Broadcaster, Sadiq Daba, tells ‘NONYE BEN-NWANKWO and TUNDE AJAJA about his growing up days and life as an actor Did you ever imagine that you would end up being a broadcaster? You got it right from there. It has always been my ambition, right from my young days in Freetown, Sierra Leone. That was where I grew up. I’d always wanted to be a broadcaster. I listened to radio and I was a fanatic, listening to the British Broadcasting Corporation, Voice of America, Radio France and other local stations in Sierra Leone. There was this man, William Robert, who was actually responsible for my zeal to be on air. I used to mimic him. One Christmas, my late father bought me a tape recorder, which I was using to record my voice. I would play it several times and learn from my mistakes. So, I’ve always wanted to be on air, not on the television though, because TV was not in Sierra Leone then; it was basically radio. So the fascination was that people should listen to me, and that was it. How did you get to Sierra Leone? I grew up there. My father used to travel a lot and his brothers and himself left Nigeria for Sierra Leone to settle down. That was how I got there. I went to school there and practically did everything in Freetown. After graduation, I was a teacher in one secondary school in the second biggest city in the country, Bo. Why did you come home if you were making progress there? I had to come home because this is my country. I’m an Hausa man from Kano. And because my dad and his people were all there, Sierra Leone was like home. But beyond that, I wanted to know where I’m from. Anything could happen, say if my father died, I didn’t know where I came from, which could create a problem. One morning, I told him I wanted to go back to where he came from so I would know where I was also coming from. I insisted I wanted to come to Nigeria. Before then, some of my cousins had left me and I felt why should I be the only one there. He agreed eventually. That was around 1968 because there was civil war in Nigeria then. I guess I was about 15. I was a teenager. I remember the boat I entered that brought me to Apapa Port. But did you have in mind what you were coming to do in Nigeria? No, I just wanted to come home. I wanted to see my father’s home country and to join my cousins who were already here. It was getting too lonesome there, being the only one. The need to come back home and offer our contributions was at the back of our minds. Sierra Leone was a very small country, but by the time I saw Lagos for the first time, it was like seeing Manhattan (laughs). How did you reconnect with your dream of being a broadcaster when you got here? By the time I got to Lagos, that thing about radio had taken a back seat. My cousin was a soldier and I had reason to go to Kaduna. I was with him and I followed some friends to a hotel where I got talking with people, not knowing that there was a broadcaster, Baba Ahmed, on the table. He’s late now. He took interest in my diction, and he asked whether I had ever worked in a radio station. I found it funny because I had never worked in a media house before. He didn’t believe me, so I thought he was just pulling my legs. He said I should come over to the radio station, Radio Television, Kaduna to see him. Out of sheer curiosity, I went to see him. There was an audition, which I participated in, and then I forgot about it. I went back to Kano where I was resident; I only went to Kaduna visiting. Two months after, there was a letter inviting me for an interview. I was a young man enjoying myself, drinking and following whatever it was to be followed at that time in Kano. Then, my cousin came from Kaduna and was looking for me up and down with the letter. That day, I was practically bundled behind the back of a Land Rover and taken back to Kaduna to receive my employment. That was how it started. I had always wanted to be on radio, and it happened. Not only on Radio, was I part of television. That was the beginning of my life in broadcasting. As much as you wanted to be a broadcaster, did you know that you would eventually be in the limelight? That is the work of God. Na God win. (laughs) I wanted to be on the radio, but stardom and being known never came to my mind. But then, it happened. At what point did acting come in? God is wonderful. That was accidental. The man who got me into radio used to do drama on radio (radio plays) and he got me involved, but the real break as far as acting is concerned was when I left Kaduna for Sokoto and then I met Peter Igho who was in charge of drama at NTV (now NTA) Sokoto. He called me to come and take part. I did and he liked it. That was how it started. How come you didn’t follow up your career as an actor? I was not really an actor. In fact, that foray affected me professionally and career-wise because I was in the newsroom as a journalist. I was a reporter, editor and newscaster. So, when I delved into drama, it was like the proverbial saying of ‘what broke the camel’s back’, because on one hand, I was doing well in the newsroom and on the other hand, playing the role of being a naughty character as a Betrus in Cock Crow at Dawn . My boss then, told me I could not merge the two, because in a moment, people would see me acting like a naughty Bitrus and about one hour later, I would be reading the news, with all seriousness. He said people would get confused and that people might not be seeing the newsman but Betrus. So, I was quietly removed from news and restricted to the desk- reportorial, editing and such things. While doing that, the show, Cock Crow at Dawn, became so big that they needed me to be on set all the time. The base where they were shooting was in Jos, so, once I left the newsroom, I had to be on set. Sometimes, it was conflicting with my job, so, what they did was to transfer me to production. I was removed from news. Did you see it as an opportunity to devote more time to it? With that, I did not only become an actor but a producer and director. So, I let go of news. What I was doing then by acting was deemed as part of my job, and we were not allowed to do any other thing. If you go act outside NTA, it becomes private practice. That really was a setback because some guys were making money there, using pseudo names to direct movies, while we were busy collecting N3.50. It wasn’t lucrative then. Eventually, some of them were retired and some resigned. Back then, acting, directing and producing were being done by the NTA. If you were to make a choice at that time between being in the newsroom and going to act, which would you have chosen, since some people acting were making so much money? I would have stuck to my news. I couldn’t let go of the acting because I was first and foremost an employee. I was directed to go. It was either I followed that directive or leave the job. I needed the job. Are you back into acting fully now? I’m not fully back into acting. I act when my friends have a good script and they invite me. It’s not like my 7am to 5pm kind of work. I do it sometimes. For example, I featured in October 1. It was a fantastic script and I like the story. But then, you don’t see me doing ‘part one’, ‘part two’ and ‘To God be the glory’ kind of movies. I won’t do that. I cannot because people do it, then join them because I want money. In my house, I have stack of scripts, I pick and choose. That I want money does not mean I would sell my respect or my birthright because I have a duty to people. For some of those movies, it is tomfoolery from the beginning to the end. Could that be the reason why you are not a part of Kannywood? Kannywood? What do they do there? You tell me. They do alawada kerikeri. They don’t do movies. Asking me that gives me an impression that you people don’t like me. If I want to do an Indian film, I can go to Bombay and do Indian film proper. If you want to do something, do it right. They have their followers, but I’m certainly not one. They won’t call me. And there is a thin line of divide between Kannywood and Nollywood. I don’t know where those funny names come from. Maybe very soon, we’ll hear Bayelsawood, and once you set a camera where we are now, we can have Alausawood. From my knowledge of ‘Wood’, it’s an area somewhere in California because of the trees there. But, here, they just adopted the wood and called it Nollywood. Why not Kannygroundnut? What comes to your mind when you remember your days with Yinka Craig, especially when you were both doing AM Express? I miss him so much. AM Express and Morning Ride; I miss my friend. He was like an elder brother to me. We took the morning programme to a different height in TV viewing. It became a must watch for people and we set the trend. Before most civil servants would leave for work, they would watch what was happening on the programme. Today, I sit back and watch early morning programmes and I marvel. Outside Sunrise on Channels, there are two characters on one other TV station that act like they are going for beauty pageant. Kakaki is trying, but even my own mother station is now trying to revive, but on weekends, they go back to being stupid. They call it ‘The Real Deal’. I don’t know what is real about their deal. When you look at the appearance of some of them, you tend to wonder. Your appearance on TV means a lot because you are reaching out to people and people watch you. Don’t forget that your timeline of broadcast affects so many people. There are younger ones watching, and to some of these young people, whatever they see or hear sticks to their mind. So, you watch yourself; the way you dress, your diction, mannerism, etc. It’s a holistic thing. It’s a total package. You can’t run away from that. How about the way some Nigerian broadcasters try to change their accent to sound American nowadays? Thank God I’ve retired before such people came on set. I was telling somebody that broadcast has gone to the dogs. I remember in our days when we had people like Bode Alalade, Mike Enahoro and Kelvin Ejiofor talking to us; you cannot but be challenged to do the right thing. We had a Bible; the broadcaster’s bible. It’s a pronunciation dictionary where you must learn how to pronounce. If I cannot pronounce your name, I must ask you how you pronounce your name, otherwise if I pronounce it wrongly, I might be insulting you. But because they are illiterates, they look for short cut. Even over there in the US, you are only accepted when you speak good English and not I wanna or I’m gonna. Those things are not acceptable. How serious was it then? Then, our bosses would go to the bathroom with small transistor radios, and if you pronounce wrongly, you know you are in soup. As soon as you see the red light blinking, start packing your bag. But now, the more stupid you sound, the more acceptable you are. If you ask people like Soni Irabor, John Momoh, Bimbo Oloyede and people in that class, they will tell you those things are wrong. It’s not acceptable. That people do it doesn’t make it right. It’s the duty of journalists to see those things and write on the pages of newspapers and tell people that it is wrong. If those things are not corrected, they might influence the younger ones. If somebody is sagging, I won’t put him on my show. I get passionate about the things I do and about the society. I spent 35 good years on TV, talking and acting, acting properly and talking decently. In your days as a broadcaster, were you ever embarrassed, maybe you committed a blunder? I remember two occasions. The first one, I pronounced ‘schedule’ in a wrong way on the radio. I pronounced it like an American. My boss nearly killed me that day. He came to the continuity room and asked what I said. He spelt it out for me and told me to pronounce it again, I was looking at myself. I did, so he asked how I suddenly remembered how to pronounce it correctly. On another occasion, they brought a trainee for me and he made a terrible mistake on the television. It was very embarrassing. Not long after, my boss called me and said if he should see that boy on air again, I should consider myself sacked. It’s always embarrassing when you or the people you put on air make mistakes. How do you feel when people recognise you on the street? I don’t own myself again. My wife is always at my neck whenever we are going out and people recognise me. She would often tell me “ Smile now, abi no be you dem dey greet.” The way some of your Igbo brothers would even hit me from the back and call me Nwanne Bitrus (which was my name in that old play), could be embarrassing. They tell me they see me on the TV. These are things I see every day. But there are benefits sometimes. By and large, it has been wonderful, and I don’t let it get into my head. I tell people I’m not a star. I stay in my house and enjoy; no stress, no hassles. You eventually quit drinking and smoking after a long time, how easy was it? It was not easy. I stopped and went back into it many times, until the day I landed in the hospital. The doctor brought out my X-ray and showed me my lungs and some other organs. He gave me two options, whether to continue drinking, die and be buried, or stop and continue living. I didn’t see a choice in it. I love life and I’ve seen my brothers and my friends go but I don’t want to. When you look around and see what people who are close to you go through, you don’t need to be told. But back then, it was a show-off, more so if you needed to track some girls. How did you get into it? It was peer pressure, and some of us did it to be able to chase girls. It gives some so called ‘courage’. But it’s all bullshit. Now I know. You’ve been married for over 20 years, is it right to say that you got married late? No. I got married when I was around 30. My current wife is my second wife. I had a wife that was ‘posted’ to me back then. My late mother thought I didn’t want to get married and that I was enjoying too much life. One day, I was in the office in Sokoto, when, late in the night, a guard came to tell me that I had some women visitors. I was eager, thinking they were likeable babes, so I told him to usher them in. I went out to meet them, and I found my aunt with a woman she brought to me to be my wife. There was nothing I could do. There was a proviso to it anyway. I still told them when I see the person that I would wish to marry, I would still marry the person. So, we went home. But God is infinite and merciful. The woman they brought to me and my people that brought her started fighting among themselves. One day, my mum told me to sack her and send her away, but I refused. I told them that since they brought her, they should sack her on their own. That was how it ended. Does it mean you didn’t have a good relationship throughout her stay? In that kind of setting, there is really no relationship. Neither of us was at fault, we just obeyed what we were told and we could not say no. I have kids with her, and we had to make the best out of a bad situation. But when she had issue with the people who brought her to my house, I had to wash my hands clean, and it all ended, until I found the woman I love, who is a Yoruba woman. How did you meet your second wife? I accompanied a friend of mine to go and see his girlfriend, so I saw this woman washing in front of her house. Cock Crow at Dawn was at its peak of popularity and I had a call card with ‘Bitrus’ inscribed on it. So, I flashed it to her. She looked at me and the card and just snubbed. I asked why she did that, and she said, “You are Bitrus, and so what?” With what she did, I promised myself that I would get her. I did, and we did make up. When she finished her second degree, I met her father who gave me a very long warning that he would kill me if I didn’t let her graduate. She finished her Master’s before we got married, and today I’m the apple of the father’s eye. Having lived in the North for some time, what are your thoughts about the insurgency there now? Are you sure those things are being done by northerners? No northerner would like what is happening. When you refuse to tell yourself the truth, this is what happens. When you refuse to stop playing ostrich, that is what happens. Unless and until we can look ourselves in the face eyeball to eyeball and tell ourselves the truth, that is what will happen. When bunch of hypocrites say one thing and do another, that is what happens. Half of those people doing those things are not even Nigerians. They are Chadians, Cameroonians and Nigeriens. Once you enter Nigeria, you are a Nigerian, and once you come into the South and you wear babariga, you are deemed to be a Hausa man. Half of the people selling stuffs and operating commercial motorcycle in Lagos are not Hausa people. They are Nigeriens. If I speak Hausa to them, they won’t understand. But as far as southerners are concerned, all of them are Hausa people, whom they see as my brother. No Kano man will sell sweet on the street of Lagos. Never! We are that proud. But, here, everybody that dresses like us is ‘aboki’. And our leaders over there have not been of help, but thank God for some of them now. Unless we tell ourselves the truth, it won’t work. I always tell them the truth, and that is why they don’t like me. Is that why you didn’t align yourself with politicians during the last election? Never. Once you collect their money, you can’t insult them again. Nollywood people invited me to Abuja several times, but I declined. Now that their man, Jonathan, is no longer there, some of them are running helter-skelter. I’ve not seen them on such demonstrations since that time. Some of them have been calling me. Hausa people say if you are digging a hole, make it shallow because you don’t know who would fall inside. Apart from acting, what other things do you do now? I’m a retired man. I do documentaries. The last one I did was on highlife music, that I had to go to Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia. I don’t do MC; I’m not a clown. If you get stories and the story is about Nigeria and how to move the country forward, I will act for you. These are the things I do now and I enjoy them. Would you say you are fulfilled? There is no human being that would tell you he or she is 100 per cent fulfilled. But if you ask if I’m a happy man, yes I am. I have children who are doing well and a wife who understands. I can eat three square meals a day. I don’t need to flood my compound with cars. I’m comfortable, even if I don’t have money in the bank. If I walk along the street, somebody will give me a lift. If I’m sick and I go to the hospital, honest people surround me. There are so many things to thank God for. I don’t have those millions that will not let me sleep. Put a smile on your face and you would be happy. If you smile, you won’t have wrinkles, but if you walk and look back, you are guilty. Why should I not be able to walk the street of Lagos? Now that you are retired, do you still miss your days as a broadcaster? I’m still a broadcaster everyday of my life.

