I’ll reveal how Jonathan was removed in my book – Tinubu

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said he would in due course reveal how the APC removed former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, from office in 2015.
Jonathan, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, lost to President Muhammadu Buhari, who ran on the platform of the APC.
Tinubu, who spoke on Friday in Lagos at the launch of a book: “Against the Run of Play,” written by the Chairman of the Editorial Board of ThisDay, Olusegun Adeniyi, said his book will soon be out.
Represented at the event by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu said: “Some have said that they will tell their story, Asiwaju is also working on his own book to tell his account of what transpired.
“To tell how he was able to mould the APC to the extent that it was able to unseat an incumbent president for the first time in the history of our contemporary politics.
“The account of what transpired as told by Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the book and as presented in some newspapers is not about him losing the vice-presidency and the eventual vice-president emerging, as the reviewer has put it.
“Asiwaju spoke in greater context in that book, and when people are making comments, they should speak with the context in which he spoke.
“If they are saying that Asiwaju lost the vice-presidency and that a vice-president emerged, where did he emerge from?
“Who nominated the vice-president?
“I’d like to say that even the vice-president has said on some occasions that a certain political leader from the South West nominated him for the job and we all know who that is.
“That nomination has been a very good choice from all the wonderful things the vice-president has been doing.”

Police chief Ibrahim Idris plotting to kill me – Wike

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has insisted that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, plans to kill or silence him politically because of the political directives that the police chief has received.
He further declared that Mr. Idris has concluded plans to plant guns and other incriminating items at his Asokoro Extension Residence in Abuja.
Addressing journalists at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Saturday, Governor Wike said the Inspector-General of Police on Friday approved the raid of his Abuja residence.
According to the governor, the Police will be in court to get a search warrant on Tuesday. He said information available to him indicated that but for the May Day Public Holiday, the Police would have obtained the search warrant on Monday.
He said: “All attempt is being made so that they will go and plant either AK47 or one million dollars in the governor’s house. They can even plant costly wrist watches as a propaganda tool.
“I said I have to let Nigerians know that this is not the way to go about in democracy. Rather, this is an attempt to truncate democracy. That someone differs on issues does not mean you have to go after the person’s life.”
Governor Wike said this is the latest in the series of planned propaganda by the police to sow devilish information against him.
He said because of the unconstitutional nature of the raid, the police refused to indicate that the house to be raided belongs to the Rivers State Governor.
“Nigerians should be aware that should they raid my house in Abuja and claim they found anything, it is incorrect. I have not been going to Abuja, but I will be in Abuja to wait for them to see how they plan to plant guns in my house,” Governor Wike said.
While maintaining his position that the Inspector-General of Police is after his life, Governor Wike stated that this recent plot is aimed at silencing him because the Rivers State Government claimed the Ikoyi Billions was reportedly left there by the former Rivers State Governor.
He decried the pattern that has been adopted in the nation’s democracy, saying it would negatively affect the growth of democracy.
“Our democracy cannot survive if we continue with this line of action. If the Inspector-General of Police wants to play partisan politics, let him remove his uniform and join us in the arena. He should not continue to wear uniform and do the bidding of politicians like a stooge,” he said.
The governor added: “I want to reiterate, the Inspector-General of Police is after my life”.
He said security agencies have adopted the unwholesome method of planting guns and cash when the owners of the houses are not at home, simply for political reasons. He cited the case of Former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam and Senator Danjuma Goje.
On the Ikoyi Billions, Governor Wike said Rivers State lawyers were working on the matter, stating that the money belongs to the Rivers State Government

Niger Delta militants threaten to resume pipeline bombings in 14 days

A Niger Delta militant group, Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, has threatened to resume hostilities in 14 days if the Federal Government disregarded its five-point demand, including inauguration of a panel to negotiate with the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF.
NDRC in a statement made available to the media by its spokesperson, WOI Izon-Ebi said: “After 14 days, if these very important concerns are not addressed, we shall have no choice but to call off our ceasefire and start hostilities because we only respected the plea of our eminent royal fathers, chiefs and leaders of the Niger Delta region to give room for sincere dialogue in finding a lasting solution to the Niger Delta question.
“The federal government should as a matter of urgency constitute a federal government delegation to liaise with PANDEF to start implementing all demands.
“Oloibiri should be a priority of development like the Federal Capital Territory because that is the first place oil was discovered in commercial quantity in 1959, but after sucking the oil dry, the community called Oloibiri is in shambles. No Niger Delta youth of this 21st century that happens to visit Oloibiri would accept the current reality of things in the Niger Delta.
“The Vice President that is saddled with the affairs of the Niger Delta should immediately call SPDC to order as it would annoy you to note how SPDC is enslaving Odoh family (the host family to Opomu West drilling location, since 1971 to date, a dime has not been given to the owners of the land for the destruction of their ancestral fishing lake).
“This issue should be addressed immediately as Akologben, Brass creek manifold and Benisede/Akonu/Tunu gas pipeline would be our first casualty.
“The good and peace-loving people of Gbaramatu kingdom have suffered too much and are currently under siege, and we, the NDRC and the 21st century agitators will not accept this type of inhuman treatment meted out on the people of Gbaramatu kingdom.
“It will not be accepted any more where they are now subjected to raising their hands before getting to their community. How can the federal government justify the presence of four military house boats surrounding Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom? Army houseboats, Navy houseboats, Air force houseboats and Joint Task Force houseboats. The federal government should immediately withdraw all military personnel and houseboats from Gbaramatu kingdom.
“The lack of funds to properly address and implement the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, which has seen amnesty beneficiaries sent back from their various institutions of study overseas would not be accepted any longer.”
The agitators noted that they had tremendous respect for the “Chairman of the Federal Government’s delegation, who happens to be a pastor, professor of law and Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. His truthfulness to have accepted the true reality of the plight of the Niger Deltans makes us to respect our ceasefire, but we have come to realize that the Federal Government is not sincere.
“The UNEP report implementation was just a ploy to persuade the people of Ogoni and fool the international community that the Federal Government is fully committed to solving the Niger Delta question, their main aim is to suck the oil dry as was done in Oloibiri.
“The Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders and these 21st century agitators will make sure that all oil wells are shut down as was done in Ogoni land.
“We urge the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who is now saddled with the affairs of the Niger Delta to use his integrity as a true leader to save this situation because the Niger Delta youths of this 21st century would no longer be fooled anymore.

How IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu regained freedom

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, on Friday regained his freedom as he was released from Kuje Prison after perfecting his bail condition.
Kanu was brought from Kuje Prison to the Federal High Court Abuja to sign the necessary bail papers.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the process, which took about 10 minutes, saw Kanu emerging with smiles from the court in company of his sureties and relatives.
Earlier, his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, his three sureties: the Chairman, South East Senate caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; a Jewish High Chief Priest, Immanuu-El Shalom; and a Chartered Accountant residing in Abuja, Tochukwu Uchendu, signed his bail bond.
Justice Binta Nyako had on Tuesday April 25 admitted Kanu to bail on health grounds.
Nyako, in her ruling said that one of the sureties must be a senior highly placed person of Igbo extraction, such as a senator.
He was also to produce a highly respected and recognised Jewish leader and a highly respected person, who is resident and owns landed property in Abuja.
Nyako ruled that each of the sureties is to deposit N100 million.
In addition to the above bail conditions, Kanu was barred from attending any rally or granting any form of interview.
NAN reports that Kanu, who is standing trial on allegations of treasonable felony along with three others, has been in detention for over 18 months

