Local and International Issues

JAMES IBORI : THE TITLE MAN OF HONOR. - TUNDE ADENUGA

2017-04-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

James Ibori was given a title?
Wow! That's really great.
Why so many Nigerians aren't feeling OK with it especially those from the South West?
Why really?
Oh ok. He is an ex-convict. He is corrupt right? He stole money I guess.
But whose money really if yes? Lagos Money? Ogun? Of cos, it was Delta money.
Some even said during his time as a governor, he built roads, paid teachers, people were happy. So, there is nothing wrong if he steal some, after all, nobody is perfect. Just the same way some learned guys in Lagos once challenged me that Fashola could steal as well since he was working . Same goes across other regions. Ekiti cannot be left out as well.
Aren't we becoming funny as a people? Well, it is understandable. If a man stays too long in chain, his right is given to him as a gift.
Then who are those giving him title really?
Of cos the Deltans themselves. And that makes it interesting and a good story to write but let me make it as short as possible.
When people say our greatest problem as a country is corruption, I just laugh profusely. Because I have come to realise that there is something stronger than corruption. Because corruption to me is just a symptom of the fundamentals that gave birth to it.

It is that fundamental that has kept Yari of Zamfara as the Governor of that state after his declaration that Meningitis was a product of fornication. You don't
say that abroad and not end up a national mockery.
It is this same understanding that made Buhari gathered less than 10,000 votes in the entire 2015 election in Bayelsa. Jonathan does not need to build the 2nd Niger Bridge or clean up Ogoniland to win the entire South South. Even if Ebele is replaced with cluelessness. That fundamental is so strong.
It is this same reason Buhari had 1.9M votes in Kano alone. Those who were challenging that Buhari didn't have certificate in the South were just wasting their time. A Nepa bill was enough for him to gather vote in the North in the last election. Competency is secondary here. Change means something else to an average northerner.

I will be most surprised if the former Jonathan honours the call of the house of summon (sorry Assembly) on the Malabu Saga. Why should Jonathan honor the invite really? Was Obasanjo summoned for the 16 trillion allegedly spent on darkness? Did Babangida honor Oputa Panel for the 12.4 Billion Dollars oil wind fall? Remember, Gani Fawehinmi died fighting on it. What of Buhari? Did he not agree with Bamayi and others who claimed Abacha never stole a dime in Nigeria? These are some of the questions Jonathan's region will begin ask from next week. I won't be surprised if a protest begins as well.
So, the house of summon should calm down and not disturb this our oil revenues for now. Remember, the stability of our electricity is also depends on that region. We have always negotiated our unity. It is never real.
It is this terrible feeling of marginalisation and lack of sense of belonging that gives room for any endorsement of corruption in various forms.

The day the people begin to be in charge of their assets and its control, corruption begins to go down naturally. But as long it remains under the dictates of one yoruba or Fulani or Ibo man in Abuja, this sense of marginalisation comes first ahead of corruption in the mind of the people across regions. The phrase "National cake" makes everyone or region to be defensive irrespective of who is accused of corruption among their children. Once they take charge. Everyone becomes conscious of their assets and money. Watching over your neighbours become natural.

We must endeavour to make our definition of corruption national instead of the regional definition of corruption we carry about. The word corruption will remain relative. It is what you call it or how you see it.
The Deltans aren't worry. To them, Ibori is not corrupt. He is a great son of the land. Even the Bishop that presided over his thanksgiving service referred him as a great man.
So what is our stress? It is their son that spent their money.

Eso igba yin

God bless Nigeria
@tunde_adenuga

MAGU’S REJECTION: THE EXECUTIVE FAILED HIM, NOT THE SENATE

2017-03-17T08:04:00.001-07:00

As a farmer, when your hoe and cutlass don't seem to understand your target, what do you do? You discard them. If not, you will end looking incompetent before your customers.
Someone said online, "The Senate deliberately failed the acting EFCC Boss, Mr Magu because they had a lot to hide. I responded, “He that must eat with the Devil, must always be on top of his game”
The failure of Magu didn't come in the second presentation as some might have claimed. The entire damage commenced and ended in the first presentation. The President Presented Mr Magu before the Senate for confirmation about 3 months ago. At the same time, The DSS which is under the same President sent a letter to the same Senate that Mr Magu was not qualified to be confirmed. Isn’t that funny , ridiculous and unacceptable?

Someone said, ‘that goes to show the independence of the agencies and the President doesn't want to get involved”. Interesting really. He was correct but not absolutely. Yes! In as much as there is a need for some levels of independence among the agencies, there is also a need for cohesion and unity of purpose in the rule of engagement. Or else we will achieve nothing in the end. The CIA needed to work in unity with the SEALs for them to send Osama Bin Laden below 6 Feet.

In proactive governance, what does it take the President to call the DG of DSS, Mr Daura to update him before any letter goes to the Senate? Is the President no
longer the Chief Security Officer of the country? Who should define who is truly a liability to his war against corruption than the Commander in Chief himself? Is this just one off laxity from the executive or a true picture of what the wife of the President portrayed some months ago that the President was not really in charge of governance but cabal in the house who seem to be stronger than the whole nation? Who does not really want Magu to do his job in the Executive? Who is technically knocking him out? The Senate or the executive?
I give the Senate a big kudos for not clearing Magu the second time. Because if they had done so, what do you think who have happened to the integrity of the DSS before the international community? Don't you think we would have ridiculed ourselves before the international community on how a security institution's report as big as the DSS is thrown away on a personal interest? Or maybe we should look into some of the words used in that letter. "Security liability". That was the phrase used on the Acting EFCC Boss, Mr Magu. I think that is dangerous. It is like FBI putting a suspect on a "no flight" list and The President asks the same suspect to go ahead and fly. You would have rubbished the integrity of that institution that you may never have another opportunity to redeem it again. I also fell in love with the way the DSS stood her ground in the second presentation. That is how great institutions are built. They are built on principles and values and not around any man.
Even the acting Chairman of EFCC failed himself woefully. They asked him, “How much have you recovered so far,”? He responded by saying "I have no idea". Isn't that funny? Not even an estimate? Are we in banana island?. They asked him again, “What will you say about the allegation of the DSS”? He responded again “I didn't prepare for it". Does it not really show he was not really on top of his own game?
You now expect him to win the heart of Senators of various characters that you once threatened some of them with prisons. You want to scale through a group where you just sent one of their old governors to 5 years in jail last week without adequate preparation? Then you must be the real joke here.
In summary, The President failed Magu not the senate in technical terms. And to save the integrity of the institution and ourselves from further ridicule, it is high time the President let go of Magu and get somebody else and represent. There is already too much salt in this soup. It is already damage.
But if the president continues to push for Magu as he is currently and wrongly advised, the more you continue to go in logger head with the report of that security institution. And that is not good for the country image both in the short and long run. He should drop his interest and save that institution from ridicule. The error has been made. The DSS report should not have gone out in the first place under his watch.

God bless Nigeria

Tunde Adenuga
@tunde_adenuga

NIGERIANS!: WHY ARE YOU LOOKING FOR FISH IN THE DESERT? – TUNDE ADENUGA

2017-02-28T05:08:00.002-08:00

Nigeria cannot change from what it is as long the word "development" means different thing to different people. So until we have a system in place that measures development by default in comparison to what is minimally attained in a saner society, we will continue to remain here no matter how long we pray and fast. If God grants prayer just for the sake of it, Nigeria would have been up there. We have always prayed. But it seems the more we pray and prophesy the worse we become. Because my God is too JUST and FAITHFUL to reward laxity.

Until someone in Kaduna pays a visit to his friend in Enugu, returns and fights his governor over the state of things in his state, there won’t be development. Until someone from Oyo returns home on a visit to Zamfara with great curses for those in charge of his state affair, there won’t be stable power supply and hospitals in Oyo state.

