₦airaland Forum

By JUMI RHODES





Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King's birthday, January 15. To honor Dr. King, former president Dr. Goodluck Jonathan joined many Americans and foreigners who sent in their goodwill messages to the King family. In his goodwill message to the Kings, Jonathan in a personally-signed statement said, "Today, America enjoys liberty and universal freedoms that reverberates around the world because of the labours of men like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.





On the 28th of August 1963, Dr. King articulated "a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have just returned from Georgia where I met with Dr. King's sister and I can testify to the fact that Dr. King's dream has materialized in reality. The Liberty bell that Dr. King rang continues to resonate today and God willing will continue resonating forever. He may have gone before us into God's loving embrace, but like I told his son, Dr. Martin Luther King III, who I met in Atlanta, the man who had the Dream may have died, but his dream has been realized and the reality of it has made the world a better place. Happy birthday Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."




http://dawntodusknews.com/goodluck-jonathan-hails-martin-luther-king-jr/

By FEMI FANI-KAYODE



On the night of January 15th 1966 a coup d’etat took place in Nigeria which resulted in the murder of a number of leading political figures and senior army officers. This was the first coup in the history of our country and 98 per cent of the officers that planned and led it were Igbo. From the political class those that were killed included the following: Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Prime Minister, who was abducted from his home and whose body was dumped somewhere along the Lagos-Abeokuta road.

Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the old Northern Region, who was killed in the sanctity of his own home together with his wife, his driver and his security assistant. Chief S.L. Akintola, the Premier of the old Western Region, who was gunned down in the presence of his family and Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh, the Minister of Finance, who was brutalized, abducted from his home and whose body was later dumped in a bush.

From the ranks of the military those that were murdered included Brigadier Zakari Maimalari, who had held a cocktail party in his home a few hours earlier that evening which was attended by most of the young officers that participated in the coup. Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun who was shot to death in his matrimonial bed along with his eight-month pregnant wife. Others included Col. Ralph Shodeinde, Col. Kur Muhammed, Lt. Col. James Pam, PC Yohanna Garkawa, PC Haga Lai, Lance Corporal Musa Nimzo, Sgt. Daramola Oyegoke, PC Akpan Anduka and Ahmed Ben Musa.
Sadly the mutineers came to our home that night as well and they brutalized and abducted my father, Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, the Deputy Premier of the old Western Region. What I witnessed that night was traumatic and devastating for me and my family and, of course, what the nation witnessed that night was horrific. It was a night of carnage, barbarity and terror. The events of that night set in motion a series of events which changed our history. The consequences of the events of that night are still with us till this day. It was a sad and terrible night: one of blood and slaughter.
What I witnessed was as follows. In the middle of the night, my mother came into the room which I shared with my older brother, Rotimi and my younger sister Toyin. I was six years old at the time. The lights had been cut so we were in darkness and all we could see were lights from three large vehicles. The official residence had a very long drive so it took the vehicles a while to reach us.

We saw three sets of headlights and heard the engines of three lorries drive up the drive-way. The occupants of the lorries, who were uniformed men and who carried torches, positioned themselves and prepared to storm our home whilst calling my fathers name and ordering him to come out. My father went out to meet them after he had called us, prayed for us and explained to us that since it was him they wanted he must go out there. He explained that he would rather go out to meet them than let them come into the house to shoot or harm us.
The minute he stepped out, they brutalised him. I witnessed this. They tied him up and threw him into one of the the lorry. Interestingly, the first thing they said to him was “where are your thugs now?” My father’s response was “I don’t have thugs, only gentlemen.” I think this made them brutalise him even more. They tied him up, threw him in the back of the lorry and then stormed the house.
When they got into the house, they ransacked every nook and cranny, shooting into the ceiling and wardrobes. They were very brutal and frightful and we were terrified. My mother, Chief Mrs. Adia Adunni Fani-Kayode, was screaming and crying from the balcony because all she could do was focus on her husband, who was downstairs.
“Don’t kill him, don’t kill him!!” she kept screaming at them. I can still visualise this and hear her voice pleading, screaming and crying. I didn’t know where my brother or sister was at this point because the house was in total chaos. I was just six years old and I was standing there in the middle of the house, surrounded by uniformed men who were ransacking the whole place and terrorising my family.
Then out of the blue something extraordinary happened. All of a sudden one of the soldiers came up to me, put his hand on my head and said: “don’t worry, we won’t kill your father, stop crying.” He said this thrice. After he said it the third time I looked in his eyes and I stopped crying. This was because he gave me hope and he spoke with compassion. With new-found confidence I went rushing to my mother who was still screaming on the balcony and told her to stop crying because the soldier had promised that they would not kill my father and that everything would be okay.
I held on to the words of that soldier and that night, despite all that was going on around me, I never cried again. They took my father away and as the lorry drove off my mother kept on wailing and crying and so was everyone else in the house except for me.
From there they went to the home of Chief S.L. Akintola, the Premier of the Western Region, a great statesman and nationalist and a very dear uncle of mine. My mother had phoned Akintola to inform him of what had happened in our home. She was sceaming down the phone asking where her husband had been taken and by this time she was quite hysterical. Chief Akintola tried to calm her down assuring her that all would be well.

When they got to Akintola’s house he already knew that they were coming and he was prepared for them. Instead of coming out to meet them, he had stationed some of his policemen and they started shooting. A gun battle ensued and consequently the mutineers were delayed by at least one hour. According to the Special Branch reports and the official statements of the mutineers that survived that night and that were involved in the operation their plan had been to pick up my father and Chief Akintola from their homes, take them to Lagos, gather them together with the other political leaders that had been abducted and then execute them all together.

The difficulty they had was that Akintola resisted them and he and his policemen ended up wounding two of the soldiers that came to his home. One of the soldiers, whose name was apparently James, had his fingers blown off and the other had his ear blown off. After some time Chief Akintola's ammunition ran out and the shooting stopped. His policemen stood down and they surrendered. He came out waving a white handkerchief and the minute he stepped out they just slaughtered him.

My father witnessed Akintola's cold-blooded murder in utter shock and horror because he was tied up in the back of the lorry from where he could see everything that transpired. The soldiers were apparently enraged by the fact that two of their men had been wounded and that Akintola resisted and delayed them. After they killed him, they moved on to Lagos with my father. When they got there, they went to the Officer’s Mess at Dodan Barracks.
When they took my dad away everyone in our home thought he had been killed. The next morning a handful of policemen came and took us to the house of my mother’s first cousin, Justice Atanda Fatai Williams, who was a judge of the Western Region at the time. He later became the Chief Justice of Nigeria. From there we were taken to the home of Justice Adenekan Ademola, another High Court judge at the time, who was a very close friend of my father and who later became a Judge of the Court of Appeal.
At this point the whole country had been thrown into confusion and no one knew what was going on. We heard lots of stories and did not know what to make of what anymore. There was chaos and confusion and the entire nation was gripped by fear.
Two days later my father finally called us on the telephone and he told us that he was okay. When we heard his voice, I kept telling my mother “I told you, I told you.” Justice Ademola and his dear wife, Auntie Frances, were weeping, my mother was weeping, my brother and sister were weeping and I was just rejoicing because I knew that he would not be killed and I had told them all.
I never got to know who that soldier was (that promised me that my father would not be killed), but I believe that God spoke through him that night. I also believe that he may well have been an officer because he spoke with confidence and authority.
These individuals who carried out this coup were not alone: they got some backing from elements in the political class who identified with them. Some have said that it was an Igbo coup whilst others have said that it was an UPGA (referring to the political alliance between the Action Group and the NCNC) coup but that is a story for another day.
Whatever anyone calls it or believes two things are clear: the consequences of the action that those young officers took that night were far-reaching and the way and manner in which they killed their victims was deplorable and barbaric. Such savagery had never been witnessed in our shores. There has never been another night like that and the results of that night have been devastating and profound.