Some call it the Buhari bounce. Others describe it as the
Buhari effect. Yet some others say it is the Buhari aura. One
thing is however crystal clear. Things have not been the
same in the past 100 days in Nigeria, since Muhammadu
Buhari assumed the presidency. A new sheriff has truly
come to town.

Exactly 100 days ago, he climbed the podium at Eagle
Square in Abuja and got inaugurated as president, 30 years
after he had been toppled from power as military head of
state. He promised to belong to nobody, and to belong to
everybody. It is a pledge that still resonates loudly today,
and will surely echo for a long time to come.
On a day like this, you would expect a presidential
spokesman to chronicle the achievements of his principal in
office. He has turned stone to bread, slain the dragon, and
climbed Mount Olympus in ten seconds. But that is not
what I want to do. There are some intangible, almost
imperceptible achievements, but which run very deep, and
are quite fundamental. Those are the ones I’ll rather talk of,
while we leave the tangibles till some other day.

> Oh, he’s escaping. There are no concrete achievements,
some wailing wailers would cry. True? Not true. I could
have decided to focus on the bloody nose being given to
Boko Haram in the North-east, which would see the country
rid of insurgency soon, the rallying of leaders of other
neighboring countries to deploy a Joint Multinational Task
Force, the openness displayed about government finances
and the welfare package instituted for states that couldn’t
pay salaries, the Treasury Single Account, which would
promote transparency and accountability in governance, the
disappeared fuel queues, fast-tracking of the cleanup of
Ogoni land, reduction in the cost of governance, and many
others. But I will not focus on all those. The day cometh!
> When a new sheriff comes into town, disorder gives way
to order. Chaos flees. Impunity is swept away. Laxity gives
way to diligence, and people change their old, unedifying
ways. When you have a Wild, Wild West situation prevailing,
the new sheriff comes, and stamps his authority. Old things
then pass away, behold, everything becomes new.

> Nigeria had always needed attitudinal change. That was
why the Buhari regime launched War Against Indiscipline in
the 1980s. And the war was succeeding, till a spanner was
thrown in the works through regime change. Buhari was
called all sorts of names then: despot, tyrant, iron fist ruler
etc But the discerning knew. They understood that it was a
change we needed. And that change was postponed for 30
years.

> But what is bred in the bones never goes out through the
flesh. Immediately Buhari returned on May 29, Nigerians
knew that discipline was back. The bird of the homestead
told the ones in the bush, and they all sat up. No
unnecessary chirping. Stealing is now corruption, they
whispered to themselves. God help you if you get caught.
> Now, consider the situation with electricity and with our
refineries. Electricity has climbed to about 5,000 Megawatts.
Some refineries, which had not produced a drop of fuel for
years, have cracked into life. Even the perennial queues in
our petrol stations have disappeared, vanished. Is it
because Buhari threw billions of dollars at the problems?
No. Those things simply responded to the presence of the
new sheriff in town. Those who manned those schedules
could afford to be laid back in the past. But not anymore!
The music has changed, and the dance steps must follow
suit. And would Buhari take credit for the newfound zeal and
efficiency? Not the plain and honest man from Daura. The
broadcaster Omotayo Omotoso had come to the presidential
villa to interview him sometime in July. And she had asked
what the magic wand he waved was, that refineries, long
comatose, had sprang back to life. The President responded
that it would be dishonest of him to have claimed he did
anything. He had not touched refineries at all. But unknown
to the President, he did something. He had swept into town
with his reputation for efficiency, and for achieving results.
And the refineries, fuel supply, electricity supply, responded
to the new sheriff. May things continue to get better till the
change becomes enduring and irreversible. Amen
somebody!

> Another imperceptible but momentous achievement is the
faith that Nigerians now have in their leader. Yes, the
opposition numbers in millions, and naturally so. A political
party had held power at the centre for 16 years, and its
loyalists would not simply disappear, or get converted
overnight. About 12 million Nigerians had voted for the
presidential candidate of that party in the March 2015
general elections. Would they just cross over to the winning
side? It often takes awhile. But despite all that, a great deal
of Nigerians, a vast majority, believe in the new sheriff. And
that is great achievement. A big deal. When the citizenry
believe in their leader, and almost can swear by him, it is no
mean feat. The NOI polls, in a survey in July, revealed that
over 70% of Nigerians were happy with the Buhari
administration. And I can bet that the percentage would rise,
as the months and years roll by. Faith in leadership is
something that does not come cheap.

> And this one! Even our foreign reserve knows that a new
sheriff is in town, and has responded appropriately. In June,
just one month into office, and with the plugging of some
leakages and loopholes, foreign reserve surged from $29
billion to $31.89. Holy Moses! Just in one month. Well, that
is what a new sheriff can do. He brings sanity, confidence
and probity to the system. And you would agree that Nigeria
needs such shot in the arm, if we consider recent past
experiences, when our treasury was like a bag filled with
holes.

> An evidence of the believability of the new sheriff, and the
confidence reposed in him, is the disclosure that came this
week from Ambassador Godknows Igali, Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Power. He said since Buhari came to
office, not a single sabotage of the power infrastructure has
been recorded, and it is one of the reasons that electricity
supply keeps improving. But did Buhari line up soldiers
across the power infrastructure? Did he hire a combination
of OPC, Egbesu, MASSOB, MEND and Arewa youths to keep
vigil? No. Just believability. Those who are so angry with
the country, and would go to any extent to sabotage
development, have decided to give the sheriff a chance.
They have heard of his reputation. A man that believes in
fairness and justice. He would do right to all parts of the
country.

> Can you imagine the respect our sheriff commands on the
international scene, and how it redounds to the glory of the
average Nigerian? American President, Barack Obama said
Buhari came onto his job with reputation of integrity and a
clearcut agenda. Ambassador Johnny Carson, also during
the U.S trip in July, said the Nigerian President was a man
of honour and integrity. Everywhere he goes, the Nigerian
President is lauded and garlanded for his virtues. And the
image of the country is burnished and repositioned in the
process. Surely, greater days are ahead.

> Some people say the sheriff did not hit the ground
running, as he is yet to constitute his cabinet in 100 days.
And I usually ask such people: when you hit the ground, and
you land in mud, how do you begin to run immediately? You
can only sink deeper, if you attempt to run. The thing to do
is to first clear the mud, till you get to terra firma, and then
you can begin to run.

> President Buhari has spent time trying to clean the
Augean stable he inherited. And he is succeeding. Sheriffs
can either come in with guns blazing, shooting malefactors
to kingdom come, or simply stamp their authority on the
situation by sheer force of personality and presence. The
Nigerian sheriff seems to have opted for the second option
for now. But we should never forget that sheriffs are
licensed to shoot. And those shots can be lethal for
lawbreakers. In a matter of months, you can ask those who
had bled our treasury to the point of death. They’ll have
stories to tell.
Adesina is Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to
President Muhammadu Buhari

http://www.punchng.com/opinion/a-new-sheriff-is-in-town/

APPOINTMENTS MADE BY PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU
BUHARI TO DATE:

1. Aide de Camp to president: Lt. Col Abubakar Lawal,
[North-West].

2. Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the president:
Femi Adesina, [South-West].

3. Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity: Garba
Shehu, [North-West].

4. State Chief of Protocol/Special Assistant (Presidential
Matters): Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure, [North-West].

5. Accountant General of the Federation: Ahmed Idris
[North-West].

6. National Security Adviser: Babagana Monguno [North-
East].

7. Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olonishakin, [South-
West].

8. Chief of Army Staff: Tukur Buratai, [North-East].

9. Chief of Naval Staff: Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, [South-South].
10. Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, [North-East].

11. Chief of Defence Intelligence: Monday Riku Morgan
[North-Central].

12. Director General, State Security Services, SSS: Lawal
Daura, [North-West].

13. Acting Chairperson, Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, Amina Zakari, [North-West].

14. Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA:
Habibu Abdulahi [North-West].

15. Special Adviser, Niger Delta Amnesty Office: Paul
Boroh, [South-South]

16. Acting Director General, Nigerian Maritime
Administration, Safety and Security Agency, NIMASA:
Baba Haruna Jauro [North-East].

17. Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer,
Nigerian Communications Commission: Umaru Dambatta
[North-West].

18. Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service,
FIRS: Babatunde Fowler, [South-West].

19. Director General, Budget Office of the Federation: Aliyu
Gusau, [North-West].

20. Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, Emmanuel Kachikwu, [South-South].

21. Secretary to Government of the Federation, Babachir
David Lawal, [North East]
22. Chief of Staff to the President: Abba Kyari, [North-
East].
23. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service:
Hameed Ibrahim Ali, [North East].

24. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service:
Kure Martin Abeshi, [North-Central].

25. Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly
Matters (Senate): Ita Enang, [South-South].

26. Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly
Matters (House of Representatives): Sumaila Kawu,
[North-West].

27. Director, Department Of Petroleum Resources, DPR,
Modecai Baba Ladan. [North-Central].

28. Managing Director, Asset Management Company of
Nigeria, AMCON, Ahmed Lawan Kuru. [North West].

29. Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive of
the National Insurance Commission, Mohammed Kari
[North-West]

30. Executive Director AMCON: Kola Ayeye [South-West]

31. Executive Director, AMCON: Eberechukwu Uneze,
[South-East]

32. Executive Director, AMCON: Aminu Ismail, [North-
West]
33. Group Executive Director, NNPC, Maikanti Baru,
[North-Central]

34. Group Executive Director, NNPC, Isiaka Abdulrazaq,
[South-West]

35. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Dennis Nnamdi Ajulu,
[South-East].

36. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Babatunde Victor
Adeniran, [South-West].

37. Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron: Mr.
Joshua Okpo [South-South]

NORTH=24, SOUTH=13

FULL LIST OF GEJ's EQUIVALENT APPOINTMENTS AS AT
HIS LAST DAY IN OFFICE:

1. Aide de Camp to president: Lt. Col Ojogbane Adegbe,
[North].
2. Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the president:
Reuben Abati, [South-West].
3. Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity: Doyin
Okupe, [South-West].
4. State Chief of Protocol/Special Assistant (Presidential
Matters): Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, [South-South].
5. Accountant General of the Federation: Mr. Jonah
Ogunniyi Otunla [South-West].
6. National Security Adviser: Col Sambo Dasuki [North-
West].
7. Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Sebundu
Badeh, [North-East].
8. Chief of Army Staff: Lt Gen. Kenneth Minimah, [South-
South].
9. Chief of Naval Staff: Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, [North-
Central].
10. Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Amosu, [South-
West].
11. Chief of Defence Intelligence:Rear Admiral Gabriel Okoi
[South-South].
12. Director General, State Security Services, SSS: Mr Ita
Ekpenyong, [South-South].
13. Chairman, Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC: Attahiru Jega, [North-West].
14. Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA:
Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero [North-West].
15. Special Adviser, Niger Delta Amnesty Office: Mr
Kingsley Kuku, [South]
16. Director General, Nigerian Maritime Administration,
Safety and Security Agency, NIMASA:Mr Patrick Ziakede
Akpobolokem [South-South].
17. Executive Vice Chairman/ Chief Executive Officer,
Nigerian Communications Commission: Mr Eugene Juwah
[South-South].
18. Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service,
FIRS: Mr. Samuel Ogungbesan, [South-West].
19. Director General, Budget Office of the Federation:
Director General,Dr. Bright Okogu, [South].
20. Group Managing Director, Nigeria National Petroleum
Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Joseph Thlama Dawha, [North].
21. Secretary to Government of the Federation, Mr Anyim
Pious Anyim, [South-East]
22. Chief of Staff to the President: Brgd Gen. Jones
Oladehinde Arogbofa, [South-South].
23. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Customs Service:
Abdullahi Dikko Inde, [North-West].
24. Comptroller-General, Nigerian Immigration Service:
Mr. David Shikfu Parradang, [North-Central].
25. Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly
Matters (Senate): Senator Joy Ifeanyichukwu Emodi,
[South-East].
26. Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly
Matters (House of Representatives): Senator Joy
Ifeanyichukwu Emodi, [South-East].
27. Director, Department Of Petroleum Resources, DPR,
Mr. George Abiodun Osahon. [South-South].
28. Managing Director, Asset Management Company of
Nigeria, AMCON, Mustafa Chike-Obi. [South-East].
29. Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive of
the National Insurance Commission, Mr. Fola Daniel.
[South-West]
30. Executive Director AMCON: Mofoluke Benedicta
Dosumu [South-West]
31. Executive Director, AMCON: Hewitt Adegboyega
Benson [South-West]
32. Executive Director, AMCON: Abbas Mohammed Jega
[[North-West]
33. Group Executive Director, NNPC, Ian Udoh, [North-
Central]
34. Group Executive Director, NNPC, Adebayo Ibirogba,
[South-West]
35. Group Executive Director, NNPC: David Ige, [South-
East].
36. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Bernard Otti, [South-
West].
37. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Dan Efebo [South-
South]
38. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Aisha Abdurrahman
[North-West]
39. Group Executive Director, NNPC: Attahiru Yusuf
[North-West]
40. Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron: Mr.
Joshua Okpo [South-South]
SOUTH=27, NORTH=13

