President Goodluck Jonathan has taken a subtle swipe at President Buhari over the Presidency’s stance on Hate speech which has been rendered akin to terrorism and will henceforth be treated as such by the Nigerian government.

Jonathan shared a picture taken in 2014 in which he said that while he’s one of the most insulted Presidents in the world, he’ll always be for the total freedom enjoyed under his watch.



This is in response to last week’s pronouncement by the Presidency that hate speech will now be treated as terrorism and that the military will start to monitor social media comments.



The post brought about mixed reviews by Nigerians with some praising Goodluck and others coming for him. With over 2000 comments and 9,481 shares the post can now be said to be viral.


Check out some of the reactions below.
http://www.herald.ng/hate-speech-jonathan-shades-buhari-facebook/

The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has dragged a sitting senator, Isah Misau, the Chairman Senate Committee on Navy before the Senate for his failure to appear before a committee investigating an allegatin made by Misau that police offices pay bribes before receiving promotion.

Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO, Jimoh Moshood disclosed this to news men in Abuja, on Thursday.

According to the FPRO, “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a publication on page 10 of Daily Trust Newspaper of 22nd August, 2017 captioned “Bribe for Promotion: Senator asks DSS to Probe Police, PSC” written by one Ismail Mudashir and credited to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Isah Hamman Misau.

“The Force wishes to categorically state that, putting into cognisance the impact of the allegations from the senator on the integrity of the Nigeria Police Force if not investigated, the Inspector General of police promptly set up a Special Investigation Panel on the 11th August, 2017 to investigate the allegations as reported on Daily Trust publication page ‘3’ of 10th August, 2017 captioned “Police Officers pay bribe for special promotion –Senator” credited to same Senator Isah Hamman Misau.



“The Special Investigation Panel was also mandated to investigate the allegations from the Senator and other petitions and complaints that may be emanating from other channels

“The Special Investigation Panel subsequently sent two (2) invitation letters to Senator Isah Hamman Misau: (i) for him to meet with the Panel, was sent through the Senate President (ii) while, the other was written directly to him to provide evidence in written form to substantiate and shed light on his allegations and assist the panel to carry out a thorough and discreet investigation into the matter, but he declined and when some members of the panel visited him, he bluntly refused to make statement on his allegations

“Senator Isah Hamman Misau, a distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, instead of proving his allegations with facts and other evidences to the Panel, granted another media interview reported on page 10 of Daily Trust of 22nd August, 2017 captioned “Bribe for Promotion: Senator asks DSS to Probe Police, PSC written by Ismail Mudashir and credited to the Senator

“The Nigeria Police Force sees all the allegations and actions of the Senator as not only telling falsehood but a deliberate attempt to malign the integrity of the Force and a campaign of calumny against the hard earned reputation of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force which the Force will not take lightly.



“Consequently, his conduct is being reported to the Senate’s ethics and privileges committee for appropriate sanction.

“It is incumbent on the Force to educate the Senator and set the record straight that the Nigeria Police Force has the rights as provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to investigate all allegations of crime and other infractions of law against anyone including an Institution. It is also pertinent to state that issues of promotions are internal matter within the Force and there are effective mechanisms to check excesses in the Force.

“From available record, Senator Isah Hamman Misau, the Senate Committee Chairman on Navy was an Ex- Police Officer who left the Nigeria Police Force at the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police after being charged with several acts of serious misconducts, unprofessional wrong doings contrary to discipline, and other discreditable improper behaviors unbecoming of a Police officer and that are inimical to the image of the Nigeria Police Force, which can lead to dismissal or compulsory retirement from the Force. He was under Pending Disciplinary Matter (PDM), to appear and face Force Disciplinary Committee (FDC) before he hurriedly exited unceremoniously from the Force. And this can explain his ill motives against the Force.

“The Force hereby requests that the Senate’s Ethics and Privileges Committee look into the circumstances as mentioned above in the best interest of the National Assembly and the Nation.



Read more at http://www.herald.ng/bribes-promotion-allegation-igp-drags-senator-legislative-committee/

President Buhari, therefore, charged all agencies with roles to play under the respective Treaties to ensure that they did that effectively to reap the full benefits of the agreements.


Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates in January 2016 in Abu Dhabi signed six different agreements to enhance bilateral relations between them.

The signing of the agreements on trade, finance and judicial matters was witnessed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, Sultan Bin Saeed Albadi signed the Judicial Agreements on Extradition, Transfer of Sentenced Persons, Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal Matters and Mutual Legal Assistance on Criminal and Commercial Matters, which include the recovery and repatriation of stolen wealth.

The President, however, said that the full implementation of the agreements was delayed due to the need for both sides to conclude their respective ratification processes.

President Buhari further observed that the signing of the agreements was in demonstration of the nation’s sovereign capacity to fulfil its international obligations and take important steps for the benefit of the economy, security and the anti-corruption war within and outside Nigeria.





In his remarks, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, said the signing of the treaties was a clear demonstration of Nigeria’s determination to continue to play its role as a responsible member of the international community.

Other legal instruments between Nigeria and UAE signed by the President included the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters and the Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

The President also signed the Charter for the Lake Chad Basin between Nigeria, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Libya, Niger and the Republic of Chad, African Tax Administration Forum Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Tax Matters.

Others are the World Intellectual Property Organisation Performances and Phonograms Treaty; The World Intellectual Property Organization Treaty on Audio-Visual Performances.

The Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons, who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise was also signed by the President.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the signing of the agreements was witnessed by Ambassadors of the United Kingdom, USA, Ireland, Chad, and Head of the European Union (EU) to Nigeria as well as some cabinet ministers and presidential aides.



Read more at http://www.herald.ng/buhari-signs-9-agreements-strengthen-fgs-anti-corruption-campaign-security

written by Dr.Reuben Abati

What’s that sound I am hearing?”
“What sound?”
“I thought I heard something like miaow, miaow…”
“Oh my cats…oh yes…”
“Are you now breeding cats?”
“Not really. But I have just joined a group of concerned Nigerians who are planning to go to the Presidential Villa in Abuja to help sort out this issue of rats that invaded the President’s office and chased him out of his office as the BBC reported.”

“You mean you believe that story?”
“Nobody knows what to believe in this country anymore, but we are patriots and Baba’s loyalists, and we are determined to make our own contribution. Why don’t you join us?”
“To go and kill rats in Abuja?”
“Yes. Can’t you see that those rats are irresponsible elements? The President traveled for three months and they just took over his office, ate up the furniture in the office and now Baba has to work from home for 3 months while his office would have to be renovated, all at public expense.”

“How on earth would rats invade the President’s office?”
“You like to ask questions. Garba Shehu, the President’s spokesman and an experienced journalist who knows a story is not a story except it is accurate has told us that they are having a problem with rats in the Villa, who are you to doubt him? Have you been to the Villa before?”
“Yes.”



“So, join us. Those rats have crossed national red lines. They must be destroyed relentlessly because they are terrorists and criminals. They are in fact guilty of treasonable felony. What they have done is the equivalent of an attempted coup d’etat! We, the concerned citizens, will not take it. We have a duty to defend this democracy.”
“But why are you bothering yourself? The President has met with the Security Chiefs. And he gave them a marching order to ensure national security. They should know what to do”

“But did they obey the marching order? After their meeting with the President, the other day, they just addressed a press conference and returned to their offices. Not a word about the breach of national security by rats. I was shocked. I expected the service chiefs to march straight to the President’s office and deal with the rats with immediate effect. This is the problem. Baba has around him, people who are not ready to help his administration.

Even the Generals, with all their epaulets and combat experience, are running away from common rats! You now see why some of us have decided to take up this matter as patriots?”
“I don’t think anybody will allow you to take cats into the President’s office, though. That may even be more of a threat to national security than the rats invasion.”
“Okay, what do you suggest, we go to the zoo and get lions, jackals, and hyenas to attack rats?”
“What will a lion do with rats?”

“That is my point. It is actually a job for cats. Rats flourish in the absence of cats. Don’t you know it is only when the cat is not at home that rats become bold enough to take over the house? As the Yoruba people put it, a i si nile ologinni, ile di ile ekute.”
“Abasi mbok. I could never imagine that a day will come when Okon Calabar will take over Nigeria’s seat of power.”
“Okon Calabar. Who is that?”



“Okon Calabar. That is what we call rats in Calabar. Okon Calabar is not an ordinary rat at all. It has the appetite of about ten men. Have you ever seen a rat that has a pot belly, the effect of pathological gluttony?”
“Jesus”
“That is Okon Calabar. Not even rat poison can kill it. And your cats had better be capable. Okon Calabar’s jaws are like this… strong, frightening. Ugh. In those days, Okon Calabar’s specialty was the family pot of soup. If you left your soup pot carelessly in the kitchen, Okon Calabar will lick all the soup and leave for you a clean pot. The real story is that Okon Calabar has very strong spiritual powers; it is an agent of demons and spirits.”

“Thank you. I think from now on, I will just be very careful. Anybody at all who bears Okon whether a rat or a human being… You now see why Baba had to abandon his office and work from home?”
“But is he actually working from home? I think he is working from the office.”
“The same office where the rats have taken possession?”
“I saw the photograph of the President’s meeting with the Service Chiefs. That is actually not the office in the residence. The office in the residence is small and private. I don’t know why we have to be told he is working from home, when he is actually using a second office which is part of his main office.”
“The people working for him say he is working from home, you say he is actually working from his office, another office. You and your over-sabi.”

“Well, I may be wrong. But the last administration extended the President’s office, by erecting in the green space between the President’s office and the residence, a mini-conference/banquet hall, which has a hall, a diplomatic reception room, a fully fitted kitchen, a Presidential office, a stage, a control room, a newsroom, and a broadcast room where the President can either record or have live broadcast.”
“They may have changed the design of things since you last visited the Villa. So you don’t know”

“But I saw the photographs in the media. The office in that Presidential office extension is just about 3 minutes walk from the residence. Once the President goes there to hold meetings, he is already effectively in the office. And in any case, was it even necessary to tell us the President is working from home or that rats have chased him away from his office? If they want to change furniture, let them do it. There is no point creating unnecessary news.”

