₦airaland Forum

President Salva Kiir has banned anyone from singing the national anthem unless he is present, according to a government minister. Information Minister Michael Makuei told AFP news on Monday that different leaders and institutions were playing the anthem at whim, which was an abuse of the national tune, written shortly before independence in 2011.

“For the information of everybody the national anthem is only meant for the president, in a function only attended by the president, not for everybody,” Makuei said.
“We are seeing now even a minister, undersecretary, even governor or state minister, whenever there is a function the national anthem is sung.”

He said Kiir’s order was passed during a cabinet meeting on Friday.

Makuei said that with the exception of South Sudan’s embassies, which represent the president, and schools where children are taught the anthem, no one was allowed to sing the song in Kiir’s absence.

The minister said that military leaders have also been banned from addressing the public when in uniform.

He did not give details on what the punishment would be if the orders were not followed.

“These are orders and of course when you disobey the orders of the president then you carry your cross,” Makuei said.

Civil war

South Sudan gained independence from its northern neighbour Sudan in 2011 after years of war pitting rebel groups against Khartoum.

In 2013, South Sudan descended into a ruinous civil war after Kiir sacked his entire cabinet and then-deputy, Riek Machar, over accusations he had plotted a coup.

Ethnically-charged fighting soon spread from the capital, Juba, across the impoverished state, shutting down oil fields, forcing millions to flee and killing tens of thousands of people.

The conflict split the country along ethnic lines and has seen mass rape, the forced recruitment of child soldiers and attacks on civilians.

It has caused one of the world’s greatest humanitarian crises and wrecked the economy in a country which relies on oil production for the vast bulk of its revenues.

A power-sharing deal that returned Machar to the vice presidency was signed in 2015. But it collapsed a year later in a deadly battle that saw Machar flee into exile.

The rebel leader and former vice president was due to return to Juba in May after the signing of a new peace deal in September last year aimed at ending the war.

The deal, under which Machar is to return from exile to serve as vice president in a power-sharing government, has suffered heavy delays.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563874174/south-sudan-kiir-bans-singing-anthem-his
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There was commotion on Monday at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja as supporters of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu clashed with security agencies.
Uwajumogu contested the 2019 general election for Imo North Senatorial District under the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Before the clash, he had sent an advanced team of his supporters under the aegis of the Concerned Citizens to INEC to protest against the refusal of the commission to give him Certificate of Return despite the order of Justice Taiwo Taiwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja.
“INEC does not have the power and right under any law in Nigeria to review or otherwise deal with any question related or connected to the declaration and return of the applicant for the Imo North Senatorial District election held on February 23, 2019 after the Returning Officer has taken a decision,” the Judge had ruled.

But on arrival at the INEC headquarters, Uwajumogu was prevented from entering the premises of the INEC in his black Sport Utility Vehicle, a situation which led to a face-off between his supporters and security operatives on duty.

His driver was told to block the main entrance to INEC to prevent visitors from going inside the commission’s premises.

Before he was eventually allowed into the commission’s premises, Uwajumogu while talking with journalists had demanded that INEC should give him his Certificate of Return “to forestall a breakdown of peace and order.”

He said, “How do you refuse an order of a high court? I am here to collect my CoR today and INEC must produce my certificate today. I am asking them to do that to forestall the breakdown of peace and order. We are prepared for whatever it would take to get our CoR and we are here today to demand for it.

“I am here to demand for my Certificate of Return from INEC which I deserve. As you are aware, elections were conducted, INEC has refused to give me my CoR. As law-abiding citizens, we approached the Federal High Court which about three weeks ago, gave judgment in our favour, demanding that INEC should give us my CoR.

“Until today, INEC has refused, we know that there are people who are working in cahoots with the opposition and INEC to ensure that we do not get our CoR. Some other persons who have been given their certificates did not have to go through any committee. Why is mine going through this process? Why is INEC giving the excuse of the commission’s meeting to deny us of my CoR when a proper court of competent jurisdiction has given an order?”

Asked what he would do if INEC did not give him his CoR, he said, “Well, let them refuse to give it first, we will now know what else to do.”

The protesters numbering over 100 were led by a two-time former member of the House of Representatives and Director-General of Benjamin Uwajumogu Campaign Organisation, Matthew Omegara.

Omegara in his letter sent to the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, said that supporters of Uwajumogu had prevailed on the stakeholders in Imo North Senatorial District “to remain law abiding while the law takes its due course.”

He said, “But today, we shudder to observe that their patience is tottering to the tipping point and we may no longer be able to stand down their agitation for justice and fair play. We dare bring to your notice that there is a deep seated public perception that INEC might be acting a selective agenda to frustrate the South East and make it impossible for the zone to present a ranking APC senator. The question is, whose script could INEC be acting since its actions are constitutionally, legally and morally inexplicable?”

The letter was received by the INEC Chief Security Officer (Safety), Daniel Duku, with a promise to send it immediately to the appropriate authorities.

While addressing the protesters, Duku commended their maturity during the demonstration.

“You have shown patriotism by your peaceful demonstration. So I am here on behalf of INEC to take your complaint to the appropriate authorities right inside the office of the chairman of the commission. Your protest letter would be officially stamped and I will give you the acknowledged copy,” he stated.
https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563867841/commotion-inec-over-uwajumogu-certificate-return
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Members of the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria have suspended the industrial action scheduled to commence on Monday following the intervention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The union had at the end of its 39th Ordinary General Meeting in Benin City, Edo State, in May, given the government a 40-day ultimatum, calling for the payment of outstanding salary shortfalls and arrears of its members.

A statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Publicity, Mr Lanre Lasisi, said at the expiration of the ultimatum, Gbajabiamila appealed to the resident doctors through the immediate past Secretary-General of the Nigerian Medical Association, Mr Yusuf Sununu, a member of the House, to give him time to make consultations on the matter.
The statement quoted the National President of NARD, Dr Olusegun Olaopa, as confirming the suspension of the strike till July 29 when the Speaker would meet with the union.

Olaopa said, “It was based on the ultimatum that we gave earlier, which we served the Speaker. Based on the discussion with the Speaker, who actually showed good intention to intervene in the matter, we felt that it is honourable for us to meet and take his intervention.

“For now, we considered trying to suspend any action that we want to take, which is supposed to be today (yesterday), at our meeting tomorrow (today). But we thought that since the Speaker has intervened, we should give him the honour to, at least, meet with him and allow him to intervene in the matter before we go ahead.

“So, the meeting has been fixed for Monday. We are planning to make some concessions to allow us to meet with the Speaker first and see his good intervention before we consider any other action.”

Other demands by the resident doctors, as contained in their communiqué, included the appropriate placement in grade levels of doctors who suffered same scale promotion and for state governments to look into their tertiary health institutions to immediately halt the decay.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563870527/doctors-suspend-industrial-action-gbajabiamila-intervenes
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Popular musician, Timi Dakolo has lamented that his life and that of his wife and children have been at risk since the rape allegation, his wife, Busola made against the Senior Pastor, Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Biodun Fatoyinbo.
He also raised the alarm over the attempt to abduct his wife by a team of policemen that visited their home on Saturday.

Dakolo alleged that things got worse when the police made their residential address in Lagos public, thereby making them susceptible to attacks.
The artiste said, “I didn’t expect that our residential address, where my children live, would be released to the public and since then, we have noticed how my life, my wife’s life and the lives of my children have been put at risk to strange faces around the house.

