₦airaland Forum

Following General Sani Abacha’s death on June 8, 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar assumed power. A month later on July 13, 1998, apparently having seen evidence of monumental looting of the treasury by his late predecessor, then Head of State instituted the Special Investigation Panel to establish “cases of swindled public funds and recover same back to the federal government coffers”.

Within a matter of days, the panel had secured records from the apex back which revealed that between November 1993 when he took over and June 1998 when he died, Abacha had taken from the CBN funds totaling $2,263,520,497(Two Billion......) in cash withdrawals, travelers cheques and telegraphic transfers, in the name of “security vote”. However, the job of the panel was made easy by the fact that one of the Abacha family associates, Alhaji Abubakar Bagudu (currently Governor of Kebbi State) was ready to cooperate by returning some of the loot.

On May 26, 1999, just three days before handing over power, General Abubakar promulgated Decree 53 of 1999 on forfeiture of assets by certain persons which listed the monies returned by the Abacha's family.

Abacha’s contempt for accountability commenced less than two weeks after he took power from Chief Ernest Shonekan. In a memo reference NSA/A/320/S/46 dated 30th November 1993, the then National Security Adviser, Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo, requested for $100 million to combat “an economy that was deflected and distorted through the black market.” In the same memo, Gwarzo also undertook to pay back the naira equivalent into government coffers. Having apparently been briefed by Abacha, the then Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Dr Paul Ogwuma released the money in the following sums: $95 Million and 3.2 million Pounds Sterling, all in cash.

However, the import of that first transaction was that Abacha had realized just how easy it was to directly take money out of the CBN and that became a perfect scam for him. All that was then needed was a letter from Gwarzo seeking approval for any sum of money in the guise of “security” and the CBN would release such demand in cash. So primitive was the whole arrangement that the principal job of some security officials was to be bagging and re-bagging millions of Dollars and Pound Sterling. The following are a few of the documented transactions:

On February 13 and 15, 1995 Gwarzo collected US$200,000 and US$600,000 respectively (totaling $800,000) from the CBN. This was sequel to Abacha’s approval of his letter dated 15th February, 1995 in which he requested for US dollars $4 million and GB£ 2million “to take care of some developments in a number of areas…” The $800,000 was part payment for the approved sum of US $4 million while the balance was paid in Travellers’ Cheques.

On 29th December 1995, Gwarzo collected from the CBN the sum of US $5 million based on Abacha’s approval of his letter to deal with “situation at hand”!

The reasons given in many of the letters seeking approval to take money out of the CBN beggar belief but having “started small”, Abacha apparently became more emboldened with time.

On 23rd August, 1996, Gwarzo collected US $30 million from the CBN following Abacha’s approval of his letter dated 20th August 1996, requesting for the said money to “assist our immediate neighbours and others within this sub-region”.

On 18th December, 1996, Gwarzo collected US $ 66.5 million and GB £20 million following Abacha’s approval of his letter to meet “some requests from Heads of State of some Francophone countries, and to cultivate African solidarity.”

A month later on 30th September, 1996, Gwarzo collected US $50 million and GB £20 million from the CBN sequel to his letter dated 24th September 1996, requesting for the money to “prop some African and other Third World countries” to assist in Nigeria’s “democratization and economic recovery”.

On 28th April, 1997, Gwarzo collected US $60 million GB £30 million sequel to Abacha’s approval of his letter dated 22nd April 1997, in which he requested for the said sums for “public relations to international communities and organizations”.

On 9th July, 1997, Gwarzo collected US $ 5 million from the CBN following Abacha’s approval of his letter dated 23rd May, 1997 to meet all “demands and commitments as directed”.

A month later on 8th December, 1997, Gwarzo collected US $120 million and GB £50 million sequel to Abacha’s approval of his letter dated 26th November 1997. And on 19th January, 1998, Gwarzo collected from the CBN the sums of US $100 million and GB£ 50 million to “counter insinuations that (Lt. General Oladipo) Diya’s coup was not real, and the government framed them to remove and replace the coupists with stooges.”
The interesting thing about this particular transaction was that while re-bagging the money, “four cartons containing a total of about US$ 8 million were set aside” in Gwarzo’s own residence, while the balance of US $57 million and GB£ 30 million were delivered to the late Head of State through Mohammed Abacha.

