The Africa Media Roundtable Initiative (AMRI) has released its 2018 edition of the Hall of Fame for outstanding govermment ministry and agency in Nigeria.
The ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Bureau of Statistics NBS top other closed Mininstries and Agencies after a critical and comprehensive analysis of the data collated by the Coalition of Media and Credible Civil Society Organization CMECSO.The coalition converged on Abuja on the 20th December 2018 to deliberate, evaluate and announce the outcome of the result presented by the appraisal forum of the body.
In a statement issued in Abuja at the presentation and decoration of the office of the Statistician General of the Federation for the great feats achieved in 2018, the Executive Director Africa Media Roundtable represented by Elonna Nwafor remarks that the performance indicators and parameters are clearly based on objectivity, transparency, impact on direct foreign investment and economy, integrity and public confidence of the agencies within the period under review, in line with agenda of the current political administration.
The coalition described the periodically released reports of the National Bureau of Statistics as a clear demonstration of objectivity, professionalism devoid of political influence, and has made the agency earn public confidence and has therefore brought the agency into limelight.
The coalition further commends the federal government of Nigeria under the leadership of president Muhammadu Buhari for the non-interference of the periodic reports of the agency, regardless of the political or economic implications of such reports and urged other agencies to always represent the true conscience of the nation.
On its own part, the coalition commends the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for concerted efforts and synergies in bringing hundreds of Nigerians who were either repatriated or trapped in their self help adventure across foreign boarders. It describe the swift and prompt reactions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the various diplomatic engagements of the current administration which has yielded foreign economic development in Nigeria.The foreign affairs ministry who emerged as the ministry of the year for 2018 is further challenged by the coalition to double in its efforts and diplomatic missions in securing the comprehensive data and release of Nigerians who are unlawfully detained in other foreign communities.
The Africa Media Roundtable Initiative is a conglomeration of Africa Media and Civil Society Organizations that promotes journalism and advocates good policies to enhance human and economic development across Africa continent.
Sunday, 20 January 2019
Friday, 18 January 2019
Thursday, 17 January 2019
No goodbye for Idris
Dear Mr. Ibrahim Idris,
I am sure you are yet to be confronted with the reality of the end of your ignoble tenure as the IGP. That's how evil people carry on until they are faced with clear realities of life.
However, let me help you, your ignoble tenure as the IGP has ended just like that! Yes, just like that, you are now an ordinary Nigerian like me.
If you read newspapers this morning, you will see the reversal of your removal of the Lagos CP and replacement with Tinubu's Ex CSO. That is how it is.
And sorry enh, you can no longer supervise the humiliation and persecution of Senators Bukola Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu and Dino Melaye.
Before I forget, hope you left the Force HQ with that your shameless boy, Jimoh Olohundare Moshood because I'm sure you will still need him to help you defend all your ignoble actions as IGP. You need that Jimoh Eleran (he never acted like a professional police officer) to keep abusing State governors for you as he did to the Benue State Governor and others.
Ogbeni Idris (I can call you anything now, I can even call you Ogberan), as your ignoble tenure as IGP ended yesterday, may our Police Force never experience your types again.
Under you as IGP, the police became so efficient in remembering childhood sins of Nigerians the moment they speak against Buhari.
You led a police force that made running after Dino Melaye and others a national policy.
Your ignoble tenure was one in which some States had as many as FOUR CPs within one month. Shame on you!
Invasion of National Assembly and removal of the Senate President and his Deputy became your main agenda that must be pursued blindly.
To you as IGP, the safety of Nigerians was not important. You even disobeyed the president when he ordered you to relocate to Benue State when the people were being killed by herdsmen.
For this year's elections, you have even set up IG Special Squad to be used for rigging across the country.
As IGP, you went about sowing the wind, and you shall surely reap the whirlwind.
I do not wish you a happy retirement because I am confident that you will spend the better part of this period explaining to your conscience your roles in Kano State in 2015 and how you turned the Police Force to instrument of fighting perceived opponents of President Buhari.
Bad bye former IGP Idris. May the police never have another IGP like you.
Tuesday, 15 January 2019
APC KOGI RALLY AND GOV BELLO’S HIRED CROWD
APC KOGI RALLY AND GOV BELLO’S HIRED CROWD
The entire nation is aware that the campaign train of President Muhammadu Buhari berthed in Lokoja, Kogi state but only Kogi state citizens know that a train of lies, pretensions and deception preceded its arrival.