When I heard that Governor Ambode was planning
to build 3000 Megawatt so that he could give Lagos 24hours stable power, I laughed profusely because I saw another plan of pouring water inside basket. Or has our electricity structure and distribution system changed now? Do we need to remind Gov Ambode what killed the Enron energy initiative of Alhaji Bola Tunubu? Somebody said, the initiative didn’t work because of the APC/PDP rivalry. I said No! Then, I pointed to our current power distribution structure that killed the beautiful idea. Then I asked myself, what is the current state of power in Abia state with her donation to the National Grid over a decade ago? Same questions went to Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

It is like putting a beautiful ring in the nostrils of a pig. I have been hearings the phrase "IPP project" now for over a decade yet none of them seems to be coming up. We are expecting magic in a system of government that has expired. What happens to a man that shallows an expired drug? He will die if care not taken. That is where we are now.

Do you think these politicians don't really want to work? I don’t think so. Only that no matter how good your intention is, you can't succeed on a wrong system. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar seems to be the only one who understands the importance of a Federal system of government where competition among states brings development, power, jobs, security etc or others are pretending? Only time will tell.
The current government promised us 20000 Megawatt of electricity by 2019 at an average of 5000 Megawatt yearly. There was nothing wrong with the promise. Not over ambitious as people say but they didn't look at the platform they wanted to run on very well. Today and two years into the regime, they cannot even sustain the mediocrity they met on ground how much more building on it. This system of government has expired.

We complained of padded budget last year, this year, we are still complaining. 2018, 2019 we will still complain the laptops and kitchen equipment because the Amalekites cannot be suppressed but expunged in order to have a permanent peace in the land. This system of government has expired. Our population is too large for the current system.

Only one thing is the solution and that is my campaign where ever I find myself. “True Federalism”. Enough of no light, no schools, no hospital, no road slogans in our protest.
Any system of government that cannot even give you 5000 Megawatts in 57 years cannot guarantee you 50000 Megawatt in 1000 years. It is a statement of fact.
Let us change this weak narrative of no this, no that. One voice, one purpose and one future.
True Federalism. That should be our campaign, logo and rally. That is the foundation that will bring the rest by default.

Enough of jokes pls‎.

God bless Nigeria

ANDREW YAKUBU’S 9.8M DOLLAR CASH FOUND AND SO WHAT? - TUNDE ADENUGA

2017-02-16T01:28:00.001-08:00

The former NNPC GMD Andrew Yakubu was alleged to have stolen and kept 9.8M dollars in a safe and Nigerians started screaming at the sight of cash. How much is 9.8M dollars really to those guys at that level? Was it because the EFCC decided to display the funds in cash and what if it came in bank statement?
What if the 12 Billion dollars that was alleged by Lamido Sanusi to have been diverted in the same NNPC was also displayed in cash? What if the 3Trillion that was alleged by Lai muhammed to have been diverted in the past also displayed in Cash? What if the uncountable Abacha loot was also brought in cash? Have we all forgotten that the 12Billion oil wind fall that was said to have disappeared under the Babangida regime was in dollars and not Naira? Won't the Nigerian masses run mad at the sight of these funds if they were all displayed in cash/

Once again, how much is 9.8M dollars really? I think Andrew was even magnanimous in it. Because as at 2014 when he was sacked, both the official and parallel rate were less than N200 to a dollar. Unfortunately, more will still be revealed as I strongly believe that more are still being stolen at the moment. I will advise we begin to drop solutions rather than our usual display of emotion.

The lasting solution to corruption is sustained on a
tested and workable system and not on any mortal man that can be influenced by emotion at any time. This is why as sincere as Buhari could claim in this war against corruption , people like Bashir, Kyari, Buratai, Dambazzu may forever remain on our payroll Just as the same way the likes of Diezani, Stella, Kuku were alleged to be milking the nation in the last regime and nothing seemed to have happened to them.

Any regime that cannot champion a restructure/ Federal system of government cannot claim to be a sincere regime or love the country because that is beginning of our lasting development and progress as a nation. If a particular system of government cannot give us ordinary 5000 Megawatts in 56years, is it not high time we departed from it if we are not truly slaves that revere their Chains?

How long have we be crying over corruption and men that lack character being in the corridors of power? how many more years do we still need to cry more to get out of this mess? Are we not becoming funny as a people? If there is any laudable prayer for Nigeria in our churches and mosques, should it not be for a restructure? Are we not tired of praying same thing for decades and yet the country gets worse daily? Is God now silent over our case? Is the whole thing not beginning to look like a religion to you? If I were you, I will ask God for a more clarity of purpose as far as Nigeria is concerned?

Donald Trump told a journalist in an interview few weeks ago, "If Chicago refuses to sit right, I will send in Feds". That is power. Because he knew the impact the Federal arm will make when things fail beyond state and county levels. Is our Federal might not already abused and rendered impotent. Ordinary clearing of shops in Amuwo Odofin, had to be carried out by a law enforcement team led by our soldiers . No single police officer around. It was that bad.

When you continue with this terrible system of government, people like Andrew, Bashir, Stella, Kyari etc will forever remain on your payroll under the guise of tribal and religious sentiment. Where is Tompolo today with all the allegations on his head and who can arrest him? The Bishop that preached at the thanksgiving of Ibori two days ago referred him as "shining light". Interesting nation, funny people.

The real war against corruption is fought and won effectively at the state and local levels. When your own neighbour begins to develop a sense of belonging to that state revenue, it will be difficult for you to steal it for yourself and family alone. But as long as it remains in Abuja, Tribal consciousness plays the first role in demand and it is first seen as a national cake. The current system breeds corruption, sentiment, nepotism, marginalization, Sabotage and finally underdevelopment and poverty. But, if we continue with this, the same way the people hoped and prayed that things would get better in the 70s and 80s, and that we are praying now in 2017, is the same way another generation will still be praying in 2050s, 2060s etc if Jesus tarries. How we are asking God to take responsibility for he has given us common sense for?

You don’t find sharks in the desert. How come we roll out prayer points daily for cars, house, clothes, shoes, etc when we can just pray for one teaching "money" and all these needs will naturally take place? How come we are trusting God for a stable power supply in a national Grid system? How come we fight over pork in a place that doesn't breed pigs? Can anyone point to me a nation where the type of our system of government is practiced that doesn't have poverty attached to her name? Can you visit Venezuela and not see poverty? How is North Korea doing in global development index? Can you take a walk to Cuba and not redefine human right abuses? This our current system of government has expired. This one can no longer give us 24 hours stable power. Let us change this narrative. The four leprous men said, If we remain here, we would die. If we take the risk, our lives might be spared.
Slaves who don't take risk die in chains.
God bless Nigeria

SHOCKING: How Nigeria’s secret police, SSS, “tortured” man to death; then paid family N15 million to keep mum

2016-12-05T01:45:00.001-08:00

After “torturing” a man to death, Nigeria’s secret police, SSS, exploited the influence of the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, to pay a paltry N15 million compensation to the victim’s family, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.
At about 2.30 a.m. on April 4, SSS operatives on the trail of a suspect accused of cloning the phone number of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, stormed No 37, Aje Street, Pleasure, in the Iyana Ipaja area of Lagos in commando style.
Residents of the address said the operatives scaled the fence of the compound, screaming and threatening as they knocked down doors and shattered ceilings. They rough-handled residents, who thought they were armed robbers as they did not introduce themselves, dragged them from their beds, ordered them out of their apartments and forced them to sit on the dusty ground of the compound.
About an hour later, when they were done harassing the residents, Saheed Eyitayo, 34, a friend to the suspect the operatives were looking for, laid in the dust motionless – beaten to a pulp by the operatives.
One resident, who described the entire experience as “nightmarish,” told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr. Eyitayo was so battered that he couldn’t stand unaided – three operatives had to drag him into one of the vans the armed men brought with them.
Unfortunately, that was the last time he would be seen alive in public.
The operatives were led to the residence by Adejoke Ogunbona, the wife of the wanted man, Rilwanu Jamiu. While on the run for the alleged crime, Mr. Jamiu, who is now facing trial alongside another suspect, had spent few days at Mr. Eyitayo’s apartment before moving on to another place in the Oke Aro area of Lagos, where he was eventually arrested.
It is not clear if Mr. Eyitayo knew his friend was a fugitive when he allowed him to stay at his apartment.