LETTER TO MY MATES IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL
*To my classmates who refused to tear the middle of their higher Education notebook for me to write a test, I hope you are still using that note?*
To those who refused to open their notebook for me to copy, I hope you are all working at chevron or Microsoft company now?*
To class captains who always writes my name as one of the noise makers and vernacular speaker in the class simply because my name is very easy to spell, I hope u are the chairman of Ur local government now!*
To those seniors who seized my belongings, belt,necklaces,foot wears, etc, and never returned them,hope u have obtained the highest rank in custom force!*
To those who always collect the little my parents gave me and made me go hungry without pity, and those who always break into my locker and steal my belongings, hope u have broke world bank now!*
To those who maltreats me because I was too tender, and those who always refuse to fix me in school football matches because u think I cannot do it, I hope Chelsea or Barcelona has picked u!*
To those who made a drawing on the school board,specifically car, and asked me to push it,imagine pushing a drawn car?But its OK, I hope u have designed aircraft!I missed u all, wish we could ever re-connect again, u guys taught me so many lessons, the good and the bad, I appreciate u all, may God guide u all in Ur various careers and occupations,long life and prosperous,Despite that I might not recognise Ur handsome and beautiful faces, but I wish u all the best AMEN.

I am writing this letter to Your Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, to save us from uncertainty concerning the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment that has been cancelled with the sack of the NIS Comptroller-General, David Shikfu Parradang.


President Muhammadu Buhari attending to some files in his office as he resumed duties at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida

Sir, I was in shock when the news broke on the social media, and with confirmation by fellow NIS recruits that our induction programme has been placed on suspension by the Service.

Reality dawned on me when on August 24, August, 2015, the NIS boss in my state command disseminated the information that the ongoing three months induction programme has been suspended based on a circular sent from NIS headquarters Abuja, stating that 1,600 officers were recruited into the service “illegally”.

How could this be?

The recruitment exercise was advertised in March, 2015, by the Presidential Committee to assist in the Immigration Recruitment from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, as a recent statistics states that about 60 per cent of youths in the country are jobless.
Even as several youths who have jobs still seek greener pasture elsewhere, interested youths all over the federation filled the application forms online and uploaded all the necessary documents.

Applicants who met the stated requirements were shortlisted for a Computer-Based Aptitude Test. The test was conducted by Dragnet, a firm that specialises in handling recruitment tests for reputable companies in Nigeria like Chevron, Oando and others in some designated areas across the nation.

I noticed that virtually every applicant within the south-west home address did their CBT at Chams City Plaza in Lagos, between 20 and 24, April, 2015; those in the north did theirs in Abuja, while Port Harcourt was also a centre for the south-southerners.

I got an e-mail from NIS that I passed the CBT and that I have been shortlisted for physical examination, document verification and oral interview which is designated to hold in my state command.

I went as instructed by the service and I was amazed that a recruitment exercise could be this free and fair at the federal level. The NIS recruitment officials measured my height and chest, checked my knees, examined my ability to hear and see clearly. Series of questions were asked by the officials based on what I studied in school, and also series of verification were carried out on all my certificates presented that very day.

To my surprise, I received an invitation to obtain provisional appointment letter and undergo preliminary documentation at the Nigeria Immigration Training School, Orlu, Imo State (NITSOL), while others went to Nigeria Immigration Training School, Kano (Assistant Superintendent 2) and Immigration Training School, Ahoada, Rivers State (Immigration Assistant 3).

I, immediately called some of my friends that we applied together but it was painful that I was the only fortunate applicant shortlisted of the twelve of us that applied together.

It wasn’t easy gathering money, travelling to Imo state especially during the fuel scarcity crisis in the country. The process in the centre was another hectic screening exercise on its own, as it took over to a week to pass through the various stages of document verification and further certification of candidates’ eligibility.

Surprisingly, the ASI 2’s were only issued with posting order to the NIS command in their different states of origin without being giving appointment letters like the IA3 and AII’s.

The posting order read thus, “…I am directed to inform you that the above named newly recruited personnel has been posted to your command for attachment and induction with immediate effect, pending when they will be sent for training. The letter of appointment will be sent in due course. Please acknowledge receipt and date the newly recruited staff reports for duty.”

However, the reason ASI 2’s were not issued their appointment letters wasn’t made known.

The induction programme started on the June 1, 2015, which comprises rigorous activities such early morning jogging, always beginning by 6.am, parade and drills, fatigue, among others. Aside this, we were also introduced to the following courses: Immigration Act and Manual, Weapon Handling and Police Duties, Border Patrol, ECOWAS and African Affairs, Document Fraud, Passport and other travel documents, CERPAC/VISA/QUOTA, as well as Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour, among other.

We have all been specially trained in the rudiments of these courses in the last three months so as to carry out our duties effectively.
Most of the recruits have resigned from different places of work, rented an apartment, some have even borrowed money so as to survive, pending the time we start getting salary. Some spent heavily on transportation, feeding, buying of induction materials (white socks, white vest, white shorts, white tennis e.t.c).

Our passing out parade has been scheduled to come up on September 1, 2015 of which in preparation, we have been parading under the sun and in the rain, drills from the instructors and so on. We have gotten our accoutrements and preparing our minds towards that glorious day when the heart breaking circular came that after three months spent with rigorous exercises during the induction, we were placed on suspension.

Sir, I pray that the aforementioned should be sufficed to prove right our recruitment exercise free and fair.
I am scared of what might become of these recruits who have been trained in weapon handling if suspended from this job.

Thus, I solicit for myself and my colleagues to be retained as NIS successful candidates, as we all never disappoint you
Mr. President sir, if we are laid off or dismissed after having filled our application forms online and uploaded all the necessary documents, underwent recruitment tests, three months of rigorous induction exercises, the psychological trauma this will have on all the NIS newly recruited personnel, as well as our families will be unprecedented.

Kindly accept my plea and cry on behalf of my colleagues as our President, father and inspiring mentor that believes in excellent performance.
Ade Lawal, is one of the new recruits affected by the suspension of NIS recruitment.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/suspension-of-nis-recruitment-victim-writes-president-buhari/#sthash.sh9yiP6L.dpuf

his time as the governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe
Musa and most of his colleagues lived a spartan life due to
the fact that corruption was very minimal and governors
were excitedly submissive to the president and their parties.
But with corruption becoming a lifestyle rather than an
exception and corrupt politicians being worshipped as gods
and President Muhammadu Buhari wielding the
sledgehammer against the monster as a cardinal objective
of his administration, Musa has thrown his weight behind
the president’s renewed effort to eliminate the cankerworm
from the polity.
In this interview, Musa thumps up for Buhari’s anti-graft
drive and encourages him to build special prisons to
incarcerate corrupt Nigerians to serve as a deterrent to
potential treasury looters in the country.
By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor
How do you feel about governors, who use their positions to
amass wealth with impunity and make a mockery of public
office?
I feel bad because these are resources that should be used
to liberate the people and provide welfare and security for
them. It is even more worrisome that in most places those
in power have not provided even the basic things for their
subjects while they swim in opulence and mindless
extravagance, creating a big gap between them and those
who elected them into office. That is directly responsible for
the negative things the nation is grappling with today
characterized by unemployment, poverty, insecurity and lose
of confidence in public service.
National interest
That is why I strongly advise President Muhammadu Buhari
to urgently build special prisons for those people as a
matter of urgent national interest.
The danger is that if he does not go after those who stole so
much from the nation’s treasury, these malevolent elements
could use the ill-gotten wealth to topple Nigeria. Many of
them are believed to have stolen as much as trillions of
Naira and stashed away in foreign accounts. A recent report
revealed that some crooked Nigerians might have stolen
more than the annual budget of Nigeria.
Do we have strong institutions to carry out this anti-
corruption war?
Let us establish them.
What should he establish again since we already have the
EFCC and ICPC?
The President needs to strengthen them and give them the
needed independence to operate optimally and send corrupt
elements to prison. For instance, he should be able to set up
special judicial committees to investigate the fundamental
aspect of the state of the nation, which contributed more to
this level of mind-boggling corruption and stealing and such
committees would determine which aspect of corrupt matter
should go to the EFCC for further investigation or
prosecution.
It should not be left to him or the EFCC to decide who should
be tried because the EFCC itself has become an institution
of corruption. EFCC can also on its own identify such an
area and deal with. But certainly, the current state of
investigation and prosecution by the agency leaves much to
be desired and it is a serious setback to the anti-graft war.
Are you not afraid that Buhari may end up sending many
Nigerians to prison given his resolve to wage an all-out war
against the corrupt among us?
Let them go to prison. In fact I would advise him to build
special prisons for those who plundered Nigeria because it
has to be done. If you allow these thieves to continue
stealing and eventually controlling political power in the
country, you will lead this country to destruction, anarchy,
sustained instability, military coup and social revolution.
That is why I strongly advise Buhari to go the whole hug in
dealing with those who plundered Nigeria’s wealth.
You seem to be highly unpredictable given the way you have
been speaking about leaders in Nigeria. When Dr Goodluck
Jonathan was in power you neither fully supported him nor
distanced yourself from him. With the emergence of Buhari
it is all too clear that you really do not support him. Where
do you really belong?
Well, whatever my position is, is a matter of principle. It is
not personal at all. Now you got it slightly wrong because in
2003, 2007 and 2011 I supported Buhari because I
considered him to be the least risk. I didn’t say he was the
best among all Nigerians but I considered him to be the
least risk because in a situation where money and power
play leading role in politics it is not possible to know the
best but you will have to choose between two alternatives
that are not fundamentally different.
For instance, when it comes to the election of the president
in your country you may not have a suitable president but
there will be a president whether you choose one or not and
it is better to have reason to align with one because
remaining neutral may sometimes be negative.
Confidence of the people
In 2003, 2007and 2011 we considered Buhari as the least
risk in choosing who will become the president. We
supported him.
But since Buhari has been elected by Nigerians, what are
your expectations of him?
Let me tell you in totality without wasting time. We think
Buhari can’t deal with the negative state of the nation, which
is characterized by poverty, unemployment, hunger,
corruption, collapse of public institutions and lack of
confidence of the people in the leadership.
But why would Nigerians lack confidence in a president they
freely elected?
I want to say that in spite of what I believe, Buhari is still
better than all those he contested the election with and that
is why he won. Buhari is still better than even those who
have already begun to position themselves for 2019 even
though we are still in 2015. I am very confident that these
elements will not do better than Buhari given the way they
have tried to position themselves almost through the back
door.
Given what you have said, what do you think that Buhari
should do to succeed in his war against treasury looters?
What he should do now is to convert himself into a
revolutionary.
What does that mean?
What it means is that he will confront the problems of the
country realistically without pretence and without deceit and
face the problem of the country with open mind in order to
change the system.
He and his cabinet should enthrone public interest over and
above self interest. Nigerians have suffered enough under
corrupt administrations and he needs to adopt radical
measures to change the way things are being done in the
country and give Nigerians a new lease of life, restore their
hope and sense of pride as citizens of the largest black
nation on earth. It is his place to make Nigerians to be
respected across the globe by adopting global best
practices in all facets of our national life.
But how should he do this? Is it by way of legislation that we
don’t have or deploying political will?
He should show the needed political will in confronting our
problems. For instance, in prosecuting this anti-corruption
campaign, he shouldn’t spare anybody. But at the moment,
he seems to be sparing some of those who looted the land
with impunity. He said he would probe only Jonathan’s
administration; he would not probe the other
administrations. That is negative, that is short sightedness
and it will not solve the problem.
So you want him to go the whole hog?
Yes the whole hog from 1966 up till date because it was
from 1966 that this level of corruption started to disable the
government; that was when the military took over and they
are the people who brought about this level of corruption to
Nigeria. He should probe everyone including himself.
Public resources
If he cannot probe himself, he should appoint a
dispassionate committee to do so. All those found to have
corruptly enriched themselves while serving in one capacity
or the other should be jailed.
Do you support the setting up of a committee to advise the
government on how to end corruption in Nigeria?
Absolutely but my only fear is that the committee is too
small compared to the size of our country. Nigeria is very
big. Let the president expand the committee and even spend
the next four years to deal with the monumental level of
corruption and criminal waste of public resources and
register progress there.
Even if progress in other sectors is relatively smaller than
what he has done in stamping out corruption, at least at the
end of four years, he would have dealt decisively with the
issue and he would never be forgotten and he would have
made it easier for any other leader to continue with the
campaign successfully.
During the colonial era and the First Republic, there wasn’t
this level of corruption and I can tell you that whoever stole
a kobo of public funds was investigated and prosecuted.
Some have called for the setting up of special courts to
tackle corruption. Do you think this would help?
O yes, that should be done immediately because these
general courts are even part and parcel of the problem.
Where do you think the judges for the special courts will
come from? Are they not still Nigerian judges who have not
performed well in the normal courts?
Look, there are courageous and incorruptible judges from all
parts of Nigeria and they can do the job satisfactorily.
What was wrong and what was right with the Jonathan
administration from your own point of view?
In the first place, Jonathan should not have been the
president of Nigeria.
Experience and competence
I am saying so because he did not have the experience and
competence. Look, we are talking about Nigeria with over
170 million people and it is not a joke. America can have
anybody as its president because there is a system which
controls everything and there is a standard of conduct in
public affairs, which nobody is expected to go below.
But we don’t have such standards and it is whoever
becomes the president that sets up that standards. For
instance, Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan never
had such standards. None of them had social experience in
terms of public or private sector service before becoming
president and vice president of Nigeria.
Yar’Adua never had more than two years’ experience in the
public sector of Nigeria. The same thing goes for Jonathan
who was in the university. But simply because it served
Obasanjo’s interest, he brought the two inexperienced men
to rule over Nigeria. But none of them was capable of
running Nigeria. So one can say that Obasanjo brought the
tragedy of selecting unqualified Nigerians to rule over the
rest of us.
National unity
The problem with Nigerians is that they don’t assess their
leaders before bringing them on board.
But there were certain things that Jonathan did very well
and was applauded by Nigerians.
Of course, even the devil himself sometimes does things
right.
So, how would you advise Buhari to succeed?
I would like him to convince himself that he is morally and
politically capable to undertake the responsibility of cleaning
up Nigeria. I would advise him to constitute a government of
national unity drawn from the major political parties in
Nigeria. He should deal decisively with this monumental
level of corruption in the country and should do so honestly
without emotion and ensure that the interest of Nigeria and
Nigerians is protected. He should not do it with any malice.
Do you support the claims by the opposition that Buhari is
going after his opponents and being selective in the anti-
graft war?
Yes, it is Buhari himself who made it clear that he would
only go after those who served under Jonathan. I will not
mention names but I want to say that there are people in
both the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and All
Progressives Congress, APC, who are even dangerous than
Jonathan.
Looking at the National Assembly and what happened
during and shortly after the election of principal officers, do
you think all is well with the polity?
I am genuinely worried over what happened because it has
the potential to torpedo the system and distract the
government from working effectively for Nigerians. It may
make it very difficult for Buhari to get the cooperation of the
Senate in carrying out his set agenda for the country.
Agenda for the country
We know there have been issues that the president has
taken to the Senate and they were approved with dispatch.
But when you look at the body language, the behaviour and
relationship between the president and the Senate president
you would doubt that when it comes to critical issues
whether there would be this cooperation.
If this develops into something worse and a complete
breakdown of relations between the president and the
senate president, to the extent that Nigerians have to choose
between the President of the country and the President of
the Senate, then the choice would be quite obvious: They
would stick with the president of Nigeria because Nigerians
elected him to conduct the affairs of the country.
As important as the Senate and the House of
Representatives are in the country, they were merely elected
to play their roles as legislators to assist the president to
succeed in promoting and defending Nigeria’s sovereignty.
Breakdown in relationships
So, if Nigeria faces anarchy, as a result of the fact that there
is no cooperation between the president and the National
Assembly, Nigerians know who to blame. Nigerians should
be mindful of the consequences of such breakdown in
relationship between the President and the Senate which
may include military coup, anarchy, social revolution etc,
and I hope the NASS will hear this and begin to work
harmoniously with the President and for Nigerians.
But from your own point of view, was it right for a few
members of the NASS to have gone ahead of the election of
principal officers when most of the APC senators were
waiting to have a meeting with President Buhari on June 9?
We cannot blame them for that. The blame cuts across.
Both the APC and their senators were at fault. In the first
place, the Senate election was well publicised. Why did the
APC senators go for a meeting with the president at a time
they were expected to be at the NASS for the crucial
election?
Perhaps they did so out of respect for the President of the
country and the leader of the party who we were told,
summoned the meeting?
But the President should have said no and allowed the
members of the Senate to go for their election. In fact, the
president should have avoided any meeting with the APC
senators until after the inauguration. In the case of the
Senate they should have respected the president by
recognising him as their leader and shifting the time of the
inauguration until after the meeting with the president. So,
the blame cuts across the two parties. Again, it is the
responsibility of the president to have used his skill to
convince the Senators to let bygones to be bygones and
forge ahead. And if the president has not done so, then he
shares another blame. In spite of that, the senate should
remember that it is the president who is the leader of the
country. If there is need to surrender, it is them who should
surrender to the president and not the other way round.
What do you mean by that?
The Senate should agree to review its position on Senate
principal officers for peace to reign and not to be at odds
with the president.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/build-special-prisons-for-corrupt-nigerians-balarabe-tells-buhari/