In my view not enough Nigerians appreciate this fact. Some in our country cannot forgive those who participated in the mutiny and, though I do not share that sentiment or disposition, this is understandable. Others believe that those young men (they were all in their 20's) did the right thing and they say that those killings were necessary and heroic. This is a sentiment which I not only despise but which I also find unacceptable and appalling. There is nothing heroic about rebellion and the murder and carnage of innocent and defenseless men and women. .
The coup affected the country in an equally profound manner because the events of that night led to a counter-coup six months later. It was a devastating and disproportionate response. Sadly after that came the horrendous pogroms and slaughter of the Igbo in the North which eventually led to the civil war in which millions of people died, including innocent children. This was also horrendous and deplorable.

Yet the bitter truth is that if the new Head of State, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, had done the right thing and actually prosecuted the ringleaders of the coup, who were Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, Major Anufuro, Major Ademoyega, Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu, Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi, Captain Okafor and all the other young officers that planned and executed the coup of January 15th after it was crushed, there would have been no northern revenge coup six months later.

I have not added Major Emmanuel Ifejuana (who was actually the leader of the coup) to the list because he could not have been locked up or prosecuted by General Aguiy-Ironsi simply because he ran away to Ghana immediately after the mutiny in Lagos failed and after he and his co-mutineers were routed by Lt. Col. Jack (Yakubu) Gowon.

For some curious reason after the coup was successfully crushed, General Aguiyi-Ironsi just locked these young mutineers up and he refused to prosecute them. This bred suspicion from the ranks of the northern officers given the fact that Aguiyi-Ironsi himself was an Igbo. The suspicion was that he had some level of sympathy for the mutineers and the fact that they did not execute him or any other Igbo officer on the night of January 15th during the course of the mutiny only fueled that suspicion.

The northern officers also felt deeply aggrieved about the wholesale slaughter of their key political figures that night. In my view that, together with Aguiyi-Ironsi’s insistence on promulgating the Unification Decree which abolished the federal system of government and sought to turn Nigeria into a unitary state, made the revenge coup of July 29th 1966 inevitable.
The revenge coup was planned and led by Major Murtala Mohammed (as he then was) and it was supported and executed by other young northern officers like Major T.Y. Danjuma (as he then was), Major Martins Adamu and many others. This is the coup that was to put Lt. Col. Jack Gowon (as he then was) in power and when they struck it was a very bloody and brutal affair.

The response of the northern officers to the mutiny and terrible killings that took place on the night of January 15th 1966 and to General Aguiyi-Ironsi’s apparent procrastination and reluctance to ensure that justice was served to the mutineers was not only devastating but also frightful. Hundreds of army officers of mainly Igbo extraction who were perceived to be sympathetic to the January 15th mutineers were killed that night including the Head of State General Aguiyi-Ironsi and the Military Governor of the old Western Region who was hosting him, the courageous Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. This was very sad and unfortunate.

What happened on the night of January 15th 1966 was unacceptable and uncalled for. I completely disagree with those who think that there was anything good about that coup, the coup of July 29th 1966 or indeed any other coup which took place in the history of Nigeria. This is because blood calls for blood: when you shed blood, other people want to shed your blood, as well. The minute that the shedding of blood in the quest to get power becomes the norm we are all diminished and dehumanised: and this applies to both the perpetrators and the victims.


The January 15th coup set off a cycle of events which had cataclysmic consequences for our country and which we are still feeling today. Coups may have happened in other countries in Africa, but it did not mean that it had to happen here. In any case, the amount of blood that was shed that night, the number of innocent people that were killed was unacceptable. It arrested our development as a people and our political evolution as a country. Had it not happened our history would have been very different. May we never see such a thing again.


Yet regardless of the pain of the past I believe that we should do all we can to put these matters behind us. We must not allow ourselves to become prisoners of history. Rather than being propelled by pain and bitterness and becoming victims of history, we must learn from it, be guided by it and move on. We must learn to forgive, even if we do not forget and, equally importantly, we must first establish the truth about those ugly events and understand what actually transpired.


What happened that night traumatized the nation. None of us has been the same since. I identify with that, because I was a part of it, I witnessed it and i was a victim of it. Yet by God’s grace and divine providence, my father's life was spared: not because he was special but simply by the grace of God. Every day I think about those that were killed that night and I remember their families. We share a common bond and we are all partakers of an ugly and frightful history. I tell myself: “were it not for divine providence, my father would have also died and I would not have been what I am today, because he was the one who educated me and did everything for me.” If nothing else I know there was a purpose for that.


We must resolve among ourselves that never again will people be attacked in their homes, dragged out, abducted and shot like dogs in the middle of the night. Never again will women, wives and children be slaughtered in this way. Never again shall we witness such barbarity and wickedness in our quest for power. Never again must any Nigerian suffer such brutality and callousness. May the souls of all those that were murdered on January 16th 1966 continue to rest in peace.


http://dawntodusknews.com/my-15-january-1966-experience-by-femi-fani-kayode/

The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed yesterday revealed that 55 Nigerians appointed to elective and civil service positions allegedly looted the Nigeria to the amount of N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013. Mohammed made this revelation while addressing a world press conference in Abuja to mark the beginning of the war against corruption in Nigeria. Speaking on this issue, the minister said, “This is the money that a few people, just 55 in number, allegedly stole within a period of just eight years. And instead of a national outrage, all we hear are these nonsensical statements that the government is fighting only the opposition, or that the government is engaging in vendetta. All we have heard from them are ludicrous reasons why they partook in sharing of the money. One said he collected N4.5 billion for spiritual purposes, another said he received N2.1 billion for publicity, while yet another said he got N13 billion to pay someone else for the Maritime University land.




"Based on these revelations, should we now fold our hands and allow these people to go away with public funds? Is anyone thinking about the innocent soldiers who lost their lives just because they did not get the necessary weapons to fight the terrorists? What about the families left behind by these soldiers who were sent to their early graves because of the misappropriation of these funds? What about those who lost their means of livelihood after the terrorists overran their towns and villages? What of the millions of Nigerians, especially women and children, who are now living in IDP camps? Is it not clear that the cruel fate that has befallen these unfortunate people is a direct result of the misuse of the funds meant to fight the terrorists? Are these not the true costs of corruption? As President Muhammadu Buhari likes to say, if we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria. There is no better way to say it”.




http://dawntodusknews.com/how-55-nigerians-stole-n1-34trn-in-8-years-spent-n4-5billlion-for-spiritual-purposes-fg/

Former chairman of the Board of Trustee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, has been named to have collected N21.8m from the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh. This is aside the N260m said to have been paid to Anenih by the Office of the National Security Adviser as alleged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in one of the separate set of charges of misappropriation of the arms funds preferred against Dasuki and others before Justice Baba Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama.




In the new money-laundering case, FHC/ABJ/CR/05/2016,it stated that Metuh and Destra through their account with Diamond Bank Plc collected the sum of N400m from the NSA office on November 22, 2015, for PDP’s campaign activities. According to EFCC, Metuh and Destra allegedly transferred the sum of N21.8m to Anenih and they (Metuh and Destra) thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012) and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.





