₦airaland Forum

About fifteen "Alfas" have been attending to the health of Nigeria's sick President, Umaru Yar'Adua, since he was evacuated from a Saudi hospital to Nigeria, against the advice of the medical team attending to him, in the wake of the National Assmbly's declaration of the then Vice-president as acting President. "Alfas" are moslem spiritualists who offer prayers to people in spiritual needs.

chidi opara reports can now reveal that these "Alfas", most of whom come from the Republics of Niger and Chad were hired by the President's first wife, Hadjia Turai Yar'Adua. They are led by a certain "Mahmud" from Borno state. These "Alfas" are lodged at a privately owned property in Lafia, capital city of Nasarawa state, from where they are driven to the Presidential villa every night for midnight prayer sessions and sacrifices on behalf of the ailing President. They are usually conveyed to the villa in different brands of unmarked mini luxurious buses with tinted windshields and are usually driven back to Lafia before dawn.

The success recorded so far in these prayer sessions, chidi opara reports learnt on good authority was what have been fueling speculations about the President's resumption of duty. The President is reported to have recovered enough to sit and discuss for minutes, although his speeches are still largely incoherent. There is also report of occassional relapse into unconsciousness.

It was speculated that the President would attend yesterday's Jumat service at the National mosque Abuja. "At the close of service", according to a citizen reporter, "there was no sign of the President".

At the President's family house in Yar'Adua quarters in Katsina, Katsina state, our network members have severally noticed "Alfas" hired by the President's mother offering prayers and sacrifices for the speedy recovery of Mr. President.

Source: http://chidioparareports..com/2010/03/news-report-nigerias-sick-president.html

By Chidi Anthony Opara

For the very few who do not know Odia Ofeimun, he is a Nigerian poet and regular commentator on socio-political, economic and cultural issues in Nigeria. He is a protégé of Professor Wole Soyinka.

Ofeimun held the posts of publicity secretary, general secretary and President of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA).

He is also known to be the quasi-godfather of the informal Lagos-Ibadan-Ife literary fraternity, whose influence has extended to the Internet.

At the age of twenty-five, Poet Odia Ofeimun wrote a collection of poems titled “The Poet Lied”, which his friends in the Lagos-Ibadan press like to call “magnum opus”. Other collections were to follow later.

The poet recently turned sixty and as expected, the Lagos-Ibadan news circuit was abuzz with news, articles and interviews of “Odia Ofeimun at 60”. Internet sites moderated/edited by the poet’s protégés were not left out of the frenzy.

While the buzz lasted, one read most of the interviews, which surprisingly dwelt on personal issues like; why Ofeimun have not yet considered it appropriate to get married and why he has not yet written a book on his stint as Obafemi Awolowo’s private secretary.

Having held the post of President of ANA, an influential and hitherto vocal body of the literati in Nigeria, it is a known fact that the poet’s influence in the body is enormous. So how come a question bordering on the embarrassing silence of ANA during the unfortunate Yar’Adua health debacle when other organizations took positions was not put across to the poet even once?

It would have been good to read about the efforts (if any), Odia Ofeimun made to move ANA to take a position, at least for the sake of posterity during the unfortunate period, and if no efforts were made in this direction, it would have been equally good to know why.

This in fact, is one question I would have asked Odia Ofeimun on his 60th birthday anniversary if I had the opportunity.

(From Facebook Note)

A last minute meeting initiated between representatives of Nigeria's immediate past Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, members of the Yar'Adua cabal and South-eastern governors by rtd. General Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria's immediate past President, have paid off. Akunyili's name have been included in the list of ministerial nominees before the Senate, bringing the list to thirty. Twenty-five names had earlier been submitted.

Following intense lobby to stop the nomination of Professor Akunyili by a combined team of lobbyists from the Yar'Adua group and South-eastern governors, the Acting President, chidi opara reports learnt had called Obasanjo, known to be pushing the Akunyili nomiation to alert him of the situation.

Further information has it that Obasanjo realizing the extent of the anti Akunyili campaign pleaded with the National Security Adviser(NSA), "to do something about the situation".

It was further revealed to us that a meeting was convened by the NSA this morning to resolve the differences. The meeting which started at about 9.30 am and ended at about 12.15pm had in attendance, two representatives of the former Minister, two representatives of the Yar'Adua group, five representatives of the South-eastern governors, an Obasanjo representative and a senior aide of the NSA(presiding).

Preofessor Akunyili's representaives were said to have made promises of "good behaviour" on behalf of the controversial former Minister.

