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Saturday, 11 July 2015
South-East Traders Protest Boko Haram Prisoners’ Stay
Enugu, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi States in protest of the continued stay of
the dreaded Boko Haram prisoners in the region.
The protest is coming despite the assurance by the Anambra State
Governor, Willie Obiano, after a security meeting with a seven-man
delegation from the National Security Adviser, that the 47 Boko Haram
detainees at Ekwulobia prison will be moved out of the state soon.
The traders assembled at Ekwulobia to register their resentment
against the prisoners through the National President of the South-east
Traders Association, Mr Okwudili Ezenwankwo.
Mr Ezenwankwo said that the presence of the Boko Haram prisoners was a
security threat to the region which had been battling kidnapping
cases.
The traders further stressed that they have never taken any kidnap
suspect to the north for trial. He, however, wondered why the
insurgents should be brought down to the east where no trial or any
form of prosecution would be conducted.
While the outcry went on, the academia, students and pupils of Aguata
extraction, gathered at Ekwulobia Stadium to assert that all the
challenges of life could only be addressed through education which
they said, was the only tool for competition globally.
The coordinator of Aguata Academic Competition, Mr Bart Nwibe, said
that good education would sharpen and develop the potentials of youth
to get to a desired level of excellence rather than illiteracy which
would expose them to vices.
The traditional ruler of Akpo community, HRH Jonathan Okpalaezecha
summed up the event, maintaining that competition in education would
help youths to become achievers as well as help shape their lives.
—ChannelsTV
Serena Williams Wins Sixth Wimbledon Singles Title
Williamsdeclared: "I know I can do better."
On Saturday at the All England Club came the exclamation point to her
turnaround.
Williams defeated promising Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 6-4 6-4 in
southwest London to complete the "Serena Slam" -- winning four
straight majors -- for the second time in her career and is now well
on the way to making more history at the season's final grand slam.
"I can't believe I'm standing here with another Serena Slam,"
Williams, emulating her feat of 2002-2003, told the crowd.
Indeed if the American triumphs in September at the U.S. Open -- and
the odds are stacked in her favor given the 33-year-old is the
three-time defending champion -- she would become the first player
since Steffi Graf in 1988 to achieve the calendar-year grand slam.
A victory would, too, draw the world No. 1 level with Graf on an Open
Era leading 22 majors.
As if all that wasn't enough, Williams surpassed Martina Navratilova
by nearly four weeks as the oldest women's grand slam winner in the
Open Era.
The 21-year-old Muguruza, appearing in her first grand slam final,
wept in her chair afterward but shouldn't feel overly disappointed.
It's not very often that Williams loses grand slam finals: She
improved to 21-4, last tasting defeat at the 2011 U.S. Open against
Samantha Stosur.
Muguruza didn't go away tamely, either, making matters interesting
after trailing 5-1 in the second. The 20th seed won plenty of new fans
with her performance at tennis' grandest arena.
"I want to (congratulate) Serena who is showing us she is world No.
1," Muguruza said.
Despite the occasion, it was the Venezuelan-born Muguruza who began
the stronger.
If she was nervous, she didn't play like it.
Williams, by contrast, struck three of her eight double faults in the
first game and was broken much to the delight of those gathered on
Center Court. Muguruza's powerful serve and ground strokes troubled
Williams in the early stages.
But one felt it was only a matter of games before Williams awoke, even
if Muguruza crushed Williams at last year's French Open.
—CNN
Police Demolish Kidnappers’ Dens In Anambra
to book are still on, as the police have demolished two kidnappers'
dens in Umueri, Anambra East Local Government Area of the state.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Joseph Agugoesi, led the
group that demolished the buildings.
He narrated the ugly activities of one Mr Solomon Chibuzo Morah, alias
Mmili, one of the most notorious kidnap kingpins in the state who had
been on the Police wanted list for many years. He is now in police
custody.
Mr Agugoesi said the suspect had terrorised his community and environs
and had in one kidnap activity with his gang collected about 70
million Naira from a victim as ransom.
Kidnapper's 'Charm House'
According to him, Morah's building and another kidnap den had been
demolished, as he had confessed using proceeds from his nefarious
activities to erect the structure.
The Assistant Commissioner reiterated the commitment of the State
government to ridding the State of crime and criminality, by dealing
decisively (according to the laws of the state) with anyone caught
perpetrating crime.
At the site of the demolition, inside the fenced compound was a
completed building filled with all kinds of fetish materials which,
according to some villagers, was the kidnapper's 'charm house'.
The villagers also said the suspect was a lay-about, who had no clear
means of livelihood, but suddenly started living big before they
discovered he was into kidnapping activities.
According to Mr Agugoesi, the action taken by the Police was not meant
to punish the innocent, but the offender, as the building of Hyacinth
Chibuodu, another kidnap suspect from the same Umueri, was spared for
the day, to allow tenants move their property.
However, another structure belonging to one Mr Matthew Nwankwo, a gang
leader from Nteje in Oyi Local Government, who is presently on the
run, was completely crushed.
Addressing reporters after the demolition, the State Governor, Willie
Obiano, reiterated his commitment to fighting crime, stressing that
the huge benefit of having a crime free environment had earned the
state over $2.4 million in investment.
—ChannelsTV
Boko Haram Terrorists Seize Damaturu-Maiduguri Road
over the highway linking Maiduguri and Damaturu, capitals of Borno and
Yobe states respectively.
Photo: Nigerian soldiers
A police officer stationed in one of the villages along the highway,
told PREMIUM TIMES that travellers are being asked to return as the
terrorists have taken over the road between Benisheik (a town 85km
away from Maiduguri) and Ngamdu (35km away from Damaturu).
The officer, who asked that his identity be protected for security
reasons, said the terrorists had attacked Ngamdu village and killed 10
persons there.
"As I am talking to you now, soldiers are moving towards Benisheik,
while we are here asking motorists to return to Maiduguri until the
road is cleared," he said.
There is no security checkpoint between Benisheik and Ngamdu, which is
about 25km stretch of road.
—Premium Times
I Did Not Say Buhari’s Administration Worsened Insurgency — Ekweremadu
that contrary to report, he never said that President Muhammadu
Buhari's administration has worsened Boko Haram insurgency in the
country.
He however warned that challenges like terrorism and insurgency, which
have wasted lives and property of innocent Nigerians and many of our
loved ones are beyond politics and should therefore not be trivalised
on the alter of narrow political interest.
Senator Ekweremadu
In a statement by his Special Adviser, Media, Uche Anichukwu and
titled, "The Challenge of Insurgency is beyond Partisanship," he said,
"The attention of the Office of the Deputy President of the Senate has
been drawn to the attempt to misrepresent and sensationalise an
innocuous call by Senator Ike Ekweremadu to Nigerians to pray for and
rally round the Federal Government to win the war against insurgency.
"Specifically, the Deputy President of the Senate was reported by two
national dailies as stating that the President Muhammadu Buhari
Administration has worsened insurgency.
"Whereas Senator Ekweremadu expressed concerns over the resurgence of
Boko Haram attacks in parts of the country, at no time did he try to
blame it on the present administration. It is instead on record that
he not only commended the efforts of the present administration,
especially in building international support and synergy to tackle the
monstrous group, but he also called for greater inter-party,
intergovernmental, and international collaboration to address the
problem.
"It is instructive that his patriotic comments were well captured by
many electronic and print media. They include: "Boko Haram: Ekweremadu
Seeks Support for Buhari" (Leadership, Friday, July 10, 2015) and
"Boko Haram: US Pledges Deepened Support for Nigeria… Ekweremadu
rallies Support for Buhari" (New Telegraph, Friday, July 10, 2015).
"The fact that out of the 75-man Senate Press Corps, representing
various media houses, which were present at the function, only one
medium sensationally skewed its statement out of context, while a
second medium copied the same story without a byline (name of
reporter), tells the whole story of a devious intent.