On 25th October, 1997, Gwarzo collected US$ 80 million and GB £40 million “to sponsor military intervention in Sierra Leone, and garner support for same in the West African Sub-region.”

On 30th April, 1998, a few weeks before Abacha died, Gwarzo collected US $ 80 million, GB £50 million and N250 million based on his letter dated 29th April 1998 for the conduct of an enlightenment campaign on the “virtues” of an “Abacha Presidency”.

On 5th July, 1996, Gwarzo collected from the CBN the sum of US $8.1 million and GB £ 5.2 million based on his request dated 14th June 1996, to support five presidential aspirants in the Niger Republic general elections.

On 21st February, 1997, Gwarzo collected from the CBN the sums of US $60 million and £20 million for “pro-Nigeria propangada” abroad.

On 1st April, 1998, Gwarzo collected from the CBN the sums of US $65 million and GB £30 million for “Public Relations at home and abroad, to counter the European Union campaign against the transition programme.”

On the 8th of May, 1996 Gwarzo collected US $3 million and US $9 million respectively from the CBN. Out of this sum, he reportedly sent US $ 7 million (on behalf of Abacha) to then President Matthew Kerekou of Benin Republic as “assistance to the country to pay outstanding workers’ salary” while US $2 million was for Kerekou himself.

On 13th November, 1996, Gwarzo collected US $5 million and GB £3 million from the CBN based on his letter dated 7th November, 1996 “to take care of foreign dignitaries who will attend the burial ceremonies of the first President of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.”

On 10th September, 1997, Gwarzo collected US$ 60 million and GB£ 30million from the CBN “to finance a campaign for a seat on the Security Council of the United Nations Organisation.”

On 9th December, 1996, Gwarzo collected US $5 million from the CBN sequel to Abacha’s approval of his letter dated 21st November, 1996 in which he requested the said sum “to finance the purchase of ten Toyota Land Cruisers, and ten Peugeot 505 saloons for the Republic of Mali”.

On this day in 1986, Major General Mamman Vatsa, the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a few others were convicted and sentenced to death for the offence of conspiracy to commit treason by a Military Tribunal headed by Major General Charles Ndiomu.

Others who were found guilty alongside Vatsa were as follows:
Lt Col Musa Bitiyong
Lt Col C A Oche
Lt Col A Iyorshe
Sqn Ldr Martin O Luther
Major I Bamidele
Wg Cdr Ben Ekele
Wg Cdr A C Sakaba
Lt Col M Effiong
Cdr A Ogwiji
Sqn Ldr A Ahura
Major D E West
Major T G Akwashiki.

ollah2:
There is a party called ADC that precedes and sounds exactly like APC. Surely some people mistakenly thumb printed for ADC instead of APC

In the example you cited, ADC does not immediately precede APC as this case with PCP and PDP.

APC is immediately preceded by APA and APDA is the party after APC. The likehood of mistake here is lower vis a vis PDP.

There is a party with the abbreviation; "PCP" which immediately precedes PDP on the result sheet. I am very sure a good number of voters must have made the mistake of thumb printing for the party instead of PDP. In Abia State, the party came 4th behind PDP, APC and APGA with a total vote of 1,489. In Taraba, it scored 3,231. It has consistently been in the Top 5.

Germane to hapenings at the Collation Centre.

Till 10Am. Mahmood Yakubu has adjourned announcement of results.

Omoyele Sowore, the intrepid founder of the muck raking online news outlet; Sahara Reporters and former President of the Students Union Government (SUG) of University of Lagos scored a total of 4,419 votes in his home State of Ondo. PDP emerged triumphant with 275,901 votes while arch rivals; APC garnered 241,769.

Professor Kayode Soremekun of the Federal University Oye EKITI is the Collation of Ondo State. He is flanked by Ambassador Oluwatoyin Akeju who is the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Ondo State.

melodyogonna:
APC
152,224

Which State?

jesusjnr:
Wrong! Correct your figures.

APC = 219,231 and not 219, 213.

Osun State: Collation Officer is Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the VC of my alma mater, the University of Lagos.
APC = 347, 634
PDP = 337, 377
He stated the results of some polling units were cancelled because they discovered that the number of votes cast were higher than the number of accredited voters in those polling units.

Professor Abel Olayinka, the VC of the University of Ibadan is the Collation Officer of EKITI State. He has stepped down from the rostrum.
APC = 219,213
PDP = 154,032.