There were fresh indications, at the weekend, that President
Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, Goodluck
jonathan may be set for anotherclash regarding the
recovery of stolen funds from the nation’s coffers, Sunday
Vanguard can reveal authoritatively.
The reason for this may not be unconnected with what a
source described as “the seemingly uncooperative
disposition of some of those who are believed have
siphoned funds from government coffers”.
The source added: “While some of those believed to have
been involved have had their accounts frozen, some have
lawfully been interrogated while confessions are being
extracted. There are enough grounds to believe that the
nature of discourse in the political sphere is creating an air
of audacity such that the recovery of looted funds is not
going at an encouraging pace in the face of overwhelming
evidence”.
Sunday Vanguard has been able to establish, through some
individuals saddled with the responsibility of ascertaining
and verifying some expenditure activities, that there were
some contracts merely awarded on paper and for which
payments were quickly made without corresponding jobs to
show for the contracts.
It was learnt that high levels of fraud were discovered in the
Ministry of Petroleum, Works, Nigerian Maritime and Safety
Authority, NIMASA and in the procurement of arms and
ammunitions for the prosecution of the war against Boko
Haram, just to mention a few.
Indeed, members of some of the committees that Buhari has
set up to ascertain the level of loss to the nation pointed out
that the scale of the stealing of public funds, especially in
the last days of the Jonathan administration, was so
monumental that those asking for a soft-landing for the
former president and his aides would be flabbergasted when
confronted with the scale of looting that took place.
And contrary to the earlier denial in some quarters that the
American government was in possession of documents
indicting most aides of the former President, it was
understood that Buhari was, in fact, handed some of the
documents relating to such during his visit to the United
States of America last month.
It was learnt that the intervention of some individuals,
including some African leaders, tended to suggest to Buhari
that he needed to give his predecessor soft landing; and
indeed, the President had agreed but on the condition that
the aides and ministers who looted the treasury must return
the funds to the coffers.
It was with a view to avoiding what another source
described as a public embarrassment for the erstwhile
leader, that Jonathan visited Buhari earlier in the month.
“The President advised Jonathan to prevail on his aides and
ministers to return all they looted to enable him have access
to funds with which to work. But the President became
angry when Jonathan’s men became adamant”.
Continuing, a member of one of the verification committees
told Sunday Vanguard: “Most of Jonathan’s men would
have been arrested by now, but the President was being
mindful of the nation’s democracy and, therefore, decided to
pursue the matter in a civil manner. In fact, it was for this
reason that the National Economic Council, NEC, decided to
set up a special committee to ascertain the areas concerned
and deal with it”.
One of Nigeria’s billionaires on the Forbes’ list of wealthy
individuals once lamented aloud that “the amount of money
that has been stolen from government coffers is too
much”. He went on: “The President would need to find very
creative means of ensuring that those who stole money
return such funds. Yes, some of them are already making
useful statements and confessing but the truth is that these
people are also connected. In court, they can stall
whatever cases are brought against them.
“Therefore, when you heard President Buhari admonishing
those in the legal profession not to shield people from the
law, it was a veiled reference to the possibility of some
people escaping justice using the courts. These people
have stolen a lot and having such money in the hands of a
few individuals in a country is dangerous. “Whatever the
President needs to do, either in consultation or confrontation
with his predecessor, the funds must be recovered”.
Initially, Sunday Vanguard learnt, it was not the intention of
Buhari to probe the immediate past administration but it
was gathered that the President became perplexed upon
discovering the level of looting perpetrated by some aides
and ministers of the former President, which a source at the
Presidency described as monumental.
And in order not to be accused of witch-hunting some
perceived political opponents, the Special Committee on
looted funds chaired by the governor of Edo State, Comrade
Adams Oshiomhole, recommended to the NEC to appoint
external auditors to thoroughly look at the books and tell
Nigerians their findings.
A source at the Presidency informed Sunday Vanguard that
any one indicted by the audit report will likely face
prosecution and that will be the first signal to the world that
the President is determined to fight corruption. According to
the source, “and from what we are hearing, many heads will
roll, powerful Nigerians may go to jail. After that, every
Nigerian will know that any attempt to steal even a pin, in
any ministry, will be at your own peril”.
In the meantime, a Presidency source reacted angrily,
yesterday, to the suggestion that recent visits by some
former presidents to Buhari could dissuade him from
pursuing the looters of the nation’s treasury.
The source pointed out that no individual or group could
distract the President from his resolve to recover Nigeria’s
wealth from plunderers.
“Look, let me make it clear this President is not one that can
easily be influenced by anyone to change his mind from
doing what he knows will benefit the country,” the source,
an official in The Presidency, said.
“Those who insinuate that the visit by two former presidents
to Buhari was to persuade him to stop the recovery of looted
funds do not seem to understand him.
“No individual or group can stop PMB from recovering the
stolen money from whoever is involved, no matter how
highly placed.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/stolen-funds-buhari-jonathan-may-clash-again/

An early morning fire incident occurred in the residence of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in the Maitama area of Abuja on Friday, but no casualty was recorded. Our correspondent learnt that some residents of the sprawling edifice raised the alarm when they noticed a heavy smoke inside the gymnasium of the senate president. A resident told our correspondent that the attention of the officials of the fire service were drawn to the incident around 10:05am and that they quickly mobilised themselves there to put the fire under control. Confirming the incident to our correspondent, the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, said the incident was caused by an electric spark from one of the air conditioners in the gymnasium of his principal. He explained that Saraki had been duly informed of the incident, adding that nobody was injured in the process.
http://www.punchng.com/news/fire-guts-sarakis-house/

An early morning fire incident occurred in the residence of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in the Maitama area of Abuja on Friday, but no casualty was recorded. Our correspondent learnt that some residents of the sprawling edifice raised the alarm when they noticed a heavy smoke inside the gymnasium of the senate president. A resident told our correspondent that the attention of the officials of the fire service were drawn to the incident around 10:05am and that they quickly mobilised themselves there to put the fire under control. Confirming the incident to our correspondent, the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, said the incident was caused by an electric spark from one of the air conditioners in the gymnasium of his principal. He explained that Saraki had been duly informed of the incident, adding that nobody was injured in the process.

Amidst allegations of underhand dealings in the Centenary City project, President Muhammadu Buhari will on Friday meet members of the board of the Centenary City Plc. A former military Head of State, who is the chairman of the board, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar (retd.), would be leading the members to the meeting. The Permanent Secretary, General Services, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bukar, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Thursday after leading others to brief Buhari on the office’s activities at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting is coming at a time the National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party for South-South, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, petitioned the President, demanding a probe of the role of the immediate former Secretary of the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, in the multi-billion Dollar project. Ojougboh claimed he had reasons to believe that the former SGF may have connived with the sponsors of the project covering over 1,500 hectares of land in the Federal Capital City Abuja to perpetrate fraud. He lamented that the free trade zone status granted to the centenary city project is a colossal loss of revenue to the country, adding that the land whose size is equal to Maitama, Asokoro and Guzape districts put together did not meet the criteria of a free trade zone as was being ascribed. He also accused Anyim of deceiving the Nigerian people that the centenary was a synergy between the Federal Government and the organised private sector. The former SGF, in denying the allegations, had since dragged Ojougboh to court. Bukar however expressed the belief that the issue would be handled at the Friday meeting with the President. He said, “Mr. President has graciously granted an audience to the governing board and the management of the Centenary City tomorrow (Friday) at 12noon. “The board is led by Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, who is the chairman of the governing board of the Centenary City Plc, and I know that they applied to come and see the President and he graciously accepted to listen to them. “Thereafter, I hope those involved in the management of the city will be able to give you information or full facts on the city.” Bukar told reporters that although he would not want to comment on issues that were before a court, he knew that government money was not put into the Centenary City project. He said the project was completely private sector driven.

http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-wades-into-centenary-city-fraud-allegations/

Village Extra, a US-based online newspaper, has
reported that President Muhammadu Buhari will sack
Ibrahim Lamorde, the chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today.

The newspaper noted that the expected sack is
connected to an alleged trillion naira fraud perpetrated by
the anti-graft commission’s chairman, which has
tarnished the image of the agency.
Barring last minute developments, Ibrahim Lamorde may
be fired by the Nigerian president today

George Uboh, a petitioner who appeared before the
Nigerian Senate committee yesterday, had alleged that
Lamorde gave choice properties seized from the former
Bayelsa State Governor, DSP Alamieyesigha and others,
to Usman Lamorde, his younger brother.
The petitioner also provided information on how Lamorde
allegedly diverted a massive N2.5 trillion from seized
properties and funds of individuals under investigation by
the EFCC.