—Vanguard
See Pictures Of A Policeman Who’s Hand Was Chopped Off While Trying To Catch A Bus
learn to apply wisdom while discharging their duties.
A Policeman wanted to arrest a Bus Driver, so he jumped inside the
bus, the driver on seeing that the policeman had jumped on the bus was
trying to speed off so he could be able to shake off the police
officer by so doing he lost control of the bus and hit a culvert, the
bus somersaulted and the rest is history..
I just pray the bus driver lives to tell his own side of the story.
See photos above (Viewers Discretion is Adviced)
The post See Pictures Of A Policeman Who's Hand Was Chopped Off While
Trying To Catch A Bus appeared first on 77evenbusiness.com
| Professional Nigeria Website Designer
Idowu-Fearon, The ‘Muslim Bishop’ Moves To Canterbury
For the immediate past Kaduna Diocesan Bishop of Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, the Most Rev. Josiah Atkins Idowu-Fearon, the time of glory has come having just been appointed Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Worldwide, with headquarters at Lambeth, United Kingdom.
The position makes him the second in command after the Archbishop of Canterbury. Breaking a record as the first African to hold the position, Idowu-Fearon has had a number of other high profile albeit controversial achievements in his over half a century of dedicated service to the development of the Anglican Church not only in Nigeria but also across the world. He is expected to serve for an initial renewable period of seven years.
When at the height of the Kaduna religious riots of 2000, Idowu-Fearon, against all odds, established a centre for the study of Islam in his Kaduna Diocese, a cross section of his flock virtually demanded for his head, calling him all manner of names including that of a Muslim Bishop, infiltrating the Church of Christ.
That name tag has tended to accompany the Bishop over these years for a man who actually speaks Arabic apart from holding a Master’s Degree in Islamic Theology.
The valedictory lecture and send-forth ceremony for Idowu-Fearon and his wife, Amina, which held Saturday at the Jakaranda Farms, on the outskirts of Kaduna metropolis, attracted a number of dignitaries from within and outside Nigeria, Muslims and Christians alike.
Kaduna state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i was there, along with former Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, Taraba state Governor, Dairus Ishaku, a former Military Governor of Edo state, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, and a former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, among several others.
The Cleric-Scholar and Passion for Islam
Born on January 17, 1949 at Gerinye in Kogi state, Idowu-Fearon said he formally embraced the Christian religion in 1964. Originally enrolled in military school to train as a soldier, the passion to be a priest apparently overwhelmed all other aspirations and as Idowu-Fearon explained during his valedictory speech.
“In my fourth year, it had become very clear that the Lord was calling me to be a soldier in His Army, to the extent that in spite of a direct entry to the Nigerian Defence Academy, I was given a sympathetic discharge by the late Gen. Hassan Katsina, in Lagos.” The development, according to him, “turned out to be the channel through which the Lord saved me.”
Several years later and in the course of his pastoral training across many institutions, Idowu-Fearon said he developed a special interest for Islam, more so, at a time in Nigeria when the religious harmony that hitherto existed between Christian and Muslim communities went sour.
At the Immanuel College, Ibadan, Idowu-Fearon said he met a certain Dr. Stadey who introduced him to what he described as the world of Islam, and, as he put it, “my interest was aroused, I pleaded with the Lord for a scholarship to do some further studies in Islam and I felt the need to carefully study how the Koran presents the nature of Jesus Christ.” The quest later led to Idowu-Fearon’s Master’s Degree programme in, Islam and Muslim-Christian Relations, at Birmingham University.
From then on, he delved further into Islam and also studied the Arabic language in the process, at the University of Jordan, Amman, and, eventually turning the Bishop into a visiting Islamic lecturer and Faculty member at both the Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, Canada, and at the Canterbury International Centre, United Kingdom.
Back home in Nigeria and applying his various trainings to his primary assignment as Bishop in Kaduna and Sokoto, Idowu-Fearon ran into muddy waters as a number of his flock apparently could not explain how and why a Bishop can be “so close to Islam and Muslims.” This is aside the fact that the Nigerian Anglican community also has its fair share of divisions pertaining to certain ideologies in the Christian religion and Anglicanism in particular.
Perhaps, Voltaire’s philosophy may apply to Idowu-Fearon as it is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. As a Theology student and researcher, Idowu-Fearon is quite familiar with the concepts of Monophyisitism and Nestorianism, a twin Christology position that insists that Christ has only one nature as opposed to the traditional belief that Christ has two natures, one divine and the other human.
Moreover, as a self-confessed disciple of Richard Hooker who is believed to have laid the theological foundation for understanding of the church for Anglicans, Idowu-Fearon says he shares the concepts of the mystical church which is invisible and the visible church. For him, membership of the visible church is determined, among other things, the profession of the Lord Jesus Christ while only God knows those who belong or may eventually be part of the mystical church.
Whatever the arguments, for Idowu-Fearon, “in order to create and promote a culture of respect for differences within our Communion, I encourage our bishops in this part of the Communion to cultivate the habit of understanding other positions other than their own. Our bishops in Nigeria within their diocese should promote robust debates between the lay and ordained members and such will get the bishop well-informed.”
Blackmail, Mischief, in God’s Name
After his consecration in 1990 and given what he describes as his exposure and experiences which were compounded by his “undue” knowledge of Islam, Idowu-Fearon said his colleagues, fellow bishops, did everything possible to frustrate him in the course of his service. According to him, “my being elected as Bishop of Sokoto was seen by some in the then House of Bishops as a way of humbling me but God used our time in Sokoto to expose us to the international community.
And, when Kaduna Diocese was going to be vacant, efforts were made to send me to be bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf; this was to get me out of the country. The form was filled and my signature forged without my knowledge. In Cyprus for an interfaith meeting, the Lord revealed it to me through Australian missionaries who volunteered to host me for the conference and the plot was confirmed by the then Secretary General of the Anglican Communion.
After my first five years as the first ecclesiastical Archbishop of Kaduna province, again, the powers that be felt that I was too close to the then Archbishop of Canterbury and the Communion at large, that I was promoting Western relativism and that I was going to sell the province of Nigeria to the West. Two bishops were specially commissioned to sell me as a convert to Islam and that Fearon is a Muslim, drinking tea with the Sultan and that Fearon was promoting homosexuality in Nigeria.”
The Road to Lambeth
Idowu-Fearon’s journey to Lambeth as Secretary General at the Canterbury did not come on a platter of gold. Although he applied for the position, along with 31 others from various countries, Idowu-Fearon believes that God made it possible for him to use his undergraduate and graduate studies in the United Kingdom to make contacts that ultimately laid the foundation for his nomination after beating three other candidates who made the shortlist.
According to him, in the years after 1990, opportunities started to open up for him in Britain and the United States of America during which he served on various commissions within the Anglican Communion. Idowu-Fearon was a founding member of the Canterbury’s Compass Rose Council, a foundation member and one of the first three presidents of the Network for Interfaith Concerns.
He was also member of the 13-man committee of the Archbishop of Canterbury that looked into the responses to Lambeth Resolution 1; 10 of 1998 as well as member of the committee that produced the Windsor Commission Report of 2003. According to Idowu-Fearon, “as I was thinking and praying about taking an early retirement in order to spend the rest of my active life to build an army of well-informed and articulate Christian leaders to constructively engage their Muslim neighbours and build a culture of respect and peaceful co-existence, the Lord opened a new world of service to me.”
To Idowu-Fearon, a Toast -Senator Makarfi, former Kaduna state Governor
We have become very close since 1999 when as Governor of Kaduna state, I met with religious leaders and Idowu-Fearon was one of them. You are all witnesses to what we went through especially between 2000 and 2002. He was a reliable and dependable partner in the search for lasting peace, harmony and tranquility in Kaduna state and we have sustained that relationship since then.
I have already told him that between London and Nigeria is more or less between Abuja and Lagos. He is committed to Nigeria and he wants peace and tranquility for Nigeria. Physically he may not be resident here but I believe his heart and spirit will be here with us and he will continue to contribute his quota towards our development. He should continue to have faith in God and God that has taken him this far will continue to protect him and make him go even higher.
