Let me narrate the story to those who don't understand the Igbo language. Before I start the full story, here is the meaning of "Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo": it simply represents the sound of an elephant's footsteps.
Let me remind you that the title of the song is "Ka esi ree onye isi oche" (how the chairman was sold).
The story starts with a king in the animal kingdom who has a daughter. She has been rejecting suitors who ask for her hand in marriage.
She has rejected more than a hundred handsome men. Her father, the king, became worried and invited all his family and cabinet members. He told them to ask his daughter why she kept rejecting the men who came to marry her. They asked the king's daughter, and she said that anyone who wants to marry her must bring an elephant.
The king told his guards to inform all the young men who wanted to marry his daughter that they must bring an elephant to qualify. When the tortoise heard the news, he went to the elephant's house and told him that the king asked him to inform him that he would be his chairman in his upcoming Ofala festival. The elephant was so happy, and the tortoise told him that the festival would be the next day and that they would go together.
As the elephant and the tortoise started their journey to the king's Ofala festival, the tortoise was too slow, which made the elephant complain that by the time they arrived at the king's palace, the ceremony would be over. The tortoise asked the elephant to allow him to climb onto his back so that he could walk faster and they would arrive on time. The elephant agreed and told him to climb onto his back so they could meet up.
As the tortoise climbed onto his back and the elephant started the journey, the tortoise pretended as if he was about to fall off. The elephant asked him to hold on well so that he wouldn't fall. The tortoise told him that his hands were too small to hold on well unless he used the rope he had to tie around the elephant's neck so he could hold onto the rope instead. The elephant agreed, as he only wanted to arrive at the Ofala festival on time. The tortoise then tied the elephant with a rope and started singing, "King, I have brought the elephant!"
The elephant immediately asked the tortoise, "Who did you say you have brought?"
The tortoise told him that he was saying he had come to the occasion with the elephant, but it sounded as if he said he had brought the elephant. The tortoise told the elephant to keep going and that he was with him.
The elephant continued, and his heavy steps sounded like "Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo." When they arrived at the king's palace, the tortoise told the elephant to wait outside while he went inside to inform the king that they had arrived. The elephant agreed.
However, the tortoise told the elephant that he didn't trust him and that he might leave before he came back. So, he tied the elephant to a tree in front of the king's palace. Then the tortoise raised his voice once again, informing the king that he had brought the elephant tied up in front of his palace. The king then handed over his daughter to the tortoise.
This is the story that the lovely song by Mike Ejeagha narrates: "Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo."
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, on Tuesday, cautioned protesters to avoid “undemocratic forces” using the nationwide hunger protest to call for a military coup in the country, Channels Television reports.
Falana’s comment follows the waving of Russian flags by some protesters in Kano State on Sunday, as they chanted in Hausa, “We don’t want bad government.”
Falana, who emphasised the rights of Nigerians to peaceful protests as outlined in sections 39 and 40 of the constitution, stated, “While we support the right of the #EndBadGovernance protesters, we have a patriotic duty to call on them to distance themselves from undemocratic forces who have taken advantage of the peaceful protests to engage in violence or campaign for a military coup in the country.
“It has become necessary to point out that calling for a military coup or waving the flag of Russia, a country known for supporting unconstitutional changes of government in Africa, constitutes a gross abuse of the constitutional right to protest against the Government of Nigeria.
“The legitimate protests against hardship in the land should not be turned into a campaign for an unconstitutional change of government.”
The legal practitioner further warned “those involved in the illegal campaign for another military rule,” adding that “they may be accused of engaging in the offence of treasonable felony in contravention of section 41 of the Criminal Code Act.”
Falana urged the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to “review the neoliberal policies promoting poverty and hardship in the country,” which he said would “make any form of unconstitutional change of government unattractive” to Nigerians.
He cited, for instance, that the “Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited should negotiate lower prices for petroleum products since the Federal Executive Council has directed that 445,000 barrels of crude oil be allocated daily and sold to the Dangote Refinery in naira.”
In late July 2024, the President directed the NNPC to sell crude oil to Dangote Refinery and other upcoming refineries in naira.
This was announced by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who stated that the move would ensure the stability of the pump price of refined fuel and the dollar-naira exchange rate.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, after a meeting of the National Security Council chaired by the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Monday, noted that it was a “treasonable offence” to display Russian flags in Nigeria.
