MUST NIGERIA PREDATE AND FEAST ON ITS VULNERABLE INFANTS!

INFANTS have become the endangered species in eight years of a mindless and vindictive war waged against Nigeria by the Islamic terrorists group called Boko Haram, which through destruction of lives and properties, vented their hatred for WESTERN EDUCATION, which they described as a MISNOMER! They have deprived these infants - especially the babies - of adequate parental care, food with nutritional values, medicines to boost their immunity and fragile frames as they forcibly kept their mothers in captivity for years on end! During the fiercest periods of theatre of war, they were unable to receive FIVE major vaccinations for the prevention of all manner of childhood diseases before the age of FIVE and thousands of them died in the THREE affected North Eastern States of Bornu, Yobe and Adamawa between 2009-2015!

With the change of guards on 29th May, 2015, a determined President Muhammadu Buhari, faithfully increased the tempo of counter-insurgency war and in less than 12 calendar months, defeated the Boko Haram splinter groups and majority of those in captivity gained their freedom, especially the vulnerable women, babies, infants and children! And in the last 14 months, (March 2016 - May 2017), over 30.000 abducted Women and Children from Boko Haram camps were released by the dedicated Federal Troops of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, according to the outgoing Acting GOC, Brigadier Victor Ezugwu, in Maiduguri, on Wednesday, 17th May, 2017. In July, 2016, UNICEF, drew attention of the Federal Government to the unfolding health hazard among children in North Eastern Nigeria and revealed the fact that an estimated 244.000 faced severe malnutrition and that about 49.000 - one in five - would die if they did not receive urgent treatment and medical attention! Food insecurity had been a major challenge in the North Eastern Nigeria States since the unfortunate war of attrition because farmers were sacked from their farms, while all petty traders/food vendors in the far-flung villages of the local government areas, fled to big cities for refuge for fear of attacks by the insurgents who operated from their village precincts! In these present times, some improvements have been noticed in food supplies in the war-affected areas by DONOR AGENCIES, due to prevalent peace through continuous mop-up operations of the insurgents following their total annihilation from the SAMBISA FOREST by the combined efforts of Federal Troops, and the Civilian JTF.

However, UNICEF states that 4.4 million people in three North Eastern States were at a "crisis" or worse level of food insecurity, which is usually measured on a 1-5 scale of severity!
But more attention needs to be focussed on the health conditions of the most vulnerable - the babies and infants who cannot fend for themselves in respect of the basic necessities of life without parental assistance, right from their dates of birth, because they are in greater danger of extinction if the Federal and the affected State Governments did not priotized their needs and declare an EMERGENCY in the health sector immediately! According to official figures released in July 2016, by the Federal Ministry of Health, 2.300 children below the age of FIVE, died annually in Nigeria, due to MALNUTRITION! It was also disclosed that 37% of Nigerian children were malnourished; 29%, Underweight; 18%, Wasting; while only 17%, enjoyed exclusive breast feeding! That is not all!
Did you know that the National Nutrition Survey of 2005, (12 years ago), showed that 54% of children in the North West had stunted growth, followed by the North East with 42%; while Kebbi had the highest malnutrition rate of 61% of malnourished children, long before the Boko Haram insurgency!

The situation has further degenerated - especially in the IDPs Camps of Bornu and Zamfara States, where gory pictures of severely malnourished babies and infants, on the verge of death were highlighted in a television documentary to draw attention of both the Federal and State Governments to the urgent need to diversify large FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO SAVE THESE ENDANGERED VULNERALBLE SPECIES WHO MUST BE SAVED AND NURTURED TO BECOME THE FUTURE LEADERS OF THIS GREAT NATION OF NIGERIA!

Exclusive babies breast feeding method was introduced to Nigeria by medical doctors over 20 years ago, but no emphasis was laid on how mothers would be empowered outside of stipends from most jobless husbands in order to be well-fed to produce the natural milk for their offspring! MOST OF THE WOMEN IN THAT DOCUMENTARY WERE EQUALLY MALNOURISHED AND HAD FLABBY AND ALMOST DRIED-UP BREASTS,WHICH HARDLY PRODUCED ANY MILK BECAUSE OF THE DEVASTATION OF THE EIGHT-YEAR-LONG WAR OF BOKO HARAM TERRORISTS!

WHILE BUHARI WAS DEDICATED TO SAVING THE FUTURE LEADERS THROUGH PINE, CHECK OUT WHAT OTHERS WERE DOING!
The Legislators: (1) They eventually passed the 2017 Budget which was laid before the National Assembly (NASS), since 14th December, 2016, by President Buhari, on 11th May, 2017, but not without PADDING THE FIGURES FROM - N7.28 trillion to N7.44 trillion - an added N16 Billion Naira, to increase their own appropriation!
(2) An Anti- CORRUPTION BOOK, "written" by Senator Dino Melaye, was launched on18th May, 2017, fellow legislators and sold for N50.000 per hard copy. Senator Saraki and Speaker Dogara bought 469 copies for all legislators at the cost of N23.450.000!
(3). FORBES MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHTS FIVE NIGERIAN BILLIONAIRES WHO CAN END POVERTY IN NIGERIA!

Major factors responsible for the malnutrition scourge in Nigeria include but not limited to the following: Increased Poverty Level, Unemployment of Able-Bodied and Employable Youths, Gender Inequality, Population Explosion, Failure of Adequate Health Infrastructures by Government, and Inadequate Child and Maternal Health Care but OXFAM International says there are FIVE very outstanding and globally-recognised billionaires in Nigeria in the persons of: (1) Aliko Dangote, $·12.5 billion; (2) Mike Adenuga, $10.5; (3) 'Femi Otedola, $2.3; (4) Lady 'Folorunso Alakija, $2.1; and (5) Theophilus Danjuma, $1.7, who can collectively eradicate POVERTY from Nigeria!
Anambra State also boasts of at least THREE THOUSAND LOCAL BILLIONAIRES, according to an indigene journalist who claimed that all of them were interested in the gubernatorial elections slated for 18th November, 2017, either to covet the position, sponsor someone else or debar others from attaining the post at all cost with their surplus and abundant wealth!
According to Oxfam, there is a large and grown gap between the rich and the poor in Nigeria. The combined wealth ($29.9 billion), of those FIVE, according to the report could end EXTREME POVERTY, because the benefits of the nation's economic growth had been captured by a FEW WEALTHY ELITE, at the expense of the ordinary Nigerian and the economic inequality had been the key factor in the conflict in North Eastern Nigeria! And according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), about 112 million Nigerians, (representing 67.1%) of the country's total population of 167million, live below poverty level .
Oxfam report also says that public office holders stole an estimated $20 trillion from the TREASURY between 1960-2005, while multinational companies received tax incentives estimated at $2.9 billion a year, proving that Nigeria's myriad of economic debauchery had been endemic from the date the neo- colonialists took over reign of government in1960!

IMPERATIVE MEASURES TO RESCUE THE DYING INFANTS!
Government urgently needs to upgrade the activities of the Presidential Initiative for North East (PINE), which had been in place since 2015 to cater for the welfare of IDP's in the North East to focus more on the necessary care and attention of these unfortunate infants by appropriating a SPECIAL FUND to cater for their health needs, just as the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, is being given special priority. According to the Presidency, "as at 16th May, 2017 - 1.051.619, PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS were fed across SEVEN States!

We need to remind both Federal and the THREE North Eastern States that about 50.000 of those infants could die before the end of 2017, if GREATER attention was not devoted to destroy the scourge of MALNUTRITION ravaging the region, therefore the following palliatives MUST be urgently put in place:
(1) More funds must be injected to purchase nutritional food to eradicate the prevalent acute malnutrition while urgent deworming must be enforced;
(2) Complimentary and therapeutic feeding is very imperative now and should be urgently introduced to stop and terminate the scourge;
(3)Special feeding of richly nutritional food should be provided for the mothers in order for them to provide exclusive breastfeeding urgently needed by the babies;
(4) Micro-nutrient foods should be provided for those infants who were able to ingest them;
(5) Health Care Centres must be established within the vicinities of IDP's Camps where the scourge were most prevalent to dispense necessary drugs and enforce hygiene and sanitation among the mothers, babies and infants;
(6) It is also very important that special foods well fortified with Vitamin A & Iron, should always be supplied to the mothers and their children;

HOWEVER, we are aware that governments alone cannot be saddled with the huge financial figures involved, but that NGO's, philanthropists, the FIVE Nigerian billionaires, the 3.000 Ananmbra billionaires, All Proceeds from Senator Dino Melaye's "Antidotes For? (To) Corruption", and Some Percentage of All Recovered Monies, should be donated to PINE for the quick intervention that the very pressing matter should be resolved once and for all! :
‘Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. (Psa 127:3-5).



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

THE YOUNGEST FRENCH PRESIDENT HAS BLAIZED THE TRAIL! WHAT ARE THE NIGERIAN YOUTHS WAITING FOR?

When the political exploits of youthful Emmanuel Jean Frederic Macron from Picardy town France, hit global social media in 2016, there was an upset in the French bureaucratic calculations about who would succeed 63-year-old Fracois Hollande whose tenure was marred by "immigrant terrorism", foisted on the nation through diplomatic bunglings!
Macron a new comer into French politics had no affiliation to any known political party, had no leftist nor rightist agenda and was not infatuated towards godfatherism, but his centrist exposition which engulfed France like a wild and an uncontrollable inferno, took all political pundits by surprise as he became an instant enigma! Emmanuel who was a former civil servant and investment banker, masters holder in philosophy, served the French government as Minister of the Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs, but never held any elected office!
At 39 years, the new French President had quite an interesting antecedent and resume of a tertiary education which built in him an ideological world view of an adventurous extrovert. In his adolescent/adult emancipation, he fell in love and later married his drama teacher, Brigitte - now 64 years, who had in no small measure impacted revolutionary ideas into the young mind which was eventually driven into the presidential seat of power, by storm! Can one argue further, that behind every successful man, there is a loving, very influential and powerful WOMAN?

Historical record has it that it was a teacher/student relationship that brought Brigitte and Emmanuel together when at 15, the young lad fell in love with his teacher and got married to the divorcee, 13 years later in 2007. In spite of global criticisms in respect of the 25-year age difference, the couple have had TEN years of very successful marriage! Macron employed his ambitious political plan through an Independent Party which knocked down the pillars of other conservative political parties including his opponents National Front/Hollande's Socialist Party/The Republicans/La France insoumise/Debout la Rance/Resistons etc, and got a landslide victory of 66.1% of votes against his closest rival, lady- Marine Lee Pen who scored 33.9% by popular votes at the conclusion of a run-off on 7th May,2017 as no candidate won a majority in the first round held on 23rd April, 2017!
This young man has made history just like many of his peer groups who made it to the number one position in their various countries like America's John Kennedy, Britain's David Cameron, Nigeria's Yakubu Gowon, to mention a few, but still has one more river to cross on 11 th and 18th June, 2017, when the legislative elections would hold to determine his capacity in the French Parliament because he has neither a strong nor an established political structure, as it were! However the determined young man's Party has unveiled candidates for the elections of which 50 female aspirants in solidarity with their male counterparts are ready to slug it out and win laurels for the winning team!

CAN NIGERIAN YOUTHS TAKE OVER THE PRESIDENCY LIKE EMMANUEL MACRON?
Since Macron's emergence as the youngest French President in recent times - before him were General De Gaulle, Nicholas Sarkozy, Fracois Hollande, etc., political commentators, including those of Nigeria have clamoured that it was time Nigerian Youths took over the arena and gun for the number one position! According to the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution, 1999, the enshrined age for aspiration to the position of president is 40 years; for the National Assembly/Governorship, 35; and for the State Assemblies/Local Governments, 30! Are the legislators ready to amend the Constitution to create a slot for the Nigerian youth in the presidency?

On the flip side of this political landmark is the victory of Elder Donald Trump victory at the 2016 polls! The 70-year-old American President would not have made history, had he not ventured into the political turf in spite of the challenge posed by several Republican youths who contested the primaries with him! Trump was never a political title holder at any level of government - neither a Congressman, Senator nor a State Governor, but he ventured with sheer guts and won the elections to the dismay of the WORLD! This senile President also ventured to marry a younger wife - now fifty years old - but no one seems to raise an eye brow!

NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED!
In 57 years of political independence, Nigeria, is not bereft of its own MACRONS, but of the MINDSET to cut off from the umbilical cords of the selfish and greedy senile leaders who have sat over their political ambitions, dampened their aspirations through Feudal/Oligarchic tendencies and have perpetually subjected them to abject poverty, penury and squalor in order to kill whatever remained of their enthusiasm in life! OVER 30 MILLION NIGERIAN YOUTHS - MOSTLTY OF NORTHERN EXTRACTION - ARE OUT OF SCHOOL - ROAMING THE STREETS!

Many Nigeria youths are the POLITICAL THUGS instead of ASPIRANTS; they are the CONTRACTED PROTESTERS instead of members of the esteemed POLITICAL CLASS, they are the Boko Haram terrorists, the Niger Delta Vandals, the nation-wide KIDNAPPERS, the CATTLE RUSTLERS, the ARMED ROBBERS, illegal immigrants, asylum seekers and prostitutes in foreign countries, who are deported from Italy, Britain, Libya etc, on weekly basis and have always brought immense shame upon Nigeria! Over 62 tertiary institutions in Nigeria churn out thousands of graduates annually who prefer the unavailable "white-collar" jobs and without self effort to maximize the acquired education towards positive accomplishment for themselves and the larger society, they complain of MARGINALIZATION!

PRESIDENT BUHARI IS AN EPITOME OF SINCERE LEADERSHIP!
Nigerian youths should follow the Change Pattern of the 74-year-old President Muhammadu Buhari, and his team in order to succeed since revolutionary ideologies are not the prerogative of the youths alone. In under TWO YEARS, the economic and political gains of the ruling All People's Congress, (APC), Government in the areas of counter terrorism which resulted in remarkable military gains against BOKO HARAM terrorists whose ranks have been terribly decimated with the overrun of SAMBISA FOREST; the full-throttled war against INSTITUTIONAL CORRUPTION of over 16 years of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), misgovernance - 1999-2015 - and the turn around of the ECONOMY which was already on the verge of recession, even as at the 29th May, 2015, when President Buhari took over the reigns of political power!
GOD CREATED A FULL-FLEDGED MAN INTO THE WORLD BEFORE MAN PRO-CREATED CHILDREN! ( Compare Genesis: 2:7; with 4: 1-26) The African adage says: "What an elderly person sees while sitting on a bench, the youth cannot see if he climbed the highest tree!" The success and progress of every society depends of the blend of the capacities of both the old, young, aged or youth who are inseparable! There is definitely no community or country in the world which population is wholly composed of mainly senile or totally youth settlers.
The culture, tradition, commerce and trade accomplishments of ILE-IFE, the cradle and origin of the Yoruba race world-wide, is credited to the union and marriage of the Godly endowments of wisdom, knowledge and understanding of both the youths and elders of the land!

FRENCH DIPLOMATIC AND ECONOMIC SITUATION BEFORE THE ADVENT OF MACRON!
Must France open its gates to all manner of immigrant asylum seekers - all in the name of faithful allegiance to the European Union (EU)? It has been established that all terrorists’ attacks - twice in Paris and one in Nice - which took the lives over about 200 innocent persons was caused through UNDIPLOMATIC DIPLOMACY by the out-going Francois Hollande and he dared not seek re-election!
From the administration of ex-President Nickolas Sarkozy, French economy had been on the slide and when Francois Hollande moved in in 2012, he was optimistic that he could effect a turn around, but he failed and became the most unpopular president in recent French history as he departed the ELYSEE PALACE on Sunday 14th May 2017! He also failed because of his inability to revive the economy, curb unemployment and administrative wastages! Since the financial crisis of the year 2008, the French economy grew slowly but now need a more dynamic drive which we believe could be released by the young, ebullient and determined in-coming Macron. France has the world's seventh largest economy according to nominal figures by International Monetary Fund (IMF), estimates for the year 2017. We wish young Emmanuel Macron, who was inaugurated on Sunday 14th May, 2017, a revolutionary and very successful first 5-year tenure which should revamp French wobbling economy, create employment opportunities for the youths, tighten EU immigration policies that gave room for terrorist’s attacks in France!

NIGERIAN POLITICAL LEADERS SHOULD NOT BE BURIED ALIVE!
We vehemently disagree with the vituperations of a street teenage Nigerian whose recent statement, "that all Nigerian Leaders should be buried alive in mass graves because they were the root cause of mass illiteracy, unemployment, insecurity and the nation's economic woes! Instead of burying them alive, we suggest that all political and public office holders should be requested to declared their assets to Nigerians for verification and those who cannot give convincing proofs of acquisition of illicit gains should forfeit them to government, be prosecuted and sent to rot in jail in order to serve as deterrent to the larger society! JUNGLE JUSTICE IS FORBIDDEN BY GOD!



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

MERCENERY LABOUR LEADERS NOW EYE POLITICAL OFFICES! WHAT GREED?

It did not come as a surprise to many Nigerians when some leaders of a faction of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), during the last MAY DAY celebrations, expressed desire to metamorphose into a political party in view of the fact that since politics was a game of NUMBERS they could harness their numerical strength to advantage in order to CATER MORE for the basic necessities of life for their members as political gurus! Are they really passionate about the NEEDS of the downtrodden and over-used Nigerian workers or deviously planning to cut a niche for themselves in the rosy political landscape and line their pockets with the financial largesse which accompanies Nigeria's lucrative capitalist presidential system of government?

In 1978, there was a merger of four different organizations which founded the NLC as an umbrella body for 42 restructured industrial unions with an initial membership population of 4 million, which has now grown to over 6 million, to "cater for workers specific and general interests in a more organized manner! Before Comrade Wahab Goodluck, who emerged as the first President of that new body, there was the immortalized "LABOUR LEADER NUMBER ONE", PA MICHAEL IMODU, of blessed memory, who championed the cause of Nigerian down-trodden workers without seeking neither paraphernalia of office nor aspired to become a politician which today has become the vogue and vocation among the present crop of labour leaders of the 21 Century! Worthy of note also were Comrades Abdulwahed Ibrahim Omar and Pascal Bafiyau, who followed Pa Imodu's footstep unlike Adams Oshiomole, who later veered into politics and spent 8 years in office as Governor of Edo State (2008-2016)! Nobody was surprised that the ex- governor was rebuffed by workers at the Eagle Square, on May Day, 2017, when he tried to calm a mild protest against Federal Government officials because he already belonged to the ELITES CLUB of capitalist politicians!
The International Labour Organisation (ILO), has consistently advocated that labour agitations for improved workers conditions and enhanced living wages must always be predicated on mutual negotiations instead of confrontations, antagonisms or picketing with employers of labour in order to allow for a conflict resolution of "no victor, no vanquished", because when union leaders accused employers of deliberate exploitation of their workers, the later always accused their employees also of collecting free emoluments in spite regular lackadaisical attitude to work!
Nigerian workers have been maligned, sidelined and exploited by Governors of the various State Governments who owe them salary arrears of between 6 and 15 months up to May Day 2017, like Kogi State, which leads with 15 points on the medal table of unpaid N18.000.00 paltry stipends and even expected MARCH PASTS by the workers on empty stomachs because the Labour negotiators reneged on the bond of COVENANT through delay of serious negotiations with State Governments for their own selfish pecuniary gains! During the disrupted 2017 May Day gathering at the Eagle Square, Abuja, the Federal Government delegation comprising of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senate President, and Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives were barred from delivering official addresses including that of the President! Nigerians were also not surprised when in January 2017, some ambitious labour leaders announced the formation of a new Labour Union which emerged after a two-year internal crisis that split the NLC into two opposing factions following a disputed general elections in 2015. Out of the 42 Industrial Unions, of the NLC, no fewer than 25, elected Comrade Joe Ajaero who heads one of the splinter groups as President of the new United Labour Congress (ULC). As expected, the other group of the NLC, headed by Comrade Ayuba Wabba, described the emergence of the new labour party as a setback to the agitation for better conditions of service - especially on the issue of the new minimum wage being negotiated with the Federal Government.

WHICH NLC WOULD ENGAGE GOVERNMENT at the Tripartite Committee and through which medium or channel? The TWO NLCs in question exist on the pages of the newspapers, magazines and the internet and we make bold to say that they do not represent the interest of anybody except themselves; they are diametrically opposed to the Change Administration’s posture of good governance and therefore not the “voice of the oppressed” and must henceforth be rejected by the workers whose interests they no longer represent, with the following strategy: All affiliates which are made up of virtually all formal and informal trade unions, divisions/parastatals of government and the private sectors that are very numerous should engage legal action to suspend the compulsory monthly labour contributions which were normally deducted at source and deprive them the luxury of collecting illegal salaries and allowances for as long as they remained divided because they have completely reneged on their Mission Statement to organize, unionise, and educate all categories of Nigerian workers; defend and advance their political, economic, social and cultural rights; emancipate and unite them and THE PEOPLE from all forms of exploitation and discriminations et ce tera! Factionalized NLC should be told the hard truth; as presently constituted, THEY ARE A LIE, A FRAUD AND A REPROACH TO THE NIGERIA SOCIETY!

The celebration of modern May Day has its antecedent in the organized LABOUR DAY of September 1, in the United States of America from the 1880s when the KNIGHTS OF LABOUR began annual parades through New York City and applied political pressure for its nation-wide recognition as a legal public holiday. In Europe, celebration of Labour Day on MAY 1, could be traced to 1889, when the first congress of the SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL met in Paris and urged workers to enforce an annual public holiday on first of May. It had since become a global event that has more prominence in the Communist calendar where Moscow semi-militant May Day parades are among the most-publicized and pageant-clustered annual event. It is instructive to juxtapose May Day celebrations with the thoughts of Karl Marx, a socialist cum communist radical ideologist who was passionately and vehemently opposed to CAPITALISM in all its ramifications - theory or practice! This revolutionist opined that though we dwell in a world which is dominated by minority capitalist governments and politicians who exploited the majority workforce, workers should not be classified as PARASITES in the unholy equation of. "master - servant relationship!" Capitalism is an economic, political and social system based on private ownership of property, business and industry, and directed towards making the greatest possible profits for successful organizations and people. A system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners at the EXPENSE OF THE WORKING CLASS! Nigeria runs a capitalist presidential system of government!

Karl also advocated that Labour Unions should always engage capitalist governments as catalysts to bridge the lopsided gap and rectify the anomaly of underpayment through collective bargaining with the capitalist political class and confront the penchant for FREE LABOUR from a labour force that should enjoy the advantage of numerical strength in all negotiations for better conditions of engagement! All global protagonists of equal pay for equal job in social democracies, were opposed to all forms of exploitation through capitalist ideologies of various governments and were never enticed by the ruling class to betray the trust of the workers through bribery with illicit, transient and carnal gains because elected labour officers were TESTED AND TRUSTED! Labour leaders in alliance with the middle social classes had fought for and won the democratic freedoms of the universal franchise, rights of free speech, association, assemblies and equal representation as enshrined in the constitutions of their respective countries and Nigerian labour leaders cannot afford to behave differently!

FAITHFUL LABOUR LEADERS ARE SOCIALIST-ORIENTED NOT CAPITALIST'S!
Because Nigerian labour leaders who now want to take advantage of the numerical strength of workers for political glory are mere HIRELINGS, - Wolves in Sheep's clothing’s, we recommend that workers of the two labour factions should close ranks and form the WORKERS UNION OF NIGERIA (WUN), immediately to represent them during the inauguration of the TRIPARTITE COMMITTEE of (Workers, Government and the Private Sector), to be set up by the Federal Government, for the implementation of the new National Minimum Wage for all workers in the country! We also advise that WUN should negotiate for a minimum wage of at least N 60.000.00 naira and multiple allowances which MUST include but not limited to, TRANSPORT, HOUSING, MEDICAL, ACCIDENT, HARDSHIP etc, because they deserve more compensations after all these years of deprivation of basic necessities of life! IT'S HIGH TIME NIGERIAN WORKERS TOOK THEIR DESTINY IN THEIR HANDS AND SHUT THE DOOR AGAINST PREDATOR LABOUR LEADERS!

All factionalized “officers” must be compelled to resign their posts and refund all salaries and allowances so far collected and hand over to the newly constituted WORKERS UNION OF NIGERIA (WUN) through the intervention of THE MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND PRODUCTIVITY in other to save Nigeria's WORKFORCE from the neo-colonialists labour leaders and complete the Change Circle of flushing out the SPOILERS! “Heal Nigeria, O LORD and she shall be healed; save her, and she shall be saved; for thou art her praise.” (Jeremiah.17:14).



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

STIGMATIZE THE PHYSICALLY DISABLED IN NIGERIA AND GO TO JAIL!

Successive Nigerian Presidents might have refused to be Eyes to the Blind and Feet to the Lame, through deliberate denial of assent to the DISABILITY BILL but "distinguished" Senators of the 8th National Assembly have taken steps to break the jinx that bedeviled this philanthropic document, which was recently passed by the Red Chambers and presently awaits concurrency of the House of Representatives! Legislators of the 6th and 7th National Assembly of the successive administrations of ex-Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ebele Jonathan passed the Bill into law only for it to meet the brickwalls of executive rebuff on each occassion!
Can the past Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governments give plausible reasons why they denied the physically and mentally impaired their rightful portions of the social contract during their almost TWO decades (1999-2015), monopoly of power? Why would the dividends of democracy in all sectors of the economy not be extended to these endangered species who should not be held responsible for their pathetic plight in spite of their fundamental human rights? It is a glaring fact that NOT ALL of the physically-challenged persons on wheel chairs or those guided to cross the streets to collect alms from passers-by were born with such disabilities - in fact, most were victims of automobile accidents or some other environmental disasters through man's irresponsibilities or through natural acts of GOD like sand storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, heat waves, etc. Disability could affect a person's attitude; last a lifetime or be miraculously cured like two men mentioned in the Bible and recorded to have been born blind and lame respectively (John. 5:1-9 and Mark.10:46-52 ). Let him who stands be very careful, lest he falls!