Ministerial List So Far:
1. Engineer Chris Ogienwonyi
2. Josephine Anenih
3. Adetokunbo Kayode
4. Godsday Orubebe
5. Dieziani Allison-Madueke
6. Fidelia Njeze
7. Somo Nuhu Wya
8. Odein Ajumogobia
9. Akinlabi Olasunkanmi
10. Professor M.K. Abubakar
11. Navy Captain N. S. Olubolade
12. Ndanusa Alao
13. Alhaji Murtallab Yar’Adua
14. Hon. Nduese Essien 
15. Alhaji Umaru Aliyu
16. Alhaji Abubakar Sadiq
17. Olusegun Olutoyin Aganga
18. Labaran Maku
19. Josephine Tapgun
20. Bello adoke
21. Ernest Odebola
22.Emeka Worgu
23. Suleiman Bello
24. Sanusi Dagash
25. Bala Mohammed
26. Dora Akunyili
27. Shamsuddeen Usman
28. Emmanuel Iheanacho
29. Musa Sada
30. Sheikh Abdullah

Source: http://chidioparareports..com/2010/03/news-report-dora-akunyilis-last-minute.html

The erstwhile Nigerian Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili may not make it to the new cabinet to be constituted soon by Nigeria's Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

chidi opara reports was reliably informed that the former Minister, whose controversial memo to the last Executive Council of the Federation(EXCOF), requesting the body to take decission on the health status of President Umaru Yar'Adua, offended some powerful interests, is reported to be finding it difficult to lobby her way into the new cabinet. Akunyili and forty-one others lost their jobs in a recent cabinet dissolution.

The former Minister's lobbyists which included a chieftain of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, "Ohaneze ndi Igbo", could not get the ears of rtd. General Ibrahim Babangida on a recent visit to his mansion in Minna, Niger state. Babangida we learnt, rather detailed one of his junior aides to hear the lobbyists out. Dora Akunyili is from the Igbo ethnic stock.

Worse treatment was said to have been meted out to the former Minister's lobbyists at the residence of rtd. Lt. General Theophilus Danjuma in Abuja. "They were hardly allowed into the compound", a contact close to the "Ohaneze ndi Igbo" chieftain confided in chidi opara reports. Danjuma is the chairman of the recently inaugurated Presidential Advisory Committee(PAC).

Even former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is known to have facilitated Dora Akunyili's inclusion into the last cabinet is reported to be keeping a safe distance from the controversial ex Minister. Some Obasanjo insiders who spoke to some of our network members however assured that the immediate past President's current attitude to the erstwhile Information and communications Minister was a ploy to deceive the anti Akunyili elements who are bent on fraustrating her coming back. "Let me assure you that Madam's name will be on the final list", an Obasanjo insider volunteered to chidi opara reports in Abeokuta yesterday.

Our checks in the South-east have also revealed that governors from the region where the former Minister hail from, are opposed to her coming back. They, according to unconfirmed information at our disposal  are accusing her of being too independent minded.

Source:
http://chidioparareports..com/2010/03/news-report-dora-akunyili-may-not-make.html

The dissolution of the federal cabinet by Nigeria's Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan on wednesday 17th march, 2010 after the weekly meeting of The Executive Council Of The Federation have the imprint of the newly appointed National Security Adviser(NSA), rtd. Lt. General Aliyu Gusau. Gusau was also the National Security Adviser till the later part of the Olusegun Obasanjo civilian Administration when he left to join the contest in the primary election of the Peoples' Democratic Party(PDP), which he lost to President Umaru Yar'Adua.

The cabinet dissolution, chidi opara reports learnt authoritatively was to be the first official assignment of the Acting President. "A disturbing security report" however, forced him to put the assignment on hold.

Strategically placed security contacts had informed us some weeks ago that the said security report painted a picture of a plot to take over government by a group of middle rank officers in the military. This group was alleged to have the backing of a group of International Oil and Gas tycoons with business interests in Nigeria.

Bent on asserting his authority, the Acting President reportedly reached out to the trio of Olusegun Obasanjo, Theophilus Danjuma and Ibrahim Babangida. They were said to have advised that Aliyu Gusau should be made the National Security Adviser to check any untoward security situation that may arise from the impending cabinet dissolution, although Babangida reportedly initially nominated Haliru Akilu, a former military intelligence chief, contacts said that he finally deffered to Obasanjo and Danjuma, his seniors during the years in service.

On assumption of duty, Gusau who is reputed to be one the best Intelligence experts in sub-saharan Africa and also said to have wide range of strategic contacts within and outside Nigeria, reportedly worked on these contacts. By 8.30 pm on monday 15th march, 2010, the spymaster was said to have turned in a report which stated in part that "potential troublemakers have been demobilized for now".