“Your oversabi is getting too much these days.”
“Unnecessary news always generates unnecessary questions. Now, we have been told that N2 billion was actually earmarked for the cleaning and fumigation of the Villa. So, who is responsible for keeping the Villa rodent-free?”
“N4 billion actually. I hear Julius Berger is in charge of the maintenance of the Villa.”
“So, Julius Berger would have to explain to Nigerians how rats invaded the President’s office. Is it that they locked up the place and stopped cleaning it? Ordinarily, every part of the Villa must be kept clean every day. I still don’t believe this rat story. Rats in the President’s office? The BBC in its report was practically laughing at Nigeria. I imagine when next any foreign diplomat is posted to Nigeria, one of his briefing notes would be the need for him to watch out for rats in the Villa. Oyinbo people too like akproko.”

“Do you want to keep writing an essay on this matter or you want to join us? Any small thing, you will just start vibrating.”
“We need to raise questions. But since you insist that the rats story must be true, could that also be the reason why the Federal Executive Council meeting for this week was canceled?”
“I don’t think so. You should stop worrying about whether a Council meeting is held or not. It is not an issue. There is nothing in the Constitution that says FEC must meet every week or on any particular day. The President can choose to hold cabinet meetings on a- need-arises-basis. It is a matter of choice or style.”
“Okay, if I must join your rat-catchers gang, what is in it for me?”

“Must you always expect to be paid for every service rendered? We are a group of volunteer patriots going to Aso Rock to save it from rats. Oh when the saints/Go marching in/Oh, when the saints go marching in/Oh how I want to be in that number/When the saints go marching in/Oh when the drums begin to bang…/I want to be in that number…. Are you joining us?”

“Wait first. I think before we go to the Villa, we should take Lassa Fever vaccination as a form of protection and candidly, I think everybody in that Villa should be tested for Lassa fever. As you well know, rats are vectors of Lassa fever.”
“I don’t think this matter is that serious.”
“Still, it is better to take precautions. Doctors can be imported from either the UK or the US or the Medecins san frontieres can be called in to help.”
“We have doctors in Nigeria who can administer vaccination if need be.”
Rodents

“Which Nigerian doctors?”
“It is even the job of a nurse. Vaccination is a simple procedure.”
“If you want me to join the rat-catchers league of patriots, you will first arrange a trip for me to the UK to take a Lassa fever injection, and then I will be prepared.”
“Obviously, you are also afraid of the rats, so, you have to find an excuse to dodge. And to think I have a role for you in this all-important and urgent national assignment.”
“What role?”
“I want you to be our Pied Piper.”
“Pied Piper. What is that?”

“Don’t tell me you have never heard of the Pied Piper? The Piped Piper of Hamelin”
“No. Why should I know him? Does he know me too?”
“Kai. What are they teaching you people in school these days? And you go about pretending to be educated? Kai. Well, I can’t blame you. What should we expect when the universities are running epileptic programmes and the teachers are on strike almost every year?”
“Don’t insult me. What is your point?”

“Okay, I want you to be our Pied Piper, right? You will dress up colourfully, and play a pipe, a flute or a saxophone or a mouth organ, whichever one you can play. You will also carry our company colours”
“Are we a company and what has colours got to do with it?”
“We are a brigade. In military terms, a brigade is also a company. And when you go to war, you must carry your colors. That is another word for the flag. In this case, you will carry the Nigerian flag.”
“But music? Why the music?”

“The Pied Piper of Hamelin played music for the rats that invaded Hamelin in medieval Germany, and led them out of the city and thus saved Hamelin from an epidemic. But you are not going to play music for the rats in Aso Villa. No. No. No. Our strategy is different. We are not going to play music for those rodents and terrorists. We are going to destroy them. The punishment for treason in Nigeria is death, not music. You will play music for the kyanwas and muzuru, to motivate them.”
“And who are those?”

“Cats. Kyanwa- female cats; muzuru- male cats. We did some research and found that cats respond positively to music. No stone will be left unturned on this mission”
“So, how soon are we storming Aso Villa? The whole thing is beginning to look interesting to me.”
“As soon as we finish working out the logistics. See, our strategy is simple. The operation will be codenamed “Operation Kyanwa” by the Hamelin Brigade. The cats will attack and destroy the rats. Then we will fumigate the entire Villa. The furniture will be moved out and replaced. And by God’s grace, the President can return to his Main office, by this time next week, to continue the noble work of leading 190 million Nigerians, without any threat from irresponsible rats.”
“Brilliant”
“I take it that you are with us, then.”
“Ye-s s-ir. “

“Thank you. Let us go and teach the Okon Calabars of Aso Villa, a lesson. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Read more at http://www.herald.ng/aso-villa-audacity-rats-reuben-abati

Son of the late Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, Emeka Ojukwu Jr. has said that President Muhammad Buhari is right about his father’s wish for a united Nigeria.

He denounced as fake news, reports that his father was not in agreement with patriotic Nigerians on the issue of unity as opposed to the secession of Biafra.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Awka, Ojukwu Jr. said his late father held the said meeting with Buhari before his demise, adding that all that Buhari said in his nationwide broadcast were true.

“It has been brought to my attention that there is an article making the rounds on social media attributed to me refuting the remarks of Mr. President concerning his relationship and discussions with my late father.



“Let me lend my voice to those of the rest of my fellow countrymen and welcome Mr. President back home.

“Let me state the following categorically; firstly, that I made no such comments to anybody, and secondly that I am aware that His Excellency’s comments were indeed factual.

“I have noticed a disturbing trend recently of fake news being attributed to me on social media. I don’t know who is behind it or what their motivation might be, but let me assure you that any time I feel the need to comment publicly on any matter, I will not do so via some anonymous email or anything of the like, rather be rest assured that there will be no ambiguity whatsoever as to whether the comments came from me.

While calling on members of the public to discountenance the stories in the social media or any media platform, Ojukwu Jr. urged the President not to take such comments serious as it smacks of gutter and yellow media reportage aimed at overheating the polity.



Read more at http://www.herald.ng/buhari-right-father-ojukwu

Former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on digital media, Reno Omokri has lambasted the post-vacation inaugural address of President Muhammad Buhari calling it a “hypocritical broadcast.”

Omokri was incensed by the lack of depth to the President’s speech implying it was just a prepared text with no meaning.

Omokri blasted the President for failing to disclose how much his medical vacation cost Nigerians.

He said, “The father of inflammatory comments gives a broadcast warning against, you guessed right, inflammatory comments! What a hypocritical broadcast! What a waste of five minutes of my time.

“Instead of sermonizing, he should have told us how much of our money he has spent on his health! Can you imagine the President of America using America’s money to treat himself yet refusing to tell America how much of their money he spent?

“Think of this the next time you criticize Donald J. Trump. For good measure, you should also look at your hypocritical face in the mirror because the reflection you see is one of the problems of Nigeria.

“Ex President Goodluck Jonathan signed the Freedom of Information Act into law on May 28, 2011. Until the APC repeal that law, Nigerians have a RIGHT to know how much of our money was spent on President Muhammadu Buhari’s health!”

http://www.herald.ng/presidential-speech-buhari-big-hypocrite-omokri/#ZdtueTIGv35H5Kz5.99

A few things Aneglica Nwandu has in common with Linda Ikeji is that they both run digital urban media in their respective countries, sitting on top of multi-million dollar fortunes, and they are both Igbo.

Igbo women do love telling stories, but sentiment aside, Angelica Nwandu is worth a gazillion Naira. According to website valuation software, TSR is worth $23 million. We wager that may be a bit conservative, but the young woman is making cheddar.

Like Linda Ikeji, Angelica was faced with a struggle but of a different variety. While Linda had to navigate the treacherous terrain of a Nigerian start up society, Angelica’s struggle was her childhood tragedy.

After losing her mom to domestic violence, Angelica became an orphan in America’s brutal culture shock society. She narrates to Cosmopolitan



When I was 6 years old, I lost my mother at the hands of my father to domestic violence, and I entered the foster care system. Trying to cope with the pain and confusion of the situation led to me getting in trouble in school. I was angry all the time, and I was fighting a lot with other kids. When I was 12, I met one of my mentors, Zaid Gayle, from Peace for Kids. It’s a program that helps foster youth find creative outlets to let their anger out. I joined the poetry program because I didn’t want to do anything else like music or art. Writing became my therapy. I stopped fighting. I was doing well in school. I started to see myself as different than my circumstances.

I went to Loyola Marymount University on a full scholarship. I studied accounting and human resources. My biggest concern was that I had to support myself. Who else was going to help me?

After graduation in 2012, I was hired to work with a senior accountant at a motorcycle shop in Los Angeles. I did the daily grunt work of paperwork and filing taxes.

Whatever she faced she sure seemed to overcome as if by divine providence, or perhaps just sheer determination.



Last year as she turned 25, Forbes crowned her one of the 30 leading business personalities in America under 30 years old. The talented businesswoman told TechCrunch recently that several major American studios had made acquisition offers, but she turned all of them down.

Angelica Nwandu, creator of The Shade Room, joined our own Anthony Ha on the stage of TechCrunch Disrupt to discuss the growth of her Instagram-first gossip blog. Despite growing The Shade Room to 9.3 million Instagram followers and profitability, Nwandu says she has no interest in an acquisition.

Nwandu attributes her success to meme culture — the ability for large groups to effect change using the internet as a platform. She first recognized the value of her creation when it started influencing the news its writers were covering. And unlike many of her peers, Nwandu stepped back from complete control early on to allow the community around her to have a voice in the stories being written.

“Social media is about the community, and so are we,” explained Nwandu. “People come for the comments and for fellowship with the other roommates, that’s the main purpose, they want to hear what they have to say, it’s a forum.”