Disability vary in definition or interpretation. For instance it could refer to: (1) an impairment which limits activities in some parts of the body, (2). a disability which restricts participation with others, or (3) a disadvantageous health issue which could result in stigmatization by myopic and naive fellow citizens. World Health Organization (WHO), states that disability is not just a health problem but a phenomenon reflecting the interaction between features of a person's body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Disabilities include physical/mental disabilities, health issues, learning/intellectual disability, hearing loss/deafness, Autism, memory loss, speech and language disorders, vision loss/blindness, Down syndrome or chronic illness!

Testimonies from Psychiatric Wards: (1) Stella (25), developed mental disorders and was repatriated from London, when she was jilted by her fiancée who abandoned her at the altar! (2) 'Bayo (21) lost his parents and two siblings in an automobile accident and the painful disaster led him to speech and language disorders, which is still being medically treated! (3) Paul (42), heard of his retrenchment through a radio announcement, fell into a coma only to wake up three months later with memory loss and mental disorder!
Are people with natural or accidental disabilities therefore abnormal persons not fit to enjoy social amenities and basic necessities of life? Should they be discarded like the dregs of the society fit only for medical attention, charity or human sympathies?
NO! We should not forget that Nigerian PWDs made the nation proud at the 2012 Paralympic Games shortly after the ABLE-BODIED CONTINGENT to the events failed to win a SINGLE MEDAL! The physically paralympians raked in SIX GOLD, FIVE SILVER AND TWO BRONZE MEDALS and were all adequately rewarded by the Federal Government. They also performed similar feats in the 2016 GAMES! Have they not proved that they do not deserve any form of stigmatization? Should not the more-determined among them access education without stigmatization? But are special facilities provided for them in schools, public or private high-rise buildings, offices, ministries, which they could easily access with their wheel chairs, to study or initiate business opportunities without difficulties? What about societal discrimination due to inconveniencies they pose to others, while they struggled to become Lawyers, Teachers, Radio Presenters, Engineers etc? Would they not be subjected to socio-political inequality and insecurity if they insisted on their RIGHTS? What is the percentage of People With Disabilities (PWDs), in positions of authority in the Executive, Legislature, and the Judiciary?
Should they be further marginalized, neglected ....without educational opportunities, sources of subsistence other than begging for alms, without employment opportunities and social stigmatization?
Can the social contract for the physically impaired as enshrined in the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 Constitution, Chapter II, Section16 (2) (d) Economic Objectives, "that suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable national minimum living wage, old age care and pensions and unemployment, sick benefits and welfare of the disabled are provided for all citizens," be implemented without an enabling law?
Although PWDs constitute only about 3% of the workforce but World Health Organization (WHO), claims that over 20 million Nigerians are living with disabilities- which make them the largest minority group in the nation!

GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENS OWE IT A DUTY TO SUPPORT THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED!
In other climes, there are a lot of benefits/facilities for those with physical disabilities; should Nigeria's case be different? Those who are visually-impaired enjoy free access to special Schools for the Blind and if very brilliant could advance to secondary/tertiary institutions still on scholarship, while physically-disadvantaged are granted facilities to attend public schools and universities. They are provided with public transportation designed with specifications for easy access without stress to all destinations. All public buildings, schools, banking halls, churches, mosques, hospitals, including the HIGH RISE, are designed with specifications to accommodate their needs as they access with their CRUTCHES, WHEELCHAIRS, GUIDE CANES OR WALKING STICKS without the aid of abled-bodied citizens? Special appropriation is allocated to cater for PWDs in annual national budgets while Non-Govemental Organisations (NGOs), and Civil Society Groups also contribute to make life more meaningful for them.

WHAT IS THE PLIGHT OF THE NIGERIAN PWDs?
In spite of regular advocacy by various interest groups and stakeholders in respect of the challenges of these MARGINALIZED AND ALWAYS SIDELINED CITIZENS - it is yet to be seen if the Legislators would actually pursue the gains recorded through the passage of the Disability Bill to its logical conclusion of assent by the President. Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Bill, seeks to cater for the interests of PWDs and provide for the establishment of a National Commission which would be empowered to look after the education and health as well as protect their socio-economic, civil and political rights. The Bill prescribes a fine of N100.000 or six months in prison or both for an individual who contravenes the law and also seeks to protect the legal rights of PWDs in Nigeria and once assented will totally prohibit any form of discrimination against them!

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES WILL GET EQUAL RIGHTS AND ATTENTION - SARAKI.
Two groups of Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) paid a courtesy visit to National Assembly (NASS), to thank the 8th Assembly leadership on the recent passage of the Disability Bill. The Senate President assured that their predicament would not cause them stigmatization but that they would enjoy equal rights like every other Nigerian citizen.
He also said that NASS would follow up to ensure that the Bill was signed into law by President Muhamadu Buhari, after the concurrence of the House of Representatives. More support was advocated during a conference to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWDs), entitled, "Inclusion Matters: Access and Empowerment for People of All Abilities", organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (FMWASD), in Abuja.

PHYSICAL DISABLITY IS NEITHER A CURSE NOR A DISADVANTAGE!
The cliché' that the World is not "a bed of roses", is more understandable to the Blind, Deaf and the Lame than to the Autistic or person with a Down-Syndrome. The former three, though physically impaired in sight, hearing and limbs, still have the advantage of a mental capacity to utilize those challenges favorably. For instance, the blind, would still move around unaided with guide cane/walking stick and could still read through the aid of BRAILLE invention. The lame would move around without a guide on a wheel chair but the Autistic or Down syndrome victim - though blessed with sight and hearing aids - would lack the mental capabilities to use them to advantage!

"Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.” (Lev: 19:14.KJV)


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

THE GENERATIONAL BURDENS AND YOKES BEQUEATHED ON NIGERIAN YOUTHS SHOULD BE BROKEN TO PIECES NOW!
We need to remind Nigerian Youths that the time of ignorance is past and that God has commanded everyone to repent and be saved because the TIME IS SHORT! What we all need to do as the united people of this GREAT NATION is to collaborate with this new administration to build together a new nation that would be absolutely devoid of the kind of unprecedented CORRUPTION such as had never been witnessed in any part of the world through successive PDP administrations! Nigeria's global logo up till 29th May, 2015 was INSTITUTIONALIZED CORRUPTION WITH IMPUNITY which permeated all aspects of national/private lives and which like a CANCER, NEEDS surgical operation to HEAL! President Buhari NEEDS all hands on deck to actualize this BIG DREAM to turn Nigeria around in RIGTEOUSNESS! WE MUST TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE NOW BECAUSE GOD IS ON OUR SIDE!
WHAT SHALL WE SAY THEN TO THESE THINGS, IF GOD BE FOR US WHO CAN BE AGAINST US? [Romans. 8: 31].

THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY GROWTH PLAN [ERGP 2017-2020], IS PANACEA FOR RECESSION!

The All Progressives Congress [APC's], manifesto was very unambiguous in respect of being populist in orientation and had, in almost "TWO YEARS OF SLOW AND STEADY PROGRESS", been very consistent in its programmes of supporting the very poor and the needy in the Nigerian communities! At a recently concluded job interview of applicants for vacancies at the Nigerian Railway Corporation [NRC], which took place at the Iddo Terminus Lagos Headquarters, and at which event, TWO APPLICANTS FAINTED, a disoriented, disparaged, and discomfited youth blamed the entire shoddy arrangement which kept them in the heat of the sun and in queue for hours on end for the unfortunate incident. In an Press interview, he regretted that in all of his adolescent/adult academic life, Nigeria was consistently referred to as a "DEVELOPING NATION", and wondered whether it would ever mature to the global status of acceptable international standards in the true sense of holistic DEVELOPMENT. A fully-developed nation would bask in an all-round food/energy security and sufficiency, science/information/communication technology, internal/external defence of territorial waters and designated national airspace!

The job interview for the selection of only 300 workers attracted over 2,500 applicants and it was by God's grace that life was not lost - unlike what obtained in some Stadia across Nigeria during the botched Nigerian Immigration Services [NIS], recruitment in which over 12 applicants - including a pregnant woman, unfortunately lost their lives in 2014! The ERGP is not a strange document to most adult Nigerians because before its launch by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Wednesday, 5th April, 2017, similar economic plan documents which never saw the light of the day, were inaugurated with much fanfare and grandeur by past unfaithful administrations - the most important being the, National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy [NEEDS], document of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration which gulped millions of naira of tax-payers money in 2004! If that document were to have been religiously and diligently implemented, Nigeria’s economy would not have been in shambles at the disgraceful exit of the Peoples Democratic Party Administration in 2015, and there would have been no need for the present one which was already in full implementation even before that historic launch by a faithful government that has empathy of the downtrodden! ERGP is part of efforts by the Change Government to sustain and build on the successes so far recorded in tackling corruption, improving security and revamping the economy for the good of the common masses who always resiliently provided the WORKFORCE as “hewers of the wood and drawers of the water!"

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEEDS DOCUNENT.
According to the National Planning Commission of the Obasanjo's Administration, NEEDS was a response to development challenges of social, political, and economic decay in Nigeria and efforts mustered to lay a solid foundation for sustainable poverty-reduction, employment generation, wealth-creation and value reorientation, which in 1999, most people grossly underestimated! The goal of NEEDS was to mobilize the resources of Nigeria to make a fundamental break with the failures of the past and "BEQUEATH A UNITED AND PROSPEROUS NATION TO GENERATIONS TO COME." The Document gathered dust in the shelves till the PDP Administrations were jettisoned by the ELECTORATE in May 2015!

WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY!
Since the advent of the Change Mantra Administration, President Buhari left no one in doubt about the direction in which he was headed and in over 22 months since 29th May, 2015, he and his TEAM had demonstrated an unusual will-power in the face of multi-faceted economic challenges deliberately caused by past wicked leaders through massive corruption and the looting of the national treasury to ground zero! It very instructive to know that without a very rigid internal/external security measures put in place to ensure safety of the citizens, no meaningful economic progress would be achieved by any nation. When the present administration came on board, the Boko Haram insurgency was at its highest peak with 14 Local Government Areas of Bornu North East State, firmly in the hands of the terrorists while the failed PDP Government of ex-President Ebele Jonathan, wined and dined with funds appropriated to cater for the purchase of arms and ammunitions to prosecute the war, through the office of the National Security Adviser [NSA], a development which gave vent for a frontal elimination of insecurity at all cost!
That the divinely-anointed President and Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces wasted no time to engage and destroy the enclaves of the terrorists through superior fire power and a most unsual ingenuity in arsenal deployment - especially in the dense Sambisa Forest, is left for Historians to document for posterity! When the Niger Delta pipeline vandals and terrorists were also instigated to destroy what was left of the ruined economy by the same losers, there was a divine intervention which forced the remnants who survived the Federal might to surrender and opted for dialogue! The following very glaring achievements geared towards the revival and revamping of the bastardized economy, the various palliatives to succour, the unemployed in the various cadres of the society, workers, school children/students of higher institutions, market women, civil servants etc have been acclaimed by economic analyst as manifesting good results in alleviating the pains of the suffering masses.
1. Going by official statistics over 500.000, unemployed graduates from Nigeria's tertiary institutions have benefitted from the SOCIAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES [SIP], in areas of employment/training opportunities through which they earn a monthly stipend of N30.000 naira in a two-year grooming which would eventually impart them with necessary ENTREPRENUERSHIP SKILLS needed for the economic survival of the nation.
2. Conditional CASH TRANSFERS of N5.000 naira to 25 million poorest Nigerians is progressing steadily from State to State without discrimination.
3. With the promise by the Federal Government to negotiate an AMNESTY PROGRAMME with the Niger Delta Region pipeline vandals and also the introduction of MODULAR REFINERY concept to eliminate the mushroom crude-oil bunkering/refining methods which had taken unprecedented dimension among the Youths, militancy nosedived and a relative peace has allowed for a substantial increase in oil production output from 1.5 million to about 2.5million barrels per day to further support gains from the AGRICULTURAL AND SOLID MINERAL RESOURCES SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY!
4. Funds have been injected into the INDUSTRIAL/MANUFACTURING SECTORS to allow for MADE-IN-NIGERIA PRODUCTS to flood Nigerian markets and to discourage further importation of foreign goods into the country etc.

WHAT ERGP STANDS FOR!
In a very expository treatise by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr 'Femi Adesina, before the launch date, Nigerians were told that the vision of ERGP was one of sustained inclusive growth which a nation needed to drive a structural economic transformation with emphasis on improving both public and private sector efficiency. He also provided the following salient reasons for an urgent but steady implementation of the laudable Plan. That the Medium Term ERGP, which has amongst its broad strategic objectives, restoration of sustainable, accelerated inclusive growth and development; investing in the people and building a globally competitive economy is also aimed at increasing national productivity to achieve sustainable diversification of production, significantly grow the economy and achieve maximum welfare of the citizens beginning with FOOD AND ENERGY SECURITY! The Plan is a pointer to the type of Nigerian that the people desire in the short to medium-term and encourages the use of science, technology and innovation to drive growth, promote national cohesion and social inclusion in which Nigerians are the ultimate beneficiaries of more inclusive growth which is rooted in the core values that define the Nigerian Society as enshrined in the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, notably, discipline, integrity, dignity of labour, social justice, religious tolerance, self reliance and patriotism and requires all citizens and stakeholders to adhere to these principles. ERGP Document must be taken over by the National Orientation Agency of the Federal Government for incisive grassroots understanding through dissemination of its content by well-trained officials, to the 36 States and the 774 Local Government Areas, so that there would be an avenue to monitor the level of implementation by government and to also require accountability as at when due. The required cooperation by the citizens would equally be ensured if State Governments were also carried along.

ARE THE LAUDABLE PRINCIPLES OF ERGP NOT GLOBALLY COMPLIANT TO THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS [SDGs]?
Of course, they are! The unusual Type C Cerebral Spinal Meningitis [CSM], epidemic which ravaged at least 16 States of the Nigerian State recently was put under control through emergency measures of the present administration without much fuse because one of the 14-point ERGP agenda already had an adequate BLUEPRINT to succour the situation, just like Agenda 3 of the 17-point SDGs, which enjoined all 193-member states, to ensure GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING of all their citizens. The SDGs which is an offshoot of the 8-point agenda of the Millenium Development Goals [MDGs], which the previous Nigerian administration poorly executed, is another progressive initiative of the United Nations adopted by member states on 25th September, 2015, to end poverty, protect the planet and endure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development goals.


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

WHO HAS INTERGRITY ISSUES - IBRAHIM MAGU, STATE SECURITY SERVICE (SSS) OR THE SENATORS?

EVENTS OF WEDNESDAY 15th March, 2017, which led to the SECOND rejection of Ibrahim Magu for the substantive post of Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on the floor of the NIGERIAN SENATE, was nothing short of TRUTH being cast upside down for falsehood to reign; EQUITY, deliberately thrust into the dust bin by political opportunists who were vehemently opposed to the anti-corruption crusade of Buhari's Administration; and have forced DEMOCRACY TO WALK ON ITS HEAD, on a day that was reminiscent of THE ROMAN "IDES OF MARCH!"
"Ides of March", the fifteenth day in the Roman Calendar was made popular, when the great Julius Caesar was warned by a soothsayer, of an imminent danger to his life if he attended Senate plenary on that day! The events that preceded and culminated into the "ides of March" scenario in Nigeria, were laden with premonitions of another negative outcome of Ibrahim Magu's screening by an already biased motley crowd of frightened Senators of the 8th National Assembly, who had a premeditated verdict, written, signed, sealed and to be delivered on 15th March, 2017! During his first advent to the "hallowed chambers", the Senators were sore afraid that they could not meet him "eye ball to eye ball", because the SLEUTH had a very intimidating RESUME when it comes to successful investigations, arrests and prosecutions of the Nigerian Treasury marauders, who were among the panel of JUDGES and who were to be seated at plenary, and so an inconsequential Senate Executive Committee on 15th December, 2016, rejected his nomination on behalf of the plenary by citing TWO indicting and conflicting reports by the SSS which claimed that the appointee had some INTEGRITY ISSUES! In our commentary at Magu's first rejection, we assumed that the SSS was neutral but when another negative report to the Senate caucus was again submitted on Tuesday, 14th March, 2017, we became suspicious of the Agency's role in the entire imbroglio. One of the two reports submitted to the Senate in December 2016, described him, ".....AS HAVING PERFORMED EXCELLENTLY SO FAR AND SHOULD THEREFORE BE FAVOURABLY CONSIDERED FOR THE POST." But the second NEGATIVE REPORT, which stated that Magu should not be considered for the post, was the one that was re-forwarded to the Senate on the eve of his second screening for obvious reasons which have now played out!

Who has integrity issues in view of the trending developments - is it Magu who has performed creditably, or the SSS which submitted double-edged sword reports signed by a female junior officer instead of Lawal Musa Daura, Chairman of the SSS, or the EFCC- indicted senators who were expecting to have their appearances in the courts in respect of alleged corruption offences in the days and months to come?

Although General Caesar's imposing and colossal personality would easily swallow a dwarf Magu's profile, we will not be beclouded to lose sight of some very salient similarities in the events which led to BOTH TRAGEDIES OF "IDES OF MARCH" in Rome in 44BC and Nigeria in the 21st Century 2017!
1. Like Ceasar, Magu attained the position of a national figure through dint of hard work, commitment, resilience and diligence."Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." (Proverbs.22:29). General Julius Caesar, who lived between the year 101-44BC, was a military genius as well as a great statesman, politician, orator and a man of great vision.
2. Magu, has the zeal to fight corruption deliberately introduced into the system through unpatriotic politicians who had diverted the tax-payers monies for their personal use in successive administrations, by investigating, arresting, and prosecuting them in courts for convictions if found guilty and also to RECOVER ALL OF THE STOLEN MONIES AND PLOW THEM BACK INTO THE ECONOMY TO SUCCOUR THE NEEDS OF THE POOR AND DOWNTRODDEN IN THE SOCIETY!
3. Julius Caesar was highly revered as, "Father of his country", because of his love for the people of Rome because he provided lands for army veterans and poor citizens, instituted tax and legal reforms, constructed drainages for marshes and built canals and roads. As Magu was rebuffed by the Senators for his rising profile and popularity amongst the masses, the great General was resented by the upper class who feared that he wanted to establish a hereditary monarchy, while other less noble-minded, had strong personal grudge to settle with him!
4. Like Julius Caesar whom on the "Ides of March" (15th March), 44BC, a group of conspirators led by Senator Marcus Junius BRUTUS and Gaius Cassius Longinus, stabbed to death at a special secession of the Senate because he was not a coward to absent himself in spite of the soothsayer's warning, - Ibrahim MAGU, in spite of the odds against him, fearlessly faced the conspirators who discredited all his credentials in one fell swoop to earn themselves massive public condemnation! Magu later walked into the arms of patriotic CRUSADERS AGAINST CORRUPTION who expressed solidarity for him within the premises of the National Assembly.

Shortly after his first rejection by the Senate in December 2016, the Presidency instructed the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, to investigate the allegations of the SSS against Ibrahim Magu and he was exonerated on all charges before he was RE-NOMINATED FOR THE SECOND TIME BUT THE NEGATIVE, INSTEAD OF THE POSITIVE OF THE TWO SSS REPORTS, WAS ADOPTED BY THE SENATE CABAL TO REJECT HIM AGAIN! Except for SENATOR ALI NDUME who stood for the Magu's confirmation, all others shouted, "CRUCIFY HIM"!

ACHIEVEMENTS OF EFCC UNDER MAGU SINCE HIS APPOINTMENT IN OCTOBER 2015!
Ibrahim Magu (an Assistant Commissioner of Police), left no one in doubt from 11th November, 2015, when he was appointed by the Presidency in an acting capacity, that he was a worthy, patriotic and dedicated officer, who would not be compromised by political moneybags who were bent on circumventing the law with impunity! We have it on good authority that he had been approached severally to soft-pedal on many high-profile cases involving dubious politicians, especially, the law makers! He was among the EFCC team of investigators who combined with the SSS and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), to unravel the skeletons in Senator Saraki's cupboard of falsified declaration of assets and liabilities while he was Kwara State Governor between 2003-2011, which case is now before the CODE OF CONDUCT TRIBUNAL (CCT)! 84 Senators, opposed to APC’s anti-corruption crusade followed him to the Tribunal in solidarity! He was also responsible for the interrogation of Mrs Bukola Saraki, who was also alleged to have diverted some Kwara State Government funds to support her pet Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), projects while her husband held sway as the boss! Under Magu, over ONE TRILLION NAIRA including millions of US Dollars/Euros/pounds sterling, of looted government funds had been recovered to be ploughed back into the economy - the most recent being million of dollars recovered from ALISON MADUEKE and ANDREW YAKUBU, ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources and ex-Group Managing Director of NNPC, respectively. Also, on 6th March, 2017, EFCC obtained conviction in all five-count charge of conspiracy to award contract amounting to the tune of N167, 812,500 for the purchase of operational vehicles for the Adamawa State without compliance with due process against former Governor Bala Ngilari, who was sentenced to cumulative sentence of FIVE YEARS IN PRISION without the option of fine in a land-mark judgement!

LAWAL MUSA DAURA AS DIRECTOR GENERAL OF SSS OR DSS!
Lawal Musa also tried to make some impressions as the boss of the SSS since his appointment in July 2015 by President Muhammed Buhari. That, he is a controversial figure is not in doubt because he has bungled some operations which he actually had his grip on and could have successfully executed with due diligence! For instance he incurred condemnation for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Government, when allegations of impunity, recklessness, harassment, intimidation and high- handedness, were levelled against him and the government agency in an unprecedented invasion of the Akwa Ibom Government House, Uyo, in a "gestapo" manner without prior notice to its State's resident officers, to recover some "cache of firearms" which were allegedly stockpiled within the edifice which should normally enjoy a measure of immunity! At the conclusion of the obnoxious operation in that Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP), opposition State, no arms were recovered neither were any incriminating or offensive criminal evidences found! However, in the SSS covert operations against some highly placed judges, Lawal was able to recover some lost image!
SSS constitutional duties of SSS in the areas of defence and protection of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and its topmost officers against domestic threats, the enforcement of criminal laws/criminal justice service to both Federal and State Law Enforcement Organs, should be very complimentary and not unfriendly or aggressive. From the roles played by SSS in the first and second rejection of the EFCC's acting Chairman by the Senate caucus, Lawal Daura needs to fall in line with global trend of inter-agency rapport instead of rivalry!

SENATORS OF THE 8TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.
What do they have to hide? What are they afraid of? Were they all qualified to sit in judgement at plenary over Magu? How many of them are still under EFCC investigations or searchlight for offences bordering on corrupt practices in view of provisions of Sections 56, 172 of and paragraphs 1 &9 of the Fifth Schedule of the1999 Constitution and Senate Standing Orders 2015, which prohibits "conflict of interest by public officers," - including SENATORS? Should Saraki and those other legislators under corruption enrichment allegations sit in plenary to adjudicate over Magu's confirmation? Is the Criminal Justice System so weak that corrupt politicians could continue to parade themselves as "angels of light"? Senate President, 'Bukola Saraki and TEN legislators, were prohibited on 13th February, 2017, by an Abuja High Court, upon a motion ex parte, to exclude themselves from plenary during the screening process of Ibrahim Magu but did they comply?

HAS THE PRESIDENCY LOST ITS STEAM IN THE ANTI-CURRUPTION WAR IN VIEW OF THIS UGLY DEVELOPMENT AT THE SENATE?
NO! The Presidential Committee on Corruption is very much on course and has given a verdict that Ibrahim Magu should carry on the CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION in his capacity as acting Chairman of EFCC indefinitely, until the battle is convincingly won! We hear that SARAKI is singing a new song that Magu was not rejected because of SSS negative report but for the absence of "INTERNAL CONSULTATIONS!" Why did the Senate surreptitiously request for a report from the SSS which is an Agency under the Executive? Magu should hit the ground running and get convictions against all ex-Governors-turned serving Senators, whose cases are already in the law courts and send them behind the bars! Patriotic Nigerians are behind him! WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY!


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com

LET'S AVOID SHEDDING OF HUMAN BLOOD ON ABUJA AIRPORT TARMAC!

The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja tarmac, presently under resurfacing had been in use for 34 consecutive years according to Aviation authorities - Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and Minister of State, Transport - without any significant repairs until its closure to both international and domestic flights, for a period of SIX WEEKS - 8th March to 19th April, 2017, to avoid an imminent and catastrophic air crash that would consume scores of sacred human lives!

WHAT STAKEHOLDERS NEEDED TO KNOW!
(1) The repairs to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja tarmac was long overdue because it had been delayed for about 14 years and was becoming a death trap to air passengers, ground crew and all airport critical infrastructure.
(2) In those long years, no second runway was built while pot holes of various sizes welled up on the runway and created serious challenges for aircraft pilots when taking off or landing without crashing their planes!
(3) It is a known fact that Nigeria has a poor safety air record because at least, there had occurred 11 airline crashes since 1995 - killing more than 470 people. On October 23rd, 2005, a Belview Airline Plane went down in bad weather near Lagos - killing all 117 people on board. Also an aircraft operated by Sosoliso Airline, crashed in Port Harcourt on 10th December 2005 - killing all 118 on board - including several school children.