The count seven reads, “That you, Olisa Metuh and Destra Investments Limited on December 4, 2014 did transfer the sum of N21,776,000 being part of the sum of N400m which directly represented the unlawful activity of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, the then National Security Adviser, (to wit: breach of trust and corruption), to Chief Tony Anenih and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 15(2) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended in 2012 and punishable under section 15(3) of the same Act.” In counts five and six, Metuh and Destra on December 2, 2014 allegedly made separate cash payments of $1m each to Kabiru Ibrahim and Sie Iyenome of Capital Field Investments through an agent named, Nneka Nicole Ararume.



http://dawntodusknews.com/efcc-names-tony-anenih-in-new-money-laundering-case/

By JUMI RHODES


The National Publicity Secretary of the People's Democratic Party(PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh will appear in court today, 14th January 2016. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) dragged Metuh, who has been in detention since 5th January 2016, to court. Recall Metuh was arrested by the anti-graft agency following an investigation that showed there was a transfer of N400million into a company, Destra Investment Limited, in which he has substantial interest. The N400million payment was said to have been made from the $2.1billion arms fund.


http://dawntodusknews.com/pdp-chieftain-olisa-metuh-to-appear-in-court-today/

The Senate adhoc committee on aviation sector has resolved to investigate the N35.55billion aviation fund alleged to have been released by former President Goodluck Jonathan for the rehabilitation and development of infrastructure in the aviation sector. The resolution was sequel to a report of the committee chaired by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (APC, Kano Central). Sequel to the report of the committee tagged “The worrisome and unstable position of Nigerian Aviation industry”, the Senate mandated the committees on Aviation and Anti-Corruption to investigate the disbursement and utilisation of the funds. The committees are expected to also investigate the $40million AFRIXIM loan.




http://dawntodusknews.com/senate-begins-probe-of-goodluck-jonathans-n35-55billion-aviation-fund/

By JUMI RHODES

The immediate past Governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang, has been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) over petitions by the Plateau State Government. Before his invitation, the anti-graft agency had quizzed some members of the immediate past government, including a former Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Davou Mang, and some key officers of the finance ministry.


Confirming Jang's invitation, his senior legislative aide to Senator Jonah Jang, Mrs. Olivia Dazyam said the serving senator will honour the invitation today(Thursday, 14th January 2015). In a statement issued by Dazyam on Wednesday,it stated in parts that, “Senator Jonah David Jang feels it a point of duty to inform his teeming supporters and constituents of the Plateau-North senatorial district, Plateau State, of his invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.



“This has become necessary owing to the fact that Sen. Jang owes it a duty, having meritoriously served as the governor of Plateau State for eight years, to clear any grey areas that may need further clarification in the course of his stewardship. As a two-time military governor and a democratically-elected governor for two terms of four years each, Sen. Jang will not create any encumbrances in order not to appear before the EFCC to give an account of his actions while in office.”



http://dawntodusknews.com/efcc-invites-former-governorserving-senator/

By JUMI RHODES



Following the inclusion of the Traditional Rulers of Nigeria(TRN) in the list of organizations that have been invited for investigation by the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA), the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, on behalf of Oyo State traditional rulers has said kings in the state didn't benefit from the $2.1 billion arms fund. The first-class king made this disclosure in Oyo town yesterday when he spoke with members of the Nigerian Union of Journalists( NUJ), Oyo Council to commemorate his 45th coronation anniversary. In his words, Alaafin said, “When you talk of the arms deal fund, to the best of my knowledge, none of the traditional rulers in all the 33 local government councils in the state collected from such money. We are not part of it.” Alaafin further declared his support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war, adding that “People in authority should know their limitations too and do everything in accordance with the dictates of the constitution in order not to be seen as vindictive.”



http://dawntodusknews.com/alaafin-oba-adeyemi-oyo-state-kings-didnt-benefit-from-2-1billion-arms-funds/

Tweet-News:


The Senate has revealed why Senator Bukola Saraki paid a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday. In a series of tweets earlier today, the Senate through its Twitter handle @NGRSenate disclosed that,"@bukolasaraki's visit to Villa is for Senate to know @NGRPresident's priority. To see how we can fast track passage of budget by February." On the alleged missing budget, the handle stated that, "Budget before @nassnigeria is a proposal, when president signs it, it cant be amended, we can turn budget upside down, it cant be missing. Budget cannot be stolen, it cannot be missing. Once budget is laid in the National Assembly, it has become the property of @nassnigeria."


https://mobile.twitter.com/NGRSenate/status/687151274945589248

President Muhammadu Buhari is the commander-in-chief of Africa's most powerful country Nigeria. 73-year-old Buhari is also the head of his political party, the All Progressives Congress(APC). Buhari's decisions on virtually anything go a long way across the globe. As Nigeria's president, his plans and schedules can change in a second when there is a crisis, so for the First Man, there is no "typical day". But how has President Buhari managed to navigate the complicated roles and responsibilities of the Executive arm of government since he was sworn into office on 29th May 2015?





The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina revealed how his principal gets things done. Adesina was guest on Radio Continental 102.3 FM. When asked how the President's typical day is like, Adesina said: "He gets to the office in the morning about 9 a.m, the first thing he has required us to do is get the highlights of newspapers ready for him, and so before he comes in, we have reviewed the newspapers, we have done all the highlights and that is the first thing he looks at. Then he begins to attend to all the other things lined out for him. Across all the sectors, ministers and directors of agencies are meeting with him. He is a hard worker and at 73, I wonder how he does it.





"He does that till early evening, when he then retires home to have a late lunch and a rest, and then in the early evening he takes on people that have been scheduled to meet him, if there are. One thing about this President is that as much as possible, you don’t get to his house and see a market. I was told that in the last dispensation the place would still be a beehive of activities as late as 2 a.m. But this man is methodical, he plans his days and in the process he is able to attend to much more. All the sectors are receiving attention, I can assure you."



http://dawntodusknews.com/president-buhari-typical-day-aso-villa/

By JUMI RHODES

Victoria Dare, the overwhelmingly-shocked grandmother of the 4-year-old British boy called 'Jihadi Junior' who featured in a new ISIS video, has said she is in shock as regards what has happened to her grandson Isa. In the ten-minute video released on Sunday that shows the execution of 5 men accused of being spies for the UK, Isa said: "We will kill the kaffir (non-believers) over there." Speaking to BBC, Victoria said she last saw lsa 3 years when she dropped him and her daughter Grace off at the airport, as she thought they were going for a short holiday in Egypt or Turkey. The grandmother confirmed her 59-year-old husband Henry Dare's statements that it was the 4-year-old Isa in the new ISIS video.

Victoria told BBC's One Show:"It's a long time, nearly three years, and he must have grown up. But the eye balls, the eye lashes, then the mouth, the lips... so it looks like Isa. I am not taking it as my grandson in that situation. I can’t deal with this situation, so I am not looking at this as if it is my grandson. Naturally it is my grandson [but] this is not what God gave me." A bornagain Christian who relocated to London from Nigeria 28 years ago,Victoria told BBC she noticed a change in the behaviour of her 24-year-old daughter Grace, who changed her name to 'Khadija' after converting to Islam.