Kanu will continue agitation for restoration of Biafra – Wife

Uchechi-Okwu-Kanu

The wife to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, Uchechi Kanu has disclosed that her husband will continue to pursue the Biafra restoration agitation.
Uchechi, who made the remark in a video online, described Nigeria as a contraption with its foundation laid by the British.
The wife of the IPOB leader maintained that government was using the resources of the South East to develop other regions at the detriment of Igbo people.
She said, “The British laid the foundation of the contraption called Nigeria, made up of the Biafra people, Oduduwa and Arewa people and these people were all of different culture, religion and believe towards things of life.
“We are all different in everyway and are not actually meant to be together.
“In fact, all the resources in Nigeria is coming from the Biafra land but then they are using the proceeds to develop the Nothern and Southern part. They, government, is using all the resources from Biafra land to give others a better life, whereas, the Biafrans are suffering.
“We don’t have better schools, roads and not even jobs. They just continuously press us down politically and otherwise and is why they don’t want us to leave.
“I will say referendum is not a bad idea but the people need to understand why we want Biafra and when that is done almost everybody is voting out. That is what Nnamdi Kanu is doing, sensitising his people, creating awareness.
“People have come to realise that this is really what it should be, if he stops along the way then it means he has been defeated or he don’t know what he wanted in the first place.
“If you ask for a bread because you are hungry and then you are thrown into jail and released still without the bread, you are still hungry aren’t you? So you still ask for your bread, except you weren’t hungry in the first place.
“He would continue, yes he will.”
This is coming at a time Kanu perfected his bail and was released from Kuje prison.

Why I didn’t embrace Ooni of Ife – Oba Akiolu

The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Aremu Akiolu, has defended his controversial reaction to the affectionate greeting of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, at a public event, as seen in a viral video last week.
In the 25-second recording, the Ooni of Ife is seen arriving at the venue of the event, which has the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu II, in attendance, seated among an unidentified monarch.
The Ooni walks over to embrace the monarchs, but as soon as he approaches the Oba of Lagos, Oba Akiolu looks away, only acknowledging the Ooni with the wave of a hand.
The visibly embarrassed monarch then quietly returns to his seat.
The video clip was met with outrage on social media and among prominent Nigerians, with many describing Oba Akiolu’s action as disdainful and unbecoming of a Yoruba monarch.
However, speaking to a national daily, the Oba of Lagos sounded undisturbed by the controversy surrounding the awkward greeting.
Oba Akiolu, explaining that he was constrained by tradition from receiving and returning the Ooni’s greeting, said the widespread belief that he snubbed the Ooni was “their own thinking.”
He added, “Anybody can imagine anything. There was nothing. The custom or tradition is like that in Lagos. We don’t hold each other; we don’t hug.”
Asked if the wide age gap between both traditional rulers had anything to do with the way he acknowledged the Ooni, the Oba of Lagos said, “Which age difference? A monarch is a monarch. There is no age difference.”

Why we stormed Goje’s house, what we recovered – Police

The Nigeria Police has adduced reasons for the search carried out in the house of a serving Senator, Danjuma Goje.The police, however, said there was no document relating to the 2017 Budget that was taken away from Goje’s house.
Rather, it listed items taken away by detectives to include cash of various currencies, documents relating to the finances of Gombe State during the administration of Goje as governor and a laptop.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Jimoh Moshood, who listed the items recovered from Goje’s house, said there was nothing relating to the 2017 Budget that is with the police.
Moshood said the items taken were available for inspection.
He said the search, with valid search warrant from a court of competent jurisdiction, was executed based on information that huge sums of money were about being moved out of the house.
The statement by Moshood, unedited, reads in full:
“RE-BLAME THE POLICE IF 2017 BUDGET IS NOT READY SENATOR GOJE” AND “REPS GIVES POLICE 24 HOURS TO RETURN BUDGET DOCUMENTS ALLEGEDLY CARTED FROM GOJE’S RESIDENCE”
· Search Warrant Executed in Senator Danjuma Goje House has Nothing to do with 2017 Budget
The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to reports in the media credited to Senator Danjuma Abdullahi Goje captioned “Blame the Police if 2017 Budget is not Ready Senator Goje” “REPS gives Police 24 hours to return budget documents allegedly carted from Goje’s residence”
2. The report in its entirety is false, misleading and capable of misinforming Nigerians about the statutory roles and duties of the Nigeria Police Force as provided under Sections 4 & 28 of Police Act and Regulations, which includes prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension of offenders, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property and the due enforcement of all laws and regulations, and authority to enter any house or premises to execute search warrant.
3. It is pertinent to set the record straight and inform Nigerians of the facts of the matter. A search warrant duly obtained from court of competent jurisdiction was professionally executed in the house of Senator Danujma Goje on 20th April, 2017 at No. 10 Haile Salasie Street, Asokoro District Abuja which was subsequent upon intelligence report at the disposal of the Force that large sum of money suspected to be stolen public funds and other incriminating items are about to be moved out of the said house.
4. It is worthy of note that on arrival of the Police team to Senator Danujma Goje’s house, the house keeper Ango Usman informed the Senator of the presence and mission of the team and he promised coming but later switched off his phone.
5. The search warrant was successfully executed in the presence of three (3) close relatives of Senator Danjuma Goje who are residing in the house and the recoveries were made in their presence. The three (3) relatives listed below opened the house and took the Police team round the building, and endorsed their signatures after the completion of the search as required by the procedure of law on search warrant which contained the money, documents and Laptop recovered, and none of the items include 2017 budget document. This is available for inspection by any interested members of the public
(i) Danjuma Mohammed, a master Degree holder from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a Chartered Quantity Surveyor is a nephew to Senator Danjuma Goje.
(ii) Ango Usman, House keeper to Senator Danjuma Goje .
(iii) Aisha Umar, Alias Iklima a step daughter to the Senator Danjuma Goje.
6. For avoidance of doubt, the followings are the sum of money both in local and foreign currencies, vital documents and a Laptop recovered for investigation when the search warrant was executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje
i. Cash sum of Eighteen Million and Fifty Six Thousand Naira (N18,056,000) only
ii. Cash sum of Nineteen Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty (19,850 US Dollars).
iii. Cash sum of Nine Thousand Four Hundred (SR9,400) Saudi Riyal
iv. Thirty Eight (38) Files and Six (6) Envelopes containing documents, some of which are listed below
a. File on funds spent on security administration and information gathering– a-g – 2009
b. File on release of funds for Special operations a- f – 2009
c. File on Gombe State Government of Nigeria Cash inflow 2005
d. File on Project 2007 – Executive Briefs on how to fight opposition in Gombe State – Strategies and Tactics
e. Envelopes containing permit to operate as an Oil Industry Service Company (special categories) 2011
f. A File containing write-ups on how Governor Shekarau plotted the assassination of Sheikh Jafaru.
g. Letters from Alhaji Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Sarkin Yakin Gombe) to the MD LUBELL Nigeria Ltd of proposed residential Devt at Kashere Phase II dated 16/01/2007 and 19/11/2010.
7. The Nigeria Police Force wishes to state categorically that there was no single document relating to 2017 budget sighted or removed by the Police team that executed the search warrant. There is video recording of the execution of the search warrant.
8. The Inspector General of Police honoured the invitation of the National Assembly on 26th April, 2017 to explain the legality of the search warrant that was executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje on the 20th of April, 2017.
9. Further investigation is currently ongoing into the matter. Police actions are in line with the provisions of Sec. 4 & 28 of Police Act and Regulations as mentioned in paragraph 2 above and consistent with Sec. 9 & 144 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.
10. The Nigeria Police Force sees the report in the media credited to Senator Danjuma Goje as a deliberate distraction to cast aspersion on Police investigation to pervert the end of justice.
11. Members of the public are hereby implored to disregards the report as the search warrant which was professionally executed in the house of Senator Danjuma Goje has nothing to do with 2017 budget.