There was another major air disaster at the Abuja Airport, on Sunday 29th October, 2006, when a Boeing 737, Nigerian ADC Airliner crashed close to the edge of the runway, after takeoff! It was believed to have carried about 100 passengers - including the late Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido and his son, a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a grandson! The aircraft (Flight 53) was headed for Sokoto from Abuja from10.35hrs and to land one hour later! Only FOUR persons were believed to have survived the crash! If aviation management had stuck to their client's specifications, the tarmac in question would have been resurfaced and refurbished after its utilization for 20 years and not the improvisation of an unethical 14-year-period of patching of POTHOLES, which have broken open after such lengthy years of absolute neglect and non-maintenance! It was reported that one of such potholes damaged the LANDING GEAR of a foreign aircraft and was by God's grace that an accident was averted!

When the idea of a new Federal Capital City (FCT), was conceived and was eventually created on 3rd February, 1976 by the military, one most important critical infrastructure that demanded urgent attention to facilitate rapid socio-economic and industrial growth in the new capital, was air transportation which was in fact given priority consideration. Members of the Supreme Military Council argued that the then Federal Capital City of Lagos, had become very congested due to the myriad of economic activities within the region, because of its sea ports and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. However, it took a period seven years before the Abuja, (now renamed), Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, came into existence. Though, the massive monolith ZUMA ROCK, (1,125 metres above sea level), north of Abuja, but located Niger State, on the Kaduna road, was believed, could pose some obstruction and danger to the taking off/landing off aircrafts, according to aviation experts and meteorologists, but in the 34 years of its existence, the Airport had been one of the busiest and most prized airports in Nigeria, being the fastest connection to the seat of power in the FCT!
Between 1983 and 1999, the airport was maintained by the Federal Military Government until the now existing edifice of the airport complex was built between 2000 and 2002 by the newly-elected democratic government. In November 2006, the Abuja Gateway Consortium, (AGC), signed an US$101.1million contract - which included the construction of an airport hotel, private car parks, shopping malls, and a bonded warehouse, totalling US$50 million during its first five years and an additionally upfront payment of US$10 million, - for the management of the airport for an initial period of 25 years, i.e., 2006-2031! According to that business plan, the total investments would have amounted to US$371 million during the period in question; but late President Umaru Yar'Ardua revoked the contract in April 2008, before it could even incubate! The government then settled for the construction of a SECOND RUNWAY which was first awarded at a cost of US$423 million to Julius Berger Construction Company and later revoked because of high cost for fresh bids which never saw the light of the day! The airport runway had gone through tremendous stress in over 30 years of constant use when it should have been refurbished and resurfaced when it was 20 years old in 2003; and according to the experts it is now at a terribly dilapidating condition that could cause landing mishaps if not quickly fixed. And so, with the recommendations of the Ministry of Aviation, the Federal Executive Council (FEC), decided on 4th January, 2017, to close the airport for SIX WEEKS, to enable repairs of the runway which was said to be dysfunctional and utilize all facilities of the Kaduna Airport, which is the closest to Abuja, as the alternative international destination entry point to the FTC with a sum of N1billion naira voted to complete the renovation of its terminal.

There had been public outcry against the closure which many people - including members of the National Assembly (NASS), - who believed that the period of six weeks closure would further depreciate the economy and cause avoidable hardships on both local and international travellers whose burden would be increased through imposed land journeys from Kaduna to Abuja. They also complained of likely insecurity exposure of air passengers on that highway in spite of the assurances by the Federal Government that adequate measures had been put in place to ensure adequate security of lives and properties and free traffic flow between the FCT and Kaduna throughout the period in question.
Abuja Airport is the second busiest after the commercial city's Lagos Murtala Mohammed International Airport and it is believed that its temporary closure might produce a negative impact on the economy which is just recovering from a recession of three consecutive quarters of 2016 and would also gulp a sum of N 5.8billion to be paid to the contractors! At the initial stages of the planned closure, many international airlines rejected the alternative route of landing at the Kaduna International Airport, which they regarded as inferior and of low-class facilities and could not accommodate large planes like its Abuja counterpart, but with all diplomatic moves and interventions, it was clear that the Kaduna Airport would serve the intended purposes throughout the period - especially when it was evident that Federal Government would ensure security and bear costs of air passengers transportation from Kaduna to Abuja and vice versa.

WHO ARE AND WHAT IS THE GROUSE OF THOSE OPPOSED TO THE WORN-OUT TARMAC RESURFACING?
(1) Airline operators (foreign and local), who feel threatened that their clientele statistic percentage would drastically reduce due to the additional challenge of road transportation before getting to their various destinations in the FCT!
(2) Businessmen, contractors, investors, lawyers, etc, who compete with time to fulfil appointments in the FCT, and depend on strict punctuality without the incuberances of glaring disappointments through road transportation set-backs!
(3) Food vendors, commercial drivers, small and medium scale investors etc, who depend on daily doses of daily bread and whose life-line would definitely be "cut off" without hope from elsewhere?
(4) Airline workers, who might have to receive small percentages of salaries or even pittance from their employers who are equally grumbling by pre-empting the likelihood of low-patronage of passengers during the duration of the temporary closure.
(5) The daily paid/temporary airport workers - cleaners, sweepers, dry cleaners, shoe-shiners, gardeners, grass mowers, local security personnel etc, are also among those who are vehemently opposed to government's arrangement!
(6) They claimed that in other climes, airports were never closed for resurfacing or refurbishing but that one side of the runway would be closed for renovation at night when their would be less air traffic and that method would save massive financial losses to airlines, private investors and governments.
(7) They threatened to boycott the Kaduna Airport for the period of the temporary closure if government was bent on carrying out the resurfacing because of all of the above greedy and selfish reasons centred on the LOVE OF MONEY without recourse or empathy for the sanctity of life that could be lost if there was another major aircrash like that of 29th October, 2006 at the Abuja Airport!

OFFICIAL DERELICTION OF CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES BY PAST ADMINISTRATIONS!
Out of the 14 years - 2003- 2017 - of non-compliance with the maintenance of the Abuja Airport tarmac, the defunct Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), administration, which was in government for 12 of those years, toyed with the lives and properties of air passengers without recourse to their fundamental right to LIFE - an international treaty to which Nigeria is a signatory!

SALUTE TO THE TENACITY OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF CHANGE AGENDA!
That the Federal Government had stuck to its guns and refused to bend to the whim and caprice of charlatans and all forms of dissenting opinions in respect of this wise move, poised to save sacred human lives, is a right step in the right direction! President Muhammadu Buhari, who returned to Nigeria from London through the Kaduna Airport on Friday, 10th March, 2017, has proved once again, that the mandate given to him by the people would provide for them all dividends accruing from a dispensation which is very passionate about their right to life in all mode of transportation - air, land and sea!
Six weeks will soon fizzle out and the Abuja Airport will bounce back to life with better assurances for air safety services that would further support the economy positively. A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE.


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com

OSINBAJO'S PRAISE SINGERS ARE MISCHIEF MAKERS WHO ARE BENT ON HEATING UP THE POLITY!

As the elected Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor 'Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), is referred to by the 1999 Constitution as an "associate" of the President in Section 142 (1), because the one ticket for the post of President, binds both of them as ONE CANDIDATE before the law! In view of this BOND, the constitutional duties of both men which dovetail into each other’s are also ONE bundle of assignments which clearly stipulate that, one cannot do without the other. According to the application of the word, the Vice President would be an associate, i.e., a friend, whom the presidential candidate MUST nominate from the same political party as his running mate in order to be deemed as VALIDLY NOMINATED. The establishment of the office of the Vice President, his nomination and election, from the onset did not portray him as an appendage or "spare tyre", as some unpatriotic citizens usually derogated that highly revered office. In addition to the foregoing affirmation of the indivisibility of the two offices in the presidency, the Constitution went further to ensure that at no time was any vacuum created at the apex office by ensuring that the President handed over to his Vice (associate), whenever he went on leave or was indisposed, to continue the single administration in acting capacity through a letter to be forwarded to the Senate. Recently, President Muhammadu Buhari, having properly briefed and handed over the reigns of power to his Vice, fulfilled the law by communicating a letter to the Upper Chamber, and when he had to extend his holidays at the expiration of the period earlier requested, he forwarded another letter to explain reasons for the elongation.

In spite of the fact that all of the above steps were in conformity with Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution, in respect of an Acting President, detractors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), have tried very hard to create a dichotomy in the Presidency and by extension create two different interests and factions by sponsoring some "do-gooders" to HAIL Acting President, 'Yemi Osinbajo, as the "action man" and the "go-getter", with a view to breaking up the VERY SOLID BOND of friendship between the TWIN TOP OFFICERS of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but they have FAILED! The performing DUO do not need distractive and noisy STADIA OVATION!

Between 19th January, 2017, and the date of this publication, the Acting President was able to prove to the whole world and Nigerians that he and his Associate who is on both holiday and medical check-up in London, were more than capable to deliver the dividends of democracy to the downtrodden according to their campaign promises:
1. The second stage of the Social Intervention Programmes (SIP), in areas of the creating employment opportunities for all youths - artisans and graduates - teachers; empowering of market women and traders with moderate capital incentives; free daily nutritional meals for school children; technological support, treated seeds, regular supply of subsidized fertilizers for farmers; employment of construction workers, road workers and miners through ongoing Road and Mining capital projects etc, have effectively progressed!
2. About 300.000 graduates have been engaged and attached to both public and private sector enterprises to acquire technical and business knowledge that would enhance the economy when they eventually detach to become employers of labour. The first set of 200.000 are still on stream and they enjoy a monthly stipend of N30.000. 00. The Conditional Cash Transfer of N5.000, to 25 million poorest Nigerians is progressing steadily from State to State.
3. Militancy in the Niger Delta Region has depreciated and almost abated because of the Executive Presidential Intervention drive to resuscitate the Amnesty Program and also through Town Hall Meetings with the people in that region to sensitize and establish direct Federal Government negotiation instead of the veiled/selfish intervention of some elders and their spurious demands to government in a 16-Point demand credited to a disputed Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF)!
4. In the last two weeks, between 15th February and Thursday, 3rd March, 2017, Professor Osinbajo, had visited Rivers and Akwa Ibom States to interact with the people and rub minds on how militancy could be completely eradicated in the Niger Delta Region.
5. Before these recent visits, the Acting President had paid similar visits to Bayelsa and Delta States and the positive fall-outs have been noticed in the cessation of vandalization of crude oil pipe lines and an increase in oil production from 1.5million to 2.2million barrels per day! He has assured all the Niger Deltans that government would proffer solutions to all their grievances and emphasized that indigenes would henceforth be involved in the refining of crude oil through the construction of MODULAR REFINERIES that would eliminate existing illegal and crude oil refining methods that are prevalent in the region presently and by extension engage the restive militants through lawful employment.
6. The Acting President has also during this period, dissociated himself from the elephant project of a N6 billion Vice President Lodge, awarded by the prodigal administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and insisted he would have nothing to do with it as he was very comfortable in his present official residence, - the Aguda House. It will be recollected that the same failed administration, brazenly constructed a new Presidential Banquet Hall in 2014, in spite of mammoth public protests at a cost of N2 billion, though the existing one was under utilized!
7. The Acting President was the first to inform Nigerians and the global community that President Buhari was hale and hearty and that there was no cause for anyone to be alarmed over his health. He also revealed details of his conversation on 6th February, 2017, when some "concerned" groups protested in Abuja, in respect of the state of the nation and the elongated economic recessions and how they were assured of new measures to abate the challenge.
8. Many Bills already passed by the National Assembly (NASS), were signed into law while others were rejected, members of new boards were sworn in and the name of Justice Walter Onnoghen was forwarded to the Senate for confirmation and he is now the substantive Chief Justice of the Federation.
9. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had released more foreign exchange bills to cater for Nigerian foreign students and those who needed "forex" to enjoy medical facilities abroad and within two days of this laudable step, the Nigerian Naira appreciated and firmed against the US dollar, British pound, Euro and the parallel market.
10. On Wednesday 1st March, 2017, all the Service Chiefs met with the Acting President to brief him on the security situation reports and to assure him of their unflinching support and allegiance to him and President Muhammadu Buhari and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
11. On Thursday 2nd March, 2017, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced that the three quarters consecutive recession of the year 2016, was on its way out with an appreciation of 1.08% increase in the GDP!
12. The Private Sector Conference on Anti-Corruption posture of the ruling Government which was initiated by the Presidency on Thursday 3rd March, 2017, brought into the fore that the war must be intensified from all fronts because some custodians of government's revenue in the Customs, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), etc, still diverted funds illegally and without authorization into private pockets, giving the impression that IT WAS BUSINESS AS USUAL!

In all of the above and more, both men as "associates", took positive decisions that have touched lives of the downtrodden and there would be no reason whatsoever for anyone to hail the Acting President as a performer in the absence of his FRIEND, in order to cause a confusion between the two of them! If the detractors were well-informed of the pedigree and antecedents of the two distinguished SONS OF THE LIVING GOD, they would have known that the men could not be fooled by anyone because they are ANOINTING CARRIERS. The Word of God says: "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn." (Proverbs.29:2).

PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI @ 74 is an elder statesman who had virtually seen it all! Full of experience, compassion, love and tender care for the poor and downtrodden! His youth began with a career in the Nigerian Army where he distinguished himself as a diligent, hard-working, decent, honest and patriotic officer; rose to the rank of a General and a Military Head of State between December 1983 and August 1985. It was evident that he could not fulfil his desire to change the laissez-faire attitude of past administrations because he was overthrown and cast into detention. Since his release in the 90's, he continued to nurse the idea of politicking to become a civilian president. On three occasions - 2003, 2007, & 2011, - elder Buhari, took shots at the presidency during the general elections, failed, but never gave up hope until 2015, when he paired with the young, ebulient, dilligent, intelligent and patriotic 'Yemi Osinbajo with whom he eventually won through divine approval and the popular votes of the Nigerian TALAKAWAS who wanted a brand new life of CHANGE from slavery to freedom in a land that flows with great economic opportunities - "milk and honey"! President Buhari has not left anyone in doubt that he and his associate, with the full support of all patriotic Nigerians would kill CORRUPTION and remove poverty from the land and with positive initiatives, has recovered billions running into trillions of Naira and also billions of US dollars/Euros/Pound Sterling, through the WHISTLE BLOWER PROGRAMME. And in spite of his vacation, he is working assiduously with his partner to ensure that the nation's ship is on course!

ACTING PRESIDENT 'YEMI OSINBAJO @ 60; (he will clock that age of 8th March, 2017), is a young man compared to his associate but full of respect, humility, intelligence, diligence, resourcefulness, resilience and above all a God-fearing mien. He is a Nigerian to whom great responsibility was thrust upon as he grew up to adulthood. Before he assumed the position of Vice President on 29th May, 2015, he served as a university teacher, lawyer and pastor of a Pentecostal church. In spite of being an associate of the President, he never counted himself as an equal but he humbled himself in allegiance to his oath of office and always enjoyed the confidence and trust of the elder statesman, President Buhari who was never afraid to handover the reigns of leadership to him at any time he had to rest or carry out medical checks - a bond that can never be broken by charlatans, political jobbers and cabals! Amen. The Word of God says: "Two are better than one: because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth: for he hath not another to help him." (Ecclesiastes. 4:9-10).


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

DONALD TRUMP'S XENOPHOBIC SPEECH HAS SET SOUTH AFRICA ON THE RAMPAGE!

If the America's "numero uno" had thought that his xenophobic-tainted inaugural speech would spread racism like a wild and untamed fire across the inhabited world, he would have cautioned his fiery patriotic zeal which had sent wrong signals of hatred among brethrens who are now at each other’s throat across the globe even though he contradicted himself when he eloquently quoted the Biblical Psalm 133:1, which solicited for UNITY towards the end of the 17-minute treatise! All across Africa: Libya, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan; Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic (CAR); South Africa, Lesotho, Uganda, Kenya; several parts of Latin American and Asian nations, the Far East, North/South Korea, Israel, India/Pakistan; in Europe: France, Germany, Russia, etc, dissensions, coupled with threats of deploying and engaging one another with modern military arsenals including nuclear warfare, have intensified instead of abating, since the 20th January, 2017, speech, because each nation is now more determined to assert its sovereignty in the most selfish manner, over and above others! Incitement towards escalation of hostilities between world nations had become rife since this very controversial Donald Trump’s message! IT'S NOW EVERYBODY FOR HIMSELF - AND GOD FOR US ALL! HOW CAN ANY NATION NOW CLAIM A SELFISH NATIONAL UNITY, WHEN THE PUORPOSE OF GOD FOR HIS WORLD WAS A GLOBAL DISPERSION OF PEOPLE TO DWELL IN FREEDOM AND IN GLOBAL UNITY? In Genesis 11:1-9, the LORD broke up a clandestine and selfish unity of men in BABEL, "....scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city"; and that proves that immigration is a DIVINE POLICY - NOT AMERICANS! MODERN AMERICANS MIGRATED AS A PEOPLE FROM BABEL AND THEREFORE CANNOT CLAIM SOLE OWNERSHIP OF THE GREAT AND "MOST POWERFUL" NATION IN THE WORLD! OTHER PEOPLES OF OTHER NATIONS WHO ALSO MIGRATED FROM BABEL, HAVE A STAKE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANNOT THEREFORE BE DENIED LRGITIMATE RECIDENCY!

Some excerpts of inaugural address of Friday, 20th January, 2017, Washington, D.C. "For many decades, we’ve enriched foreign industry at the expense of American industry; Subsidized the armies of other countries while allowing for the very sad depletion of our military; We've defended other nations borders while refusing to defend our own; And spent trillions of dollars overseas while America's infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and decay.......We’ve made other countries rich while the wealth, strength, and confidence of our country has disappeared over the horizon. But that is the past. And now we are looking only to the future. We assembled here today are issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power....."From this day forward, a new vision will govern our land. From this moment on, it’s going to be AMERICA FIRST. Every decision on trade, on taxes, on immigration, on foreign affairs, will be made to benefit American workers and American families. We must protect our borders from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies, and destroying our jobs. The Bible tells us, “how good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” To the Republican Party's faithfuls, President Donald Trump's declaration of "AMERICA FIRST", i.e., that America would be restored to the Americans, portrayed him as a patriot, but to the immigrants who now face the threat of hatred, segregation and expulsion - whether they had "green cards" or approved entry visas or not - especially the unregistered/illegal immigrants, he is Klu Klux Klan (KKK), personified, a racial bigot, a villain and an addicted xenophobe!
On the 21st February, 2017, one of such immigrants who was caught in the net of America's law enforcement agents, had in the process of being deported, jumped off a bridge while being escorted across the border into Mexico and died! However, illegal immigrants in America have the solace of not being hounded to death by members of the larger host communities as it obtained in some very hostile countries in previous years of xenophobic attacks - especially in South Africa! Though, about Six States, challenged the authoritarian attitude and unilateral decision of the new President in respect of the TRAVEL BAN, the Attorney General refusal to enforce the order through the law courts and the Appeal Court's ruling on the matter favoured the opposition groups; he stubbornly believed that illegal immigrants had consistently short-changed Americans and deprived them of their INALIENNBLE RIGHTS/ legitimate livelihoods and MUST therefore give way for AMERICANS TO POSSESS THEIR POSSESSIONS! Instead of a blanket travel ban on those regarded as illegal immigrants, competent relevant immigration institutions/authorities of the CONFEDERATING INDEPENDENT STATES, should have been left to sort out their immigration challenges and seek the "Federal Might" assistance as they might require from time to time, ACCORDING TO THE LAW! In spite of the fact that diplomatic/economic relations between the Republics of Nigeria and South Africa (SA), was being midwifed to erase lopsidedness in favour of the latter, South Africans in Pretoria, descended on foreigners, especially Nigerians, on 18th February, 2017, in a reign of terror which resulted in burnt-down homes, workshops and properties, worth millions of US dollars! Nigerians have been victims of xenophobic attacks in South Africa in past years but in 2016 alone 26 of them were killed! SA has more business interests in Nigeria to make them tread very softly in matters regarding immigration and allow their institutions to sort issues of illegality instead of conniving with the local miscreants to destroy legitimate businesses of innocent immigrants under any guise!

A xenophobe usually sponsors incitement through hate speeches, exhibits dislike against foreigners, their cultures, customs and religion no matter how subtly or diplomatically the phobia was insinuated, especially now that most countries are experiencing economic recession in one form or the other and the unemployment rate in most developing nations are on two digits ratio! President of Nigeria Union in SA, Ikechukwu Anyene, reported that attacks began at about 4am and that five buildings with Nigerian businesses, including a CHURCH, were looted and burned by South Africans adding that, one of the five buildings, was a Nigerian mechanic garage with 28 cars under repairs, in which other vital documents were burned during the attack.

THE STORY OF APARTHEID: BLACK South Africans must definitely have short memories! Once upon a time, THEY WERE NOT A PEOPLE and virtually had no citizenship because their WHITE TASK MASTERS burdened them with an everlasting servitude, treated them worse than second class citizens and yoked them as SLAVES in their fatherland where they had no respite and no one to rescue them but successive NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT AND ITS PATRIOTIC CITIZENS! The story of Apartheid began in 1948 when the White-supremacist government of that dispensation introduced an inhuman and detestable policy of racial separation/discrimination purposely against the majority indigenous Blacks, who actually owned the land and successfully enslaved them until 1990, (42 consecutive and uninterrupted years of man's worst kind of wickedness against his brethren), when the MADIBA, President Nelson Mandela, who had been in the forefront of the emancipation of his great fatherland from colonial domination, was released from 27 years of prison incarceration and emerged through an overwhelming popular votes to become the first-ever Black SA President! Right from independence in 1960, successive Nigerian governments and its patriotic citizens condemned APARTHEID in all its ramifications and mobililized international support for a crusade against the obnoxious and very irratitating policy in which PETS OWNED BY WHITE SOUTH AFRICANS HAD SUPERIOR RIGHTS THAN THE BLACK CITIZENS! Under the policy, Blacks were forbidden to dwell in cities and urban centres with their White counterparts; they must not ride in the same public transportation with the whites, must never share public toilet facilities, schools, churches etc, with the Whites because they were regarded as slaves and very inferior to their masters and MUST ALWAYS PRESENT OFFICIALLY-APPROVED IDENTIFICATION CARDS for employment unlike the Whites! South Africans owe Nigerians an everlasting GRATITUDE!

In the recent upheavals, South Africans claim their actions were not xenophobic in nature but that their grievances were against alien drug cartels, organized prostitution, money launderers, etc, and that they have handed a memorandum to Home Affairs Department. The anti-immigrant march organisers, the 'Mamelodi Concerned Residents' refused to accept that the violence should be blamed on South Africans during the "Foreigner March" in Pretoria, on Friday Feb. 24th, 2017, which involved over 1.000 protesters. There had been attacks against foreigners across select sections of Johannesburg and Pretoria in recent weeks while foreigners homes and businesses, had been torched and looted in the guise of stopping alleged crimes committed by foreigners....... that they had prospered economically in SA through illicit gains while the indigenes were left high and dry however it us gratifying that no Nigerian has been killed in this fresh attacks according to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadija Abba-Ibrahim. The Nigerian Commission in Pretoria is in constant touch with the Nigerian Union in SA, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, DIRCO of SA, as well as the South African Police - all these agencies have confirmed that NO NIGERIAN LIFE WAS LOST! HAS President Jacob Zuma, really intervened? The answer is a capital NO! In spite of a short broadcast which had no bite, the SA vandals still went on a fresh rampage in Pretoria and its suburbs on the 23rd-25th February, 2017, prompting the fear that immigrants might be forced to defend themselves! But President Zuma was quick to fly to Nigeria in 2016 to plead for the reduction of a fine of $ 5.2 billion slammed on MTN for impropriety in business transactions by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)!

IS COMPENSATION POSSIBLE? Yes, according to international best practice especially when damages were properly documented and authenticated with video footages, industrial professionals neutral reports of eye witnesses.

PROTESTS BY NANS IN NIGERIA ON FRIDAY 22ND FEBRUARY, 2017.
In spite of diplomatic efforts on the part of the Nigerian Government to the proffer solutions to the recurrent and very delicate national embarrassment, a National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), protest group, marched to SA's giant communications service providers, MTN Nigeria Headquarters, and also to SA Embassy, both in Abuja and warned all SA's immigrants and their businesses to pack and go back to their country latest by Tuesday, 28th February, 2017, and that diplomatic ties be severed forthwith between the two major economic blocs in Black Africa! It is believed that SA has over 20 major multi-billion thriving business enterprises in Nigeria. During his lifetime, the first Black President of SA, Nelson Mandela condemned xenophobia in 1991 and declared. ..WE AFRICANS ARE ONE! ARE WE TRULY ONE GLOBALLY ACCORDING TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP? We advise that Nigerian citizens should refrain from any form of reprisals as canvassed from various unguarded quarters - especially NANS which had been breathing fire and brimstones - to calm down, sheath their swords and allow the Federal Government of Nigeria to allow both diplomatic/political solutions prevail on this delicate matter. The blood of any Nigerian or South African should not be spilled over ephemeral and transient things of this nature. NEVER! The Word of God states that: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”(PSA: 11:3, KJV).



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

CAN THE AFRICAN INDEPENDENT TELEVISION'S LEOPARD EVER CHANGE ITS SKIN?