The Shade Room now lives on most social media platforms and has its own website and video team. By sheer numbers, the blog punches significantly above its weight. Unlike other viral media sites like BuzzFeed, The Shade Room has taken very little venture financing. Its only investor to date is Indie VC.

“I’m not completely closed off to investors when the right partner comes,” said Nwandu.

Though Nwandu didn’t name names, she noted that The Shade Room has received acquisition offers from a bunch of major studios. She was very clear that she has no interest in cashing in on early growth and plans to keep The Shade Room independent.
“The block is hot for The Shade Room right now,” asserted Nwandu. “Literally we have been approached by every studio you can imagine in Hollywood. We have all the deals on the table, but I have a huge vision for what I see The Shade Room being in the future and we want to be our own network.”





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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP4v7tBO8_o

Alhaji Asari Dokubo has accused President Muhammad Buhari of presiding over monumental corruption as Nigeria’s leader.
In a new video uploaded on social media, Asari said Mr. President could not account for 2015, 2016 budgets, including the 2015 supplementary budget.

Dokubo also stated that he agreed with Charly Boy’s verdict that many Nigerians are mumu based on the size of crowds that came to welcome Buhari home.

He wondered why anyone would be impressed that Buhari would return, posing “is he supposed to stay in London?”
“Na for London you elect am President?”

He also called on those mocking he and others who wished the President dead, saying we are allowed to wish whatever we like, it is God who gives life and takes life. “It is God who gives power and takes power.”



“Didn’t Buhari wish me and others dead? If we wish him death, what is the big deal?”

He mocked the President further, calling him a liar, for not being able to tell Nigerians the exact nature of his illness. “The man dey lie. Even in sickness he dey lie. He said his sickness is unknown sickness.”

Dokubo promised to continue to harass the President and insult him the way the opposition camp did to Goodluck Jonathan. He said, “When you were insulting Jonathan, did he run to London? Did he fall sick?”
“He calls himself a general and he ran to London to hide. Na so dem dey do general work?”

See the video here:



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP4v7tBO8_o




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Barbara Tuchman, Professor of History at Harvard University, and the leading expert on 13th and 14th century European history, has made the point that “History never repeats itself; man does.” Nigerian political history is witnessing a mind-numbing repetition of what occurred in 2009-2010 when late President Umaru Yar’Adua was in exactly the same position as Buhari finds himself now.

The tragedy which Yar’Adua’s prolonged illness represents, ending in inevitable death, should have taught us how to handle such situations if they occur again. But, Nigerian leaders are once more demonstrating that they learn nothing from history. The Mugaberisation of Nigerian polity is now underway by those who profit from the sickness of the leader and the nation. Readers would, I hope, forgive me for recalling parts of the article written in 2010 when Nigeria was faced with the same issue. It was titled FROM PRESIDENT TO PROBLEM and it was a summary of how a President we elected in 2007 became the nation’s number one problem by 2009 until the Almighty mercifully took him away. Today, the President we elected in 2015 has become the country’s major problem two years after – just like Yar’Adua.

However, before that, permit me to define the word Mugaberisation; which exists only in my own dictionary. It is synonymous with the idea of the “indispensable man”. About such people late French President Charles De Gaulle, 1890-1970, had told us that “The graveyards are full of indispensable men.” Bear that in mind as you read excerpts from the 2009 article. It was about Yar’Adua. It teaches a lesson for us today – if we care to learn. FROM PRESIDENT TO PROBLEM – 4 “A leader is best When people barely know that he exists….. Worst when they despise him. Fail to honour people They fail to honour you… Lao-tsy, 16th Century Chinese philosopher (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, p. 124).

“0805-671-6505 Education is supposed to polish and edify the mind, but Nija’s first graduate president is behaving even more irrationally than Abacha! What went wrong?” Indeed what went wrong, as the text message asked? Interestingly, that text message represents perhaps the mildest form of dishonour attaching to the person of Yar’Adua that I have heard people voice across the land since the man and his wife departed to Saudi 69 days ago today Sunday, January 31, 2010. Many of the other insults that have been hauled in the direction of the presidency are totally unprintable. Thus a year, after I begged Mrs Turai Yar’Adua to take her husband home to Katsina, the President had lost so much respect among a broad segment of the citizenry that it matters little now what he does. Whether he goes or not, it will not be with the dignity the office demands intact. Late President John Kennedy, 1917-1963, the 35th president of the United States, in his own contribution to the everlasting concept of leaders and leadership, had said, “The worst thing that can happen to a leader is to look back and see that there is nobody following”.



Today Yar’Adua had lost the followership of majority of the National Assembly, the general public and worst of all, virtually all his living predecessors in office as Head of State and Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces. The last is important because, even if his few remaining self-serving supporters can accuse the rest of us of ignorance about the burdens of office, they cannot say the same of those who have ruled us before. And his sponsor, Obasanjo, had deserted him; the less said about that the better. Never in the history of this country, and most probably any other country where governments are elected, has a leader set so many stakeholders at each others throats as this one man has done in just sixty nine days.

His party is now woefully divided; the National Assembly is at war; governors belong to different camps and even the National Working Committee and the Board of Trustees are at daggers drawn on account of Yar’Adua. The man who is supposed to be the symbol of our unity has become the rope in a tug-of-war that is becoming increasingly nasty. Already, the whole episode has claimed several casualties; but let me point to only two for now. First, the Vice-Presidency which, John Adams, 1735-1826, the first Vice-President of the United States once described as “the most insignificant office ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived”; and which a less erudite Nigerian has called “a spare tyre” has just been turned into a political grave yard for aspiring presidents. After Obasanjo’s hostilities directed at Atiku from 2003 and now the ambiguities surrounding Jonathan’s position at the present time, it is unlikely that anyone with an eye on the presidency will again want to accept the VP job.

Indeed, two governors now heading for second term have told me in private interviews that for them the VP is out of the question – even if it is offered on a platter of gold. The 2010 budget, like all budgets before it, has become a hostage to the present “Yar’Adua Crisis”. With Senators and Representatives divided over the President, the co-operation required to work out the budget had flown out the window. Most committees of both houses are either on holidays or are going about the task at speeds that would make “Baba Go Slow” himself appear like Bolt. Some time in March, somebody will wake up and find that we have no budget for the year.

Even when passed by the National Assembly, the budget might have to be signed into law by the President in camera – as the Supplementary budget reportedly was done. Then more legal controversy will follow. Right now, it matters very little when and how Yar”Adua returns to Nigeria. The three options were listed last week – he could return completely healed; he could be sent back a vegetable permanently hooked to life support machines; and then he could be returned to “senders” (meaning Nigerians) in a box. The last has happened before. Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader went to France for treatment; he returned in a flag-draped coffin. Oddly enough, the happiest outcome, meaning the first, might present the President with his biggest challenge because few will believe all is well – given his history of breakdowns. And, he will return to a country divided into war camps because of him.” That was February 2010.



It should be obvious to both the proponents of “Resume or Resign” and the pro-Buhari elements that we are back to where we were in 2010 in many respects – except now that the situation has become more serious. In 2010, we had no hate speeches to contend with and even if they existed there was no social media to boost them to millions and they could not go viral. Today, hate speeches have gone viral threatening the unity of the country. The political and opinion leaders might spend a lot of time arguing about the merits and de-merits of restructuring and what it means, the grassroots mind-benders are not waiting. They have unilaterally assumed control of the media space and are now setting the agenda. But, even the Kanus, Shettimas and the N/Delta Agitators might think they will lead the revolt in their territories. They are gravely mistaken. It is those who are jobless, homeless and “koboless” who might assume that they have been given their marching orders to evict those told to go by October 1, 2017, who might act first and then bedlam will be let loose on the land. There is nothing more dangerous than someone who has nothing to lose if a riot breaks out. We have seen them in action in communal and cult strife. Now they can pretend to be fighting for their people. That is the danger we face and the only difference between now and 2010. “Men make history, but not just as they please” according to Karl Marx, 1818-1883. Was he talking to us?



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American rapper and father of three, JAY-Z, has in a recent interview opened up on his beef with father of two and fellow rapper, Kanye West.

Recall that both parties were reported to have split after a Tidal money sharing formula started their feud leading to Kanye West’s withdrawal from the recent father of twins.

Speaking during a recent interview with Rap Radar’s host, Elliot Wilson and Brian “B,Dot” Miller, the 47 year old rapper while discussing on the “Kill Jay Z” track off his latest album, 4:44 said he was talking to himself on the track.

Recall that the track had caused controversies online and amongst fans as several had maintained the track was aimed at Kanye.



Jay Z on the track had said: “I know people backstab you, I feel bad too/ But this ‘f— everybody’ attitude ain’t natural/ But you ain’t the same, this ain’t KumbaYe/ But you got hurt because you did cool by ‘Ye/ You gave him 20 million without blinkin’/ He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f— was he thinkin’?/ ‘F— wrong with everybody?’ is what you sayin’/ But if everybody’s crazy, you’re the one that’s insane.”

While speaking during the chat with Rap Radar however, the American rapper said: “It’s not even about a Kanye diss. It’s not a diss, I’m talking to myself the whole time.”

JAY Z however revealed that some of Kanye’s comments hurt his woman, Beyonce in the past. He said: “You got hurt, because this guy was talking about you on a stage,” in reference to Kanye’s infamous Sacramento concert rant last year.

He added: “But what really hurt me, you can’t bring my kid or my wife into it. … We’ve gotten past bigger issues, but you brought my family into it, now it’s a problem with me.”



“You know it’s a problem because me and him would have been talked about it, been resolved our issues. And he knows crossed the line. He knows. And I know he knows. ‘Cause we’ve never let this much space go between one of our disagreements and we’ve had many. That’s part of who we are.”

“Don’t talk about anyone’s kid on stage. Our children are already in this place where they’re affected by our celebrity. Don’t go and do something that’ll allow people to pit us against each other. Don’t do that.”

Kanye West had at the Sacramento concert last year said: “JAY-Z, call me, bruh. You still ain’t calling me. JAY-Z, call me. Aye, bruh, I know you got killers. Please don’t send them at my head. Just call me. Talk to me like a man.”