It is now almost certain that President Buhari has
approved the immediate sacking and replacement of
Lamorde, who will be investigated immediately
afterwards.
On Wednesday some representatives of the agency
walked out of a meeting with senators .

https://www.naij.com/531501-hunter-becomes-hunted-buhari-sack-efcc-boss-today-alleged-fraud.html

judicial commission of inquiry investigating the administration of former governor Rotimi Amaechi over the sale of assets and other matters has summoned ex-council chairmen and a former Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Emmanuel Chinda, to appear before it on Friday, August 28, 2015. The commission had alleged that those invited to appear before it were involved in the purported diversion of N2bn being part of a N4bn agric loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria. But the former commissioner for agriculture had gone to the Rivers State High Court, on Tuesday, seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the commission and the Commissioner of Police from inviting, arresting or requiring him to appear before the panel. Following the non-appearance of Chinda and the former council chairmen at Tuesday’s sitting of the panel, the Chairman of the commission of inquiry, Justice George Omeriji, directed that they appear before the panel on August 28 or risk being arrested by the police. Omeriji also directed that the commission’s directive summoning the former council chairmen and the ex-agric commissioner should be published in the state-owned newspaper, Nigerian Tide . He explained that the publication of the invitation of the affected persons would serve as a notice to them to come and speak on the controversy surrounding the alleged diversion of part of an agric loan. “It is very clear that all the persons mentioned above have failed to appear before this commission to give evidence or tender any document to enable the commission to come up with the truth of the matter. “I have also considered the prayers of the counsel for the commission, urging the commission to ensure that the persons mentioned above appear before this commission. “This commission is a disciplined commission. I have decided not to involve the police yet in the service of the summons on the persons mentioned above. The commission has decided to accept the alternative prayer of the counsel and is, hereby, making the following order: “There shall be a publication in the Nigerian Tide , summoning all the above-mentioned persons to appear before the commission on Friday, August 28, 2015. And this publication is to be taken as adequate notice to the persons to appear before the commission on August 28, 2015,” Omeriji said. However, the former commissioner for agric, who is one of those allegedly involved in the diversion of the CBN’s agric loan, prayed the Rivers State High Court to restrain the panel, which is the (1st respondent), and four others, from summoning, arresting and requesting him to appear before it. Chinda, through his counsel, Mr. Ken Asuwete, also urged the court to declare that the respondents violated his constitutional right to fair hearing provided by Section 36 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 as amended. The other prayers by Chinda included, “A declaration that the respondents had unlawfully tried, adjudged and condemned the applicant in the media from as early as 7am of Friday the 21st day of August 2015, without serving the requisite summons and all processes of complaint or memoranda as required by law. “A declaration that the counsel to the commission deliberately failed to inform the commission that no attempt known to law was explored before the media was surreptitiously engage to publish the name of the applicant in a way and manner that has defamed his character before he is to appear before the commission.”


http://www.punchng.com/news/n4bn-loan-rivers-panel-summons-ex-chairmen/

ABUJA — President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, set up
a 13-member panel to probe two of his predecessors, late
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, on
procurement of arms and ammunition for the Armed
Forces.
The investigative committee’s mandate is to identify
irregularities and make recommendations for streamlining
the procurement process in the Armed Forces.
The committee, which was constituted by the the National
Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd),
on the directive of the President, is headed by AVM J.O.N.
Ode (retd.) while Brig-Gen. Y. I. Shalangwa is secretary.
Other members are Rear Admiral J. A. Aikhomu (retd.), Rear
Admiral E. Ogbor (retd.), Brig-Gen. L. Adekagun (retd.), Brig-
Gen. M. Aminu-Kano (retd.), Brig-Gen N. Rimtip (retd.),
Commodore T. D. Ikoli, Air Commodore U. Mohammed
(retd), Air Commodore I. Shafi’i, Col A. A. Ariyibi, GP Capt
C.A. Oriaku (retd) and Mr. I. Magu (EFCC).
A statement from presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi
Adesina, said “the establishment of the investigative
committee is in keeping with President Buhari’s
determination to stamp out corruption and irregularities in
Nigeria’s public service.
“It comes against the background of the myriad of
challenges that the Nigerian Armed Forces have faced in the
course of ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the
northeast, including the apparent deficit in military platforms
with its attendant negative effects on troops’ morale.
“The committee will specifically investigate allegations of
non-adherence to correct equipment procurement
procedures and the exclusion of relevant logistics branches
from arms procurement under past administrations, which,
very often resulted in the acquisition of sub-standard and
unserviceable equipment.”
MUHAMMADU BUHARI
This is not a govt of probes, but of due process, law and
order
Meanwhile, the Presidency has declared that Buhari’s
administration is not a government of probes but of due
process, law and order.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and
Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, who spoke with Vanguard,
yesterday, also stated the administration of President
Buhari will not shy away from probing the government of
former President Jonathan in the face of alleged fraud and
corruption.
He spoke following an accusation of selective probe against
Buhari by a prominent northern leader, Tanko Yakassai.
The presidential aide said there are sensitive matters arising
from briefings and official engagements, which the
President cannot overlook and described as laughable the
allegation that Buhari has excluded other former presidents
like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo because he was close to
them.
He said: “Let me say that officially, nobody is under probe,
even Dr. Jonathan. People should not make mistakes about
the fact that what is going on are routine investigations.
These are matters that the President has found on the table.
“So, there is nothing like a probe. If Jonathan will be probed,
you would have heard of, may be, an administrative panel of
enquiry or judicial panel of enquiry. But it hasn’t come to
that. These are matters of routine engagements of due
process of law and order.
“President Buhari in his campaign said his government was
not going to probe into the past. We are not probing but as
a responsible government, you cannot bring to the table
matters such as we are dealing with and then, the President
will wave them off.
“The Office of the President may be powerful but it is
controlled, regulated by due process and the constitution of
the country. The President cannot wave away matters that
are arising from either handing-over or the routine briefings.
How can anybody say he was part of the Obasanjo military
regime and that’s why he’s not probing them?
Speaking further, the presidential spokesman queried why
the allies of former President Jonathan would wait until now
to champion the cause of probing past governments before
Jonathan.
It was Jonathan’s responsibility to probe Obasanjo,
Yar’Adua
He stated that it was Jonathan’s responsibility to probe the
governments of Obasanjo and Yar’Adua.
“Let me tell you, if Obasanjo and Yar’Adua and all of the
past governments before Jonathan needed to have been
probed, why did Jonathan shy away from his responsibility?
Why didn’t he probe them while he was in office? Why didn’t
Tanko Yakassai ask Jonathan to probe Yar’Adua,
Babangida, Obasanjo? Why do they have to wait for Buhari
to come and do what he should have done?
“It is common sense. So, if he didn’t probe them, why
should his people ask some other person to probe them? If
they felt it was desirable to probe the past administration,
as a party, why didn’t they do it themselves? Why do they
have to wait for President Buhari?
“This is not a government of probes. It is a government of
due process and law and order. President Buhari is dealing
with the matters he has found on the table and he has no
power under the constitution to wave them. If somebody
had stolen Nigeria’s one billion dollars of oil, President
Buhari is not authorized to wave it off under the law. He
should ask questions. There is no probe going on now.
People who are creating the spectre of probes in the country
just want to create unnecessary fear.”
On allegation of running unilateral govt
On the issue of running a unilateral government having not
appointed ministers, Shehu said the allegation was
unfounded.
According to him, the government is running well and its
ministries and agencies were competently manned by the
permanent secretaries.
Shehu, however, assured that President Buhari would form
his cabinet soon.
He said: “The constitution is very clear about the powers of
the state. Legislative powers are there under the
parliament. The President has not interfered with the
powers of the parliament. Even when the clamour was there
for him to save the parliament from the crisis of leadership,
he stayed out of it.
“The executive arm of government is the first arm which
President Buhari has under him and he is not interfering in
the other arms of government. However, all the ministries of
the government are being competently run under the
supervision of the permanent secretaries.
“They consult the President and the President consults
them. He consults the party and the party consults him. So,
if anybody is not in the room when these matters are being
discussed, don’t go out there telling people that there is no
consultation going on. You cannot be an adviser to PDP
president and also be an adviser to the APC government at
the same time.
“The President will appoint ministers. There is no question
about that. The President will decide when he will appoint
his ministers. If it is auspicious for him to appoint them in
September, he will.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/fg-names-13-man-panel-to-probe-yaradua-jonathan/

Leave a Comment

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered his frontline
troops to be ready for war, against a backdrop of rising
military tensions between his country and South Korea.
The announcement follows an exchange of artillery shells
across the two countries’ heavily fortified border.

The Demilitarised Zone is a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean
War, which ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty,
leaving the Korean Peninsula still technically in a state of
war.

The North’s official KCNA news agency said the move came
during an emergency meeting late on Thursday of the
powerful Central Military Commission of which Kim is the
chairman.

During the meeting, Kim ordered frontline, combined units of
the Korean People’s Army (KPA) to “enter a wartime state”
from Friday 5pm local time (08:00 GMT).

The troops should be “fully battle ready to launch surprise
operations” while the entire frontline should be placed in a
“semi-war state,” KCNA quoted him as saying.

The CMC meeting came hours after the two Koreas traded
artillery fire on Thursday, leaving no apparent casualties but
pushing already elevated cross-border tensions to
dangerously high levels.

The KPA followed up with an ultimatum sent via military
hotline that gave the South 48 hours to dismantle
loudspeakers blasting propaganda messages across the
border or face further military action.
The ultimatum expires on Saturday at 5pm.

http://www.punchng.com/news/were-ready-for-war-north-korea/

Bayelsa born former policeman turned politician Serikae
Dickson prepared himself in public advocacy through his
training in law school after quitting the police.

Dickson
started his political advocacy from the left and had the
distinguished record of being the only state chairman of the
Alliance for Democracy, AD in the South-South to produce a
senator, members of the House of Representatives and the
House of Assembly at the onset of democratic rule in
1999. He fought the establishment as then represented by
the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP till he was enticed into
government by Governor Goodluck Jonathan who he served
as Attorney General.

Entering into government, however, did
not stop his life of political struggles especially after he
translated from the executive branch in Yenogoa to the
House of Representatives. For most of his time in the House
he was on edge as he became a proxy object in the political
warfare between Governor Timipire Sylva and Vice
President Jonathan. Against all permutations from the
political leadership in Yenogoa as directed by Governor
Sylva, he won re-election in 2011, and the following year
served Governor Sylva the ultimate comeuppance when
with the unpretentious support of President Jonathan, he
snatched the PDP ticket from him.

Taking over the Bayelsa Government House, however, did
not mean the end of his life of battles as he confessed
during two interview sessions conducted in Yenogoa and
Lagos. Dismissing the recent wave of defections from the
ruling PDP, he said “what I survived in the last three years
from higher and more dangerous quarters is far more
dangerous than all these decamping put together!”
Now pitched in the battle for re-election, Governor Dickson
counts the good luck of President Jonathan as one of his
props asserting that Jonathan, who weaned him from his
wars against the rightwing establishment remains
supportive of him as ever. Even more, he cites his
development credentials on ground as the leverage he would
use to overcome what he describes as the latest conspiracy
against him. Excerpts:
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor and Samuel
Oyadongha
Why are your colleagues in the PDP running away from your
party?
Yes some leaders of our party are decamping but you have
to understand their background. Almost all of them who are
decamping want to be governors and these persons know
that within PDP they have no way of becoming governorship
flag bearers of the party. For them it means going to
another platform to fight for Governorship ticket to contest
the election. But APC in Bayelsa is not a party on ground
and do not be deceived, even at national level they are
crumbling. You will see PDP will rise again very soon. APC
in Bayelsa is a political party that has no membership
following but has only Governorship candidates; the
members are only governorship aspirants. Where was APC
when we conducted the House of Assembly election? How
many APC legislators do we have in Bayelsa?

Project for project
This is a PDP state, this is a PDP stronghold. Two factors
come into play, ambition which is legitimate as long as they
do not resort to violence for we are brothers and sisters and
friends and I remain their governor.
We are waiting to see who their candidate will be that can
match’ the talk na do Governor project for project, vision
for vision, ideas for ideas. We are waiting for a very robust
campaign.
Apart from those who are going in because of their ambition, we will see what happens after their primaries
because I have not done anything bad to any of them, it is
all politics and some are just calling a dog a bad name.
You are also aware that our party for the first time lost
power at the centre and I think it is immoral for the people
who have been nurtured by the PDP over the years to
defect. Many decamp because of personal ambition and to
be available for federal appointment. Well, we can only wish
them well.
The way our former President left office, I believe the next
election is not about me or PDP. It is about the dignity and
pride of Ijaw nation, a people who have been humiliated at
the federal level like this because they say we are few and
our people who should hold the home base are the ones
jumping ship. I do not have any problems even with the
leader of the opposition party in the state, the former
governor. He is my friend and brother but his politics is
what I disagree with.

But his own case is even understandable because he was
there as part of the formation of the APC for whatever
personal reasons. But people who stayed with us till we did
elections should know APC does not need them.
Where were they when APC was battling to get votes and
register their party to secure votes for their president? They
think because we have lost, the Ijaw nation should be
humiliated and they are not going quietly. They are the ones
that are taking but the good news is that the ordinary people
of Ijaw nation will rise up and say no to this display of greed
of the highest order where people cannot subordinate their
own personal greed for position at the federal level for the
common good.