Not many people were surprised when a FACEBOOK ACCOUNT credited to AFRICAN INDEPENDENT TELEVISION (AIT), ANNOUNCED THE RUMOURED DEATH OF PRESIDENT BUHARI in London, on the 23rd January, 2017, because that station, owned by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain, Raymond Dokpesi, was notorious for "mercenary" journalism of fabrication, falsehood and distortion of facts for illicit monetary gains! The transmission of HATE SPEECHES video documentaries on AIT and its sister radio station, RAY POWER against the incumbent President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, during the electioneering campaigns of the 2015 General Elections, as contracted to DAAR Communications Plc, the umbrella body of both stations by ex-President Jonathan's Administration and the subsequent payment of billions of naira for THE HATCHET JOB, is still fresh in the memories of all Nigerians and political development observers around the world!
Although, DAAR Communications Plc, has denied both ownership and authorship of the FACEBOOK and its content; were they convincing? Below are excerpts of the denial: "The attention of DAAR Communications Plc, has been drawn to a FACEBOOK Account purported being operated by our Organisation.”A report was published on the FACEBOOK that the incumbent President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is currently on vacation in London has passed on. "We wish to state the following facts: It is falsehood dressed up as truth that we opened such FACEBOOK ACCOUNT. We did not publish nor know anything about the report. None of our correspondents in London filed such report. The editorial policy of our Organisation is that any of our correspondents is mandated to file all the reports for vetting and approval before publication which can only originate from our headquarters. No correspondent could individually on his or her own decision publish or cause to be published any story. "The FACEBOOK Account is the brain child of a faceless and mischievous group whose despicable activities must be investigated by security agencies because of the unpleasant consequences.”We wish to state that the AIT runs an official on-line site for News which is not available for use by outsiders.
"We dissociate ourselves completely from anything contained in the said report which is a figment of the imagination of the authors.”We also disown the so-called FACEBOOK Account, and have officially reported to FACEBOOK Managers."

Between the date of the FACEBOOK publication and up to Friday, 10th February, 2017, - a period of 19 days, both Stations have consistently insisted that the "True State of Health" of President Buhari should be made official, to clear all doubts about his death rumour since a similar episode played out during the tenure of the late President Umaru Yar Adua, of blessed memory in 2010! They accused the President's Media Aides for inappropriate and incoherent information to Nigerians and even alleged that there was a CABAL, (which, Mrs. Aisha Buhari once claimed to have hijacked the ruling APC Government in a BBC Hausa Programme), which had threatened the acting President, Professor 'Yemi Osinbajo, to resign from office in the case of an eventual death of the President! They also supported rumours that State Governors had met in Abuja to decide the next line of action in the event that the President actually died! Sections 143 to 146 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution of 1999 which dealt in details, procedures to be followed in the event of the indisposition of a sitting President were frequently and copiously quoted to buttress their bad wish arguments!
At sundry times during the 19-day period, eminent legal practitioners were featured on the twin stations to confirm their convictions as they insisted that it was pertinent for the President's "handlers" to persuade him to speak to Nigerians through the internet SKYPE Communication System if were truly alive! They neither believed nor were they convinced that the PRESIDENT IS ALIVE, just like the Biblical THOMAS, who insisted that he must see and touch the RISEN CHRIST in order to believe that He was truly alive! (John.20: 24-29).

When we juxtaposed the FACEBOOK publication denial by DAAR Communications Plc, and their vehement pursuit thereafter to establish that if President Buhari was not actually dead, in spite of pictures of him and his wife released on internet at the height of the rumour, and also the acting President’s disclosure that he spoke at length with his Principal on the phone in respect of the state of the nation, specifically on the organised peaceful street protests over the lingering economic recession, by some Nigerians on Monday 6th February, 2017, - we were fully convinced that the media organisation's penchant for hate speech, hate wish and hate agenda which heated up the polity through such video documentary transmissions in exchange for illicit money, was synonymous to the peculiar state of A LEOPARD THAT CAN NEVER CHANGE ITS SKIN!
Did you remember that between the months of January and March 2015, AIT transmitted hate video documentaries against President Buhari with neither proof nor evidence; that he was a tyrant, a dictator and a religious bigot and was not fit to rule Nigeria in order to discredit and defame his character in the eyes of the Nigerian public/electorate, and that although the APC Party Hierarchy sued DAAR Communications Plc, for N50 billion naira damages, the law suit was deliberately left unpursued and was eventually struck out by Justice John Tsoho, of an Abuja High Court, who remarked that the abandonment was "against court rules?" Did you also remember that during that same period, AIT also defamed APC Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu through similar hate video documentary titled: "Umasking The Real Tinubu: The Lion of Bourdillon" which showcased him as owner of a vast empire of various properties and companies across Lagos State and was promptly sued for N150 billion naira damages for libel? But in a swift reaction, the organisation quickly tendered an unreserved written apology amid an ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), of an alleged illegal receipt of N2.1 billion by Raymond Dokpesi, to avoid total bankruptcy and an eventual fold-up, because it had a very, very, bad case? Tinubu was magnanimous in victory even as President Buhari, to withdraw the suit from court. The letter of apology in part reads as follows: "DAAR Communications Plc admits that in airing the said documentary, it had no intention, whatsoever to embarrass or diminish the high reputation of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which it respects and attests to The Word of God says: ‘’He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy. There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief. Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight. (Proverbs 12:17-22)

We need to remind DAAR Communications Plc and members of its staff that their day of reckoning is not farfetched; when they would have to give account of their stewardship! On that day everyone would receive his/her reward according to their work here on earth from the JUST JUDGE! Would these unwarranted attacks on the GOD-APPOINTED VESSEL - purposely appointed to purge Nigeria of its endemic corruption go unnoticed by the Creator of the Heaven and Earth? God will definitely punish all those who are behind the vicious rumour of the death of the Lord's anointed, Muhammadu Buhari! THEY WILL ALL DIE IN HIS PLACE AND HE (BUHARI), WILL LIVE TO DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING FOR SEVERAL YEARS TO COME! AMEN. Do we also need to remind them that the PDP Chieftain, Raymond Dokpesi, whose DAAR Communications Plc, wishes that the anti-corruption crusader should die is neck-deep in an allegation that he collected N2.1 billion naira of the funds meant for the purchase of arms to win the war against Boko Haram, from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki and he is yet to remove that mote from his own eyes in the law court?

Thus saith the LORD: " He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, He reproved kings for their sakes; Saying, Touch not mine anointed and do my prophets no harm!" (Psalm. 105:14-15). NO MORTAL CAN TOUCH OR HARM PRESIDENT BUHARI AND HIS TRAIN OF CORRUPTION PURGERS BECAUSE THE BATTLE AGAINST CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA, IS OF THE LORD OF HEAVEN! THE TIME HAS COME, AND THAT TIME IS NOW - WHEN ALL THOSE MONEY LAUNDERERS WHO CLAMOURED THAT CORRUPTION SHOULD BE "BROUGHT BACK" INTO THE SYSTEM WILL SOON BE ROUNDED UP, PROSECUTED AND BE CAST INTO PRISON WHERE THEY WILL ROT AND DIE! THE LORD HATH SPOKEN! AMEN.

ADVICE FOR DAAR COMMUNICATIONS PLC'S STAFF!
AIT celebrated 20 years of television broadcasting in January 2017; reeled out all its landmark achievements since the exit of the military in its avowed mission of nation-building through the dissemination and broadcast of factual, authentic, and truthful reportage of political and socio-economic news, not only in Nigeria but throughout Black Africa and the Diaspora, but failed to highlight their terrible crimes of "mercenary journalism" of HATE SPEECHES, through the elevation of love of money above professionalism, against President Buhari and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and which, not only dented, but destroyed the entire fabric of a distinctive journalistic trail-blazing of TWO DECADES which made them top-notch in the broadcast industry, at home and abroad!
The African adage states that it would be suicidal to "throw away the baby with the birth water", therefore we will advice the entire staff of this ignomious broadcast organisation which cared less about the sensibilities of Nigerians who adore the divinely -anointed servant, President Buhari and forgot completely that those millions of Nigerians once contributed their hard-earned N100 naira each as BAIL-OUT FUND, at the turn of this century, when it appealed for financial support to escape its immovable assets from being auctioned for failure to repay borrowed bank loans, - to begin to search for their DAILY BREAD elsewhere, because what goes around, will definitely come around!
A WISE FLY WOULD NOT FOLLOW A CORPSE INTO THE GRAVE BECAUSE HE WHO SOWS THE WIND SHALL REAP THE WHIRLWIND!

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com

SHOULD NIGERIAN CHURCH LEADERS BE RETIRED BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?

Gone were the days when the Word of the Prophet was Law to the King and his parliament! Gone was that period when the Man of God boldly stood before a King and his lords in council and declared: "Thus saith the LORD: Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gates of Samaria, and such prophecy came true!  (2 Kings. 7:1-20). Gone were the MIRACLES OF FIRE FROM HEAVEN BY PROPHET ELIJAH who called for fire to destroy 102 soldiers of King Ahaziah's Army and also whose sacrifice was consumed by fire from Heaven before 450 prophets of the heathen god, Baal and 400 of the grooves which ate at Queen Jezebel's table! (2Kings.1-15; 1Kings. 18:19-39). In the present Church Age and Dispensation of Grace, the spirit of APOSTACY was invited into the CHURCH through priesthood covetousness which had successfully nullified the divine anointing and spiritual powers of some servants of GOD who have turned round to become false prophets, preachers, teachers, evangelists etc, and have made mockery of the divine teachings about holiness, righteousness, probity, selflessness, truthfulness etc, as enshrined in the Word of God!

How did the Church become so powerless in spite of the transfer of the POWER OF ATTORNEY from the Lord Jesus Christ to His apostles for continuity of global evangelization but now, have to be subjected under the supervision of the  Government which they were mandated to guide for proper conduct towards its citizens at all times? (Matthew. 28:18-20; Mark.16:15-18; Acts. 1:. Why would any government force Churches to register as business enterprises and so be regulated according to its whim and caprice? We are aware of Christians civil responsibilities to godly rulers, ".....for there is no power but of God, the powers that be are ordained of God." (Rom.13:1-7), and the roles of the Church towards the larger society which scripture reveals as FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such, THERE IS NO LAW." (Galatians.5:22-23). But we have come to realize that the reasons why some governments coerce the Church with carnal laws is because some ministers of God have assumed the nature and person of ACHAN (Joshua. 7: 10-26),  who brought shame, defeat and reproach to the nation of Israel through covetousness/disobedience and also WORKS OF THE FLESH as enunciated in Galatians.5:16-17. Those men of God who dine and wine with corrupt politicians and seek for contracts from government are those who failed to claim both the prophetic prayers of the Lord Jesus Christ for His apostles in the gospel according to Saint John Chapter 17: 1- 26 and the power of the Holy Spirit, released since Pentecost over two thousand years ago, as recorded in Acts of the Apostles Chapter 2:1-3:26.

CAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BE BLAMED FOR LEGISLATING OVER THE CHURCH THAT DRIFTED FROM ITS ECCLESIASTICAL REALM TO MEDDLE IN TERRESTIAL MATTERS?
The Roman Catholic Church world-wide is headed by the Pope who is the representative of God over the church and who is also accorded the status of the Head of State of Rome, among the United Nations of the world, but does not participate in terrestrial administration. The Papacy is not under any obligation of accountability to the Italian Government and remains the Head of the Catholic Church for life! But that does not mean that Catholics like their Pentecostal brethren do not pay taxes to governments of the world according to the Lord Jesus Christ who paid His tax and also commanded: "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God, what is God's". The Lord Jesus established the Church on a triangular platform of destroying the works of Satan, winning of souls, and charity towards the poor, needy, disabled, orphans, widows etc, and this is why churches are majorly involved in Christian education through building of schools and also in health matters through ownership of clinics and hospitals to cater for its members and the general public at highly subsidized rates. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous servants of God have deviated from the Lord's principles and have become super- rich through these avenues to the detriment of the poor masses among their fold who could not afford exorbitant school fees and medical bills from such religious institutions and that kind of attitude must have also informed government of the need to force churches in general to submit to its financial, accounting and retirement regulations!

ARE THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES NOT ECCLESIASTICAL AND CELESTIAL?
The sudden announcement of the self-retirement of one of God's Generals in Nigeria, the highly revered and charismatic Christian leader, Pastor (Professor) Enoch Adejare Adeboye, of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG), World-Wide, through a government directive from active service recently and the immediate appointment of his successor, hit the social media with much frenzy and surprise because such had not been the practice in the Christendom! During the Annual Ministers Thanksgiving, held at the Redemption Camp, chaired by the eminent servant of God, he personally announced his retirement and his replacement by one of his assistants, Pastor Joseph Obayemi, sequel to the new legal requirements set up by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN), guiding  all registered Churches, Mosques etc, and which stipulates that Heads of non-profit organizations now have a minimum period of 20 years to lead their organizations and on retirement, were not permitted to hand over to their families!
Pastor Adeboye joined the RCCG in 1973, and became the General Overseer (GO), in 1981 when the Founder Papa Akindayomi passed on the previous year. He was born on 2nd March, 1942. in Ifewara, Osun State.

TOUCH NOT MINE ANOINTED, AND DO MY PROPHETS NO HARM!"
He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." (Psalm. 105:14-15). The quoted scripture illuminates God's unflinching love for His chosen people, ISRAEL, whose travails on their journey to the promised land was punctuated by unending military oppositions by hostile nations! God's jealous protection over His Church which was established through the Lord Jesus Christ who said in Matthew.16:18-19; "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Dr. C.I. Scofield, says: "The word "church" (Gk, ekklesia, from a verb meaning to call out) is used of any assembly and in itself implies no more than the gathering of people who have been called forth, e.g. the town meeting at Ephesus (Acts.19:41), and Israel, called out of Egypt and assembled in the wilderness (Acts.7:38).  Israel was a "Church," but not in any sense the N.T. church- the primary point of similarity being that both were "called out" and by the same God (Acts 7:38; Hebrew.12:23). That, "the gates of hell" (the powers of death), shall not prevail against the church, was a divine assurance that, no matter the intimidation, harassment, persecution or tribulation which the anti-Christ forces of this world might constitute, the church would be protected from death or extinction through the symbolic resurrection of Jesus Christ (Head of the church), from the dead after his crucifixion!
There is no doubt that Apostasy - which means, a falling away from the faith and rebellion against Christ by covetous Christians who have imported worldly pleasures of lust of the flesh, illicit prosperity, the unbiblical love of money, - has now dominated the Christendom in view of the glaring competition of wealth, affluence and positions of authority between them and the gentiles, as succinctly elucidated in 2 Timothy. 3:1-5. Some Nigerian "Men of God" now openly compete with corrupt politicians in riches, wealth, acquisition of ephemeral worldly properties of mansions, state-of-art vehicles, jet aircrafts, helicopters, expensive attires and dress codes, industrial and manufacturing establishment ownership, heavy investments in stocks and shares, government Bonds etc, to the detriment of the MANDATE OF THE GREAT COMMISSION, have lost all spiritual anointing AND COULD NO LONGER PROPHESY ANY EVENT WITH ACCURACY! From the beginning of time GOD had been in control of RELIGION. He, as the sovereign Head of His creation, spiritually appointed His prophets, beginning with Moses, to Joshua, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, etc, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who all distinguished and fulfilled the mandate of their Godly commission diligently with distinction and accountability .Distinguished Nigerian Nobel Laureate, Prof. 'Wole Soyinka, commented at a Book launch in Abuja on 11th January, 2017 that the Southern Kaduna mindless killings by Fulani herdsmen had religious connotation and warned that, "Religion will kill Nigeria if it is not tamed" , at the presentation of the book titled, "Religion and the Making of Nigeria." He condemned killings in the name of religion and wondered when religion became a killing machine and how any rational being could attempt to justify homicide with devotion! Religious tolerance was envisaged in the Nigerian Constitution which apportioned SECULARITY STATUS to the State so that everyone was free to practice his/her faith without intimidation, harassment or persecution under any guise! Secularism is that state in which religious power, influence or control should not conflict with the social contract and political activities of a country but that the citizens should freely practice their faith unhindered!

THE COPORATE GOVERNANCE CODE ISSUED BY FRCN ON 17TH OCTOBER, 2016.
The Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, (FRCN), is one of the parastatals under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and it is responsible for setting and promoting compliance with standards for accounting, finanancial reporting and auditing in Nigeria. According to Mr. Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, to the President, the said code that forced Pastor E.A. Adeboye, General Overseer (GO), of RCCG to step down on 9th January, 2017, has now been suspended on the orders of President Muhammadu Buhari, who disbanded the Board and has set up a new one that would now carry out a detailed review of its application to involve extensive consultations with stakeholders upon the re-constitution of the new Board. Will Pastor Adeboye rescind his decision? We are of the strong opinion that there should be no competition, conflict or rivalry between Government and the Church whose divine functions are clearly defined unambiguously in the Word of God, and we commend our amiable President Buhari, who has unequivocally proved once again to the world that he was not a religious bigot by setting the records straight for wider consultations among all stakeholders. We hereby remind covetous "men of God" to repent quickly in order not to end up like GEHAZI! (2 Kings. 5:20-27). THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO ACCUMULATE THE UNRIGHTEOUS MAMMON! WE SHOULD WORK OUR SALVATION WITH FEAR AND WITH TREMBLING!


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

"THERE IS PONZI FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, RUN, RUN, RUN!"

There is a pronounced dearth of good leadership direction in Nigeria and which vacuum had forced unscrupulous citizens to opt for suicidal Ponzi schemes and Pyramid scams in order to become suddenly "rich and affluent” like their political representatives who flaunt illicit wealth around in spite of the economic recession which the Change Agenda Government of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is grappling to overcome! Concerned, upright  and patriotic citizens, including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), have warned against the get-rich-quick mania tendencies and the doctrine of avarice being disseminated by economic saboteurs, and have advised gullible Nigerians from falling into the crafty plots of losing their total life savings and investments to con men! But they, all in one voice boldly and brazenly told CBN to shut up and mind its own business stressing that they owned their monies and could spend or invest as they so desired!
PONZI SCAM is derived from the name of an Italian male swindler, Carlo Charles Ponzi. According to Wikitionary, the scheme is fraudulent in that earlier investors were paid directly with the money taken from new investors, giving the false impression that the scheme was a viable investment. There are many of these frauds being perpetrated on internet with millions duped of their monies and possessions and several suicides committed!
PYRAMID SCHEME is similar to Ponzi in that, it is also an illicit money-making investment scheme whereby earlier investors are paid primarily or wholly by later investors but eventually such schemes fail to the detriment of recent (later) investors! As in Ponzi, tales of woes, of gargantuan loses and suicidal deaths, have trailed all of pyramid schemes ever introduced to gullible persons! MMM (Mavrodi Mondial Movement), Scheme's international organisers have claimed not to operate a ponzi scheme but had evolved a system where participants provided money and circulated such money to support one another and in the process get 30% monthly interest on their investments. On 14th December, 2016, MMM Nigeria suspended the scheme, froze its accounts, suspended its internet site, but promised to re-open in one month, which it actually did on 13th January, 2017. In spite of this development, no one has been able to claim any money from the scheme as it was reported that one of the organisers had fled from Nigeria! Other such scams making rounds in Nigeria include, Diamond, Silver and Crypto Currencies Internet Businesses which we advise Nigerians should avoid like plague!

WHAT INFLUENCED MANY NIGERIANS TO FALL INTO THE TRAP OF PYRAMID SCAMS?
For many years after independence and till date, Nigerian politicians had lived in affluence and comfort from the sweat and blood of the so-called common people and peasants who are the artisans - farmers, labourers, scavengers, hewers of the wood and "mai ruwas" (drawers of the water), - whom they swore on oath to represent, protect and succour with the basic amenities of life. But during the administration of the First republic, the very first Minister of Finance was caught with thousands of thousands of the British Pound Sterling fully stacked in his wardrobes when his house was searched during the military interregnum!
When Labour Unions were formed to contend with unfavourable government policies and the discrepancies between politicians' stupendous wealth and the glaring poverty among the masses, the politicians played the game of "divide-and-rule", confronted and intimidated them on the streets with the guns and bullets purchased with the taxes paid by the protesters! Ethics had been thrown to the winds by these unscrupulous politicians who are insensitive to the plight of the TALAKAWAS! This is still the trend in the Nigerian polity where most POLITICIANS GET RICHER AND THE PEASANTS GET POORER! While all political office holders collect their salaries/allowances as at when due, the masses of workers were not so hopeful because they might get some small percentages of their entitlements while more than 12 months of arrears remained unpaid and outstanding in many States of the federation!
There was a public outcry against politicians' demands for WARDROBE ALLOWANCES AND SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR BRAND NEW VEHICLES in 2015 at the advent of the CHANGE AGENDA APC GOVERNMENT as in past administrations, but they manipulated and sidelined every financial best practice and due process to achieve their goals! It is on record that the Senators got 109 imported Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), in spite of scarcity of foreign exchange reserves while the House of Representatives members did not publicize their loots until Malam Aminu Jibrin exposed the rot among the peoples' representatives! THE OPEN DISPLAY OF ILLICT GAINS FROM THE LUCRATIVE BUSINESS OF POLITICS IN NIGERIA has consequently pushed desperate masses to the brink of wanting the get rich like politicians by hook or crook through ponzi scams and they cared less whether they lost or gained! We support President Buhari's total war on corruption especially on corrupt politicians of whatever divide and we request that special tribunals be speedily set up to hasten the prosecution of those found culpable so that those who are still making jest of the crusade will be silenced in shame, while convicted persons be cast into prisons where they had belonged from the onset of their political career which was achieved through FRAUD!

LUCRATIVE PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM AND PDP POLITICIANS!
Apart from the prudent Parliamentary system of government practised during  the First Republic, subsequent Nigerian Constitutions opted for the very expensive Presidential system that catered only for the interest of the politicians rather than the people they claimed to be representing according to the1979, 1983 and 1999 Constitutions which gave latitude to extravagance through lavish expenditures on government officials. This Nigerian model of presidential system makes room for excessive outrageous salaries and allowances for public office holders outside of the CIVIL SERVICE STRUCTURE OF EMOLUMENTS and therefore inadvertently created room for envy and rivalry which have now manifested in collusion and collaboration of the two bodies in amassing illicit wealth; (the civil servants handled pseudo paper works while the political appointees signed them for cash), to the detriment of the workers who are left high and dry and with nothing to show for their labour!

HOW DID THE POLITICIANS COME ABOUT FREE FLOW OF ILLICIT MONEY?
The Nigerian political terrain has "porous borders" through which illicit monies found their ways into illegal pockets of unpatriotic politicians who had mastered how to bend the rules in their favour! Take for instance, the National Assembly  (NASS), Legislators (109 Senators and 360 Representatives), whose annual salaries, allowances and other emoluments were permanently shrouded in secrecy since the new attempt at democracy in 1999, in spite of a court order that the CLERK should divulge that information for public consumption! And yet, these people live larger than life!

THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF EMPHASIS OF MONETARIZED POLITICS ON THE IMPOVERISHED MASSES!
Nigerian politicians have at long last succeeded in spreading the DOCTRINE OF AVARICE TO THE MASSES and there is now FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN IN FORM OF DISOBEDIENCE TO THE DIVINE COMMANDMENT AGAINST THE LOVE OF MONEY! PONZI/PYRAMID SCAMS AND CRYPTO CURRENCIES REPRESENT THE DANGEROUS AND DESTRUCTIVE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN AND OUR CANDID ADVICE IS THAT VULNERABLE CITIZENS SHOULD RUN, RUN, RUN AND RUN INTO DIVINE SAFETY! The Word of God states that: "The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous runs into it and is safe. (Proverbs. 18:10). Nigerians should run into divine safety now because THIS PONZI, PYRAMID, MMM, GOLD, SILVER AND CRYPTO CURRENCY FIRES ARE VERY DESTRUCTIVE! POVERTY CANNOT BE ELIMINATED THROUGH PARTICIPATION IN DECEIT AND FALSEHOOD!

WHAT EFFECTS WOULD THIS DEVELOPMENT HAVE ON NIGERIA'S ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL SYSTEMS?
The major fall-out of the avalanche of PYRAMID SCAMS in Nigeria is an imminent Capital Flight of all life savings of the middle-class/artisans - who occupy the strategic position of the national economy, as the Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs - into the vaults of the scammers who are mostly of foreign nationalities and who would disappear into thin air when they would have ravished desperate and stubborn Nigerians of their legitimate incomes!  The CBN on behalf of the Federal Government has taken pro-active measures by quickly alerting Nigerians on the imminent danger of investing in pyramid scams which can be aptly described as a suicide bid by any adventurer. In a statement, the banking house warned all citizens to desist from investing their monies into the scheme which is not guaranteed by any legislation especially the INTERNET CRYPTO CURRENCIES AND BITCOINS which are also gainning momentum! A word is sufficient for the WISE!

OUR ADVICE?  It was high time all avenues of stealing and legislative wastages under the guise of CONSTITUENCY/RUNNING COST ALLOWANCES be permanently blocked and we profer a new suggesstion of constitutional legalization for a UNI-CAMERAL LEGISLATIVE HOUSE OF 74 MEMBERS ON PART-TIME APPOINTMENTS. In the meantime the present crop of legislators MUST be forced to collect recommended salaries and allowances by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission (RMFAC), as prescribed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
"For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew. 16:26)


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

EX-CONVICT JAMES ONANEFE IBORI IS NOT WORTH DYING FOR! OGHARA YOUTHS, BEWARE!

Two-term Governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori, (1999-2007), was only 48 years old when he assumed leadership position as the helmsman of the fresh democratic experiment in that enclave of one of the oil-rich states of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. He was youthful, energetic, ebullient, intelligent, resourceful, charismatic, debonair and sagacious! His emergence and tenure were not without litigation at the law courts, but he was ingenious to manoeuvre all of the obstacles, the most prominent of which had to do with an alleged past criminal record, which if proven, would have robbed him of the wonderful opportunity to serve his native people and by extension, his country, Nigeria, the most populous country in Black Africa, although the debacle characterized most part of his first tenure in office!
James Onanefe Ibori who was a dexterous businessman delved into politics in 1991 but chose the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), to contest the 1999 General Election, having enjoyed close association and relationship with the late and inglorious military ruler, General Sanni Abacha, won the election and took over from the Military Administrator of Delta State, retired Navy Commander Walter Feghabo, on 20th May, 1999.
His two-term tenure was characterized by several allegations of embezzlement of State funds from the various constituencies which led the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to arrest and arraigned him to court between 2007-2010, on a 170-count charge of offences ranging from fraud to money laundering both in Nigeria and overseas. Interestingly James Ibori, in spite of his dented image in leadership qualities/skills, still had a large command of followership among the Delta youths - mostly freeloaders, who had neither education nor any form of visible employment other than to serve as his thugs/bouncers/ bodyguards/errand boys etc. throughout his eight years tenure as governor and he neither encouraged them to have formal education nor engaged them in gainful vocations!
The integrity and transparency of the JUDICIARY came into question during Ibori's trials when the trial judge quashed all the 170 charges against the accused person and set him free on all counts as the allegations, according to him, "lacked merit"! This development gave him the "lee way" to abscond to London in order to avoid a re-arrest by EFCC - through the tacit connivance of his ARMED OGHARA YOUTHS, who prevented operatives from gaining entry into his residence in Oghara, Delta State!