It is already 11 O' Clock. My advice to the INEC Chairman is that he should just give us results of APC and PDP only and tell the other parties to go and buy scratch card to check theirs on INEC's website!

Aeroplane was invented in 1917 and 8 years later one landed in Nigeria.Impressive

daddytime:
With the figures you quoted above it seems the total number of votes cast in the entire senatorial district isn't up to 2000...

How does that sound to you and the reporter op?

Apparently, the reporter has misled a good number of those commenting. This is just the result from a single polling booth. It does not represent the entire result from the constituency.

Atiku in Early Lead!
Four (4) wives voted with/for him = 5, while one (1) wife voted for/with Buhari = 2.

Atiku in Early Lead!
Four (4) wives voted with/for him = 5, while one (1) wife voted for/with Buhari = 2.

I hate to predict election results, but I couldn't resist this one, as it turns out to be very profound. And I honestly place data over sensation.

While I have been silent for the most part, on the issues concerning these elections, particularly the presidential elections; what may not be obvious is that I have been quietly researching and making political calculations on the presidential elections specifically, given the interplay of the multi-component variables involved.

It's also important to note that I have consulted very widely with key sources and political actors who are by no means to be considered frivolous or superfluous and have no reasons to flatter me.

This prediction is purely based on scientific trend analysis and may clearly be against popular sentiments or known order. If the prediction offends your deepest convictions, please go ahead and prove me wrong at the polls.

I will not ARGUE with you and certainly not going to lend my time or timeline to any exchange that is not civil or mutually respectful. If you disagree, simply say why you disagree with civility or just move on.

After careful analysis of the distribution of PVCs, the occupational distribution of the voting public, past voting patterns, impact of IDP, election finance, changes in polling booth distribution, age and new voters composition of the total eligible voters, election day dynamics, effect of fake news, foreign interventions and the effect of postponement;

Based on my analysis, I predict with about 99.9% accuracy that the winner of the presidential elections holding tomorrow Saturday February 23, 2019 will be a Man.

Thank you and may God bless Nigeria. - From WhatsApp

NEWS AT 10 ON CHANNELS TV - APC are now eligible to field candidates in Cross River State .

Cheap dowry

The dowry is indeed cheap!

Roads/Streets in Lagos especially in Ikoyi that were named by the British to remind us that they were once here:

Cameron road was named after Sir Donald Charles Cameron (1872-1948). He was a British Colonial governor. In April 1925, Cameron became the second governor of the British mandate of Tanganyika, taking over from John Scott, who was acting governor for Sir Horace Byatt. From 1931 to 1935 he was governor and commander-in-chief of Nigeria.

Glover road in Ebute Metta was named after Sir James Hawley Glover (1829-1885). He was a Captain in the British Royal Navy and later a colonial governor. On 21 April 1863 he was appointed administrator of the government of Lagos Colony.

Victoria Island in Lagos was named after Queen Victoria (1819-1901) who was the Queen of the United Kingdom and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the adopted the additional title of Empress of India.

Milverton Road in Ikoyi was named after Baron Milverton. Baron Milverton, of Lagos and of Clifton in the City of Bristol, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1947 for the colonial administrator Sir Arthur Richards. He had previously served as Governor of Nigeria. As of 2010 the title is held by his eldest son, the second Baron, who succeeded in 1978.

Moloney street in Lagos was named after Sir Cornelius Alfred Moloney KCMG(1848-13 August 1913) who was a British colonial administrator. He served as British administrator of the The Gambia from 1884 to 1886, Governor of Lagos Colony from 1886 to 1890, Governor of British Honduras from 1891 to 1897, Governor of the Federal Colony of the Windward Islands from 1897 to 1900, and Governor of Trinidad and Tobago from November 1900 to 1904.

Clifford Street now known as Murtala Mohammed Way in Yaba Lagos was named after Sir Hugh Charles Cliiford(1866-1941) who was a Briitish Colonial administrator. In 1903, he left Malaysia to take the post of Colonial Scretary of Trinidad. Later he was appointed Governor of the Gold Coast, 1912-1919, Nigeria, 1919-1925, and Ceylon, 1925-1927.