He added that the Nigerian military would not accept such acts.
VIDEO: Chris Uba, Nigerian Politician, Physically Assaults Artisan Who Demanded Payment For Completed Work In London Home
A video has surfaced showing Chris Uba, a prominent Peoples Democratic Party figure from Anambra State, physically assaulting an artisan who "completed a job at his London residence but was not paid".
Although the details of the job and agreement are unclear, the 36-second video obtained by SaharaReporters on Monday evening shows a man, a foreign national, requesting payment for the work done.
In response, Uba, formerly a political heavyweight in Anambra State, is seen ordering the workers to "Leave my house, I am not owing you. I said leave my house.""
The video, obtained by SaharaReporters, shows a man, apparently a foreigner, asking Uba for payment. Uba, a former political influencer in Anambra State, is seen telling the workers to leave his house, denying any debt."
A foreigner is heard saying, "Look at me, why are hitting him? Why are you hitting him?"
Uba replied the man, saying "shut up. Get out, your are a fool. You are another criminal."
Meanwhile, the voice continued saying Uba "doesn't want to pay".
"We have done work for him, the whole house - Suleiman - he is trying to beat him. He is a hard man. Are you a hard man here? Are you a tough man? Tough man, the police is going to see that if you don't want to pay money."
Uba then replied saying, "You are too small."
Then Uba charged at the man videoing the incident and appeared to have assaulted him.
A wealthy member of the powerful Uba political family, Chris Uba is an iconic example of the godfather phenomenon in Nigeria.
Uba was at the apex of his power during the 2003 elections, when he “sponsored” PDP candidates and rigged their election into office across Anambra. After that election, he publicly declared himself “the greatest godfather in Nigeria,” noting that “this is the first time an individual single-handedly put in position every politician in the state.”
Among the politicians Chris Uba “sponsored” in 2003 was PDP governorship candidate Chris Ngige. The terms of their relationship were spelled out in remarkably explicit fashion in a written “contract” and “declaration of loyalty” that Ngige signed prior to the election.
Uba provided Human Rights Watch with a copy of this document to bolster his contention that Ngige later failed to live up to the terms of their agreement.
Ngige promised in writing to “exercise and manifest absolute loyalty to the person of Chief Chris Uba as my mentor, benefactor and sponsor” and agreed to allow Uba control over all important government appointments and the awarding of all government contracts.
The contract referred to Governor Ngige as the “Administrator” and to the unelected Uba as “Leader/Financier.”
It also empowered Uba to “avenge himself in the way and manner adjudged by him as fitting and adequate” in case of any breach by Ngige that could not be settled through mediation.
During the 2022 Okwudili Ezenwankwo Foundation empowerment program held on December 28, 2022, in Nanka, Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Uba made a boastful claim that he had influenced the rise of governors and senators, and also proudly declared that he owned three oil wells.
He said, "I've made so many highly placed politicians in Anambra State and beyond since 1999. I've made governors, senators and other politicians at different levels.
"I produced Chinwoke Mbadinuju and Chris Ngige as governors. I had a hand in making Peter Obi, Willie Obiano and Charles Soludo as governors of Anambra State. I also made uncountable number of senators, House of Representatives members, and state assembly members. "In all these efforts, I was rewarded with ingratitude.None of them showed me gratitude. This is why I decided to pick a ticket myself to go to the Senate to represent Anambra South."
"I am not going there to acquire wealth. I have 3 oil wells. I have chains of businesses," he further claimed.
The Importers Association of Nigeria has raised the alarm that despite President Bola Tinubu’s executive order suspending import duties and tariffs on food items, Nigerian Customs still collect import duties on imported food items.
Chairman of IMAN in Nigeria’s Northern region, Aminu Dan-Iya, disclosed this on Monday, stating that nothing has changed despite Mr Tinubu’s order.
“Customs officials tell our members at entry points that they don’t have any written communication about the suspension, said Mr Dan-Iya.”Therefore, nothing has changed; we’re paying duties as usual.”
Mr Dan-Iya said IMAN cannot understand why such a crucial presidential order had yet to be implemented, though it has been officially announced long ago.
“As a matter of fact, people are outraged, asking to know why prices of food and other commodities keep skyrocketing despite removal of taxes. The truth is that something is fundamentally wrong somewhere because we cannot fathom why such a crucial presidential order is yet to be implemented,” Mr Dan-Iya said.