Victoria further told BBC: "She(Grace) was born here and she grew up here until everything fell apart. Her name is Grace. I don't know where they've got all these names. She changed her name to Khadija when she became Muslim. I still call her Grace. I feel very unhappy because I miss them a lot. That joy was taken away from me which is really devastating". Grace's father has also disclosed that their 4-year-old toddler recently begged him over the phone saying ‘Please save me’ from their Syria base where his mother has become one of ISIS's most notorious jihadi brides. Grace's mother is to reveal that she(Grace) told the family that she was going to Egypt to study, but she secretly fled with Isa to Syria and married a Swedish terrorist. She got pregnant by him and have 2 sons between them.


Photo Credit: BBC/ PA/ Channel4 News

http://dawntodusknews.com/khadijah-didnt-mention-isis-when-i-dropped-her-the-airport-nigerian-mum-victoria/

By JUMI RHODES



The last may not have been heard of how funds were disbursed into the bank accounts of some chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The latest report is that of former Board of Trustees (BOT) chair Tony Anenih who has written to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), explaining how he disbursed the N260 million paid into his bank account from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA). The anti-graft agency is investigating this as it believes the N260million came from the misappropriated $2.1 billion arms funds.




According to the letter Anenih wrote to the EFCC, he said he gave N63 million to a group coordinated by a former Special Assistant to former President Shehu Shagari (National Assembly Liaison), Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, for the 2015 presidential election. The Edo-born elder statesman however noted in the letter that he didn’t benefit from the money, but only shared it as he was instructed to. Anenih's letter is coming less than 24 hours after PDP National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh was grilled for 9 hours and has been detained over an alleged N1.4billion traced to a company in which he has a stake.



http://dawntodusknews.com/how-i-shared-n260million-from-dasuki-pdp-chieftain-tony-anenih/

By JUMI RHODES



The spokesman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh who was arrested yesterday morning by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) has been detained in the anti-graft agency's cell in Abuja. Metuh, who was arrested by the operatives at his Abuja residence, is spending the first night in the cell following an investigation on how the sum of N1.4 billion was transferred from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA) into a company, Destra, linked to him. There are reports that of the $2.1 billion arms funds, N400 million was transferred from ONSA to the company on November 24, 2014 which previously had a balance of N6, 676,576.06 only before the major transfer from the ONSA. A monthly pay of N4 million from ONSA also was reportedly being paid monthly to Metuh.



http://dawntodusknews.com/pdp-chieftain-olisa-metuh-spends-first-night-in-efcc-cell/

Insta-News:




Hadiza Umar Yakubu is one of Gumsu Sani-Abacha's Instagram followers. Gumsu, yesterday, instagrammed the picture of her husband Mohamadou Bayero Fadil with a caption "Good man". Unknown to Hadiza that that's Gumsu's husband, she requested for his number: "Hello. I want you to give me the man's picture you posted on your Instagram page. I hope you won't refuse giving me the number.Thanks waiting patiently." Hadiza, whose Instagram handle is haddie_queen, has now changed her profile visibility to private. The scion of the Abacha family in her alert post said: "Beware of husband snatchers @haddie_queen is one."




UPDATED: Hadiza has messaged Gumsu again that: "I really don't know what she's talking about. I don't even know she actually sent the message. Am sorry. Pleading on her behalf."



http://dawntodusknews.com/gumsu-sani-abacha-exposes-lady-asking-for-her-husbands-number/

Member of the Lagos state house of assembly, Segun Olulade, has called on residents in the state to be cautious and report to the nearest hospital any symptoms of Lassa fever.

Olulade, who is the chairman house committee on health service, while reacting to the news from Taraba State, where the outbreak of Lassa fever has been confirmed, with one person dead and two others quarantined, advised Lagosians to look out for every symptoms of the disease and immediately report if any is discovered within the community.

Some of the symptoms according to the lawmaker include nasal bleeding, bleeding through the anus and mouth, adding that people usually get infected with the Lassa Virus after being exposed to infected rodents, while person to person transmission occurs through direct contact with the sick person.

Lassa fever is described as an acute viral haemorrhagic illness of one to four weeks duration that occurs in West Africa. Experts say it is transmitted to humans via contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or fecal matter.




http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/lassa-fever-lagos-lawmaker-urges-residents-to-be-cautious-2/

By FEMI FANI-KAYODE


Mr. President, you will recall that I wrote you an open letter on December 28th, 2015 which I sincerely hope that you found most gratifying, illuminating and helpful. That was two days before your Presidential media chat which took place on December 30th. I hereby humbly crave your indulgence to add an addendum to that open letter. That is what this contribution represents. I hope and pray that this second letter, which will be the last, will further enlighten you and impart a little more wise counsel to you that will result in assisting you to properly appreciate the complexities of our times.


Mr. President it is pertinent to note that approximately two hundred and sixty five years ago one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, Mr. Benjamin Franklin, said "rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God". I am sure that you will agree with me when I say that he was absolutely right. Just in case you do not know who Benjamin Franklin was permit me to point out the fact that he is a man that is revered by the American people and much of the civilised world up until today and he is the individual whose face appears on the one hundred U.S. dollar bills that are used till today.


He was a great statesman, diplomat, politician and intellectual and most important of all he was a deeply courageous man who was motivated by his deepest convictions and his christian values and who was prepared to risk life and liberty and stand up to tyranny. I guess most Nigerian leaders have much to learn from him especially at times like this. Yet thankfully all is not lost and at least a few of our politicians are beginning to find their voice and speak out against the evil in the land. Permit me to share one example with you.A few days ago Chief Olisa Metuh, the National Publicity Secretary of our great party the PDP, exposed the fact that there was an orchestrated attempt by your government to intimidate, silence and utterly decimate and crush the opposition.



In open defiance to what can best be described as this insidious and sinister agenda he told the world that ''President Buhari is not God and we will not worship him".Whether he knows it or not Metuh has not only spoken for the PDP but also for the overwhelming majority of the Nigerian people.Permit me to add the following words to his timely contribution. Woe unto those that tremble before men of power and that worship false gods.Destruction and perdition awaits those who bow before Baal, who exalt the servants of Belial, who kiss the ring of the Baphomet, who say ''Buhari is God'' and who crawl at the feet of the Lord of the Flies.


Mr. President the point is simple and clear: you are not God and even though we respect your office we will never bow before you, we will never worship you, we will not relent in our efforts to oppose you and, regardless of your constant threats and wicked intentions, we have absolutely no fear of you. This is because our fate and destiny and the future of our beloved country lies in the hands of the Living God and not in the hands of a misguided and tyrannical dictator like your good self. Injustice, persecution and tyranny last only for a season.
At the appointed time the Lord will step in and He will deliver and vindicate the falsely accused and the righteous captive. He will also avenge the spilling of innocent blood and He will fight the cause of the martyrs.



With this in mind and regardless of the dangerous counsel of the hardliners and extremists that surround you, I urge you to please take note of the following: Sheik Ibrahim El Zakzaky, Colonel Sambo Dasuki and Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, who are all political prisoners, must NOT die under mysterious circumstances whilst they are in your custody. No matter what your advisers and those in your inner circle tell you if, God forbid, this were to happen the fall-out and consequences for your reputation and your administration would be too much to bear. This brings me to another issue which is a cause for grave concern. Your stated resolve not to obey court orders and to deny Nigerians their right to bail after the courts have given it to them is not only an affront and gratuitous insult to the Judiciary but it is also a violation of the constitution.



