atrocities. Why the attack on the elder statement that observed Nigeria was heading towards a precipice under the Buhari and cried out?

“We advise APC, President Buhari and INEC to see the warning signs and back down on their plans to rig the general elections as done during Osun governorship poll. We also call for end of attacks on Chief Obasanjo, who has remained the conscience of our nation by the enemies of democracy.”

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has refuted claims that it spent N18.9billion on bush clearing during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

The ministry in a statement by its Director of Information, Dr. Joel O. Oruche, noted that the statement, which emanated from the House Public Account Committee, must have been quoted out of context.

According to the statement, the Ministry didn’t receive any audit query to warrant summon by the Committee.

It noted that the ministry only carried out bush clearing and land preparation of 3,200 hectares in eight states, namely, Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Kaduna, Kwara, Plateau and Ogun as allocated by state governments for N2.5billion.

Other projects executed by the ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic, it said, sums up to the total sum quoted, which included the construction of rural roads in the six geo-political zones, soil sampling and mapping, farmers registration as well as rehabilitation and the equipping of four National Soil Laboratories.

It added that the projects were  executed and verified by relevant government agencies and were part of a stimulus package under the agriculture for food and jobs programme of the Federal Government to generate employment and grow the economy to mitigate the effect of COVID -19 pandemic in 2020.

The statement reads in part: “The attention of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been drawn to a publication in the media on the report by the House of Representatives Committee on Public Account, which stated that N18.9billion was used for bush clearing during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“The ministry wishes to state that if the statement emanated from the House Public Account Committee, the Committee must have been quoted out of context.

“To put the record straight however, the Ministry at no time received any audit query to warrant a summon by the Committee.

“It is also important to state that the Ministry did not spend N18.9billion in bush clearing as reported.

“The Ministry only carried out bush clearing and land preparation of 3,200 hectares in eight states of Osun, Ekiti, Edo, Cross River, Kaduna, Kwara, Plateau and Ogun as allocated by state governments for N2.5billion.

“In addition, other projects executed by the Ministry during the COVID-19 period that sums up to the total sum quoted included the following: construction of rural roads in the six geo-political zones of the country, soil sampling and mapping, farmers registration as well as rehabilitation and the equipping of four National Soil Laboratories in Umudike, Ibadan, Kaduna and Abuja.”

The next president of Nigeria is entering at a time of high insecurity, high unemployment rate, slow growth, rising debt cost and a number of issues. We also have a ballooning fuel subsidy figure. So, people will probably ask, why running towards what looked like a burning building rather than running away from it? 

Well, for me people have to stop that fire from escalating because if you don’t stop it from a particular building, it might go on to other areas. It is difficult but it is not impossible. There are so many countries that have gone through what we are going through now, they have passed through it and they were able to come out of it through a careful, organised approach. We need to take the issues one after the other, and ask, ‘how do we deal with it?’ We have insecurity, we have a near-collapse situation in terms of the economy but it has to be handled. 

What comes first, economy or insecurity and how do we handle this? 

It is a combination of both. You can’t tackle one and leave the other, because in tackling both simultaneously particularly the economy, you’ve reduced criminality. Don’t forget that criminality worsened because of the collapse of the economy. We have 100 million people living in poverty. You have the highest unemployment rate in the world. It might not be the highest in percentage, but highest in number. So, the more you pull people out of poverty, the more you reduce criminality. So, as you are doing this, at the same time you are engaging, strengthening your security architecture to be able to tackle the criminal aspect of it. 

Is it time we seek outside help in tackling security challenges and in doing so, what type of help should we seek? 

For me, the first thing to do is to deal with it internally by reorganizing and strengthening our internal security architecture. We must also strengthen and deal with our economy in order to have a robust economy. If you have this, then you are going to seek support wherever you can get. But, it has to start with an internal position. 

How will you strengthen the internal security architecture, is it by state police creation or injecting funds? 

What I always tell people is that when it comes to issue of listening to politicians, it comes to issue of trust. All these people contesting, whom among them do we trust? On what I am going to do with the issue of insecurity, it will be decisive and immediate. If you are talking about state policing, for me, there is no reason why we shouldn’t even have local government police. There is nothing wrong in state police because for me, every state should be able to protect itself. It will not stop us from setting up the national police. Whatever we can do to secure the country, I will do it. It is non-negotiable. It is imperative in your clime to attract investment, there is an intangible asset of growing your GDP- security, rule of law, all these have to be in place. It is not negotiable at all. Whatever it takes to ensure that these two are there, I will do it. 

If you emerge the president, what will you do about states not contributing to the growth of the economy? 

Let me tell you, everything in Nigeria is viable. Nigeria is not a productive country. That is why I said we are going to move them from consumption to production. That is what Nigerian states are. Take Borno State for example. Borno State is on 70.9 square kilometres of land. Fertile land that can be used for anything. Even the Sambisa forest is about 60,000 kilometres of land, and you say we are poor. We are poor because we chose to make our states unproductive. The Netherlands is 33,000 square kilometers of land minus water. Total food export last year is $120b. That is agriculture alone. So, if Borno state decides to do one percent of what the Netherlands is doing, it is $1.2 billion. At 600, it is N700 billion, which is five times the budget of Borno State. 