Earlier in July, Mr Tinubu announced suspension of import duties on essential food items as one of the strategies to stem the hunger crisis in the country.
Customs Comptroller General, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, in a video posted on social media some days after Mr Tinubu gave the order, said Nigerian Customs will implement the executive order.
“Global inflation is impacting nations worldwide, including Nigeria. To address this, the federal government through the Nigeria Customs Service is suspending import duties and taxes on essential food items to make them more affordable,” Mr Adeniyi said.
He added, “We’re committed to implementing this measure seamlessly to address the problem of hunger in our nation. We have streamlined export processes to ensure Nigerian goods reach international markets efficiently.”
A lawyer, Bulama Bukarti, has reacted to the use of Russian flags by protesters in the North.
He writes:
The use of Russian flags by Nigerian protesters (in Kano) is spreading, and this is potentially dangerous. It now appears that this may be an organised campaign orchestrated by malign actors. I have seen names, faces and voices that don't look Nigerian among those advocating for carrying Russian flags.
I urge protesters to be cautious and not allow themselves to be manipulated by forces of instability with their own sinister agendas. Carrying another country's flag is the opposite of freedom and will only complicate our situation further. I call on the government of Kano, protest organisers and all well-meaning citizens to call for a stop to this.
Simultaneously, the Tinubu administration must take urgent steps to play its part. It's time to demonstrate that democracy and Western systems can work. This cannot be achieved by insisting on policies that exacerbate already dire economic conditions. Immediate action is needed to properly and sustainably address widespread hunger and frustration. Only then can we stop the protests and prevent their infiltration.
When were the good old days in Nigeria? This appears to have been written this week.
Credit: Alli-Balogun H.Lekan
30th November, 1983
Dear Parents,
FEEDING OUR 2,300 CHILDREN
We are frightened by the rate food stuffs are rising madly in prices. There was an evening when we had no palm oil at all to prepare supper and a man in Sagamu offered us a drum for N700.00. Of Course we did not buy it. all the same we have bought other items of food for about twice what we paid for them three months ago.
I have travelled to Oyo and 22 miles further north sampling yams, tomatoes, beans and pepper. For this term we have turned some of the members of school administration to food buyers to under-cut the prices offered by our regular purchasers.
Brown beans now go fer N200 a bag.
On November 18th, our bank overdraft stood at N46,000. With food to buy till end of term and 2 months of salary to pay our staff, the figure should rise to well over N100,000. The end of the painfully long road is yet unknown.
If we are to keep our teachers - and they are doing well: of the 281 of our primary 6 who passed out last year, at least 130 got into Federal Government Colleges - we must pay their yearly increments. We are yet Pay these increments from last September.
An increase in fees is inevitable and the way I'm see it N20.00 a term added to each child's boarding fees from next term would help. It is impossible for anybody to scientifically guess how much increase should be charged, as the cause of our woes is, itself, unscientific. I have no doubt you will understand. The situation is grim.
My appeal is for the President to come out and address the nation. He is the one elected by the people and holds their mandate. At such critical times, he should not rely on aides or appointees to communicate with the public
The Police Command in Yobe has announced the arrest of 18 suspects in connection with Thursday’s violent protest and vandalism in Nguru, Potiskum, and Gashua towns.
The command’s spokesman, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday in Damaturu.
He stated that the suspects, masquerading as peaceful protesters, had set fire to public buildings and stolen food items and empowerment equipment.
According to him, the suspects will be charged in court once the investigation is complete.
Abdulkarim noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Garba Ahmed, had cautioned against the destruction of government assets in any part of the state.
Abdulkarim noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Garba Ahmed, had cautioned against the destruction of government assets in any part of the state.
The spokesman reiterated the command’s readiness to enforce the dusk-to-dawn curfew, which was earlier imposed on the affected towns to maintain law and order.
“While recognising the right to peaceful assembly, the command stresses that this right is not absolute and must not infringe on the rights of others. Any criminal acts will be met with firm resistance.
“The command reiterates its commitment to upholding law and order and warns against violent protests that could lead to social and economic chaos,” he said.
The spokesman urged communities in the state to collaborate with the police to prevent further mayhem caused by miscreants.
Conveners of the #EndBadGovernance protest scheduled to kick off on Thursday have listed a 10-point demand to the Federal Government, FIJ can report.
