₦airaland Forum

President Buhari's Spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina's sister was involved in a ghastly motor accident.

Prof. Foluke Ogunleye an elder sister to Mr. Femi Adesina was former Head of Department of Dramatic Arts at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Mr. Adesina's sister was said to be on her way to Lagos from Ibadan.

Confirming her death to newsmen, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr. Abiodun Olanrewaju said she was a lecturer in the Dramatic Arts Department and she hailed from Ipetumodu in Osun state.

Late Ogunleye headed the Department of Dramatic Arts of OAU from 2006 till 2009.

Mr. Adesina's sister, Prof. Mrs Ogunleye, is popular for writing the plays, Nest In a Cage and Jabulile delivered her inaugural lecture early last year, about three decades after Prof. Wole Soyinka delivered his in the department. She was also the Executive Director, Ife International Film Festival of OAU.

Our condolence to Mr. Femi Adesina and the family of the bereaved.
http://www.thewhistleng.com/sad-news-buharis-spokesman-femi-adesina-loses-sister-in-ghastly-motor-accident/

“CBN Governor, why? Can you not advise Buhari? We need our naira ATM cards to survive.” “My father is a successful palm wine tapper. He is not a corrupt thief. We need our naira ATM (card)”, “My father is not a politician or government thief. He is only a businessman. I need my naira ATM (card).”

Nigerian international students took to the streets with many of the messages above to protest the restrictions on the use of naira debit and credit cards transactions outside Nigeria.

The CBN has provided an explanation but the students are not having it.

Nigerians in the Diaspora have also protested against the slashing of transaction allowance of their dollar-denominated debit and credit cards.

The Nigerian students were not alone but were joined by their foreign counterparts in expressing displeasure over the policy.

“Nigerian students abroad need their naira MasterCard (ATM) to survive,” a lady said. Nigeria-students-naira-card-protest

A text message sent by Standard Chartered Bank, among other banks in the country, said theservice will start in Jan. 1. But it’s already been effected.

“Dear Client, from January 1, 2016, you will be unable to use your Naira card abroad. This is due to shortage of FX. We regret any inconveniences,” the message by the bank said.

In his Budget speech, President Buhari acknowledged the pains and promised some flexibility but that remains a promise as the students can’t have it any more.

- See more and photos at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/nigerian-students-abroad-protest-buhari-cbn-naira-cards-restriction/#sthash.VXo4DKqH.dpuf

“CBN Governor, why? Can you not advise Buhari? We need our naira ATM cards to survive.” “My father is a successful palm wine tapper. He is not a corrupt thief. We need our naira ATM (card)”, “My father is not a politician or government thief. He is only a businessman. I need my naira ATM (card).”

Nigerian international students took to the streets with many of the messages above to protest the restrictions on the use of naira debit and credit cards transactions outside Nigeria.

The CBN has provided an explanation but the students are not having it.

Nigerians in the Diaspora have also protested against the slashing of transaction allowance of their dollar-denominated debit and credit cards.

The Nigerian students were not alone but were joined by their foreign counterparts in expressing displeasure over the policy.

“Nigerian students abroad need their naira MasterCard (ATM) to survive,” a lady said. Nigeria-students-naira-card-protest

A text message sent by Standard Chartered Bank, among other banks in the country, said theservice will start in Jan. 1. But it’s already been effected.

“Dear Client, from January 1, 2016, you will be unable to use your Naira card abroad. This is due to shortage of FX. We regret any inconveniences,” the message by the bank said.

In his Budget speech, President Buhari acknowledged the pains and promised some flexibility but that remains a promise as the students can’t have it any more.

- See more and photos at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/nigerian-students-abroad-protest-buhari-cbn-naira-cards-restriction/#sthash.VXo4DKqH.dpuf

Kano is in fuel scarcity crisis, it is about the most hit city where a litre of petroleum reportedly sells for N1,000 in some places.

kano-protestResidents of Kano under the aegis of the Kano Patriotic Forum have issued threats to embark on mass protest against Independent Petroleum Marketers in the state, which they accused of hoarding the product.

The fuel scarcity in the city has resulted in untold hardships to the people as commodity prices have skyrocketed in the city. Price monitored include; a bag of rice which sells for N10,000; cooking oil which sells for N1,400 as against N1,000 it was earlier sold.

The decision of the people to embark on the protest was disclosed by the Chairman of the KPF, Danjuma NaAllah, who alleged that the IPMAN members were exploiting the situation and making unhealthy profits.