I didn’t join them in supporting Buhari; I joined in opposing Jonathan-Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan from his first days as President showed he was too small for the office, saying he, Obasanjo, acted more as an opponent of Jonathan than a supporter of Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2015 presidential poll.
Obasanjo, who said Jonathan deceived him that he would not give Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke the petroleum portfolio in his cabinet was deceived into believing that he could use money to buy the 2015 presidential election.
Obasanjo in the book, Against the Run of Play: How an Incumbent President was defeated in Nigeria, written by former presidential spokesman, Segun Adeniyi, also revealed that Jonathan was gripped by the fear that Buhari, as president, would jail him or lead him to an early grave.
In the 204-page book, former President Jonathan is himself quoted as saying he could not be held accountable for provocative remarks made by some of his supporters, even as former Senate President, David Mark, is also quoted in the book as alleging that he forewarned the former president about the alleged conspiracy against him in the north but to no avail.
Obasanjo in the book is quoted as saying that following Umaru Yar’Adua’s death in 2010, he endorsed Jonathan for the 2011 presidential election principally to solve the problems of minority agitation in Nigeria.
The former President said: “I saw the emergence of Jonathan as an opportunity to solve the problem of minority agitation. The three majority ethnic groups in Nigeria can always sort themselves out but not so for the minority. A good example is my state here in Ogun.
“Despite the best of intentions, nobody from Ogun West has been able to become governor because of this minority issue and it will take a conscious effort to make it happen. So, it was in the context of that I had to plead with prominent people in the North to allow Jonathan run for a term.”
But in a tone laden with regrets, Obasanjo pointed out that there were certain things Jonathan did that fell below his expectations as a former president.
“There were certain decisions taken by Jonathan very early in his administration that pointed to the fact that the office was bigger than him and one of them was the appointment of a petroleum minister,” he said.
According to Obasanjo, he cautioned Jonathan not to appoint Diezani Alison-Madueke to such a sensitive sector but the president ignored his counsel.
“Jonathan gave me the impression that he was not going to give her the portfolio but at the end he did and we can see the consequence. He, of course, knew what he was doing,” Obasanjo stated.
The former president also hinted at what riled him against Jonathan and why he parted ways with him in the run up to the 2015 election, a development which has given the impression that he was actively working in support of Buhari’s candidature. But Obasanjo denied any direct support to Buhari.
He said: “I didn’t join them in supporting Buhari; I joined in opposing Jonathan so Buhari was just a beneficiary of my opposition to Jonathan since my position was AOBJ: meaning Any Option But Jonathan.”,
Obasanjo explained that Jonathan and his handlers believed that they could buy the last election and that they were so arrogant about it that the PDP would print only one nomination form for him and him alone. He said: “If he was wise, he would have yielded the ticket to somebody else in the P
The former president, who also criticised the role played by the military in the last election, said he suspected that Jonathan was not really afraid about life after office but Buhari, his successor.
“I believe the President’s concern or fear is not about life after office per se, because he and I have had occasions to talk about this both seriously and jovially. I believe the President’s fear is particularly motivated by the person he sees as his likely successor, that is General Buhari. I believe the people would have been telling him that Buhari is a hard man; he would fight corruption and he (Jonathan) may end up in jail if not in the grave,” Obasanjo narrated in the book.
The book also placed the defeat of Jonathan at the 2015 poll on the utterances of those close to the former president, chief among them being his wife, Patience.
The book recalls the allegation by former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, accusing the former first lady of insulting the North with incendiary language, thereby alienating them from Jonathan during the election.
It quoted Mrs. Jonathan as making a denigrating remark against Almajiri in the north, by saying “Our people no dey born children wey dem no dey count. Our men no dey born throw way for street; we no dey like people from the other side”, an apparent reference to the concept of Almajiri common in the north.
Reminded in the book that some persons close to him, especially Chief Edwin Clark and Asari Dokubo, were rather vocal and provocative in their utterances, Jonathan wondered why he should be held accountable for their personal opinions.
The former president retorted: “Okay, let us agree for the sake of argument that Chief Clark and the others were offensive, what about those from other ethnic groups who were also making incendiary statement about my person with insinuations about people who wear bowler hats?
“I am not defending whoever may have crossed the line among Ijaw people but let us be fair, why should I be held accountable for that and you would not hold other leaders accountable for what politicians from their own ethnic groups also said? he queried.
On why Jonathan lost the election, former Senate President, David Mark, said that he saw the defeat coming and had pointed out the unrealistic voting projections made by the party about the North to the former president and the conspiracy against him but he was not taken seriously.
He said Jonathan should have seen the handwriting on the wall and done something about what was pointed out to him but no action was taken.
Mark lamented, “I saw it and at difference times, I pointed out to him and the party that the projections being made by some people around the president about what the voting pattern in the north would were wrong.
“I could see the conspiracy and the gang-up building up in the north against the aspiration of Jonathan but my voice was drowned out by those who took it for granted that a sitting president, and one from PDP, could not lose,” Mark said.
The former Senate President also mentioned that the former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, was also aware that Jonathan was not strong in the North but apparently had little to say in the campaign to re-elect Jonathan.
“Some people were deceiving the president with the kind of false scenarios they were painting for him. The VP could see the conspiracy but I don’t know how much influence he had on the campaign. Why Jonathan couldn’t see it until it was too late is what I find difficult to understand,” Mark pointed out.

How Saraki, El-Rufai instigated Buhari not to pick me as running mate – Tinubu

A National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has alleged that the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, worked against the plan to make him President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 presidential election.
Tinubu stated that Saraki, El-Rufai and other stalwarts of the Peoples Democratic Party, who defected to the APC in the build-up to the 2015 elections, instigated Buhari and some APC chieftains not to pick him as the would-be Vice-President.
The APC leader’s comments were contained in a book: “Against the Run of Play,” written by the Chairman, Editorial Board of ThisDay, Olusegun Adeniyi.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, said his opponents persuaded Buhari to look for another running mate on the grounds that Christians in the North would not embrace a Muslim-Muslim ticket and as such could jeopardise the party’s victory.
The former governor said the arguments put forward by the party members were not genuine, adding that El-Rufai had the intention to ensure the emergence of the Serving Overseer of The Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, as Buhari’s running mate.
Tinubu added: “What they (Saraki and others from the PDP) did behind my back was wrong. We always do things as a group. By the time they joined, we were already too far ahead in our processes but we accommodated them.
“We agreed to take their state structures and subsume them into the part and they all had their opportunity to nominate the candidates of their choices for different political offices.
“But they went behind to instigate Buhari and some other people in the party against me on the pretext of religion. That was not right. They were canvassing arguments that the Christians in the North would not vote for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“Nasir el-Rufai was also selling the same argument within the CPC (the defunct Congress for Progressive Change) because at that point, he still wanted to have Pastor Bakare brought in as Buhari’s running mate.”
Tinubu stated that some senators and governors then, who defected from the PDP to the APC, met with him on the eve of the primaries to know if there was an agreement between him and Buhari to run together.
He said he evaded the inquiry, which compelled the allies to join him in canvassing for Buhari as the right presidential candidate of the party.
He said: “I told them that it was better to resolve such issue after the primaries, but they wanted to make it a condition for supporting Buhari, which, for me, was very wrong. I told them I could not insist on this as a condition for my support for Buhari. I felt that was not right to hold Buhari hostage in this manner.
“I believe the support that we gave was fundamental to Buhari clinching the party nomination. Without that support, a different outcome would have been most likely.”
Tinubu noted that Buhari later requested him to nominate three persons for the job, but he (Tinubu) presented only Yemi Osinbajo as his ultimate choice.
“I backed down because I did not want to be depicted as causing a problem. I backed away from the position in order to offer Buhari a name I once raised with him in 2011: that of Professor Yemi Osibanjo,” he added