A protest demand document seen by FIJ on Wednesday morning urged the government to address hunger in the land, address rising cost of living, combat insecurity, reduce waste in the Executive and the National Assembly, and release all currently-imprisoned #EndSARS protesters.
They’re also asking for the protection of all farms and farmers, declaration of a state of emergency on education, institution of electoral reforms, establishment of a living wage and amendment of the Constitution to allow for referendums.
The 10 demads are as follows:
HUNGER
Reduce the cost of food immediately, with solutions like food importation, subsidised credits, and intervene in logistics and storage challenges.
COST OF LIVING Address the rising cost of living: Reduce pump price of fuel to N195/ltr to reflect current economic challenges; Reduce electricity tariffs, and import taxes.
INSECURITY
Curb insecurity across the country: stop diverting security resources (money & people) and immediately prosecute known instigators & criminals. Resettle internally displaced persons (IDPs) immediately.
GOVERNMENT WASTE / COST OF GOVERNANCE/ BLOATED NASS PERMANENTLY reduce by 50% the running costs of the executive and National Assembly and fully implement the Oronsaye Report to scrap agencies and reduce the size of government. Scrap hardship, entertainment, and all other NASS allowances and immediately remove all 7,447 projects worth N2.24 trillion inserted by the National Assembly in the 2024 federal budget.
#EndSARS Release ALL #EndSARS protesters; obey ECOWAS judgement; make public the #EndSARS Judicial Panel Reports and implement recommendations, including payment of compensations.
PROTECT FARMS AND FARMERS
Provide security to farmers across the country, restore stolen lands, subsidise farm inputs – seeds, fertilisers, insecticides and ban destructive GMOs.
HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT
Declare a state of emergency on education and increase budgetary allocation to education and healthcare by 20% and revert to the old National Anthem. 5 Demands by October 1°t
ELECTORAL REFORM Implement the Justice Uwais report on Electoral Reform and include mandatory electronic balloting and transmission to IREV, ending with an executive Electoral Bill to the National Assembly by October 1. The new Electoral Act must be signed by December 2024.
ESTABLISH A LIVING WAGE Go back to the negotiating table for an implementation plan to establish an unemployment/living wage. Enforce implementation across board. Create immediate employment for youths and clear ALL backlog of pensions.
CONSTITUTIONAL AND JUDICIAL REFORMS Sponsor Executive Bill to the National Assembly to amend the Constitution to allow for referendums. Nigerians want to vote on a new constitution! The process of appointment and discipline of judges should be transparent.
Nigerian sprinter, Favour Ofili, expressed her frustration on Tuesday, revealing that she will not compete in the 100-metre race at the ongoing Olympics in Paris due to administrative failures by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Olympic Committee.
She called for accountability from those responsible and voiced her skepticism about the trustworthiness of both organisations.
The LSU Track and Field alumni hopes to be entered in the 200-metre event.
LSU track refers to the track and field programme at Louisiana State University.
Her post read, “It is with great regret that I have just been told I will not be competing in the 100 metres at this Olympic Games. I qualified, but those with the AFN and NOC failed to enter me. I have worked for four years to earn this opportunity. For what?”
Despite qualifying for the event, Ofili disclosed that the officials did not enter her, marking a repeat of the previous Olympics, Tokyo 2020.
She added, “Please remember, in the last Olympic Games, I was not able to compete because AFN, NADC and NOC failed to release funds for athletes to be tested, which made 14 Nigerian athletes that qualified to not compete. Now this……”
“If those responsible are not held accountable for taking this opportunity from me, neither organisation can ever be trusted in the future! Next one is the 200 metres. I hope I’m entered.”
PUNCH Online reports that the 21-year-old was entered for 100m, 200m, 400m, 100×100 relay.
Our correspondent was, however, unable to contact the officials of the aforementioned agencies for clarifications.
Ofili, who posted around 10 pm, was one of 10 Nigerian athletes declared ineligible for the Olympics by the Athletics Integrity Unit because they were not tested rigorously enough in the run-up to Tokyo 2020.
PUNCH Sports Extra, in a July 20 publication titled, “Nigeria’s Olympic Debutants!” mentioned Ofili as one.
Making her debut in Paris, flaunting her sterling credentials of once being in the Top 8 at the World Championships, the athlete is a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, an African Games champion, a former World U20 champion, and an African Senior Athletics Championships champion in the 200m.