Gov Dickson
Your opponents say you are tight fisted
We are getting less than 25% of the allocation that we used
to get when I started. So, almost everything that we receive
goes to service the cost of running government to the extent
that for some months, three, four months, that I even don’t
receive any allowance because that is a sacrifice that we
must make to enable us meet our basic obligations, firstly
to our workers. You cannot be owing workers and be paying
contractors because they are politicians.
That is wrong. That is unpatriotic. That is criminal. In any
case, if someone is saying that he did a job and that we are
owing and we cant pay, is the man who gives you a job an
enemy? It is ingratitude. As a matter of fact, what is going
on in Bayelsa is political betrayal of the highest order. It is a
harvest of ingratitude.
All of them are my contractors. All of them! And they didn’t
come begging. We sent for them, that they are stakeholders
to support them. I have run a more inclusive government
than any other governor I have seen in Bayelsa.
As we speak, Alaibe has his own nominees serving in the
government at all levels, commissioner level, special adviser
level all levels.
I feel bad at what some of these people are doing, but it
would not stop me from being good and nice, it just teaches
me more about the capacity of human beings for ingratitude
and for evil because individually, I have done nothing
against any one of them. Individually, I have been good to
each and to all of them. I have consulted them on
government policies and decisions more than they would
ever consult any other person.

The picture they are painting is propaganda, just to justify
their treachery and betrayal.
Take for example, Stella Dorgu, when I left to become
governor and my seat in the House of Representatives was
vacant and I introduced her to her people for the first time
and against all opposition, I garnered support to send her to
the House of Representatives.
Senate position
Now she wanted to go back to the House of
Representatives and because the Senate position was
coming to my local government and she expressed interest
for the Senate but the other gentleman is a better Senate
material. Now looking back I think we made the right
decision in going with him because she has truly brought
out her true colours.

If I were her, this is a time that she should have stood by me
and by the party that gave her the opportunity to go to the
House of Representatives.
Why is it that you faced serious opposition in your contests
in 2012 and now 2015?
Elections are political contests. What I managed in 2012
was even worse than the present situation. All my
colleagues in the National Assembly, including my senator,
Senator Lokpobiri, all of them supported Sylva and I
weathered a lot of opposition. It wasn’t personal, it was all
politics, ambition, political calculation. That is why when I
became governor, I worked with all of them.
Take Senator Lokpobiri, my senator at the time I was
contesting for governor. He never supported me. Now he
wanted to go back to the Senate, but my people said no,
you have done two terms, let someone else go. That is now
a political offence. ‘I wanted to be senator, you didn’t
support me. I wanted to go to the House of Representatives
you didn’t support me. I wanted to go to House of
Assembly, you didn’t support me, therefore, I am going to
APC.’ That is what is happening.
So, will you keep nominees of those you call betrayers in
your government?
I have a large political heart. What I have managed in the
last three years, the details will come out when I write my
memoirs. It is only a politician with a large heart, a
politician who has the grace of God and a politician who has
experience and tact that could have survived what I went
through. What I survived in the last three years from higher
and more dangerous quarters is far more dangerous than all
these decamping put together! So, I am not moved because
I am used to it.
Personal attack
I am used to surviving tempests, I am used to managing
storms. What I see as a personal attack from the APC will
not scratch me.
I managed in a state House of Assembly where I did not
have one single member for three and a half years. All the
members in the House of Assembly from 2012 when I took
over till June this year were all put there by Governor Sylva.
Yet, with the incitements, with the conspiracies, with the
impeachment plans from highest political levels.. that
should give you an idea as to our experience, our tact and
capacity to manage tendencies.
So, what is your relationship with the former president and
his family?
Very cordial. The former president remains my elder brother
and my leader and we are working closely. If there is
anyone who believes and is supportive of why I should be
re-elected, it is former President Jonathan.
How were you able to manage the excesses of the former
first lady?
I don’t know what you mean by excesses!
You can tell that off the record
I don’t have any off the record!


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/the-story-of-my-betrayal-by-gov-dickson/

President Muhammadu Buhari has reaffirmed his conviction
that the end of the Boko Haram insurgency was in sight as
Nigeria and her allies intensified the war against the terrorist
sect. The President stated this in Abuja on Thursday at an
audience with Mr Mousa Faki Mahamat, Chadian Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy of President Idris Deby of
Chad.
He said with higher morale and improved logistics,
equipment and training among troops in the frontline
against Boko Haram, a rapid end to the insurgency could be
expected. The President, however, said Nigeria and Chad
must be prepared to make more sacrifices to end the
scourge of Boko Haram since they were at the “very heart of
the insurgency”.
“We will sustain our effort, and the insurgents will be
defeated soon,’’ Buhari vowed. The Special Envoy of the
Chadian President said that President Deby appreciated the
leadership being shown by Buhari in the war against
terrorism. “We also appreciate the diligence shown in
appointing a Commander for the Multinational Joint Task
Force, and Deby believes that the fight will end in a few
months.
“Our people rely on us to end the insurgency, because
economic development is being hampered. “This fight has
to come to an end. My coming here is to reaffirm our full
commitment. “Beyond the number of troops earlier
announced, Chad is still ready to commit more
soldiers. “The enemy is weakened already. Let’s stand firm,
and neutralize them,’’ he said.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/we-are-working-for-quick-end-to-boko-haram-buhari-tells-chadian-envoy/

THE term Judas can be found in many languages as a
synonym for betrayer, and Judas has become the classic
exemplar of the back-stabber, in art and literature.
The character ‘Judas’ plays a critical role in virtually every
work of fiction and appears in most modern movies and
books. In order to fully comprehend how the mind of Judas
works, this writer takes a brief slide in an amateur attempt
at drawing a correlation between former President Goodluck
Jonathan, former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and Governor
Nyesom Wike, and their impact in the Niger Delta Region,
and Nigeria at large.
Enter Jonathan: This former President is perhaps the
luckiest politician in the history of Nigeria. From his
incidental emergence as the Governor of Bayelsa State, to
his ascension as Vice President, and President of Nigeria,
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is an epitome of unmerited favour,
and his story is best told in a movie or best seller. But the
irony of it all is that like the colloquial ‘money miss road’
cliché, Jonathan will score the highest mark as that
President who did little or nothing for his motherland –
Bayelsa/Niger Delta, all through his six years in the saddle
of power.
From zero Federal Projects allocation to Rivers State, his
refusal to implement the UNEP Report, non-completion of
the second Niger Bridge, to the substandard Federal
University of Otuoke, amongst many others. The only
difficulty I have in expressly tagging this one a Judas, is my
limited knowledge as to whether or not his wanton
negligence of his people was in exchange for silver or gold.
Meet Amaechi: Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is perhaps the
most intriguing character in our recent political history.
From his highly competitive emergence as the Speaker of
the Rivers State House of Assembly, his landmark victory at
the Supreme Court, and subsequent eight years reign as one
of the strongest governors in Nigeria, to his two terms
victorious survival as the Chairman of Nigeria Governors
Forum during the ‘16 is greater than 19′ saga, Amaechi is
nothing short of a colossus.
During his years as governor of Rivers State, Amaechi
became almost restless about the condition of the masses.
He embarked on numerous people oriented and capital
intensive projects, many of which he completed before his
exit from office. He also championed the course of
Education, the UNEP Report, Treasury Single Account (TSA),
Subsidy Probe, and he ferociously fought against the ceding
of Rivers State Oil Wells to other States by Jonathan.
The man Nyesom Wike represents different things to
different sets of people in Nigeria. The more enlightened
people see him as the Minister of Education who presided
over the ministry during a period when students and
lecturers roamed our streets like touts for almost a year,
simply because of his refusal to keep to government’s
agreement with lecturers.
Governorship ambition
The politically exposed see him as a man whose
governorship ambition cost him the friendship of his political
master and brother – Amaechi, and according to some of
his Rivers supporters, he is ‘the high tension, meaning that
he has the ability to ruthlessly clinch unto any political
interest, not minding the outcome.
Throughout his stay as Minister of Education, Wike was of
little or no advantage to the Niger Delta Region, rather his
main focus was in the entrenchment of a volatile group of
young people in the political system of Rivers State, for the
sole purpose of achieving his unpopular Governorship
ambition. The only time that Wike mentioned the UNEP
Report was when he visited Ogoni land during his campaign
tour, sadly but , he made a mockery of the report when he
lied that it would be implemented in two weeks. You know
the rest of the story.
I have taken my time to highlight the advent and political
growth, public view, and overall impact in Niger Delta and
Nigeria at large, of the above mentioned characters in order
to ascertain whose participation in the politics of our
country has brought good tidings to us or not, and who sold
us out because of politics.
Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus is a subject of many
shades, and it is impossible to explore all its angle in this
simple cogitation, but the point is this: there is always a
conspicuous Judas in every story.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/demystifying-judas-a-hard-look-at-jonathan-amaechi-and-wike/

Up to 22 former members of the House of Representatives are presenting themselves for jobs to serve as aides to the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, and the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yusuf Lasun, The PUNCH learnt on Tuesday. Investigations showed that at least six of the ex-lawmakers had been handed letters of engagement to serve as special advisers to Dogara and Lasun. The majority of the job seekers were part of the 2011-2015 batch, members whose tenure at the National Assembly rounded off on June 5. A senior member of the House disclosed to The PUNCH on Tuesday that some of the ex-members were “very supportive” in the run up to the election of the presiding officers of the House on June 9. “The jostling for jobs here started long before now. Some of them worked in the speaker’s team before the election. “This is like compensating them for the roles they played, but there are others who truly requested to serve as aides to Dogara and his deputy. “Only a few have been confirmed really; there is no possibility that everyone will be on board. Many are still on the waiting list,” the official added. However, one of the engaged aides, a former Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions, Mr. Cyril Maduabum, was carried over from the 7th Assembly where he had served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Speaker at the time, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha. Findings indicated that among those Dogara and Lasun had engaged so far were a former Chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matters, Mr. Jerry Manwe, who was appointed as Chief of Staff to Dogara. He was allegedly considered for the job ahead of another former younger ex-lawmaker on the grounds that Manwe was “more experienced in administrative matters”, besides being a very close friend. The younger former member, who once served as the deputy chairman of a popular House committee in the 7th Assembly, is said to be among those still on the awaiting list. On his side, Lasun had appointed a former member from Ekiti State, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, as his chief of staff. Daramola was formerly the Director-General of the campaign organisation of a former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Kayode Fayemi, in the last governorship poll. Similarly, a former Chairman, House Committee on Science and Technology, Mr. Abiodun Akinlade, is the Special Adviser on Special Duties to the deputy speaker. Another former Chairman on Youth Matters, Mr. Kamil Akinlabi, is also a special adviser to Lasun. But, when contacted, some of the members described as “erroneous” any impression that they were scrambling for the positions. For example, Akinlade told The PUNCH that their services were needed as experienced legislators to help the presiding officers to stabilise the House. “This is not even about saying we are looking for jobs or something. That is not correct. “Some of us have up to 12 years of experience in the House; so, the experience will help the system. “If you go to the Senate, you will see a similar trend of keeping some experienced hands behind”, he added. The Special Adviser to the Speaker on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, did not comment on the issue when his reactions were sought. However, the Chief Press Secretary to Lasun, Mr. Wole Oladimeji, defended the decision of his boss to hire ex- members as his aides. He told The PUNCH that Lasun merely kept a tradition of retaining some ex-members to serve as advisers to presiding officers. “This is not new; since the days of (Aminu) Masari, some former members do serve as advisers or work for the presiding officers,” Oladimeji stated. A source at Dogara’s office also claimed that about six ex- members served as aides to the immediate past Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal. One of them was Mr. Sada Soli, who served as Tambuwal’s chief of staff.
http://www.punchng.com/news/22-ex-reps-besiege-dogara-lasuns-offices-for-jobs/

Residents of Kukuwa-Gari village in Yobe state were thrown
into pandemonium as gangs of militants arrived on
motorcycles and a car and opened fire of them, local
residents said on Tuesday.
Up to 150 people drowned in a river or were shot dead
fleeing the insurgents who attacked them on Thursday last
week. “They opened fire instantly, which forced residents to
flee. They shot a number of people. Unfortunately many
residents who tried to flee plunged into the river which is full
from the rain. Many drowned,” Modu Balumi, a resident of
the village, told newsmen.
“By our latest toll we have 150 people either (shot dead) or
drowned in the attack. The gunmen deliberately killed a
fisherman who tried to save drowning residents of the
village.” Balumi said the bodies of many of the drowned
were picked out by locals several kilometres away.
News of the attack was slow to emerge because the
militants have destroyed telecom masts around the village,
around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Yobe State capital
Damaturu, since the insurgency began in 2009. “Most
residents, particularly women and children, ran towards the
river in confusion,”said Bukar Tijjani, another villager, who
confirmed the death toll.
“They were pursued by the gunmen who kept firing at them.
In the frantic effort to escape they jumped into the river,
which was full to the brim.” A local government official
confirmed the attack but put the death toll much lower, at
around 50.
Massacre
The ambush came during the region’s peak rainy season,
when most waterways in northeastern Nigeria are swollen
and can flow with dangerous speed. The village was still
reeling from a raid by suspected Boko Haram militants on
July 31 when at least 10 people were killed by gunmen who
burned homes, food silos and livestock.
The Gujba area of Yobe state, where Kukuwa-Gari village is
located, has been hit hard by Boko Haram violence in the
past but had seen relative calm since troops reclaimed it in
March. In September 2013 scores of students of an
agricultural college in the area were massacred as they slept
in their dormitories.
In February last year dozens of students of a boarding
secondary school in the main town of Buni Yadi were also
killed in a gun attack on their hostels. Boko Haram claimed
responsibility for both attacks. The jihadist militia, which
has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, has
waged a violent campaign for a separate Islamic homeland
in the northeast which has seen more than 15,000 deaths
since 2009.
The military under President Muhammadu Buhari’s
predecessor Goodluck Jonathan was heavily criticised for
poor handling of the insurgency and its failure to free more
than 200 schoolgirls abducted from the northeastern town
of Chibok in April last year.
Nigeria’s new leader, who came to power on May 29 vowing
to destroy Boko Haram, replaced his military chiefs last
week, ordering them to end the insurgency within three
months.
Anti-terror force
Since May, the militants have stepped up their campaign
with a wave of raids, bombings and suicide attacks which
have left more than 1,000 people dead in Nigeria alone,
according to an AFP count. The Islamists have also carried
out deadly ambushes across Nigeria’s borders and in recent
weeks suicide bombers, many of them women, have staged
several attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad.
A five-nation regional force of 8,700 troops from Nigeria and
its neighbours has been set up to fight Boko Haram and is
expected to deploy imminently. Buhari told a national
security gathering in Abuja on Monday his government
would employ “at least an extra 10,000 police officers” and
set up a federal anti-terrorism task force to crush the
rebellion.
Chadian leader Idriss Deby declared on August 12 that
efforts to combat Boko Haram had succeeded in
“decapitating” the group and would be wrapped up “by the
end of the year”.
Deby told reporters in the capital N’Djamena that Boko
Haram was no longer led by the fearsome jihadist
commander Abubakar Shekau and that his successor,
whom he named as Mahamat Daoud, was open to talks. But
Shekau dramatically rebuffed the claim in an audio
recording released on Sunday and authenticated by security
analysts, dismissing the Chadian head-of-state as a
“hypocrite” and a “tyrant”.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/150-people-shot-drowned-in-yobe-river-by-boko-haram-gunmen/