IPOB vows to banish Joe Igbokwe from Igbo land over anti-Biafra comments

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, in Lagos yesterday said it may be forced to stop the Publicity Secretary of Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Joe Igbokwe, from setting his foot in Igboland following his incessant anti-Biafra comments.
This was in reaction to the statement credited to Igbokwe where he urged Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the group, to quietly go home after securing his bail condition and stop what he called “the hopeless agitation for the realisation of Biafra.”
Igbokwe added that ”Now that he has been granted bail, he should just quietly go home and rest. We are not a candidate of Biafra. They are just dissipating their energy for nothing. I just hope he will just go home quietly and stop disturbing the peace of the country.
“We are not for Biafra. We can’t build Nigeria for others. The so-called Biafra is too small for us. Nigeria provides a big stage for us. We own this country.
“We are a major ethnic group in this country. How can you go for a small pond when you have Atlantic Ocean?”
“So Nnamdi Kanu should go home quietly. He should stop his reckless and stupid agitation. The agitation has no political or economic sense. It is a hopeless agitation that we are not interested in
“They are just using it to make money from gullible ones. It is a collection of illiterates.”
Reacting, a frontline member of IPOB, Kanayo Nwogwugwu in a chat with Independent, pointed out clearly that the group and the entire Igbo race had had enough of Igbokwe’s “thoughtless and reckless statement aimed at pleasing his paymasters in the Southwest.”
While thanking people of the Southeast and South-South regions who had shown solidarity with Kanu since the news of his bail, Nwogwugwu said Igbokwe lied when he said the entire Igbo race were not interested in the Biafra project.
According to him, “The likes of Igbokwe should bury his head in shame for describing the Biafra project as hopeless and IPOB supporters as collection of illiterates.
“He should watch the television and read the dailies to see how prominent Igbo leaders, including children are celebrating his bail.
“If he doesn’t rein in his caustic tongue, we may be forced to restrict him to his new found land and banish him from setting foot his foot again on Igboland.”

Nigerians voted you out, not Obama and other countries – US tells Jonathan

The United States of America on Wednesday said the election of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 was the expression of the will of Nigerians and not manipulation by any other force.
The US Government said this in response to allegations by former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, that his defeat in the 2015 election was partly caused by former US President, Barack Obama, and his officials.
Jonathan equally alleged in a book, “Against the Run of Play,” written by the Chairman, Editorial Board of ThisDay, Olusegun Adeniyi, that the US worked with France and the United Kingdom to frustrate his failed re-election bid in 2015.
“The US advocated a free, fair and transparent election. The election outcome was an expression of the will of the Nigerian people,” the US embassy spokesman, Russel Brooks, said on Wednesday

ivil societies fault Nnamdi Kanu’s bail conditions

A coalition of civil society groups, yesterday, faulted the bail conditions granted the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, stating that they amount to denial of bail.
The group, in a statement in Abuja, argued that it was imperative that these bail conditions be varied or in the alternative, Kanu should be freed unconditionally to attend to his health, adding that this would be in the overall interest of the criminal justice system and the reputation of Nigeria as a democratic society.
The statement was signed by Mr. Eze Onyekpere, Centre for Social Justice; Mr. Sam Amadi; Mr. Benedict Ezeagu, Save Nigeria Group; Princewill Akpakpan, Lawyers of Conscience; Mr. Okere Nnamdi, Kingdom Human Rights Foundation; and Mr. Ibuchukwu Ezike, Civil Liberties Organisation.
Others are: Chris Nwadigo, Peoples Rights Organisation; Dede Uzor, Campaign for Democracy; and Matthew Edaghese, Access to Rights Initiative.
According to them, the court was reported to have stated that the only reason why Kanu is being allowed to go on bail was because of ill health; and wondered why the same court make it impossible for the bail to be enjoyed.
They said: “While we admit that the exercise of discretion and the conditions attached to bail may vary from case to case, it must be situated within the context of constitutionalism, legality, the facts of the case and follow judicial precedent.”
The group noted that the excessive and very stringent bail conditions amounted to denial of bail, stating that the first condition that Kanu must not be in a crowd of more than 10 persons is an impossible condition to fulfill.
According to them, the implication is that he can no longer go to a church or a place of worship, market place, restaurant, among others, adding that he will violate this condition if his immediate nuclear and extended families who will welcome him number more than ten.
“This will likely happen as he is stepping out of the prison yard. Pray, what purpose does this condition serve?” the group wondered.
They further stated that asking for a surety who is a senior and highly placed Igbo person such as a senator begs the question, why they queried the rationale for a surety of Igbo ethnic nationality?
They said, “Under what law or which section of the constitution did the judge derive the authorisation for this? When did the ethnic origin of an accused person or surety become relevant for the accused being admitted to bail? Thus, in the event Mr. Kanu finds Nigerians that are not of Igbo ethnic extraction as sureties, they would therefore not qualify.
“And if Mr. Kanu cannot get a senator to stand surety for him, he will not be allowed to go and attend to his health? How many senators, in these days of the anti-corruption drive will agree to post a bail bond for N100 million without making themselves vulnerable to being pulled over by the anti-corruption agencies?
“It therefore seems that in restricting one of the sureties to be a senator of Igbo ethnic nationality, Mr. Kanu has contrary to section 42 (1) (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), been subjected in the practical application of the law to disabilities and restrictions to which citizens of Nigeria of other communities, ethnic groups and places of origin are not made subject to. There is no precedent for this aspect of the ruling.”
Continuing, the group said, “The condition that a prominent Jewish leader should be the second surety is very far-fetched. The fact that Mr. Kanu claimed that Judaism is his religion cannot be the justification for asking him to present a non Nigerian to stand as his surety. Thus, Mr. Kanu needs a person of Jewish nationality to free him to attend to his health! We are not convinced that this condition is permissible under our Constitution and laws. Imagine Mr. Kanu meets this demand and there is a default, how can the court get access to the surety if he travels back to his country?
“To ask Mr. Kanu not to address rallies or grant media interviews is an extreme measure which apparently serves no purpose. This is a violation of fundamental human rights entrenched in Chapter Four of the Constitution. Even while in detention, he has not been restricted from having contact with the media.”

Why I was attacked at Adeleke’s funeral – Osun gov’s aide

An aide to Governor Rauf Aregbesola who was attacked at the burial of late senator, Isiaka Adeleke, on Monday, Idiat Babalola, on Tuesday said her attackers picked on her simply over unfounded rumors that she wants to be deputy governor after the current tenure of the governor.
Ms. Babalola, who was attacked shortly after arriving the venue of the burial, said she sensed trouble when some of the hoodlums started to make utterances which suggested that her rumoured deputy governorship ambition was to checkmate the governorship ambition of the late senator, who had openly declared his intention to succeed Mr. Aregbesola in 2018.
Explaining further, Ms. Babalola, who served in the last cabinet as Special Adviser to the Governor on Federal Matters, said her attackers could not have been acting over anything against Governor Aregbesola but simply on the local politics of Ede, where she also hails from just as the late Mr. Adeleke.
“I am a proud daughter of Ede and Uncle Isiaka has been a mentor and we never had any disagreement till the news of his death was broken to me while in Lagos on Sunday morning. I was heartbroken and immediately cut all my other engagements and came down to Ede from Lagos.
“We worked together with Uncle for the re-election of Governor Aregbesola in 2014 and for his own election into the Senate in 2015.
“Those who masterminded the attacks on me are people with poor understanding of the relationship between us and who act based on their own political permutations only,” Ms. Babalola said .
She explained that she was at the burial in company of her father, S. Babalola, a prominent industrialist who is also a friend to the late father of Mr. Adeleke.
“Not long after we sat down for the prayers, I sensed some hoodlums saying some things like I wanting to be deputy governor while Uncle (Senator Adeleke) has declared his ambition to be governor from the same Ede. I heard them talking about the new caretaker committee members being more of my loyalists than those of Senator Adeleke. And before we knew it, they grew more daring and unruly and brought down the canopy on the dignitaries present. It was the most unruly and irresponsible act I have seen in our land in history,” Ms. Babalola said
She said it was unfortunate that the unruly behaviour of the miscreants robbed a prominent son of Ede, the state burial that he deserved and which state government planned for him.
“That cannot be the best way to honour he memory of Uncle Adeleke. Senator Adeleke was a man of his people; a lover of peace and a political associate of Governor Aregbesola. Senator Adeleke could not have countenanced such misconduct in his lifetime,” she added.
She said there is no reason for the people of Ede, in spite of their political differences, to have any misgiving against Mr. Aregbesola saying that the city has benefitted immensely under the Aregbesola administration. She said with Ede being a beneficiary of the some of the best schools, roads, industrialization, youth employment and others, the city owes the administration appreciation.
Ms. Babalola expressed appreciation to the Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, whom she said dropped the honour of being a governor to practically engage the hoodlums not to carry out their more dastardly plots.