The government has taken several measures to arrest the fuel scarcity situation in the state including rationing products and preventing motorists from purchasing fuel above N5000

- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/kano-residents-to-protest-fuel-scarcity/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter#sthash.C0CFjYI1.dpuf

The Whistle today remembers that Umuahia was captured this day 24th December in 1969 in the Nigerian Civil War. It has been 46 years since then. The Whistle republishes an opinion on the Nigerian Civil war by Cheta Nwanze. Read:

Today we will be looking at a chronology of the Nigerian Civil War which lasted for 30 months from July 1967 to January 1970. Because of the vexed nature of this issue, almost 50 years later, I will only state facts, there will be no sides taken... Interesting read for all


- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/46-years-since-capture-of-umuahia-nigerian-civil-war/#sthash.ELK3JPgR.dpuf

President Buhari is set to approach China for a loan as talks are set between Nigeria’s President and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping at the Forum for China-Africa Co-operation (FOCAC) in South Africa starting today, Friday. The loan which Nigeria will most certainly secure is flagged as risky as Nigeria’s debt load can be exacerbated by such additional funds as the country approaches its debt to revenue ratio as Nigeria’s main source, Oil continues to plummet in the World market. South Africa’s Rand Bank Merchant Bank (RMB) warned of the consequence of the loan. “The upshot is that the loan agreement would increase Nigeria’s debt burden. Although the state has the capacity to borrow externally, it runs the risk of breaching the ceiling on its debt service to revenue ratio.”

Nigeria’s total internal and external debt stock stood at N12.06 trillion ($63.5 billion) as of the beginning of the year. China has expressed interest in funding several projects, including a coastal railway project linking Lagos with Calabar.


- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/buhari-in-sa-debt-talks-with-china-risky-for-nigeria/#sthash.WMniJI0X.dpuf

IPOB’s Spokesperson in Anambra state, released some of the identities of the protesters shot dead by the Joint Task Force on Wednesday, as follows; Chima Onoh, from Enugu state, Kenneth Ogadinma from Abia State, Angus Chikwado and Felicia Egwuatu from Anambra State, including another, he said they got information was killed in Idemili side of Anambra State late Wednesday evening. He also said that the JTF killed a young lady that was later identified as Nkiruka and tried to take her corpse away.

According to an eye witness reporter, the men of the JTF men shooting sporadically at Obodoukwu Road by Nigerian Customs Service Onitsha. He identified Nkiruka is from Adazi Nnukwu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, a 200 level student of Federal College of Education Technical, Umunze and the only daughter of the family.

“Nkiruka was coming from Nigerian Customs Service by Asaba Onitsha Enugu expressway towards Obodoukwu Road and on hearing gun-shots, she ran into a restaurant and one of the JTF members shot her dead and was about taking her corpse away when her family came with an ambulance and spoke with the JTF men who later released the corpse to them.” However, the police from Anambra State had denied any killing by the JTF through the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Ali Okechukwu. Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society groups had called for immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Solomon Arase for his alleged shoot-at-sight order and roles in the Onitsha killings of protesting IPOB members. In a press statement released, yesterday, and signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, the coordinating principal of the coalition said it was equally important to inform that the Nigeria Police Force under Arase was already under the jurisdictional watch of the International Criminal Court as compilation and computation of cases of all police and military related extra judicial killings in the country were steadily in progress, adding, “for failing to heed our warning of 13th November 2015, we will be glad to ensure that IGP Arase and his named sub-commanders are handcuffed and flown to The Hague for the purpose of making them face international trial for crimes against humanity.”


According to the coalition: “We call on the IPOB and its teeming followers to remain peaceful, non- violent and law-abiding at all times, not minding the violence recently visited and unleashed on them.

“They must also watch their back and be extremely vigilant so as to ward off sustained efforts of some commissioned elements within the Federal Government, particularly its security establishments and stooges within the South East Governors Forum to implant elements of violence into their fold so as to destroy their globally -approved method of non- violence and peaceful means of agitation.”


- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/narrative-apc-behind-killings-of-protesters-in-onitsha-ipob-victims-identified-amid-sad-tales/#sthash.Ml3sM4j5.dpuf

You probably don’t know Sugabelly. I don’t know her either. But it is the twitter handle of a Nigerian lady: @sugabelly, who in the wake of the death of former Governor Abubakar Audu of Kogi State felt the urge to go public with her story. My foregrounding her/story as opposed to his/story, is further affirmation of an earlier submission that Audu’s death is “inconclusive” (The Guardian, Nov 27).