Mr. Jamiu’s wife had visited her husband while he was
hiding at Mr. Eyitayo’s apartment. Though she later confessed that even though she knew her husband was no longer at Mr. Eyitayo’s apartment, she took the SSS operatives there.
Suspicious death

Three days after the raid, the SSS invited Mr. Eyitayo’s landlord, Mathew Sobiye, to the Lagos office in Shangisha and told him, for the first time, that they had carried out the raid on his compound and that Mr. Eyitayo was dead.
They warned him not to disclose this to anyone, the Septuagenarian said.

The SSS claimed Mr. Eyitayo was resisting arrest on the night of the raid and tried to jump from the moving van as he was being conveyed to their office. They said he died from injuries sustained in the process.
But Mr. Eyitayo’s family would have none of that. They claimed that from account of fellow tenants at his Pleasure residence, he was already unconscious when he was handcuffed and carried into the waiting van.
They wondered how an unconscious man in chains could overpower several SSS operatives and jump to his death. They said if the SSS had nothing to hide, it shouldn’t have waited for 19 days before formally informing them of Mr. Eyitayo’s death.
Michael Lasisi, one of Mr. Eyitayo’s relatives, told PREMIUM TIMES that the SSS waited that long because they were trying to perfect a fabricated story to hide the fact that they tortured Mr. Eyitayo to death.
“We had gone to the SSS office several times, and they told us ‘come back you cannot see him.’ Until finally on the 23rd (of April), 19 days after he was killed, they now told one of my brothers Oyetunji that he had died. Meanwhile they had told the landlord not to tell anybody that he had died.
“They did that so as the days elapsed they would be able to manufacture lies to cover up the official criminality. They could not tell us what he has done. They said his friend was part of those who cloned the governor’s number. They traced the friend to his house but they did not see him.
At a meeting between Mr. Eyitayo’s family and the SSS on May 3 at their Shangisha office, angered by an SSS attempt to implicate Mr. Eyitayo in the number cloning scam, Mr. Lasisi and other family members walked out on the officials of the secret service threatening to drag the agency to court.

“A SHOW OF SHAME”
Not wanting the story of the alleged extrajudicial killing by its operatives out in the open, the SSS approached Mr. Akiolu, the paramount traditional monarch in Lagos, to appeal to the family of the dead man, after its original attempt to use officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice failed to assuage Mr. Eyitayo’s family.
Some members of the family said they first suspected that something was fishy when those who had resisted the antics of the Lagos State officials were exempted from the delegation to meet with Mr. Akiolu.

“I think the SSS had told the Oba that some members of the family who gave them a hard time during the initial discussion shouldn’t be allowed to be part of the negotiation. The excuse they gave was that the Oba did not want a crowd in his palace,” a family member, who sought anonymity for security reasons, said.
Several family sources present described the negotiation at the monarch’s palace as a show of shame. They said the moment the SSS offered to pay N15 million, some of the most outspoken members of the delegation suddenly became quiet.

They said Mr. Akiolu doused the flickering flame of resistance from the family members when he appealed to them to accept what the SSS was offering in order to bring a closure to the matter and stop acting like they were there to sell the body of their dead kin.
“The family lawyer put up a spirited effort to make the DSS [as the SSS is also called] pay more compensation, but members of Saheed’s family would have none of that,” an attendee at the meeting said.
“In fact, one of them was stepping on his (lawyer’s) feet and telling him not to be too hard of the DSS and to accept whatever the DSS was offering so that the matter can be settled. The lawyer was almost in tears,” another family source said.
“At a point, they even threatened to fire the lawyer if he would not agree with the decision of the family.”
“One of them said that they should accept the offer of the DSS because the body of Saheed was suffering and they needed to bury him urgently to stop the suffering,” the source said.
Another source, however, added that Mr Akiolu insisted that N10 million be given entirely to the parents of the deceased. He also insisted that the SSS must pay the lawyer’s professional fees.
According to our sources, the five million that was remaining from the compensation paid was shared among members of the deceased’s family involved in the negotiation.
Meanwhile, even as they agreed to accept the compensation, none of the victim’s family members had seen his corpse as the SSS did not disclose where it kept the body.

The family did not also press the SSS to conduct an autopsy on the deceased as required by Lagos State laws for persons who died under suspicious circumstances like Mr. Eyitayo.
“The DSS did not allow the family see the corpse of the dead victim before they forced the family to reach a negotiation. That was the plan. When they finished the negotiation, they called Saheed’s uncle to come and look at the body but he was only shown his legs,” one of our sources said.
CUT AND BRUISES ALL OVER
Family members who saw Mr. Eyitayo’s corpse after it was released for burial by the SSS said it dawned on them the reason the agency refused to let his family see the body before the negotiation was concluded and all documents signed.
“If you see the corpse, you would know that he was tortured and killed in a brutal manner. He had two deep cuts in the back of his head, apparently inflicted by a machete or other similar sharp objects. There were cuts and bruises all over his body,” the source said.
As part of the agreement reached with the deceased family, the SSS agreed to foot the bill for his funeral. Mr. Eyitayo’s body was carried to his hometown in Oyo for burial in the most disrespectful manner, the source said.
“If you see the way they carried his body home. They couldn’t even get a proper vehicle to deliver his body to his family.
“They got a rickety vehicle. On their way to Oyo State, the vehicle conveying his body was so old that its tyres bust twice before it got to the town. And they spent several hours on the road fixing the tyres.
“His body was not even put in a casket. He was taken home for burial in a body bag made of jute sack. The type used for keeping rice.
Babs Animashaun, the lawyer who represented the family, declined to discuss details of the negotiation when reached for comments. He however said the family has moved on after settlement.
“That is strictly confidential between the parties. I cannot share the details of the settlement with the public,” he said.
“The family agreed to settle with the SSS out of court. They can never be happy with what has happened but at least they were able to move on. That is what is important,” he added.
The SSS could not be reached for comments. The agency does not have a spokesperson, neither does it have an email address or phone number through which it can be contacted. Before the current administration, the SSS used to have a spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, but the current leadership of the agency led by Lawal Daura, has refused to appoint one or disclose how it should be officially contacted for enquiries.

When PREMIUM TIMES visited the palace of the Oba of Lagos to ask about his role in the saga, officials requested a formal letter. About two weeks after the letter was delivered, the monarch has not responded or agreed to a formal interview.

PREMIUM TIMES

THE DEMOCRATIC PRESENCE IN GOVERNANCE (The Four Ethic Rules) by Tunde Adenuga

2016-11-30T05:36:00.000-08:00

I had a brief chat with a middle aged man yesterday evening. He was lamenting the NCC data plan development. Then I asked him. “Sir, with the current situation of the country, what will your desire be in 2019?” He responded in a loud voice “nothing than to vote them out!” I allowed him to land well. I asked again “If you vote them out, who will you bring in?” Then, he suddenly developed a cough flu. He left all to fate.

RULE 1: Never become reasonable with those in charge of your government.

By nature it is natural for the government to throw anything at your table. It is you that must learn to say NO! It was because Nigerians suddenly became unreasonable, that was why the 16 years rule of the PDP had to go. Nigerians refused everything that was sold to them in the last election even without a clear picture of what they were going into. It was just over with their marriage of convenience with PDP.
So, how come have we suddenly become reasonable with the government again? For the first time in history, a fuel pump price moved from N86 to N145 and the economy of this nation was not grounded for just 1 hour. Everybody went about their normal duty. The Power supply tariff went up by 45% and it scaled through also. Even when a reputable court of law said No to the development and called for it immediate reversal. But Nigerians could not support the judge with just on
e day protest just because they had become reasonable with the government. And everybody went about their normal business. When a stamp duty charge was implemented on their finances, Nigerians were the first to say “it has always been in the law” because they had become reasonable.
Please get this! Telling the government No doesn’t mean you don’t understand that there is FOREX challenge and it doesn’t mean you don’t know that the government truly need fund to run projects. It just simply means you are telling the government you cannot be taken for granted by throwing anything at your table to swallow. It shows your presence in government. That is asking your government to take responsibility for every of her promises. Nothing encourages an innovative thinking from the government than this and also encourages them to think outside the box. Telling your child NO doesn’t make you a bad parent. You have only developed a creative thinking in that child that he can always have his demand met through other legitimate means. But we failed in this area. We have sold ourselves too cheap in our desperate quest for change. If care not taking, this NCC development has come to stay.