Rev. Dare Ajiboye, General Secretary, Bible Society of Nigeria
This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. It is our prayer that the Lord will give you courage and wisdom like Joshua and Solomon of old to lead the flock of God to an enviable height and to the Promised Land. There is no doubt that God has prepared and given you the ability to serve His people in this new capacity and at this point in time.
We encourage you to be more determined and courageous in fighting the good fight of Faith. The renewed task will no doubt further compound your busy schedule but God who has chosen you will give you the required strength, motivation and good health to do it faithfully as unto Him.
Rev. Dr. Owe Boersma, Secretary, European Liaison Committee, Association of Protestant Churches and Missions, Germany
In the light of the excellent work which you have been doing till today, bringing together people of different faiths to live together in peace, even against popular mistrust and ignorance, gives us the confidence that the Anglican Community will be glad to have a person with such skills and experience.
Rev. Dr. Olav Fyskse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland
Your exceptional record of devoted work on Christian-Muslim relations is a specific gift you bring to your new role. Developing the role of churches as peace-builders and dialogue partners in a time when religious-motivated violence is causing devastation to so many is an urgent demand for us all as faithful Christians. I pray that your wisdom and experience will inform not only the activities of the Anglican Communion in this regard but the wider ecumenical family as well.
Muslims and Christians must unite to fight secularism, Idowu-Fearon says
Coming from the north, do you have some members of your family who are Muslims?Yes, I have some distant members of the family who are Muslims and as a young man, some people tried to initiate me into certain things, some of them fetish, without the knowledge of my mother but I came to Christ at the Nigerian Military School, Zaria in my second year in 1964 and since then, I decided to rely on Jesus Christ alone and no other.
I once saw you clutching Dan Bown’s Davinci Code. Some people believe that the book is a direct attack on the Church of Christ. Do you hold that view too?
The book is an attack on the church because Davinci is totally against the fact that Jesus Christ lived and died as we read it in the Bible. That book must have been inspired by the Devil and it is coming direct from the pit of Hell, against the Gospel. And, that is w
That book must have been inspired by the Devil and it is coming direct from the pit of Hell, against the Gospel. And, that is why I consider this fighting within the church as a waste of time.
Instead, we should come together and be aware of the fact that secularism has become a religion and it is very strong and some of the promoters control most of the media. Christians ought to come together, forget whether we are Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and all others who worship God, the Christian way and join hands with the Muslims who are also fighting secularism. That is my mission.
Do you not think that some of the issues you raised in your valedictory speech may actually be responsible for certain disagreements you have with some of your colleagues. Issues as, the visible and invisible church and the concepts of Monophysitism and similar high-sounding words which may not make meanings to an ordinary member of the church?
You see, in the Anglican understanding and Roman Catholics also have similar understanding too and that is why the Roman Catholic is one church. But the Anglican Church is a group of churches, 38 different churches coming together and that is why it is a communion. We don’t have a centralized government or authority like the Pope, for the Catholic Church.
That is the problem the Anglican Church is facing. When we talk about the invisible church, it means Heaven and only God decides who goes there and you do not need to discipline anybody. From the Bible, we believe that whoever believes in Jesus Christ and takes him as the Lord and Saviour and you are baptised, that person is a Christian and belongs to the visible church.
In this visible church, you also have liars, thieves, you have adulterers, cheats and you cannot disown them and say that they are not members of the church because all they need is a confession to believing in Jesus Christ as Saviour. The Bishops and other priests are there to guide the visible church and teach them what the Bible says.
But irrespective of going against certain injunctions, you do not have the right to say that they are not members of the visible church. If for example somebody is a serial adulterer, you can suspend him from the church for a while, to correct him or her. In the invisible church, you do not need bishops or priests because God alone decides who become members. But we need the visible church to remind us of the invisible church because in the final analysis, everybody wants to be in the invisible church.
On the issue of Monophysitism, I did not want to go further because if I did, some people would throw stones at me but there are some Christians who still believe in Monophysitism. Members of the Coptic Church are Monophysites, they believe in one nature of Christ. But the orthodox position is two natures of Christ, the human and divine, not conjoined. In other words, Jesus is 100 per cent divine and 100 per cent human but only God knows how it is like that. Anglicans, Catholics, Presbyterians, we believe in the two natures of Christ.
Is the controversial Centre for Islamic Studies which you established in the Diocese likely to survive your exit?
Yes. In fact, I signed a contract this morning (Monday), recruiting two Muslims and two Christians who have Masters Degrees in Islamic Studies, to teach at the centre and I will be paying them from my pocket. They will continue to run the certificate and diploma programmes there. So, the centre will continue and we are going to use the lower part of the new house being built and I am putting up a full library there and the chapel will serve as classrooms until I retire.
--Vanguard
No Bailout For States Yet — Ondo Govt
The Ondo state Government has debunked insinuations that it received a bailout from the Federal government to pay outstanding workers salary, disclosing however that it only received N2.2b accrued to it from taxes, being part of June allocation from the Federation account, even as it puts its monthly wage bill at about N4b.
At a joint media briefing addressed by the state’s Commissioner for Information Hon, Kayode Akinmade and his Finance counterpart, Chief Yele Ogundipe in Akure yesterday, the government mentioned that the bailout proposal presented to the President at a recent meeting by state governors was yet to bear a fruit as modalities on it are still being worked out.
Making clarifications on the bailout issue, the Finance Commissioner said following the meeting with President Muhamadu Buhari by the state governors over the lingering issue of default in payment of salary and other contractual obligation, one of the things that was decided on was that the Federal Government will find a way to bail out the states in terms of loan and the fund in the excess crude account could also be considered for sharing, submitting however that nothing concrete has been done in these regards.
“I can tell you that so far, no concrete action has been taken in that direction, notwithstanding the fact that all across the nation and in particular in Ondo, most people have read in the newspapers and heard that the Federal government distributed over N720b to assist the states in the payment of salaries on Monday”
--Vanguard
Buhari To Earn N28.12m In Four Years, N7m A Year
AS part of his plans to actualise his campaign promise of reducing the huge cost of governance to free funds for the delivery of democracy dividends, President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo have slashed their salaries by 50 per cent.
With this Buhari and Osinbajo will earn half of what former President Goodluck Jonathan and former Vice President Namadi Sambo, earned.
The current annual remuneration of the President of Nigeria as published by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, is N14,058,820.00.
This means Buhari, henceforth, will earn N7,029,410 a year or N28,117,640 in four years
To formalize the process, the leaders have written to the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to intimate it of the new development.
Osinbajo
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant, SSA, to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the letter detailing the presidential decision was delivered by the Permanent Secretary of the State House, Mr. Nebolisa Emodi.
With reference number PRES/81/SGF/17, Emodi in the letter said, “I write to forward the completed IPPIS registration form of Mr. President and to draw your kind attention to Mr. President’s directive that only 50 per cent of his salary be paid to him”.
The move is expected to be emulated by a host of Nigerian leaders in due course.
Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, penultimate week slashed his remunerations by 50 per cent in view of the dwindling economic fortunes of the country.
Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, last Thursday ordered that the salaries of political office holders in the state should be suspended until civil servants have been paid.
Last week, President Buhari directed the release of about N414 billion as bailout to states to pay the backlog of salaries they were owing civil servants.
Before electing to slash his salary by 50 per cent, President Buhari had earlier rejected a proposal from the Aso Rock bureaucracy to approve the purchase of five customised armoured Mercedes Benz S-600 (V222) cars at the cost of N400 million.
Instead of buying new cars, the president, it was gathered said he would stick to the vehicles he inherited from the former President Jonathan administration.