I say this because, unlike military dictatorships, democracy enjoys and derives its power and legitimacy from the inviolable and sacred principle of ''separation of powers''. What this means is that the Executive arm of Government, which by the grace of God you head today, is distinct and separate from the Legislature and the Judiciary. As head of the Executive and President of the Federal Republic, you have absolutely no power or right to interfere in the processes of the Legislature (which is the National Assembly) or the Judiciary. Both have their own rules, regulations and leadership and the constitution guides them and guarantees them total and complete independence from you.
As a matter of fact they are charged by the laws of our land and the constitution to act as a check and balance on you as President and to ensure that you do not abuse your power or subject your people to tyranny.


Mr. President I watched you on your media chat the other day and I am constrained to tell you that you not only abused your power but that you also crossed the line with some of the things that you said. For example you have no right to tell the courts how to administer justice and who and who not to grant bail. Again you have no business to tell the legislature which laws to pass and how to run their affairs.
Again you have no right and neither do you have the power to pronounce any Nigerian citizen guilty of any crime unless and until a duly constituted court of law has done so. You cannot be the prosecutor, judge and jury in any criminal proceeding and this is especially so when you initiated those proceedings and you are the accuser. To attempt to do so is not only unacceptable and irresponsible but it is also heartless and unkind.


The fact that most of our senior and respected lawyers have refused to tell you this simply because they are scared of you or because they are looking for patronage from your government does not mean that what you are doing is lawful or acceptable. What you are doing is morally and legally reprehensible and it is unacceptable in any democratic and civilized society. In the same vein you have no right to try to stop members of the opposition or the general public from criticizing you or condemning your obvious failings. Mr. President criticism, opposition and dissent are the lifeblood of democracy and without accommodating and tolerating them you cannot claim to be a democrat.


You have no right to attempt to cower or intimidate the fourth estate of the realm, which is the media, or attempt to pervert and corrupt the Nigerian public with daily doses of lies, falsehood, deceit and propaganda which is being duly and dutifully administered by your Minister of Information and your numerous media aides. All these things give me and millions of your other subjects concern yet it doesn't stop there. Perhaps the most disturbing example of your sheer insensitivity was your reaction to the question about Igbo marginalization during the media chat. In response to that question you asked "who is marginalizing who" and went further to ask "what do the Igbo want?"


Mr. President I wish to remind you that it is an incontrovertible fact that in just seven months your government has succeeded in marginalizing the Igbo more than any other Federal Government in living memory and certainly since the civil war. This is a record that you ought not to be proud of. What the Igbo want is fairness, equal rights, equal representation, equity and respect. They also believe that they have the right to determine their own future and make their own choices. Mr. President I do not believe that this is this too much for them to ask given the fact that they have contributed, perhaps more than most, to national development and integration in the last forty five years.


It is not too much to ask given the fact that no less than three million of their people, including one million innocent children, were slaughtered during our civil war in the name of keeping Nigeria one.I have no doubt that you will remember this very well Mr. President given the fact that you were one of those that prosecuted that war and fought in it. You will also remember the brutal mass murder and the war crimes and crimes against humanity that were perpetrated against the unarmed and defenseless Igbo civilian population of Asaba in 1968 when over one thousand of them were rounded up, taken to the town square and shot to death for no just cause.


The soldiers that carried out that unspeakable act of cowardice, brutality and barbarity were under the command of your professional colleague, the late Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed.Mr. President that was a dark, shameful and ignoble chapter in our history which still cries out for justice and reparations.Needless to say the pain of such horrendous events and numerous others that the Igbo have been subjected to by the Nigerian state and those that control it over the last fifty five years still haunts them.The truth is that regardless of the obvious contempt that you have for them the Igbo will continue to insist on justice, fairness and on having their rights respected in our country.
If you refuse to address their numerous and legitimate grievances and you refuse to treat them with the understanding, sensitivity and compassion that they deserve, the agitation for self-determination, secession and the yearning for the establishment of a new nation called Biafra will wax stronger and stronger until it reaches dangerous and irresistible proportions.


That is what you are toying with Mr. President and if that were to happen be rest assured that the Yoruba would take a cue from it and so would the people of the Niger Delta. It would effectively signify the beginning of the balkanisation of Nigeria.Whether you and those with your world view like to hear it or not, that is the bitter truth. May the Ancient of Days grant you the wisdom, knowledge and understanding to accept it and to do something about it.May the Lord of the Universe give you the foresight and the insight to appreciate the fact that Nigeria cannot survive a second civil war. Mr. President I sincerely hope that you do not take offence at my admonitions and counsel. I speak only out of concern for the fortunes of your administration, your reputation and out of love for my country. God bless Nigeria.




http://dawntodusknews.com/opinion-president-buharis-media-chat-words-of-a-tyrant-by-femi-fani-kayode/

+ Ajimobi's in-law Kola Daisi; Ex-Oyo governor Rashidi Ladoja; 7 others affected



The Oyo State Government has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Olubadan-In-Council to reverse the promotion of Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Senator Lekan Balogun and seven other high chiefs or face sanctions. Recall last Friday, nine traditional chieftaincy title holders were promoted by the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1.





They are: High Chief Saliu A.O. Adetunji, who was promoted from Otun Balogun to Balogun of Ibadanland; High Chief Sen. Lekan Balogun, formerly the Osi Olubadan now installed as the Otun Olubadan; High Chief Akinloye Olakulehin who moved from the Osi Balogun to the Otun Balogun rank; High Chief Senator Rashidi Ladoja was promoted from Ashipa Olubadan to Osi Olubadan and High Chief Dr Olufemi Olaifa who was also promoted from Ashipa Balogun to Osi Balogun of Ibadanland.





Others are High Chief Sir Eddy Oyewole who was the Ekerin Olubadan now the Ashipa Olubadan of Ibadanland; High Chief Tajudeen Abimbola formerly the Ekerin Balogun now Ashipa Balogun of Ibadan; High Chief Kola Daisi who was moved from the Ekarun Olubadan to the Ekerin Olubadan of Ibadanland and High Chief Solomom A. Adabale, who was promoted from the Ekarun Balogun to the Ekerin Balogun of Ibadanland.





Following this promotion, the government, in a statement entitled: “The Illegal Elevation of Nine High Chiefs in Ibadanland: The Position of the Oyo State Government” yesterday expressed disappointment with the January 1 elevation of the high chiefs and ordered a reversal on the grounds of violation the relevant chieftaincy laws guiding such promotions. The statement, signed by the Director, Chieftaincy Matters, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Zaccheaus Jayeola, faulted the promotion which it said was done without the mandatory approval of the government.



The statement reads in part:





“Government has observed with dismay and utter disappointment the recent ‘elevation’ of nine Ibadan High Chiefs by the Olubadan-in-Council without the mandatory approval of the Government of Oyo State. Government, as required under the Law, stated its position on the procedures for the elevation in its Public Service Announcement of 31st December 2015 and its letter to the OLUBADAN-IN-COUNCIL. The letter was duly acknowledged by the Olubadan’s Private secretary.



“It is to be noted for the avoidance of doubt that since the inception of the present administration, Government has resisted, as a matter of policy, any attempt to be lured into religious, chieftaincy and labour union leadership and other contentious issues. This is in order to maintain its neutrality, ensure fairness, justice and respect for the rule of law. Government will always uphold the sanctity of the rule of law and would neither encourage nor condone any tradition or peculiar culture of illegality, impunity, disregard and/or disrespect to constituted authority. Instead, it has concentrated on its avowed mission on the peace, safety of lives and property, security, welfare and empowerment of the people, infrastructural development, employment generation and urban renewal, among others, to make life more abundant for the teeming populace of the State. It is in view of the foregoing that Government notes and states as follows:



(i) Government’s suspicion and ardent belief are that the recent purported elevation could not have received the blessing of our highly revered father and traditional ruler, the Olubadan of Ibadanland. He is reputed to be a forthright and foremost traditional ruler with an enviable track record of achievements and a firm believer in due process as well as a respecter of the rule of law.