As at Tuesday evening, countless busloads of thugs and others who may appropriately equate to the real flotsam and jetsam of Edo state had been ferried in to make the raucous noises and deafeningly shout party slogans in Lokoja on Wednesday.
Among other forms of deception, the road to the stadium where Gov Bello is hosting our President for his presidential rally was only hurriedly cleared and graded barely twenty-four hours before the event!
While we owe allegiance to neither PDP nor APC, we members of the Kogi Youth Alliance, comprising patriotic young people from Kogi, Ebira, Okun-Yoruba, Hausa, Bassa, Kakanda, Oworo and other tribes in the Confluence feel deeply horrified about what the future holds for Kogi state after the brigandage of Gov Bello’s administration.
After laying the state’s treasury to waste on such grand, unprecedented scale and after proposing some N10 billion for ‘domestic use’ in Government House under a pretentious and non-populist 2019 state budget, attention has temporarily turned to rolling out a red carpet of deception for President Buhari to tread on while knowing citizens watch in deep agony and utter dismay.
Gov Bello has continued his unending spree of wanton whims without any sensitivity to the sufferings of our parents, brothers and sisters but we feel very confident in assuring Gov Bello, his party and all those who came to help him celebrate his directionless tendencies with this political rally based on a foundation of deception that in the end, the people’s genuine will shall prevail.
President Buhari, beware of the ropes of deception being stretched around in Kogi state; it would surely consume the political interests of deceivers.
Long live, Kogi state!
Long live, the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
For Kogi Youth Alliance:
Ade Onemola
Mopah A. M.
Idowu Ipinmisho
Arome Idachaba (Prince)
2019 General Election: We will Produce ADC Senator in Kogi West...Yagba West Chair, Ayo Pastor
A frontline politician and Chairman of African Democratice Congress in Yagba West, Hon Ayo Pastor has assured that ADC will produce the next Senator and House of Reps Member in the February 16th election. He made the declaration while addressing the mamoth crowd that attended the tour of the Party's Senatorial Candiate over the weekend. The party Chairman who was extremely elated to receive the party candidate who was accompanied to the party office by combined Okada riders of Ejiba, Odo-Ere and Egbe, student leaders of yagba extraction, Women and youths. He said that PDP Candidate represent Ebola while the APC Candidate represent HIV to the people, haven been elected before but failed the people, he therefore assured the people that Yagba West and the entire Kogi West will vote in Omoluabi who is young and competent. He promised to mobilize the entire LGA towards the success of the party in the coming election.
Earlier, the Kogi West Zonal Chairman of ADC, Hon Kingsley Ogga had admonished party faithfuls to vote ADC from Presidency to House of Assembly elections. Hon Kingsley enjoined the people of Kogi West to end the hunger and lack currently ravaging the people by voting ADC, a party that is out to make Nigeria work again.
Different speakers made various comments that encouraged the candidates.
While reacting to the warm welcome he received, Omoluabi Bode Adeyemi thanked the people of Yagba West for remaining resolute and determined to elect ADC in the forth coming election. Omoluabi stated that he is a bonafid Yagba son by reason of marriage and residency. He said Yagba is a place that shaped his life at childhood and sustaining his life even in marriage, he assured Yagba people of noticeable turnaround when elected. Omoluabi describe the neglet of great potentials in Omi and arable land in all part of the LGA as wicked, satanic and disturbuing, despite the yearly 250m constituency development funding that comes to Kogi west every year and other opportunities our representatives have refused to tap for the growth of Yagba land.
Monday, 14 January 2019
Leke Abejide House Of Reps Bid Receives Major Boost As More Constituents Defect To ADC.
The thrilling sensation was awesome as new members joined the African Democratic Congresd (ADC).
During the campaign of Elder Leke Abejide, visit to all wards, and village across Yagba Federal Constituency, over 50 new members were said to have joined the party.
One of them is Mr. Aderemi Ajayi, former home base chairman PDP Ponyan ward 03 and not less than 50 others joined him the African Democratic Congress ADC.
Mr. Aderemi announced his stand at the rally which took place at Odo Ponyan, he said he is joining the party with others because they have seen the light that shines through the party.