Eric Moore Street in Surulere, Lagos was named after Eric Olaolu Moore, a member of the colonial legislative council and the first Lagos member of the united committee of experts and adviser on Labour conventions and regulations. He was the father of Kofo Moore, the wife of Sir Adetokunbo Ademola, first Chief Justice of the Federation, who also established New Era Secondary School in Surulere, Lagos.

Denton street in Ikoyi was named after George Chadin Denton (1851-1928) who was the Colonial Secretary of Lagos in 1900.

Freeman street in Ebute Metta was named after Sir Henry Stanhorp Freeman (1831-1865) who was the first Governor of Lagos (1862-1865). He took over from acting Governor William Mccorskty.

Alexander Avenue in Ikoyi was named in honour of Cyril Wilson Alexander (1879-1947) who was Governor of the Southern provinces of Nigeria between 1929-1930.

Egerton street was named in honour of Sir Walter Egerton(1858-1947) who was the first Governor of the colony of Southern Nigeria between 1906-1912.

Osborne in Ikoyi was named after Jack Osborne who died on August 15, 2012 at the age of 103. He served with Chindits behind enemy lines in Burma, commanding Nigeria Troops during world war two.

Lugard Street in Ikoyi was named after Sir Frederick John Dealtry Lugard(1858-1945), former Governor General of Nigeria. Sir Lugard also named Port-Harcourt in honour of Sir Lewis Vernon Harcourt(1863-1922) who was the British Secretary for the Colonies between 1910-1915. Lord Harcourt’s nickname was “Loulou”.

Macgregor street in Ikoyi was named after Sir William Macgregor (1846-1919) who served as Governor of Lagos Colony Niger from 1899-1904 where he instituted a campaign against the prevalent malaria.

Thompson street in Ikoyi was named after Sir Graeme Thomson(1875-1933). He was appointed as Secretary for Ceylon in 1919,then Governor of British Guiana in 1922 and and of Nigeria in 1925.

Adeniyi Jones street in Ikeja was named after Dr. Curtis Crispin Adeniyi-Jones (1876-1957), a Nigerian Doctor and Politician. His son Femi is at present a member of guild of Stewards at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos.

Macpherson street in Ikoyi,Lagos was named after John Stewart Macpherson (1898-1971). He was a British Colonial administrator who served as Governor General of Nigeria from 1948-1955. He was responsible for the introduction of the 1951 constitution, Macpherson constitution which provided for ”semi-responsible government”. His ADC during his tenure was General Johnson Thomas Umunakwe Aguiyi Ironsi(1924-1966) who later became the Head of State of Nigeria from January 1966 to July 1966.

Carter Bridge in Lagos was named after Sir Gilbert Thomas Carter (1848-1927). Carter was appointed Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of Lagos on 3 February 1891.

@ Poster, Well done.

Dr.Kofo Abayomi was not a founding member of Action Group.

THE FORMATION OF THE ACTION GROUP
**************************************
The announcement in Nigerian newspapers on 21 March 1951 of the birth of the Action Group took the country by storm. Those who later became covert and overt adversaries of the party heralded its debut in glowing terms. The Daily Terms, in an editorial comment headed ‘Awakening In The West’, hailed it as ‘first in the field with a definite plan for winning seats under the new Constitution.’ The paper described the objective of the Action Group as ‘admirable and deserving of support’.

The West African Pilot of 29 March 1951 (under the Managing Editorship of Dr Azikiwe), in an editorial comment wished the Action Group the best of luck.

By the time the formation of the Action Group was announced, it was already one year old. Early in March 1950, I had issued a circular to about sixty persons drawn from different parts of the Western Region, inviting them to a meeting which was to take place in my house at Ibadan on Sunday 26 March 1950, at 9 o’ clock in the morning. Over a period of some six months previously, I had made personal contacts and held discussions with every one of those who had been invited to the meeting. In the letter of invitation, I reminded them as follows:

You have already had a hint of the object of the meeting. Put in a nutshell, the object is to devise plans for organizing the people of the Western Region so that they may be able to play an influential and effective role in the affairs of Nigeria under the New Constitution.
In spite of my personal contacts with them and the circular letter only seven out of the over sixty persons attended the meeting:

These seven persons are still staunch and leading members of the Action Group and they are:
1. Mr S. O. Shonibare, then Manager UAC (Technical) Limited, Lagos; now Federal Publicity Secretary of the Action Group and Managing Director of the Amalgamated Press of Nigeria Limited;
2. Chief Abiodun Akerele, Barrister – at – Law; now Member of the House of Representatives and Balogun of Oyo;
3. Mr S. T. Oredein , then Shorthand Typist in the employ of the British American Tobacco Company Limited and Secretary of the BATC Workers Union; now Principal Organising Secretary of the Action Group, Western Region;
4. Mr Olatunji Dosumu, then Journalist in the employ of the Service Press Limited; now Administrative Secretary of the Action Group, Western Region;
5. Mr J. Ola Adigun, then Editor of Morning Star; now Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Western Region;
6. Mr Adeyiga Akinsanya, now Law Student, but formerly Manager of the African Press Limited – Printers and Publishers of the Nigerian Tribune; and
7. Mr Ayo Akinsanya, Chemist and Druggist, now Executive Director of the Western Nigeria Development Corporation.

SOURCE: AWO: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO,

A final closure came for 38-year-old Adekunle Tade, an Uber driver whose body was found in Lagos lagoon after he was reported missing since December. He was laid to rest at about 8:16p.m. last Thursday at African Church Cathederal, Ifako.

The burial, which was restricted to three clerics, family members, deceased’s wife and two children, took place in the graveyard located behind the church premises. Those who had gathered to pay their last respects were however horrified when it was discovered that the size of the casket did not fit the dug grave, which led to a new construction at the gravesite.

It was a long wait for the deceased to be committed to mother earth after several autopsy conducted on the body at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) delayed the burial earlier scheduled for 12noon.However, the children of Adekunle were bathing in tears during the burial of their father who was allegedly tortured and murdered by his car owner, Mrs. Andry Nwokedi.

Tade who drive for the car owner, Mrs. Andry was allegedly attacked by armed robbers who boarded his car from airport road, Ikeja on 4th of December 2018.Although he reported the case to Ilepo police station that the car was snatched but the car owner, Andry was not pleased with his story which made her invite him over to her apartment.

His friend, Mr. Kehinde Olatono who accompanied him to grant Andry’s visit at her apartment claimed that he heard some strange noise inside the house while waiting for his friend outside which made him ran to see what was happening but was shocked to see his friend being tortured on a bare floor.Although Tade never returned home after the torture but was declared missing till his body was found in the lagoon some weeks ago.The family of Adekunle has therefore appeal to Lagos State police to seek for justice for the deceased.

https://guardian.ng/news/body-of-uber-driver-found-in-lagoon-buried/

MUCH ADO ABOUT A POSTPONEMENT
Elections are shifted by one week. As expected, all kinds of tantrums are being thrown depending on the divide people belong to. Unfortunately, most "analysts" on social media hardly interrogate their environment especially when something does not favour them.
Let me say that this is NOT a political post even though it has to do with our polity. If your only spectrum of viewing this is partisan, please go to your wall and push your argument. Don't do it here. As a people, we love to eat omelettes without cracking eggs. When we don't get our wish, we throw tantrums like a child whose toys are seized.
I saw the postponement coming long before it happened. Not by clairvoyance or prophecy but by the chain of events. My only surprise was that it wasn't announced earlier. It would have been a miracle if INEC had proceeded with the elections as previously scheduled. A few things:
1. I am of the opinion that the postponement of an election on the eve of the election entails too much inconvenience for everyone who has prepared to vote. The postponement should have happened long before yesterday.
2. Having said so, this was a postponement that should have been expected by all a long time before now.
3. This is not the first time elections have been postponed in our recent history. It happened in 2011. Voting was already underway in some states when the elections were postponed. In 2015, we had a postponement due to "security reasons".
4. I would rather have a postponement, even though it is NOT convenient, than have a botched process fraught with too many glaring irregularities
5. With the spate of arson attacks on INEC offices and the destruction of voting materials, many people would have been disenfranchised if the election had been allowed to proceed
6. The violent attacks on the convoy of the Borno State Governor with attendant fatalities and the butchering of almost seventy people by gunmen in Kaduna State all in the week of elections portend too much danger for the process security-wise.
7. From the time that the National Assembly was dilly-dallying on INEC's budget which was not passed until late last year, it should have been obvious that this election was going to have hiccups. No responsible National Assembly plays politics with something as sensitive as electoral budget. More than anything else, I believe this laid the foundation for this postponement.
8. Anyone trying to make political capital out of this postponement is simply grandstanding and needs to pull back and think deeper. I listened to a radio programme this morning where representatives of the two major parties were, expectedly, throwing tantrums with one party blaming the other.
9. The postponement of an election is not a guarantee of victory or defeat for any party.
10. If postponement is the only means by which INEC can reasonably guarantee a smooth, free and fair process, so be it! Inconvenient but if expedient, we should simply accept the situation and look forward to the new dates. One week is not eternity. We will still vote!!!
At the end of it all, it is NIGERIA that must win these elections.