(ii) It is for this same reason that the Olubadan of Ibadanland expectedly wrote an earlier letter requesting the Governor’s due approval for the elevation of the nine (9) High Chiefs in accordance with the provisions of Section 14(2) of the Oyo State Chiefs Law.


(iii) As a firm believer in the sacredness of tradition, His Royal Majesty had earlier cautioned and warned against politicising the Olubadan chieftaincy institution.


(iv) Otherwise, what could have been the reason behind the hasty elevation without observing due process, which Government is duly complying with?

(v) While the Government does not have any objection to the proposed elevation nor its beneficiaries, it is however insisting on due process and lawful procedure which had not been followed in the past.


(vi) The appointment and or elevation of deserving persons into the Stool of Part II Chieftaincies can only be made on the approval of His Excellency, the Governor as prescribed by the provision of Chiefs Laws, Cap 28 Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000, whilst the Olubadan is the consenting authority.


(vii) On the receipt of the application for the elevation of the Chiefs, His Excellency, the Governor, applying Section 14(2) of the Chiefs Law, referred their names for the mandatory security checks by the Department of Security Services and mandated the candidates to, on their own, provide their certificates of medical status from a Government secondary health institution.

(viii) The status of the due process being carried out by Government was conveyed to the Olubadan via the Ibadan South East Local Government which was duly acknowledged by the Olubadan’s Private Secretary, in addition to the Government’s Public Service Announcement of Thursday, 31/12/15 relaying same.

(ix) To further reiterate the legal provision on the issue,

Sections 21 and 26 of the Chiefs Laws stipulate relevant sanctions against whoever contravenes the provisions of the Law.

(x) Apparently, the actions taken on the elevation of the chiefs as widely publicized is illegal. Moreso, when the Olubadan as the consenting authority had already commenced the due process by seeking the approval of the Governor for the appointment/elevation as prescribed by Law.

“Consequently, Government directs that the organisers and the beneficiaries to reverse the purported elevation WITHIN 48 HOURS OF THIS PUBLICATION, failing which appropriate sanctions will be invoked under sections 21 and 26 of the Chiefs Laws, Cap 28, Laws of Oyo State, 2000. The case of Ashekoya vs. Olawumi (1962) 1 All NLR 125 is instructive”


Meanwhile newly-installed Osi Balogun of Ibadanland, High Chief Dr Olufemi Olaifa told newsmen shortly after the promotion ceremony at Monatan, Oba Odulana’s palace that presentation of security and health certificate of chiefs was alien to the culture and tradition of the town. He said the council was not aware of the letter by the state government directing that the Chiefs should submit themselves to security and health check as well as its December 31 media statement publicizing the directive.



http://dawntodusknews.com/gov-abiola-ajimobi-dares-olubadan-of-ibadan/

Photo News:


Earlier today, freelance photojournalist Sani Maikatanga met with the parents of the 19-year-old girl Rahma Haruna born with no functional limbs. Efforts are being made by Maikatanga and well-meaning Nigerians to provide financial aid for Rahma who lives at Ladin Makole in Kano State.


Photo Credit: Sani Maikatanga


http://dawntodusknews.com/meet-the-parents-of-kano-girl-rahma-born-with-no-functional-limbs/

Following the release of a medical report showing that Davido's baby mama Sophia Momodu had cannabis(igbo) in her system while breastfeeding their daughter Imade, Bashorun Dele Momodu(Ovation Magazine publisher) has spoken again in support of his cousin. He took to his Instagram timeline with the post below:



" The newspapers were awash this morning and the social media has been on fire since yesterday. My cousin SOPHIE MOMODU was comprehensively scandalised. Even a Laboratory result alleging she's a cannabis smoker was splashed everywhere. She was said to have infected her own baby with cannabis. The vicious authors expected some gullible people to believe them. Nothing could have been cruellest. Our initial reaction was to maintain the ceasefire but this latest attack against a defenceless lady who merely asked that she be allowed to enjoy the fruit of motherhood was the limit of recklessness and rascality.


"All sensible human beings should abhor and condemn this unwarranted fabrication of endless lies just to justify the act of forcefully detaching a baby from her biological mother. Check this picture well. That's baby Imade with her aunt Ashley Adeleke who took her to Dubai a few months ago against her mother's consent. The world has been told that the baby was so sick that she needed urgent medical attention in Dubai. Imade's mother was deprived of attending personally to her own baby.



"Now wait for this; just imagine you're the hapless mum of Imade; instead of receiving regular medical briefs from Ashley the Good Samaritan, you receive pictures of your own baby swimming with Ashley Coco inside the heavenly pool of Atlantis, The Palm Dubai, one of the most luxurious resorts in the world while anxiety is killing you back home. Baby Imade has been forcefully separated from her mum since July 11!, 2015, when she was barely two months old. We've pleaded for months with the Adelekes to return the baby to her real mum.





"Sophie was allowed to visit her daughter once a week every Sunday inside Dr Adeleke's guest quarters. We did not fight. We did not engage in social media wars. They said our family was too poor and beneath their status. We did not mind. They said Sophie was a gold-digger, we did not respond. We only kicked when Baby Imade was to be taken out again without the mum's necessary consent. No one asked them to take Sophie along. We only tried to stop the impunity and dehumanisation of a poor mother. We acted within the ambit of the law. No more."




http://dawntodusknews.com/davidosophia-dele-momodu-speaks-on-igbo-allegation-in-laboratory-report/

PDP chieftain/ member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and former Minister of Transportation, Chief Ebenezer Babatope has said the party leaders were not aware that some of the campaign money was from the arms procurement fund. Babatope made this disclosure in a recent interview with New Telegraph. When asked his take on the revelations involving the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) over the arms procurement fund, Babatope said: "We have not heard the true story on the matter. What we are hearing is what media is reporting. I am a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT) and most of the things the press is talking about now is very strange to me. Nobody in his senses will open his hands and collect money from what is called Dasukigate. Every political party in the world has the responsibility to cater for itself in elections; that is to prepare itself for elections.




"So, I hope most of the things they are talking about are not things that are mixed up with political party organisations. Let me give you an example; I was a member of the South-West zone of Contact and Mobilisation Committee, which was headed by Chief Bode George. Nobody told anyone of us that we were being given money from Dasukigate or whatever. I know Dasuki very well in terms of his name and the office he held but I never came across Dasuki in terms of giving money or anything. And when we talk about Dasukigate, it is a terrible thing to hear.




"I know money was released to the party but nobody mentioned that money was being released to the party from money meant for purchasing of arms and ammunition to fight Boko Haram. The Contact and Mobilisation Committee, which composed 18 members in each geo-political zone was inaugurated by former president and PDP leader, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja before the last general elections and nobody ever told us that he was sending money through Dasuki.