“We have been followed home, people are watching our home; we have not been able to do our work. We now have to tell our children why they cannot step outside.”

He rubbished allegations that he and his wife were trying to extort money from Fatoyinbo, adding that he had made enough money from his music.

Dakolo asked Nigerians to stop treating rape victims like criminals for speaking the truth.

He said his wife had informed him of the alleged rape since last year and it took a while before they both decided to make the matter public.

The artiste further stated that the allegation was not targeted at the church but Fatoyinbo and the matter should thus be treated as a crime and not a campaign against the body of Christ.

Dakolo dismissed reports that he had claimed in the past that he married his wife as a virgin, adding that it was not true that Fatoyinbo paid for his honeymoon.

“I have never attended COZA in my life. I have never been in the same room with Fatoyinbo in my life, neither have I been a music director,” he said.

Dakolo says the police have refused to invite the Senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Biodun Fatoyinbo, who allegedly raped his wife, Busola, 20 years ago.

Dakolo, therefore, wondered why the police would storm his home in Gestapo style to invite him and his wife to Abuja from Lagos State while Fatoyinbo who was in Abuja had never been invited.

The musician said this at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday.

He noted that last month, he and his wife wrote a petition to the police and they were questioned for six hours by cops.

Dakolo, therefore, wondered why the police would invite him and his wife to Abuja for another round of questioning.

The artiste said, “On June 27, my wife, through her legal representative, wrote a petition on rape against Mr Biodun Fatoyinbo. The petition was filed at the Office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Alagbon, Ikoyi.

“We had four meetings and spent about six hours at the police station. The IG personally assigned the file and immediately asked for an action on the case but we deliberately decided not to publicise it because we believed the law would be followed through.

“We had filed the petition before the release of the interview that had been recorded three weeks earlier. The interview was published on June 28. We have on several occasions met with the police in the course of investigation. We were therefore shocked by the invitation to Abuja when no visible action was taken to interview Mr Fatoyinbo.”

Aisha calls IG’s attention

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife, Aisha, has advised the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, against intimidating popular musician, Timi Dakolo, and his wife, Busola.

Aisha said this in reaction to the news that the police had invited the Dakolos for questioning on Tuesday.

The First Lady wrote via her verified Twitter handle, @aishambuhari, over the weekend, “Attention: Inspector-General of Police.

“#SayNoToRape #JusticeForRapeVictims #SayNoToIntimidation.”

The Nigeria Police Force had on Saturday sent a letter of invitation to the Dakolos with respect to the rape allegation by Busola against Fatoyinbo.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563782350/timi-dakolo-reports-threat-life-plan-abduct
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Leaders of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) have called for the collaboration of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in uniting the different religious groups in the country for peaceful resolution of the farmers-herders’ conflicts.
The National Secretary of MACBAN, Baba Ngelzarma, made the call in his remark during the delegation of the association’s courtesy visit to the National leadership of CAN on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ngelzarma said that the cattle breeders association sought partnership with CAN to demonstrate its desire toward peace and mutual resolution of the lingering conflicts.


“MACBAN wishes to request the partnership of CAN in uniting the different religious groups in the country for peaceful resolution of the farmers-herders conflicts.


“We should unite against hatred and support all government initiatives toward solving the conflict.”

He said that MACBAN acknowledged the increasing tension between farmers and its members in the last five years due to scarcity of pasture over grazing reserve as a result of climate change.

Ngelzarma said that MACBAN was duly aware of the effort by the Federal Government in conjunction with state governors to address the farmers-herders conflicts through the 10-year National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) 2019 to 2028.

He said that the association had embraced the plan fully and had already trained her national and state executives on negotiation, peace building and conflicts prevention in preparation for the plan.

The national secretary said that MACBAN recognised the need to partner government to modernise livestock production as proposed in the NLTP.

“We believe the 10 years plan will guarantee efficient time for pastoralists to learn new techniques of Livestock production.

“MACBAN will require that government implements the plan as designed in order to assist the pastoralists through proper extension services and training over the plan period to properly learn how to manage livestock efficiently.

“Both MACBAN and the umbrella body of farmers, AFAN, benefited in training organised by the Presidency on peace-building and conflict resolution.

Ngelzarma said that MACBAN also looked forward to more engagement with CAN as a body and other stakeholders in the Nigerian project.

“We seek the cooperation of CAN to be part of our National Campaign to reorient our youth to fear the Almighty, inculcate values of hardwork, empathy and being our brothers keeper irrespective of their faith.”

He said that pastoralists had lived peacefully for ages with different nationalities and had learned to resolve their quarrels peacefully.

He, however, noted that the media were making it look like the pastoralists were perpetually at war with other communities.

“Like all other communities we have our bad eggs and we have not relented in fishing them out all across the country.

“We have been to Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Katsina, Oyo and now Zamfara to assist in resolving conflicts with our members.

“We are grateful with the level of understanding and cooperation we have received from the state governments in resolving some of these security issues.”

He said that as part of effort to address the farmers-herders conflicts, MACBAN had resolved to embark on a number of stakeholder engagements which it began with the leadership of CAN.

The engagements according to him include a summit that would involve people from all walks of live as well as multiple engagements with the media at various levels across the country.

Ngelzarma, who condemned the killing of Mrs Funke Olakunri, the daughter of Pa Reuben Fasoranti, the leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, urged Nigerians to desist from politicising the killing.

He also urged Nigerians to desist from dressing it in ethnic garb and allow the security to do its work.

“We are also reaffirming our call on the Police and other security agencies to do all they can to get to the root of this dastardly killing and ensure diligent prosecution of any individual or group found to have had a hand in the incident.”

Ngelzarma said that MACBAN as a responsible association did not condone criminals and criminalities within or outside the association but ever willing to assist the security in ensuring peace reigned.

He denied the allegation on the social media that the association donated N3 billion to a candidate of a political party in Akwa Ibom in exchange for the establishment of cattle colonies in the state.

In his response, the National Chairman of CAN, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, urged all Nigerians to be prayerful for the plan of the devil for the country not to be achieved.

“I will urge all of us to be prayerful because I see the devil at work, provoking men to do things that are very odd, things that for years ago you cannot think can happen in Nigeria.

“Devil is at work and it will make us to be fighting ourselves. If we are not careful we with not be able to chase him out.

“It is with our collectivity that we can chase the devil away.”

Ayokunlec commended MACBAN for the call for collaboration, pledging that CAN would discuss the proposal and get back to the association.

“We have received your move with appreciation, we will sit down articulate it to be well informed on all these proposal you have raised,” he said.

Also at the event was the National President of MACBAN, Muhammadu Kirowa, and other national leaders of both CAN and MACBAN.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563448662/miyetti-allah-demands-can-collaboration-solutions-farmers

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Southern leaders on Wednesday described the Northern Elders’ Forum and the Coalition of Northern Groups’ call on Fulani herdsmen residing in the South to return home as irresponsible, arrogant and an unpatriotic action.
The NEF and the CNG had, at a press conference in Abuja, on Tuesday, asked the Fulani herdsmen to leave the southern part of the country.

They said they should return to home where their (herdsmen) safety and that of their property could be guaranteed.

But on Wednesday, organisations and individuals, including the pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Ijaw National Council and an elder statesman, Alhaji Tank Yakasai, reacted to NEF’s order.

Also, President Muhammadu Buhari has told his kinsmen living in the South to ignore the directive.