RULE 2: Do not defend your government except against an external force.

If you tell me you do not know nations whose people defend their government, I will point to you Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela. There you will learn the true definition of poverty and underdevelopment. Nations where the people are used to protest and asking questions have good roads and hospitals today. There was 24 hours power supply in Libya when they asked Gadhafi to take a bow. When election is over, you stay on the opposite side. This will help your judgement. It is not a sign of hate but a proof that you truly love the country above those in charge. Government is tenured. But poverty and underdevelopment of the people can outlive their generation if they choose to buy their excuses for inefficiency. If we made this mistake in the past, it is high time we all let go. Many government know this weakness well in their people. This is why the divide and rule tactics have succeeded greatly in Africa.

RULE 3: Do not separate politicians. They are all the same all over the world.

Barack Obama said in 2008 “Hillary Clinton cannot be trusted. If she says this, she would do that”. In 2016, He said same Hillary Clinton was the best thing that could happen to the white house. The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibajo said weeks ago, “Judiciary is the problem of our development” But he seemed to have forgotten that he was one of those who led Tinubu off the hook of CCT trial on foreign account charges years ago against the same judiciary out of professionalism. If right or wrong, every man has conscience. What goes round comes round. We are all the problems of our current predicament. Follow up your government by asking real questions. It is those who go controversial most time that have the best of information and grow in knowledge. Learn to be different.

RULE 4: Never join anyone to pray for the death of opposition.

PDP may no longer be useful to our national life. But you need them alive to put checks on the current government. Their death is dangerous to our growth and development. Can I shock you a little? Politicians don’t die. Only their party logo and name go into oblivion. The smart ones in PDP have moved into APC to continue life. The old ones have retired into elder statesmen. The remaining few stubborn ones are battling with EFCC on moral issues. So, who is at a loss? The politicians or the people? I guess you will follow me to choose the latter. I think that was the answer the middle aged man could not give me last night.
It is painful. Unfortunately we are in it altogether. You don’t tell a blind man that rain is falling. Shehu Garba responded to the open rebuke of a CPC Chieftain, Alhaji Galadima last week that comes 2019, Buhari will still have the support of the people. Because he knew clearly that the votes in 2019 won’t be based performance but lack of options by the people. Option is currently in comatose .
This is where we are at the moment. We can only hope for the best and that things don’t get more terrible beyond this. We have about two more years to go in this administration. Nigerians need to be less emotional by asking the government laudable questions. This is the way to go. We must continuously show our democratic presence at every point in time.

@tunde_adenuga

God bless Nigeria

To get international passports, Nigerians to show evidence of tax payment

2016-11-29T00:50:00.002-08:00

The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, on Monday said soon, Nigerians might begin to show evidence of tax payment before obtaining their passports.
Tunde Fowler said this at the 136th meeting of the Joint Tax Board which had the theme: “Increased Inter-Agency Co-operation to Enhance Tax Compliance and Optimise Revenue Collection” in Abuja.
“We did take a position and I believe it would be implemented in the very near future that before you get any services from the immigration department: renewal of passports etc, you’d have to show that you are a tax payer.
“These things are normal all over the world,
In an effort to serve Nigerians and Nigeria better.
“People believe that payment of tax is a burden and I’ll repeat that you only pay tax on income and profits.
“So if you reside in Nigeria and you are benefiting from being a Nigerian resident, it is only fair that you contribute to the system that makes you enjoy that standard of living.”
He said the FIRS set a target to increase the individual taxpayer data base by 10 million by December 31.
“I’m glad with our co-operation; we’ve been able to attain 30 per cent of that. We’ve been able to get three million individual taxpayers across the nation.

“I’d like to congratulate Kano State for leading the pack by increasing the database by 944,000 followed by Lagos with 306,000 then Kaduna and Plateau,’’ he said.
The Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, lamented that the FRSC was being owed N700 million for number plates production.
He also decried the high rate of fake documentation at ports, saying “if we can strengthen inter-agency collaboration, we’ll get more results now that the focus is on IGR.”
The Chairman of the Abia State Board of Internal Revenue, Udochukwu Ogbonna, urged the revenue generating agencies to co-operate digitally to ensure success and curb corruption.
Also, the Chairman of the Edo State Internal Revenue Service, Oseni Elamah, said “the FIRS should have a digital one-stop-shop accessible to all partners’’.
Some revenue generating agencies on Monday met in Abuja to curtail loss, stop corruption and increase proceeds to government coffers in 2017.
The event brought together all states internal revenue service chairmen and the bosses of the Nigeria Customs Service, and the Nigeria Immigration Service.

PREMIUM TIMES

Grace Mugabe declares herself as President of Zimbabwe

2016-11-23T05:44:00.002-08:00

The Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe has declared herself as the new president that would take over when current President, Robert Mugabe finally steps down.
Mrs. Grace Mugabe said to the ruling Zanu-PF party women’s league that; she is already the president, as she has made plans and arrangement with President Robert Mugabe”.
President Robert Mugabe has disclosed that he is making plans for his retirement. Mugabe made the announcement to veterans, who came to solidify their support for him. There, he admitted that Zimbabwe is apparently in a financial crisis – which spe
lls doom for the citizens and the country at large.
Grace Mugabe said that there was no point for her fighting to be vice president, a lesser position, when she was already running State affairs.
‘I’m the wife of the president, I’m the president already … I plan and do everything with the president, what more do I want, for now the position of the women boss is enough,”
Grace’s new announcement also raised concern that she still influences the president’s decisions, especially in policies that affect the country. Months back, Mugabe himself admitted to being ‘told what to do’ by Grace who forced him to prematurely end his speech during the Zanu PF National Conference in Victoria Falls last year.
President was quoted as saying “Mukadzi uyu akutondinyorera kuti ndavakutaurisa (she is writing to me, saying “I’m talking to much). Ndozvandinoitwa kumba (this is what she does at home). Saka ndoteerera (So I listen),” Mugabe ashamedly admitted to his wife’s rule.
Mashonaland West women’s league chairperson, Angeline Muchemeyi told a gathering over the weekend that Grace was already running State affairs and would not fight for lesser positions like the vice president’s post.
“Grace told an executive meeting that she is ‘already the President’ and would not want to be appointed VP, as it was a lower post,” she said, reiterating that Grace Mugabe is making serious plans to take over as soon as Mugabe steps down.

The true meaning of recession – Reuben Abati

2016-11-22T08:56:00.001-08:00

There have been interesting arguments over Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun’s observation that “recession is just a word”, and NAN MD, Bayo Onanuga claiming that reports of hardship in the land is exaggerated propaganda. I think we need to break down the subject further from a layman’s perspective. Recession is a word, no doubt, but it is more than a word, it is an experience: the experience that the majority of Nigerians is going through. If you are at a significant remove from that experience, it may be difficult to know how it feels, and if you are an economist, you are likely to be conveniently obsessed with textbook ideas. Reuben Abati Reuben Abati Recession is when Nigerians begin to shift the traditional dates for social parties.