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A day after former President Olusegun Obasanjo referred to members of the House of Representatives as unarmed robbers, several members have refused to respond to the allegations.

The House has stated it will issue no former response to the charge, however individual members of the House contacted by the media have said Obasanjo’s age excludes him from a response.

House spokesman Abdulrazaq Namdas, contacted by The Nation said: “There is nothing to say because the House has responded to the former President previously.

“The accusation this time is the same as before, so there is nothing to add. Our position has not changed from what we said in 2016.”



”He is an elder and in my culture, you don’t respond to elders every time.

“You don’t banter words with your elders.Having responded once and he accuses you again and again, what you do is you keep quiet.

“Remember he is a former President and an elder statesman. I will not say more than that.”

Another lawmaker who was not identidied said, “I will not like to respond to this allegation on the basis that he is an elder and a statesman, but that does not validate his claim.



“I can only describe the accusation as coming from people seeking relevance. Not that Obasanjo is seeking relevance, but the fact remains that if anyone wants to be in the news, all you need do is to hit members of the National Assembly.

“For instance, someone like former President Ibrahim Babangida who has found a new love for restructuring. Why did he not make it happen when he had all the opportunities in the world as the head of the military government then?

“What did he do? Nothing! But it is now convenient to shift the blame. You know we like playing the blame game in this country.

“As such, I will rather not comment on it, I will give him that respect, but that does not mean what he said is true.”



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President Muhammadu Buhari has been away from our shores for over 100 days in a stretch treating an undisclosed and mysterious illness in far-away London. Since May 29th 2015 when he was sworn into office as President he has spent 350 of his over 740 days in power abroad treating the same strange ailment.

Those that demand that he should “resume or resign” are being attacked and brutalised by security forces and agents of the state. The Buhari government has no respect for human rights and civil liberties. Charly Boy Oputa, Deji Adeyanju, Ariyo Dare- Atoye, Jude Ndukwe and other notable figures and leaders of the “Our Mumu Don Do” movement were brutalised and almost murdered by Buhari’s savage footsoldiers at Wuse Market in Abuja the other day simply because they dared to go on a demonstration and ask for the President to “resume or resign”.

If that had happened Nigeria would have exploded yet no arrests have been made and the government seems unperturbed.

Tension has gripped the land as we approach October 1st and the Nigerian people have expressed deep concern about what is unfolding yet all we are fed with on a daily basis are pictures of an ailing Buhari, holding court in London and granting audience to his friends, political associates, family members and loyalists.



The whole thing is not only inappropiate and undignified but it is also deeply insulting. Simply put it is sordid. Meanwhile the world laughs us to scorn and mocks our nation. We are a nation in which an Acting President who is scared of his own shadow, has been reduced to a mere national co-ordinator and that is in the power of a faceless and tiny cabal .

The truth is that we are now a full-fledged dictatorship that is being controlled and presided over by a tiny cabal with a religious and ethnic agenda. This, together with an unrelenting, though unsuccessful attempt, to demonise and crush the traditional opposition and silence all forms of dissent has resulted in the irresistable rise of powerful and well-organised secessionist and separatist groups such as the Yoruba Liberation Command (YOLICOM) and the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

The fact that the Federal Government is incapable of encouraging national cohesion and integration but is instead saddled with a morbid obsession to try to destroy President Goodluck Jonathan and rubbish his excellent legacy speaks volumes.

The lies and propaganda of the Buhari administration are second to none. Simply put they are filled with deceit, deception, mendacity and hate.



They have sought to demonise and destroy more innocent Nigerians than any other Government in our entire history. They have killed more innocent Nigerians than any other Government in our history outside of the civil war. They have locked up more innocent Nigerians and subjected them to shameful and barbaric witchunts and media trials than any other civilian Government in the history of our country.

Under them soldiers slaughtered over 1000 Shia Muslims in one afternoon in Zaria and buried them in mass graves. Under them thousands of IPOB youths have been butchered by security agents.

Under them hundreds of thousands of innocent Nigerians have been raped, maimed, robbed and massacred by well-armed, well-funded and well-organised Fulani militias and herdsmen all over the country yet not one of the perpetrators has been arrested or brought to justice simply because they are members of the President’s ethnic group Under them Boko Haram has resurrected, restored its fortunes and won back virtually all the territory that they had lost when President Goodluck Jonathan was in power.

Under them more Christians have been butchered and more Churches burnt down than any other Govermment in the history of Nigeria. Under them northern youths have given a chilling quit notice to our Igbo compatriots to leave the north.

They have also threatened them with genocide and mass murder if they fail to do so by Octobr 1st yet not one of those youths has been apprehended, questioned or arrested.

Under them a frightful and barbaric song has been crafted and is being shared and sang all over the north which openly calls for the ethnic cleansing and total elimination and annihilation of every Igbo in the country yet the song has not been outlawed or banned and its authors have not been arrested.

Under them a culture of silence and fear has been imposed on the Nigerian people and few are ready to risk life, limb and liberty by speaking truth to power or resisting and standing up to tyranny.

Under them the worst economic recession that we have ever experienced in our history has been established and the Nigerian people have been afflicted with pain, hunger, hardship, suffering, poverty, uncertainty and despair.

Under them cows (yes cows!) have taken over our city streets, schools and places of worship and the lives of cattle are deemed to have more value than that of human beings. They refer to every northern Muslim that resists their evil agenda and that does not support them as a traitor and an infidel and they refer to every southerner and Christian as a slave and an unbeliever.

Their’s is the language of hate, violence and division and it must be condemned and resisted by all men and women of goodwill regardless of their faith and ethnicity. More than any other Government this government has divided us along ethnic, religious and regional lines and they don’t appear to give a hoot about the implications of doing so.

As a matter of fact the contrary is the case: they appear to enjoy doing it and they feed on the dangerous divisions that they have created. permit me to conclude this contribution with the following.

So obsessed, so primitive, so provincial, so insensitive, so petty, so cruel, so crude, so paranoid, so deluded, so out of touch with reality, so reckless, so hateful and so obsessed with President Jonathan and the PDP is this Presidency that they went as far as to say that the great lady and former Minister of Information Mrs. Dora Akunyili was sent to her premature death and early grave because she was given a job by the former President.

Never in the history of our nation has such a vicious, nonsensical, baseless, malevolent and specious mendacity been pronounced by an official of the Federal Government. Never-mind the fact that the statement was issued by a very junior staff of the Presidency It is also a clear reflection of the intellectual bankruptcy of the Buhari administration.

Whatever this government feels about Jonathan, the People’s Democratic Party or anyone else they should please leave Dora Akunyili out of it because this profoundly good lady that brought joy to the hearts of so many is not here to speak for or defend herself.

They should allow this great daughter of Nigeria who was not only my colleague in the Obasanjo administration over ten years ago but who also served our nation honorably and creditably through the auspices of no less than three PDP President’s and Federal Governments to continue to rest in peace.

Those talking about Dora are not fit to mention her name or to lick the bottom of her shoes.



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Governor of Osun State, Mr Raud Aregbesola has denied a statement credited to the factional chairman of retirees in the state, Mr Omoniyi Ilesanmi that the state Government paid N50 million to each of the political office holders that served between November 2010 and November 2014 as severance allowance.

Aregbasola spoke through his Media Advicer, Mr Sola Fasure on Thursday
and described the stamen made by Ilesanmi on behalf of the Forum of 2011/2012 Pensioners as untrue and misleading.

According to him, “This allegation is preposterous, malicious and false in its entirety. It is absolutely unreasonable and ludicrous for anyone to suggest that a state government will give each political
office holder a N50 million severance allowance at this period when every available kobo is being mopped to pay salaries and pensions, provide infrastructure and social services and run a modest government. It is even totally reckless and irresponsible for any newspaper to have published such bunkum. It is a new low for journalism.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the severance allowance of political office holders has been set in accordance with the State of Osun Public/Political Office Holders and Revised Remuneration Package Law
2007, section 4 (1) and (2) schedule (B) which recommends 300 per cent of basic salary as severance allowance. This recommendation was also taken on advisement from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and
Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) which recommends 300 per cent of basic salaries.



“However, the State of Osun law referenced above has a proviso of beneficiaries having successfully completed a full term or on pro rata basis, after a minimum of two year period of tenure.

“With this arrangement, only the governor and his deputy are entitled to N6.6 million and N6.3 million respectively. However, the governor returned his cheque to the treasury, having waved his right to earn
salary since he assumed office. Two principal officers qualified for N4 million each, 15 political office holders received N3 million each, and while 18 others received N2.8 million each. This was over a year
ago.

“Governor Aregbesola demonstrated sensitivity to the financial situation in the state when he did not constitute a cabinet for more than two years. When he eventually did, he put ALL political office
holders on half salary.

“How then could he have paid N50 million to each to political office holders as severance allowance?



“Mr Ilesanmi and his ilk have embarked on a campaign of calumny against the government, hiding under the plight of pensioners, telling barefaced and egregious lies, making outrageous claim and inciting the
people against the government.

“He moves around with a motley crowd and they parade themselves as representing the whole company of dignified and respectable retirees in the state.

“He has constituted himself into an insidious political opposition, riding on the sentiment of the sympathy and respect the larger society has for retirees and senior citizens.

“Mr Ilesanmi and his group openly campaigned for the opposition party candidate in the 2014 governorship election in the state, hiding under the cloak of retirees. He used the same platform to openly campaign
for the candidate of the same opposition party in the last senatorial election in the state, curiously only in the cities where election held.

“This is an abuse of privilege and he should desist from this less than honourable path. As a private citizen, he is at liberty to join any political party and exercise his freedom of association and political participation as he deems fit. He should however not drag the respectable, decent and cultured Omoluabi retirees into his filthy
political waters. If he has any evidence that the State Government paid any sum beyond what is quoted above, he should bring it up for the benefit of the public.