Your statement is insensitive, arrogant, Afenifere slams NEF

However, Afenifere accused NEF of heating the polity with its claims that Fulani herdsmen were not safe in the South, describing the statement as insensitive and arrogant.

The group said it was disappointed by NEF Chairman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi’s utterances, stating that the directive to Fulani herders to return home was a subtle threat against southerners living in the North.

The Afenifere spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, argued that Abdullahi’s utterances clearly showed that “there are people who value cows more than human beings.”

He noted, “For us in Afenifere, that statement smacks of insensitivity of the highest order and arrogance of the greatest proportion. They are not talking about the shedding of human blood, we are yet to hear messages of condolences or regrets from these people only for them to be blackmailing the rest of the country.

“That shows clearly that there are some people who value cows more than human beings. If he (Abdullahi) asked the herders to take their cows back to the North, what about the sleeper cells? What about the militia who are armed, who are killing people in southern communities?”

Afenifere said it was expecting the forum to offer condolences over the bloodshed across the country, noting that it stance indicated that it was in support of the “threat issued by Coalition of Northern Groups against southerners living in the North a few weeks ago.”

Don’t overheat the polity, Ohanaeze warns northern elders

Also, Ohanaeze Ndigbo warned the groups not to overheat the polity and cause unnecessary commotion in the country.

Ohanaeze, in a statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Chuks Ibegbu, queried the group on who made them the spokesmen for the entire North and when the entire North sat to take such a decision.

Ibegbu noted that the call for Fulani herdsmen to leave the South was surprising and irresponsible on the part of those who issued the order.

He asked those making the call not to put the herders into undue hardship by their utterances and call.

“There are harmless herders here who have been doing their legitimate business over the years, but there are also those who are into crime and kidnapping.

“We must separate the two. And of course, we are not saying herdsmen are responsible for all the crimes in our society. But the government of the day is not helping matters by some of its lopsided policies on the issue,” Ibegbu added.

The Ohanaeze spokesman, however, said that it was up to the northerners in the South to decide whether to “listen to the voice of their self-proclaimed spokesmen for the North or the voice of reason.”

He added, “Nobody is against peaceful herdsmen who have maintained good relationship with their hosts but we are against violent ones that kidnap and cause havoc to innocent Nigerians and farmers.

“These irredentists just want to overheat the polity and pretend they are concerned about the plight of herdsmen. What solution have these people offered to herdsmen all these years. None. They just want to appear relevant and caring whereas they are the problem of the herdsmen.”

We won’t force herdsmen to leave Igboland —S’East govs

Reacting, the South-East Governors’ Forum led by the Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, said that the call by NEF came at the right time.

He added that the South-East governors would not force herdsmen to leave the zone.

Umahi spoke to one of our correspondents through his Chief Press Secretary, Emma Ozor, in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

He said NEF must have carefully assessed the insecurity in the country before making the call.

According to Umahi, the cattle breeders were not in any form of compulsion to leave any part of the country.

He, however, stressed that their alleged inimical activities, rape and killings of innocent Nigerians, had indicted them heavily and thus, warranted their quick exit from the South to their native lands for a sober reflection.

He said, “The call by the elders forum to the cattle breeders to return home is a welcome development. It could be that the elders had carefully considered and weighed the activities of the herders and their implications and decided to call them back home in order to talk to them.

“The herders are not in any way being forced to leave any part of the country and are not in any form of compulsion to do so. They are Nigerians, too, and all of us own Nigeria. But, they themselves know that their alleged illegal activities, killings and others pit them against the law and they should heed to that call by the most respected elders from the North. So, if they want to go and heed the call, it is a show of civility and maturity on their part.

“There is already heightened insecurity in the country and Nigerians live in fear currently. We believe that the elders have a genuine agenda for calling their younger generations, who are mostly cattle breeders, home. So, let that perceived genuine agenda, guide the herders’ mind in answering that call.”

NEF’s order, irresponsible —IYC

But the President of Ijaw Youth Council, Eric Omare, described the call as irresponsible and against national security.

Omare said, “I don’t think that the order is practicable; I don’t think the call can be implemented by the herdsmen because the issue here has to do with the survival of human beings. Don’t forget that human survival comes before any other thing.

“The call is political and it is aimed at massaging the ego of those who made it. We consider the call as irresponsible, coming from leaders of a region in the country. They ought to come up with ideas on how to address the security challenges caused by Fulani herdsmen and not to call on all of them to return to the North.”

NEF relocation order: Stop giving crimes, ethnic coloration —ACF secretary

However, the Secretary-General of the pan-northern socio-political group, the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mr Anthony Sani, cautioned against giving crimes ethnic, religious or regional colouration.

Doing so, he said, would further worsen the security challenges in the country.

Although the ACF chieftain said he appreciated the concern of the northern elders and the youth, he told one of our correspondents in Kaduna on Wednesday that giving ethnic or religious and regional coloration to all events, would only promote ethnic cleavages.

This, he said, “is unhelpful.”

Also the Southern Nigeria Assembly comprising indigenous youth organisations in the South-South and South-East geopolitical zones, called on President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to immediately arrest and prosecute the leadership of the Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association.

The statement was jointly signed by the President of the Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide, Oladotun Hassan, a representative of the President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Obinnna Achionye, and Pereotubo Oweilaemi, President, Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide.

We don’t have problems with herdsmen —Anambra

However, the Anambra State Government described the NEF order as not binding.

The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, C-Don Adinuba, in an interview with The PUNCH, said the NEF order would not change the state’s relationship with herdsmen in the state.

He said, “We have 23 Fulani settlements in the state and we have been living peacefully with them. Some of them were born here and they speak impeccable Igbo. So, why would you force them to go now? What for? Some of them are into partnership with our people in their cattle business.”

Also, the Ogun State Government has distanced itself from the order given to Fulani herdsmen to leave the South.

Reacting, the state government said it would not be in support of such an order.

The government spoke through the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Kunle Somorin.

The government said, “It is unconstitutional to limit the freedoms of movement, association and personal liberties of Nigerians.”

Beware of unpatriotic elements, Yakasai warns northern groups, rejects call

Also, an elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai, has rejected the NEF’s order.

He said, “I wish to condemn in the strongest terms possible the recent call by a northern group to the Fulani living in the southern part of Nigeria to leave the area and return to the North.

Yakasai stated, “The leadership of the northern group should be aware that the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has bestowed a right to every Nigerian to live in any part of the country he or she wishes to reside and that no authority, group of people or an individual no matter how highly placed, can deny any Nigerian this inalienable right. Section 4 of the constitution has guaranteed the right for any Nigerian citizen to reside in any part of the country.

“That section has also guaranteed to every Nigerian right to hold and express opinion without let or hindrance. Like other Nigerians — Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and members of other Nigerian ethnic groups — know that the Fulani are indigenes of this country and are entitled to enjoy all the rights and privileges other Nigerians are enjoying and nobody can prevent them from enjoying those rights.”

Yakasai, who described himself as a Hausa man, said he would defend the rights of the Fulani just like he would that of any other law-abiding Nigerian to enjoy all the rights he and other Nigerians were enjoying.

He appealed to all well-meaning Nigerians to join him in the fight so that together “we shall make our country a place where our people can live in peace and enjoy peaceful coexistence with one another.”

The elder statesman added, “I call on all northerners and other Nigerians to be wary of the unpatriotic elements living within our midst — northerners and non-northerners alike — who do not believe in the unity and oneness of our beloved country.”