IBORI'S SORDID BIOGRAPHY!
According to his profile on Naij.com, “James Onanefe Ibori is a former Governor of Delta State in Nigeria (29May 1999 - 29 May, 2007. He is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). James Ibori was born on August 4, 1958, in Oghara clan, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State. Ibori attended Baptist High School, Oghareki (now Oghareki Grammar School). Then he graduated from the University of Benin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Statistics. In the 1980s, James Ibori moved to London, England where he met and married his wife Theresa. He used to work as a cashier at Wickes DIY Store in Ruislip, Middlesex. In 1990, the couple were arrested for theft from the store, and fined £300 (N84.000). In 1991, he was convicted of handling a stolen credit card, and fined £190 (N28.000). After he returned to Nigeria, Ibori served as a consultant to the Federal Government of General Sani Abacha, in the areas of public policy formulation and implementation. On January 9, 1999, he won the governorship election and became the governor of Delta State. To hide his previous convictions in the UK, Ibori obtained a false birth certificate and then passport, medically incorrect as it was dated a month after his younger sister's birthdate. In 2003, he was re-elected as governor for another four year term. In 2007, the Metropolitan Police raided the London offices of lawyer Bhadresh Gohil where they found computer hard drives containing details of a myriad of off-shore companies run for Ibori by Gohil. In August 2007, Ibori's assets valued at about £17million (N4.7billion), were frozen in the United Kingdom.
In November 2007, his wife was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London in connection with the probe of the assets of her husband, particularly in the United Kingdom. However, she was released after being questioned. In December 2007, Ibori was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), at the Kwara State Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, over theft of public funds, abuse of office, and money laundering. Nuhu Ribadu who brought these charges against Ibori additionally alleged that Ibori attempted to bribe him to drop the charges with a cash gift of $15 million (N2.6billion), which Ribadu immediately lodged in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The cash remains in the CBN as an exhibit. In December 2009, a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State discharged and acquitted Ibori of all the 170 charges of corruption brought against him by EFCC. In April 2010, after Goodluck Jonathan took over the government, Ibori's case was re-opened. A new allegation that he embezzled N40 billion ($266 million), was pressed against him. Later he fled Nigeria, prompting the EFCC to request the assistance of Interpol. He was subsequently extradited from Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE), where he sought refuge to London to answer to charges of money laundering. On1st and 2nd of June, 2010, UK Juries found James Ibori's sister Christine Ibie-Ibori and his associate, Udoamaka Okoronkwo, guilty on counts of money laundering and sentenced them to 5 years each in prison on 7th June, 2010. James Ibori who was also convicted in 2012, to 13 years in prison, spent only six years before his release in December 2016.
In several years of his incarceration in the London Prison, the same youths whom he used and dumped metamorphosed into the Niger Delta Avengers and several others terrorist groups who have claimed responsibility for crude oil pipe lines vandalization which ripple effects have culminated into the depletion of foreign reserves and a forced economic recession on the country!

Who or what are these youths avenging? Could it be, the massive fraud perpetrated by their own kith and kin, like James Ibori, Lucky Igbinedion, late Alamieyeseighagha and a host of other elders who are still walking free? Have they forgotten so soon that they supported the culprits, shared in their heinous crimes of diversion of public funds into private pockets and also shielded them from prosecution in Nigeria only for them to be picked up in foreign lands in respect of the same offences and summarily prosecuted and jailed?
Now that Mr. Ibori has returned to Nigeria on Saturday, 4th January, 2017 to a tumultuous welcome both at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, and in Osubi Airport, Delta State, having served only six of his 13-year jail term in London, how does he feel about the role being played by his boys in the subtle destruction of Nigeria's economy and of the moral decadence among the people whom he, through his greed and avarice had impoverished by continuous cover up of subsequent administrations of Uduaghan and the incumbent Okowa who never probed Ibori's fraudulent tenure in office! The Delta State Government is among the indebted States that could not pay workers salaries and meet other social obligations to the people/workers till date, because of Ibori's dirty deals as pioneer governor of a new dispensation from 1999-2007!

While Nigerians celebrated the virtual defeat of Boko Haram from the precincts of the dreaded Sambisa Forest in the North East, Ibori Boys kept up the destruction of pipe lines in Delta State and immediately his release was effected in London in December 2016, those boys flooded the streets of Asaba and other major cities, drank, jubilated, felicitated and disrupted public life for hours on end without restriction by the law enforcement agents or even by the incumbent Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. The social media is awash with news and pictures of several personalities both in private and public institutions who welcomed him with candour and approval that jail term and prison life was a normal way of life! Also on hand were numerous politicians, live musical bands /performing artistes who occupied strategic locations where billboards with "WELCOME HOME" inscriptions were erected across the State. Ibori's Political Adviser, who visited him in London, following his release, and Secretary to the Delta State Government were at the head of the delegation of "honourable" members of the State House of Assembly, that waited at the airport for his arrival! Oghara fanatical youths have vowed to die for James Ibori if need be!

MORAL DECADENCE AMONG THE YOUTHS!
To every GODLESS Nigerian Youth, crime and criminality (in all ramification), is a normal way of life since the "unrighteous mammon" (the illicit wealth of the end- time world), stands out as their acceptable doctrine of prosperity. They would flock to anyone, contractor or institution that would engage them as "mercenaries", to protest against any government policy - good or bad - as long as some "dough" (money/cash), would come out of such deals. Recently in Abuja, some protesting youths were interviewed by journalists for their "bone of contention" and their reply was spontaneous, "dem hire us to protest and carry placards, we no know the kind problem de ground"! Nigerian youths should learn from Ibori's fall from grace to grass and mend their ways before it is too late. Reading through Ibori's profile, it is very glaring that he had the opportunity to repent and live a God-fearing life after returning to Nigeria after his first sets of criminal sentences in London, but instead, he saw another opportunity to get rich through military god-fatherism and grabbed it with both hands. Nigerian youths should avoid Ibori's path and pitfalls. He has brought untold shame and reproach to his family, to his kith and kin and fellow Nigerians! Ibori could still be arraigned in Nigeria to face fresh charges of embezzlement of N40 billion naira! Ibori should repent, ask for God’s forgiveness, Nigerians forgiveness and forget about politics permanently. According to the Word of God: " There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. (Proverbs 14:12).


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

The colonial amalgamation of Northern and Southern Nigeria was effected in 1914, with good intentions, for the diverse tribes, tongues, castes, traditions and cultures to fuse, blend and harness their great agricultural/natural potentials to build a united Black African nation of great economic advantage that would attract foreign entrepreneurs to explore/exploit opportunities of investment and industrialization of the large market space! That purpose was achieved because the period between 1914-1960, turned out to be 46 years of tremendous economic activities of exports, imports and massive industrialization of Nigeria from South to North and East to West; - construction of motorable roads and railways for transportation of goods and services from the hinterland to sea ports along the coastal regions in the South. Transportation was also introduced when the first airport was constructed in a Royal Air Force Station, Makia, Kano, long before Independence in 1936, and later in other regional capitals.
In all those years, NIGERIANS had everything in common! Economic and unrestricted commercial/trade zones between the three regions of North, East and West, inter marriages, cultural and traditional exchanges of dress codes, encouragement of the study of the three major languages of Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba from the primary education level, and legalization of COMMON OWNERSHIP of proceeds from commercialization of mineral resources in any part of the federation! The Minerals and Mining Act of 1947 which was enacted by the British colonial masters and which eventually found its legislation in our traditional consecutive Federal Constitutions, readily comes to mind. Under the SECOND SCHEDULE, LEGISLATIVE POWERS, Part I, Executive Legislative List, No. 39, "Mines and minerals, including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas", operations shall be the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government. Also under Chapter II, Fundamental Objectives And Directive Principles Of State Policy, Section 16, (2),(a),(b),(c), in summary legislated for a PLANNED AND BALANCED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, under the ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES OF GOVERNMENT; i.e. that the material resources of the nation are HARNESSED AND DISTRIBUTED, as best as possible to serve the common good; and that the economic system is not operated IN SUCH A MANNER AS TO PERMIT THE CONCENTRATION OF WEALTH OR THE MEANS OF PRODUCTION AND EXCHANGE IN THE HANDS OF FEW INDIVIDUALS OR OF A GROUP!

When the above analysis is juxtaposed with the current agitations for RESTRUCTURING OF NIGERIA for diverse reasons and intentions by the unpatriotic and the charlatan, it becomes crystal clear that the good intentions of the colonial masters for Nigeria to utilize her unique diversity advantageously for collective strength and be united as one indivisible people, has been truncated because it did not take long after INDEPENDENCE before that dream fell like a pack of cards through a bloody military coup and since 15th January, 1966, all things had fallen apart and the centre could no longer hold, according to renown late author and writer, CHINUA ACHEBE!

BEAUTY OF UNITY AMONG BRETHREN.
In the Word of God, a song of degrees of David states as follows: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aar'on's beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Her'mon and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, For there the LORD commanded the blessing , even life for evermore." (Psalm. 133).This Godly exhortation according to the International Bible Commentary titled, “ALL IN ONE GOD", states as follows: "The opening verse is a wisdom saying which originally discouraged brothers from setting up separate households and so dividing the family estate (cf. Dt. 25: 5). Here it is put into an eider use, as v. 3b and the religious nature of the comparisons in vv. 2-3a reveal. From all over the country pilgrims would converge on Jerusalem to celebrate the festival in worship. The crowded Keswick-like scene was a fine representation of the unity of the covenant community, bound by a common faith. "The gathering in Zion is no mere nationalistic demonstration but the seeking of God's appointed means of grace for the renewal of life in its fullness. FOR (v.3b), justifies the pictures: the PRIESTLY OIL stands for BLESSING and the DEW for LIFE in store for God's family." Except for animals and inorganic elements, all human beings - even idol worshippers - have consciousness of the existence of the LIVING GOD OF HEAVEN who has sovereignty over all of His creation on Earth and who alone must be revered, worshiped and obeyed in all matters of life's situations/circumstances and whose divine Will must always have priority in all matters. (Psalm. 24). God teaches unity of purpose in all endeavours of life as it was in Creation when the TRINITY united to create Man in His image and likeness! (Genesis. 1: 26-28).

RESTRUCTURING OF NIGERIA AS DEMANDED BY CHARLATANS!

1. BIAFRA SECESSION: Col. Odumegu Ojukwu’s act of secession of the Eastern Region (christened "Biafra", from Nigeria which led to a 30-month-old Nigerian Civil War (16th July, 1967-12th January, 1970). The senseless war claimed an estimated 2 million lives - including many Biafran women and children and cost over $840 million US dollars to prosecute, according to the Federal Military Government! "OJUKWU AND BIAFRA REPUBLIC FAILED"!

2. MOVEMENT FOR THE EMANCIPATION OF THE NIGER DELTA! (MEND): Towards the dying days of military administration in the 90s, a group of restive youths of the Niger Delta extraction took up arms to agitate for EMANCIPATION of the region by violence through destruction of critical crude oil exploration infrastructures as they demanded for higher revenue percentage according to the principles of derivation, until the late President Umaru Ya'Ardua presented the "Olive Branch" through mouth-watering pipelines protection contracts to the warring vandals before peace was temporarily restored! "THE SELFISH AGITATION FOR EMANCIPATION FAILED BUT NIGERIA MATCHES ON IN VICTORY"!

3. BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY: In 2009, a remnant of an Islamic fundamentalist called MAITATSINE which group was suppressed during the 80s and 90s, also resurfaced under a new leader called MOHAMMED YUSUF, with new Islamic ideologies completely opposed to the Muslim norms and practice in Nigeria and also to Western Education as entrenched in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. The small group eventually metamorphosed into armed insurgents the moment their leader was extra-judicially killed and for over SEVEN years, the nation had grappled with massive slaughtering of innocent Nigerians of about one million of civilians and soldiers while the terrorists overran 14 Local Government Areas in the North East which they claimed as their CALIPHATE! Today, the story is different because BOKO HARAM has been defeated by the superior power of God's Army, which led the Federal troops to recapture the 14 LGA’s and to destroy all their hide outs in SAMBISA FOREST! "THE TERRORISTS HAVE DISCOVERED THAT NIGERIA CANNOT BE BROKEN BECAUSE IT IS ESTABLISHED BY THE ALMIGHTY GOD WHO IS NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS AND WHOSE AUTHORITY CAN NEVER BE CHALLENGED!"

4. EX-PRESIDENT EBELE JONATHAN'S 2014 NATIONAL CONFERENCE: That Conference was "cleverly" put together by the ex-President to perpetrate himself in office and elongate the era of corruption with impunity by thieving politicians and greedy government officials, many of who have embezzled so much from the consecutive crooked system and were unmistakably richer than most State Governments! All selected 492 delegates, conference officials and staff CONSUMED AND GULP a sum of about N20 billion naira of the tax-payers monies to cater for accommodation allowances, hotel bills and feeding! They spent about FOUR MONTHS without any new recommendations different from previous similar conferences and even shamelessly referred the controversial/contentious issues of RESOURCE CONTROL AND PRINCIPLES OF DERIVATION FORMULA TO A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL COMMITEE WHICH SHOULD BE SET UP TO DETERMINE THE KNOTTY MATTER! That Government squandered all available collective wealth and bequeathed a virtually EMPTY TREASURY for the in-coming administration to contend with! "THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND JONATHAN WERE DISGRACED AT THE 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO HAND OVER UNTIL FEW DAYS TO THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BUHARI!

5. THE CONFEDERATION OF NIGER DELTA CRUDE OIL PIPELINE VANDALS: Pipeline vandals/terrorists began a violent crusade of secession from the rest of Nigeria since the advent of the Change Administration of President Buhari because, according to them, over 80% of the Federal Government's annual revenue was derived from their region while they had nothing in form of social development or infrastructures to show for the oil rich geo-political zone! From 2015 to December 2016, the vandals practically sabotaged Nigeria's economy and forced THREE CONSECUTIVE RECESSIONS on the citizens who had to endure very high inflation on goods and services due to the inordinate ambition of "fellow citizens"! "IT HAS DAWNED ON THE VARIOUS VANDALS THAT THEY AND THEIR ELDERS WERE COMPETING WITH ONE ANOTHER FOR SELFISH REASONS, AND THAT IS, WHO GETS THE HIGHER BARGAIN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN TERMS OF PIPE LINE PROTECTION CONTRACTS!

6. INDEGENOUS PEOPLE OF BIAFRA (IPOB), AND MOVEMENT FOR THE ACTUALIZATION OF THE SOVEREIGN STATE OF BIAFRA (MASSOB): These are a confused and disoriented group of youths who either ignorant of historical facts or are deliberately being mischievous or misguided to continue to waste their precious lives like heathens! They need to be reminded that late Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, the "Biafra Republic" arrow head, was defeated, escaped to Ivory Coast, where he lived on exile until he was granted amnesty - having repented and renounced secession - and eventually returned to Nigeria to collect all of his entitlements in the Nigerian, NOT BIAFRAN ARMY! "IT IS BETTER THEY BACKED OFF AND PITCH THEIR TENT WITH THE WINNING TEAM OF PEACE-LOVING AND LAW ABIDING NIGERIANS WHO BELIEVE IN THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD OVER THE NATION"!

CONSTITUTIONAL AMMENDMENT FOR FISCAL FEDERALISM COULD BE THE SOLUTION!
Patriotic Nigerians and economists have at different forums canvassed for fiscal federalism in which federating States which are economically viable in mineral resources and mining should be at liberty to keep larger percentage of proceeds from internally generated revenue and to remit an agreeable portion to the Federal Government for its overall commitments/services to the federation in respect of defence, currency, immigration, customs, internal security etc. But to achieve this noble suggestion, both the Executive and the Legislature have to agree to reach a consensus to amend the Constitution for legal effect. But until then, SECESSION AGITATORS should realize that NIGERIA'S UNITY IS NON- NEGOTIABLE! NAKED WE CAME INTO THE WORLD, NAKED WE SHALL RETURN!
The lyrics of a Unity Song by Hezekiah Walker is very appropriate to close this treatise: "I need you, you need me, we’re all a part of God's Body; Stand with me, agree with me, it's His will that every need be supplied, you are important to me, I need you to survive. I pray for you, you pray for me, I love you, I won't harm you with the words from my mouth, I love you, I need you to survive." "THY KINGDOM COME; THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. AMEN. (Matthew. 6:10).

By Dr Tunde Olufon. (08130669886).

The Utopian Nigeria of which the founding fathers and all patriotic citizens dreamt of, is gradually unfolding even at this austere period, through a divinely-charged Change Administration which, in just nineteen months, has brought smiles to the faces of dejected masses of peasant farmers, artisans, small and medium scale manufacturers/industrialists etc, in spite of the economic recession that was brought about by maladministration of the past! As the year 2016 gradually winds down, Nigerian farmers can now boast of millionaires among their rank and file through government-assisted modern aids of irrigation/fertilization/mechanization; which was not an established norm during the 56 years of independence from 1960. This window of opportunity was sequel to the altruistic stance of the new economic managers who determinedly blocked foreign importation of exotic foods and luxuries meant for the upper-class/ super-rich alone and encouraged made-in-Nigeria products through large-scale farming of cereals and other staple foods which have now filled the markets at affordable prices. The adoption of the transparent TREASURY SINGLE ACCOUNT (TSA), system which afforded the Federal Government the required leverage to painstakingly monitor the PEOPLES COMMON WEALTH was another advantage introduced to block all loopholes of previous administrations for perpetrating corruption! The manufacturers were not sidelined because those who keyed into government's policy of substitution of imported goods for local materials and have championed the drive for Nigerians to patronized made in Nigeria brands of fashion costumes, fabrics of Ankra, Aso Oke, Adire, Batik, Jewelleries, Shoes, Hats, Caps, Red bricks, Cement, Roofing sheets, Made-In -Nigeria assembled Vehicles and Accessories, Electric Cables/Wirings, House/Car Paints, Industrial Machines, Nigerian-made Farm Tractors and Repair Tool Kits etc, also smiled to the banks with gratitude to God for the Change Agenda policy of turning the economy around to fruition! The President says that if the citizens CHANGED THEIR HABITS, THEY WOULD CHANGE NIGERIA.

The 2017 Budget, tagged, "Economic Recovery and Growth Strategy", closely followed the format of the 2016 Zero-based formula to ensure that all resources were meticulously and prudently managed for the public good. President Muhammadu Buhari, in his presentation of the 2017 Budget to the joint session of the National Assembly (NASS), on 14th December, 2016, stated categorically that the method was a clear departure from the previous INCREMENTAL BUDGETING METHOD. The President further said that in 2016: Crude Oil benchmark price was pegged at US$38 per barrel; Oil Production at 2.2 million barrels per day and Foreign Exchange Rate at N197 naira to One US Dollar; and on the basis of those assumptions, aggregate revenue was projected at N3.86 trillion, while the expenditure outlay was estimated at N6.06trillion. He admitted that the deficit of N2.2 trillion, which was about 2.14% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was to be mainly financed through borrowing. It is no longer news to citizens of Nigeria that there was a deliberate plan by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to sabotage the economy in vengeance for their woeful defeat at the 2015 General Elections through surrogates who organized large-scale vandalization of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta Region in order to decimate daily oil revenue accruable to the Federal Government, and they partially succeeded but the strong-willed and determined administration of President Buhari, did not succumb to the blackmail, but prudently managed the dwindling oil resources, plugged all wastages in government expenses, unmasked ghost workers, ensured that all monies were paid into the TSA and was still able to save some monies from foreign exports to boost the almost empty foreign reserves!
It is in record that the Niger Delta Avengers terrorists and their criminal accomplices vandalized over 47 Oil Pipelines and installations between 2015/2016, and that Nigeria lost N2.3 trillion in both infrastructural/critical assets, but in spite of the large scale destruction, Federal Government was able to raise the Foreign Reserves Account to $25.4 billion, as at 16th December, 2016! According to the President, the disruptions in crude oil production led to significant drop and shortfalls in projected revenue which in turn contributed to the economic slow down which negatively affected revenue collection by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) and had reduced prorated projections by N2.17 trillion or 25%, as at 30th September, 2016 and similarly, N3.58 trillion, which was equivalent to 79% of the prorated full year expenditure estimate of N4.54 trillion which had been spent by the same date on both recurrent and capital expenditure! In spite of all the challenges, government was able to meet debt service obligations, personnel/overhead costs and capital expenditure, which though suffered FIVE months administrative/bureaucratic delay, got the highest release in recent history, a sum of N753.6 billion, by the end of October, 2016 which exceeded the capital expenditure for the year 2015! It is also note worthy that the TWO Change Administration Budgets are people-oriented, especially at this period of economic recession when emphasis is on diversification to the agricultural/solid minerals, industrial/manufacturing and entertainment /tourism sectors which would benefit immensely from the quick financial intervention that would produce good motorable roads/railways for farmers/business entrepreneurs, new terminals at four major airports, key power transmission projects, and fast-track the modernization of Lagos-Kano, Calabar-Lagos, Ajaokuta-Itakpe-Warri, Lagos-Abuja,Kaduna-Abuja railway projects, out of the numerous major projects, which would continue into the 2017 fiscal year. The Economic Recovery and Growth Strategy in 2007 is designed to ease out recession and place the Nigerian masses who have been terribly traumatized to now taste the benefit of prosperity and financial growth through their ingenuity in all areas of creativity, talents and resilience which would continue to be supported with great incentives by government.

THE 2017 BUDGET ASSUMPTIONS, REVENUES, PROJECTIONS AND FISCAL DEFICIT OF N7.298 TRILLION.
Government's Budget assumption is based on a benchmark crude oil price of US$ 42.5 per barrel; oil production estimate of 2.2million barrels per day (bpd), and an average exchange rate of N305 naira to 1 US dollar, which translates to an aggregate revenue of N4.94trillion that should be available to fund the Federal budget, which is 28% higher than 2016 full year projections. Although, key capital spending provisions in the budget include those of Power, Works and Housing (N529bn), Transportation (N262bn), Special Intervention Programmes (N150bn), Defence (N140bn), Water Resources (N85bn), Industry Trade and Investment (N81bn), Interior (N63bn), Education (N50bn), Universal Basic Education Commission (N92bn), Health (N51bn), Federal Capital Territory (N37bn), Niger Delta Ministry (N33bn), and Niger Delta Development Commission (N61bn), AGRICULTURE remained government's priority to diversify the economy through an historic high allocation of N92 billion, which will complement the existing efforts of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), and a handful of Commercial Banks, to boost agricultural productivity through increased intervention funding of N600 billion, at a single digit interest rate under the Anchor Borrowers Programme to push the nation towards FOOD SUFFICIENCY in three years especially when the Nigeria-Morocco Fertilizer Production Joint Venture signed on 2nd December,2016, would have been on full steam to also create thousands of jobs and save the nation $US 200 million dollars in foreign exchange and over N60 billion in fertilizer subsidy! Since FISCAL DEFICIT is not a strange revamping strategy for reflating an economy in recession, government would finance the deficit of N2.36 trillion of the 2017 Budget (which is about 2.18% of the GDP), mainly by borrowing N1.067 trillion, (about 46% of the loan), from external sources while, N1.254 trillion, would be borrowed from domestic market Expenditure Estimates.