Indian police said on Tuesday in New Delhi that it had summoned a parrot accused of hurling abuses at an elderly woman. Local Police Chief, P.S. Dongre, confirmed that the parrot was summoned by the police after carrying out a test to check whether the bird was guilty of bad behaviour. He said that the bird was summoned following a complaint by one Janabai Sakharkar, 75, of a village in the western state of Maharashtra. According to him, Sakharkar had complained that her neighbour had tutored his caged pet called ‘’Hariyal’’ to utter obscenities whenever she passed by his house. Dongre said that the complainant also accused her step- son, with whom she has a property dispute, of colluding with the neighbour, following which all three, including the parrot, were summoned to the police station. He said the parrot seemed to have become self-conscious, with all the attention from the police and kept mum when confronted by the complainant. “The woman repeated her name to the parrot as its cage was brought near her, but the bird would not say a word,’’ he said. The officer disclosed that the parrot had been handed over to the forest department for release into wild life.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/abusive-parrot-summoned-detained-by-police/

Ahead of his 74th birthday today, erstwhile military
president, General Ibrahim Babangida had an interactive
session with journalists in Minna, Niger State. In the
revealing interview he opens up on his response to the coup
plot led by Major Gideon Orkar in April 1990, the Dimka
coup plot earlier in 1976, his assessment of the unfolding
Muhammadu Buhari led administration and of his thoughts
towards his one time friend, Chief Moshood Abiola among
other things.
Excerpts
By Wole Mosadomi
SIR, is it true that you are from Ogbomosho, a claim that is
backed by assertion that your second name ‘Badamasi’ was
coined from the Yoruba name Gbadamosi? Please can you
clear the air?
I appreciate your concern. I had to answer the question way
back in November 1962. I answered the question during my
final year in secondary school when I had to answer that
question and 52 years later, I am glad I am answering the
same question.
The truth is that I hail from here, Niger State. My parents
were from between Wushishi and this town (Minna). My
grandparents travelled to settle down here and I think that
that says it all but there is nothing wrong in being from any
part of the country. The truth is that I hail from Niger State.
Indigene of Niger State
My grandparents and great grandparents moved from
somewhere to settle down in Niger State. There are some
who still call us settlers in Niger State and that we are not
indigenes of the state because our grandparents came from
somewhere to settle here but having lived all my 74 years in
Niger State, I think I am more than qualified to be called an
indigene of Niger State.

What is your reaction to reported claims by U.S. officials
that Nigerian troops were not properly trained to fight Boko
Haram?
I must admit that a lot of us were trained in America, so it is
not anything new to talk about training because they knew
they had trained people. I was trained in America, I was in a
place called Portsmouth in Kentucky where I did my senior
officers course, so you can see that a lot of us were trained
in America. They are right but there is an old saying that
says, no matter the sophisticated weapons we have, the
man behind the weapon really matters. I appreciate what
they are trying to do.

Are you satisfied by the Federal Government’s renewed
fight against insurgents? ( cuts in sharply)
Yea, they have to be fought. I think the renewed effort and
fight the Federal Government is doing is commendable.
But it was thought that the insurgents had been routed at
the end of the Jonathan administration.
So, what do you
think may have happened that gave them fire as President
came on board?
I think there is a general misunderstanding of the whole
concept of insurgency. You can call it anything, instability,
terrorism. The fact is that we are not fighting a regular army
where you can confront them with sheer use of force and
weapons to overwhelm the enemy.
No, we have gotten a small trained army whose tactics is to
inflict maximum casualty on his so-called enemy, inflict
casualty on him when and where he least expects it. The
army is not fighting a conventional war and that makes it
exceptionally difficult. They blow out bridges, they go as far
as blowing up barracks. This is an unconventional war. I
think the soldiers are trained for it and they know this is the
sort of thing they do. I think the public should be educated
about this unconventional war.

How do you feel celebrating your 74th birthday, given that
several attempts were made against your life while you were
in service?
I will continue to be grateful to God and it strengthens my
belief that no matter what happens, if God doesn’t will it,
nothing will happen to me.
Gratitude to God
So it is a matter of believing that no matter what happens,
either good or bad, nothing happens without the approval of
Allah.
I am grateful to God for sparing my life up to this time
despite what we went through. Those who participated in
combat will say the same. God has kept me and I remain
grateful to Him and grateful to you all for your support.

Don’t you think that it is necessary to have a body of elder-
statesmen to proffer advice to successive administrations
especially given the situation Nigerians found themselves
after the recent transition?
I think one of the most unique things in Nigeria is that this is
one African country that is specially blessed. There are
about seven of us (former leaders) alive today and every
one of us has his experience in one way or the other but the
other good thing is that there is a forum where we all meet
the current leadership, chat with him, talk about the
situation in the country discuss and offer solutions to any
problem confronting us. All of us are always free, we are
very accessible to government, so we can either put across
either in writing or talking.

In your opinion what are the key areas the present
government should focus so that the country will move on?
I must commend the present leadership for identifying even
before and after the election some of the problems facing
this country. Number one has to do with security and the
president talked about it extensively.
Security of the state
The security of lives and property, the security of the state,
the security of this environment called Nigeria has been
identified.
And the second one has to do of course with the way we
live, the way we walk and the way we behave which is
corruption. The third one has to do with the economic
development of the country. We should support the
President towards achieving these objectives.

Talking of corruption, what is your reaction to the
President’s vow to recover stolen funds from the nation’s
treasury?
During the tenure of my boss, President Obasanjo, he had a
similar strategy and to be fair to him, he made a lot of
recoveries, so we should support this present Federal
Government in trying to do the same to achieve the same
objective. If that objective is pursued, I believe it will
achieve some degree of nrecovery of stolen funds. You talk
about oil theft, I am sure President Buhari is resolute to
stamp out all those and to bring to book all those who have
tampered in stealing our oil.

What is your reaction to the Federal Government’s assertion
that it could negotiate with Boko Haram?
The President has got it right by saying he will talk to people
who are credible who have been identified as some of the
leaders of the insurgency but so far, apart from one or two
names, we do not hear any other name.
Democratic practices
I don’t think the government will like to talk in a vacuum, to
talk to people who are not worth talking to as far as these
issues are concerned. So the government is right in being
careful to identify and talk if there is anything to talk about

How do you feel as a leader of a former leading party that
you are now in the opposition and secondly, do you think
the PDP can come out of the waters in 2019?
I think one of the good things we are experiencing in this
country is that for 16 years there has been democracy and
democratic practices in the country. A lot of things must
have gone wrong somewhere and the right judges are the
people and the people have spoken. I think it is natural they
needed a change after 16 years and they did what is right,
they did not go wild, they did not fight anybody, they used
their ballot papers to change the government. I think this is
the beauty of what happened. I look forward to such
practices in the next 50 years of democratic practice in this
country. I hope they learn from their mistakes, what they
did wrong, what they did right and what they can do now to
re-launch their party.
One of the major challenges your administration faced was
the Gideon Okar coup where people thought death had
finally gotten you. How did you escape?
I can remember very well that I had some loyal officers who
were supposed to be my protectors and my body guard.
Initially they told me to leave but I told them no, I am not
leaving anywhere but they remained steadfast and later I
took my family outside Dodan Barracks and I joined my
guards. So we went out of Dodan Barracks and we went to
a safe house where we got in contact with loyal troops.
May God bless Sani Abacha. Sani Abacha was the chief of
army staff. He got in touch with me, I got in touch with him
and we sat down and talked on what we were going to do.
Abacha and I rallied the loyal troops and then I left my safe
house and joined Abacha in his house. That was how I
escaped.

How will you rate the role of the media in the just concluded
general elections?
I think the media has been fair and that is my rating. Very
unusual but you are fair. You didn’t show or play
partisanship, you saw and said it the way it was. I have
seen the media during a lot of other elections but this
particular one you were very, very fair. And I hope that will
be the trend.

What is your assessment about the performance of the
present administration so far?
So far, I am confident that they are doing well.
Sound advice
They have identified the problems and they look resolute in
confronting these problems head-on and there are a lot of
people in the society who are offering a lot of sound advice
on what to do.

Are you missing your friend MKO Abiola?
Let me see, last week, I dug out one of the letters he wrote
to me and I read it, so that shows that I still miss him.

What is your best food?
I eat everything legal that is not against my religion, I don’t
eat pork meat. I eat cereals, carbohydrate, give me anything
I will eat it.

Recently, your political god son was being drafted into the
contest for the president of FIFA (cuts in sharply)

I will vote for him. (Prolonged laughter). No doubt, he made
a very good outing, that is talking about his personal interest
in sports especially football when he was a governor.
The Enyimba Football Club during his tenure as governor
was brought into limelight. He was very much interested in
soccer and if he is as such recognised in this country and
outside, there is nothing wrong in trying his hand to be
recognised in the world and that was why I said if I have a
vote, I will cast it for him.




http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/how-i-escaped-orkars-coup-ibrahim-babangida/

By Femi Aribisala
“I have houses in at least 188 countries in the world, so I am
richer than Bill Gates.” (Adeboye).
Recently, a friend took me to the jewel-in-the-crown of the
Redeemed Christian Church of God; a glitzy parish called
“City of David” in Victoria Island, Lagos. Displayed
resplendently on a wall in the church-office is a design of
their current building project; a 14 storey architectural
extravaganza titled “Trinity Towers.”
Is Redeemed
still a church
or is it now
essentially a
business
concern? The
Trinity
Towers
project
shows the
lines are now
totally
blurred.
Jesus warns:
“No one can
serve two
masters. You
cannot serve
both God and
Money.” (Matthew 6:24). Nevertheless, this Tower of
Babylon being built with church funds is designed both for
the worship of God and for the worship of money.
The project is an appeal to crass commercialism; a blatant
celebration of wealth. In this poverty-stricken Nigeria, the
foundation of the building alone is expected to cost over 2
billion naira. Side-by-side with a 5,000 seat auditorium for
church services are high-brow restaurants, cafeterias,
indoor swimming pools, cinema halls, gymnasiums, retail
shops, games arcades, lawn tennis courts, relaxation spots,
and a helipad as the crowning glory. Of what relevance is all
this “supermarket” in a church?
Anointing for carnality
A church-member, overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all,
buttonholed me in the hallway. I did not know him from
Adam, nevertheless, he held me hostage as he waxed lyrical
about how the Redeemed Church was, to use his words:
“taking over.” “We have already got the vice-presidency,” he
said. (The vice-president of Nigeria is now a Redeemed
pastor). “Next we will get the presidency,” he continued;
“and then we will get DSTV;” (a South African satellite
television network).
The anointing for this pride of life flows right from the top.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Church is Pastor
Adeboye. A few years ago, he decided he needed a billion
naira without which his “work of God” could not be done. So
he confounded the Christian faith by establishing a
“millionaire’s club.” To be a member, you had to hand over
a million naira to him in Jesus’ name.
Thereafter, he upped the ante by calling for a “billionaire’s
club.” He announced that he would be building an
auditorium that can only be described as “fantabulous.” It
would be a ginormous three kilometers in length and three
kilometers in breadth. This project is clearly more designed
to get Adeboye into the Guinness Book of World Records
than it is to get the members of Redeemed into the kingdom
of God.
Declared Adeboye on that occasion: “We need 1 billion naira
from ten people. If you are one of them, please see my
personal Secretary after we finish today.” Who are those
likely to have this kind of money to give in the Nigeria of
today except those who have cornered public funds?
Thereafter, an announcer sought to know the members of
the church who were “willing to join hands with our Father in
the Lord to build a new auditorium to God’s glory.”
Vanity upon vanity
The proposed auditorium is not to the glory of God. The
proposed auditorium is to the glory of Adeboye. Adeboye’s
project is reminiscent of Saul’s, who built a monument to
himself. (1 Samuel 15:12). Nowhere in the entire New
Testament was money ever collected for putting up a
building. Money was only collected for the poor. The temple
of God is no longer a physical building. The temple of God is
now Jesus Christ.
Pastor Adeboye is getting increasingly carried away by
vanity. I have a tape of a question-and-answer session he
had with his church-workers a number of years ago in which
he boasted that the time would soon come when, before
anybody could aspire to be president of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, he would first have to talk to Redeemed Church.
Nothing in the scriptures can be construed as suggesting
this as one of the stated objectives of Jesus Christ.
A Redeemed church-member told me of another meeting he
attended captioned: “A Day Out with the G.O.” It was a
dinner for financial sponsors of one of the annual “Holy
Ghost Festivals.” Pastor Adeboye boasted tongue-in-cheek
on that occasion that the time would soon come when the
Queen of England would plead to join Redeemed in order to
work as an usherette. The audience reportedly responded
with wild applause and shouts of “Amen.”
Richer than Bill Gates
At the just-concluded 63rd Annual Convention of the
Redeemed Church, Adeboye declared that he is now richer
than Bill Gates; widely acknowledged as the richest man in
the world. He said: “I have houses in at least 188 countries
in the world, where we have our churches, so I am richer
than Bill Gates. Each time I visit these countries, my
children would be struggling and saying daddy, come and
stay with me.”
These “houses” don’t belong to Adeboye; they belong to
Redeemed church. Knowingly or unknowingly, Adeboye
distorts the gospel. Jesus says: “All who have given up
home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or
children or land for me will be given a hundred times as
much. They will also have eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29).
However, Jesus words are spirit. (John 6:63). Therefore, his
“houses” are entirely spiritual, while Adeboye’s are
physical. Jesus does not make his disciples richer than Bill
Gates. Instead, he says: “God will bless you people who are
poor. His kingdom belongs to you! But you rich people are
in for trouble. You have already had an easy life!” (Luke
6:20/24).
Adeboye continued: “If I announce here that tomorrow
morning, I need a car to travel to the new auditorium, how
many cars do you think would be made available to me by
you my children? Those of you that do not have a car of
your own, very soon, God will give you your own cars. So, I
am appealing to you to become an incurable soul winner
before you leave this convention ground and your cup will
overflow.”
Anathema to Christ
This is nothing but the enticing word of man’s wisdom.
Believers don’t preach the gospel in order to receive cars.
We do because God commands that we do so.
Jesus had neither chariots nor horses. He had no lands and
houses. Indeed, he warned a prospective disciple who
wanted to follow him they would not be staying at the
“Sheraton Hotel:” “The foxes have holes, and the birds of
the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
his head.” (Matthew 8:20).
Jesus does not speak like Adeboye. He says: “A disciple is
not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is
enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a
servant like his master.” (Matthew 10:24-25). Jesus’
example is anathema to Adeboye’s declaration that he is
now the richest man in the world.
This is the word of Jesus the Adeboyes of this age choose
to ignore: “It’s terribly hard for rich people to get into the
kingdom of heaven! In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into
God’s kingdom.” (Matthew 19:23-24).