Don’t precipitate another civil war, Clark, Adebanjo, Nwodo berate Abdullahi

Meanwhile, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum cautioned Abdullahi, against precipitating another civil war in the country through “reckless and unguarded statements.”

The SMBLF leadership comprising Chief Edwin Clark, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Nnia Nwodo and Dr Pogu Bitrus, berated Abdullahi for making what it described as “reckless and unguarded statements on the state of affairs.”

The elder statesmen in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said they were shocked that Abdullahi, who is a member of the SMBLF, could join the call on Fulani herdsmen to leave the South “with all its implications without first consulting his colleagues on the forum.”

You’re free to live anywhere in Nigeria, Buhari tells Fulani herdsmen

Also, on Wednesday evening, President Buhari said the Fulani herdsmen were free to live in any part of the country.

He asked his kinsmen and all other Nigerians to ignore the recent call on Fulani herders by the NEF to vacate the South.

“All citizens of Nigeria are free to move and live within any part of the country they please, whether or not they are originally from there.

“In line with our country’s constitution, the government of Nigeria and the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will protect citizens of Nigeria wherever they find themselves.

“No one has the right to ask anyone or group to depart from any part of the country, whether North, South, East or West,” a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, said.

The statement noted that the forum’s advice was unsolicited, adding that it was “ill-intentioned.”

It added, “They have no one’s authority to make such pronouncements. The polarising role of the Northern Elders’ Forum and all those other groups dabbling in issues of security to score cheap political points has for long been a sore point in Nigeria’s body polity.

“They should not be allowed to mislead anyone, least of all the Fulani herders. The Buhari administration is fully devoted to finding a lasting solution to the herder-farmer clashes in different parts of Nigeria — one that would be acceptable to all the parties involved.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563434214/afenufere-ohanaeze-others-reacts-nef-order

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The finance commissioner for Zamfara state, who was kidnapped by gunmen in an ambush that killed his deputy, has been released along with one of his aides, a regional spokesman said Wednesday.
The government “expressed happiness over the release of the state’s Director of Budget… and one other person who were kidnapped at gunpoint,” the Zamfara state spokesman Yusuf Idris said in a statement.

Officials “commended the victims’ friends and all those that negotiated the release,” Idris said.
On Sunday gunmen dressed as security personnel kidnapped Zamfara finance commissioner Hamza Salihu along with two aides and killed his deputy on a highway in neighbouring Kaduna state, a region beset by violence between farmers and herders.

The spokesman did not comment on the fate of the second kidnapped aide and did not say whether ransom was paid for the hostages’ release.

The victims were on an official trip when they were ambushed by the gunmen, who also injured a female colleague of Salihu.

Kidnapping attacks have surged in the northwest of Nigeria, the home region of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Criminal groups and bandit gangs — stealing livestock, kidnapping and destroying villages — have capitalised on lack of security presence in rural areas.

Entire villages have been deserted for fear of raids by criminal gangs that have made a haven of the dense forest that spreads across northwest Nigeria and into neighbouring Niger.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563442143/abducted-zamfara-director-budget-freed
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The wife of the acting chairman of Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State, Sani Balarabe, has been kidnapped.

Sani is the elder brother of the Chief of Staff to the Niger State Governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Balarabe.

Suwaiba Balarabe was said to have been kidnapped along with the wife of the manager of a private company in Kagara town, Rafi Local Government Area on Monday.

A source yesterday said the kidnappers had entered the area shooting sporadically into the air.

According to him, the abductors are demanding N100 million as ransom.

The spokesman of the state police command, DSP Mohammed Dan-Ina Abubakar, confirmed the incident.

He said men of the command were making efforts towards rescuing the captives.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563367443/chairman-wife-abducted-niger

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The General Officer Commanding 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Abdulmalik Bulama Biu, has warned Boko Haram to celebrate his promotion to the rank of a Major-General by laying down their arms or prepare for his wrath.
Until last week, he was acting in that capacity as a Brigadier-General. With his elevation to the rank of Major-General, he has been confirmed the substantive GOC of the Division.

“I am sending a clear message to Boko Haram to celebrate my elevation to the rank of a Major-General by laying down their arms or prepare for a fierce encounter with me because I am back with the determination to finish the war,” he told journalists in Maiduguri, after he returned from the Army headquarters where he was decorated.


He stressed: “They should join all other Nigerians in celebrating me,” noting that his promotion had rejigged him and the 7 Div for the most decisive operations in the counter-insurgency war.

The GOC said the 3-sector Division had scaled up its determination to “conclude this war” and restore peace and security in the Northeast.

“We intend to finish the remnants of Boko Haram marauding here and there now, and we intend to do that in a very speedy manner as my main duty in the last lap of my assignment here,” he said.

General Biu warned all detractors in the war against terror and insurgency to desist from the act or prepare for his new strategy against them.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563365599/goc-boko-haram-celebrate-promotion-face-wrath

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The Organised Labour on Tuesday rose from its national executive meeting with a notice to the Federal Government that it had commenced the mobilisation of workers for a total industrial action if negotiation on the consequential adjustment arising from the N30,000 new minimum wage breaks down.
The decision was the focus of a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting of the national leadership of the Trade Union Side of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council and chairmen and secretaries of the body in all the 36 states of the federation in Abuja.

The union’s position was coming on a day the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ayuba Wabba, clarified that the NLC had not given any notice of strike to the FG, stressing that negotiation on the salary increase was progressing smoothly. He, however, added that such action might be necessary.
Government’s negotiation with the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council on the increase in workers’ salary deadlocked after representatives of government proposed 9.5 per cent salary increase for employees on Grade Levels 07-14 and five per cent for those on Grade Levels 15-17.

The council, which is negotiating on behalf of workers in the public service, argued that if government position was heeded, workers on level seven step eight would only have a monthly salary increase of N5,139 instead of N16, 230 which the new law stipulated, while those on level 17 step eight would have an additional monthly salary of N22,056 instead of N88,226.

The communiqué, which was signed by the acting Chairman of JNPSNC, Anchaver Simon, and secretary of the body, Alade Lawal, called on government to reconvene the meeting of the negotiating committee, accusing it of deliberately making attempt to deny workers the opportunity of benefitting maximally from the new Minimum Wage Act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari in April this year.

The communiqué read, “We have commenced mobilisation and sensitisation of public employees in the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory to prepare them for total trade unions action in event that negotiation on the consequential adjustment arising from the N30,000 monthly minimum wage breaks down.”

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Richard Egbule, says the Federal Government has approved with immediate effect the payment of the new minimum wage of N30,000 for workers who are currently earning wages below the new approved benchmark.

He made this known in Abuja on Tuesday.

Egbugbe said, “The approval of the new minimum wage takes effect from April 18, 2019. However, the negotiation between the FG and JNPSNC will continue and the outcome will be implemented from the date an agreement was reached.”


https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563350260/have-begun-workers-mobilisation-for-total-strike

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The first Ebola patient in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest city, Goma, has died, the government on Tuesday said.
The spread of the virus to Goma, a city of roughly one million people on the border with Rwanda, has raised fears the outbreak, which is already the second deadliest Ebola epidemic ever, could spread more widely.
The patient was a priest, who became infected during a visit to the town of Butembo, one of the epicentres of the outbreak, before taking a bus to Goma, according to Congo’s health ministry.