--Vanguard
7 Reasons Why Those Clamouring For Another Biafra May Wait Forever
By Henry Chukwuemeka Onyema
I know those who followed my articles on Nigeria between 1966 and 1970 may wonder at the foregoing title. Some of those who read my article BIAFRA ON MY MIND (go to thenigerianvoice.com and pmnewsnigeria.com websites or just type the title into any search engine) may see me as a turncoat. But on this day, 6 JULY, the 48th anniversary of the beginning of the Nigeria-Biafra war, the truth must be said. I write as I find and no apologies, though I am open to superior logic.
1. Biafra cannot work as a solely Igbo project. The half-hearted support of the minorities during the war led to her collapse. The post-civil war Igbo have not learnt to see the minorities in their midst with fraternal eyes. No respect for their aspirations come from these latter-day Igbo promoters of secession. That historical ties link the Igbo eg. Nkwerre and the minorities eg. Bonny is beside the point. The reality on ground is that the two are distinct and to collaborate, this must be recognized and respected.
Think the minorities do not see Biafra as a new effort to enslave them and take their oil? Then prove them wrong with rock-hard guarantees in the new Biafra. What are the chances of having a democratically elected Kalabari man as President of the new Biafra?
2. Sub-ethnic differences among the Igbo run deep. I pray I am wrong. But look at this example in of all places, the house of God. Not too long ago the Catholic diocese in the Mbaise axis of Imo State nearly became a war zone because an Igbo Catholic priest from Anambra State was in line to be the next Bishop. The Mbaise faithful wondered if they were bereft of sons to take up the plum position. It took meditation by non-Igbo Catholic leaders to calm things down.
I asked myself then and I ask now: is the fact that the guy was from Anambra a crime? Political and ethnic sentiments in God’s house? Why the primordial hate between Igbo brethren? To date, relations between Onitsha Igbo and other Igbo groups is full of suspicion. Throw in the former’s claims to a Bini ancestry and their perceived disloyalty to Biafra during the war in Azikiwe’s renunciation of Biafra and Ifeajuna’s coup and the truth remains: the Igbo are fractured from within. Past prejudices and perceptions have not been cured.
3. Ignorance of the road travelled will doom a new Biafra. Most of the youngsters shouting for a new Biafra have no true knowledge of the circumstances that led to Biafra and the war. How can a child seek to avenge his father’s death when he does not know or understand what killed his father? The crap being spewed out by the likes of Nnamdi Kanu and the brazen untruths of MASSOB make me wonder.
How many of these latter apostles of BIafra know that our great Ojukwu never sanctioned any take-over of Idomaland for Biafra; that till circumstances pushed him beyond the pale, he was still favorably disposed to some sort of union with Nigeria; that he was no hater of other Nigerians, even those in Biafra? Yes, minus the much-maligned Banjo and Ademoyega, non-Igbo or Southern minorities, bled for Biafra? Just as Igbo officers e.g. Ike Nwachukwu, fought for Nigeria.
4. I can bet my last kobo that ninety percent of these latter day apostles of Biafra are no true democrats favorably disposed to their fellow Igbo’s well-being. Correct me if I am wrong but how much have they done to improve the people’s well-being, even in their little home communities?
Ojukwu was no war-monger but when the crunch came, he sacrificed virtually all he had for Biafra. Till today, nobody in either Nigeria or the Biafran enclave has raised any solid allegation of corruption against him. May I ask how MASSOB funds are generated, managed and spent? Kanu is outside Nigeria calling for war. With whose head will the bullets be received?
5. The injustices being meted out to the citizens of the former BIafran enclave in modern Nigeria are glaring. But what concrete efforts are being made by our apostles on this? You do not reject yourself if others reject you. Till today, APGA, the party which should bear the Igbo banner is in tatters because of these so-called apostles’ egomania.
Let the truth be spoken: the colossus called APC began life as a pan-Yoruba AC, predated by AD. No Igbo leader is ready to put Ndi-Igbo before his interest. Being more Nigerian than the Nigerian who wrote the national anthem will do us no good. So it is in this rudderless state they will get Biafra? Tufia!
6. There is an illusion that once we break way from Nigeria, the old Eastern Nigeria will become a heaven on earth. What of the hard work involved? Yes, backbreaking political, diplomatic, economic and mental work. Have we sat down to think things out? I do not want any deception. Nigerian leaders have given us too much of that already.
Compare the change offered by APC before the elections and the post-polls realities. Before these new-day apostles declare their piece of estate, not the glorious land for which the noble Igbo people and their non-Igbo brothers and sisters died, they should get a copy of the AHIARA DECLARATION and study it. That, in case they do not know, is the blueprint for Biafra if it had succeeded.
7. Do not kid yourselves, new apostles. Chances of a new Biafra emerging without bloodshed are very slim. I am not a lover of peaceful slavery but the realities are: today’s situation does not inspire the average Igbo to take up arms for the Biafran cause. If the Nigerian structure becomes all-embracing in word and deed, most of us are ready to let Biafra rest in peace and flame in our hearts as a symbol of proud history.
With all her shortcomings, Nigeria need not be dismembered before we take our place in the sun. On the other hand, most of us are disposed to a peaceful loosening of ties, if it has to occur. A confederacy may be the way out. We are too interlinked with the Yoruba and our other so-called ‘enemies.’ The new generations are too forward-looking to dwell in old hatreds.
Finally, if this break-up should be anticipated, let there be a UN-supervised plebiscite or referendum. If these apostles of secession do not resort to intimidation and the Nigerian government is open, the results may be unexpected.
—Onyema, who wrote to PMNews, is a Lagos-based writer and historian. Email: henrykd2009@yahoo.com
3 Minutes Cure For Overweight
The Crab
Technique:
Stand with the feet and three feet apart. Bend the knees and from the inside, place the hands on the feet.
Benefits:
The Crab, the leg and abdominal muscles are relieved.
The Boat
Technique:
Sit down with the legs extended in front of you. Raise both legs up and touch the toes with the finger tips. Stay in this position for 20 seconds. Rest and repeat.
Benefits:
The boat reduces the size of the belly and improves the muscles of the back.
The Bridge
Lie on your back and drawing up the knees, raise the trunk up and support the lower back with the hands.
Retain the pose for 15-to 20 seconds and repeat after a short rest.
Benefits:
The Bridge favourably affects the abdomen and the thigh muscles.
Inclined Plane
Technique:
Sit down with legs extended, place the hands behind you and raise your body up such that you are on just your hands and feet. Retain the pose for some 20 seconds, rest and repeat.
Benefits:
This posture strengthens the hands and abdominal muscles.
Explosion Kills 12 Oil Workers, Others In Bayelsa
No fewer than 12 persons suspected to be oil workers have died in a pipeline explosion in Azuzuama in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Also, three unidentified persons were injured in the explosion, which occurred on Thursday night along the Tebidaba-Azuzuama trunk line belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company.
The explosion took place at an oil spill site operated by Agip where a joint investigation visit was ongoing.
Officials of Agip, representatives of the host community and Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment were investigating the cause of a recent oil spill in the area.
According to a statement by an Eni spokesperson, Mr. Filipo Cotalini, the parent company of NAOC, the cause of the explosion is being investigated.
Cotalini said, “An explosion occurred on Thursday, July 9, 2015, late afternoon, at the site of the repair works of the Tebidaba-Clough Creek line, an oil pipeline in Nigeria’s onshore Niger Delta, previously damaged by acts of sabotage.
“The explosion resulted in the death of 12 members of the maintenance team of a local service company, with three others being injured.
“The causes of the incident are still under investigation by both Eni and the local authorities.
“The company expresses its deepest condolences to the families involved in this tragic accident.”
But community sources said the explosion occurred during a joint investigation visit for the official clamping of a spillage site along the route of the Agip pipeline.
They said the victims of the explosion were burnt beyond recognition.
Though no one could confirm the identities of the victims, it was gathered that the joint investigation team was made up of officials from the Ministry of the Environment, Department of Petroleum Resources, NAOC, representative of the Azuzuama Community and the NOSDRA.