“It is most regrettable that a national newspaper would willingly lend its platform to be used for propagating falsehood and deception. The hallmark of journalism is investigation. There would be a thousand and
one claims as there are claimants, each with his or her own motive and sinister agenda.

“It is the professional duty of a newspaper (that clearly impinges on its integrity) to investigate a claim and establish its truth before publishing, if it wants to serve the cause of truth and justice. It is a cardinal principle in journalism that while comments are free, facts are sacred. A newspaper that publishes a false claim assaults the sensibilities of its readers, betrays public trust and is an enemy of the open society.

“The media are therefore enjoined to first investigate and verify any claim made by any group or individual before publishing in order not to drag its integrity in the mud.

“The media and members of the public can always approach the Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Office of the Governor; Ministry of Information and especially the Ministry of Finance and Office of the Accountant General for clarification and relevant information on any (financial) matter,” said Fasure



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A former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has accused the members of the Nigerian National Assembly of robbery.

The former president made the allegation on Thursday while speaking at an event which held in Ibadan stating that the bogus earnings of the Senators potrayed them as a “bunch of unarmed robbers.”

Obasanjo at the public presentation of a book authored by Prof. Mark Nwagwu, titled, “I am Kagara, I Weave the Sands of Sahara,” said Nigeria is spending all its revenue in paying political heads in the country.

He added: “The way we are going about spending all our revenue to pay overheads, we will not develop. And we will have ourselves to blame. Ninety per cent of revenue is used to pay overheads, allowances, salaries and not much is left for capital development.



“In a situation like that, we have to rethink. It is even worse for the National Assembly. They will abuse me again but I will never stop talking about them. They are a bunch of unarmed robbers.

“They are one of the highest paid in the world where we have 75% of our people living in abject poverty. They will abuse me tomorrow and if they don’t, maybe they are sleeping. The behaviour and character of the National Assembly should be condemned and roundly condemned.”





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Over N400 billion was paid as bribes to civil servants in the first year of President Muhammad Buhari’s administration.

This is according to a new report released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in conjunction with the National Bureau of Statistics.

The National Corruption Report titled, “Bribery: public experience and response 2017” jointly coordinated by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and United Nations Office of Drug and Crime (UNODC) disclosed that “almost a third of Nigerian adults (32.3 per cent) who had contact with a public official between June 2015 and May 2016 had to pay, or were requested to pay, a bribe to that public official.”

About 90.2 per cent of those living in the North West believe that government is very effective in fighting corruption. In the North East, the figure is 88.4 percent, it drops to 72.6 percent in the North Central, 68.9 percent in the South West, 41.2 percent in the South East and 41.3 percent in the South South region.



According to the survey, bribe-payers in Nigeria pay an average of some six bribes in one year, or roughly one bribe every two months whole on average, almost one bribe is paid by every adult Nigerian per year.

“By combining the total number of people who paid a bribe to a public official with the frequency of those payments, it is estimated that a total of roughly 82.3 million bribes were paid in Nigeria in the 12 months prior to the survey.

“This results in an average of 0.93 bribes paid per adult, or almost one bribe paid by every adult Nigerian per year.

“Roughly 400 billion Nigerian Naira spent on bribes each year.”



“Taking into account the fact that nine out of every ten bribes paid to public officials in Nigeria are paid in cash and the size of the payments made, it is estimated that the total amount of bribes paid to public officials in Nigeria in the 12 months prior to the survey was around 400 billion Nigerian Naira (NGN), the equivalent of $4.6 billion in purchasing power parity (PPP). This sum is equivalent to 39 per cent of the combined federal and state education budgets in 2016.”

The average sum paid as a cash bribe is approximately NGN 5,300, meaning that every time a Nigerian pays a cash bribe, he or she spends an average of about 28.2 per cent of the average monthly salary of approximately NGN 18,900.

“Since bribe-payers in Nigeria pay an average of 5.8 bribes over the course of one year, 92 per cent of which are paid in cash, they spend an average of NGN 28,200 annually on cash bribes ― equivalent to 12.5 per cent of the annual average salary.”

After the high cost of living and unemployment, the report says Nigerians consider corruption to be the third most important problem facing their country, well ahead of the state of the country’s infrastructure and health service.

However, public sector bribery is not the only form of corruption affecting Nigeria as the prevalence of bribery in relation to selected employees of private companies is 5.5 per cent, meaning that bribery is also significant in the private sector in Nigeria.

While money is by far the most important form of bribe payment in Nigeria, the survey shows that other forms of bribe payment, such as the provision of food and drink, the handing over of valuables or the exchange of another service or favour, also exist. Qualitative research shows that such exchanges may sometimes include s3xual services, although the actual extent of that particular form of bribe payment is unknown.

Forty-two per cent of bribes are paid to speed up or finalize an administrative procedure that may otherwise be delayed for long periods or even indefinitely, the second largest proportion of bribes (18 per cent) is paid to avoid the payment of a fine, while 13 per cent of all bribes are paid to avoid the cancellation of public utility services.

The survey also noted that police officers receive bribes the most, prosecutors come in second at 33 per cent, and they are closely followed by judges and magistrates, at 31.5 per cent.

“Other public officials with a high risk of bribery include car registration/driving licence officers (28.5 per cent), tax and custom officers (27.3 per cent), road traffic management officials (25.5 per cent), public utilities officers (22.4 per cent) and land registry officers (20.9 per cent).”

“The survey indicates that among those households with a member who applied for a post and was actually recruited into the public administration, more than 15 per cent admitted to the payment of a bribe to facilitate their recruitment.

It was equally discovered that more men paid bribes than women but it would appear that young adults are more vulnerable to bribery than other age groups.

Also, out of every 100 people who paid a bribe every time it was requested, 20 refused to do so on at least one occasion.

The Head of Cooperation of the European Union (EU) Kurt Cornelis said about €30m was spent on the survey and other processes leading to the publication of the report.

Cornelis said the effort was part of the EU, UNODC and other partners to help Nigeria overcome the scourge of corruption.



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A Federal High Court in Lagos will on Aug. 29 deliver judgment in the N300 million fundamental human rights suit filed by the alleged infamous kidnapper, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike a.k.a Evans.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Onwuamadike had filed the suit seeking N300 million compensation and challenging his continued detention by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, since June 10.

Joined in the suit are the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Police Commissioner and the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS.)

At Wednesday’s proceedings, Mr Henry Obiazi, counsel to the IGP and the Police, told the court that the case involved murder, armed robbery and kidnapping which are all capital offences.







Obiazi, requesting that the N300 million suit should be dismissed, citing Section 35 (7) of the 1999 Constitution.

He noted that the fundamental rights suit of the applicant was not absolute and that Onwuamadike would soon be arraigned in court by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).



“Though the Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights of every Nigerian citizen, these rights are not absolute.

“When it has to do with capital offences, I urge the court to hold that the application is unmeritorious and should dismiss it,” he said.





In his submission, Mr Emmanuel Eze, counsel to the State Police Commissioner and SARS, noted that the applicant has not showed any cause of action against his clients.

Eze told the court that Onwuamadike was arrested by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) set up by the IGP and not by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police or SARS.

He faulted claims that Onwuamadike was subjected to a trial by media, noting that no material fact has been placed before the court.

He alleged that prior to his arrest, the alleged kidnap kingpin had been involved in numerous robberies including several attacks on bullion vans with an undisclosed number of policemen losing their lives.





“My Lord, it is not up to 90 days that the applicant was arrested; besides, there is an order of the court for his remand.

“The applicant is an international kidnapper terrorizing states across the country, I urge the court to dismiss this application with punitive costs.

“That will serve as a deterrent to others who may want to file such a frivolous application in future,” Eze said.

However, counsel to Onwuamadike, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, in his submission, requested that the court should hold that the respondents had acted contrary to the law by detaining him since June 10.

He countered claims by the lawyers to the respondents that an accused who has allegedly committed a capital offence can be detained by an order of court.

According to Ogungbeje, the assertion is only applicable where an accused seeks bail after arraignment.

“The proper thing for the respondents to do is to have the applicant arraigned and later inform the court about the capital nature of the offence upon which he may then be remanded in their custody.”

After listening to the submissions of the lawyers, Justice Abdul-Azeez Anka, adjourned the case until July 29 for judgment. (NAN)



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The Federal Government has earmarked $41 billion (N15 trillion) for expanding the rail networks across the country, linking more cities and taking pressure of federal roads. The initiative is also expected to boost economic growth.

Bloomberg reports President Muhammadu Buhari’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, presented in March, seeks to boost agriculture and manufacturing by developing the country’s transport network and power infrastructure.

Key projects include building a second railway line connecting the nation’s two biggest cities, the commercial capital, Lagos, and Kano in the north. The 1,100-kilometer (680-mile) line will carry freight and passengers. The government also wants to construct a coastal railway that connects Lagos to the eastern city of Calabar.

The two new railways are expected to cost $20 billion, with most of the funding coming from the Export–Import Bank of China, which has so far released $5.9 billion. China’s Civil Engineering and Construction Co. is building the project and both railways should be ready by the end of 2019, Amaechi said in an interview with Bloomberg last week.



According to Bloomberg, General Electric Co. is leading a group that’s rehabilitating Nigeria’s 3,505 kilometers of century-old, narrow-gauge railways linking the coastal cities of Port Harcourt and Lagos with the north. The group, including SinoHydro of China, South Africa’s Transnet SOC Ltd. and the Netherlands’ APM Terminals BV will fund, revamp and operate the railways for a period to be decided in negotiations with the government, the minister said. They won the concession in May.

The group plans to invest $2.2 billion, Sabiu Zakari, permanent secretary in the Transport Ministry, said at the time. Nigeria will then have two links between Lagos and Kano, with the new Chinese-built one allowing trains to travel twice as fast as they can on the existing link.

Nigeria is opening up its rail system to private investors following decades of government control. Years of neglect while the nation was in political flux during military rule cut freight-rail capacity to 15,000 metric tons a year in 2005, from 3 million tons four decades earlier, according to the Transport Ministry. Most goods are now transported on worn-out and congested roads. By comparison, Transnet has the capacity to move more than 70 million tons of coal to one South African port annually.