BY REVEREND TOPE POPOOLA

I tire for Yoruba people sef! Na so my neighbour come knock my door, wake me up this morning saying "Eku aidibomo oni o".

I was annoyed and replied him in low voice: "Eyin na eku postponement o. Adun akari."

I tire for Yoruba people sef! Na so my neighbour come knock my door, wake me up this morning saying "Eku aidibomo oni o".

I was annoyed and replied him in low voice: "Eyin na eku postponement o. Adun akari."

I tire for Yoruba people sef! Na so my neighbour come knock my door, wake me up this morning saying "Eku aidibomo oni o".

I was annoyed and replied him in low voice: "Eyin na eku postponement o. Adun akari."

Around this time tomorrow the most common commentaries will be " So far, the process and everything is satisfactory".

By 3pm the commentaries from Atiku camp will be " We have been seeing some irregularities".

By the time it's 6pm Ologbodiyan's statement will be " There is an outrageous rape being committed on democracy"

By 8pm Buba Galadima will be almost insane with rage. He will be screaming "we wee not take it"

By 9pm, Uche Secondus will be all over the media chasing reporters and their camera men for urgent interviews. He will most like say " PDP has lost faith in the election process"

By the time it is 10am on Sunday 17th FeBuhari, One Fulani man will suddenly find two of his cows dead in the hands of Tiv man. By that time Kwakwanso has fully mobilised his blood thirty gangs of lunatics in Kano.

By 11am on Monday, Atiku and Saraki are somewhere taking drips and other treatments.

Before the end of Monday 18th FeBuhari, Buhari who has been drinking Kunu in Daura since Saturday is already declared winner, the entire Security infrastructure must have mopped all the trouble makers off the streets and thrown them into detention centres across the country.

Development of Nigeria and 2023 will be the new topics!

Lobatan!!!

vicardino:
Oga, did you read through before you copied and pasted it here or this was what you wrote to her in 1995? I used to think we are in 2019 ooo. Toor

This was the first love letter I wrote and it was written in 1995.

Dearest Queen

I am one hundred percent certain that this letter meets you in a fabulous state of anatomy and metabolism. If so, eternal gratitude to our Creator. If not, I am the only doctor in town for the Queen. Oh beautiful Queen! The geography of your body is perfect. Your body is full of milk and honey, your fingers are richer than gold, your eyes see better than the moon and sun, your head contains more wisdom than the sea can hold water. You are the model of perfection, accepted by all the angels, created by God on a Sunday when He had no time for other duties. You are the last Queen created by God. Other women that came after you are servants of the Queen. I know that you are always busy, the Queen that has a kingdom to rule. Without a King, a Queen is useless.

My principal aim of writing this letter to you is to gravitate your mind towards a matter of importance which has bothered my soul. This matter is so important. Even as I am writing, my soul is shaking, my temperature is rising, the wind vane of my mind and body is pointing everywhere at the same time.

Queen , you need a King. You are the only one I see at school, at home, and on the road. The mirror in my eyes has only your divine image, your majesty, your throne. I see you in my dream everyday. When I sleep, you are the one in my medulla oblongata, the only mosquito in my net, the only sugar in my tea, the only fly in my ointment. To go straight to the point. I want to be your King. I want to wake up in the morning and see only the Queen. You should be the only grey matter of my system, the wall clock of my room, the only oxygen in my head, the only rock in my universe, the only river whose water I can drink.