EASTER CELEBRATION By COMR Ajagun Opeyemi Samuel.

It is with a sense of humility, responsibility and the Joy of the season that I wish all the OKUN at home and abroad a blissful celebration. 

It is also inclusive to recount at this auspicious hour that, the season is a representation of sacrifice and selflessness of the Savior Jesus Christ. 

I enjoin the entire citizens of OKUNLAND and KOGI STATE home and abroad to see a need to borrow a leaf from the examplinary life of the Savior and to also pray for our Land and her Leaders in various positions. 

* In our political firmament, let Christlike virtues hold away. Virtues that bring a human face to politics. Virtues that ensures a meticulous adherence to undeviating honesty, sincerity, humanity, courtesy, equitable distribution of wealth, selflessness, contentment, sacrifice, self-denial, human solidarity inter alia in our quotidian political dealings.

* In the social milieu, social status rivalry should not be prioritized as it is the case today in our society. Pedigree and class shouldn't be placed above the primordial position of humility. Social equilibrium is key as Christ did not place himself above the people. Social class struggle is antithetical to Christ's teaching. Hence, let's embrace Christ's unassuming social status.                                      

* In our economic sphere, individualism should be repudiated because Christ taught collectivism, selflessness. Hence public spiritedness should characterize our economic affairs. On the whole, If Christlike virtues are brought in to bear in our economic dealings, human welfare and solidarity will supplant rapid quest for profit which has become the economic watchword. Hence, throwing humanity to the wind status.

It is also needful to call the consciousness and attention of the Kogi State Government and her leadership to see a need to ensure it fulfills the yearnings of the people by *paying salaries to the workers and pensioners, *make possible best to return the students back to their school KSU, KSP etc.

I'am are not in any way oblivious of the current economic realities in the country. Hence it is noteworthy to please beg the governor to please put smiles on the faces of its workers and end all the strikes happening within the state.   

Needless to say, is that the patriotic tendencies of this government can never earn the people's support. As any government without the good will of the people is an illusion of itself.

I equally at this point call on the federal government to take a front roll call,  to ensure the speedily development of the Nigeria economy. We employ all from the nooks and crannies of the country to remain selfless steadfast. 

As today marks the beginning of immortal justification and forgiveness, hence we call on the entire OKUN citizen all round the world to embrace peace, love, unity for the development of our land. 

At this Juncture, it is important to express my satisfaction on the recent developments of the EFCC, in its quest to exposing illicit acts. However, we demand more than a media probing and politicization. While we commend their efforts, we challenge them through its leadership not to leave any stone unturned, irrespective of the status of anyone found wanting especially in Kogi State. 

Gratefully, i use this medium to thank MR. President for the recent appointment of 

1. Barr. Prince Babatunde Irukera 

2. Mrs. Folashade Joseph

3. Mr. Sunday Thomas, wishing the entire OKUN Nation and Kogi State congratulation. 

I commend the unflinching supports of the true sons and daughters of Okun land for their significant role. I appreciate our elders and royal fathers, students(NAOS) and youths union, organizations, groups and all the leader for their love and commitment and to keep praying that Almighty God will Bless our Land. Amen. 

Conclusive, I wish all Christians Happy Easter celebration. May this Season, bring good tidings to OkunLand, Kogi State and Nigeria. (AMEN). 

My name is COMRADE Ajagun Opeyemi Samuel( Okun boy) A Concerned Okun Youth (08139299118).

$5m scam: FBI offers $1000 to whistleblower on wanted Nigerian

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has offered a paltry $1000 reward to whistleblowers who can offer information to arrest a Nigerian New Yorker, 32 year-old Kelechi Declan James.
The agency has declared Kelechi wanted for allegedly scamming victims of more than $5 million.
A statement on FBI website reads: “FBI agents are looking for the public’s assistance in locating Kelechi Declan James. He has federal criminal charges against him from an investigation by FBI New York’s Cyber Crime Task Force.”
“James is known to frequent the Brooklyn neighbourhoods of East New York (Crescent Street and Loring Avenue; Vermont Street between Blake Avenue and Dumont Avenue), Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant (MacDougal and Hull Streets), Crown Heights (Park Place and Utica Avenue), Flatbush (E 29th and Avenue D), and East Flatbush (East 51st and Winthrop Street). The FBI is offering a $1,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest.
“James is 32 years old, 6’0” tall, and approximately 175 pounds. He is a Nigerian national, has brown eyes and black hair, and may have a beard. Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of James is urged to contact law enforcement immediately. The FBI can be reached 24 hours a day at (212) 384-1000. He is not considered to be violent in nature.
“As alleged in a complaint sworn out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, James, along with four other co-conspirators, ran a business e-mail compromise scheme that resulted victim losses of more than $5 million for their victims.
“As part of scheme, James and his co-conspirators defrauded victims across the U.S. by tricking them into wiring money to bank accounts the victims believed were owned by family members, friends, or business associates. They did this in two ways: by overtaking an e-mail account of an individual trusted by the victim and then requesting money be wired to a bank account; or by developing a relationship of trust with victim like an Internet romance and then asking the victim to wire money.
“As soon as the money was wired, it would be moved from one account to another, and the funds would be withdrawn. James’s role in this scheme was to withdraw the money from bank accounts.”

Buhari is a a failed leader – Balarabe Musa

Elder statesman and second Republic governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa, has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari, describing him as a failed leader.
He said Buhari and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had failed Nigerians and should be booted out without delay.
Speaking with newsmen during the weekend, the outspoken former governor, said things had gone from bad to worse under the current government led by Buhari.
He said, “I will tell you they are complete failures. If PDP was incompetent, APC is even worse. In the case of PDP government, it was just incompetence and you can negotiate with incompetents.”
But in the case of the APC, it is fascism and you know that you have no stand with a fascist who clear the obstacle by enemies. This is what we are experiencing now. We have replaced incompetence with fascism,” he quipped.
On the way forward, the octogenarian said: “The way forward is the complete change of the socio-economic system and the leadership produced by it. Believe me, since we have reached the end of the road, there is no need pretending. We have to go to the ultimate, a revolutionary upsurge either in a legal sense or social revolution.”
Musa also bemoaned the recurring feud between the legislature and the executive arm of the government, stressing that it had never been this bad in the history of democracy in Nigeria.
“The face-off between the legislature and the executive is the worst experience we have had in the history of democracy in Nigeria. It seems that this is the worst relationship between the two arms of government.
“The obvious reason for this is the socio-political system controlling all development in the country which is based on self-interest first and public interest second. We never had it this rough before and this is the reason for so many aspect of the negative state of the nation,” he said.
He faulted the strategic plans put in place by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2019 general elections.
“I received the document for the 2019 general elections strategic plan at the event venue. I even knew about the conference about two days to the event. If the political parties are to be respected, they should be given at least two weeks’ notice to study the document and come ready to participate as equals.
“The whole conference about strategic plan for 2019 and the presentations are theoretical and elitists. There are so many things that the electorate cannot understand.
“INEC has also shown bias towards political parties by recognising the so-called Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC) and not the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP). INEC must tell Nigerians who established IPAC,” he noted.
Just few weeks back, a letter written by Kaduna State governor, Nasir El Rufai where he also faulted Buhari for failing the nation was ‎leaked to the media.
Similarly, elder Statesman, Tanko Yakasai has also claimed that things went bad after President Muhammadu Buhari returned ‎from his medical vacation and took over from Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who was acting in his stead.