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He was being driven from Goma to a clinic in Butembo on Monday to receive treatment when he died, North Kivu province’s Governor Carly Nzanzu told an Ebola response meeting.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday that health officials had identified 60 people, who had come into contact with the pastor since he was taken ill and that half of them had been vaccinated.

Goma, a lakeside city more than 350 kilometers (220 miles) South of where Ebola was first detected a year ago, is the largest city to be affected by the outbreak, which has infected more than 2,500 people and killed nearly 1,700.

Three Ebola cases which originated in Congo were confirmed in neighbouring Uganda a month ago, but no new cases have since been registered in that country.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563279976/eastern-congo-main-city-first-ebola-patient

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Abia State Governor, Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, has approved the extension of the hours of operation of tricycle operators, popularly known as Keke to 9 pm every day in Aba and Umuahia.
This was contained in a statement issued by Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Onyebuchi Ememanka and forwarded to DAILY POST on Monday, stated that the extension takes immediate effect.
According to the statement, “Tricycle Operators under the aegis of the Abia State Amalgamated Tricycle Operators Association should reciprocate the magnanimity of the Governor, be of good behavior, and checkmate the use of their Tricycles for criminal activities.

“The Governor directs the Commissioner of Police, Abia State and Heads of other Security Agencies in the State to remain vigilant and intensify their patrols with a view to nipping in the bud, any criminal activity that may emanate from this extension.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563285330/gov-ikpeazu-extends-hours-tricycle-operations

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More than 820 million people worldwide were under-nourished in 2018, the third consecutive year of slight increase after decades of decline.
This was said according to a report presented, yesterday, by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to newsmen, United Nations officials and stakeholders at IFAD’s headquarters.

The 239-page ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’ report, released annually, is a comprehensive look at the state of hunger worldwide.
The report is produced by IFAD, along with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP), both based in Rome, as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

According to the report, the number of hungry people in the world is increasing more or less in step with the global population growth.

This means the figure of 820 million hungry people in 2018 represents a slight increase compared to 2017, but in relative terms, the number of undernourished people in the world has held steady at just under 11 per cent.

More or less consistent in percentage terms since 2015. Before that, the report said, the number had steadily decreased in percentage terms.

““We can no longer wait to transform global, national and local food systems. This report comes at a time when the calls are growing for a radical transformation of food systems,” said IFAD President Gilbert Houngbo.

Houngbo said the world needs “food systems that are sustainable, nutritious, inclusive and efficient.’’

The report said Africa is hardest hit by under nourishment, with nearly 20 per cent of the population suffering from hunger.

In western Asia, hunger is on the rise, with more than 12 per cent of the population impacted.

Hunger is also becoming more common in Latin America and the Caribbean, where nearly seven per cent of the population is affected.

More than 2 billion people live without sufficient access to safe and nutritious food.

That includes around eight per cent of the population in North America and Europe, the most economically developed parts of the world, noted the report. The report added that the number of babies with unhealthily low birth weight and the level of obesity worldwide are also on the rise.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563274669/report-global-hunger-the-rise

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said the 9th National Assembly will give special budgetary attention to the three senatorial districts of Zamfara State to address the security crisis in the state.
This, he said, would be made possible if the warring herdsmen in the state agreed to a one-year ceasefire.

Gbajabiamila said this during his visit to Zamfara State as part of efforts to reconcile the warring herdsmen factions in the state, according to a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Lanre Lasisi.
The Speaker said the National Assembly would do everything within its constitutional powers to bring development to the state through budgetary allocation.

Addressing the leaders of the warring factions at the Government House, Gusau, the state capital, Gbajabiamila said he was happy to be part of the historic reconciliation of the factions, whose activities held the state to ransom for about 16 years.

He said, “From what I understand, what the Federal Government needs to do is to develop these areas; some of these issues are borne out of poverty and frustration.

“I can assure you that the Federal Government, at least as far as the National Assembly is concerned, when it comes to budgeting of your 14 local governments, every senatorial district will be empowered; as far as schools are concerned, as far as skills acquisition centres are concerned, for our people to learn and acquire skills and be empowered to go out and win the daily bread to take care of their families.

“It is for us to develop your three senatorial districts together with your state government. You have capable hands in the National Assembly already. You have members that are from Zamfara who are representing you; they have already brought up the issues on the floor and when it comes to time for budgeting which is very soon, I’m sure you will see that Zamfara will be well represented.

“So, here’s the deal for me: We will devote a sizeable amount of resources to the senatorial districts but you will have to do something in return; it is a question of give and take. For a start, let’s have at least one year of peace; let’s not hear of killing for a year, let’s not hear of banditry for a year in Zamfara. After that one year, we will renew our efforts.

“I want to believe we are here with men of good intentions and women of peace, that in the end, what has happened in Zamfara over the years, by the time we get into January, February it will be a thing of the past, do I have your word?”

The Speaker stated that there was the need for serious collaboration between the federal and state governments on the issue of security.

Gbajabiamila also said the National Assembly would ensure the deployment of enough security men in the state to protect the people.

“So, here’s a practical solution; it is time for government to employ thousands of police men and women to police our state. What do we achieve if we employ more policemen? We achieve peace; we achieve employment. How do we design the employment of policemen? Let them come from the districts, let them come from your local governments in Zamfara, let them go for training, and then we redeploy them to Zamfara,” he said.

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The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has described the crisis rocking the state’s House of Assembly as “shameful,” insisting that there is just one Speaker in the state.
He said this during a courtesy call on him by the mediation committee set up by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to intervene in the crisis in the assembly, at the Government’s House in Bauchi on Monday.

The committee later paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Adamu, at his palace.
The PUNCH had reported that the assembly had been enmeshed in a crisis when elected members of the assembly held parallel inauguration leading to the emergence of two Speakers.

While Abubakar Suleiman was elected by 13 members loyal to the governor and inaugurated by the Clerk, the 18 other members elected Kawuwa Damina as the factional Speaker, at an event held outside the assembly complex under the statute of the mace.

The assembly consists of 22 members of the All Progressives Congress, eight of Peoples Democratic Party and one of New Nigeria Peoples Party.

The governor said, “We are really ashamed with the situation here in Bauchi; my deputy and I are high ranking senators, only to find ourselves in this logjam but certainly, politics is dynamic, some of the democratic manifestations come with crisis, some salutary and some negative.

“We are, by this, loyal to the people of Bauchi and we respect the autonomy and the sanctity of the parliament. What happened in Bauchi is very regrettable.

“As far as we are concerned, there is just one House (of Assembly) in Bauchi because elections were conducted and I was privileged to sign the proclamation and the elections were held with the clerk and the symbol of authority — the mace — was there and inside the House not outside but within the timeline.”

Mohammed, who expressed concern that some members of the assembly were excluded when the election of Suleiman was held inside the chamber, said, “It is very sad for people representing constituencies to be excluded in the discharge of their parliamentary exercise.”

He told the committee that he and his deputy, as former senators, would never undermine the importance of the parliament.

“Certainly, your coming here is salutary to the people of Bauchi and a shame to us distinguished senators, the only state where you have two senators managing the affairs of the state. We will never, in our culture and tutelage, undermine the importance and the respect the parliament has as the second arm of the government,” he said.

The governor lamented that the crisis in the Assembly had caused a setback for him and the government, pointing out that the withdrawal of some of members was slowing down the government.

“It is just because of this that we are exercising some restraint, otherwise, we would have gone ahead to do so many things,” he said.