Armed with this report, the Acting President directed his media aides to schedule a national broadcast in which the cabinet dissolution would be announced for 9.00pm on thursday 18th march, 2010.

A high level security contact told chidi opara reports that the change was a last minute security measure also advised by the NSA.

Source: http://chidioparareports..com/2010/03/news-report-dissolution-of-cabinet-has.html

Thanks to http://www.chidioparareports..com for this news

After receiving the baton of ignorance from his Bayelsa state counterpart, the governor of Delta State declared in the Vanguard newspaper of February 22, 2010 that "the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) is a media creation."


This assertion coming from the same person who claimed publicly that an oil pipeline can be destroyed by one man armed with a bottle of petrol, is hardly surprising. What is surprising is how he managed to obtain a science degree.

Thinking of no better way to announce our continued presence in the Niger Delta to Mr Uduaghan, operatives of MEND today March 15, 2010, successfully breached the security at the Delta state government house in Warri and planted three explosive devices in and around this compound which is the venue of the Vanguard Post Amnesty Dialogue organised by the Vanguard newspaper.

These devices will be detonated remotely:
In our usual effort to prevent the loss of innocent life, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta advises the immediate evacuation of the the Government House annex Warri and its immediate surroundings up to the Delta state Brodcasting Corporation.

The time given for this evacuation before the detonation of the first bomb is thirty (30) minutes which will elapse by 1130 hrs Nigerian time. The primary school bordering the government house annex should be evacuated immediately!

The first bomb will be detonated at exactly 1130 hrs. We will thereafter advise on the other devices planted within and around the venue of the vanguard newspaper organised and Delta state sponsored conference. Organisers and participants at this jamboree will ignore this warning at their peril !!!

People must not remain in their cars and attempt to drive their cars and maintain safe distance from all cars and the area!

The deceit of endless dialogue and conferences will no longer be tolerated. The lands of the people of the Niger Delta was stolen by the oil companies and Northern Nigeria with the stroke of a pen.

The vanguard organized and delta state sponsored conference is one of such tools of deception. The Niger Delta has been partitioned into oil blocks which have been distributed amongst mostly Northerners while indegenes of the Niger Delta can barely survive. One such example being General T.Y. Danjuma.

It is common knowlede that no southerner can lay claim to an inch of land in the North so why should we continue to talk as the occupation of our land and theft of our reources by the oil companies and Northern Nigeria persists?

The governors of the Niger Delta are shameless and visionless stooges who are more concerned with looting their state treasuries and seeking a second term in office, even against the wishes of their people.

MEND will attack any such gatherings designed to propagate more falsehood. Members of the public are hereby warned to avoid such gatherings as they may not be fortunate to have a warning before detonation.

In the coming days, we will carry out a number of attacks against installations and oil companies across the Niger Delta and will spread out to companies such as Total which have been spared in the past. We hope the actions which will follow will persuade Mr Uduaghan that we exist outside of cyberspace.

Jomo Gbomo

Source: http://chidioparareports..com/2010/03/news-release-from-mend-bomb-alert-in.html

The masacre of inhabitants of Dogo Hawa village in Jos allegedly by Fulani cattle rearers at the early hours of sunday, 7th march 2010 have polarized Berom and Fulani security operatives into ethnic divides, chidi opara reports have learnt.

Security managers in the services are reported to be having problems maintaining comradeship, a necessary condition for team work in security operations.

A security contact told us that the way communications was managed immediately after the mayhem pitched security operatives from the Berom and Fulani stocks against each other. "The Beroms and the Fulanis in the security services now see each other as enemies", this contact volunteered.

Another contact who is a retired State Security Services(SSS) operative, who now consults for highly placed individuals and companies, told us that "the mutual suspicion between the Fulanis and the Berom in the security services would hamper effective operations".

Investigation by chidi opara reports revealed that the Beroms and the Fulanis in the security services now prefer to foward reports first to their respective ethnic leaders before passing same to the appropriate quarters.

We also found out that operatives in the State Security Service from the Berom ethnic group who work under officers from the Fulani stock, look for one excuse or the other to be absent from duty. One Berom SSS operative deployed to one of the airports whose immediate boss is Fulani, told one of our network members that; "my oga is a nice man sha, but then I am Berom and he is Fulani, you know what I mean".

Meanwhile. tension have continued to build in Plateau and neighbouring states with some Berom leaders reportedly making contacts with militant elements in the South-east, South-west and South-south regions of Nigeria. chidi opara reports was unable to verify this information at the time of preparing this report.