We chose to make our states unproductive. If we are productive, Borno State is three times the size of Israel. Israel is 22,000 kilometres of land while Borno state is 70.9 land kilometres and I can go state after state like that. We have been unproductive and living on handouts. The greatest assets of a country is one, human beings. Human infrastructure delivers four times what physical infrastructure can contribute. Nigeria is a huge country of 200 million people that are not productive. That is why we have unemployment and that is what we are going to turn around. 

You will be working with the1999 Constitution; how will you carry out governance with people that are not pulling their weight? 

The Constitution might have its own problem but our constitution is not what is keeping us where we are today, it is bad leadership. Notwithstanding the constitution, you can drive everybody along and still make the country productive. Why do we have an Economic Council? The Economic Council  in the Constitution says the states and the federal government will meet once a month to decide the economic future of the place. The biggest asset of the country is the vast uncultivated lands we have in the North with the human beings that are there. We are just sharing the little money that is coming from a diminishing asset called oil. Oil is a diminishing asset. 

If you become president, how will you deal with the fuel subsidy issue? 

First and foremost, subsidy for me is a scam. It is one of the things that happens in Nigeria when people talk about stealing oil. It is organised criminality that people are participating in. Do you know how much fuel we are paying subsidy on? Nobody knows! Who is importing the fuel? Whom are we dealing with? These things have to be in the open. People ask me, will you remove it? My answer is that first, you need to show why you need to remove it and what are we replacing with the removal. The problem we are having is that the government has been operating in a situation where nobody can trust them. There is no trust between the Nigerian populace and the government. If you build trust and people can see that the things you are doing are transparent, you can be able to negotiate whether we can pay this level of subsidy and be able to use the excess, which we are not going to pay to invest in other things. But, we cannot have a situation where in a year, subsidy takes more than what we put in the most critical areas of developments. If you talk about development today, we talk about the Human Development Index. These three are life expectancy, which is Health, Education and per capita, which is pulling people out of poverty. If you put the Nigerian budget for these three items, fuel subsidy is more. So, what are you doing? How can you be throwing your people into poverty and be paying subsidies? It is unacceptable.

The defendant, however, told the court that he is a comedian and that the note that he dropped at the FirstBank was a prank, adding that he has been doing this in Lagos until he relocated to Ondo town.

A 19-year-old Lagos-based comedian, Eyinatayo Iluyomade, has landed in prison for playing pranks by dropping a threat note of robbery at the counter of FirstBank, in Ondo town, Ondo State.

Iluyomade was charged to court by the police on three count-charge bordering on conspiracy, threat and manner likely to pose a security threat.

The Police prosecutor, Akao Moremi, told the court that the defendant dropped the note at the bank indicating that by 1 pm on the same date, his armed robbery gang members would come to rob the bank.

Moremi said the note posed a security threat to the FirstBank’s Sabo branch, in Ondo town and also caused all banks operating in Ondo to shut down for the whole day.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge against him.

But the defence counsel, Hawkins Akinnugba, applied for the bail of the defendant in most liberal terms.

The bail application was, however, opposed by the police prosecutor on the ground that the defendant would temper with the cause of investigation of the matter as there were other criminal elements behind the threat.

The trial Magistrate, Mosunmola Ikujuni, refused the bail application pending the apprehension of other members of the criminal gangs.

Ikujuni said “if on the next adjournment date, the prosecution is yet to apprehend all other criminals involved in the matter, then the court will do the needful.

She, therefore, adjourned the case for ruling on the bail application.

The defendant, however, told the court that he is a comedian and that the note that he dropped at the FirstBank was a prank, adding that he has been doing this in Lagos until he relocated to Ondo town.

[According to him, “this is the first time am playing the prank in Ondo.

He said “ there is no other gang that wanted to rob the bank as it was written in the note

Iluyomade, therefore, pleaded with the court to forgive him and promised not to play such a prank again.

“I was very happy to hear the news,” said Mehrab Bigdeli, a man in his 50s studying to become a Muslim cleric .

The message was similar in Iran’s conservative media, with one state-owned paper saying the “neck of the devil” had been “cut by a razor.”

In Pakistan, a spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a party that has staged violent protests, said Rushdie “deserved to be killed.”

The leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday asked all Nigerian governors and public office holders including politicians who are above 50 years to step aside as a mark of example, following their recommendation of early retirement of civil servants from age 50 and above .

This is coming as the governors prescribed early retirement of civil servants from age 50 and above as remedy to reposition the nation’s battered economy.

The governors also recommended the elimination of PMS subsidy/under-recovery estimated at N6-7 trillion, the implementation of the reviewed Oronsaye Report, putting an end to financing government’s budgetary expenditures, converting its N19 trillion debt into a 100-year bond and putting a final stop to PMS subsidy, eliminating NNPC’s federation-funded projects.