Mohammed promised to abide by the decisions and recommendations of the committee, promising to give the necessary support needed to succeed in the assignment.

Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the Committee, Sarki Adar, told the governor that the committee was set up to come to Bauchi and investigate the crisis rocking the state assembly.

He said as a result, an ugly incident in the history of that parliament happened where two Speakers emerged, and the subsequent closure of the assembly, which halted the legislative proceedings of the state assembly.

According to him, the committee comprised 12 members drawn from across all the geopolitical zones representing various tribes and across party lines, adding that the committee is in Bauchi as unbiased team and will do everything possible to discharge its assignment diligently.

He said, “With this, we seek the support of your state government, members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, members of the political parties and any other stakeholder involved in the state, who has information that will help us.

“Our concern is to find solutions so that the progress of this state can continue without hindrance. All of us here represent various constituencies, some of us represent up to four local governments and we know the importance of representation.

“So, by the act of what happened, the good people of Bauchi State have been deprived of good representation at the assembly because the assembly has been closed for about a month now.”

Adar called on members of the public in the state to feel free to appear before the committee and make presentations which they would work.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563265445/assembly-crisis-shameful-reps-panel-visits-bauchi

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Some football enthusiasts in Gombe State said on Sunday that they were not disappointed with the Super Eagles 1-2 loss to Algeria in the ongoing African Cup of Nations.
The fans said this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria in Gombe State that the Super Eagles represented Nigeria well in the tournament.

One of the fans, Haruna John said: “ I am satisfied with the outcome of the match. You can’t expect to win every time and that’s why it’s called a game of luck.
“ I am not in any ways disappointed neither will I blame anyone. The boys met a tough team looking at the quality of the Algerian players but the Eagles gave a good account of themselves.”


Bashiru Garba described the team as “gallant even in defeat. They played to the last minute and showed the Algerians that we can’t be pushed over.”

Garba said that the Eagles had proven that with time they would come out better, adding that they had improved game after game.

Another fan, Joshua Ezekiel said he was satisfied with the performance of the team but cautioned that it “must learn to adjust and be time conscious. Such offence that led to the last goal should have been avoided.”

Ezekiel, however, noted that the team was yet to get a good goalkeeper since the retirement of Vincent Enyeama.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Nigeria will now play Tunisia who was earlier edged out by a late minute own-goal that saw Senegal advancing to play Algeria in the final of the 2019 AFCON.

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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the national leader of the All progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, appear to be the targets of a vicious campaign ahead of the 2023 polls.

The aim is to stop power shift to the South in 2023 and where they are handicapped to “cast aspersions” on some political heavyweights.

It was gathered that an agenda for a prolonged smear campaign has been put in place beginning with the printing of posters in Dubai by a Kaduna-based politician against Tinubu and the resurrection of a petition against Alpha Beta Consulting Limited.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) said on Saturday that the petitioner, Dapo Apara, has not substantiated his allegation of a N100billion scam against Alpha Beta.

The Vice President had his first baptism with the probe of the activities of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) by the 8th House of Representatives in 2018.

According to findings, the “war” against the Vice President and Tinubu will soon assume a media assault dimension which will spread for two years.

It was also learnt that the forthcoming serial attacks were part of what is known as “Dubai Strategy”, which was developed by some stalwarts of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A source familiar with the alleged plot said: “The overall objective of this grand plot by some politicians, including a mix of some APC governors, ex-governors and PDP elements, is to demystify the democratic credentials and integrity of Osinbajo and Tinubu.

“It is also about permutations for 2023 ahead of a planned alliance by some APC and PDP elements to frustrate the suspected presidential ambition of Osinbajo and Tinubu.

“They are out to paint Osinbajo and Tinubu as corrupt persons who should not be trusted by the political class, especially the power oligarchy in the country.

“Apart from creating a wedge between President Muhammadu Buhari and the VP and Asiwaju, some of these schemers do not want power shift to the South in 2023 because of their secret presidential ambition.

“They actually intend to provoke Buhari to move against Tinubu and Osinbajo under the guise of anti-corruption fight.”

The source also said the assault on the VP and Tinubu was in connection with plans to decimate APC before 2023.

“They see Osinbajo and Tinubu as stumbling blocks to their ambition. They have concluded plans to cause crisis in APC, destroy the party and use a new alliance to form a new party for their presidential aspiration.

“Why will they go to Dubai to print 2023 posters to paint Tinubu as anti-Buhari? They are desperate to finish these two leaders. It is a crooked plot.”

Petitioner can’t prove allegation against Alpha Beta, says EFCC

The EFCC declared on Saturday that a petitioner, Dapo Apara has not substantiated his allegation of a N100billion scam against Alpha Beta Consulting Limited.

It said although the investigation of the firm has been ongoing, it will not act on hearsays.

The anti-graft agency, however, said its doors are open if Apara has any further proof with regards to his petition

The EFCC, which made the clarifications in a statement by its Acting, Head, Media and Publicity, Mr. Tony Orilade said it was false to claim that it has not acted on Apara’s petition in the last one year.

The statement said a reporter sent apologies for not reflecting EFCC’s part in the story.

The statement said: “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has noted a story in THE PUNCH newspaper of Saturday, July 13, 2019, titled: Osinbajo’s firm linked to company fingered in alleged N100bn Alpha Beta scam.

“While not denying the fact that such petition was received on Alpha Beta by the Commission last year, preliminary investigation has shown that the petitioner did not substantiate the allegation contained in his petition.

“For the records, the Alpha Beta investigation is ongoing and we have nothing to hide over the matter.

“If the petitioner has any further proof with regards to the petition, our doors are wide open.”

The EFCC said it does not conduct its investigation on hear says.

It added: “As a tradition, we do not deal on hearsays, we act on facts and raw data.

“The Commission will not allow anybody to drag its name and reputation into the mud for ill-motive reasons.

“To underscore the desperation of the editorial team that anchored the report, Mr. Tobi Aworinde contacted the Commission’s acting Spokesperson at exactly 9:44 pm on Friday, July 12, 2019, on the subject matter.

“Mr. Aworinde called the Spokesperson to know the position of the Commission on the petition. The Spokesperson sent a response via a WhatsApp platform. Unfortunately, this response was not captured in the Punch report.

“When contacted why the response of the Spokesperson was not reflected in the report, Mr. Aworinde replied and said: “I forwarded the message as soon as I got it.

“It must have been the race to press. We were behind on our production deadline when I called for the reaction. My apologies sir.”

“There is no doubt that the ‘race to press’ and ‘we were behind our production deadline when I called for reaction’, as explained by Aworinde, is suggestive that there was an agenda and a motive.”

The anti-graft agency said it has attended to Apara’s petition contrary to insinuations.

It said: “It is erroneous for the newspaper to claim that the Commission did not do anything in respect to the petition for one year.

“It is also unfortunate and unprofessional for a paper like The Punch Newspapers to champion such misinformation and also rush to the press on a sensitive matter like this.

“As we continue our investigation, we urge the media to be circumspect, fair and balance in their reportage.”

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Emma Ibediro is the National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). A trained lawyer, Ibediro was part of the Rochas Okorocha team before the national convention of the party that produced the current National Working Committee. During the governorship primaries, many expected him to take side with Okorocha, but he stood with the party. In this interview, he speaks on the agitation for an Igbo President in 2023, the cry of marginalisation of the Southeast in the National Assembly and much more. Tony Akowe reports.
THE current NWC just clocked one year in office. Looking back into the last one year, how would you want to rate the party.