He described Abejide as a leader with efficiency to motivate and inspire, he has also been able to mould a good name for the party in yagba and kogi state as a whole.
The defectors were received to the party with a warm esteem by Elder Leke Abejide, he said they have made the right decision by joining the party that pays more attentiveness to the people's yarn.
He believes more will join the party in no time because our people knows what is true.
He preached peace and high level of coexistence among all t party members to achieve the objectives of the party.
Police Change Tune, Files Different Charge Against Sen Melaye
By Editor
Contrary to the much publisized crime of shooting one of its officers, the Nigeria Police Force has filed a one count charge against the Kogi West lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye, bordering on alleged illegal possession of firearms.
In the charge, filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the police said a pump-action gun was recovered from Melaye’s house in July last year during a search of his property in Kogi State.
The police also said the offense contravenes Section 27 of the Firearms Act in the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/07/2019.
The charge sheet reads: “That you, Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West district in the 8th National Assembly, on or about the 20th day of July 2018, at about 12.30 hours under the jurisdiction of this honourable court, unlawfully had in your possession one automatic pump-action shotgun and 20 cartridges, which were recovered at your residence located in the Ayetoro Gbede area of Kogi State, when a search warrant was executed on the directives of the Nigeria Police Force at your above mentioned residence under your control and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(a)(i) of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
Eight persons, including six policemen and two painters, were listed as witnesses.
They were identified as DSP Babagana Bukar, DSP Ibrahim Abalaka, ASP Abdullahi Musa, Inspector Atabo Okpanachi, Inspector Apeh Peter, Theophilus Nuhu, Matthew Anthony and ASP Mohammed Onu.
According to the statements made by all the witnesses and attached to the charge sheet, the gun was found not in the main building but the ‘boys’ quarters’ where cars were parked.
One of the two painters, Theophilus Nuhu, wrote in his statement: “On July 24, 2018, my master, Peter, brought one Matthew Anthony and myself from Kaduna State to Kogi for painting work in which he took us to one Senator Dino Melaye’s house at Ayetoro, Gbede area of Kogi State.
“While we were doing the painting, policemen, comprising MOPOL, SARS and SCID, came in and met us in the compound and they told me they wanted to conduct a search in the compound and they started to search the compound.
“Within and around the boys’ quarters building, where some cars were parked, under the flower, a gun was observed therewith many bullets but I do not know who put the gun there.”
It would be recalled that police, during the siege on Senator Melaye’s Maitama, Abuja home, had said that the lawmaker was wanted in connection with the shooting of one of its officers along Ayeroro Gbede-Mopa Road in Kogi State by thugs in the Senator’s convoy.
Sunday, 13 January 2019
Edward Onoja: The Agony Of An Unhinged Oracle
In classical antiquity, an oracle was a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination; the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.
Since, Gov. Yahaya Bello parted ways with Sen. Dino Melaye and the center could no longer hold, the self-acclaimed Ogugu White Oracle; David Edward Onoja has been like an express train speeding on black ice; especially on issues concerning Sen. Dino Melaye. You and I know the destination can’t be El-Dorado.
From the infamous; ‘if Senator Dino Melaye is still standing as a senator of the Federal Republic by June ending…” made in 2017 to the futile recall attempt in 2018, numerous quests to implicate and incarcerate the Kogi West Senator, Edward Onoja has exhibited uncommon and nauseating persistence to wipe away the shame of a prophecy that didn’t come to pass. The reality of a mere mortal trying to play God which has become the ranting of a frustrated self acclaimed oracle
In his latest tirade, Edward Onoja is gloating over the current induced travails of Sen. Dino Melaye and has once again displayed deep hatred and malice. That is his problem! But his latest attempt to disparage Sen. Dino Melaye in order to invoke animosity against him because of the coming elections will end the way of previous projects against Dino Melaye.
West Kogites know the ploy to foist Sen. Smart Adeyemi again on them. They are aware of the mischievous machinations in place but because God is not involved in the conspiracy, it will fail.
For Edward Onoja to try attempt belittling the achievements of Dino Melaye is not only hilarious but silly.
Against all odds, Sen. Dino Melaye has contested and won elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate while Edward Onoja on two occasions cannot even secure his party’s tickets for the State House of Assembly seat. This is an indication of superior political sagacity which might explain Edward Onoja’s resentfulness against Dino Melaye.