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/pastor-adeboye-the-richest-man-in-the-world/

Forty-eight hours after President Muhammadu Buhari
directed the Military High Command to ensure the end of
Boko Haram in the next three months, Nigerian Airforce
fighter jets recently deployed to the North East, have
commenced air bombardments of Sambisa forest to
decapitate the remaining terrorist’s camps and bunkers of
the group.
A statement signed by the Director of Airforce Public
Relations, Air Commodore dele Alonge said, “The Nigerian
Military in its resolution to incapacitate and further degrade
the fighting spirit of Boko Haram Terrorist Group (BHT), has
carried out several bombings and air strike missions in
Sambisa Forest.
“The strike missions came after several weeks of tactical
reconnaissance by the reconnaissance/ surveillance
aircraft.
“The air strikes carried out by F-7NI and Alpha Jet fighter
aircraft, as well as attack helicopters have resulted in the
degradation of the terrorist’s capabilities and destruction of
some of their strong holds.
File: Sambisa Forest
“Intelligence report revealed that as aftermath of the strike
missions, the terrorists have been confined and their
capabilities greatly reduced, thereby restricting their
nefarious activities to small scale attacks and suicide
bombings.
Continuing, Commodore Along said “The Chief of Air Staff,
Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar assures all Nigerians that the
air efforts would be sustained until the Boko Haram
Activities becomes a thing of the past.
He further stated that, the Nigerian Air Force with their
support is ‘Willing, Able and Ready’ to meet up with current
and future security challenges of the Nation.
Recall that last Thursday, the Chief of Air Staff, ordered the
deployment of more fighter aircraft to the North East to help
dislodge Boko Haram terrorists from the area.
Air Commodore Alonge had in a statement noted, “In a
renewed drive to crush the fighting wills of the Boko Haram
Terrorist (BHT) group, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has
deployed additional combat platforms to North East Nigeria
in support of the ongoing counter-insurgency operation
codenamed ‘OPERATION LAFIYA DOLE’.
“The newly deployed platforms include the F-7Ni fighter
(supersonic) aircraft, Mi-24/35 attack helicopters, Augusta
109 LUH, Super Puma Combat Support helicopter and
ATR-42 surveillance aircraft which hitherto had been away
for scheduled maintenance”.
Continuing Alonge said, “The provision of additional
platforms in the North-East is in line with President
Mohammadu Buhari’s mandate to bring an end to
insurgency in the North-East.
“The new deployment is aimed at boosting existing military
efforts to defeat the Boko Haram Terrorists. It is also
expected to enhance the capability of the Nigerian Armed
Forces to fight in a more proactive and efficient manner.”


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/nigerian-air-force-begins-bombardment-of-sambisa-forest/

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj-Gen (rtd)
Babagana Monguno and four other Service Chiefs for
Defence, Nigerian Army, Air Force and Police have declared
to end Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed many lives
and property in the North East sub-region of the country.
Monguno made the “declarations and pledges” yesterday in
Maiduguri, when five Service Chiefs paid an official courtesy
visit to Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state at the
Government House.
The four other Service Chiefs include the Chief of Defence
Staff, Maj-Gen. Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army
Staff, Maj-Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of the Air Staff, Air
Marshal Baba Sadiq Abubakar; and the Inspector General of
Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, led by Monguno.
He said the most pressing issue in the country, was the
Boko Haram insurgency; and that was why President
Muhammadu Buhari has replaced all the Service Chiefs to
end these terror attacks and bombings in the affected North
East sub-region of Nigeria.
“There was a tendency of replacing the service chiefs with a
mandate from the President to end Boko Haram insurgency
that has claimed a lot of lives and property in the North
East. In less than 24 hours after we were sworn in and
decorated by the President, we are here in Maiduguri, the
Borno state capital for the reassessment of military
operations end insurgency in three months,” said Monguno;
noting that the President has picked the right service chiefs
end terrorism.
He assured the governor and the people of Borno state that
the service chiefs, will not be found wanting fight and end
Boko Haram insurgency that has claimed many lives and
property.
“For us here in Maiduguri to end this insurgency, we are to
assess all the military operational details that will facilitate
various ‘aerial and ground troops’ fight Boko Haram to the
finish. This could be completed before we can launch a
consistent and rapid campaign against terror and terrorists
activities in the North East and the country at large,” pledges
Monguno yesterday.
He however noted that the military alone cannot end
insurgency that has already destroyed many people’s lives
and property.
He said the victory over Boko Haram cannot be won,
without involving the larger society.
“We are not going to work against your interest of restoring
peace and unity in the North East. We are here to all of your
affected by this terrorism that claimed the lives of many of
your sons, daughters, parents, guardians, including your
traditional and religious leaders sacked from towns and
villages for over six years. We want you also to help us with
credible information end this insurgency,” warning that the
people should come out from their closets and assist the
military end insurgency.
Responding, Governor Shettima said that the people had
been cooperating with the military and other security
agencies end Boko Haram insurgency; that has caused a lot
of havoc on people’s lives and property for the five or six
years.
“We are giving you our unalloyed support and cooperation to
all the Service Chiefs committed in fighting to end this Boko
Haram madness that killed over 300, 000 people and the
destruction of towns and villages in 20 Local Government
Areas of our state, Borno,” said Shettima to Monguno, who
led the delegation of service chiefs.
On victims of insurgency, Shettima said: “We will continue to
work for the people by investing in education, so that our
children and future generations do not become another new
set of insurgents.
“We are saying that we are against Boko Haram, because of
the establishment of our Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) to
end this madness of incessant killings and destruction of
people’s property in not only in Borno state, but the
neighbouring states of Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Taraba and
Bauchi in the North East.
“If this Boko Haram madness comes to an end; your names
will be written in gold; and the country and its citizenry be
proud of all of you here in Maiduguri”.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/nsa-service-chiefs-avow-end-to-boko-haram-insurgency/

Leader of the Niger Delta groups and the President/Founder
of Concerned Niger-Delta Youths Initiative (CNDYI), Ebis
Orubebe, in this interview spoke on why the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) lost the 2015 presidential polls and
how to maintain peace in the Niger-Delta.
On why the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP lost the 2015
presidential polls
There was serious internal crisis within the PDP, which led
to the defection of some important members including
governors, legislators and other leaders. Secondly, this
insecurity challenge, especially Boko Haram, was a key
factor the opposition took advantage of. Thirdly, you know
Nigeria politics; politics of North and South. Some northern
leaders accused Dr Goodluck Jonathan of refusing to
honour the zoning agreement. I do not know when that
agreement was reached, where it was discussed. That was
a key factor, the entire North felt power should return to the
region. Also, some persons within the party did not do well.
We see it as a betrayal, the way they lost scandalously in
their areas.
After the election the problem of insecurity appears to have
increased, what do you think is responsible?
When the Boko Haram
insurgency started many
Nigerians felt it was just
Jonathan’s problem. So people
rather than joining him to fight
they were busy blaming him.
Even the people from places
where this crisis is going on
were seeing it as just Jonathan’s
problem. So that is how it
basically got to this point. As we
can see, this problem has gone
beyond just Nigeria.
These people have connections with ISIS, Al-Qaeda and
other international terrorist organizations. I will call on all
Nigerians to support the current President and the
government, to see how we would put hands together and
fight it.
On whether the crisis in the Niger-Delta region will re-
surface under President Buhari
Even before the election there were some set of youths, let
me call them ex-agitators who threatened that if Jonathan
was not re-elected they were going to take up arms again.
We reached out to these agitators and some youth leaders
to take the result of the elections. I still see some forms of
threat, especially on the part of the ex-agitators; arising
from what is going on in the current government, which I
may call witch-hunt. As of last count, we have three aides to
the former president from the Niger Delta, who are being
detained and no one has come up to tell us the reasons for
their detention. I have my fears, because I know the role we
played to make sure that there is peace in the region; and if
this witch-hunt is not halted with immediate effect, I doubt
that we will continue to enjoy peace in the Niger-Delta.
How do you think this looming crisis can be prevented?
As a group, we are still planning some programmes to bring
the youths together. First and foremost, looking at the crisis
in the North-Eastern part of the country, we want to work
with the youths over there because they are our brothers,
and anything happening there affects every one of us. We
are also planning programmes and activities that will
continue to foster peaceful co-existence among Niger-Delta
youths. We have been trying to bring various warring
factions and youth groups in the region together to maintain
peace.
We are planning a meeting with the newly elected leaders in
the region, especially the governors and legislators, to see
how we can pursue a common goal, which is the
development of the Niger-Delta, peacefully.
What is your advice to Mr. President on the potential crisis
in the region?
In President Muhammadu Bahari’s inaugural speech, he
promised to improve on programmes that were already in
place and that Niger-Delta in particular will have a special
place in his government. So, we are hoping that he will keep
to his promise.
You are the President/Founder of Concerned Niger-Delta
Youths Initiative (CNDYI), what is the group about?
The aim of this group is to promote peace and unity among
Niger-Delta youths in particular and Nigerian youths in
general.
It was formed as a result of the polarization of youths’
groups over the years which has become a tool in the hands
of selfish politicians with their divisive tendencies and other
Niger-Delta forces.
We set up this group to bring these youths together in order
to foster unity among them as leaders of tomorrow.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/buhari-must-ensure-niger-delta-does-not-boil-again-orubebe/

laoma4u:
Physics is a very strong course. If you made a 2.1 your chances are even juicier. You can apply to oil companies especially servicing companies as either a petrophysicist or a geophysicist. You can also further for your masters in geophysics. A lot of scholarship opportuinities there. With a course like physics, your options are unlimited. Provided ypu made a good grade shaa..

bros chemistry nko

The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in
Makurdi on Thursday fixed Aug. 18 for former Senate
President, David Mark to testify in person.

Mark was dragged to the tribunal by his only contender,
Daniel Onjeh of the All Progresses Congress (APC) over his
declaration by INEC as the winner of the Benue South
Senatorial election.

Onjeh had argued that the elections were marred by
electoral malpractices and substantial breaches of the
Electoral Act 2011 as amended.

He also averred that INEC officials were compromised and
voters were financially induced by the PDP agents at the
various polling units in the district.

The petitioner, therefore, urged the court to nullify the
election and order for fresh poll.
Mark’s Counsel, Mr Kenneth Ikonne, had told the tribunal on
Thursday that his client would be appearing in person to
testify during the next adjourned date to enable him close
his case.

Ikonne had also called five witnesses who testified that the
elections were free and fair.
The witnesses denied financial inducement of voters as
alleged by petitioner.

However, under cross-examination by petitioner’s Counsel,
Mr Tunji Oso, one of the witnesses, Mr Abuh Adesi, admitted
that card readers were used to accredit voters in his polling
unit.
Adesi had earlier deposed in his written statement that
incident forms were used for accreditation instead of card
readers in his polling unit.

At the end of the testimonies and cross-examinations,
Ikonne prayed for an adjournment, promising to close his
case with the testimony of Mark.

The tribunal Chairman, Justice Mosumola Dipeolu,
adjourned the case to Aug.18, for further defence.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/08/buhari-sacks-npa-md-reinstates-abdullahi/

brize:
No stew or sauce, Do you think this food will digest?

I Don put the onion and tomatoes. sorry for the delay for the maggi