STATUTORY TRANSFER FAVOURS JUDICIARY WHICH IS THE LAST HOPE OF THE COMMON MAN!
It is worthy of note that the 2017 CAPITAL EXPENDITURE of N2.24 trillion, which includes capital in Statutory Transfers, was deliberately jacked up to favour the Judiciary which allocation was raised from N70 billion to N100 billion in order to enhance its independence and enable it perform its functions effectively. A significant portion of the RECURRENT EXPENDITURE was allocated for Payment of Salaries and Overheads of Institutions that provide critical public services as follows: (1) Ministry of Interior, N482.37 billion; (2) Ministry of Education (N398.01 billion); (3) Ministry of Defence (N325.87 billion); Ministry of Health (N252.87 billion); while N1.8 trillion was estimated for Government's Personnel Costs with greater emphasis on eliminating GHOST WORKERS through the perfected Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS). In addition, government has tasked the Efficiency Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance, to cut certain overhead costs by 20% in order to eliminate all non-essential costs so as to garner more resources to fund Capital Expenditure. From all of the above analysis, the 2017 People-Oriented and Socialist-inclined Budget, if properly supported, monitored and implemented, with the tacit support of the National Assembly, will break the jinx of poverty in Nigeria because the demands of the urban consumer would henceforth be focussed on local production of processed foods, dairy products, tomato pastes, garment manufacturing, tailoring/haberdasheries, fashion designer outfits, cement production and petrochemicals through refining of our crude oil etc, by rural industrial entrepreneurs who would clamour that we consume what we produce and simultaneously eliminate joblessness and by extension YOUTH RESTIVENESS, permanently! Life of the 2016 Budget Estimates (which is over 50% executed), will statutorily extend into May 2017, we believe that the determination with which the Buhari Administration is executing all major capital projects it should achieve over 80% by that period and that INHERITED LEGACY CONTRACTORS LIABILITIES which dated back to about 10 years and to which about N2 trillion naira had been earmarked, according to the President, would be meticulously verified so that only LEGITIMATE CLAIMS would be accommodated and that Federal Government's electricity bills DEBT would also be authenticated and paid to inject funds into the Power Sector for further improvement in service delivery to members of the public. President Buhari needs all citizens to support these lofty 2017 Budget proposals which will benefit the rural farmers, manufacturers, engineers, marketers, market women, petty traders, the Okada (commercial motorcycle) Riders, cabs, buses, trucks, trailers and articulate vehicle drivers, health workers, educationists, information technologists, etc, (the real drivers of Nigeria's economic future), and collectively move this great nation out of a SELF-IMPOSED RECESSION into an ELDORADO (a land flowing with milk and honey), as it is written, "A HOUSE THAT IS BUILT ON THE ROCK WOULD SURELY STAND FIRM AND RIGID, EVEN IN THE EVENT OF HEAVY STORMS OR TSUNAMIES! The ball is now in the court of patriotic, dedicated, hard-working and diligent Nigerian citizens, who must now put all hands on deck, ignore all CLULESS ARM-CHAIR CRITICS of Nigeria's Change Administration and join in the crusade to get the ECONOMY out of the woods!
AS AT 29TH DECEMBER, 2016, THE INTERNATIONAL CRUDE OIL PRICE ROSE TO $US 56 DOLLARS PER BARREL - AN INDICATION THAT THE 2017 BUDGET - PREDICATED AT $US 42.5 DOLLARS WOULD GAIN $US 13.5 DOLLARS ON EACH BARREL TO OFF-SET THE PROPOSED FISCAL DEFICIT OF N2.36 TRILLION NAIRA AND BOOST CAPITAL EXPENDITURE; IF THE NIGER DELTA TERRORISTS WOULD SHEATH THEIR SWORDS AND DESIST FROM DESTROYING NATIONAL ASSETS THROUGH VANDALIZATION OF OIL PIPELINES!

By Dr Tunde Olufon. (08130669886. dvdolufon@gmail)

The fact that "distinguished and honourable members" of the 8th National Assembly of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), shunned party's supremacy through arbitrary and selfish selection/ appointment of principal officers at inauguration in 2015, will forever remain in the annals of Nigerian history as a "coup de tat" and a show of ingratitude to the platform through which they climbed the rostrum! Nineteen months down the line of APC's Change Administration, the Senate in particular, had stuck to its gun that all illegal appointments influenced by the opposition PDP remained sacrosanct and that not even the President could make them change their decision; especially when the bubble burst on Senate President 'Bukola Saraki's hidden sins in respect of false declaration of assets while he was Governor of Kwara State and the Federal Government insisted on his prosecution and also when he, his deputy and two clerks of the Senate were also arraigned for forgery of House Rules!
A cursory scrutiny of the 109 Senators antecedents has revealed that, beginning with Senator Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and through the rank and file, very few senators of the 8th NASS are grassroot APC faithfuls. Majority of them are the desperate and die-hard Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), members who were determined to remain in power at all cost and only jumped ship when it dawned on them that PDP would woefully lose the 2015 General Elections, and having read the hand writing on the wall, took advantage of President Buhari's high-rising political profile/pedigree and rode on his impeccable integrity to attain their present positions! But it did not take long for them to show their true colours and identities by identifying with 'Bukola Saraki whom over 80 of them flocked in solidarity with, to answer to charges against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), during the early stages of his trial and have since then declared a COLD WAR between the Upper Chamber and the Executive!

Recent subtle attacks through rejections of the followings are the very glaring fallouts of their strategy:
1. Rejection of the list of about 48 non-career foreign ambassadorial nominees by the President;
2. Rejection of the Executive's Mid Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), document which Senator Ali Ndume contemptuously described as EMPTY;
3. Rejection of the $29.9 USD foreign loan request by the President aimed at cushioning the biting effects of the economic recession;
4. Refusal to confirm Mr. Ibrahim Magu as substantive Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Chairman; and,
5. Recent accusations of corruption at plenary against Babachir Lawal, Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), who was alleged to have employed the services of his private company to siphon millions of naira from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Rehabilitation Funds and the chorused call for him to resign immediately; support the deliberate attitude of the Senate to match the Executive, action for action!
Senate's refusals, rejections and accusations in all of the above have been adduced to an orchestrated plan by PDP to paint the ruling party as incompetent in view of their desperation TO REGAIN POWER AT ALL COST IN 2019!

First, Senate's claim that several Nigerians petitioned against the ambassadorial nominees was unfounded and in bad taste! Second, the MTEF Document was not empty as claimed by Ali Ndume because the Minister of Budget and National Planning addressed the Press and elucidated the well-articulated document to debunk the upper chamber's untruthful claim. Third, the rejection for sourcing foreign loan to beef up the economy had been faulted by the House of Representatives which has vowed to commence discussions at plenary after the Christmas/New Year recess and ensure an accelerated approval for the loan without further delay. Fourth, the rejection of Magu as EFCC Chairman was based on TWO indicting, contradictory and damning security reports by State Security Service (SSS) which claimed that Magu had some "integrity issues", but differed on suggested steps for action!
According to Premium Times, one of the reports stated that to clear Magu for the substantive position would spell danger for the administration's anti-graft war, while the second described him as having performed excellently so far and should therefore be favourably considered for the post. The two conflicting reports dated 3rd October, 2016 and addressed to NASS acting Clerk, Mohammed Sani Omolori and to Senior Special Assistant to the President on NASS matters, Ita Enang, respectively by one Folashade Bello, were read to the lawmakers during the Executive Session held to decide the fate of Magu on Thursday, 15th December, 2016. Some political analysts have adduced that the negative reports which the Senate acted upon confirmed an ongoing rivalry among security agencies which would negate the anti-corruption crusade of President Buhari, but we totally disagree with that notion. For the SSS to shun affinity with a sister agency in an area of oversight request from the Upper Chamber is a clear indication that the anti-graft war was on track, because traces of corruption in any form should not be entertained in all persons to be appointed into positions of authority. Detailed negative report on Magu included the following: (1) That during the tenure of Mrs. Farida Waziri as EFCC Chairman, he kept official documents at his residence Karu Site, a satellite suburb of Abuja; (2) That he was redeployed to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), on suspicion of corruption but; wriggled his way back to be appointed Chairman in acting capacity; (3) That with his new appointment, he moved out of Karu Site into a N20 million per annum apartment in the Central District Area of Abuja metropolis; and, (4) That he was not cleared of accusations of corruption before his appointment.

Was the President properly briefed before he sent Magu's name for confirmation? To whom was the damning report from SSS first forwarded, the President or the Senate? Our strong belief is that the politics of the COLD WAR that has played out can strengthen the democracy positively because from the President's stand, whoever was found culpable would receive the full weight of the law - whether he/she is a KITCHEN or BANQUET HALL Cabinet staff! What about SGF Babachir Lawal, the "numero uno" of the Change Agenda Civil Service, whom the Senate also fingered for some unorthodox/fraudulent business transaction and diversion of an estimated 2.5 billion naira in IDP's Camps in the North East through a company in which he allegedly has financial interest? The Senate also indicted him for intensifying instead of alleviating the sufferings of the displaced in that region through the fraud which he committed at the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE). But information provided by some of his legal aides revealed that the SGF severed relationship with the said business concern since 29th August, 2015, - the day after his appointment by President Buhari and that the papers being bandied around were forged by Senators who were prone to forgery!
Outside of this very grave allegation was another accusation that Babachir had once juxtaposed a foreign private trip for an official one by collecting ESTACODES from government to cover all of his expenses abroad! The Grape Vine says he had some other dirty deals which had been swept under the carpet! However, the good news is that the President has ordered the Attorney General of the Federation to instigate a probe into all allegations against Magu and Babachir and other allegations making the rounds against any of his appointees. In a statement issued on Sunday 18th December, 2016, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed the planned presidential probe into allegations of corruption levelled against some top officials of the Change Administration, with categorical emphasis that anyone found culpable would not escape prosecution! We are very much aware that President Buhari is being stampeded by detractors of his Change Administration to tinker with his ministerial cabinet members early in the year 2017, but we trust in the godly wisdom which guided him in their appointments to still support him in his assessment of their performances and selfless contributions during their first year in office TO AVOID ROCKING THE BOAT OF A WINNING TEAM but, notwithstanding, any BLACK SHEEP should be shown the way out! We welcome the presidential probe which we suggest should be an all-encompassing exercise within the hierarchy of government's top appointees.
FOR THE SENATORS, THEY SHOULD NOT FORGET THE ADAGE THAT SAYS, "WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND" AND THAT HE THAT LIVES IN A GLASS HOUSE MUST NOT THROW STONES!
The current administration in Nigeria is divinely ordained and only God's counsel for the nation would stand the test of time and not man's idiosyncrasies, as it is written: "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand" Amen. (Isaiah.46:10; and Proverbs. 19:21). God's counsel will stand to protect the Nigerian poor masses and downtrodden (Talakawas), who would always bear the brunt (pain and agony of abject poverty and sufferings), whenever the TWO ELEPHANTS (Senate and Executive), fought!
By Dr David Tunde Olufon. (08130669886. dvdolufon@gmail.com)

CAN MALLAM NASIR EL RUFAI SAVE SOUTHERN KADUNA FROM POGROM?

Before the Nigerian Regional Political Structure was fragmented into twelve States through a military fiat on 27th May,1967, by Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon, Kaduna City was the regional capital and seat of power of the then Northern Region where all political, economic, and social policies were co-ordinated and executed through articulate blue prints. With such an imposing and intimidating status, Kaduna wielded so much power through the enigmatic personality of late, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, of blessed memory, who in1952 became leader of Northern People’s Congress (NPC), which metamorphosed from a cultural organisation called Jamiyya Jama'ar Arewa (meaning, Congress of Northern Nigeria), with the motto, "One North, One People", and in 1954, the Premier of the Northern Region. Without diminishing nor relegating to the background, the power and influence of Alhaji Tafawa Balewa (the NPC member), who was elected as the first Prime Minister of Nigeria at independence, the Sardauna stood out and towered like a colossus, high and above other politicians of his time, aroused political consciousness among the Northerners and was very diligent to close literacy gap between the South and the North through consistent government advocacy and implementation of compulsory primary educational policy throughout the entire region until his death during the first military coup in1966!
It is instructive to note that through the political administrative sagacity of the late Sadauna, whose party subsequently assumed a national outlook with a new name, “Nigerian People’s Congress”, the party had a firm grip on both the Federal Government/Northern State from 1960- 1966, a period in which it deliberately laid a solid foundation for Northern politicians of consecutive administrations to build on! Mallam Nasir El Rufai (author of, a book titled, ("The Accidental Public Servant", was elected and sworn in as Governor of Kaduna State, under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and inherited a dichotomized KADUNA STATE - "Northern and Southern Kaduna", as opposed to the late Sadauna's advocacy for Northern unity of "One North, One People"! Before his election, El Rufai was the Federal Capital Territory's (FCT), Minister between (2003-2007), and cut a niche for being the good, the bad and the ugly; depending on which side his tenure was perceived by residents - especially by satellite and rural dwellers whose homes were delomolished in respect of Land Act contraventions!

Before his assumption of office on 29th May, 2015, defenceless citizens of SOUTHERN KADUNA had suffered persistent, consistent, organized and strategized violent attacks by mercenary Fulani Herdsmen, who according to meticulous and painstaking investigations, claimed that the entire areas of Sanga Local Government consisting of the underlisted communities which are indigenous farmlands,(but which they, herdsmen insisted) were GRAZING ROUTES allocated to them by previous administrations: Fadan Ninzom, Gwantu, Ayu, Mayir, Aboro, Wasa Station, Jagindi, Godogodo, Gidan Waya, Atan, Kagoro, Koi, Kagarko, Kachia, Kafanchan etc. Since 1999, not less than 500 peasant farmers and members of Southern Kaduna families have been massacred by the ravaging heinous murderers according to witnesses who survived the mayhem! Women and children who were the most vulnerable had the highest casualty figures, while surviving adult males have been deprived of their farmlands/livelihoods because, according to them, the herdsmen could strike at random, day or night and that they were caught unawares on several occasions! In the last 19 months under the watch of Mallam El Rufai, the communities had recorded not less than five devastating attacks by the herdsmen who usually masked their faces with turban/mufflers to avoid identification, had taken place in Sanga and Jemm'a Local Governments because it is strongly believed that they enjoyed the support of resident military and police operatives whom the current administration had posted to provide "adequate security" to these endangered and helpless Nigerian citizens!

The following narratives are highlights of one of the many incidents of vicious, gruesome and devastating attacks on the vulnerable inhabitants of Southern Kaduna:
On one very hot afternoon in July 2014 a Toyota Hilux pick-up van which conveyed seven armed military personnel led by a Lieutenant was driven into Pasakori Community under Jema'a LG. and parked on the road side beside a group of vigilante who worked as scouts to alert villagers of any infiltration or invasion into their lands by Fulani Herdsmen, who frequently attacked their people without any form of provocation! The Lieutenant and one other soldier got down, walked up to the men and advised them to go and hide away, far from their homes all hunting weapons like dane/double-barrel guns, arrows, spears etc, because there would be a sudden house-to-house search for arms mop during which their superiors would order seizure of all kinds of weapons. According to this narrator, a vigilante who escaped death by the whiskers and hid in a thicket, "none of us suspected that it was a ploy by the soldiers to disarm us for Fulani invaders to have a field day shortly afterwards in connivance with the army who should under normal circumstances defend us from such disaster! We thanked them and quickly rushed to our homes after their departure, took away all such arms as we were advised and hid them far away in the bush only to discover too late within hours to our dismay and peril when gunfire boomed from all directions and fire gutted several homes as men, women, children ran frienzily in all directions and scampered for safety! The disguised herdsmen used our people for sport as they gunned them down mercilessly for being vulnerable! They also broke into some homes that were not set on fire, and summarily executed frightened occupants who hid in them. I also saw that some of those soldiers shot and killed three villagers who were escaping"!

EL RUFAI ADMITS INVADERS WERE FULANI HERDSMEN!
Governor of El Rufai, in an interview quoted from Vanguard: said "We paid Fulani Herdsmen to stop the killing in Southern Kaduna - and have constituted a Committee to investigate the killings in Southern Kaduna." The Committee headed by General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd), - identified that the 2011 post-election violence triggered off the violence. According to the report, the committee stated that Fulani Herdsmen who were moving out of Southern Kaduna ran into the rioters who allegedly descended upon them, killed many of them and destroyed their cattle while those who escaped at a later date re-organized for a reprisal! On receipt of the report, Governor El Rufai sent a message to the aggrieved attackers who were identified as Fulani Herdsmen from neighbouring countries of Chad, Cameroun Niger, Mali and Senegal to inform them that there was a new governor in Kaduna State who was a Fulani like them and that he paid them monetary compensations. The Vanguard’s report further claimed that Governor El Rufai believed that recent attacks in Southern Kaduna between September and November 2016 - purportedly alluded to Fulani Herdsmen were by bandits though on 14th November, 2016, over 40 people were killed by assailants believed to be nomad Fulani Herdsmen in Chawai Chiefdom under Kauru LG, Southern Kaduna!

SOUTHERN KADUNA RESIDENTS BELIEVE THAT MIYETTI ALLAH CATTLLE BREEDERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA [MACBAN], ARE THE FULANI MERCENERY CONTRACTORS!
Nomad Fulani mercenaries have been linked to Miyetti Allah which actually contracted them to avenge any infringement by farmers against "rights and privileges" of its loyal members who paid their regular dues with cow donations. It was reported that during a monthly security review community meeting in one of the very few peaceful areas in Southern Kaduna, in August, 2016, a resident Fulani man boasted that if he had reported the said Community to MACBAN, they would have razed the area to the ground! In October 2016, MACBAN alleged that Ekiti State Government killed some cows belonging to its members and warned against severe repercussions that would reverberate beyond Ekiti if immediate compensations were not made! It was later discovered that the cows were actually arrested for violation of State Laws on cattle rearing and kept in safe custody and blood letting was avoided!

IS THIS THE SADAUNA'S DREAM OF "ONE NORTH ONE PEOPLE?"
Apart from being the seat of political power of the then Northern Region, Kaduna was also the commercial and industrial destination, alive and famous for high quality textile material production, flour mills, motor assembly plant, etc. Worthy of note also was that the military strength (Nigerian Defence Academy, Nigerian Air Force Flying School) of the nation was concentrated in Kaduna, Jaji, and Zaria, all within very short distance of each other - and it was no wonder that the first military coup was planned and executed in Kaduna by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, whose escapade with his collaborators actually snuffed the life of several politicians - including the Sadauna himself! In respect of social activities Kaduna ranked first among other major cities of the North with modern clubs and international hotels which attracted a lot of foreign industrial clientele. Today Kaduna State is a far cry from being peaceful as it is now clustered with social disorders, civil disobedience by SHI'ITE MUSLIMS in Zaria! Religious bigotry/discrimination in spite of the SECULAR STATUS of the Nigerian nation and persistent foreign Fulani mercenaries’ invasion! There was the Sharia Imposition Law conflicts from Kaduna to Kafanchan in the year 2000; and in Sanga LG, 2001; also in 2011, Post Election Riots across Kaduna metropolis; 2014, Youth Clashes in Kagarko community; July and December 2014, Fulani Herdsmen invasion in SangaLG; and also in January and June 2015.The months of September and November 2016, were not spared from the continuous bombardments of the rampaging herdsmen - especially in Pasakori and Godogodo Communities!

THE WAY FORWARD TO RESOLVE HERDSMEN/FARMERS CLASHES!
Governor Nasir El Rufai plea/monetary settlements with the foreign Fulani Herdsmen no doubt, was a right step in the right direction but he needed to speedily co-ordinate with MACBAN, who have not denied their contractual links with the same group who would always go for the highest bidder, and iron out the conflict areas and claims by both parties - the pastoralists and the indigenous farmers. The outcome of this co-ordination should be merged with the Federal Government's findings through a Technical Committee launched on 8th November, 2016, by the Minister of Interior to resolve the same conflict, while quick measures should also be initiated by all State Governments (like Ekiti), to enact laws that would create grazing lands and periods in order for peace to reign across the nation. In the meantime genuine security efforts should be made by both the Kaduna State and Federal Governments to bring lasting peace to these helpless and downtrodden peasants who are being gradually decimated by vicious force into oblivion. We must always remember the cliché which says, "A house which is divided against itself will surely fall." SOUTHERN KADUNA DESERVES OUR SUPPORT - WE MUST REMAIN OUR BROTHERS KEEPERS.



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

IT IS DANGEROUS TO JUMP THE GUN BEFORE THE EXPORT RACE BEGAN!

There is a brazen attempt by some unpatriotic Nigerian traders to further subvert the economy which is in the process of revival and reverse the gains already recorded by the Federal Government to revamp it through massive bumper harvests of agricultural crops in the fourth quarter of the 2016 Budget year! According to a revelation by an honourable member on the floor of the House of Representatives, these greedy traders connived and smuggled out of the country, 500 TRUCKS on weekly basis to neighbouring countries, the costly but scarce staple commodities of RICE, CORN, MILLET, BEANS, CASSAVA, YAM, etc, which had virtually been out of the reach of the downtrodden masses since the first quarter of the year in order to earn foreign currencies through the back door and further weaken the NAIRA to create induced famine in the land?
According to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics' (NBS) , latest economic index, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), shrunk by -2.24% and inflation rate hit the two-digit mark of 18.3%, which is precarious and could spell some set back to successes already achieved due to the selfishness of a few!

And whereas, government's policy thrust on Food Exportation, was predicated on the following planks:
1. That, between the year 2015-2018, all agricultural crops would be harvested and stored for local commercialization, consumption and preservation of surplus in governments SILOS as buffer to ensure FOOD SECURITY AND SUFFICIENCY during rainy days;
2. That from the year 2019 upward, exportation of food stuffs would commence in earnest to debut Agriculture as the major foreign exchange earner instead of crude oil, but would be executed through the application of due process/procedure and according to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), guidelines, interested and legitimate exporters could register to obtain necessary documents and licences.
3.That all farmers should key into government's credit support through CBN's, ANCHOR BORROWERS PROGRAMME which was already being enjoyed by farmers in 13 of the 36 States of the Federation;
4. That, there was urgent need to re- invigorate agriculture in all rural communities of the 774 Local Government Areas of the nation; and
5.That an all encompassing national Water Resources Policy, National Irrigation and Drainage Policy, to improve management of water and irrigation development in the country, was imperative and that a law should be speedily enacted by the National Assembly to back the policies but in the meantime, measures to revive the 12 River Basin Authorities of Anambra-Imo; Benin-Owena; Chad Basin; Cross River; Hadejia-Jama'are; Lower Benue; Lower Niger; Niger Delta; Ogun-Osun; Sokoto-Rima; Upper Benue; and Upper Niger, would also be fast tracked.

In addition to all of the above measures, alternative technologies such as Hydro, Wind and Solar were under consideration as Thermal power generation was being sabotaged by the Niger Delta terrorists through vandalization of gas pipelines.
Did you know that electricity power from the national grid rose from 3,324 megawatts in June 2015 to a peak of 5,074 mg. in February, 2016 for the very first time, and the level could have been improved and maintained but for persistent vandalization which made output to drop through 16 systems collapse to introduce low-shedding and power rationing.
But, in spite of all those plan to improve agriculture and power, those cluster of very greedy traders still indulged in the illegal exportation of raw cereals through the nation's porous borders without milling or processing the crops in any form, thereby losing all by-products that could have accrued as multiple gains if processed! From processed Parboiled Rice alone, the following bye products could be sourced: STARCH, SYRUP, WINE, MILK, etc, while the rice hull or husk (the hard protection coverings of the grains of rice), can be used as building materials, fertilizers, for fuel and gas and there would be no need to import those items with the very limited foreign exchange resource at the disposal of government! It has been revealed that Rice Hull Ash is the major raw material in the production of the renowned international Portland cement products! All processed agricultural crops have by-products which could add value to exportation and reduce importation of exotic products foreign countries.

Nigeria would still import rice to the tune of $2 billion USD to augment local productions until the aggressive thrust by the new administration to venture into massive cultivation of grains and cereals materialized, starting with Kebbi State's 2016 bumper harvest of ONE MILLION TONNES of locally-grown rice, and similar expectations from other States including, Lagos and Ogun in the year 2017! For instance, before the present administration embarked on a determined effort to diversify from the CRUDE OIL foreign-earner mono-product (which had sustained the economic resource up to 85% at some point), into agriculture and solid mineral sectors exploration, this natural resource, was and is still being exported in its raw form instead of being refined into PMS (Petrol), and as Kerosene, Diesel oil, Grease, Plastics, Rubber, Nylons etc, which are bye-products from the crude oil for maximum gains and profits if all four refineries worked at maximum capacity!

Mallam Shehu Garba, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, also alerted the nation about the illegal exporters unscrupulous attitude and warned on the danger it would portend to the ailing economy if not quickly checked. He implored all relevant agencies, especially, the Nigerian Customs Service, the Immigration Department and border patrol law-enforcement officers to be on "red alert", in order to arrest further contraventions!
The Minister of Agriculture, has also condemned the illegality and called for very stiff penalties against the saboteurs because his Ministry and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which mobilized peasant farmers for local production of rice, maize sorghum, millet and soya beans, aimed at achieving domestic sufficiency in those staples by 2018, before official exportation could commence; therefore, it was criminal for any trader to engage in illegal exportation!
Nigeria has now experienced three consecutive economic recession which economic analysts fear could lead to a depression, but the good news is that, the economic team had envisaged the set-backs and had put palliatives in place to succour the masses of marginalized Nigerians who are President Buhari's major CONSTITUENCY through the SOCIAL INTERVENTION POLICY! These Nigerians would now benefit from the N500 billion intervention fund already set aside as soft loans for market women; for employment opportunities for 200.000 graduate teachers, (who would be employed from 1st December, 2016), and other youths to be engaged in various vocations through Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, under the macro-economic agenda of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Minister of Budget and National Planning, has allayed fears of economic depression in line with the above measures and further explained that the NBS' statistics of shrinking GDP and two-digit inflation, would surely be reversed in a very short while.

In his 56th Independence Anniversary broadcast, President Buhari emphasised the cyclical behaviours of global economies and asserted that all countries faced ups and downs like in Nigeria where economic recession was forced through a critical shortage of foreign exchange that resulted from international oil price drop from $100 per barrel to an average of $40 USD since late 2014, and further self-inflicted through "the damage perpetrated by Niger-Delta thugs on pipelines - which reduced production to below one million barrels per day"!
However with the aggressive posture of governments and the patriotic peasant farmers towards diversification to agriculture from the mono crude oil exportation, we believe that solutions to the lingering economic recession are definitely in sight. Up to the time of this publication, no official arrests of the unscrupulous Nigerian traders who stubbornly put off the thought of GOD and HIS unavoidable JUDGEMENT for the love of ephemeral gains and MONEY, had been reported, but the most opportune period for righteous and truly patriotic citizens to support the CHANGE AGENDA GOVERNMENT of President Buhari to succeed in its determination, not only to diversify the economy, but to also fulfil the other two legs of the tripod structure, consisting of total war against corruption and Security is NOW!

Let all hands be on deck! Let the masses at the grassroots organize neighbourhood VIGILLANTES, WATCHMEN, AND SCOUTS to keep vigil on all outlets of their various communities, to arrest the scoundrels who might - no matter how highly placed - attempt to smuggle out the grains illegally! Name, shame and hand them over to law enforcement agencies who would prosecute them for the crime of economic sabotage and YOUR RESOLVE FOR THE ENTHRONEMENT OF A RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT IN NIGERIA SHALL SERVE AS YOUR SPIRITUAL STRENGTH AS YOU ALSO ENGAGE IN PRAYERS! Amen.
The Word of God says to the carnal and worldly breed: ".....Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good or it be evil". (Ecclesiastes. 12:13-14).