Source: http://chidioparareports..com/2010/03/news-report-jos-massacre-polarizes.html

Indications have emerged that retired Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Theophilus Danjuma and Ibrahim Babangida have decided to sink their political differences and work together.

The trio was in power from 1976 to1979. While Obasanjo held the post of Head of State, Danjuma was Chief of Army Staff and Babangida as a colonel was a member of the Supreme Military Council(SMC), the highest decision making organ of the Federation then. Babangida later became military President in 1985.

These retired Army topshots parted ways during the  second term of the Obasanjo civilian Presidency when conflicts arose in their political interests.

The Goodluck Jonathan (Acting) Presidency, chidi opara reports learnt have now brought them together. We learnt on good authority that bringing the retired Generals together was part of the Acting President's strategy to contain the influential and stubborn Yar'Adua group and consolidate power. Dr. Jonathan's ascendance to the position was opposed by the Yar'Adua group.

Contacts close to the Acting President have confirmed to us that Dr. Jonathan on transforming to the position held separate meetings with Obasanjo, Danjuma and Babangida. During the meetings, the Acting President was said to have impressed it on each of the retired Generals the need to place the peace and stability of the nation above personal interests and the need for them to work together in the nation's interests. These meetings we learnt was followed by another between the Generals in a guest house said to belong to one of Danjuma's companies at the Gwarimpa estate in Abuja.

"Very soon, the outcome of this rapproachment would start to manifest", a contact close to Obasanjo told one of our network members in Lagos. The first outcome of this re-union may be the recent appointment of Danjuma as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee(PAC) and the re-appointment of retired General Aliyu Guasu as National Security Adviser(NSA). Security contacts have also confirmed to chidi opara reports that Gusau is very close to the trio.

Source: http://chidioparareports..com/2010/03/news-report-nigerias-three-most.html

Nigeria's Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, is yet to have access to the cateory "A" classified Information vault located in the inner chamber of the President's office. The unlock code of the vault is only known to Presidents and Heads of State of the Federation. Any President or Head of State can however, change the code.

Presidency insiders have revealed to chidi Opara reports that the President's office have remained under lock since the President left to Saudi Arabia on November, 2010 for health reasons.

We also learnt authoritatively that even when Dr. Jonathan became Acting President, the President's office where he is supposed to use as his new office is still under lock on the instruction of the President's Chief Security Officer, who is believed to be receiving instructions only from the President's first wife, Mrs. Turai Yar'Adua.

An attempt by the Acting President's Chief Security detail, acting on orders from Dr. Jonathan, to investigate the matter recently, we learnt, nearly resulted in a bloody clash between him and the President's Chief Security Officer. The investigation was reportedly, promptly stopped on orders from the Acting President.

One senior Presidency contact informed chidi opara reports that the meeting scheduled between the Acting President and Mrs. Yar'Adua has opening of the President's office for use by Dr. Jonathan as the main issue. "Even if he can enter the office, he cannot unlock the vault, except if the President reveals the code to him", our contact revealed. We have not been able so far to independently confirm if the meeting held or not.

The category "A" classified Information vault, according to high level security contacts, contains very sensitive Information which the President or Head of State needs to take very strategic decissions.

Our independent investigation revealed that the President's home coming against the advice of his doctors is mainly to forestall planned legal moves by the Acting President  to gain access to the President's office and the Information vault. chidi opara reports also learnt that denying the Acting President access to the vault has the blessing of Nigeria's former military Heads of State, some of whom we learnt have expressed fears that the Information therein may be put to "other uses", by the Acting President whom they still see as an outsider in the corridor of power.

Source: http://chidioparareports..com/2010/02/news-report-nigerias-acting-president_27.html

chidi opara reports can now report that Nigeria's Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, contrary to media reports, knew about the home coming of President Umaru Yar'Adua atleast twelve hours before the commencement of the journey from Saudi Arabia.

Reliable contacts in the Nigerian Presidency informed us that as soon as the President was discharched from hosptal at the prompting of his first wife, Turai Yar'Adua and other close associates, the Saudi King phoned to inform the Acting President of the development. We also learnt that the Nigerian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia also called to inform the Acting President.

chidi opara reports have confirmed that as soon as the Acting President learnt of the President's discharge from hospital, he sought to know when the President would be home, but no definite date was given to him. "They only told him that Mr. President would be back in a few days time", one contact revealed.