My sweetest, dearest, talented, fantastic, fondest, extraordinary paragon of beauty, be mine today, be mine tomorrow, be mine for ever. Let us live and die together, buried in the Garden of Eden with our love. Say Yes, Queen. Only a weak Queen says No. Listen to what the Lord says. He says we should ask and we shall be given, we should seek and we will find, and that we should knock and it will be open unto us. I am this 14th day of the second month in the year of our Lord, one thousand, nineteen hundred and ninety - five, asking, seeking and knocking at the door of the only Queen. Open the door so that thy servant may enter. Queen means love itself; the noun, pronoun, metaphor, oxymoron, thesis, antithesis, irony, conjunction and the adverb of love. Life has no meaning to me if I cannot wake up in the morning and behold your beautiful face, your long legs, your angelic eyes, your majestic lips, your fantabulous head, your smile.

You are a wise Queen. You realize the mountain that I want to climb, the ocean I want to swim, the desert I want to cross. If you say no, there will be no King for the Queen. My life will be like tea without sugar, like a snail without shell, a cow without horns, a car without a driver, a cup without tea, a town without people. Queen , I am Adam, you are Eve. If you say no, I will not be alive to finish reading your reply. In fact I will kill myself. What is life without Queen ? A man without love is like a fish out of water. Queen , reply today through the bearer. God’s time is the best. This is the time for the Queen to meet the King. God has united us in the Garden of Eden. What God has put together let no man put asunder. A woman without a man is like a field without seed. From one and only, Your beloved, faithful, loyal, loving king

[1] Over the last few weeks, I have been hearing a lot of noise about Bakassi and how Nigeria should appeal the judgment of the International Court of Justice which granted the territory to Cameroon in 2002
[2] I think it is time we told ourselves the bitter truth. Bakassi has always been part of Cameroon. The only time Nigeria had any claims to it was the period between 1914 and 1961 when Western Cameroon was part of Nigeria
[3] In 1884, the German Army captured Bakassi and signed a treaty with its traditional ruler, making it part of German Cameroon
[4] When World War One broke out, the allies decided to seize Cameroon. British troops captured Western Cameroon via Nigeria, while French troops took over Eastern Cameroon, entering through Congo Brazaville. Bakassi was part of Western Cameroon and administered as part of Nigeria
[5] At independence, however, the people of Western Cameroon were given the option of either joining up with the rest of the country in forming one united Cameroon or staying part of Nigeria with their Anglophone brethren.
[6] In 1959, the people of north western Cameroon voted overwhelmingly to remain part of Nigeria. Mubi is one of the towns that was part of the territory. Had they voted differently, Buba Marwa would not be a Nigerian today.
[7] In Southern Cameroons, the plebiscite could not hold in 1959 for security reasons but when it did hold, they “Decided to achieve independence by joining the independent Republic of Cameroon” (General Assembly resolution 1608 (XV) of April 21, 1961)
[8] There were 21 polling stations on the Bakassi peninsula itself and 73 per cent of the people living there voted to “Achieve independence by joining the independent Republic of Cameroon”
[9] In 1962, the government of Tafawa Balewa exchanged diplomatic notes with Cameroun acknowledging the fact that Bakassi was not Nigerian territory.
[9] In January 1966, Major General Ironsi came to power in Nigeria. He committed his government to respecting all prior international agreements made by the Balewa government.
[10] In July 1966, Lt Col Gowon came to power in Nigeria. He too committed his government to respect all prior international agreements made by the Ironsi and Balewa governments.
[11] On July 29, 1975 General Gowon was overthrown by General Murtala Muhammed and one of the first acts of that regime was to begin to question all the domestic and foreign policy decisions made by General Gowon, including the offshore maritime border with Cameroun. In the rush to smear Gowon publicly, he was held accountable for “giving away Bakassi”
[12] I challenge anyone to show me one map anywhere in the world, which shows Bakassi being on the western side of the border
[13] Only Chinua Achebe has had the guts to say it by South Western Cameroon refused to join Nigeria because they were afraid of Igbo domination. Igbo traders dominated all their markets and retail activities and they thus decided to remain part of Cameroon
[14] All those calling for “The people of Bakassi” to determine their own fate today, know damn well that the overwhelming majority these so-called indigenes are Igbo traders whi have migrated to the area over time
[15] It is time for Nigeria to leave the matter be. Relocate the Nigerians from Bakassi in a new purpose-built town and give Cameroon the peninsular back. We can then negotiate access to the peninsular for maritime purposes and fishing rights. Can I also add that Bakassi is not “oil-rich.” All that exists there are shrimps. Neither Shell, Total, Eni, Agip or Mobil has any oil rigs on the peninsular