You know we love parties a lot. Virtually every weekend, there is one party or the other, very loud celebrations where people wear the famous aso ebi, and the Naira becomes a flying object, being thrown all over the place, at the musician, the celebrant, and her friends and family, with so much joy floating in the air, and plates of jolloff rice, eaten half way and left to waste, area boys having their own share of the fun, and Nigerians showing the world that life is indeed for the living. Sometimes, these parties make no sense: imagine a man throwing a big party to “turn the back” of his great grandfather who died 50 years ago (!) – a great grandfather he never knew, or a lavish party to celebrate the purchase of a second-hand car.

Those things are very rare these days. And when some parties are held, the date on the invitation card is during the week: can you imagine being invited to a wedding on a Monday? I have seen that happen. The event was over and done with before 5 pm. Smart way to save money in a season of recession. There were guests of course, but not the kind of crowd you’d get at a typical Nigerian party on a Friday or Saturday. The celebrants actually confessed they didn’t have the means to feed too many people. That is what recession has done.

Nobody boasts anymore about “declaring surplus” – a once-upon-a-time very famous phrase in this country! When I was much younger, my friends and I used to gate-crash parties. Bored, with not much to do, we would dress up and go from one party to the other. It was called “mo gbo mo ya” – I heard and I came. In those days, all you needed was to go to a party to which you had not been invited, and without knowing anybody, you took a seat and before long, someone would come along and ask if you had eaten. In a matter of minutes, whatever you wanted would be placed before you. Drinks? Some friends used to boast about “finishing” a carton of beer, and they would have their fill and quietly sneak away.

Try that these days and you would know that recession is more than a word. Virtually every party is now strictly by invitation. Even when it is not boldly stated on the invitation card, you’d get to know the truth when you attempt to gate-crash. Parties are now organized with such strict protocols, it is like trying to access Aso Villa. You would be screened, your bag will be checked, and don’t think it is Boko Haram attack they are afraid of, they just want to be sure you are not gate-crashing, and if you don’t have an invitation card, you would of course be turned back. There are some exceptions of course, where the protocol is a matter of security: particularly at those parties where there would be many VIPs. Nigerian VIPs don’t like to mix with just anybody. Even if you manage to gatecrash, nobody will attend to you. What operates at parties these days, is a KYG (Know-Your-Guest) system. After sitting down, someone has to identify you as his or her guest. You don’t get served food, unless your host or hostess gives specific instructions. And you can’t drink a carton of beer anymore at your host’s expense! I certainly can’t remember when last I saw anyone getting drunk at other people’s expense at a party.

Even close friends of celebrants, the ones who are a bit comfortable, go to parties these days with their own small cooler of drinks. The celebrant will offer you one or two bottles. If you want more than that, the ushers could become hostile or they could tell you pointedly: “drinks have finished.” I have had on one occasion to give the ushers, money to go and get me the drink of my choice. But once upon a time in this country, drinks don’t stop flowing at parties. The host will be so ashamed he or she would order more drinks and apologize to no end. Where I come from, local women used to go to parties with cellophane bags, hidden away somewhere, and when they are served food, they would pull out the cellophane bag and pour food into it, all of that is done under the table. Next thing: they will start harassing the ushers: “we have not eaten here oh. Nobody has given us drinks: drinks they have moved to their collection cellophane bags! But party organizers have also learnt to be vigilant: they serve table to table; map out the space carefully and monitor the tables. Before 2019, perhaps a time will come when ushers will take your photograph, or there will be CCTV monitors at social events, just so you don’t come back and say you have not been served. That is change.

That is recession. If you are a man-about-town, you can’t fail to notice this: that something has indeed changed in the social circuit. But there is that one per cent crowd, whose pockets are still so deep, if you get invited to their parties, it is like going to a surplus-declaration event, what Nigerians call “too much money.” Even that is changing though, people are learning to be careful, so they don’t get invited to come and explain how they came about so much money. Recession is when you now read in the newspapers virtually every week about people committing suicide. Nigerians are so fun-loving we were once described as the happiest people on earth. Right now, we will fail the test. Suicide used to be so rare in this country. It was considered impossible. Why would anyone want to kill himself? I used to hear people say: “eba is sweet oh, I can’t come and die” or “life is for the living”, or “e go better”. People are not so sure anymore. In the past month, there have been reports about two foreigners doing business in Nigeria who have also committed suicide.

Every reported suicide in recent times, has been tied, one way or the other, to the recession in the country. One man had an argument with his wife over school fees and housekeeping money and he went and ended it all. Another man actually left a note saying he had to kill himself because there is too much hardship in the country. Marriages are collapsing. Domestic violence is on the rise. Husbands that are out of work can no longer maintain their families, they can’t pay school fees, they have become useless in their own homes, they are helpless.

Their wives want to leave, even when they are not too sure of the next destination. There are at least two celebrated cases of women who have either slain their husbands or wounded them badly. In both cases, there was that notorious thing about a second woman in the background. Sharing what is not enough for one person with another woman, in a season of recession, could be a crime, but the biggest dysfunction is that of the pocket. One woman, a lawyer oh (!) stabbed her husband in the neck. Another after having sex with her husband, and putting him to sleep, got a machete and butchered him. The man is presently in what
Yorubas call,“boya o ma ku, boya o maa ye” condition. Whether he would live or die is uncertain.

Recession is when companies are retrenching everyday or closing shop and SMEs are dying. In the last one year, high unemployment figures have been announced. Banks have had to shed weight; the foreign exchange crisis has forced many companies to downsize or abandon Nigeria, investors are taking their funds out of the country, many states of the Federation are so much in distress, they have stopped paying salaries. Civil servants cannot even afford a bag of rice, because their minimum wage is N18, 000 and a bag of rice is N22, 000 or higher in some places.

Recession is when Nigerians now steal pots of soup and basic food items, and they can’t buy rams for Sallah, and they are told “don’t worry, change begins with you!” Every worker who has lost his or her job in the last one year is not the only one affected, the knock-on effect has brought anguish to other dependants, who now have a bread-winner behaving like a bread seeker. That is recession. That is hardship. Recession is when enjoyment spots that used to be filled up every Friday evening are now empty. Nigerians used to celebrate what they call “Thank God it is Friday.”

In Lagos, Friday evenings used to be the boys’ night. Husbands didn’t go home early. These days, husbands go home early and Fridays have become slightly boring. Recession is when prostitutes reduce their charges. I have it on good authority, from those who know, that even prostitutes have had to embrace change. And old girlfriends now demand pension benefits. Recession is when families which used to run the generator 24 hours and boast that their children can’t stand heat, have had to adjust, and run the generator only from 12 midnight, or before. Recession is when men come out and complain that their wives no longer allow them to touch them: “Are you mad? With the way things are, all you think of is sex?”

Kama Sutra rites are best enjoyed only in happy lands. Recession is when in spite of all this, the breweries in Nigeria are posting unbelievable record profits and smiling to the banks. The men go home and privately drown their sorrow in bottles. Mrs Adeosun, this is the true meaning of recession.

Why Boko Haram insurgency can’t be said to be over by Atiku Abubarkar

2016-11-21T08:15:00.002-08:00

The commitment of the Federal Government and the state governments in this zone, as well as the support of the governments of our neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger, have pushed back against the violent insurgency and improved the security of citizens in the area. The improvement in the security situation also means that some internally displaced persons

have been able to return to their homes and try to resume normal lives. I would like to specially acknowledge the efforts of our security forces in making these possible. However, more still needs to be done to restore normalcy in this area. The insurgency remains.

The insurgents still occupy a specific geographical space.

They still retain the capacity for occasional deadly attacks. Many citizens in the zone still remain vulnerable and live in fear; and we cannot say that the problem is over until every displaced person is able to return home, to the office, to the market, to the farm, and resume normal activities. We cannot say it is over until we rebuild the schools, the churches, the hospitals, the markets, and the homes that had been destroyed. And we cannot say it’s over until the survivors of this insurgency receive the help they need, including psychological therapy to deal with the trauma that they have been through.

I visited an IDP camp on Saturday and had the privilege of teaching a maths class to some children. But the sight of hundreds of children running around and unable to attend school was very gut wrenching. It still breaks my heart.