I fell out with Saraki, others for supporting Buhari – Ndume

Reacting publicly for the first time to his suspension from the Senate, the lawmaker representing Borno South, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, has revealed that his travail at the upper chamber was sparked by his support for the ideals and policies of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The lawmaker, who added that he was handed a six-month suspension for speaking the truth, vowed on Sunday that he would not tapologise to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in order to get reinstated.
The lawmaker representing Borno south, Ali Ndume, has stated that he would not apologise to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in order to get reinstated, following his suspension by the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Ndume was slammed with the suspension by the Senate after he had requested the upper legislative house to investigate online media report that accused Saraki, and a fellow senator, Dino Melaye, of wrongdoings, to the extent that the the allegations against the two breached his privileges as a Senator.
The report by Sahara Reporters had accused the Senate President of using fake Customs papers to import an official vehicle while Melaye was accused of lying that he graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University.
But after investigations into the matter by the Senate committee on Public Petitions and Ethics, the lawmakers were cleared of the charges, as Ndume was accused of raising a false alarm without first of all verifying the report. This culminated in his suspension.
Shortly after it was reported that Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state had met with Saraki trying to persuade him to reverse Ndume’s suspension, the Senate President told newsmen that he alone cannot make that possible, adding that it is the decision of the Senate.
But addressing a crowd of supporters who turned out to receive him when he visited his constituency, the Senator insisted that he does not regret the actions that led to his earlier removal as Senate Leader and his recent suspension.
He pointed out that his suspension was because of his insistence on doing the right thing, arguing that it was not just because of his call for the investigation of his colleagues as widely believed in some quarters.
Ndume, who was at Shani, Biu, Bayo and Kwaya Kusar local government areas of Borno state where he was received by politicians and monarchs, reasoned that if his suspension was based on corruption or abuse of office, he would not have been well received by his people.
He however, assured that though he is on suspension, he would continue to work for his people, particularly in the area of execution of constituency projects.
While speaking at the palace of the Emir of Biu, Umar Aliyu, the senator said: “Your Royal Highness, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, it took us hours to squeeze through the crowd of supporters to get to this place. And this gives me the greatest joy because my people still appreciate me.
“I will not remain a Senator for the rest of my life; but for the time I serve as the representative of my people, I shall continue to do and tell the truth. I know if I had erred, I would not have been received here. But I enjoy the support of my people because they know my suspension was because I spoke the truth.
“I know those that suspended me are going now regretting their actions because of the massive protest that trailed my illegal suspension. After seeing the support that I enjoy from Nigerians, the same people that suspended me came to say I should tender an apology so that my suspension could be lifted. But I said no to that because I did not commit any offence in the first place.
“They later came to say the Senate President, Senator Melaye and I should go and reconcile our difference; and I told them that I had no issue with either of them, so there is nothing to reconcile – as far as I am concerned we have a good working relationship.
“But I thank the Governor of Borno State, and Your Royal Highness, the Emir of Biu, and all those that sent emissaries in seeking to ensure that this issue is resolved. We are still talking, but I know I had not committed any offence.”
Ndume continued: “My religion enjoins me to always stand on the path of truth even if I turn around and found that everyone has deserted me.
“Firstly, I know my trouble with them started because of my support for the policies and ideals of President Muhammadu Buhari. Secondly, when Ibrahim Magu’s name was brought to the Senate as nominee for the Chairmanship of EFCC, some group in the senate insisted that he would not be cleared. And in my position as the then Senate Majority leader, it was incumbent upon me to support any nominee sent in by the Executive. Besides that, the same nominee is from my state, Borno; besides, he had committed no offence to be denied the senate clearance.
“Above all, the majority of Nigerians loved him because he is doing the job well even as an acting chairman of EFCC.
“Thirdly, when he was brought in for screening and it was not successful, I took courage to tell them that they were acting out of the Senate order.
“And lastly, my position on the allegation levelled on the Senate President as well as the issue of Senator Dino’s certificate by a news medium was the final straw they needed to break the camel’s back.
“But Your Royal Highness, it is incumbent upon we the Senators, under Order 14-15 that if there is any issue or development or any action that tends to rubbish the integrity of the Senate, we stand up to ensure that we defend the name of the Senate. All I asked for was to investigate an allegation published in a news medium against two of our colleagues.
“The President of the Senate has all the powers to rule me out of order if he felt that the issues I raised were not welcomed on the floor of the Senate. But because they had always wanted to crucify me, they seized the moment to unleash their built-up angst against me. So, they gave a dog to hang me. And they did that when majority of the senators were not on seat.
“I thank God this turned out good to me, because it made me know how much love I enjoy from Nigerians.”

Nigerians are hungry because of their laziness – Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared that the current economic recession and hunger in the country is as a result of the laziness of Nigerians and their leaders.
He made this remark on Sunday
during the 22nd National Ummah Convention in Sokoto with the theme: “Agriculture: Panacea to Nigeria’s Economic Recession”.
The Sultan spoke in response to the remarks of the chairman of the Shura committee of the National Islamic Centre, Ahmad Bello who said that there is extreme hunger in the land at the 22rd annual Ummah Convention held in Sokoto.
Bello had advised the federal government to address the cognate issue of hunger in the country.
“Let us be very frank and blunt about this; there is hunger, extreme hunger in the land.There is no more vociferous and forceful evidence on this than the millions of our hapless children, all victims of cruel parental neglect, who go about begging for food from households, on streets, or just eating out of dustbin,” he said.
Responding, the Sultan pointed out that Nigeria was endowed with fertile land which if properly harnessed could lead the country to greatness but for the laziness of the people.
He recalled that agriculture had been the pride of the north in the past which need to be restored.
Abubakar urged Nigerians, particularly northerners to take advantage of the agricultural programmes initiated by their state and federal governments for development of the region and the country in general.
He also harped on the unity of the Ummah and the need for them to live peacefully with other religious faithful.
The Sultan urged the organizers to ensure that their resolutions and recommendations reach those people in government for onward implementation