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum 100-man delegation which met with President Muhamadu Buhari on 1st November, 2016, neither accepted responsibility for economic sabotage against Nigeria either by default through their tacit acquiescence, nor tendered an apology on behalf of their terrorist youths who deliberately vandalized critical crude oil pipe lines in their region with demonic relish to vent anger for the loss of their kinsman at the 2015 Presidential polls! Instead, they brazenly DEMANDED, through the submission of a 16-point agenda, how peace should be restored to the oil-rich region as if no one else existed but themselves! What an effrontery, what an insult to the psyche and sensibilities of all Nigerians who had suffered untold hardships through the treasonable felony of over 18 Niger Delta Opposition terrorist groups, who for selfish demands, vandalized the collective oil wealth, and deprived the nation of its foreign exchange earnings for consecutive 13 months unabated, with the succinct support of these elders! With this kind of very pathetic development in matters of national insecurity poised through deliberate acts of sabotage through household enemies, should it not be the concern of patriotic citizens that it was time to deal with this recurring attitude of impunity by the Niger Delta region according to the RULE OF LAW instead of the carrot and stick formula?
If the elders pretended that the brutal murders and massacres of innocent citizens - including several law-enforcement operatives - by their terrorist children did not deserve penalties and punishments, then the Federal Government should draw their attention to the fact that they grossly erred during the caucus deliberations that preceded their audience with the President since no mention of lawful chastisements to be meted to the culprits was included in their selfish demands!

The first step towards sanity in the region must be for the vandals to surrender themselves and all illegal arms and ammunitions in their custody to their respective State Governments and face prosecution for vandalism and economic sabotage against the Government and people of Nigeria! The second is for a general assessment of damages to be compiled by Federal Government Engineers/Auditors, so that restitution could be made by all vandal-infested States on behalf of their recalcitrant wards; and the third is for the repairs/replacements of damaged/destroyed pipelines that clean-up of environmental pollution through burst pipes might commence! These elders were witnesses to the boastings of these criminal youths who openly declared that they would destroy all oil pipelines to deprive the ruling government of all economic gains from that region but acquiesced even though, an African adage says that the "hoary hair would not sit idly in the market place while his youths perish without protection"!

An objective study of some of the selfish demands include the resuscitation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme - inclusive of job opportunities after rehabilitation; that Federal Government should reduce military presence to avoid "human abuse", (of which the terrorists were culprits); Security surveillance and protection of oil and gas infrastructure to be transferred to the communities headed by the elders instead of to individuals like Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias "Tompolo", who was declared wanted for economic crimes and his comrade-in-arms who became multi billionaires through pipelines protection contracts awarded to them by the Jonathan's Administration!
Is it not very glaring that these elders, instead of requesting for the employment of patriotic youths and vigilantes for pipeline protection, they had more or less solicited the transfer of the very very juicy contract to themselves as head chiefs of the communities? Can we conveniently opine that the people and elders of this "oil rich" region have begun to feel the crunch of the self-imposed economic recession on Nigeria by the riverine vandals through the principles of the LAW OF CAUSE and EFFECT; following more and more devastation and degradation of their soils through incessant oil pollution by these rebellious children?
Could it be a smart move by the Pan Niger Delta Forum Elders, to quickly strike a lucrative deal with the Buhari Change Administration before the CHAD BASIN OIL EXPLORATION COMES INTO FRUITION AND NOT TO BE ABANDONED TO SWIM AND DRINK THE MIRY AND DISEASED-INFESTED POOLS OF OIL RIVERS? How could they have pretended to have forgotten that at least THREE of their former governors (Bayelsa, Edo and Delta), were convicted for economic crimes of fraud and embezzlement of crude oil funds, at home and abroad? That the Niger Delta Development Corporation (NDDC) had always been under the searchlight of the EFCC because of incessant public complaints and petitions against alleged financial misappropriation and contract inflated figures?
Have they also easily forgotten that the South-South Geo-Political Zone comprising of all Niger Delta oil producing States collect on monthly basis, from the common wealth, 13% derivation fund to cushion the effects of environmental devastation and degradation through a continuous oil exploration and exploitation by both local and foreign companies? How could the elders so easily forget that the Ogoni People of the Niger Delta Region were mourning the 21st year anniversary of the death of KEN SARO-WIWA, a peace-loving environmental activist, who never took up arms against his country but murdered in cold blood by the Abacha Military administration while they were negotiating to reap from his sweat and blood? While government ruminates over the SELFISH DEMANDS, it is instructive for all good and very resilient citizens of Nigeria to understand that no section or region of the vast country - under the present constitutional arrangement could decide to become an island to itself. The clarion call for united nation should not be of lip -service!

TRUTH has no social, political or economic coloration! Truth is saying it as it is, doing it right according to laid down principles and in obedience to the rule of law; Truth is the opposite of lie and truth is bitter! The following truths according to God's lexicon says: "While the earth remaineth seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Whatever was the mission of the Pan Niger Delta Forum emissaries to the Aso Villa, Abuja, it is crystal clear to the poor and downtrodden masses of that region that whether their representatives were governors, pipeline vandals, or chieftain elders, they would always be SHORT-CHANGED; and this is the gospel truth!
While the governors have become super rich, the reverie terrorists/contractors have become super-duper rich, while the elders would not be sidelined from becoming the latest and emerging billionaires of the oil-rich zone; Niger Deltans and Nigerians by extension can hardly make two meals per day because of cost inflation of goods and services caused through the brazen destruction of the nation's oil pipelines by SONS OF THE SOIL! Must this trend of man's inhumanity to man continue? Because Of The Continuous 13-month Vandalization Of Pipelines Lines, the Federal Government has intensified the implementation of diversification of the economy of revenue earnings to non-oil products in the agricultural, food products, manufactured products, minerals, transport and industrial sectors, which though went through some shrinking towards the end of the second quarter, but from sources close the National Economic Council (NEC), the economic activities occasioned by the fall in productive capacities of industrialists have been reinvigorated for greater capacities through capital financing.

It is important for all patriotic Nigerians to believe that the recession challenges are temporary and would be surmounted in spite of all manner of sabotage sooner than envisaged. Advocacy in respect of the true perspective and position of the recession is being disseminated by the federal government through all its information media and orientation agencies to the grass root for patience and perseverance. Though, we share the thoughts of some analysts who said that local and foreign investors would need further re-assurances from the Federal Government that investment in the non- oil sector would yield desired dividends, we are categorical that with all adequate measures put in place, these investors would definitely compete for placements in this last quarter in view of profitable incentives already in place! The Executive Director of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. 'Segun Awolowo, who said that his agency was mindful of the challenges facing the non-oil sector, revealed that it has commenced its ZERO TO EXPORT INITIATIVE to support new generation of Nigerian exporters to effectively and profitably participate in the sector, adding that the Federal Government's fiscal strategy framework for the next three consecutive years was based on NON-OIL!
He attributed the initiative to recent developments on global commodities market which had triggered the wake-up call on the need for Nigeria to accelerate the diversification of its economy by moving away from an over dependence on oil as its main source of revenue. and predicted that with an effective implementation, non-oil exports would be enabled to increase the nation's foreign exchange reserves to $150billion USD within the next 10 years! We are equally optimistic that with the steady progress of the Change Agenda Economic Team, all opportunists like the Pan Niger Delta Forum elders would realize that they were no longer relevant to negotiate from oil derivation positions in their zone!
As at the time of this publication, the OGONI PEOPLE declared at a press conference that the elders did not have Niger Deltans mandate to negotiate with the Federal Government for peace agreement on the vandalization of pipelines, but that their 16-point demand mainly bordered on their selfish interests, covetousness and greed!
THE WORD OF GOD SAYS: "RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTETH A NATION, BUT SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE". (Proverbs.14:34).



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

Nigeria’s Change Administration Ministers of President Muhammadu Buhari had been the most criticised, intimidated, harassed, disrespected and most lambasted of political office holders around the globe in recent times! Before the eligible chosen citizens were unveiled, bitter members of the failed opposition party unleashed all manner of reckless accusations that the President's nomination of his "kitchen cabinet", (i.e. close and personal aides), was predicated on a Northern agenda since majority of the appointees, were mostly of northern origin, and advocated civil disapproval against the government without success! But in spite of all efforts by the opposition to stampede government to act at their bidding, it took a period between 29th May, 2015; to 12th November, 2015, (134 days), for the President, his "Think Tank"/Consultants to prayerfully, carefully and painstakingly conclude the selection and investiture of the Federal Ministers who, (inclusive of the first two citizens), made up the Federal Executive Cabinet (FEC).

The following ministers chosen from the 36 States of the Federation who scaled through Senate scrutiny and vetting are as follows:
1. Chris Ngige – (Anambra) Minister of Labour & Employment; 2. Kayode Fayemi- (Ekiti) Minister of Solid Minerals; 3. Rotimi Amaechi – (Rivers) Minister of Transportation; 4. Babatunde Fashola - (Lagos) Minister of Power, Works and Housing; 5. Abdulrahman Dambazau- (Kano) Minister of Interior; 6. Aisha Alhassan – (Taraba) Minister of Women Affairs; 7. Ogbonaya Onu- (Ebonyi) Minister of Science and Technology; 8. Kemi Adeosun – (Ogun) Minister of Finance; 9. Abubakar Malami – (Kebbi) Minister of Justice & Attorney-General; 10. Sen Hadi Sirika – (Katsina) Minister of State, Aviation; 11. Barr. Adebayo Shittu – (Oyo) Minister of Communication; 12. Suleiman Adamu – (Jigawa) Minister of Water Resources; 13. Solomon Dalong – (Plateau) Minister for Youth and Sports; 14. Ibe Kachikwu – (Delta) Minister of State, Petroleum; 15. Osagie Ehanire – (Edo) Minister of State, Health; 16. Audu Ogbeh – (Benue) Minister of Agriculture; 17. Udo Udo Udoma – (Akwa Ibom) Minister of Budget & National Planning; 18. Lai Mohammed – (Kwara) Minister of Information;19. Amina Mohammed – (Gombe) Minister of Environment; 20. Ibrahim Usman Jibril – (Nasarawa) Minister of State, Environment; 21. Hajia Khadija Bukar Ibrahim- (Yobe) Minister of State, Foreign Affairs; 22. Cladius Omoleye Daramola (Ondo) Minister of State, Niger Delta; 23. Prof Anthony Onwuka (Imo) Minister of State, Education; 24. Geoffrey Onyema (Enugu) Minister of Foreign Affairs; 25. Dan Ali (Zamfara) Minister of Defence; 26. Barr James Ocholi (Kogi) Minister of State, Labour & Employment; 27. Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna) Minister of State Budget and National Planning; 28. Okechukwu Enelamah (Abia) Minister of Trade, Investment & Industry; 29. Muhammadu Bello (Adamawa) Minister of Federal Capital Territory; 30. Mustapha Baba Shehuri (Bornu) Minister of State, Power; 31. Aisha Abubakar (Sokoto) Minister of State, Trade & Investment;32. Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa) Minister of State, Agriculture; 33. Adamu Adamu (Bauchi) Minister of Education; 34. Isaac Adewole (Osun) Minister of Health; 35. Abubakar Bawa Bwari (Niger) Minister of State, Solid Minerals; 36. Pastor Usani Uguru (Cross River) Minister of Niger Delta.

With the capable assistance of Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, President Muhammadu Buhari oversights the Ministry of Petroleum Resources as substantive minister to ensure that all sensitive issues and grey areas that have doggedly ridiculed the industry, were handled with utmost high level attention and sagacity required. As at the time of this publication, Late Minister of State, Labour, Barr. James Ocholi (Kogi), was yet to be replaced. May his good soul rest in perfect peace with the Lord, amen.

...THE RACE IS NOT TO THE SWIFT, NOR THE BATTLE TO THE STRONG...
On Friday, 12th November, 2016, - two days after its 52nd meeting - the Federal Executive Council, clocked exactly 365 days in office having weathered through extremely rough and stormy seas of political opposition of all of its professionally well-calculated moves to ensure smooth transition from a battered economy to avoid a glaring recession which was bound to result from a culture of mismanagement and wastages by past administrations - especially of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), 1999-2015!
The cabinet had been dogged, consistent, focused and resilient in its commitment to ensuring that all strategic economic policies were executed to the letter with the tacit support of the Private Sector and the Stock Exchange to keep the economy on course as business partners in spite of all distractions by the detractors of government. At that meeting of Wednesday 10th November, 2016, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the President charged his ministers " to work harder to endear themselves to Nigerians" as he reviewed the progress, sundry challenges and social commitments of the cabinet to the people in one year.
Some members of the cabinet - especially those of the Economic Team - had severally been castigated for non- performance and classified as being unfit to hold their portfolios because of the recession which is gradually receding through meticulous strategies that have been applied. This cabinet deserves the commendation of all well-meaning Nigerians because it hit the ground running to mitigate all glaring symptoms that had manifested by placing greater emphasis on capital expenditure in the Rail and Ports Sectors to lessen the burden of roads dilapidation caused through commodities transportation across the wide terrain of the country. The 2016 deficit Budget had been implemented with available funds but MUST need to borrow in order to achieve commensurable and commendable percentage.

Below are Details of Money Released for 2016 Budget by Federal Government as released by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning:
"THE Federal Government has released the sectoral performance details of capital allocations in the 2016 Appropriation Act for the different ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) as at the end of October, 2016. The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma, said on Friday, 12th November,2016, that government had spent about N3.577 trillion, or 58.7 per cent of the N6.06 trillion 2016 budget.
The amount included a total of N2.44 trillion for capital, non-debt recurrent and service-wide vote expenditures, in addition to about N1.14 trillion, or 46.7 per cent paid out to service domestic and foreign debts. The total expenditure also included about N44billion transferred to the Sinking Fund to retire maturing obligations on bonds issued to contractors handling various projects across the country. He said all the releases had been cash-backed. In terms of performance, the minister said this translated to 79 per cent, in terms of the pro-rated budget allocation for the three quarters up to September 30, 2016. Mr. Udoma described a total of N753.6 billion already released for capital expenditure in 2016 out of a total allocation of N1.8 trillion allocation approved for capital expenditure as the highest in the nation’s recent history, even in the era of low oil prices.

Details of the capital releases from the Federal Ministry of Finance headquarters showed the Ministry of Power with the highest allocation of N209.25 billion, followed by defence (N69.5 billion), and transport (N30.54 billion). The Ministry of Agriculture has so far received N29.58 billion; water resources (N25.2 billion); interior (N21.2 billion); health (N18.47 billion); education (N16.74 billion) and Niger Delta (N8.16 billion). The other ministries included science and technology (N6.68 billion), mines and steel development (N3.36 billion), petroleum resources (N2.414 billion) and other agencies (N312.5 billion)."

Nigeria's Senate rejection of $ 29.96 billion foreign to fund all capital projects as enunciated by the Federal Government should not be further delayed if members of the hallowed chambers were true democrats because the process could be overtaken by further inflation since recession was not limited to Nigeria alone! Much as we would want to agree with those who had canvassed that all recovered looted funds should be pumped into the economy without foreign loan indebtedness, they should be informed that there are fiscal principles and financial due process that must be followed before such monies could be touched and also that when all righteousness must have fulfilled, those funds would then be deployed to refund borrowed loans!
In addition, we believe that the Federal Government stood the following advantages if it borrowed without futher delay while the country was still in recession:
1. A moratorium concession to pay back between 5 - 10 years and at lesser exchange rates, since it is believed that recession and inflation would have fizzled out and had been accorded its rightful place in the archives of history;
2. There are predictions by some economists that inflation rate could go higher and into the year 2017, but we believe that with all economic measures already put in place by President Buhari's Administration with the support of the National Economic Council (NEC), through diversification to the agricultural, solid mineral resources, manufacturing, entertainment, tourist and film industries, etc, the recession and inflation would both disappear together!

For instance, inflationary cost of grains like rice, beans, corn, etc are believed to be gradually receding and before the advent of the new year, according to the Minister of Agriculture, massive harvests that would drown HOARDERS STOCK, would flood all markets across the nation to stamp out the unacceptable cost inflation forced upon the poor masses by Nigerian Shylocks who had no qualms in respect of the pains, hardships and sufferings of the downtrodden who could hardly make a meal per day.
"God cannot be deceived, whatever a man soweth, that he shall reap."



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

Urgent Solutions and Constitutional Responsibilities of the Nigerian Government.

Since the Child Rights Act has been domesticated in Nigeria and recognizes all rights and privileges of the girl-child, the onus of enforcement of the laws protection of this endangered species rests squarely on all governments! It is their joint responsibilities to ensure free early health care and primary to secondary education, conducive welfare and housing facilities, for them and their parents, portable water supplies, neighbourhood security arrangements, etc.
We are very much aware that the implementation of the letters of the Act through the existing Child Rights Implementation Committees across the nation had been enormous, but not insurmountable; therefore it becomes mandatory for them to invoke all government machineries and apparatuses at their disposal to compel all government agencies to implement all of the set out suggestions, especially in the areas of tight security arrangements for the girl-child at home, school and recreation! We also suggest that at the grassroots and communities levels, the local chiefs and elders should involve the services of vigilante groups who would watch over their own kith and kin, without allowing them to be exposed to predators whether at the streams, markets or even playgrounds!
But it is saddening that the Nigeria Police Force, which is an integral member of the Child Rights Act Implementation Committees and on which the major duty of implementing security duties for safety of the girl-child squarely rests, has defaulted in the KATSINA ABDUCTION CASE which is still trending! The Commissioner of Police of that State told the World that his organisation had no prior knowledge of the illicit and criminal abduction of a minor into the purported child marriage but had, after "thorough investigation", advised the minor (now a guest of the Emir), to return to her parents! This decision and conclusion of the Commissioner is unacceptable to all well-meaning and patriotic Nigerians - most especially members of the Change Administration of President Buhari!
We advise that the Inspector General of Police takes over the case, rectify all harms done and save the new image of the Force by enforcing all relevant laws to send the minor back to her parents before she was subjected to all manner of inhuman treatments since she had no constitutional rights to make a "consent" decision in respect of such sensitive issue as marriage!

The Word of God says that, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD; and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalm.127:3-5).
THE GIRL-CHILD IS OUR INSURANCE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION - SHE MUST BE SHIELDED FROM EXTINCTION! Amen.

By Dr Tunde Olufon. 08130669886, 08058436756 dvdolufon@gmail.com.

The Health Hazard of Vesico-Virgina Fistula (VVF)!

When a girl-child, though neither biologically matured nor prepared for sexual activities and child-bearing but brutally forced into the act, the resultant damage is the rupture of her uterus that gives rise to VVF and other complications. VVF is an abnormal communication between the bladder and the virgina causing urinary incontinence which results in unrestricted urination as a result of such damage! It is very instructive for the insensitive and demonized male adults who disregard the tenderness of the female physique and anatomy to violate them brutally, that the girl-child in any part of the world possess similar biological features and as the weaker vessels should therefore, have the right to protection, psychological stability and a decent healthy life without such harassments!
Since the domestication of the Child Rights Act by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and 22 other States, several Non-governmental Organisations (NGO's), and Civil Society Organisations (CSO's), have advocated that other State governments should follow suit and exercise the political will to implement not only the letter but also the spirit of the Act so that these innocent children would not continue to experience uncertain existence like the lower mammals which were permanently at the mercy of human predators! We believe that there could not be a better time than now for governments to fulfil the social contract promises documented in their political manifestoes by ensuring the principles of gender equality and empowerment of the girl-child through sound and qualitative education!
We also advocate the elimination of negative cultural, traditional and forceful culture of child marriage, child labour, female genital mutilation, sexual exploitation and abuse, including the unholy attitude of treating the girl-child as inferior to his male counterpart!
In July 2000, the Child Rights Act which incorporated all rights and consolidated all laws which provided for the protection and care of the Nigerian child into a single law was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In 2003, according to UNICEF's Report, Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act to domesticate the Convention on the Rights of the Child and was subsequently passed at the Federal level, but in spite of all these documental efforts, not much effect of protection of the girl-child had been recorded in the country.
An Africa Union Report, quoted by UNICEF on the rights and welfare of the Nigerian child, revealed that 6.000 children were in prison and detention centres across the country and that girls made up less than 10% because their involvement with the law was always as result of criminal acts committed against them, such as Rape, Sexual exploitation and Trafficking!

By Dr 'Tunde Olufon. 08130669886, 08058436756. dvdolufon @gmail.com.

THE GIRL- CHILD OF THE INFAMOUS NIGERIAN "CHILD RIGHTS ACT"!

The pro-creation vessel is in danger of extinction! She is in a dire strait; being battered from all angles! The GIRL-CHILD cannot defend herself from the invasion of her privacy; neither can the Nigerian law protect her from human wolves in sheep clothing and adult predators! When it is not a household enemy - like a father, uncle, cousin, male sibling or houseboy that forcibly took away her pride of purity, it was a boy in her school, a male teacher or kidnappers! Though the GIRL-CHILD is the cradle of life expectancy and source of population increase and sustenance, this endangered species was always a vulnerable prey to the warped and unsound mind! The other day, 14-year-old Ese Oruru was dutifully supporting her mother with chores at their local food restaurant when an older male customer brain-washed and took her on a long journey from Bayelsa to Kano State, where she was forcibly initiated into conjugal rites and became a girl-wife and a nursing mother!
The case of another 14-year-old who was also recently abducted to Katsina State and married off to an older man without her parents' consent was still generating a lot of debate on the social media at the time of this publication, yet, the Nigerian 2003 Version of the Child Rights Act, which was incorporated and adopted from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF's) Charter for universal laws on child protection was supposed to be actively in existence! From time immemorial, when civilization was alien to the shores of Nigeria, historians said that child-marriage was a common phenomenon amongst diverse tribes and religious beliefs and cultures, but were always contractual and with the expressed permission and consents of all families involved. During those dark days, it was said that because those girls were minors - between 9 to 13 years when betrothed, - they were usually put into the custody of their spouses' parents to nurture until they were fully matured into womanhood.

But in the 21st Century when there were international laws to protect the girl-child, caution had been thrown to the wind while even a distinguished and educated former Nigerian governor and presently a serving Senator brazenly married and bragged about his "conquest “over a 13-year-old minor whom he took for a "wife" because the said Child Rights Act was an exclusive Federal Legislation which had no binding force of law amongst the States, since only 22 out the 36, had domesticated the statute!
Gone are the days when woman purity was highly esteemed, cherished, protected and defended as a sacred global culture that should be preserved until the first night of married couples! Not long ago in August, 2016, a Ugandan herbalist was arrested for having illicit carnal knowledge with over 100 young girls with the consent of their parents who paid him handsomely for the despicable acts in fulfilment of certain cultural/ritual beliefs of procuring fruitfulness in marriage!
Nigeria on its part had condoned for too long, the proliferation of commercial "girl-child baby factories" in virtually all the six geo-political zones of the nation, which consistently provided safe havens for the endangered species who were either products of broken homes or peer group negative influences/pressures! There is of course the issue of girl-child physical abuse when engaged as house-help or slave and also the trafficking of innocent minor into prostitution at very tender age which had taken phenomenal dimensions mostly in African and Asian countries with the connivance of some parents, guardians or close relatives in view of the inducements of commercial gains.
Recently in Nigeria, 21 out of the 218 Boko Haram-abducted teenage Chibok Secondary School girls of the North East State of Bornu, were released after over two years of incarceration since 14th April, 2014, but it is disheartening that they had been debased, dehumanized, randomly and severally abused, physically, mentally and forcibly initiated into motherhood by their captors! All the same, we give glory to God that they have been reconciled to their loved ones as we look forward to another batch of 83 whose release was still being negotiated by the Federal Government.

By Dr 'Tunde Olufon. 08130669886, 08058436756. dvdolufon @gmail.com.

The British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC], can boast of a wealth of experience in qualitative, incisive and factual reportage of several decades in the broadcasting industry of dissemination of breaking/trending news or personality interviews across the globe and might not be challenged or faulted.
But what this outfit could not boast of, was the expression of their genuine intentions in the frequent broadcast of controversial news or personality interviews that could ignite domestic political or international wranglings of far-reaching dimensions and consequencies of acrimony and disunity between otherwise stable polities!
It is in the public domain that the First Lady of Nigeria, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, granted an interview to the BBC Hausa Section which the Nigerian Government politely requested the agency not to broadcast because of its controversial content and that the Nigerian President and his party had been on the receiving end of local and international criticisms over BBC 's blunt refusal!

We recall how this same agency quoted British ex-Prime Minister, David Cameron, who told Queen Elizabeth II, during her 90th birthday cocktail that Nigeria and Pakistan were the most corrupt nations in the world while he (Cameron), hosted the President to an anti-corruption conference summit in London!

What can BBC boast of as its corporate gain in the ongoing acrimonious and most-detrimental negative comments against the President who was on a State visit to the Federal Republic of Germany at that time?

Why did it turn down the humble and genuine request of an administration of a Change Government which had begun to make impact in charting a new standard of life that would enable the citizens to relegate (to the background), the issue of pecuniary gains as a priority of life or was it an interview with ulterior agenda?

Could it be that the BBC would have preferred the scenarios of past administrations which were characterized by instititional corruption in which all manner of political and official appointments were predicated on political patronage of "who knows who", because the crux of the grouse against the present administration was its uncompromising stand of neither SHARING OFFICIAL POSITIONS NOR THE MONEY!