"I want to appeal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Muhammadu Buhari, that much as the battle against corruption is something which must be supported by all reasonable people, they must ensure that they don’t reduce it to a ridiculous level of drawing people that have nothing to do with it into the matter. They should not drag innocent people into what they are doing. If money was given to the party, it was for party organisation but not the N100 million they are talking about."



http://dawntodusknews.com/pdp-leaders-didnt-know-dasuki-was-giving-out-arms-fund-ex-minister-ebenezer-babatope/

By KIKELOMO IWAJOMO


Award-winning actress Stella Damasus was completely at ease with subtly addressing ace filmmaker Daniel Ademinokan as her husband during a radio interview session yesterday from their Atlanta, USA home. Though Damasus refused to disclose precisely when they tied the knots, it seems the nuptial held shortly before they moved in together as a couple.




Stella Damasus and Daniel Ademinokan were guests on ‘Alex Okoroji Live’ radio program on Friday, 1st January 2016 which Dawn-To-Dusk News Chief Editor monitored. The big question on the marriage was for Stella, and she answered in the affirmative saying, “One thing you should know for sure is that we are both born-again, and we don’t believe in certain things because we want to make heaven. So put 2 and 2 together. For 2 people who live together with their children, do everything together as a couple and they call themselves a couple, what condition will they be in that they will not offend God. So you decide what you think that is.”





Describing Daniel aka DaBishop, Stella said: “Daniel is a very hardworking creative genius. When you meet him, he is all about creating the work, creating opportunities for people. Another thing I love about him is that he is extremely friendly. I guess that is one of the reasons why we are best of friends. He is an amazing guy, I am not gonna lie about that. Daniel is my ideal man.”



How did they meet? Daniel further said: “Stella and I met in 2010 formally at a movie premiere. After that, we met for work as I was writing some materials for her, then we did some films together. Let me say this, I have always had a crush even before we got talking. When we got together , at first it was about the work. Over time we got closer and the rest is history.”



At what point did Stella fall in love with Daniel? She said, “It was when he was making a film and we had started talking. We were trying to help and encourage each other. Then I found in him someone who does not judge others but listens . I think it was after the New Year celebration when he was about to move to Abuja that we knew at that point it was way beyond the bond.”





On the biggest misconception about her relationship, Stella added that, “The greatest misconception so far that I read online is that Stella is a husband-snatcher. My first reaction was that why were people saying what they know nothing about. I always believe that when 2 people come together it is a private thing.When they decided to call it quits nobody was there as well. So how come the man moved on with someone else and then it is the other woman you are blaming for the whole thing when she was not even there when they broke up, At first I felt bad but later I started understanding how the human mind works.



“For you to take someone who does not belong to you, I call it kidnap.I will be in jail by now if I kidnapped anybody and if you consider the size of the man we are talking about, I doubt Stella can kidnap any man. And if you are talking about using seduction, he knows I don’t even find myself sexy. It took me a while to turn this thing around for good, so this is the biggest misconception.”





In his remarks on the misconception, Daniel disclosed that: ” It is sad people just look at us and start jumping into conclusion. All parties have since moved on. It is not a thing of joy for me that my last marriage crashed. But it happened, you dust yourself and move on. I am a happier person now, I am grateful. I am not entirely proud of how things happened but I am a happier person now. My child is happy, everybody is happy and we are good. Stella did not break my home. My relationship with my ex was long over before Stella and I started dating.”





http://dawntodusknews.com/stella-damasus-confirms-marriage-to-daniel-ademinokan-speak-on-their-romance/

By KIKELOMO IWAJOMO




Award-winning actress Stella Damasus was completely at ease with subtly addressing ace filmmaker Daniel Ademinokan as her husband during a radio interview session yesterday from their Atlanta, USA home. Though Damasus refused to disclose precisely when they tied the knots, it seems the nuptial held shortly before they moved in together as a couple.



Stella Damasus and Daniel Ademinokan were guests on 'Alex Okoroji Live' radio program on Friday, 1st January 2016 which Dawn-To-Dusk News Chief Editor monitored. The big question on the marriage was for Stella, and she answered in the affirmative saying, "One thing you should know for sure is that we are both born-again, and we don't believe in certain things because we want to make heaven. So put 2 and 2 together. For 2 people who live together with their children, do everything together as a couple and they call themselves a couple, what condition will they be in that they will not offend God. So you decide what you think that is."


Describing Daniel aka DaBishop, Stella said: "Daniel is a very hardworking creative genius. When you meet him, he is all about creating the work, creating opportunities for people. Another thing I love about him is that he is extremely friendly. I guess that is one of the reasons why we are best of friends. He is an amazing guy, I am not gonna lie about that. Daniel is my ideal man."



How did they meet? Daniel further said: "Stella and I met in 2010 formally at a movie premiere. After that, we met for work as I was writing some materials for her, then we did some films together. Let me say this, I have always had a crush even before we got talking. When we got together , at first it was about the work. Over time we got closer and the rest is history."



At what point did Stella fall in love with Daniel? She said, "It was when he was making a film and we had started talking. We were trying to help and encourage each other. Then I found in him someone who does not judge others but listens . I think it was after the New Year celebration when he was about to move to Abuja that we knew at that point it was way beyond the bond."





On the biggest misconception about her relationship, Stella added that, "The greatest misconception so far that I read online is that Stella is a husband-snatcher. My first reaction was that why were people saying what they know nothing about. I always believe that when 2 people come together it is a private thing.When they decided to call it quits nobody was there as well. So how come the man moved on with someone else and then it is the other woman you are blaming for the whole thing when she was not even there when they broke up, At first I felt bad but later I started understanding how the human mind works.



"For you to take someone who does not belong to you, I call it kidnap.I will be in jail by now if I kidnapped anybody and if you consider the size of the man we are talking about, I doubt Stella can kidnap any man. And if you are talking about using seduction, he knows I don't even find myself sexy. It took me a while to turn this thing around for good, so this is the biggest misconception."





In his remarks on the misconception, Daniel disclosed that: " It is sad people just look at us and start jumping into conclusion. All parties have since moved on. It is not a thing of joy for me that my last marriage crashed. But it happened, you dust yourself and move on. I am a happier person now, I am grateful. I am not entirely proud of how things happened but I am a happier person now. My child is happy, everybody is happy and we are good. Stella did not break my home. My relationship with my ex was long over before Stella and I started dating."



http://dawntodusknews.com/stella-damasus-confirms-marriage-to-daniel-ademinokan-speak-on-their-romance/

By JUMI RHODES




Photo News:



Before she was given a wheelchair by a good Samaritan{Mallam Ibrahim M Jirgi} a few days ago, 19-year-old Rahma Haruna, a resident of a Kano village, Lahdin Makole in Kano State was carried around in a plastic container by her brother(on his head) as they begged for alms. Rahma has no functional limbs, and alongside her brother, they would go round Kano city in search of help from people on the streets.



Photo Credit: Sani Maikantanga



http://dawntodusknews.com/photos-kano-girl-with-no-limbs-carried-in-a-bowl-gets-wheelchair-gift/

By JUMI RHODES



The Anambra State Governor, Mr. Willie Obiano has reiterated his administration's commitment in the development of the state. Obiano made this known in his New Year Message to the people of Anambra State. According to the message,"This New Year, Anambra has so much to look forward to. We shall make the most of this Turning Point. The hard fought electioneering campaigns that led to the last general elections sought to deepen the country’s fault-lines and widen the ethnic gulf between Nigerians.Our country tottered on the brinks for long moments and was only saved from total collapse by sheer providence.In Anambra, we had foreseen the approaching storm and made adequate preparations for it.