As the rest of Nigeria mourned the death of Abubakar Audu and pondered the implications of an inconclusive electoral process, Sugabelly showed up on social media and started celebrating his death. Her message was that the death of the man was good riddance to bad rubbish. “I feel so amazing”, she wrote. “Like God actually answered my prayers… That’s usually how it is. Powerful people rarely remember the people whose lives they destroy.” She alleged that Audu’s sons once gang-raped her- seven of them, when she was an impressionable 17-year old and that Governor Audu used his position as a big man to rubbish her, slammed her with a $2 million libel suit, denied her from getting justice, with his lawyers insisting that “14 years” is the age of consent under the Penal Code in the FCT, and so there is no case. For eight years, her life, she says, has been a nightmare including contemplations of suicide and spells of manic depression. Her frustration is well articulated in her twitter handle and an extended commentary titled “Surviving Mustapha Audu and His Rape Brigade”

I have heard people proclaim loudly that a traditional proverb says: “the witch cried last night and the child died in the morning” and they have been wondering whether there was some kind of extra-terrestial, meta-physical animus which led to Audu’s sudden death. Howbeit, Sugabelly’sallegation is that of rape. Her protestation made the rounds for a few days largely uncelebrated, but it caught fire last Friday. For days, rape was the subject of discussion on Nigerian twitter. Opinion was divided with some calling Sugabelly, “a LovePeddler” and a badly brought up child but soon, the weight tilted heavily in her favour as the reactions panned out to focus on the menace of rape and the devastating effect on persons, families, the victims and society.

One of the sons of Abubakar Audu was soon fingered as the leader of the rape brigade -by bothSugabelly and her staunchest supporter, @Echecrates. What happened subsequently is better experienced. A lady tweeting as Zahra – @oakleafbycg – jumped into the fray to defend him – hers was quite a spirited fight that lasted for hours, defending the integrity of her husband. She probably was defending herself too. Her father-in-law was so close to being Governor and he lost it, only for some twitter activists, and a sugabelly (what a name!, by the way) to start suggesting that her husband has a rape case to answer. She is a good woman, isn’t she? I monitored the conversations, and it is difficult to conclude that anyone was successfully convicted for there were persons who raised questions about sugabelly’s identity, her motives and whether she is not just a spoiler, playing a sponsored political game.

The emergent consensus however focused on the menace of rape in our society. Some male commentators seeking to genderize the discussion also pointed out that they were once raped too, but the pervasive impression was that young girls are are more often the victims. I noted that there was very little talk about marital rape, which is ordinarily a major issue in the West, but which will be considered absurd by Africans. There were some suggestions about rapists being put to death in line with the still untested Violence Against Persons Act, but as is the case with twitter, 140-word interventions do not necessarily a honest thinker nor an intellectual make. It creates an illusion though, the illusion that someone whose reasoning is below 140 words is a mega-man of knowledge and insights.

Nonetheless, the matter between sugabelly and the Audu sons deserves a little more probing. I am tempted to commend sugabelly for throwing up the subject, but the real problem with rape in our society lies in the inadequacy of both legal and social responses. Both the law and the society stigmatise rape, and wrong-foot the victim. The relevant sections of the law in Nigeria today more or less ridicule the victim, and usually, the victim is female. The biggest challenge for decades has been this manner in which the law humiliates the female victim: the procedure requires examination by a medical doctor and in open court, proving actual penetration up to the labia majora. That is a tough call for victims and families, and so many cases end up unreported. Besides, the criminal justice system peopled by phallocentric officials is wont to dismiss any woman reporting rape: in Nigeria, it would be ridiculous indeed for a married woman or a girlfriend to report being raped by her husband or fiancée. From the policeman at the station to the presiding judge, if it gets to that stage, the case may die a natural death in the vortex of misogyny.

Culture is a major barrier: the search for virgins at the bridal chamber by African families is a long dead custom, but few families can stand the stigma of taking as wife, a woman who has been raped, and whose indignity has been broadcast. Female victims are therefore reluctant to seek legal redress, first because of social stigma, and that is why there are very few convictions despite the regular incidence of rape. Any woman that is labeled a rape victim stands the risk of not getting a husband: families of prospective suitors will latch on to that evidence as if it a mark of leprosy, and urge their sons to steer clear, creating for the woman’s family an undeserved dilemma. Despite the wave of modernity in our land, tradition remains resilient and marriage, going to a man’s house, is still, quite sadly, considered a woman’s ultimate achievement

This is probably why, in due course, the accused also showed up in the conversation releasing e-mail exchanges between him and Sugabelly, and going as far as revealing her true identity and painting her as a “LovePeddler,” a liar and an opportunist. Parents, keep an eye on your sons and daughters! The family, the most important social unit, has a role to play. Both male and female children should be brought up to respect ethical values and the rights of other human beings to dignity. The inferiorization of the female gender often begins in the home, and there are too many cultural paradigms sustaining an objectionable model of parenting, which must change. Too many parents, too busy trying to make survival possible, have abdicated responsibility and it is society that is hurt as a result.