We believe that the present crop of Changed Nigerians are those who would not sell their patriotic birthrights FOR PLATES OF RED POTTAGE; therefore those charlatans that have troubled the First Lady with multitude of complaints of not being politically rewarded for their "contributions", to All Progressives Congress party's success at the 2015 polls should be reminded that their rewards are embeded in the overall implementation of the party's manifesto in spite of the temporary economic recession and hyper inflation being generally experienced!
We can categorically inform all Nigerians that the rumours surrounding the HIJACK BY A CABAL WITHIN THE APC 's GOVERNMENT as postulated by Senator Saraki and his cohorts is nothing short of the figments of their imagination because the GRAPE HAS TURNED SOUR FOR PILFERERS OF THE COMMON WEALTH who pressured unsuccessfully to scrap the Treasury Single Account (TSA), for their covetous advantage!

Do we need to remind BBC of marital spiritual injuction which state's that: "........What therefore what God has joined together, let no man put asunder"?

By Dr ‘Tunde Olufon. 08130669886,08058436756. dvdolufon@gmail.com.

WHO IS AN ASS? THE LAW, THE INTERPRETER, OF THE ENFORCER?


The Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) is the only Constitutional Body responsible to INTERPRETE the law for disciplinary action against erring judges; therefore, every complaint against them must be reported to the body for necessary actions and sanctions against indicted members of the revered Bench. The DSS is an Agency empowered under an amended Act of the National Assembly (NASS), to both investigate and ENFORCE the law in matters relating to crimes, corruption and threats to national security and since judges occupy sensitive positions in the dispensation of justice while the Judiciary is regarded as the "last hope of the common man", it is imperative for both bodies to work in unison.
But it took THREE DAYS of almost 72 hours for the NJC, to condemn and issue an official statement in respect of the DSS sting operation against the suspected corrupt judges because of their complicity in the entire episode as follows: (1) NJC was informed of the planned DSS sting operation in February 2016, when it faulted the submissions which were not accompanied by a sworn affidavit! (2) DSS went to a court of competent jurisdiction to swear on oath that all allegations of corruption against the judges were authentic and backed with genuine and proven evidences, but it took the operatives about two months to get an approval! (3) NJC requested for time to STUDY, SCRUTINIZE, ANALIZE, VERIFY and AUTHENTICATE all submissions for necessary disciplinary action! As at the time of the nocturnal sting operation on 8/9th October, 2016, NJC was still studying DSS documents and evidences submitted by DSS with sworn affidavit in March 2016!
Who is the ASS - the foolish or the stupid in the entire scenario? The bold move to arrest and detain the "untouchable judges" by the DSS is a re-awakening call to the Change Government and Nigerians at large that it was high time to expunge all obsolete, archaic, anachronistic and time-wasting laws that still our legal shelf to allow for up to date and efficient statutes that are trending in the 21st Century digital universe! Presently, some very corrupt serving legislators, and yet to be unmasked, civil servants of the Executive Arm are still walking free and earning salaries and allowances from the sweat, labour and taxes of the TALAKAWAS of this nation because the LAW IS AN ASS! What an irony of life! The Word of God says: "THOU SHALT KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE." (John.8:32). The truth is that President Buhari and his Vice, Prof. 'Yemi Oshinbajo - a distinguished Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), MUST PRIORTIZE A SPECIAL BILL TO AMMEND ALL RETROGRESSIVE LAWS THAT WEAKEN THE "MODUS OPERANDI" OF OUR VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS which portray Nigeria as a laughing stock among the comity of nations and quickly forward same to the National Assembly for urgent passage into fresh, workable and unambiguous laws!
THE WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA MUST REMAIN WHOLISTIC! Imagine if some American Judicial Council had placed some clog in the wheel of progress of the FBI in their regular sting operations, this world power would not always remain a reference point! A Word is enough for the Wise!

By Dr 'Tunde Olufon. 08130669886,08058436756. dvdolufon@gmail.com.

STING OPERATION AGAINST SOME JUDGES BY DSS!


The latest and most recent criticism of the APC Government was in respect of the "Sting Operation" against SEVEN alleged corrupt High and Supreme Court judges, by operatives of the Department of Secret Service [DSS], which was adjudged as reckless, barbaric and an abuse of the rule of law against such eminent personalities of high calibre because it was forcibly carried out in the night through the breaking down of doors and barriers, in order to gain entrance into their homes; contrary to Section 37, Fundamental Rights of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution, 1999! First to vehemently condemn the operation was President of the Nigerian Bar Association [NBA], followed by all contracted critics of the opposition party, the Rivers State Governor, who obstructed the operatives from searching a judge's residence, where it was alleged that about $2 million USD was secretly removed to an unknown destination, while he, (the governor), stalled them! The Chief Justice of the Federation diplomatically described the whole episode as "unfortunate and sad ", while former Head of State, Dr. Yakubu Gowon, opined that if due process was not followed, it would amount to a "threat to democracy"! The Nigerian Judicial Council [NJC], which is the disciplinary body of the Judiciary, met for THREE consecutive days before making the following pronouncements! All said and done, what are the implications of regarding some citizens of Nigeria as "sacred cows", while the under privileged down-trodden who bear all the brunt of the society were usually castigated as inconsequential’s? Outside of the constitutional immunity clause, which shields the President, his Vice, State Governors and their deputies, from criminal prosecution, SHOULD ANY NIGERIAN BE PLACED ABOVE THE LAW OF THIS DEMOCRATIC NATION?

According to Wikipedia, a sting operation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI], in the 1980s, code-named "Operation Greyford unearthed massive corruption in the Cook County Courts in which almost 100 lawyers and judges who were eventually sent to jail, disbarred or suspended for their illegal actions; while one who could not bear the shame (in another operation), committed suicide! It is instructive to inform our readers that sting operation is not limited to members of the BAR and BENCH, but extends to all illegal activities from labour union corruption to drug trafficking, organized crime activity etc. According to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the DSS operatives acted within the frame work of the rule of law because they had well- documented warrants of search and arrest and even when prevented by the sitting governor of Rivers State from carrying out their legitimate duties, they exercised professional restraint to avoid a calamity!

DSS sources also threw more light on the "Sting Operation" as follows:
1. That investigations into allegations of corrupt enrichment and bribe takings by the Judges in question had been on for over six months.
2. That litigants who were solicited for bribes by these suspected Judges co-operated with the operatives by meeting the demands of the Judges who were monitored and evidences in form of videos, phone conversations, banks statement of accounts, and several incriminating evidences including Closed Circuit TV camera footages, were collated against them before the surprise operation of 8/9th October, 2016, was carried out!
3. Some of the accused Judges opened bank accounts in the names of their wives, daughters, sons, etc. for the illicit funds but were exposed through Bank Verification Numbers [BVN], in which pictures of account owners were captured!
4. One particular Judge was alleged to have camouflaged in a funny dress to meet and collect some US dollars bribe from a litigant at a shopping mall without suspecting that he was captured by a CCTV camera lens!
5. Incriminating evidences in forms of bank documents, and monies in local and foreign currencies totalling a sum of over N93 million naira was recovered as evidence against the accused judges during the said operation!
6. Some of them co-operated while others did not, but the good news was that, they were all granted bail in self recognition within 24 hours of the operation and interrogation and were to report back to the investigators at appointed times.
It is very true that these eminent jurists are very important personalities in the society, it is also true that they should be accorded due respect but not at the expense of jeopardising justice and internal security of the masses whose work and sweat pay their salaries!

By Dr 'Tunde Olufon. 08130669886, 08058436756. dvdolufon@gmail.com.

Since the advent of the new Change Administration, there had been an orchestrated gang-up of vicious criticisms by some unpatriotic Nigerians against every move made by the President and his economic team to sanitize the polity of the stench and rot of endemic institutional corruption bequeathed by past military and civilian governments in 54 years of the post - independent nation! No one was put in doubt, right from the campaign period of the 2015 General Elections, in what direction the All Progressives Congress [APC], was headed: (1) Total war against and elimination of corruption; (2) Resuscitation of the fledging and ailing economy; and (3) The re-engineering, overhaul and re-organisation of all security agencies for the enabling strategies to contain, defeat and totally eliminate the national insecurity created through six, very bloody years (2009-2015), of Boko Haram insurgency which almost destroyed the very foundation of democratic governance of Nigeria! And, of course, the massive support and unprecedented turn out for the APC, on all election days, (in spite of rigging gimmicks, delaying tactics and money-induced voting pattern, employed by the then ruling People’s Democratic Party [PDP] ), were very clear indications of where the pendulum swung and favoured the populist Party into a landslide, convincing and undisputable victory, which prompted Dr. Ebele Jonathan to congratulate his opponent before the official announcement of final results by Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC]!

Those who swore by the "graves of their ancestors", that President Muhammadu Buhari, would never win the election, were all infuriated with former President Jonathan, faulted and scolded him for not refusing the authentic results; and have in the last 17 months, become "thorn in the flesh" of the new administration in the area of persistent baseless and unwarranted criticisms of every move of government! They have criticized, him for embarking on several unnecessary international journeys, not rescuing the over 218 Chibok Secondary School Girls, abducted by Boko Haram terrorists, since 14th April, 2014, even when 23 of them were rescued recently; for failing to revive the economy which snow-dived due to international crude oil glut and price somersault from $100 - 48 USD, in 2014; for being a religious bigot who planned to Islamize Nigeria; for loop-sided Federal appointments which favoured the Northerners; for employing security agents to harass only Southern politicians; for "unleashing" the EFCC, DSS and POLICE against PDP Opposition members; for employing "incompetent" ministers who have no solutions for the current economic recession; for not inviting former economists who served under former Presidents Obasanjo and Jonathan, who piloted the economic ship of the nation and ran it aground; for the failures in the power, roads, housing and health sectors; for not listening to the advice of distinguished, revered and eminent Nigerians at home and the Diaspora on matters relating to economic competence; for not respecting the constitutional laws of separation of powers between the Executive, Legislators and the Judiciary; etc. Though, these contracted critics had refused to see anything good in the APC Government, they were unable to stop the successes that have been recorded so far in respect of the steady and tacit defeat of terrorism by Boko Haram, the quick diversification from oil to agricultural income within the short period, and all welfare programmes specifically geared towards the alleviation of mass poverty, amongst women, children and the elderly, in spite of the lean purse of government at inception. Presently, more money was being pumped into the economy to support the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMSEs), which are the backbone and foundation to economic buoyancy of any serious administration which is poised to fulfil its social contract obligations to the citizenry. Apart from the monies looted by Nigerians and deposited in foreign banks, which are being recovered, the World Bank is prepared to support the APC Government with some favourable loan to overcome the travail of the transient economic recession. Enough of these criticisms against Buhari!

By Dr 'Tunde Olufon. 08130669886, 08058436756. dvdolufon@gmail.com

IS NIGERIA'S LEGISLATURE THE "WEEPING OR THIEVING CHILD”?

At every fora where the Nigerian Legislature fell under criticisms for inferior performances in the quality and content of its constitutional duties of law- making for the peace, order and good government of the Federation, the Nigerian Legislator never missed the opportunity to repeat the well-rehearsed parliamentary rhyme that; "Nigeria's Legislature was always the unfortunate weeping child of the three tiers of government in all past military aberration because it was usually prevented from functioning through the suspension of the Constitution." It is not in dispute that duties of the Legislature are very complex, intricate and deserve diligence, painstaking approach and dedication, but it is also very instructive for Nigerians to reject the doctrine that it has failed to perform optimally in its constitutional duties of law-making, investigations and oversights now because it was the "weeping child" which was stripped from performing its duties in almost 30 years of military rule, while both the Executive and the Judiciary functioned consistently and judiciously! Patriotic citizens do not need all the time in the world to prepare to serve their nations if they have sincere intentions!
Though Nigeria began its political experience as an independent and democratic nation in 1960, and though it was short-lived through military interregnum and that the First to the Third Legislative Assemblies failed, (in view of the coupists allegations of maladministration), yet those short periods were documented and would always remain in the annals of history as point of reference for present generation of Nigerians and for posterity! We strongly believe that intending legislators should have prepared adequately for the enormous task ahead through sound political education and orientation; though they might not have monopoly of continuity except that they were re- elected and such checks would always throw up fresh and new entrants who would have to learn the ropes in the arena of legislative environment from the beginning, yet, such unavoidable process should not diminish the quality of service and the purposeful and patriotic determination to serve the nation with diligence!

THE WEEPING CHILD OF MILITARY COUPS!
Nigeria experienced SIX military coups in 56 years of its independence as a nation during which the LEGISLATURE was usually castrated and the CONSTITUTION suspended to make way for martial laws and military dictatorship! At such periods all forms of politicking remained banned and suspected defiants were hunted and detained at the mercy of the Head of State while some stooges and boot lickers were hand picked to support military aberration, excesses and abuse of the rule of law, from among the civil servants for executive convenience and members of the JUDICATURE, to support "kangaroo justice"!
At the restoration of the present democratic experience which has now clocked over 17 years, Legislators still felt short-changed and had to make up for all salaries, allowances, emoluments etc, which eluded them for about 30 years and the ripple effects of their greed have been reflected in annual gaguantous appropriation, now at N150 billion naira as RUNNING COST, which has wiped out all their tears as most of them have become multi-millionaires and billionaires within the very short period! The Constitutution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,1999, Constitution approves 360 Geo-Political Constituency legislators for the House of Representatives, (HOR), and 109 Senators for the Upper Chamber, to jointly make laws for good governance of the nation but recent revelations of financial recklessness in the HOR by a ranking member, have confirmed several years of speculations and allegations of a secret Appropriation Office, which was not subjected to Revenue Mobilisation Allocation And Fiscal Commission's (RMAFC), scrutiny or control! The former Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Maikasuwa, who was jointly charged with Senators Saraki and Ekweremadu, in the celebrated forgery case of the Senate House Rules, was ordered by an Abuja High Court, in March 2015, to make available to a Non-Government Organisation, Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), NASS SECRETIVE CONSTITUENCY ALLOWANCES earned by Nigerian Lawmakers, but because he appealed the judgement, the matter was yet to be put to rest!

However, the Editorial Board of the weekly Zion B-BC Newsletter wish to draw attention of the TALAKAWAS - the TAX PAYERS and the ELECTORATE - to the following revelations by Abdulmumin Jibrin, a ranking member and an insider in the House of Representatives whom the LORD has opened his mouth to expose the rot of financial mismanagement in the hallowed House, even at this austere period of national economic recession because his uncontrollable outbursts are the answers to our several prayers and supplications to the Almighty God over institutional impunity in government! The unedited version of his submissions to the WORLD are reproduced below unedited:

"HOW WE SHARED NIGERIA MONEY BY HON. Abdulmumin JUBRIN "I got N650 million as my running cost as the Chairman of Appropriation Committee. Speaker Yakubu Dogara got N1.5 billion, His Deputy Yusuf Lasun got N800 million. House Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila got N1.2 billion; Deputy Majority Leader Buba Jibrin got N1.2 billion. House Whip Alhassan Ado Doguwa got N1.2 billion, Deputy House Whip got N700 million. House Minority Leader Leo Ogor got N1.2 billion, Deputy Minority Leader Onyema got N800 million. Minority Whip got N700 million, Deputy Minority Whip got N700 million. I have documents to back up all these.

"TO ALL HONOURABLE MEMBERS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ABUJA.
My dear Colleagues, BURDEN OF PROOF OF EVIDENCE: RUNNING COST OF HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
"I wish to draw your attention to the fact that since you suspended me yesterday and the suggestion of the Ethics Committee report that my allegations were generalized and without proof, I have come under intense public scrutiny and pressure to prove that there exists systemic corruption in the House. I have taken it as a responsibility to prove to the public that the House is a den of systemic corruption. As colleagues, I have bound with many of you and built a life long friendship.
"I have some of you that I hold in high esteem. If you end up at the receiving end of the actions I will be taking up in the next few days, I want you to know there is nothing personal but commitment and fervent desire to ensure that corruption is wiped out of the House and reforms that will restore the battered image of the House and take back the House to the Nigerian people is implemented. Consequent upon the above and before I proceed with the aggressive steps I intend to take, I hereby DEMAND that if you have illegally taken or stolen any money meant for the RUNNING COST OF YOUR OFFICES FOR YOUR ENTIRE STAY IN THE HOUSE, YOU SHOULD RETURN THE MONEY WITHIN ONE WEEK TO THE CLERK OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLARITY, I AM REFERRING TO ABOUT 10 MILLION NAIRA YOU COLLECT FROM TAX PAYERS' MONEY MONTHLY. THE CLERK WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH OFFICIAL ACCOUNT DETAILS, FAILURE OF WHICH I WILL TAKE NECESSARY ACTION TO ENSURE THAT YOU RETURN ANY MONEY STOLEN AND STAND WITNESS AGAINST YOU IN CASE OF PROSECUTION.

"I have written to the Clerk of the National Assembly to stand by in anticipation. In the face of the revenue challenges and biting hardship the country is currently facing, there is no better time the country needs such money than now. In the case of the Presiding and Principal Officers, in addition to my demand in this letter which applies to them too, I have written them yesterday and gave them 72 hours ULTIMATUM to make public the total amount they have received as running cost in their entire stay in the House, failure of which I will proceed with necessary legal action to compel them to make the total amount each of them have received public. There are other issues of monumental corruption in the House that I will be raising in the following weeks which we must all deal with, but first let’s get done with this one.
"Thank you. God bless. Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin Ph.D, MBA. APC-Kano, Kiru-Bebeji Federal Constituency, Kano."

URGENT SOLUTIONS NEEDED TO MOVE THE NATION FORWARD!
Nigerians from all walks of life had always played lip service to the agitation for the blockage of wastages of funds by the three tiers of government but from these developments, which are so glaring to all TALAKAWAS that they were being taken for a ride by their so-called representatives, it was high time that drastic measures was taken by President Buhari and his determined Change Team to attack this malaise frontally, by instructing crime detection agencies of government, who already have copies of Jibrin's Petitions, to swing into action, recover all fraudulently-acquired monies from the now SMILLING LEGISLATORS, and prosecute all who are found culpable in the shameful racket!
We also suggest that there could not be a better time than this, for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), to propose a bill for a BI-CAMERAL LEGISLASTIVE HOUSE, which will consist of only TWO REPRESENTATIVES from each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and which will be remunerated according to the Civil Service Financial Regulations, so that only patriotic and genuine citizens would go into politics to serve their nation. It is also expedient for the Nigerian government at this austere period of economic recession to mop up all exposed illicit monies stashed abroad by Nigerians and those yet to be recovered from fraudulent politicians at home as exposed by Hon. Jibrin, to shore up and fill all deficits in the 2016 Budget as it works assiduously to defeat the temporary economic set back. As it is written, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach unto any people." (Proverbs.14:34).



I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

To Stop All Forms Of Insurrection And Save The Economy, All Illicit Arms Must Be Recovered And Confiscated By Federal And State Governments!  

The perennial challenge of illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), again drew global attention at the recently concluded, 71st United Nations General Assembly, in New York, from19th – 24th September, 2016, when Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, solicited the collective resolve of other Head of States and Governments, to beat back terrorism in all its forms No one could have been in a better position to court the co-operation of his fellow world leaders than President Buhari in whose domain lie 70% of SALW in the West African sub-region inspite of the global movement against gun violence!
There was public outcry in August 2016, by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), when news broke out that there was in Nigeria, stockpile of SALW of an alarming 350million, out of the 500 million discovered to be hosted by the entire ECOWAS countries of the West Africa sub-region, and it was yet to be established that collective regional embargo had produced any meaningful impact against the terrifying menace! Judging by the activities of terrorists and militant groups within the ECOWAS countries, one was bound to wish that more stringent measures be employed by concerned governments in unison to block and man the porous borders of their territories. Beginning with Nigeria, other countries on the West African coasts, like Mali, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, apart from hosting large proportions of SALW, are still being infiltrated by armed groups which caused social, infrastructural, economic and collateral damages, each time they struck! The outcry of August 2016, was sequel to the alarming revelation of arms stockpile in Nigeria during the United Nations Regional Peace and Disarmament In Africa, and Presidential Committee (PRESCOM), Summit on Small Arms and Light Weapons, held in Abuja, which also disclosed that SALW were in the hands of non-state actors who used the weapons to threaten lives and properties of their compatriots.

According to a Daily Trust report, three   inadequacies were identified as responsible for the outrageous statistics: 
(1). Ineffective management of the nation's porous borders;
(2).Stock pile mismanagement by security agencies, where weapons meant for government work were lent or sold to armed robbers and non- state agents and
(3) Obsolete laws used in regulating the arms.   

The current law against prohibitive arms and ammunition in Nigeria is still the 1958 Colonially-inherited and archaic Fire Arms Act which prescribed inadequate penalties for offenders in a 21st Century "wild wild west", scenario! Way back in 1966, following the January military coup de tat of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, when violence was introduced into an otherwise peaceful communities of Nigeria through the proliferation of SALW, from internal and external vendors due to the elongated 60month-old- Biafra war, armed robberies rapidly gained momentum while internal security was thrown to the dogs! When "democracy" was briefly allowed a space between 1979-1983, the party with the highest numbers of SALW held sway at the pools through ballot boxes snatching and political brigandage that was totally alien to the electorate and Nigeria was forcibly admitted into the global union of insecure nations! Porous borders of which Nigeria can boast of over 400 of them, had been identified as the major entry points through which the SALW find their ways unhindered to spit fire and snuff out lives of innocent citizens who had always been the unfortunate victims of the maladministration in all governments - military or civilian, but unpatriotic security agents also regularly connived with arms merchants to smuggle in the weapons of mass destruction into the country for pecuniary advantages!

If three hundred and fifty million of the five hundred million illegal arms on the West African coast are hidden in Nigeria, should anyone be surprised about the high rates of crime and criminality in which sophisticated arms were usually employed to confront security agents with much professional audacity! Until the advent of the APC Government, under the determined leadership of President Buhari, Boko Haram boasted of taking over the North East Nigeria and almost did! Kidnappers and assassins are on the rampage in every state of the federation; the Niger Delta Region is under heavy bombardment of several militant groups who are bent on destroying the economy because PDP was no longer on power!

If government ever decided to dispose assets as being proposed, they should be sold through shares to masses of the public who are the "hewers of the wood and drawers of the water"! The Word of God says, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn". (Deuteronomy. 25:4) Common Nigerians have a stake in this government of Change and we strongly believe that President Buhari and his exemplary team, would not fail them! Amen.  


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.

MUST NIGERIA CLOSE HER BORDERS OR DISPOSE CRITICAL INFRASRTUCTURES TO SURVIVE ECONOMIC RECESSION?  

Nigeria's National Assembly (NASS), resumed plenary after eight weeks recess and the two chambers went in different directions that barely had relevant contents to improve the state of the economy which is in a temporary recession! The Senate, in an attempt to outsmart the Executive, through Senate President, 'Bukola Saraki, proffered that outright sales of critical government infrastructures would assuage the challenges of the present economic recession. The House of Representatives (HOR), on its part went into a rowdy session when Hon .Aminu Jibrin, the arrow head of the HOR 2016 Budget Padding, raised a motion and insisted that some major principal officers, including the Speaker and the Majority Leader, should step down to make way for proper investigation into his several unproved allegations against Speaker Dogara and others! But while NASS was on recess, the grapevine rumored that the Federal Government toyed with the idea of raising funds through the sales of some very active and strategic infrastructures, like the NNPC, NLNG and or the AJAOKUTA STEEL INDUSTRY, to beef up dwindling revenues from crude oil! Though government had neither confirmed nor denied the rumours making the rounds, it is instructive to note that members of the National Economic Council (NEC), are working round the clock to maintain the tempo of revenue gains from the non-oil export earnings in the agricultural, mineral resources, industrial, manufactured/food products, and transport sectors, whose productive capacities have been enhanced since the much serious drive for diversification from crude oil! And according to an authoritative Presidency source, if such a drive was ever considered by government, there would definitely be a provision for the “buy-back" option when the economy improved! Saraki who submitted that, Executive should raise capital from assets and others sources to shore up foreign reserves had been widely criticized by sound economists who believed that such policy would tantamount to robbing unborn generation of Nigerians of their inalienable national heritage of immense economic values when other options through diversification were already yielding fruits! The HOR on their part adjourned plenary last Thursday, 20th September, 2016, without meaningful debates on neither the state of nation nor of the economy!  

CLOSE THE BORDERS NOW?

Other economists and political pundits claimed that a drastic approach, like what the Chinese and Korean Socialists countries which "closed their borders" to other nations, adopted between the 19th-20th Century to  forcibly entrench socialist ideologies on a largely illiterate population, could work for Nigeria of the 21stcentury, as an option instead of discarding critical assets for pittance to political predators who are waiting on the wings to buy them with their illicit gains from OIL MONEY! According to these schools of thought, Nigerians must henceforth embrace Nigerian products and shun any form of importation in all forms in order to allow local industries to thrive with the campaign slogan drive of, “What we don’t produce, we don’t need!”  

What Are The Options Left To Salvage The Economy?

First it is important for all patriotic Nigerians to believe that the recession challenges are temporary and would be surmounted sooner than envisaged. Second, advocacy in respect of the true perspective and position of the recession must be explained by the federal government through all its information media and orientation agencies to the grass root and solicit for patience and perseverance. Third, concerted efforts should be employed by all stakeholders in the economy to stop the wastage of precious funds through criminal vandalization of the crude oil commercial pipelines in the Niger Delta Region of the country because, acts of terrorism of any dimension would always KILL THE ECONOMY of any nation; no matter the number of its natural assets! Fourth, purposeful efforts should be made to maintain the tempo of agricultural export products which had begun to pick up towards the tail end of the second quarter with encouraging statistics released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), recently. Jigawa State, according to reports had taken the lead to produce seven "Agriculture millionaires""within the past one year through bumper harvests which accrued to them for embracing generous loans from the Nigeria Bank of Industry (NBI), and that all cash crops had reduced with at least 30% in prices! We solicit an aggressive replication of the Jigawa State example in all states of the federation for the diversification policy to agricultural, minerals, industry, mining, textiles, etc. to be pursued by governors with patriotic zeal.  


I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A Olufon. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.