So we cannot say the insurgency is over until all the displaced children return to their schools. And, as I indicated last year, it would not be enough for people to simply return to their pre-insurgency lives. We must do better than that, otherwise we would only have papered over the wound without really treating it. People must return to something better; to hope, to improved schools, to improved economic opportunities, to freedom of worship and improved inter-religious harmony. People must return to the realisation that it is OK not only to be different but also to learn, including the so-called Western education. You see, Western education really belongs to humanity since different parts of the world contributed to that which we now call Western education and culture. In any case, nobody says we must take everything that is associated with that culture; we can take that which helps us improve our societies while ignoring that which doesn’t. And we must no longer wait for socio-economic and political problems to fester for a long time before we tackle them, the way we routinely wait for small potholes on our roads to develop into huge gullies and death-traps before we try to fix them, if at all.

That should be a critical lesson of this insurgency. So, let us take immediate steps to put our people to work. Let’s fix our roads, bridges and schools and other infrastructure. Let us expand schooling in this zone and other parts of the country. Let’s expand enrolment, and hire and train highly qualified and motivated teachers who are well paid. Let’s resolve to strictly enforce the law that makes primary and secondary education free and compulsory in this country so that every child stays in school until at least the age of 18. Let us expand vocational training in addition to improving our universities and polytechnics. Let us expose our youth to entrepreneurship as part of their education, to help us to really create employment and grow the economy and incomes in a sustainable way. Germany seems to offer a great example on vocation training and apprenticeship. We may want to carefully study its system to see how we can adopt elements of it for our country, our people and our economy. When we take these measures that expand educational and career opportunities for our young people, we give them hope; we give them positive things to aspire to. We must demonstrate to our youth that living is far better than dying. When we provide them these opportunities we are likely to see more of them receive the kinds of awards and honours that were bestowed on these outstanding people that were so honoured here today. But we should not stop there. Citizens are not just about jobs and incomes. We have to take measures to facilitate citizen engagement, especially the youth. Our young people have to take greater interest in public affairs. And I am not just talking about voting in elections.

They should be organised and participate in debates on public policy and community service. And as a country, we have to find ways to lift up those who need help, to give voice to the voiceless, to listen to the voices of those who feel marginalised and left behind, and find ways to address their concerns. The recent Brexit referendum in the UK and the November 8 presidential election in the US hold important lessons for us. Being established and stable democracies, they had peaceful outcomes. We may not be that lucky because of the fragility of our democratic and other public institutions.

To our students I say your handwork and sacrifices are worth it. You are among the privileged. So take full advantage of the opportunities you have. Education is an opportunity and remains the key that unlocks opportunities and opens new horizons. And in the contemporary world, those without education and requisite skills will have a harder time attaining social mobility. This is the world of big data, of coding, of genetic engineering, of 3D printing, of renewable energy, of artificial intelligence, of self-driving automobiles, of space tourism, of inter-connected devices (the internet of things), and of social diversity and inclusion. You have the opportunity to prepare and equip yourselves for that world so that you, your families and your country are not left behind.

Atiku Abubakar is a former vice president of Nigeria and founder, American University of Nigeria (AUN).

DAILY TIMES

This past year has been particularly challenging for us and for Nigeria. The country’s economy, which had remained weak, slid into a recession. There has been little public spending as the new government in Abuja and most state capitals try to figure out how to proceed with governance, just as oil production and revenues have plummeted. And when citizens, including parents, have little income to spend, especially in the midst of uncertainty, the effect spreads to various sectors of the economy, including higher education. But it was also a year that saw significant improvements in the security situation in the North-East, our catchment area. The commitment of the Federal Government and the state governments in this zone, as well as the support of the governments of our neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger, have pushed back against the violent insurgency and improved the security of citizens in the area. The improvement in the security situation also means that some internally displaced persons have been able to return to their homes and try to resume normal lives. I would like to specially acknowledge the efforts of our security forces in making these possible. However, more still needs to be done to restore normalcy in this area. The insurgency remains. The insurgents still occupy a specific geographical space. They still retain the capacity for occasional deadly attacks. Many citizens in the zone still remain vulnerable and live in fear; and we cannot say that the problem is over until every displaced person is able to return home, to the office, to the market, to the farm, and resume normal activities. We cannot say it is over until we rebuild the schools, the churches, the hospitals, the markets, and the homes that had been destroyed. And we cannot say it’s over until the survivors of this insurgency receive the help they need, including psychological therapy to deal with the trauma that they have been through. I visited an IDP camp on Saturday and had the privilege of teaching a maths class to some children. But the sight of hundreds of children running around and unable to attend school was very gut wrenching. It still breaks my heart. So we cannot say the insurgency is over until all the displaced children return to their schools. And, as I indicated last year, it would not be enough for people to simply return to their pre-insurgency lives. We must do better than that, otherwise we would only have papered over the wound without really treating it. People must return to something better; to hope, to improved schools, to improved economic opportunities, to freedom of worship and improved inter-religious harmony. People must return to the realisation that it is OK not only to be different but also to learn, including the so-called Western education. You see, Western education really belongs to humanity since different parts of the world contributed to that which we now call Western education and culture. In any case, nobody says we must take everything that is associated with that culture; we can take that which helps us improve our societies while ignoring that which doesn’t. And we must no longer wait for socio-economic and political problems to fester for a long time before we tackle them, the way we routinely wait for small potholes on our roads to develop into huge gullies and death-traps before we try to fix them, if at all. That should be a critical lesson of this insurgency. So, let us take immediate steps to put our people to work. Let’s fix our roads, bridges and schools and other infrastructure. Let us expand schooling in this zone and other parts of the country. Let’s expand enrolment, and hire and train highly qualified and motivated teachers who are well paid. Let’s resolve to strictly enforce the law that makes primary and secondary education free and compulsory in this country so that every child stays in school until at least the age of 18. Let us expand vocational training in addition to improving our universities and polytechnics. Let us expose our youth to entrepreneurship as part of their education, to help us to really create employment and grow the economy and incomes in a sustainable way. Germany seems to offer a great example on vocation training and apprenticeship. We may want to carefully study its system to see how we can adopt elements of it for our country, our people and our economy. When we take these measures that expand educational and career opportunities for our young people, we give them hope; we give them positive things to aspire to. We must demonstrate to our youth that living is far better than dying. When we provide them these opportunities we are likely to see more of them receive the kinds of awards and honours that were bestowed on these outstanding people that were so honoured here today. But we should not stop there. Citizens are not just about jobs and incomes. We have to take measures to facilitate citizen engagement, especially the youth. Our young people have to take greater interest in public affairs. And I am not just talking about voting in elections. They should be organised and participate in debates on public policy and community service. And as a country, we have to find ways to lift up those who need help, to give voice to the voiceless, to listen to the voices of those who feel marginalised and left behind, and find ways to address their concerns. The recent Brexit referendum in the UK and the November 8 presidential election in the US hold important lessons for us. Being established and stable democracies, they had peaceful outcomes. We may not be that lucky because of the fragility of our democratic and other public institutions. To our students I say your handwork and sacrifices are worth it. You are among the privileged. So take full advantage of the opportunities you have. Education is an opportunity and remains the key that unlocks opportunities and opens new horizons. And in the contemporary world, those without education and requisite skills will have a harder time attaining social mobility. This is the world of big data, of coding, of genetic engineering, of 3D printing, of renewable energy, of artificial intelligence, of self-driving automobiles, of space tourism, of inter-connected devices (the internet of things), and of social diversity and inclusion. You have the opportunity to prepare and equip yourselves for that world so that you, your families and your country are not left behind. Atiku Abubakar is a former vice president of Nigeria and founder, American University of Nigeria (AUN).