The solution also lies in legal reform: the laws on rape must become more progressive and enlightened. The statutes have been in urgent need of review for long; they must provide the necessary deterrence and not ridicule the victim; even the Violence Against Persons Act (2015) does not fully correct the mischief in the Criminal and Penal Codes.

There is also a trend now that must be addressed, namely the objectification of women for profit or other purposes. The most recent illustration I find is the battle being waged on twitter and instagram by @blossomnnodim, who has since changed to @blossomozurumba (good luck to the man who is responsible for this blossoming), as she takes on a TBWA power charger advert, which instead of promoting the subject focuses on a woman’s biological gifts. Blossom objects to this but she has since been accused of witch-hunting and idleness. Her critics miss the point. The objectification of women in popular culture erodes the dignity of women. But the worse of it all, is that women themselves promote this negative effect. Nigeria has been lucky in locking into global trends on all fronts, but in a global village, we have not been successful in retaining local standards as a bulwark against negative, imperial cultural influences.

Social media, for example, is dominated by images of sexual libertinism; even our young ladies who are now role models on the basis of concrete accomplishments help to foster this image. I am making this point delicately; my concern is that we have too many Nigerian female role models who are busy trying to be like Amber Rose, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Rita Ora, Miles Cyrus, Blac Chyna – if you know what I mean, all those foreign cultural icons whose lifestyles commodify women. Our own equivalents are all over social media: pretty girls who are perpetually showing cleavages, wearing body tights that accentuate curves, some even boast that they won’t wear bras and pants and that illicit sex is cool: that is how this self-denigration has grown all the way down, creating a sexual tension even among the uneducated wannabes. I am not victimizing the victim, knowing fully well that there is that human rights border of freedom of choice and expression; still, new cultural realities should command certain limits.

Sugabelly may not get the sugar of contentment that she seeks, but let her be consoled that she has ignited a debate that may shed more light on the dilemma of rape, and/or sex with a minor (Penal Code or not), and the sad manner in which our society continues to produce children and adults who behave badly. Let us also hope that sooner or later, the sleeping Abubakar Audu will be allowed to lie, by his sons and the girl they allegedly raped. It is not Audu that is on trial, it is his sons: sons of big men who go overboard with their life of privilege, and of course, Sugabelly- the overtly impressionable young girl- who are all still alive to be called to account, if not in regular court, but now, in the court of public opinion.


- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/sugabelly-rape-and-audus-sons-by-reuben-abati/#sthash.BGdvhL2e.dpuf

Close allies of Sambo Dasuki are worried by the increasingly desperate shenanigans and maneuverings of the Buhari government in the trial of the former National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki. sambo dasuki arrested againThe government is bent on keeping Mr. Dasuki in the country as he is believed to hold potentially incriminating information against leading apparatchiks of the APC detailing high level of treason committed against the Nigerian State in the run up to the past 2015 general elections in the country.

The allies of the ex NSA have said that the Government has embarked on a tactical marking of Sambo Dasuki’s aides, associates and citizens with whom he shares history with the purpose of obtaining information believed to be in their possession

Mr. Dasuki’s tenure witnessed the establishment of the Cyber Security unit which in time past ran spphisticated spy and surveillance operations on marked citizens and influential members of the then opposition party, the All Progressives Congress. He is believed to be holding sensitive information that can ridicule the government. Sambo Dasuki also cleared his desk and left with sensitive files which are still nowhere to be found.

The heightened Propaganda deployed by the government of the day, the allies say, is part of a bigger plan to present Col. Dasuki in a most despicable fashion to prevent the public from having sympathy for him over the humiliation mete out to such a high profile Nigerian.

The allies also expressed fears that the government is on a search for critical information and at loss to what to do about Col. Dasuki than to keep humiliating and tormenting him and intimidating his confidants. They also made reference to the operation as 1984 like, the manner with which the government of the day, under General Buhari used public narrative to perpetuate vengeance and grossly abuse the law, suppress opposition and violate Human Rights (referring to the Umaru Dikko saga).