Her current world rankings stand at 23 in 100m and 52 in 200m. Her highest rankings are 13 in 200m, 23 in 100m, and 37 in 400m.
In May, Ofili also shattered three records in a month.
The Inspector-General of Police, Nigeria Police Force Force Headquarters, FCT. Abuja.
Dear Sir,
RE: NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETINGS/RALLIES/PROCESSIONS AND REQUEST FOR POLICE COVERAGE
We act as solicitors to the TAKE IT BACK MOVEMENT, and refer to our letter on the above subject-neater dated July 26, 2024 and your response thereto dated July 29. 2024. which we have passed to our Client with instructions to respond thereto as follows.
Our Client acknowledges the commitment of the Inspector-General of Police towards complying with extant legislations granting citizens the right to hold public meetings, public rallies and public processions and the lawful discharge of the obligations placed upon the police to provide adequate coverage and protection at the venues.
We shall be glad to have the contact details of the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and the Commissioners of Police designated to cover the said public meetings, public rallies and public processions, to ensure a peaceful and crisis-free outing.
Please find below the details of SOME of the points of convergence for the said public meetings, rallies and processions.
1. ABUJA: Eagle's Square, by the Secretariat. FCT. Abuja
6. 'YOBE: Maiduguri Roundabout, opposite State Stadium. reunanunt, Yobe State.
7. RIVERS: Rainbow Roundabout and Pantani Stadium.
8. OSHOGBO: Freedom Park. Osogbo. We shall update you with further details in the course of time, hoping that the above information suffices for planning and strategy.
We are delighted to attend the meeting with the Inspector-General of Police as requested. However, in order to achieve enlarged participation, we request that the said meeting be held virtually. in order to give room for all stakeholders to attend. Specifically. we will be led in the said meeting by Mr. Femi Felons, SAN. the NBA. other lawyers and civil society organisations. We await the Zoom link for the said virtual meeting. While thanking you for your kind consideration and support. please accept the best assurances of our highest regards, always.
NCC Orders Immediate Reactivation of Lines Affected by NIN-SIM Verification Issues
Over the weekend many telecom subscribers/consumers were unable to access their phone lines because of the inability of many telecom consumers to verify their National Identification Numbers (NINs) with their Subscriber Identification Modules (SIMs).
This meant that their numbers were blocked by their telecom service providers in keeping with laws and policies of the NIN-SIM linkage.
Telecoms consumers and the public will recall the compulsory linkage of NIN with SIM which began in December 2020 when the government directed telecommunication companies to bar unregistered SIM cards and SIMs that were not linked to NIN.
Since December 2023, the Commission has since reviewed the deadline a few times; April 15, 2024 was set as the deadline for the full network barring of subscribers with four or fewer SIMs that had unverified NIN details.
This deadline was then reviewed to July 31, 2024, to give consumers more time to ensure their submitted NIN details are properly verified. Despite these extensions, many phone lines are yet to be linked with verified NINs.
The objectives of this exercise by the Federal Government of Nigeria include enhancing national security and ensuring the national SIM ownership database is accurate. The NIN-SIM linkage policy aids in verifying and protecting users' identities while also providing a critical infrastructure that assures access to the benefits of a robust digital economy for the citizenry.
The consumer is our priority, therefore, considering the challenges the blockages have caused, the Commission has directed all operators to reactivate all lines that were disconnected over the weekend in view of the short time available for consumers to undertake the verification of their NINs with their SIMs. Reactivated consumers are to note that this is for a limited period to allow them to properly link their NIN to their SIM.
Members of the public who are yet to verify their SIMs are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to maintain access to their lines.
Signed:
Reuben Muoka Director Public Affairs 29th July 2024
At Babcock convocation, Ogun state governor is speaking and decides to warn against impending protests. The audience boos him, he doubles down, promoting the good deeds of the current administration, and gets more boos
A graduand climbs the stage much later and calls out state governors for the state of the economy, gets cheers and a standing ovation
I feel the need to provide context here.
"Audience" includes grandparents, parents, other well wishers. Not just students.
"Graduand" is a 63 year-old who just received his PhD today.
Music/Radio › The Story Of "Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo" By Mike Ejeagha by nlfpmod(mod): 8:37am On Aug 08, 2024