Another $16 billion will be invested in additional rail routes to link up all the country’s state capitals and extend across the northern border into neighboring Niger’s southern city of Maradi, according to the Transport Ministry. Amaechi said it was too early to share a timeline or funding details as the government is still talking to investors for this public-private project.



The government is also trying to complete a $3 billion line from Abuja to the southern oil hub of Warri by 2018, the minister said.



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Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe, has handed herself over to South African Police after allegedly assaulting a woman at a Johannesburg hotel, Police Minister Fikile Mbalula, said on Tuesday.

“She is not under arrest, because she cooperates,’’ Mbalula told the broadcaster eNCA.

The 52-year-old wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is in South Arica to seek medical treatment for an ankle injury sustained in a car accident, the website News24 reported.

The website identified Mugabe’s victim as model Gabriella Engels, 20 Engels told the website she was visiting Mugabe’s two sons at a hotel in Johannesburg’s upmarket Sandton neighbourhood late on Sunday.





“When Grace entered I had no idea who she was. She walked in with an extension cord and just started beating me with it,’’ Engels was quoted as saying.

The model said Mugabe accused her of living with her sons.



Gauteng province’s top security official Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, said she was “deeply appalled and devastated’’ by reports that “people of Grace’s caliber’’ should exhibit such behaviour.

Nkosi-Malobane’s spokesperson Busaphi Nxumalo, forwarded to dpa photographs of a young woman with a severe head wound, saying she was the one Mugabe had attacked.





Reports said that diplomatic immunity would not protect Mugabe, because she was in South Africa privately.

Mbalula said she would soon appear in court.

Grace Mugabe is tipped as one of the likely successors to her husband, 93, who has ruled the southern African country since 1980. (dpa/NAN)

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A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, has disclosed that she can not forfeit some assets to the nation’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, because those assets originally never belonged to her.

The former Minister who is faced with several corruption-related cases within and outside the country stated this in reaction to the recent court rulings secured by the EFCC demanding the forfeiture of some cash traced to her.

Diezani Alison-Madueke in a statement released by her media team noted that she can’t forfeit assets and monies that does not belong to her.

“I am deeply disturbed and bewildered by recent media reports claiming that by virtue of an order of the federal high court, I have forfeited to the federal government the sum of $153.3m, which I purportedly stole from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Whilst the reasons for my being out of the country are public knowledge, the principle of fair hearing demands that I should have been notified of formal charges if truly there was a prima facie evidence or indictment against my person linking me with the said issue, so as to ensure that I had adequate legal representation. This was never done. I wish to state that I cannot forfeit what was never mine.



“I do not know the basis on which the EFCC has chosen to say that I am the owner of these funds as no evidence was provided to me before the order was obtained and they have not in fact served me with the order or, any evidence since they obtained it. As of the time of my writing this rebuttal, the EFCC has still not furnished me or my lawyers with a copy of the order. I am also informed by my lawyers that the legislation under which the EFCC obtained this order is for situations where the funds are believed to be the proceeds of crime and the owner is not known.

“I do not therefore; understand how the EFCC can in the same breath say that the monies in question are mine. If they had evidence that the monies were mine then they would not/should not have used the procedure which applies only to funds of unknown ownership. If indeed they used this particular legal procedure because they did not know who owned the monies, then how can they now be falsely attributing the ownership to me?”

Diezani in the statement also dismissed allegations that the anti-graft agency found the sum of $700 million in her Abuja home.

“Would the videos of this $700 million cash discovery not have made good viewing? Or should those who recovered this money not tell the public where exactly the money has been kept. Perhaps the central bank should corroborate that it is in custody of these monies allegedly found in my house? But then, it is now patently apparent that Nigerians are no longer easily led to believe fables and sensational untruths.”



Also reacting to the claims that she took bribe while in office, the former Petroleum Minister said in the statement: “At end December 2011, I directed PPPRA to move for complete deregulation, to rid the oil and gas sector of the speculators, the bloated middlemen and the parasitic influence of God-fatherism. This was in an attempt to create a far less corruptible system as it was quite clear that the intended benefits of the Subsidy system were not reaching the masses but were being hijacked by unscrupulous middlemen cabals.”

Also reacting to the controversial $2billion which went missing from NNPC while she was in office, the former Minister stated that investigations carried out by the PriceWaterCoopers, PWC, cleared her of any wrong doing.

“In addition, the Makarfi-led committee in the senate of the federal republic of Nigeria, in a series of publicly-held hearings, also vindicated me on the matter of the purportedly missing funds. Yet, we are all silent as if these events never occurred. The allegations that I have addressed above are no different, the character assassination continues, this time with a new set of hirelings. One of the basic tenets of the human trait is that we all have shortcomings and we all make our fair share of mistakes, whether we are in positions of leadership, or not. It is therefore sad and distressing that in spite of all that I tried to do in the best interest of our nation, I continue to be faced with constant demonisation, unproven accusations, and deeply personal insults. The fight against corruption in Nigeria will be far better served if the EFCC focus on incontrovertible facts, as opposed to media sensationalism and completely distorted stories, in their bid to demonize and destroy a few specially chosen Nigerians. Documentary evidence is available to support the facts.”



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The Senior Assistant to President Muhammad Buhari on Media, Mallam Garba Shehu has said that there is no basis for comparison in the way his principal handled his illness and the modality of late ex-President Umaru Yaradua when faced with similar circumstances.

According to Shehu, President Buhari immediately did the right thing by handing over to his deputy, Yemi Osinbajo, whilst Yaradua never did likewise to then deputy, Goodluck Jonathan.

Speaking to Arise TV in London, Shehu also said President Muhammad Buhari was under no constitutional obligation to come back to the country within a specific time period.

“In the constitution, there is nowhere the president is required to disclose his illness.”



“This is a country where past presidents never fell ill before. Even when they fell ill, nobody knew about it. This is a country where past presidents never handed over to their deputies. We had a president who was dying in office. Nobody was ready to talk,” he explained.

“Nigerians are missing their president. They want him to come back. The president himself listens to the mass media. He monitors what is going on at home. He was also critical of some elements.

“Nigerians have to understand the situation. We have a constitution. The problem with Nigeria in the past has been that our presidents rarely went on vacation. They never handed over to their deputies.

“In the case of Buhari, he handed over power. This is because he believes the right thing must be done. That is the law. That is the constitution. He followed it properly before he left the country. He handed over according to the law.



“The constitution is open-ended about it. It does not say the president should be away for two months, for three months or six months. There is no timeline.

“So in this circumstances, the right thing was done before President Buhari went on medical vacation.

“The experience with President Yar’Adua was totally unacceptable. In that instance, Yar’Adua never handed over to his deputy. You are perfectly right that people will demand for more information. I believe at the appropriate time, it will be given.”



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The Senate on Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari had not violated any law by not returning from medical vacation after 90 days.

The Senate made this known in a statement by its spokesman, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, in Abuja.

It was reacting to protests by a coalition of civil society organizations, operating under the aegis of “OurMumuDonDo”, demanding the resignation of the president over his long medical vacation in London.

It urged the protesters to stop heating up the polity, saying that it was creating unnecessary tension in the country.







The upper chamber said that the protest was an attempt to divert the attention of the Presidency from the economic and security issues, which were already being tackled.

It explained that Buhari had complied with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, which stipulated that he must handover to the Vice President and duly inform the two chambers of the legislature about his medical vacation.



“The president has broken no law and therefore we do not see any justification for this diversion and noise-making.

”The sponsors are merely seeking cheap publicity at the expense of the peace of Nigeria.





”We, in the National Assembly, are satisfied that there is no vacuum. The Federal Government is working.

“Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is providing the required leadership. So, there is no reason for the protests.

”All Nigerians now should focus on praying for the safe return of the President.

‘We in the Senate are happy about the report by the governors and party leaders, who recently visited President Buhari in London and we know he will soon return to continue to provide leadership to our people and the rest of Africa.





”We therefore call on the protesters to stop all these demonstrations and let their sense of patriotism overshadow the zeal for activism by joining other Nigerians to pray for the president.

“We should also pray for the acting president and Nigeria as a country at this critical period,’’ it stated. (NAN)

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Two presidential aides have declared that the nature of President Muhammad Buhari’s illness is nobody’s business, in response to protests in Abuja demanding that the President return to the job he was elected to do or resign respectfully.

The statements were triggered due to protests led by a coalition of civil society organizations convened by Deji Adeyanju, the National Coordinator, Foundation For True Freedom and Good Leadership; Publicity Secretary, #OurMumuDonDo Movement, Adebayo Raphael; Convener, Coalition in Defence of Nigerian Democracy and Constitution, Ariyo-Dare Atoye; and Secretary of Concerned Nigerians, John Danfulani.

The protests are expected to continue daily in London and Abuja. Speaking to the media on the reason for the protests, Adeyanju said, “The leadership of the National Assembly must choose between the Nigerian people and the cabal. Ninety days is too long for a president to be away from his country without any explanation to the people that voted him into office.

“If Buhari has become incapacitated, he should do the honourable thing and resign because he cannot continue to hold the country to ransom; his absence in the country is being exploited by a cabal to loot the treasury.



“We hereby demand that the National Assembly invoke Section 144 sub-section 4 of the Nigerian Constitution and direct the setting up of a medical panel in conjunction with the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to ascertain whether the President is incapacitated or not.”

in response, Garba Shehu, a Presidential spokesman said, “I wish to respond to media enquiries following demonstration by a few citizens this morning in Abuja. The demonstration is in the exercise of their freedom under the constitution, which guarantees their right to embark on peaceful protests.

“So long as they remain peaceful, we have no problem with them. What is democracy if citizens can’t peacefully demonstrate?

“On the second issue, demanding the President’s return, or resignation or certain explanations, I would say that they have over-stepped their bounds.