Recovered ‎N13bn: Alleged cover up rubbishes fed govt’s anti-graft war – Fayose

Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has faulted claims by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) that the N13 billion cash just discovered at Osborne Towers, Lagos belongs to the agency, alleging that it was nothing but a cover-up and that the development has only succeeded in rubbishing the Federal Government’s anti-graft war.
He said: “Yesterday, it was made public that the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) claimed ownership of the $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23, 218,000 seized on Wednesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from Osborne Towers, a luxury residential complex in Ikoyi, Lagos.
“This, to my mind is one cover-up too many and this federal government seeming plot to protect the original owner of both the money and the apartment where it was found has further shown that the anti-corruption fight is political, selective and therefore a ruse.
“Nigerians should recall that I have consistently maintained that the APC-led federal government was not fighting any corruption. Rather, the government is using the anti-corruption fight as a major political tool to cripple opposition and turn the country to a one party state.
“Therefore, for once, the federal government should operate with the mind-set that Nigerians are no fools. They are capable of asking questions and they are already doing that.
“Some of the questions being asked are ‎,who is the owner of the apartment in which the money was found?, does the apartment also belong to the NIA?, if the apartment belong to the NIA, when was it bought and from whom,j f the apartment does not belong to the NIA, from whom and when was it rented?, how could a whistle-blower be aware of movement of money into one out of many apartments in a building without knowing the owner of the apartment, if truly the NIA was carrying out a “covert operation” as claimed, was President Muhammadu Buhari not briefed of the so-called “covert operation” when he took over power?, was the National Security Adviser (NSA), whose office controls all intelligence agencies, including the EFCC and DSS not aware of the “covert operation”?, was there any security presence at the vicinity of the apartment to suggest that it was being used as warehouse for over N13 billion cash belonging to the NIA? Does NIA need an unprotected apartment to keep such huge sum of money purportedly meant for “covert operation”?, how much was released for the so-called “covert operation”, how much has been spent and to who was account rendered up to date?
“As for me, the script being acted on this discovered cash is a cover-up that will mar the EFCC and the federal government. It is a movie well scripted for some alawada (comedians) but acted so badly.
“It is case of a dog that has been eating other people’s children to the admiration of its owner suddenly attacking the beloved son of the owner’s friend and they are now trying to cover-up the dog owner.
“It is a major test of the integrity of the APC federal government’s so-called anti-corruption fight, and the earlier the proponents of the cover-up plot come back to their normal senses and tell Nigerians who owns the apartment in which the money was found, the better for them.
“In the last few weeks, we have been served with dramas of recovery of funds by the EFCC.
“N49 million in cash ranging from N200 to N50 was said to have been found in Kaduna Airport and was promptly “arrested” by EFCC officials. But up till now, Nigerians have not been told the identities of those who brought the five sacks in which the cash was found into the airport despite the presence of CCTV cameras at the airport.
“EFCC also fed Nigerians with tales of recovery of N448,850,000 (Four hundred and forty eight million, eight hundred and fifty thousand naira) cash from a shop at LEGICO Shopping Plaza, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos. We were told that the shop had not been opened for two years and one wonders how the cash got into the shop.
“Up till today, EFCC is yet to tell Nigerians the identity of the owner of the shop and Nigerians are asking whether or not the Legico Shopping Plaza, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos is not owned by anyone and the owner of the Plaza won’t be able to identify his or her tenant.
“As for this latest drama, which has boomeranged, even though we know that the APC-led federal government has the capacity to sweep it under the carpet like many others before it, Nigerians will have it on record that they are being ruled by a government of “the more you look, the less you see.”

Meet New CPC Boss, Barr. Babatunde Irukera.

Barr. Babatunde Irukera

Barr. Babatunde Irukera is from Egbe, Yagba West Local Government of Kogi State, he is a partner with SimmonsCooper Partners and has over 25 years of transactional/commercial litigation experience.
His experience includes over 10 years in the United States engaging in complex commercial litigation and settlements including several jury trials and significant appellate work. He routinely conducts oral arguments before the US Court of Appeals and the Nigerian Courts of Appeal with reported locus classicus that are currently of significant precedential value.

Barr. Babatunde deploys excellent pre-litigation and appropriate extrajudicial resolution strategies resolving business and other disputes. Barr. Babatunde was educated at the University of Ife, Nigeria (1989) and admitted to practise in the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1990. He is also admitted to the Washington State Bar (1996). Babatunde heads the commercial litigation and competition teams in SimmonsCooper Partners (SCP).

SCP is a leading commercial litigation and corporate commercial firm in Nigeria. With a multijurisdictional competence spanning Nigeria, the United States and the United Kingdom, SCP combines sound legal counsel with prudent business, ethical counsel, superior advocacy, and personal and responsive service. SCP's clients represent a broad spectrum of both the private and public sectors, ranging from multinationals, financial institutions, multilateral financial institutions, oil and gas operations, private equity and venture capital operations, to the federal and state governments and individuals.

Barr. Babatunde's engagements have involved a broad range of commercial and corporate issues including securities litigation, investments and divestments, joint ventures, oil block acquisitions, product liability, fiduciary duties of directors, intellectual property, and cross-border litigation including discovery in other jurisdictions. Recently, he notably successfully represented a class of investors in a dispute involving the single largest capital market transaction in Nigeria, in the process establishing the legality of interest devolution to investors. This theory has been adopted by the securities regulator under its recently amended regulatory rules.

In other matters, Barr. Babatunde has represented a multilateral financial institution in statutory and regulatory appraisal before municipal agencies; and the federal and some state governments in corporate misconduct cases, in one particular case leading to a settlement in excess of US$80 million, the largest settlement yet in Nigeria. In addition, Barr. Babatunde has provided advice to Nigeria's aviation regulation in their investigative and regulatory initiatives, in respect of competition law.
Barr. Babatunde conducts antitrust analysis for Nigeria's regulatory agencies and corporate organisations.
Barr. Babatunde is an active member of both the Nigerian Bar Association and American Bar Association where he currently serves as vice chair of the Africa committee of the international section.
Barr. Babatunde also provides capacity-building advisory services to federal agencies and other clients on the introduction and implementation of a competition law regime in Nigeria.

Barr. Babatunde Irukera contested the last Kogi Gubernatorial Election alongside the former Governor, late Abubarka Audu and other aspirants including the incumbent Governor Bello.
He joined the race with competence, capacity and character with over 20 years experience of legal practice both in Nigeria and the United States.

No doubt about his unquestionable pedigree and unblemished integrity, reason he was recently appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the new Executive Secretary of the Consumer Protection Council, a parastatal of the federal government keens to be trusted voice of the country consumers in striving to build in the market an environment of safe, fair and sustainable consumption.
Barr. Babatunde is expected to use his wealth of experience in reforming the parastatal inline with dreams and vision of the Muhammadu Buhari led federal government.


Babatunde Irukera is recognised for his "invaluable insight and experience" in both Nigeria and US litigation proceedings.

Why Buhari must run for second term – El-Rufai

Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari must stand for re-election in 2019 in the best interest of the country, one of his allies and governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said.
Sworn in as the country’s leader less than two years ago after ousting the incumbent Goodluck Jonathan at the polls, Buhari was heralded into the office like a messiah of a sort. His campaign promises included stamping out corruption through and ushering in a new democratic era free from bitter partisanship.
A biting economic recession accompanied by rising cost of living and a not-so-successful war on graft have, however, watered down his popularity among the people who now see his change agenda as only a tired campaign slogan.
Those problems and his ill-health and notwithstanding, El-Rufai said Buhari has done well enough to be given a second term.
“My prayer is that the president gets well…gets back to full health and run again because I still believe his being president…the stability that he brings to the office is in the best interest of Nigeria,” El-Rufai said on Friday.
Should Buhari chooses not to stand for re-election, the Kaduna state governor said he would expect him to have a say in who the ruling All Progressives Congress nominates as its candidate
El-Rufai spoke against the backdrop of controversies generated after his 30-page memo to Buhari was leaked to the media. And the governor, who claimed he was not aware Buhari was sick when he authored the report, has firmly blamed unnamed presidential aide as the persons behind the leak.
“I know who leaked the memo,” he said refraining from mentioning the aide’s name.
On Friday, he was at the Presidential Villa to observe Juma’at Prayer with Buhari. He declared that though he was aware that some aides on Buhari’s team disliked him, that would never prevent him from visiting the president.
“Within the Villa, there are people that like me and there are those who don’t and it is normal. My relationship with the President has never been strained in any way,” he explained.
The governor insisted there was no sinister intention behind his authoring the memo, noting that the now famous memo was, in fact, in a “series of memos” he had sent to the president.
“It is not the fist, it is not the tenth. It is probably close to the twentieth memo I have written,” he said.
“I have been working closely with Mr President for about seven years, from the time we were in the opposition in the CPC, through the merger into the APC.
“Anytime I see fundamental issues that require to be addressed by him, I discuss with him. When discuss…debate, and I get his thoughts, I would always tell, ‘I will go back and articulate a memo and action plan for you.'”

Okun Youth Hails President Buhari Over Appointments

The Okun Youth of the Kogi West Senatorial District of Kogi State under the umbrella body of Okun Youth Leader's Forum has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing Barr. Tunde Erukera as the executive secretary, Consumer Protection Council, Mr. Sunday Thomas as the Deputy Commissioner of the Nigeria Insurance Commission and Mrs. Folashade Joseph as the Managing Director of the Nigeria Agriculture Insurance Corporation.