It was further learnt that two soldiers attached to the team for security cover might have also been killed in the explosion.
A former Vice-Chairman, Azuzuama Community Development Committee, Dennis Dumde, confirmed the recovery of 12 bodies from the explosion site between Thursday night and Friday morning.
He said though the source of the fire was still unknown, the identities of the victims could not be ascertained as they were burnt beyond recognition.
Also confirming the incident, the State Coordinator, Environmental Right Action, Mr. Alagoa Morris, said a team of government officials had been deployed to the community by the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Inuro Wills.
The police spokesperson, Mr. Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident.
He said the incident occurred while Agip workers were carrying out routine maintenance at Gbaraun/Tebidaba.
He said 12 persons, including a soldier were burnt beyond recognition. According to him, six other bodies were recovered while four persons were rescued alive and were undergoing treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
--PUNCH.
Over 50 Million Nigerians are Hypertensive – Neimeth Boss
The Chief Executive Officer, Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, Mr. Emmanuel Ekunno, has said that one-third of the Nigerian population is suffering from hypertension.
Ekunno said this when ambassadors of the Fight The Good Fight Against Hypertension and top executives of the Nigerian Heart Foundation paid a courtesy visit to the PUNCH Headquarters in Magboro, Ogun State.
According to him, hypertension is ravaging the country’s adult population due to ignorance, poor awareness on the health condition and the high cost of anti-hypertensive drugs in the country,
He said, “Studies have shown that one-third of the Nigerian population is suffering from hypertension. The sad thing is that one third of the hypertensive group does not even know. We also found out that 70 per cent of hypertensive patients in Nigeria do not take their drugs regularly because of the cost.”
Ekunno said there was an urgent need for the government to support local drug manufacturing of anti-hypertensive drugs to encourage patient’s compliance to medication.
To increase access to treatment, Ekunno stated that the FITGAH, under its hypertension control programme, has instituted a 50 per cent subsidy initiative on hypertensive drugs produced by its parent company for affected patients.
The Executive Director, Nigerian Heart Foundation. Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, identified unmanaged hypertension for the increasing incidence of heart disease among Nigerians.
Akinroye, who is also a FITGAH ambassador, called on the Federal Government and stakeholders in the health sector to increase awareness on the need for prevention. He also called on the government to make a national policy subsidy on anti-hypertensive drugs more accessible to patients.
He said, “The United Nations and other stakeholders agreed in 2011 that a heart disease which is majorly caused by hypertension should be brought to the front burner with policies that would reduce the global incidence. It means that if we tackle hypertension, we are directly reducing deaths and morbidity from heart diseases.
“One way to do that is for us to bring the cost of treatment to an affordable level. Hypertensive drugs should be as affordable as malaria drugs. Government at all levels has a role to play. How many Nigerians can afford N10, 000 to buy anti-hypertensive medication each month?”
Neimeth’s Medical Consultant, Dr. Jude Duru-Onweni, urged Nigerians to screen regularly for hypertension by checking their blood pressure levels regularly.
Duru-Onweni noted that even though there is no cure but it can be managed when detected and tackled early.
“Hypertension is not just an epidemic; it is now a pandemic. It has no cure; it can only be managed. That is why you should screen regularly to know if you have high blood pressure. If you are, take your medication regularly because it does not sleep.”
--PUNCH
Gov. Rochas Okorocha Hosts Muslims To Ramadan'Iftar'
The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has urged all Nigerians irrespective of religion and ethnic differences to unite and fight the menace of Boko Haram ravaging the nation.
The Governor stated this while breaking fast with the Imo State Muslim community at the Government House in Owerri, the state capital.
Governor Okorocha said that the Boko Haram sect should be seen as a common enemy who inflicts pain and terror on both Christians and Muslims.
While condemning the recent spate of bombings in Jos, Zaria and the northeast region of the country, the Governor urged Muslims to seize the opportunity of the Ramadan to pray for peace in Nigeria and also pray for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration so it can deliver the much desired change to all Nigerians.
Governor Okorocha also urged all Muslims in Imo State to feel at home and go about their lawful duties as the Imo State Government would ensure proper and adequate protection of lives and property of all Imo residents irrespective of their religion or tribe.
20 Most Dangerous Bus Stops To Avoid In Lagos And Why
Lagos in recent times has become safer than it was some years ago when violent robberies, car jacking and mugging are carried out even in broad day light. However, in spite of the improved security, some areas are still considered as dangerous.
As a resident or visitor, you do not want to find yourself in these bus stations at night or early in the morning.
1. Estate Bus stop at Ketu-Alapere: Attacks are carried-out both day and night.
2. Berger bus stop (along OPIC–Ibadan Expressway): Criminals attack victims with guns
on the long bridge and in traffic jams.
3. First Gate junction – Agidingbi: Robbery point.
4. Boundary Bus stop in Ajegunle: Popularly referred to as the ‘one million boys’ gang territory where criminals attack passengers in vehicles.
5. Ijora Bus stop: Notorious spot for gang-rape; abduction in buses (popularly known as ‘one
chance’.
6. Mile 2 Oke: Hammers, knives, guns are used to rob motorists in traffic jam
7. Church bus stop – Agboju Mile 2 (Badagry expressway): Haven for street urchins
8. Agric Bus stop – Mile 2: Notorious area for buried arms that are used for robbery operations in the area.
9. Abule-osu Bus Stop along Mile 2 – Badagry Expressway: Drivers conspire with thugs to attack victims
10. Apongbon Bus stop: Hotbed of ‘one-chance’ bus attacks.
11. School Bus stop, along Mba – Mile 2 road in Ajegunle: Use of jack-knives and other weapons on victims
12. Bamboo area along Oworonsoki – Ibadan Expressway: a dangerous spot about 100 meters from Alapere Housing Estate Bus stop.
13: Oshodi Oke Bridge: Oshodi Oke ‘boys’ are notorious for bag snatching, pickpocketing and mugging during rush hours.
14 Bolade Bus stop Oshodi: Bolade bus stop, once noted for chaos has improved since the facelift by Lagos State. But during rush hours and late nights, mugging is common.
15. Abule Egba Traffic Light: This bus stop is noted for violent mugging and dangerous street urchin who can forcefully take your belongings and even harm you.
16. Agboju Bus stop along Badagry Expressway: Notorious for car-jacking and robbery on the go.
17 Ajah Bus stop: Sporadic clashes often breaks among rival street urchins loyal to a ‘certain chief’ and over collection of toll from commercial bus drivers. Women are alleged to have been raped at night during such clashes.
18. Costain under Bridge: Costain under bridge is dangerous at night. Mugging is common in the area.
19. Okokomaiko and Agric Bus stop: The two bus stops are noted for car jacking, mugging and disappearances.
20. Iyana Iba Bus stop: For years, Iyana Iba has been noted for violent mugging, robbery and car jacking.
--NigeriaCamera
Police Arrest Masquerade In Enugu For Stabbing An Anglican Priest
MEN of Enugu Police Command have arrested three persons in Enugu, who allegedly stabbed an Anglican priest after beating him, under the cover of playing masquerade.
The reason for the attack was yet to be ascertained but the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, who confirmed the incident said the three persons and the masquerade regalia are currently in police custody for interrogation.
According to the PPRO, “operatives of Igboeze North Division of Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police have nabbed three suspects (names withheld), all of Igogoro, Enugu Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State for allegedly conspiring to beat and stab one Reverend Christian Ajibo, an Anglican priest, last Thursday with a dagger on the right side of his chest.”
--Vanguard
“You Mean I’m Now A Prisoner?” – Lamido Exclaims After Court Sends Him To Prison
A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, his two sons Aminu and Mustapha and one Aminu Wada Abubakar are to remain in Kano Central Prsion till September 28, 2015.
The quartet were remanded in prison custody Thursday morning by Justice Evelyn Anyadike of the Federal High Court sitting in Kano after they were docked on a 28-count charge of corruption and money laundering brought against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
They were arraigned alongside four companies where the Lamidos are believed to have interest.