Read more at: http://dailytimes.ng/boko-haram-insurgency-cant-said/

Presidential Election: Fayose warns Ghanaians against voting for “change”

2016-11-21T06:08:00.000-08:00

As the December 7 presidential election in Ghana draws near, Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has counselled the people of Ghana to be mindful of making the same mistake made by Nigerians in the 2015 presidential election by voting for change, which he said brought hunger, sufferings and economic recession to the country, such that even the entire West African sub-region is being affected.
He said “by buying into the All Progressives Congress (APC) message of change, Nigerians are now facing a kind of hunger and suffering never experienced in the country in the last 30 years and Ghanaians must not fall into that kind of trap.”
The Special Assistant to the Governor on Public
Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday that Governor Fayose made the call while hosting some men of God from Ghana on Saturday.
The governor said, “Ghanaians should not succumb to the deceit of the opposition party that are calling for a change of government. Rather, they should return the incumbent President, John Mahama, who has no doubt done creditably well to deserve a re-election.
“Ghanaians should know that the change in Nigeria brought hunger, suffering, disregard for the rule of law as well as arrest and detention of Nigerians without trial and be mindful of those preaching change to them.
“Most importantly, the situation in Ghana at present is similar to that of Nigeria. Like President Mohammadu Buhari, opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo has contested the presidency two times. This is the third time he is contesting. He is also 74 year-old.
“In Nigeria, change is synonymous with economic recession that is even getting to the level of depression.
Even majority of those who brought the change are now regretting it.

“Therefore, tell your people in Ghana that Nigerians are already regretting the change they made last year, which has plunged the country into serious economic hardship. Tell them to learn from Nigerians and reject those preaching message of change to them. They should hold on to the government that they have now and beware of a change that will take their country to economic recession.”

PREMIUM TIMES

U.S. expresses concern about Nigerian govt. treatment of Shiites

2016-11-18T02:07:00.002-08:00

The United States government on Friday expressed deep concern by reports of the deaths of dozens of Nigerians involved in clashes between individuals participating in a Shia procession and the Nigerian Police Force in Kano State on November 14.
The U.S. government said in a statement from its Embassy in Abuja that while the matter was still being investigated, it was “troubled by the apparent disproportionate response by the police” during the clash.
“This is the latest in a series of violent incidents between security forces and members of the Shia Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), some of which have resulted in deaths, destruction of property, and the arbitrary detention of IMN members.
“The United States calls for calm and restraint on
all sides, a reduction of tensions, and greater communication between Shia citizens and government authorities,” the statement said.
The U.S. government noted that members of the Shia community, like other religious communities, have the right to assemble, peacefully express their religious beliefs, and mark their celebrations.
While calling on the Nigerian government to protect and defend the rights of the IMN, the U.S. government said it was also incumbent on members of the religious sect and all Nigerians to respect the rule of law and cooperate with the police as they attempt to maintain public order.
“We continue to urge the government to ensure accountability for the deaths of more than 300 IMN members during December 15, 2015 clashes between the IMN and security forces in Zaria, Kaduna State.
“We also call on the Nigerian government to conduct a transparent investigation of the latest incidents and bring to account anyone responsible for violating the law,” it said.

Premium Times

Trump will confront those with hidden agenda to Islamise Nigeria – Fani- Kayode

2016-11-17T02:37:00.001-08:00

Former spokesperson of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said yesterday that the President-elect of the United States of America, USA, Donald Trump, would confront those in government with hidden agenda to Islamise Nigeria and turn Nigeria into a nation of ethnic and religious vassals that must bow before President Muhammadu Buhari and his kinsmen.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Fani-Kayode who personally signed the statement congratulating the President-elect, said that his victory was a fulfilment of prophesing, said, “He will also confront their hidden agenda to islamise Nigeria and turn us into a nation of ethnic and religious vassals that must bow before President Muhammadu Buhari and his kinsmen.

“For those that wield political power in Nigeria and for the small cabal of ethnic hegemonists, “born to rule” irredentists and religious bigots that run the affairs of our nation,
the writing is on the wall.
“Their days are numbered because those that put them in power from America have themselves been shamed and removed from power by the Living God.”
The former Minister of Aviation who tagged his statement, “head bloodied but not bowed and the ascension of President-elect, Donald J. Trump (Part2) read in full, “Though rather belated, I hereby congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on a magnificent victory at the polls in America and I wish him well.
“I have been an ardent supporter of a Trump presidency for the last one year and I wrote two essays predicting his victory and stating the reasons why I supported him during the primaries and before the election respectively.
“More importantly the election of Trump was a fulfilment of prophecy. His ascension to power was propelled by a force and power that is not of this world and that simply cannot be resisted by any human being or satanic conspiracy.
“Simply put the Lord Himself raised and prepared Trump and He will use him to bring glory to His name, to effect His purpose and to establish His counsel and will in the United States of America and indeed the entire free world.
“Most importantly I celebrate the fact that with His son and servant Donald J. Trump in the saddle, God Himself will be back in the White House and good old fashioned Christian values will once again be cherished and espoused by the leader of the leader of the free world and the most powerful man on earth.
“If I can say that I had at least one beautiful moment in the last three weeks during my illegal incarceration by the EFCC this was it.
“As the news filtered into the underground cells that Trump had won I shouted “praise the Lord” at the top of my voice to the utter amazement and chagrin of my cell-mates and the cell-guards.
“Finally let it be clearly understood that the implications of a Trump presidency for Nigeria are far-reaching and self-evident.
“Those that came to power last year on the the mantle of islamic domination, religious intolerance and racial discrimination and that espoused the most hideous form of ethnic bigotry and religious fanatacism certainly have a lot of soul-searching to do because there friends in the Obama White House are on their way out and their darling Hilary is not coming in to replace him.
“I assure you that President Donald Trump, who I have known and studied closely for many years, will literally give them hell.
“Not only will he resist their constant and gross violations of human rights and civil liberties but he will.also bring them to justice for their regular use of genocide against religious and ethnic minorities in our country.
“He will also confront their hidden agenda to islamise Nigeria and turn us into a nation of ethnic and religious vassals that must bow before President Muhammadu Buhari and his kinsmen.
“For those that wield political power in Nigeria and for the small cabal of ethnic hegemonists, “born to rule” irredentists and religious bigots that run the affairs of our nation, the writing is on the wall.
“Their days are numbered because those that put them in power from America have themselves been shamed and removed from power by the Living God.
“In the next few years many changes will take place in politics throughout the world as the forces of Christendom and right-wing nationalism ride on the crest of a rising tide and a beautiful wave.
“Nothing will be able to stop the irresistable and righteous quest for self-determination and the reawakening of ancient cultural identitities all over the world in the next few months which has come as a consequence of the Trump victory.
“It started with Brexit in the United Kingdom and the rise of right wing and ultra-nationalist political parties like Marie Le Pen’s National Front in France, Italy, Holland and Germany. It has now culminated in a Trump victory in the United States of America.
“Throughout the world there is a new, strong and rising tide of resisitance to governmental tyranny, the propagatiion of political correctness, the imposition of foreign and alien values, the establishment of state-sponsored slavery, the promotion of anti-Judeo-Christian philosophies, the enforcement of religious bigotry and servitude, the pampering and accomodation of radical islam and terror and the supression of ethnic and religious minorities.
“We in Nigeria will not be left out. The time for our final emancipation and permanent liberation from the representatives of satan on earth, the foces of darkness and our internal colonial masters are at hand.
“Freedom beckons and greatness calls all those who dare to believe and who are courageous enough to damn the consequences and take it. If Trump can turn the tide and the tables in America then we, by the grace of God, can also do it here.
“As my friend Jackie Macgunn wrote on Facebook,
“A Putin/Trump/Netanyahu coalition is the worst nightmare for the world sponsors of terror and marks the end of an era of the Washington apologists for ISIS, AL Qaeda, AL Nusra, the Taliban, AL Shabab, Boko Haram and the Fulani militants and herdsmen”.
“This is what they call the “Trump-effect” and those that are not comfortable with it must be prepared to live with it for the next eight years whether they like it or not.
“I thank God for President-elect Donald J. Trump and I trust and believe God that his era will.be one of great glory for the United States of America and indeed the civilised world.”