“The President has complied 100 per cent with the constitution by handing over power to the Vice-President before proceeding on his vacation. He has not breached any law or the constitution by staying away from office to take care of his health.

“Equally, there is nothing like a power vacuum in the country given the competence and general harmony with which the whole government is running.

“Any such calls as being made by this or any other group represents an irrational assault on the constitution and should be ignored by well-meaning members of the public.

“The need of the hour for this country is to rid it of corruption, reform and reinvigorate the economy and to fight crime and insurgency.

“The government is busy with the reconstruction and rehabilitation of infrastructure all over the country. It is creating jobs for the unemployed. It has set its sight on the larger picture of the country’s development; investing in rail and power projects and redeeming the country’s image from the mountains of corruption scandals that have marred it.

“We will not, therefore, be distracted by this or any other groups.”

Also reacting during a Channels TV interview, a social media aide to the President, Lauretta Onochie said, “For the life of me, I have no idea why anybody should disrespect another by asking for the details of their health status.

“As we speak, we have an acting president. As we speak, President Buhari seems to be like a private citizen at the moment. We have no right and it is very disrespectful for anyone to ask for his health status. In the UK where I came from nobody would release anybody’s health record to another, not even the members of their family unless the person decides to approve.

“The prerogative to speak on his ailment lies only on President Buhari. If he chooses, it is a choice. It is very disrespectful and very intrusive. We are intruding into his private rights. He has rights too as a citizen of Nigeria. It is not right, not appropriate. Anybody can get sick at any particular time”.



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A Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates’ Court, Abuja on Tuesday granted bail of N7 million to a former police officer, Musa Musa, for allegedly breaking into the Abuja house of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Musa, who broke into Jonathan’s apartment situated at Gwarinpa District of the FCT on July 5, is charged with mischief and theft.

In her ruling, Senior Magistrate Mabel Segun-Bello, ordered the defendant to produce one reliable surety who must be a civil servant.
Segun-Bello said that the surety must also reside within the FCT.

According to her, the provision of the constitution is clear about the right to liberty of every individual but where reasons exist that the accused will jump bail, bail will be denied.







“Sufficient reason was not placed before the court that the accused will jump bail or a concrete evidence that the matter is of national interest,’’ Segun-Bello said.

The magistrate, therefore, adjourned the matter for hearing until Oct. 3.



The Prosecutor, Mr Stanley Nwodo had told the court that the matter was reported to the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command on July 5.

Nwodo said that the defendant stole all the internal fittings, furniture, clothes, electrical fittings, water heater and kitchen utensils from the house.







The others items, he said, were wardrobes, chandeliers, refrigerators, doors and canopies valued N30 million.

He said that the offence contravened sections 353, 326 and 288 of the Penal Code Cap 89, Laws of the Northern Nigeria 1963.

Musa, however, pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

The prosecutor opposed the application for bail, contending that the matter was already an issue of national interest.

According to him, if the defendant is granted bail, he will definitely jumped bail.
Nwodo said that granting bail to the defendant would contravene the provision of Section 1 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).





“The accused will jump bail if it is granted, he has no provision for a reliable surety, justice is not one way traffic, I prayed this court to remand him in prison,’’ he said.

Mr Gabriel Egbule, the Counsel to the defendant had urged the court to admit his client to bail because he was still innocent until the contrary was proved.

Egbule said that the offence was bailable and urged that bail should be granted to him on liberal terms.

He also cited Section 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution and sections 158 and 162 of the ACJA that allow the court to exercise its discretion in favour of his client.

He said that the prosecution had not shown sufficient cause why his client should be refused bail.





“The prosecution has not told the court whether the matter is a capital offence or deal with national security.

“We urged this court to be guided by the law of the land and admit the defendant to bail.

“No material evidence has been placed before the court to show that the defendant will jump bail,’’ Egbule said. (NAN)



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The origins of the bloody Sunday massacre at the St. Phillip’s Catholic Church, Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, have been severally reported to be as a fallout of the competitive drug trade in South Africa run by migrants from Ozubulu.

Now, Independent is reporting that over 30 men from the community had previously been killed in South Africa, and their bodies conveyed home for burial. The culmination of the gangsterism and violence is what led to the death of 12 innocents as they attended church service.

Professor Linus Amobi Ilika, former Commissioner of Health in Anambra State and pro-life activist, confirmed to INDEPENDENT that many sons of the community had been slain in South Africa as a result of the drug trade, he however denied that High Chief Aloysius Nnamdi Ikegwuonwu who built the church and was reportedly the target of the assassin was in anyway involved in the drug trade.

Ilika did however concede that the source of the High Chief’s money was unknown.



He said, “He has not been charged or arrested for such offence.”

“There had been shootings in South Africa and they bring down the corpses of our people living in South Africa. The person who built the church resides in South Africa. There is likely to be dispute and struggle among them but I cannot say exactly what the issues are.

“But for whatever it is there is no single justification for assassinations and invasion of a place of worship and committing of such mass killing of innocent worshipers in a place of worship”.

A source also revealed to INDEPENDENT that drug barons from Ozubulu control 60% of the wholesale drug trade in South Africa.



INDEPENDENT reports:

The source alleged that Ikegwuonwu, also known as Bishop, is at the centre of the crisis and controlled a cartel in SANS, Hillbrow/Berea, Johannesburg.
He said there was a time when there was a serious fight for the soul of SANS.
He said a long time ago, Bishop allegedly invited his high school classmate and friend to manage his cartel, even though he also brought a lot of Ozubulu boys from Nigeria to help him secure SANS.
Six years later, the source said, Ikegwonwu’s manager (the former classmate) told him he was resigning to start his own business.
“Ikegwuonwu then asked him to leave SANS and go somewhere else to start his own trade. The manager (I have forgotten his name now) refused to leave SANS. Some people alleged Ikegwuonwu paid him money to leave SANS but he refused”, he noted. The source said nobody heard about the manager thereafter.
“Ikegweonwu asked all drug barons to leave SANS for him alone. Some left while some stayed back.”
He said that was when the fight started.
“2016 was the worst year for Ozubulu people in South Africa. Over 30 drug barons were killed”, he noted.
The source said the church shooting was targeted at Ikegwuonwu’s father just to hurt him and force him out of hiding.


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A Federal High Court in Lagos on Monday ordered permanent forfeiture of a 37.5m dollars sky-scrapper on the highbrow Banana Island, Lagos, belonging to former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, to the Federal Government.

Justice Chuka Obiozor, who gave the ruling, also ordered that the sums of 2.7 million dollars and N84.5 million realised as rents on the property should equally be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Obiozor, a professor of law, gave the orders following a motion on notice argued by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s counsel.







The anti-graft agency had on July 19 obtained a court order to temporarily seize the property located at Building 3, Block B, Bella Vista Plot 1, Zone N, Federal Government Layout, Banana Island Foreshore Estate which is said to have 24 apartments, 18 flats and six penthouses.

The court had directed that the temporary forfeiture order be published in a newspaper and fixed Aug. 7 to enable anyone interested in the property and funds to appear to convince the court why they should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

At the hearing of the case on Monday, the EFCC lawyer, Mr Anselem Ozioko, told the court that the publication order had been complied with and said no one had contested the forfeiture order.



He said:“ In summary, it appears as if they are not willing to contest this application.”
Ozioko urged Justice Obiozor to go ahead and order the permanent forfeiture of the property and the funds.





Obiozor, in his ruling, granted the orders sought by the EFCC, saying “in the face of the publication,which I find in Exhibit B of the affidavit of compliance before me and there being no responses from any interested party, I have no other option but to grant the orders as prayed.”

The EFCC had earlier told the judge that the Banana Island manson was reasonably suspected to have been acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities by Diezani.

The anti-graft agency said its investigations revealed that Diezani purchased the property sometime in 2013 at a cost of 37.5 million dollars for which she paid in cash.

According to the EFCC, the 37.5 million dollars was moved straight from Diezani’s house in Abuja and paid into the seller’s First Bank account in Abuja.





“Nothing could be more suspicious than someone keeping such huge amounts in her apartment. Why was she doing that? To avoid attention.

“We are convinced beyond reasonable doubt because as of the time this happened, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, was still in public service as the Minister of Petroleum Resources,” Ozioko told Justice Obiozor.

In a 41-paragraph affidavit attached to the application, an investigative officer with the EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, explained that Diezani,in connivance with one

Nwokedi purposely incorporated a company — Rusimpex Ltd — on Sept. 11, 2013 to facilitate the alleged fraud scheme.





Bawa said Nwokedi later registered Rusimpex Ltd at the Corporate Affairs Commission, wherein a lawyer in his law firm, and a Russian, Vladmir Jourauleu, were listed as the directors of the company.

The investigator explained further that “sometime in 2013, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, invited Nwokedi to her house in Abuja for a meeting where she informed him to incorporate a company and use same as a front to manage landed properties on her behalf without using her name in any of the documents.

Diezani was also said to have further directed Nwokedi to meet with Mr Bisi Onasanya, the Group Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria Plc for that purpose.

“Mr Stephen Onasanya was invited by the commission and he came and volunteered an extra-judicial statement wherein he stated that he marketed a property at Bella Vista, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, belonging to Mr Youseff Fattau of Ibatex Nigeria Ltd to Diezani Alison-Madueke and she later bought the property from Mr Youseff Fattau, through Nwokedi (who she introduced to him) and that the payment for the said property was made through the Abuja office of First Bank.

“First Bank of Nigeria Plc, through Mr Barau Muazu, wrote to the commission and also volunteered an extrajudicial statement in writing that they made the payments totalling 37.5 million dollars to Ibatex Nigeria Ltd and YF Construction Development and Real Estate Ltd on behalf of Diezani Alison-Madueke.

“They collected the entire cash from her at her residence located at No. 10, Fredrick Chiluba Close of Jose Marti Street, Asokoro, Abuja and paid into the First Bank of Nigeria Plc accounts of Ibatex and YF Construction Development and Real Estate Ltd on her instructions. (NAN)



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A former National Chairman of the Peoples Progressive Alliance, PPA, Chief Larry Essien, has blasted a former Senate president, Ken Nnamani, after he claimed he was responsible for truncating the third term agenda of a former president in the country, Olusegun Obasanjo.