The companies are Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamiana Company Nigeria Limited, Bamaina Aluminum Limited and Speeds International Limited.
Lamido is said to have abused his position as governor of Jigawa State between 2007 and 2015, by awarding contracts to companies where he has interest, using his two sons, Aminu and Mustapha as front.
One of the counts in the charge reads, “That you Alhaji Sule Lamido (while being the Governor of Jigawa State, Nigeria), Aminu Sule Lamido, Mustapha Sule Lamido, Bamaina Holdings Limited, Bamaina Company Nigeria Limited and Speeds International Limited between 15th October and 18th December, 2008 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did convert an aggregate sum of N124, 649, 915 (One Hundred and Twenty Four Million, Six Hundred and Forty Nine Thousand, Nine Hundred and Fifteen Naira) paid by Dantata & Sawoe Limited into the account of Speeds International Limited domiciled with an old generation Bank at Kano which fund you reasonably ought to have known to be proceeds of an unlawful act of Alhaji Sule Lamido who was a Public Officer within the meaning of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers as prescribed under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 ( as amended ) to wit; engaging in private business by a public officer, using the said company in which he is a director and a shareholder, and to whose account he is a signatory; with the aim of concealing the illicit origin of the said sum and you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 14 (A) of the Money Laundering Act, 2004.”
However when the charges were read to the accused persons they pleaded not guilty.
Their counsel, Offiong Offiong, SAN told the court that he had filed application for bail and urged the court to consider granting the accused persons bail.
But prosecuting counsel, Chile Okoroma, requested for time to respond to the application.
He prayed the court to remand the accused persons in prison custody as the EFCC holding facilities in Abuja and Kano were already overstretched.
Justice Anyadike consequently remanded the accused persons in prison custody pending consideration of their bail application and adjourned to September 28, 2015.
After the judge’s pronouncement, a mild drama ensued between Lamido and the Deputy Chief Registrar of Federal High court, Barrister Solomon Akpedah.
Lamido was asked to proceed to board the waiting van taking him to Kano central prison when he exclaimed, “you mean I’m now a prisoner?!”.
Akpedah, however, replied that “no sir, you are not a prisoner”.
The arraignment of Lamido and his children was not without incident as an unruly crowd of supporters loyal to the former governor threatened to disrupt the court session.
It took reinforcement of the detachment of policemen at the court to maintain order.
The travails of the Lamidos began in 2012 when one of his sons, Aminu was arrested by Operatives of the EFCC at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano for failing to declare a sum of forty thousand United States Dollars ($40,000).
He was prosecuted and convicted with 50 percent of the undeclared sum forfeited to the Federal Government.
But the enquiries into the source of the funds led investigators into the closely guarded web of corruption and money laundering involving members of the former first family of Jigawa State and their cronies.
--247NigeriaNews
Court Grants Nyako, Son N350m Bail Each
Justices E Chukwu of a federal high court sitting in Abuja has granted Murtala Nyako, former governor of Adamawa state, and his son, Abdulaziz Nyako, bail of N350 million.
On Wednesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Nyako before the court on charges bordering on corruption, abuse of office and money laundering.
Nyako and his son, Abdul-Aziz, a serving senator, were docked before Justice Chukwu on a 37-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, stealing, abuse of office and money laundering.
The duo were charged alongside Abubakar Aliyu and Zulkifikk Abba on the allegation that at various times between 2011 and 2013, they used five companies – Blue Opal Nigeria limited, Serore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Towers Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited – to siphon over N15 billion from the Adamawa state coffers.
The arraignment comes a few days after a federal high court sitting in Abuja declined to restrain the EFCC from arresting Nyako to stand trial for money laundering offences. Nyako was arrested and quizzed by the anti-graft agency June 1, 2015, shortly after he returned to the country from self-exile. He had gone on self-exile after he was declared wanted by the commission on February 4, 2015.
One of the counts reads: “That you Murtala H. Nyako, Abdulaziz Nyako, Zulkfikik Abba, Abubakar Aliyu, Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms & Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited between January and December 2013 within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did disguise the genuine origin of an aggregate sum of N6,366,280,000 (Six Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty-Six Million, Two Hundred and Eighty Thousand Naira), which sums you reasonably ought to have known to be proceeds of an unlawful act, to wit; moneys derived from the theft of Adamawa State Government’s funds.”
They pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.
Earlier on Thursday, Ikedi Ohakim, former governor of Imo state, who is accused of stealing and laundering N270 million, was granted bail of N270 million by Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the federal high court, Abuja.
The same day, Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa state, and his sons, Aminu and Mustapha, who are being tried in a federal high court in Kano for corruption and money laundering, were not so lucky, as Justice Evelyn Anyadike, remanded them in prison custody until September 28.
Moving the bail application, Kanu Agabi (SAN) Nyako’s counsel and former attorney-general of the federation, prayed the court to admit the accused persons to bail on liberal terms, arguing that “they are at the moment presumed innocent”.
He said: “They won’t run away because, like a goldfish, they have no hiding place. Moreover, they have been on administrative bail, which they have honoured.”
However, prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, (SAN) urged the court to refuse the bail application of the accused persons, premising his argument on the fact that Nyako and his son, who is a serving senator, had been declared wanted by EFCC after they ignored the invitation of the anti-graft agency.According to Jacob, the former governor and his son absconded and went into hiding, until after May 29, 2015.
“They are not automatically entitled to bail even with their status,” he said. “Moreover, we believe that they may abscond based on their past antecedent as fugitives and thus not come for trial based on the very weighty evidence brought against them.”
Jacobs said two principal witnesses in the case died mysteriously shortly after they gave statements, which indicted the accused persons in the crime.
“We believe that there is possibility for them to interfere with the case,” he added.
In his ruling on the bail application, Justice Chukwu admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of N350 million each, with two sureties who must be resident in Abuja, one of whom must be a serving director in a federal government establishment.
The sureties, the judge added, must show evidence of being land owners in Abuja and must present verified tax payment documents for the past three years.
He further ruled that their international passports, along with two most recent passport photographs, be submitted to the court registrar.
Justice Chukwu, thereafter, adjourned till September 30, October 22 and 23, 2015 for hearing.
Imo Guber Tribunal Okorocha’s Counsel Adopts DelayTactics, Challenges Pre-Trial Notice
In continuation of the Imo State Guber election Petition Tribunal, filed by Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, against the All Progressive Congress (APC)candidate, Gov Rochas Okorocha and 36 others, the team of counsel representing the 1st respondents Gov Rochas Okorocha and his party the All Progressive Congress, (APC) 37th respondent is depending on their plan B, a motion challenging the competence of the Pre-trial notice of the petitioner to triumph in the election tribunal.
After losing two application rulings to the petitioner, Rt Hon Emeka Ihedioha, which failed to stop the tribunal from taking pre-hearing proceedings, this step came after the court had ruled that the 2nd respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had exhausted official time to file pleading in could not have any extension of time to filed her pleading according to law, having been served long ago but refused to file her pleading, as argued by the counsel to the petitioner, Chief Mike Ahamba, SAN.
At the resumption of proceedings yesterday Wednesday, 8th, July 2015 the respondent represented by Barr Okey Amechi drew the attention of the panel to the motion challenging the competence of the 1st and 37th respondents on extension of time to file reply by the petitioner.
Barr Amechi, in his application sort for the withdrawal of the said motion and argued the panel to strike it out, for there should be an amendment on the motion, (that is the 37th respondent should not be a party in motion)
Chief Ahamba did not object to the application rather he described it as a subtle concession to the petitioners arguments.
He went further to submit that, the motion should be dismissed instead.
The honourable Justice David Wyon led Tribunal Panel in their wisdom struck out the motion, and adjourned the hearing of both; the motion scheduled for hearing today 9th July, challenging the competence of the pre-trial notice file by the respondents and other pending motion to Friday, 10th July 2015.