Some of the allies also suggested that the government is making outreaches to interested loyalists of Dasuki who themselves are guilty of corruption to testify against him as they hit a roadblock in that area. They noted that their scare is that in the light of the prevailing propaganda, the agents of evil may easily make an attempt on his life. “We know ourselves, is this not a Military government?”

The Whistle also confirmed that Dasuki is yet to receive his routine Medical attention as a result of the Federal Government’s ban on his travel in contravention of the court judgement

Indictment stories all ficticious
Following the buzz on the Internet over the $2bn Dasuki Arms Purchase saga, The Whistle gathered that the former NSA Dasuki, did not make any statement indicting Alh. Bafarawa and other PDP governors or cabinet members in the Jonathan administration as ascribed to him by reports. Insiders say that the former NSA has maintained his innocence and only availed copies of his transactions which most have been shared with the Public. The NSA maintained that he would not in the course of his willingness to cooperate with his oppressors disclose certain sensitive National Security expenditure. He is however willing to prove his innocence as far as an open trial is guaranteed

- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/exclusive-dasukis-life-under-threat-allies-give-account-of-the-ex-nsas-saga/#sthash.hgtfRAqy.dpuf

“I used a little above £1,000, all of my life’s savings and meager contributions from my peasant family members, friends and community to pay a deposit to a top UK University with the hope that I would resume school by September 2015” This is the story of a lady (name withheld) who was one of the winners of the 2015/2016 Presidential Special Scholarship Scheme for Innovations and Development (PRESSID), a programme initiated by Nigeria’s former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to sponsor Nigeria’s brightest scholars (First Class Graduates) to any of the top 25 Universities in the World.

Following the announcement of the award winners in April 16, 2015, the scholars who are meant to have resumed to their various universities by August/September are still yet to receive their award letters which have been prepared. The Whistle investigations revealed that President Buhari has refused to grant go ahead to the Nigerian Universities Commission, the agency in charge of this program based on the outcry by influential leaders in the North on the absence of a core Northerner in the list which was clearly merit based. The Whistle can confirm from a source within the NUC, that the Award letters of the winners of the scholarship scheme have since been prepared dated April, but immediately stopped as soon as the Elections were announced in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari as Northerners hijacked the system. The Whistle on speaking with the group confirmed that millions of naira have been spent by the awardees numbering 102 and family in making admissions applications, logistics and pursuing the scholarship in Abuja where most of the recipients of the award are not domiciled. We also confirmed that several letters have been written to the President and the Executive Secretary of the NUC since May, but the 2015/2016 group is yet to receive even an acknowledgement of the writings. Discussions with relevant stakeholder have since pointed us to the direction of the Presidency as the matter is currently beyond them. They confessed to helplessness and empathized with the suffering scholarship award winners of the 3rd Edition 2015/2016 whose only hindrance is being from a certain part of the country.

- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/investigation-pressid-scandal-many-tears-buhari-punishing-first-class-graduates-on-goodluck-jonathans-scholarship/#sthash.Gk7Kwfuh.dpuf
- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/investigation-pressid-scandal-many-tears-buhari-punishing-first-class-graduates-on-goodluck-jonathans-scholarship/#sthash.Gk7Kwfuh.dpuf

Controversial ex CBN Governor and Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, says that sentencing former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke to a jail term will send a strong signal. He made the remarks in a PBS NewsHour featured interview titled “How a cancer of Corruption steals Nigerian Oil, Weapons and Lives”.

According to Emir Sanusi “If she (Diezani) goes to court and if she’s jailed, for example, it sends a signal, I think, that there is a day of reckoning.” Describing his account of the nature of corruption in the country’s oil sector, he added: “Basically, all it does is allows a group of people who themselves don’t have any kind of operating background just to pay $50 million, OK, for access to the crude oil in blocks valued at over $2 billion. And they just take the crude, ship it out, and don’t return the money. And there is no trace of where the money has gone.”

Someone gets a contract to lift crude from the terminals to the refineries, and, in between, that crude is stolen. It’s stolen on the high seas.”

Emir of Kano also discussed the power of vested interests, a notable reference to his famous Tedx talk and also defined corruption as such; “Nigerian corruption is worse in many parts of the world, because it’s the worst type of corruption. It’s stealing.”

- See more at: http://www.thewhistleng.com/a-day-of-reckoning-jailing-diezani-will-send-strong-signal-emir-sanusi/#sthash.imNsZB9L.dpuf