In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Alamoh Kehinde Samuel(Aks), on Friday described the appointments as deserving and fixing a square peg in a square hole.

According to the statement, the appointments is the best as we believe the appointees will bring their wealth of experience to bear thereby repositioning the various agencies under their watch.

All the appointees are better equipped to discharged their duties to the very best of thier abilities.
We believe the appointees will put in their best for optimum output.

The statement stated that the choice of Barr. Tunde Irukera, Mr. Sunday Thomas and Mrs. Folashade Joseph is a reflection of the fact that the appointees are renowned expert in their various endeavours, dilligent, versatile and ever ready to serve.

They are going to make Nigerians, Kogi State and the people of Okunland proud.

We thank Mr. President for this appointments, the statement said.

Fayose condemns continued detention of Suswam, Aliyu, Okai, others

The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has decried the indiscriminate arrest and continued detention of former Governors of Benue and Niger States, Gabriel Suswam and Dr. Babangida Aliyu, as well the National Coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party National Youth Frontier, Comrade Austin Usman Okai.
Fayose described their continued detention as further demonstration of the All Progressives Congress government regime of vindictiveness and disrespect for the laws of Nigeria.
The governor said there was no law permitting security agents to detain Nigerians indefinitely, adding: “It is even more worrisome that former Governor Suswam has been in detention since February 26 this year and Austin Okai, who was arrested in Abuja last Sunday, was arraigned in Lokoja Magistrate Court yesterday (Thursday), granted bail and rearrested at the court premises by the same police that charged him to court.”
In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Friday, signed by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, he lamented that “those holding power in Abuja have become defiant to reasons, operating as if they are laws unto themselves”.
The governor noted: “Arresting people without proper and thorough investigation is the reason EFCC continues lose its cases. How can you arrest someone, put him in detention and start looking for evidence to prosecute him?
“On Wednesday, the Department of State Services (DSS) came up with the most ridiculous reason for keeping Suswam in detention since February. The service said it would not release the former governor because he has failed to cooperate with investigators. The question is: what cooperation does the DSS need from someone that will require him being kept in detention for close to two months without charging him to court?
“One may also ask: is the DSS also keeping the head of Nigeria’s Islamic Movement, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, who has been in detention since late 2015 despite that the court ruled that he should be released in custody because he refused to cooperate with investigators?
“Are we back to the era of Decree 2 of 1984 when the National Security Organisation had powers to arrest and detain Nigerians indefinitely?
“Also, for what lawful reason would the Police charge Austin Okai to court and rearrest him at the court premises after he was granted bail? Isn’t the brutish use of power by these APC elements getting too much?”
On the continued detention Aliyu, Governor Fayose said: “Investigating allegations of corruption does not empower the EFCC or any security agency to detain any Nigeria indefinitely without trial.
Most importantly, it is assumed that before anyone can be arrested for alleged corruption, the EFCC ought to have done its job by gathering necessary facts. This practice of EFCC arresting Nigerians, detaining them indefinitely so that they can give indicting evidences against themselves is alien to crime investigation in civilised world.
“Therefore, if EFCC has any evidence of corruption against Dr Babangida Aliyu, the commission should simply charge him to court and use the evidence(s) to prosecute him. In the absence of this, he should be released forthwith; else one will also believe the insinuation that the EFCC is holding him (Babangida) as part of the APC-led Federal Government clampdown on anyone that is perceived as having presidential ambition in 2019.”

Ex-NNPC director Nnamdi-Ogbue denies ownership of $50m found in Lagos apartment

A former Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, has denied owning the apartment where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, uncovered over $50m in Ikoyi, Lagos State.
Reports had earlier filtered online that the former NNPC Director owned the apartment the huge sums was recovered from.
However, Nnamdi-Ogbue while speaking through her lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, frowned at the report, saying there was no need for “conjecture.”
In a statement by Etiaba, the former NNPC Director expressed hope that the anti-graft agency will in due course uncover the owner of the property and the huge sum.
According to Etiaba, “The attention of Our Client, Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue has been drawn to the news making round in the News Media to the effect that the large sums of money to wit: $38,000,000.00 (Thirty-Eight Million Dollars),N23,000,000.00 (Twenty-Three Million Naira) and £27,000.00 (Twenty-Seven Thousand Pounds) uncovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from an apartment in Osborne Towers, Osborne Road, Ikoyi Lagos, Lagos State belong to her.
“By this Press Release, we inform the public (especially the News Media) that the said sums of money and/or the apartment where the sums of money were found do not belong to our client.
“Our client is as shocked as many other Nigerians at the uncovering and recovery of the said sums of money and wishes to salute the courage and efforts of the EFCC in the war against corruption.
“She also wishes to commend the whistle blowing policy introduced by the Federal Government in the fight against corruption which policy has resulted in large scale uncovering and recovery of monies and assets.
“It is Our Client’s belief that the source and ownership of the said uncovered sums of money is known or eventually will be known by the EFCC in due course. There is therefore no need for conjecture or speculation.
“May we finally implore the News Media to be more circumspect in their publications.”

Nigeria’s economic growth under Jonathan was fake – W’Bank consultant

The President of Nigeria Economic Society and a World Bank consultant, Olu Ajakaiye, has described the economic growth recorded during the administration of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, as fake.
Ajakaiye, while delivering a Keynote address at the 2017 edition of The Bullion Lecture organised by the Centre for Financial Journalism, yesterday, explained that the economic growth under Jonathan was fictitious because government only deployed oil revenue into the economy.
He said, “When the economy was growing in a fictitious way — I regarded the growth of 2010 to 2014 as fictitious. Why is it fictitious, it is growth that is driven by government just deploying oil revenue into themghj economy.
“The structure remained dis-articulated and we are actually deceiving ourselves in a very interesting way by saying the economy leaped-frog, we have now got to a stage where we are arrived, because in advanced countries, service sector is now dominant.
“They call it tertiarisation of the economy. Our economy was prematurely tertiarised, and this was the harbinger of poverty.
“I always tell people, when you go to Europe where their economy is already tertiarised, do you see anybody running after you in traffic to sell you recharge card? Do you see anybody hanging pure water in front of you? Do you see people running 140? That is our tertiarised service sector.”
Ajakaiye, had earlier urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to develop Nigeria even if it means stealing from other countries.

Fayose imposes curfew as two die in Ekiti clash

Two persons are feared dead in a clash allegedly caused by ‎some youths suspected to be members of Federation of Igbara-odo Students Union.
‎An eye witness said trouble began when the students started distributing some pamphlets inciting the people of the town to probe the monarch, Oba Edward Jaiyeola, on how monies raised in the last anniversary celebration of the town were spent.
They also demanded the inclusion of four of their members in the monarch’s council of chiefs and that a new generation bank, which was about to vacate the town, be asked to stay.
They also demanded for a police college speculated to be coming to the town.
It was learnt that the youths, after distributing the pamphlets made for the palace of the monarch and unleashed terror on it.
“They vandalised all vehicles in sight there, the palace building and in the process, attacked the Divisional Police Officer of the town,” the witness said.
It was also gathered that a yet-to-be identified leader of the rampaging youths was killed in the chaos, while a policeman was also killed by the protesters and his rifle taken away.
Governor Ayodele Fayose stormed the area around 6pm in company with the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Chafe, and other security operatives, ‎and immediately met with leaders and residents of the town.
Fayose, who vowed to get to the root of the crisis, promised that the perpetrators would be prosecuted.
To arrest the situation, the governor immediately declared a seven-day curfew from 7am to 6pm daily on the community.
“This is a very bad development. It is a big shame on the community. I am assuring you that we will get to the root of this matter and ensure that perpetrators are dealt with,” he said