Usually, people give their opinion from the much they know. First, let me congratulate the National Chairman and other members of the NWC on their one year in office. The current NWC was inaugurated on the 24th of June, 2018. Based on what it met on ground, this working committee has done wonderfully well. What is the working committee of a party required to do? It is in charge of the day to day running of the party and report to the National Executive Committee. Granted that the present working committee was elected close to the election and there were all the problems associated with preparing for election, but you will agree with me that we have done all that is required to be done. We met a sitting President who was going to face a re-election and this working committee was able to galvanise the party in such a way that the President was re-elected. That was our number one priority, to keep our party in power and get our President re-elected. We were able to do that. In every political situation, crisis will always come up, but the way the crises are managed to the advantage of the party is what you should look at. By my own assessment of this working committee, I think we have done quite well no matter what people think. What we are expected to do, we have done. A situation where over 60 political parties were in a contest against one political party, we were able to steer this party in such a way that we got the confidence of Nigerians and got the President elected back to power is a major achievement. There is no way you can rule out crisis in a big party such as the All Progressives Congress.
Organising is the engine room of the party and you came into office when there were lots of crisis and the party primaries conducted during this period was characterised by series of crisis leading to the party losing a number of seats. Are you not worried about this and how are you using the lesson learnt to advance the future?

Some of these things depend on how you look at it or the interpretations you give to it. You cannot rule out misunderstanding in a big family like APC. Agreed that during the congresses that brought about the present elected officials there were bound to be misunderstanding here and there. Contrary to what some people believe, the NWC is subject to the National Executive Committee and whatever mode of primaries we choose was approved by the NEC. In our bid to also extend the democratic principles, we wanted the participation of a lot more of our party faithful rather than a select few. When the idea of direct primaries came up, we also realised that some states could have their individual peculiarities and so, we gave options to the states and said, depending on what you want in your state as approved by the stakeholders of the party in that state, the National Working Committee is willing to approve so that everybody will be fully accommodated. To be fair to Comrade Oshiomhole, the National Chairman, a lot of things has been accused of taking decisions alone. That is not true. If you go through records of our meetings, you will find out that the decision to adopt either direct or indirect primary or consensus as the case may be is the decision of the National Executive Committee of the party and it was to reflect the different peculiarities in the various states. There are states that, no matter what you try to do, due to insecurity or some other reasons; you may not be able to conduct direct primaries. But it was for the states to determine what they think was favourable to them and we allowed them that space to decide what they wanted to do. No matter how you look at it, whether you do direct primary or indirect primary, there are issues that will ultimately lead to reconciliation after the elections. Reconciliation is not a one party thing because it must involve all the individuals concerned. But where some individuals, on their own refused every attempt to reconcile and proceed with whatever action they have chosen, there is nothing you can do to them. You cannot force them not to go to court if they want to because that will be going against their fundamental right to seek redress. So, there are certain things you cannot do. But we did everything possible to reconcile all warring parties before the election. But there were some people who decided that whatever we did, they were not going to agree. Some individuals are like that and what can you do to them?

How are you applying the lessons from that era?

One of the things we learnt is that we have to be more engaging now and let the stakeholders know the values of some of these things. Probably some people felt that they were not adequately educated on the modus operandi of the NWC. So, we are taking time now to let people know that we are not doing this to either favour or offend any individual sensibility. As a matter of fact, we are trying to do the best we can to enable our party move forward and carry more of our party members along as much as we can. These are lessons we have learnt and we believe that each activity in life should be able to teach each individual a lesson. So, we are drawing from the lessons of the last election. This year, we have two staggered elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states and I am sure that we are going to draw experiences from the past. We will begin early to sensitise our members.

The NWC approved indirect mode of primary for the Kogi State chapter to select their governorship candidate and this is already creating issues within the state chapter. How are you handling this to avoid a repeat of the episodes of the last elections?

People are quick to draw conclusions. It appears that the extent to which you heard about the NWC approval was the indirect primary. You did not look at the second leg which talked about without prejudice to any other development that may come up before the election. We include that clause because we know that certain developments may arise before the primary. So, that decision is not cast on stone. The NWC merely followed what has been approved by the NEC to adopt either indirect, direct or consensus. The NWC recieved a letter from the state chapter in line with the NEC decision adopting indirect primary. But know that where it is impossible to have an indirect primary based on existing court actions or litigations and in order not to run the risk of what happened in Zamfara, we may also change our mind. That is why we said subject to developments before the primary. But people have the tendencies of going to the extreme on the other side. So, there has to be a balance which we have applied.

There has been this debate about Igbo Presidency come 2023 in APC. What are the chances of the APC giving the Igbos the ticket?

You see, when people talk about Igbo Presidency, I have always said that Igbo presidency is not a right, just like Hausa presidency is not a right; Yoruba presidency is not a right. Igbo presidency can only become possible if you work within the party and convince Nigerians to produce a Nigerian President of Igbo extraction. You have to work within the group you belong. For instance, if I talk about my party APC, if you work within the party and every other member of the party, either from North-west, North-east or from North-west or from Southwest will now come to the conclusion that you as an individual can have the confidence of Nigerians to become their president. The fact that you are from Southeast or from any other area is neither here or there. So, if the people from the Southeast are aspiring to become Nigeria’s president, I think the first thing to do is to work within the party, to get the rest of Nigerians to accept you for that position. It is not a right. That is what I would say.

How would you want them to work? For political balancing, every other person has said that APC should give the Southeast the ticket for 2023. Are you in tune with this?

I don’t want to be emphatic that it must be an Igbo person. This party is not built on the platform of dictating to the people what they want. Remember, if you check the percentage of population of members of APC and check the population of Nigerians, you will see that we are even less than five percent. So, we are talking about a president that will be a president of Nigeria, not a president of APC. So, first of all, under whatever platform you want to achieve that aspiration, you have to work to get yourself acceptable to that platform you belong to. It is not going to be an automatic award that Nigerians should give Southeast ticket for president. What of the situation where APC gives ticket automatically to somebody from the Southeast and he doesn’t win the main election? Have you considered that? The Southeast needs to play good politics; the politics of engagement, the politics of consultation, the politics of getting the other parts of Nigeria involved in their aspirations. But for now I don’t think we are playing good politics.

As a member of the APC from the Southeast, if you address Igbo congress, would you say the APC has done much for the Southeast for them to embrace the party?

It is a question of give and take. I am an Igbo man and I need to be very objective. What has the Igbo man done to impress APC? You have to balance it. The president campaigned in all the five states of the Southeast, just like he campaigned in every other states; but what was the return for it in terms of votes? So, you also need to encourage people to do something for you. You cannot at every point be asking for something without giving something in return. For instance, when they talk about marginalisation in the National Assembly, I ask, what are you bringing to the table to deserve some of those positions? If you want to be President of the Senate, it is not an automatic award. If there is an election in the National Assembly, how many people from your side will vote for you? You have only two Senators; one is ranking and the other not ranking and you know that the rule in the National Assembly is that the person must be ranking. Secondly, if you are looking for Majority Leader, how many people did you bring from the Southeast to be compared to the Northwest or the Northeast where majority of the members come from? You have to fortify your home first before you can ask for outside help.

Coming into the position you are occupying at the time you did, nobody would pray to be in your shoes. There was former Governor Okorocha on one side and the man you took over from, Izunaso on the other. How did you survive?