Though I don’t subscribe to the display of ostentation of Dino Melaye, Edward Onoja is worse in terms of manic accumulation of wealth since he turned the corner on poverty and things started looking up with his appointment as Gov. Yahaya Bello’s Chief of Staff.
Nothing lasts forever and the reign of impunity in Kogi State by those who are drunk with power will end one way or the other.
Edward Onoja fails to realize the transience of everything in life even life itself.
The properties acquired through means that can not be truthfully claimed to be legal by Edward Onoja is well-known even as is by proxy and in the fullness of time, all will be exposed. Instead of providing wise and insightful counsel to his supposed Siamese twin half, the Ogugu Chief Priest is pursuing an agenda that will be the doom of the New Direction administration in Kogi State that has been all motion without movement/progress.
If Edward Onoja does not desist but continues in his feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by Sen. Dino Melaye’s possessions, qualities, or luck, he might end up in a padded ward due to frustration.
Out of consuming envy, Edward Onoja is condemned to a life and appetite for what will get him in trouble, get him chased out of peace land into a city of toil and filling. Edward Onoja’s believe in getting even (if that is the case), no matter the risk to his own wellbeing, will eventually be his doom.
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? No matter how hard Edward Onoja tries, he can never be God except the messenger of a deity in Ogugu. There is a huge difference between God Almighty and the Ogugu gods of Edward Onoja. That is an incontestable fact.
This is God’s word to Dino Melaye which the congregation of conspirators against him ably led by the Ogugu Oracle should take particular note of; Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
MASSIVE TURNOUT AS MUHAMMED IBRAHIM IDRIS STORMS ABEJUKOLO.
The maiden rally was described as a proof of massive acceptability of the candidacy of the former lawmaker who is seeking a reelection into the House of Representatives.On a courtesy visit to the Onu of Ife palace,the traditional ruler was elated to have received the mammoth crowd who accompanied the campaign team.The king offered a heartfelt outpouring of royal blessing on the MUHAMMED whom he described as a true son of the soil.
The rally was attended by the chieftains of Accord party across Kogi East,including the leader of the Party MUHAMMED Abdullahi popularly known as Elephant and the State chairman of Accord party Hon.Alhassan Adakeke.The Accord party and its candidate for House of Representatives and House of Assembly in Omala local government received a political reinforcement as hundreds of PDP,APC and APDA announced their defections from their parties into Accord party and also pledged their uncompromising commitment to the emergence of Hon.Muhammed Ibrahim Idris and House of Assembly candidates in the forthcoming elections.The State Chairman of Accord party Hon.Alhassan Adakeke while receiving the decamped members,assured them of fairness and equality in treating and allocation of the dividends of democracy.
IN DINO VERITAS
Current trending news reports indicate that Senator Melaye has been whisked away by masked men from the custody of the Police hospital in Abuja and taken to an unknown destination.
There are also pictures in the social media depicting the senator to have been dumped in an open compound wherein he was shown sleeping on the ground, helplessly unattended to except by empty bottles of water and a bottle of ground nut. Does that kind of treatment befit any Nigerian citizen who is presumed to be innocent of crime and has been in police custody, claiming a health challenge?
Wait a minute! What if Senator Dino Melaye were to die from these manhandling? Would something dawn on us?
There is a dark and heavy cloud that seems to have enveloped the sociosphere of our dear country at this moment.
Freedom of thought and liberty that were common to political opinion holders in different political divides as they once were, have suddenly vanished while the consciences of many have become insensate from the inebriation that comes from living in denial of the truth.
That many Nigerians are carrying on, normally and in disunity, in the midst of a progressive degradation of the puny freedom and hope we once enjoyed, can only justify the suspicion that something quite sinister and foreboding, now has a grip on Nigeria. We must therefore pray!
Political power like Vino often gets a man drunken. Anyone drunken with wine has less restraint in telling the truth, even the truth about himself and about his intentions. Anyone who is drunken with the force of political power also has less restraint in its use until it leads to disgrace.
I urge the current holders of the force of State political power to show some restraint in order to preserve the polity. Such restraint can only be established when a mighty government subjects itself to the restraint and confines of law.
The present treatment of Senator Melaye lies the truth about how much value we place on the rights of a Nigerian citizen. Therefore, like Vino, in Dino, veritas.
Frank Tietie
Executive Director,
Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER)
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