-+Trumpeta
Thursday, 9 July 2015
Synagogue Rejects Coroner’s Verdict On Collapsed Building
The Synagogue Church Of All Nations has described as unreasonable, the verdict of a Lagos coroner, Mr. Oyetade Komolafe, who called for its prosecution over the death of 116 persons in a collapsed six-storey building on its premises.
The September 12, 2014 tragic incident claimed the lives of 85 South Africans, 22 Nigerians, two Beninoise, one Togolese and six unidentified persons.
Komolafe, a magistrate given the mandate to unravel what led to the victims’ death, had in a verdict on Wednesday indicted the SCOAN and the structural engineers that built the collapsed structure, calling for their criminal prosecution.
The coroner had held the engineers, Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun, of HardRock Construction Company Limited, liable for “criminal negligence.”
He also cited the SCOAN for prosecution for embarking on a building construction without obtaining the “necessary permits.”
But in statement on Thursday by its counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, the church said it vehemently disagreed with Komolafe’s verdict that structural defect was responsible for the failure of the six-storey building.
Ojo, who described Komolafe’s verdict as “unreasonable, one-sided and biased,” said the church maintained its stance that the building was sabotaged.
He described as unwarranted, the call made by the coroner on the state to investigate and prosecute the church, saying before the building collapsed, the process for its approval was in place while the amount payable for the permit had already been processed by the relevant government agency.
According to the lawyer, the verdict of the coroner could not stand as long as he did not establish that the church hired unqualified or incompetent professionals to do the job or that substandard materials were used.
He also said there was no finding that connected the incident with the lack of a building permit.
The statement read partly, “The church disagrees most vehemently with the finding that the incident was due to structural failure.
“The church considers it strange that the coroner did not refer in its verdict to the evidence of the COREN-registered structural engineer and contractor used by the church nor did it evaluate the conflicting evidence given by civil and structural engineers as to whether or not the incident was as a result of structural failure.
“It was a one-sided verdict which left many issues unaddressed and questions unanswered.
“The church disagrees with the findings concerning the aircraft that hovered over the six-storey building because there was evidence before the court that the incident could have been brought about by external forces such as controlled demolition or an explosion.
“The verdict did not even refer to the CCTV footage which showed the 6-storey building falling in less than 4 seconds – a manner consistent with controlled or externally induced demolition – nor did it refer to the interim report and investigation by the Nigeria Police Force which pointed to sabotage by external forces.
“The recommendation for the investigation and prosecution of the contractors and structural engineers used by the church for criminal negligence is premature because it gives the impression that the coroner has found them guilty when a coroner is not allowed in law to make any finding of civil or criminal liability against anybody.”
Ojo said no matter how long a lie is sustained, the truth will someday prevail.
Meanwhile, the structural engineer, Fatiregun, has said he is heading for the court to challenge his recommendation for criminal prosecution.
Fatiregun, who insisted that his company employed international best practices in the construction of the collapsed building, said, “We will definitely challenge the outcome of this coroner’s inquest.”
--PUNCH
‘I Stole My Friend’s Certificate To Become Doctor 10 Years Ago’
The authorities of the Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday in Abuja paraded an alleged fake medical doctor, Martins Ugwu Okpe, who has been working in the federal ministry of health for the past nine years.
He was using the name Judge Davidson Daniel. The suspect is an indigene of Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State. He graduated from secondary school in 1993. He is married with five children.
While parading the suspect, the Force Deputy Public Relations Officer (FPRO), Abayomi Shogunle, said that the suspect would be arraigned in court jurisdiction on charges of theft, impersonation and dishonestly receiving what he was not due for. “The whole problem started when this gentleman started behaving in unprofessional conduct in which he was alleging that his other colleagues in the federal ministry of health were conducting themselves unprofessionally which was later discovered to be false.
“On the strength of that, the police received another petition and the workers there also petitioned the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN). It was discovered that there was a doctor registered with the MDCN with the name Judge Davidson Daniel, but he was working in another hospital in Jos.
“It was not possible for somebody who is working in Jos in another hospital undergoing a residency programme to be the same person that is being employed at the federal ministry of health.
“A report was made to the police and during their findings discovered that the said Martins Ugwu Okpe never attended any medical school, but stole the medical certificate of his friend during the wedding which he used in securing employment with the federal ministry of health.”
The suspect, according to the police, was part of the medical team that was responsible for the coordination of Ebola Virus in Nigeria.
While responding to questions from journalists, the suspect admitted that he stole the certificate from his friend- Judge Davidson Daniel, when the he visited him.
“He visited me in my house in Karu in 2005 and I was to help him get a job. I picked photo copies of the credentials. I have been in the federal ministry of health since September 2006 as independent investigator. I want to state that there is a mess in the health sector. The owner of the certificate was not aware that I am using his certificate,” he confessed.
He, however, urged the federal government to critically look at the activities of the federal ministry of health, as according to him, most of the foreign funds donated to Nigeria by foreign donors were not being judiciously utilised. The Nigeria police force, however advised Nigerians to “ensure diligence in keeping valuable documents to ensure that frivolous elements or enemies masquerading as friends as being in the case under review.”
Moving Boko Haram Prisoners Is Like Spreading Ebola -- Odumakin
Spokesman of Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Yinka Odumakin, on Tuesday, argued against moving Boko Haram prisoners to the South-East.
He explained that the alleged moving of the prisoners was like spreading Ebola patients who ought to be confined to a special ward.
Odumakin expressed the opinion at the public forum to commemorate the life and times of MKO Abiola which took place at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.
“Moving Boko Haram Prisoners is like spreading the Ebola Virus which is supposed to be confined.
“We, the South-West people, kick against moving the prisoners to South-East Nigeria. We should contain Boko Haram and not spread it.
“Also, one of the issues that have increased the incessant bombings in the N orth is the removal of military checkpoints. I will use this opportunity to plead with the federal government to restore military checkpoints where insurgency is at its peak.”
At the Advocacy for Democratic Tradition Forum that was organized by MKO Abiola’s two sons, Kassim Olajide Abiola and Aliyu Ngaba Abiola, Director General of Change Ambassadors of Nigeria, Prof. Chris Nwokobia congratulated the children of the late hero for keeping their father’s legacy alive.
Also speaking at the event, late MKO Abiola’s son, Aliyu Ngaba Abiola, said that his father had a lot of unfinished business.
He stated that another reason they organized the event was to keep up the struggle for a true federal Nigeria.
He said: “Why we had this event is to keep my father’s legacy alive and also keep up the struggle for a truly federal Nigeria.
“We should say no to feeding-bottle federalism where someone holds your money and ask you to come and borrow from it.”
He continued: “I chose July 7 as the day of the celebration because that is the day my father died.
“This remembrance lecture is to celebrate him because he is an amazing human being.
“The lecture has been on but now I decided to do it as a platform to push for the restructuring of the Nigerian state through the implementation of the national conference report.”
“We have to remind the man in the centre that a lot of Nigerians still care about this country and that we are tired of the feeding-bottle federalism in Nigeria.
“States should be allowed to generate their own income.”
Court Grants Ohakim N270m Bail For N270m Fraud
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted a former Governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, bail in the sum of N270m.
Ohakim, who is being prosecuted for N270m fraud allegedly perpetrated in 2008, is to produce a surety resident in Abuja to guarantee the bail. Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in his ruling on the bail application, filed by Ohakim, also ordered the prosecuting agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to submit the passport and other travel documents seized from the former governor to the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court.
The judge was silent on where the accused person should remain pending when he would meet the bail conditions.
But Justice Ademola had, on Wednesday, ordered the accused person to remain in EFCC custody pending the hearing of his bail application on Thursday.
At the hearing of the bail application on Thursday, the defence counsel, Chief Chris Uche (SAN), urged the court to grant his client’s prayer.
He said his client, whose passport had been seized by the EFCC, had remained faithful to the bail conditions granted him by the anti-graft agency.