Essien while terming the statement made by the Nigerian politician and former Senate President as “false and self glorification” added that the former lawmaker “arrogated to himself what he never engineered.”

Following Nnamani’s comment wherein he stated that he had no regrets truncating the third term agenda of the former president, he added: “If given another opportunity, I would still preside over stoppage of the botched third term agenda.”

In reaction to the claim, Essien added that it was the former Deputy Senate president, Ibrahim Mantu, who was the chairman of the constitution review committee at the time.



He added that he suspected the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, to have worked with the United States in aborting the former Nigerian leader’s third term agenda.

Essien further noted that Nnamani was just a senator and was not in a capacity to stop what Obasanjo wanted.

He added: “The lies sold to the public is unbecoming and I am surprised that the former senate president is trying to circumvent the true facts of third term agenda.”

“If the constitution review committee had subscribed to the idea of tenure elongation which Senator Ibrahim Mantu chaired, third term agenda would have been a success story.”



Essien further noted that Senator Mantu who has maintained his peace and silence on the matter was able to reveal part of what happened during an interview where he said “the third term agenda failed because most of the senators bought into the campaign of those men who did not want Obasanjo to have another tenure.

“Atiku and Kalu came under serious political persecution for opposing the third term agenda which attempted to remove constitutional term limits.

“First, they were deregistered from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which led to Kalu’s founding of People’s Progressive Alliance (PPA) and subsequent casting of Atiku as corrupt and unreliable. The big arm of the Federal Government fell on Kalu and his businesses.”


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Otto Canon, the 2014 Gulder Ultimate Search Viewers’ Choice Awards winner, has spoken up following his kidnap and release.

Recall that the 2014 winner of the show had spent 7 days in captivity before he was released.

Otto Canon following his release took to his social media page on Instagram to talk about the trauma he was exposed to as a result of the kidnap.

He took to his Instagram page to write: “Nothing better describes the valley of the shadow of death like where ive been through ?? It’s so ugly and hurrible and i’m fear struck to even step out of the house; i’m terrified; Still in shock.



“THANKSGIVING IS ALL I HAVE TO GIVE TO YOU OH LORD #Thanksgiving #gratitude#OttoCanon #ThankYouLord #Speechless#Dumbf”





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One of the survivors of the bloody attack carried out by gunmen yesterday at the St. Philips Catholic Church, Ozubulu in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra has narrated how the Parish Priest saved himself from being killed.

Recall that the gunmen had reportedly stormed the Anambra church early on Sunday morning and had killed several of the members and others left wounded.

Mr. Ohamadike Stephen, a survivor of Ozubulu Church attack while narrating his experience revealed that the Parish priest disrobed himself and hid at the alter.

While narrating what happened to Daily Sun correspondent, the survivor said: “We were in the church and I was to handle the second reading. As the first reading was still on, I heard a sound like a thunder. I dived under a long form in the church auditorium and from there raised up my head a bit and saw a young man with a fez cap shooting and people ran in all directions for safety in confusion.



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“I remained where I was and that was around 5:45am. The Parish Priest removed his cassock and hid at the altar while the gunmen continued in the shooting spree.”

“When they had left, I helped in evacuating the wounded and casualties to the NAUTH, Nnewi.”

The state governor, Willie Obiamo had responded to the distress call in person as he visited injured survivors at the hospital and offered to take care of their medical bills.

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Alhaji Yerima Shettima, the President of the Arewa Youth Coalition, the same body that issued the October 1 quit notice to Igbos living in the North has said that Northern youth will manage President Muhammad Buhari till 2019, but will not seek to re-elect him to office.

Shettima in an interview with Sun, said that any politician above 60 years old was out of the political calculations of the youth, as they had failed their generation, and had nothing to offer this current generation and future generations.

The controversial Northern activist, also said that Arewa youth were prepared to vote for a Southerner if need be and that he had always been in support of merit-driven political options as opposed to those defined by religious or ethnic coloration.

He said, “Well, at this point in time we seek for good governance from any angle it comes. But time and events have also clearly shown that even the North we are talking about have not enjoyed anything out of all these arrangements. Now, let me give you an example. We had the government of Yar’Adua who came from the North, thinking that that government would appease a lot of things in the northern part of the country.


“Look at the situation in the northern part of the country. Today, you are in Kaduna. If you go to the core North, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Jigawa, Katsina states and other places, you will ask yourself where are all these northern governors? And what are they doing with all the powers that we are talking about that we have acquired over time? Where did the government miss the point? There is simply a missing link between the ruling class and the average northerner. This is why there is hardship all over the northern part of the country. The issues of Almajirai, poverty, backwardness, lack of proper education in the northern part of the country are things giving us sleepless nights all the time.

“Now you begin to ask yourself where are we missing the point? To us there are so many views to all these. Some of us are thinking if it was a military regime that would have been a different thing but this is a democracy. We had Yar’Adua in place; he stayed for only two years and he died. Jonathan took over for six years we couldn’t get the eight years we sought for and now again Buhari from the same Katsina State in the North-west who came and in less than two years he is sick.

“Clearly you could see that we have not enjoyed anything in all of these arrangements. We have not gotten exactly what we wanted. A lot of things are not normal. So now we are praying that the president gets well and comes back because at least we will be relaxed and say, ok 2019, probably he might not contest and we will look for a vibrant young man…

“I am saying we should manage him (Buhari) till 2019 because we can’t take that constitutional right away. That’s what I am saying. But definitely in 2019, never again will we allow anybody up to 60 years and above to be at the helms of affairs in the country, anywhere. We will no longer be looking up to any old man of 60 and above again and be hoping that something good will come out of him.

Shettima said he maintains a statement he made in 2013 where he said “the problem of the average Northern man is not where the president comes from, whether from the North or South…What they want is a government that will provide dividends of governance, give them free education, ensure that they have food on their table. It doesn’t matter if the person is a Christian or a Muslim or Pagan or Idol worshiper, nobody cares. If we find a better alternative somewhere other than the North we will mobilize and support the person.”

While you may be doing everything in your power to attract the opposite sex, it may surprise you to learn that some of your actions and behaviors can actually have the opposite effect.

In fact, you may not even realize that you’re acting in a way that drives men away when all you’re really trying to do is draw them toward you. In order to take control of the situation and truly attract the right guys, avoid these 5 things and you’ll hopefully grab his attention rather than be left empty-handed.



Being a gossip



It might seem fun to share the latest rumours, scandals, and stories involving the lives of your friends, family, and co-workers with a guy, but it might surprise you to learn that being a gossip is a major turn off.

While your intentions may be to try to open the lines of communication with him and keep him in the loop, it’s important to recognize that giving him the lowdown on other’s sordid deeds actually makes you come across as having low self-esteem.

In fact, many people with a poor self-image rely on gossip as a way to make themselves feel better about their own lives, and they choose to talk about the latest failures and scandalous behaviours of others as a way to give themselves a boost.

If you’re looking to attract men, you should keep in mind that guys are drawn to women who are confident, value themselves, and don’t put others down as a way to lift themselves up.




Being excessively confident

While having high self-esteem is a quality that men find highly attractive in women, it’s important to understand that there’s a fine line between being confident and being conceited.

while you should definitely believe in yourself, be proud of your accomplishments, and be happy with what you have to offer, you should also keep in mind that showing off is a major turn off.

Specifically, research has shown that people who boast about themselves don’t even recognize the full extent of the negative response they receive from others, as discussed in Psychological Science.

Although you may assume that your self-proclaimed awesomeness is attracting men, having a huge ego, acting like a narcissist is actually a huge mistake. Alternatively, you should opt for humility and be secure enough in yourself that you don’t have to rely on arrogance to get a gent, as the right man won’t need you to constantly reinforce just how amazing you truly are — he’ll see it on his own.


Being needy

When it comes to attracting men, it’s important to recognize that men want to feel as though they’re needed. Specifically, men want to know that they add value to your life and that they’re not superfluous, expendable, or disposable.

However, many women mistakenly interpret a man’s desire to feel needed by becoming overly needy, jealous, and desperate to spend every waking moment with him — all of which are anything but appealing behaviours to guys. So if you’re someone who tends to become clingy and emotionally dependent on a man because you think it’ll bring him closer and inspire him to stick around, know that you’re actually just pushing him away.

Moreover, men want to know that they complement your life as opposed to being the center of your universe on which your entire happiness level and sense of self-worth depend. Fortunately, there are steps you can take right now to break your cycle of neediness when it comes to men, such as putting an end to negative self-talk, getting out of your comfort zone, and learning how to resolve issues on your own.


Wearing a ton of makeup

You may think that loading up on foundation, concealer, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and blush (to name a few) makes you look most attractive, but it may surprise you to learn that piling on the makeup is not appealing to guys.

In fact, a study in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology revealed that women tend to overestimate the amount of makeup that men find attractive, and as a result, many women end up applying way too much. In other words, you may choose to wear a lot of makeup because you think it draws men toward you, but in reality, it’s actually warding them off.

With this in mind, it’s time to face the fact (so to speak) that less is truly more when it comes to makeup’s role in attraction, and it’s in your best interest to opt for a natural look as opposed to caking it on for the face

Playing hard to get

While it’s true that men are drawn to women who are outgoing and assertive individuals, it’s important to recognize that there’s a fine line between being independent and being unavailable.

You may think that playing hard to get and acting in a distant and disengaged way can help you attract a guy, but you’re making a mistake by not making time for him. In fact, playing games can make you seem highly immature and can give off the impression that you’re not yet ready, willing, and/or interested in getting to know him on a deeper and more meaningful level.

while you may assume that acting detached and aloof increases your allure, you’re actually coming across as uninterested, flaky, and just plain annoying. Playing hard to get is an easy way to strike out with a guy.







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