Other proposal brought forward to the president by the governors are; capping Social Investment Programme (SIP) and National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy budgets at N200 billion, eliminating extra-constitutional deductions from FAAC, reducing National Assembly constituency projects among other recommendations.

In a latter to President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, NLC national president, Comrade Ayuba Wabba said the congress is dismayed by the prescriptions of the governors as he described the move as smack of extreme selfishness and insensate cruelty.

Comrade Wabba said the best way to ensure better economy is for government to be decisive in curbing and punishing corruption, wastage, mismanagement, and maladministration in the petroleum sector.

He said the governors canvassed for the premature termination of the appointments of public servants from age 50 and above remain a clear violation of their contracts of employment which is a subsisting law.

“We find this repugnant, shameful and utterly irresponsible, aside from running contrary to your mission and principle of creating 100 million jobs (aside from poverty intervention schemes), this policy is clear invitation to anarchy and damnation. Those promoting this idea should be treated as enemies of your government .

The implementation of this proposal will lead to the sacking of almost a quarter of the public sector workforce, the decapitation of that workforce through the retrenchment of its most experienced layer, and the intensification of poverty and misery among citizens”, Wabba said.

He added, “Your Excellency, when one of the states (contiguous to FCT) against wise counsel sowed this policy (though it keeps denying it), it reaped whirlwind. Today, the state is in the hands of bandits. Truth is that mindless policies generate gigawatts of their own violence.

If there is little or nothing to show for the principal sums or revenues collected over the years, what assurance do we have that the additional sum on top of the principal popularly called subsidy (most of which is shrouded in mystery and crime anyway) can be put to effective use. Coupled with this, we find it distasteful that petrol subsidies in Nigeria create distortions in the economy but they do the opposite in US or Western Europe”.

“Truth is that removal of the little benefit the average person in Nigeria enjoys could lead to unintended consequences which we would be better off without.

The solution to subsidy and the ballooning deficits lies in domestic refining, effective management of our refineries, and creating an enabling environment for effective and efficient public sector leadership in the building and management of local refineries”, he said.

Igbo youths under the auspices of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) on Wednesday warned groups and individuals promoting the presidential ambition of Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu to stay clear of the zone.

President and Publicity Secretary of the group, Goodluck Ibem and Okay Nworu, in a statement, described as “unfortunate” how certain persons from Igboland would allow themselves to be used to promote the ambition of “a man who is outdated in all ramifications in the scheme of things to be voted as a Nigerian president come 2023”

They added that in one of Tinubu outings in Ogun State, he openly boasted that he made President Muhammadu Buhari President in 2015, stressing that the input of his statement meant that the hardship Nigerians are facing was brought upon by him.

“In 2015, a dollar was exchanged for N160 naira. A litre of fuel was sold for N65, a litre of kerosene was sold for N50, diesel was sold for N50 a litre and cooking gas was sold for N100 a kilo but today, a litre of kerosene is sold for N900, a litre of diesel for N1000, a kilo of cooking gas for N1000.

“Everything in the market used by Nigerians have increased by over 1000 percent to what it used to be and the same person who brought this misery on Nigerians wants to be President?. Never. We will not allow such thing to happen.

“[b?We the youths of Igbo nation will not allow affliction the second time upon us again. Never!!! We must have made our mistakes in 2015 but we are wiser now. Youths cannot be deceived again with any monetary inducement; it is the time of the youth to take back our nation[/b].

“We don’t want to see any campaign posters, billboards, advert or political gathering promoting or campaigning for Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu in the South East. It is a warning which must be adhered to by all and sundry irrespective of your political standing.

“We have constituted a mobile taskforce to fully implement the directives of the youth leaders in the South East. The youths have spoken. Enough said!”, they said

Gunmen have reportedly abducted 14 Indian nationals in Ajaokuta LGA of Kogi state.

TheCable learnt that two Indians, two police officers and two drivers were killed when the gunmen struck .

The incident reportedly happened around 9:00 pm on Friday.

“They were on their way home from work (West African Ceramics) when the gunmen attacked their Coaster bus yesterday (Friday) night,” a resident of the area said.

“Their bus was ambushed by these gunmen. They were able to kidnap 14 Indians. Two police officers providing security to them were also killed.”

In reaction to the attack, the Kogi state government said it is working with the security agencies to rescue all those that have been abducted.

“Immediately the unfortunate report was brought to the attention of the State Government, our administration has spread our security net in working with the conventional security agencies and local vigilante groups to ensure the abducted children are rescued alive and the cowards who abducted them brought to book,” Kingsley Fanwo, the state’s information commissioner, said in a statement on Saturday.

“In Kogi State, the life of everyone matters.

“The governor and the government of Kogi State understand that the number one responsibility of the Government is the protection of the lives and property of the citizens. The Kogi State Government will never shirk such responsibility.”

William Ovye Aya, spokesman of the Kogi police command, said they are putting measures in place to make the state safe.

In recent times, gunmen have been attacking communities in Kogi.

Last week, gunmen killed three police officers and five vigilantes at the Jidda-Bassa community of Ajaokuta LGA of Kogi.