But the prosecutor, Mr. Festus Keyamo, opposed the bail.
He argued that rather than granting bail to the accused person, the court should grant an accelerated hearing.
But the judge in his ruling held that the accused person had placed sufficient materials before the court to warrant granting him bail.
The EFCC had on Wednesday arraigned Ohakim on three counts of fraud, including making cash payment of $2.29m (N270m) for a property in Asokoro, Abuja.
The prosecution also accused the former governor of collaborating with Tweenex Consociates H.D. Ltd. to conceal the ownership of the property by drafting an agreement portraying him as a tenant in the property.
Ohakim, who was governor of Imo State between May 2007 and May 2001, was also accused of failing to declare the property as part of his assets while under EFCC arrest in November 2008.
The offences were allegedly committed in 2008 in violation of section 15(1)(d) and section 14(1)(b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, respectively.
Meanwhile, Justice Evoh Chukwu of the same Federal High Court in Abuja, had on Wednesday fixed hearing of the bail application filed by former Adamawa State governor, Murtala Nyako, his son Abdul-Aziz and others till Friday.
The EFCC had also on Wednesday arraigned Nyako, who was removed as Adamawa State Governor by the state House of Assembly on July 15, 2014, along with his son, Abdul-Aziz, and others comprising, Zulkifikk Abba, Abubakar Aliyu as well as five firms through which he allegedly siphoned about N29bn belonging to the state.
The other firms arraigned along with Nyako and his son were Blue Opal Limited, Sebore Farms and Extension Limited, Pagoda Fortunes Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Crust Energy Limited.
--PUNCH
Why Nigerian Army Can’t Defeat Boko Haram – UK High Commissioner
The outgoing British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Andrew Pocock, has said the problem of Boko Haram insurgency in North-east Nigeria is not something that can be resolved with the use of the army, the police or the security agencies only.
Speaking at a farewell interactive session with members of Kaduna chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists Correspondent Chapel in Kaduna on Monday, Mr. Pocock said: “We don’t look at the problem in the Northeast as purely a security problem. It is not something that can be resolved with the use of the army of the police or the security agencies only. It is not going to be solvable.
“There has to be three different things; the first is a properly articulated security efforts. The second is that, there has to be a different kind of politics in the Northeast, where state and Federal Government work together instead of against each other and where there is a much more common and agreed agenda about what needs to be done to correct many years of mis-governance and of poor policy in the North-east.
“The third dimension has to be a developmental and economic uplift agenda. Too many, particularly young people are not only without employment in the North-east but because of the insurgency are without any economic prospect whatsoever. No one can live without hope and indeed if the economic and the developmental aspect of these are not addressed, the opportunities for radicalisation are much greater. So, those three things have to work in tandem, the security instrument, politics and development/economic approach.”
He however stated that with the new government of President Muhammadu Buhari, people are looking to a chance to get out of the security situation in the North-east, adding that, in the overall, there is greater possibility of stability and economic success, economic recovery perhaps than they might have been before the election.
The High Commissioner said although the army had some successes in 2013, those efforts were not followed up and Boko Haram came surging back in 2014 and effectively controlled most of the North-eastern country in Borno State as well as Adamawa and Yobe.
“20, 000 people killed in a conflict is a very serious matter,” he said.
He said in the overall, there is greater possibility of stability and economic success, economic recovery perhaps than they might have been before the election.
“The British government has long been involved in training Nigerian soldiers to fight the very difficult anti-insurgency combat that they are faced with in the North-east,” he said. “We have done this with some success. There is a lot more that we can do. What we need is high level access to the new people that President Buhari is likely to appoint.”
BUHARI CHOOSES TO BE NEUTRAL AS NIGERIA ABSTAINS FROM CRUCIAL UN VOTE
Nigeria on Wednesday abstained from voting on a Security Council resolution that would have dubbed the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica during the Bosnian war, a “crime of genocide”.
Nigeria was joined by fellow African country, Angola, as well as China and Venezuela, to abstain from voting.
Despite their abstentions, the vote still had a majority as 10 members of the 15-member Security Council voted in favour of the U.K. – led draft.
Russia, which is the only county that voted against the proposal, also vetoed the resolution.
Nigeria’s decision to abstain from voting may be an indication of the foreign policy direction of its new president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr. Buhari, who assumed office on May 29, had courted Western Countries, particularly the U.S. and the U.K., prior to his election and after he was elected, as he tried to shake off his past image as a military dictator, and sought foreign assistance for his administration.
The U.S. and the U.K. are also believed to have played crucial roles in the largely free and fair presidential elections that for the first time in Nigeria’s history, led to victory for an opposition party.
Since his election, Mr. Buhari has visited the U.K. and is expected as a guest of President Barack Obama at the White House on July 20.
However, at the UN vote on Wednesday, the Nigerian representative chose not to align with the U.S. and the U.K. but to remain neutral.
It is not clear if both countries leaders reached out to President Buhari for support on the vote or why Nigeria voted the way it did.
A foreign ministry spokesperson, Ogbole Ode, said he had not been briefed on the matter.
Also, Mr. Buhari is yet to appoint a foreign minister, and apart from seeking international support for the war on the insurgent Boko Haram, has not defined his government’s foreign policy.
Nigeria’s decision not to toe the line of the U.K. and the U.S. on Wednesday’s vote despite their support for his government may be Mr. Buhari’s way of showing neutrality on controversial global issues, a bit different from his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, whose administration refused in December 2014, to support a resolution demanding an end to Israeli occupation of Palestine after the U.S. and Israeli presidents asked the Nigerian president not to support the resolution.
Nigeria’s abstention from the Palestinian vote meant it got only 8 votes, one short of 9 needed to approve the resolution, although it would still have been vetoed by the U.S. if it had passed.
The Srebrenica massacre
On July 11, 1995, Bosnian Serb forces commanded by General Ratko Mladic overran UN troops, and slaughtered about 8,000 Muslim men and boys who had sought refuge at Srebrenica which was supposed to be a UN safe haven. Two international courts have called the slaughter genocide, but the UN has not dubbed it so largely based on opposition by Serbia and veto-wielding Russia.
On Wednesday, Russia condemned the draft resolution for singling out Bosnian Serbs for war crimes.
“The draft that we have in front of us will not help peace in the Balkans but rather doom this region to tension,” AlJazeera quoted the Russian Ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, as saying at the Security Council.
--NigeriaCamera
Sunday Oliseh To Be Announced As The New Super Eagles Head Coach
lead the panel that interviewed Sunday Oliseh Six years ago for the
Eagles job before Amodu Shuaibu was appointed head coach has
exclusively, told a sport journalist on the condition of anonymity
that most members of the NFF are leaning towards the Ex-Eagles captain
taking over from Stephen Keshi and contrary to claims by the Keshi the
NFF are not persuading him to stay despite offering him a new two year
deal.
"It's not a secret that Sunday Oliseh is the anointed one among us at
the NFF, and the reason is obvious six years ago with Keshi in
attendance as well, Oliseh came out top after an interview session but
we were scared of gambling on him because he has no coaching
experience prior to that interview, we asked him to understudy Amodu
Shuaibu but he refused. The closest after him was then under-23 coach
Samson Siasia but at that time he was preparing the Olympic team for
the Beijing Olympics and we asked him to pick one as he can't combine
both, he opted for the Olympic team, We had no choice than to give it
to Amodu Shuaibu"
"With all due respect to Keshi back then he came last in the interview
among them all, but before Samson Siasia was appointed they were the
only two in contention, so when Siasia failed we hired him but we
still have it at the back of our mind that Sunday Oliseh will one day
be our coach and there is no better time for it to come to pass than
now"
On claims Keshi was been persuaded to continue in his role, the source
said there is no substance to his claims. "We have made our position
known to Keshi, two year deal with certain clauses accept it or leave
it, we can't beg him or persuade him because he is not doing it for
free, he gets paid for his job and if the conditions are not
favourable to him we have options and Oliseh is our top choice."