"That was why in my New Year Broadcast for 2015, I had assured Ndi Anambra that our dreams would not crash with the falling oil prices. The situation was made more intense by the rising audacity of Boko Haram which led to more attacks against soft targets. I had assured that with our enormous human and material resources, we would not surrender our ambitions to the falling oil prices. To the Glory of God, we have kept our promise.Not only have we paid salaries regularly while others are looking for bailouts, we were courageous enough to increase salaries in the midst of economic adversity. I imposed full weight on the security situation in the state with a highly successful South East/Delta States Regional Security Summit."





On security, Obiano said:" We took our campaign for a safer Anambra higher this Yuletide Season with an aerial surveillance with a helicopter hovering across our skies. This we are doing in partnership with the Nigerian Police, ensuring a total coverage of the entire state.With this effort, we have effectively made a rapid transition to crime detection and prevention in the war against crime and criminality."





On investment, Obiano further said: " With an estimated $2.5bn attracted in 19 months, Anambra ranks next to Lagos and Ogun States in investment inflow. My administration has made giant strides in the drive for investment.The influx of foreign investors began early in January 2015 with the arrival of a 28-man Trade Delegation from Thailand. Unmoved by the bleak domestic economy, we continued to push for more investments, leading to the visit of the Irish Trade Mission and finally the arrival of the UK Trade Mission in November 2015."




http://dawntodusknews.com/anambra-is-the-safest-state-in-nigeria-gov-willie-obiano/

There will be large scale scarcity, shortage of food. As a state, country, continent, we have to go back to the farm to arrest, to alleviate the forthcoming situation.


Some countries will suffer excessive rainfall while others will suffer drought.



I encourage the governments of all nations to invest in agriculture and to grant loans to deserving citizens to augment this effort.



The continent of Africa. How much have we disappointed God.



Africa is supposed to be the breadbasket of the world. We are supposed to produce a large quantum of food for the world. This is our natural resource base. Food should be our primary export to other continents. Food in exchange for technology.



Politics

African leaders should quickly arrest the political situation.



More African countries will be under siege by terrorists because of pros and cons in choosing leaders. Mishandling of electoral processes will create a conducive atmosphere for terrorists.



Politics will not be business as usual because of limited resources. There will be no profit in investing in politics because of governments’ limited resources and challenges.



This now gives grace to those who are genuinely called to the job. When you are genuinely called to do the job, you will do it because of your love for it and not because of money.



This year, do what you love. There’s money in love. Money in love brings peace and tranquility.



Pray for President Buhari
He has good intentions. A king’s intentions cannot be carried out properly without the support of the subjects. He needs your support, to lead us out of the valley.



The president will do everything to reject revaluation of the naira – which is a good idea from a good leader. But there will be overwhelming pressure which he will not be able to resist.



Nigerians, support and pray for your leader. The future is crying for help.



Source: TB Joshua Ministries



http://dawntodusknews.com/prophet-tb-joshuas-2016-prophecies-says-pray-for-prez-buhari/

The Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency(PPPRA), Mr. Farouk Ahmed has on behalf of the Federal Government, yesterday, stated that effective January 1, 2016, Premium Motor Spirit, otherwise known as petrol, would be sold at N86 per litre by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC Retail stations, while other oil marketers would sell at N86.50 per litre.






Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, Ahmed said: “Since 2007, while crude oil price had been moving up and down, the template remained the same. This had made it necessary for us to introduce a mechanism whereby the template would be sensitive to the price of crude oil. However, the template is not static, as there would be a quarterly review and if there is any major shift, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources would be expected to call for a review, either upward or downward, depending on the market condition. If there is no major shift, that is, if there is a marginal change, the price would continue from January to March, 2016. In addition, there would be a Product Pricing Advisory Committee that would be set up to advise the PPPRA concerning movements in the price of crude oil.”



http://dawntodusknews.com/petrol-to-sell-at-n86-50-from-1st-january-to-march-2016-federal-government/

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described Sunday and Monday’s Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Adamawa states as disheartening and an indictment on the All Progressives Congress, APC, Federal Government, saying that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed must explain to Nigerians how the same Boko Haram he said had been “technically defeated” could carry out such daring and deadly attacks. The governor, who commiserated with the government and people of Borno and Adamawa states, especially those who lost their loved ones, said; “In other countries of the world, the government would have taken responsibility for deceiving and misleading the people and apologised.”





In a release issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose asked; “If Boko Haram had indeed been technically defeated as Lai Mohammed made Nigerians to believe, what do we call the Sunday and Monday attacks in Maiduguri, Borno State capital and Madagali, Adamawa State? Should we say that the ‘technically’ defeated Boko Haram insurgents attacked Borno and Adamawa States, killing close to 100 Nigerians and injuring several others? Only Lai Mohammed who told Nigerians that Boko Haram had been technically defeated can tell us what happened and he must have to explain how ‘technically defeated’ insurgents could carry out such deadly attacks.”



http://dawntodusknews.com/gov-ayo-fayose-slams-lai-mohammed-explain-recent-boko-haram-attacks/

The senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone, Shehu Sani, has been suspended by the Tudun Wada ward of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Kaduna State for alleged anti-party activities and other offences. According to the letter dated December 27 and signed by the secretary of the ward, Ahmed Abdulhamid; the Public Relations Officer, Auwal Mai Anguwa; and ex-officio member, Aminu Alilan, the suspension is for a period of 11 months and it stated that, henceforth, “the senator is disengaged from partaking in or attending party activities in Kaduna State.”




The letter reads that, “Hardly a week passes by that his group will not be on air criticising and challenging the enduring legacies of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, that his statement on national issues is not in conformity with that of the state government and government of Kaduna State.” In a related development, an aide to Sani, Mr. Suleiman Ahmed said, “They are toeing the line of the state secretariat of the party, so our reaction is that those that wrote this letter are ignorant of the party’ constitution and they are dancing to the tune of the state executive of the party and Governor Nasir el-Rufai.” Meanwhile Sani took to Twitter where he said: "History begins from what you don't know to what you know."


http://dawntodusknews.com/apc-senator-shehu-sani-speaks-on-suspension/

A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Sunday visited former Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Chief Bisi Akande. Ribadu, who contested the Adamawa 2015 governorship election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), held a private meeting with Akande at his residence in Ila-Orangun on Sunday evening and discussed with him for a few hours.


There are indications that the former anti-graft boss may have discussed dumping PDP for the ruling APC. Ribadu is said to have visited Akande with the National Secretary of the APC, Mai Bala Buni. Meanwhile Ribadu has said he was at Ila-Orangun to reconnect with Akande, who he describes as a father and statesman.





According to him, “Baba Akande is a very important person to all of us. He is a father in the true sense of the word. From the day I decided to venture into politics, I have benefited from his guidance and wisdom. I have not seen Baba in a long time, so I feel this is a good time to come and greet him at home. Of course, I have never been far away from Baba’s fountain of wisdom. Party differences cannot be a reason to abandon old ties.”



http://dawntodusknews.com/ex-efcc-boss-nuhu-ribadu/

The death has been announced of Hon. Olade­jo Makinde who until his death was the minority leader of the Osun State House of As­sembly. The All Progressives Congress(APC) lawmaker, who rep­resented Ife Central Con­stituency, died on Sunday afternoon at Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, during an undisclosed illness. Makinde was a member of Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and was a former chairman of Ife Central Local Gov­ernment Area of the state. His remains have been de­posited at Ekiti State Teach­ing Hospital mortuary.




http://dawntodusknews.com/pdp-lawmaker-dies-of-health-complications/