When you are faced with a situation where the only worthy decision you can take is for the interest of the party, you can let every other thing lie low. My interest in this party is to see how it can move ahead. Whatever I can do to make this party move ahead, was my priority. So, every other personal thing didn’t mean anything to me.

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563194568/2023-igbo-must-work-earn-the-confidence

https://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Capture-17.jpg

The Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, Lagos, Pastor Tunde Bakare, went a little emotional on Sunday when he broke down in tears while lamenting the gruesome murder of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti.
While delivering his Sunday sermon in his church in Lagos, Bakare wondered how Nigeria had found itself in a situation where life counted for nothing even to the leaders, adding that with the latest killing, Nigeria’s ‘cup is full.’

The fiery cleric specifically took a swipe at the political and security leaders in the country, saying both had been playing politics with the lives of the citizens through deliberate inaction.
“A few weeks ago here, I called the attention of the nation to the impostors who visited Aso Rock in the name of Afenifere leaders. Now you have killed the daughter of the real Afenifere leader, a 95-year-old man,” Bakare said while crying.

“And you think God will overlook these things. Someone who had gone to see her father and returning to her station! I tell you, now, the cup is full.”

The cleric submitted that security agencies had used different standards for different categories of people whose kinsmen were victims of criminals in the country.

Bakare added, “The other day, the wife of the Governor of Central Bank (of Nigeria) was kidnapped; and within a few hours, they did not just rescue the woman, they also arrested those who perpetrated the crime.

“Now, the daughter of Pa Fasoranti has been killed, and we have been hearing only stories, nothing tangible has been achieved.

“If someone desires a thing so seriously and does not know the purpose for such a thing, when he gets it, he won’t achieve anything with it.”

https://www.nairapark.com/news/1563176701/pastor-bakare-weeps-over-fasoranti-daughter-says

https://cdn.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/14153210/Tunde-Bakare1.png

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Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, on Wednesday, advised Nigerian youths to avoid anything that threatened the sovereignty and unity of the country.

Gowon gave the advice at a National Security Seminar on “Unity in Diversity: Security and National Development”, organised by the Department of State Service (DSS) in Abuja.
He also urged the youths not to allow a situation where Nigerians would fight one another.

“You are the future of this country. In all that you do, ensure that we build the country in the interest of all.

“Ensure that you do better than what we have done for you. This is my plea to you,’’ he told youths.

On the calls for restructuring or secession by different groups and sections in the country, Gowon advised the agitators to be mindful of the rights of others.

He condemned situations where certain individuals and interest groups hide under the freedom of speech and association guaranteed in the 1999 Constitution to cause threat to the unity and sovereignty of the country.

“My view and call is that all Nigerians should like their country, right or wrong, but yet demand a change for good and better’’
On his part, the Director-General of DSS, Mr Lawal Daura, advised all groups and individuals bent on pursuing their divisive and separatist activities that threaten national security, to have a rethink.

Daura said that security and law enforcement agencies would not sit by while separatist elements continued with their activities that put at risk the lives and properties of law-abiding and innocent Nigerians.

“We will deploy the full amalgam of the security infrastructure to deal with subsisting and emerging developments capable of endangering lives and properties as well as our corporate existence as a nation.

“Globally, the security agencies form the core of institutions that give backbone to statehood.
“Consequently, every activity that represents an existential threat to the nation is a direct challenge to the security agencies which must be responded to.

“The security sector views the unity of this nation as a sacred trust and this task we will do our utmost to meet,” he said.
Daura said that the seminar presented an opportunity to explore diverse perspectives on national challenges with a view to gaining deeper insights and understanding of same
.
“It is hoped that we will identify our strengths and amplify them while evolving viable options to cure our weaknesses,’’ he said

https://i1.wp.com/media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2014/07/yakubugowon.jpg?w=600

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/avoid-anything-threatens-nigerias-unity-gowon-tells-youths/

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The United States Department of State is worried about Nigeria’s inability to effectively secure and hold onto territories recaptured from Boko Haram terrorists despite the successes recorded by the Multi-National Joint Task Force.

This came as the UN in New York set up a new fund, Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, NHF, primarily to tackle the crisis-hit North East Nigeria caused by the destructive activities of Boko Haram terrorists.

The US government’s assertion is contained in the United States country report on terrorism for the year 2016 submitted to the US Congress in compliance with title 22 of the US Code.

The report, published on July 19, highlighted the successes and failings of the Nigerian Army in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists.

It indicated that the Federal Government’s progress report on the fight against terror was merely a duplication of failed efforts carried over from the end of last year’s fighting season.

According to the report, the Nigerian government has not been able to rebuild civilian structures and institutions in areas captured, just as it has not been able to rescue the remaining Chibok schoolgirls abducted in 2014.

The report stated: “Despite gains made by the MNJTF, much of its reported progress was merely duplication of failed efforts carried over from the end of the last dry/fighting season.

“The Nigerian military was unable to hold and rebuild civilian structures and institutions in those areas it had cleared.

“Most of the remaining students abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok remained in captivity, although one girl was found in Borno, and the government of Nigeria successfully negotiated the release of 21 of the kidnapping victims.”

According to the report, terrorist activity accounted for the displacement of nearly two million persons in Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe states.

Although the report noted that the Nigerian government continued to facilitate the return of internally displaced persons to their home communities, this was sometimes done without first putting “appropriate conditions in place for safe, informed, and voluntary returns.”

“There was no evidence in 2016 of the implementation of a coordinated plan to restore civilian security in recaptured territories.”

https://cdn.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/DEFEAT-BOKO.jpg

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/us-faults-armys-claim-boko-haram-defeat-n-east/

Mobile policemen guarding the house of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in Abuja have allegedly burgled it, carting away expensive properties worth millions of naira. Reports on online portal, Premium Times, alleged that the theft was carried out by three mobile policemen in the residence located at No. 89, Fourth Avenue in the Gwarimpa district of Abuja.

This came as FCT Police Command disclosed, yesterday that a case of theft had been reported against the policemen, saying the suspects were being investigated. In fact, the Police authorities said they would soon commence orderly room trial of the policemen. The stolen items, according to Premium Times, include “sets of furniture, dozens of plasma television sets, refrigerators, air-condition units and box-loads of clothes, such as designer suits imprinted with the former president’s name, male and female Ijaw traditional attires, lace materials and bowler hats.

“It was gathered that the three mobile police officers allegedly conducted the systematic looting over a period of three months beginning from around March 2016, until they totally stripped the house of all movable items, which they sold piecemeal to dealers at Panteka second-hand materials market at Tipper Garage, Gwarimpa. According to a security source involved in the investigation, by the time family members of the former President were alerted to the looting early this month, the house had been stripped bare. On getting wind of the arrest of the policemen, two dealers who had been main recipients of the stolen items were said to have closed down their shops at Panteka market and have since remained at large.

Whistle-blowing neighbour
The source revealed that the looting was discovered when a neighbour noticed “severe damage in the house” and called a member of President Jonathan’s family to ask whether the house was undergoing renovation. The former President was said to have personally gone to inspect the property after which he reported the vandalism to the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris. “After a team of officers dispatched to the scene confirmed the crime, Mr. Idris was said to have ordered the arrest of the three police officers who were still on guard duty at the residence. They were arrested about two weeks ago,” the source stated.

https://cdn.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Jonathan-home.jpg

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/08/3-policemen-face-trial-looting-jonathans-abuja-home/

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