This lack of knowledge of a definite date, we learnt, did not stop the Acting President from making logistics available to the President's family. For instance, even though the Saudi King would still have made his private Air Ambulance available for the President's journey, he however, requested that the Nigerian government should officially request for it, which we learnt authoritatively that the Acting President did.

A low level but strategically placed contact at the Nigerian Army Headquarters informed us that the Acting President signed the instrument for the deployment of soldiers to the Airport at about 5.13pm on Monday 22nd february 2010. chidi opara reports was not able to access this instrument at the time of preparing this report.

We can however report that at the moment, the Acting President is still reaching out to the Yar'Adua group with pledges of  loyalty and co-operation especially in the forthcoming Crude Oil licenses bids. We also learnt that though the group does not trust the Acting President, they have however resolved to work with him.

An unconfirmed information at our disposal has it that there is a plan by an International crude oil syndicate with a cell in Nigeria, who have benefitted immensely from the Yar'Adua Administration to sponsor a military take over of government if Yar'Adua is edged out of government. This plan is allegedly been cordinated by an Italian Oil and Gas tycoon based in Portharcourt, Rivers State.

Source:http://chidioparareports..com/2010/02/news-report-nigerias-acting-president.html

Source:http://chidioparareports..com/2010/02/editorial-dora-akunyili-hoopla.html

The Nigerian Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili recently wrote a memo to the Executive Council of the Federation, also known as the Federal Executive Council(FEC).

In the said memo, Professor Akunyili asked her colleagues to pass a resolution advising the ailing President, who have been out of the country since november, 2009 for medical reasons, to forward the necessary constitutional instrument to empower the Vice-president to assume duties as acting President to the appropriate quarters.

The Minister's memo is obviously a reaction to weeks of agitations by a cross-section of Nigerians calling on the sick President to follow the path of  constitutionalism by handing over authority to his deputy in acting capacity.

The memo which was leaked to the public before it could reach the Council, have been generating intense reactions, principal of which is the image of a defender of due process being pinned on the Minister.

Truly, Dora Akunyili's previous sojourns at the Petroleum Trust Fund(PTF) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control(NAFDAC), showcased her as a forthright public official.

This forthright image was however jettisoned when she was invited on board the Yar'Adua administration.

As Minister of Information and Communications, it has been the lot of Professor Akunyili to defend policies and programmes of the Yar'Adua administration, most of which are anti-people and a negation of what she hitherto stood for.

The present crisis is clearly a fall out of the President's refusal to hand over authority to his deputy before travelling to Saudi Arabia, this anomaly could not have been unknown to the Minister, yet we do not know of any efforts on her path to get the Council to advise the President to do the right thing.

Even when it became obvious that the President's stay in hospital would be long and agitations were on to force him to do the right thing, Madam Minister's voice was not heard. Now, after weeks of agitations by various segments of the citizenry both in the country and abroad, the Minister came up with her "courageous memo" and behold the nation is now abuzz with the Dora Akunyili hoopla.

chidi opara reports is of the opinion that the sooner Nigerians do away with this attitude of "flash in the pan heros", the better it would be for the nation.

Nigerian post-civil war protest culture is unfortunately largely foreign based. Present day Nigerian radical elements mostly prefer to protest from safe heavens(foreign nations). A Nigerian writer, journalist, musician, etc, who wants to embark on an anti-establishment project for example, relocates abroad, usually to Europe or America.

This is the major reason ballyhoos staged as protests in capital cities of some foreign nations in recent times could not register the level of impact needed to effect meaningful changes in the status quo.

Why for instance should a corrupt cabal sitting in the comfort of the presidential villa in Abuja, awash with petro/gas dollars, pick up its briefcase and vacate office just because a group of foreign based Nigerians and their friends are having jamborees on the streets of London, Washington and Moscow in the name of protests? No pragmatic person would expect that to happen of course since nothing was disrupted at the location in which the cabal is domiciled, as we normally say on the streets, “nothing spoil”. What would rather happen would be that this cabal would balance the situation by renting the ever available crowd to stage counter jamborees in its favour.

In rare occasions when these so called protests are staged locally, they are usually built around egocentric personalities who live mostly in the cities, with little or no contacts with the masses. When these super stars are eventually “taken out” one way or the other by this usually astute reactionary cabal, those left would be too unorganized to sustain a meaningful resistance.

What the Nigerian masses need at this point in time are “peoples’ warriors” in the mould of Fumilayo Ransome-Kuti and Margaret Ekpo, living with them and feeling their daily pains, to rise and lead them to sustained, localized and broad based resistance.

By Chidi Anthony Opara
   
http;//www.chidiopararesume..com