NEWSDESK

Boko Haram attacks Borno communities, kills 22 villagers

2016-11-17T02:22:00.001-08:00

At least 22 persons were killed in separate attacks this week by suspected Boko Haram gunmen in Monguno Local Government Area of Borno State, security sources said.
The attacks were carried out between Monday and Tuesday, according to a top official of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria in Borno State, Abbas Gava.
The vigilante usually work with soldiers to secure Borno, and the government has said many of them will be recruited into the army after the Boko Haram is defeated.
The source informed PREMIUM TIMES that the villages of Dasa and Duwabayi, both in Monguno Local Government Area, were attacked by the Boko Haram insurgents.
“We received the sad information from our colleagues operating in Monguno who said on Monday that gunmen attacked Dasa, a village about 3km away from
Monguno during which they killed nine persons”, said Mr. Gava who also functions as the spokesman of the local vigilante group in the state.
“On Tuesday night, again, the gunmen went to attack Duwabayi, another village not far away from Dasa, where they killed 13 persons – making it a total of 22 dead casualties. The gunmen who stormed the villages in large numbers ensured that they burnt down every building in the two villages”.
Mr. Gava added that members of his vigilante group on Wednesday in Monguno arrested one of the notorious amirs (commander) of Boko Haram whom they reportedly handed over to the soldiers in Monguno.
He said residents of the two villages fled their homes in the wake of the attacks.

Monguno is one of the most attacked local government areas located within the northern axis of Borno state.
The local government headquarters, also called Monguno, fell under the control of Boko Haram on January 25, 2015 when the insurgents overran the town and the 243 Battalion barracks there.
After Nigerian soldiers retook the barracks, it was upgraded to its present 8th Task Force Division, Nigeria Army.
The spokesman of the 8th Task Force Division, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, who usually communicates through WhatsApp, was not available to speak on the attacks.
The Boko Haram attacks have continued despite continued negotiations with the federal government for the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls.
Twenty one of the over 200 girls kidnapped from Chibok in Borno State in 2014 have already been released by the insurgents.
The federal government recently denied it paid ransom to free the girls.

BOKO HARAM SUSPECTS PROTECTED ME IN PRISON – FANI-KAYODE

2016-11-17T01:47:00.000-08:00

The ex-minister said he spent over two weeks in the underground cell of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission without being interrogated. He said he was then transferred to Kuje Prison where he was kept in a cell along with terrorists. Fani-Kayode said, “At Kuje I was kept in the terrorist wing of the prison which was built by the British government specifically for Boko Haram convicts and suspects. There were 47 of them in the facility and I was with them throughout.

These were tough, disciplined, hardened, surprisingly well-educated and intimidating men. “This was a frightful place and those that were locked up there were very dangerous and frightful people yet thankfully the Lord went ahead of me. “The single cells, though small, were clean, well-ventilated, dry and very neat. The inmates were surprisingly very kind and friendly towards me and turned out to be my best friends and bodyguards whenever I toured the other parts of the prison. “Most of those men were not Boko Haram killers but had been falsely accused, tortured and just dumped into prison and I felt nothing but pain and sorrow when I heard their stories.” Fani-Kayode said during his time at the prison, he met with the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in detention for over a year.

DAILY TIMES

A former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, says he was protected by Boko Haram suspects during his four-day detention at Kuje Prison. Fani-Kayode said this in an article titled, ‘Head bloodied but not bowed and the ascension of President-Elect Donald Trump’ on Wednesday. The ex-minister said he spent over two weeks in the underground cell of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission without being interrogated. He said he was then transferred to Kuje Prison where he was kept in a cell along with terrorists. Fani-Kayode said, “At Kuje I was kept in the terrorist wing of the prison which was built by the British government specifically for Boko Haram convicts and suspects. There were 47 of them in the facility and I was with them throughout. These were tough, disciplined, hardened, surprisingly well-educated and intimidating men. “This was a frightful place and those that were locked up there were very dangerous and frightful people yet thankfully the Lord went ahead of me. “The single cells, though small, were clean, well-ventilated, dry and very neat. The inmates were surprisingly very kind and friendly towards me and turned out to be my best friends and bodyguards whenever I toured the other parts of the prison. “Most of those men were not Boko Haram killers but had been falsely accused, tortured and just dumped into prison and I felt nothing but pain and sorrow when I heard their stories.” Fani-Kayode said during his time at the prison, he met with the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in detention for over a year.

Read more at: http://dailytimes.ng/boko-haram-suspects-protected-prison-fani-kayode/

Judiciary must fight corruption – Osinbajo

2016-11-16T06:22:00.001-08:00

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday said it was fundamental for the judiciary to fight corruption in order to protect its independence.
Osinbajo said this at the 2016 Fellows Lecture and Conferment of Honourary Fellowship on him and three others by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in Abuja.
According to him, the most potent threat against judicial independence is corruption.
Osinbajo wondered how a compromised judge could be fair and just if a litigant could buy justice.
Osinbajo said: “But (and this is fundamental), it is to protect judicial independence that we must fight corruption.”
Osinbajo noted that judicial independence was spoken of sometimes as though it was a favour being done to the judiciary, saying: “No, it is not. It is not a favour or
a privilege to them.
“It is the essence of our system of justice. A judge must be independent for at least one reason: so that he or she can be fair and just, without fear or favour.
“This is why the executive must neither interfere in judicial process nor attempt to compromise judicial independence in any way.”
The Vice President said those in the legal profession owed themselves a duty to preserve the administration of justice system.
Osinbajo said: “Not only because it is the last hope of the common man but because this is our means of livelihood.
“Our profession and the credibility of the administration of justice system depend entirely on public confidence.
“Once that is eroded because of the delinquency of a few, we, the majority must fight hard against it.”
The Vice President remarked that Nigeria’s formal legal tradition is over 100 years old, adding that the tradition had three established components: the Bar, Bench and Academia.
He said each branch had distinguished itself through the years and had attained world class status.
Osinbajo stressed: “In all the serious researches on the best known administration of justice systems, it is evident that at various points in their histories, the institutions were challenged by falling standards, corruption, and abuse of office.
“When this occurred, the profession itself had often made the first and farthest drastic moves to self-correct.”
He, however, observed that one of the great difficulties of the legal profession in Nigeria was the shyness and reluctance of the practitioners to call themselves to order.
Osinbajo said: “Nobody wants to be held responsible for possibly ending the career of another.
“So, we watch the decay and gradual collapse of an excellent tradition built on the self-restraint, sacrifices and integrity of many in the past 100years.”
Osinbajo warned that such posture should stop to save the profession and the nation.
He commended the NIALS for its commitment to the highest academic traditions and for the awards.
He said: “As fellows, we pledge our commitment to the Institute’s mission of being the nucleus and hub of legal research and advanced studies in law in Nigeria.”
A delegation of Niger Delta Peoples Congress, led by the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, later visited Osinbajo to address the lingering security and development issues in the region.
Chief Mike Loigho, a delegate, told newsmen the visit was to reaffirm the commitment of the congress towards ensuring security in the region and support the initiatives of the Buhari administration in that direction.
He said, however, that there was the need to carry all the Niger Delta stakeholders in the peace initiatives of the government.
Loigho said: “We don’t have any political affiliation to any group but we have come genuinely concerned to solve this problem once and for all.’’
According to him, the group has seen in Buhari a President that is very honest with governance and issues that affect Nigeria who wants a roadmap for the resolution of the conflicts in the region.

El-Rufai replies Atiku: You are a liar, I dare you to go to U.S

2016-11-16T01:31:00.002-08:00

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has responded to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s allegation that he (Atiku) was betrayed by the governor and former chairman of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu.
PREMIUM TIMES published excerpts of an interview where the former vice president made the allegations.
In a statement he personally signed Tuesday, Mr. El Rufai accused the former VP of falsehood.
He said Mr. Abubakar “has a record of spewing outright lies and innuendo against my person”.
“As we struggle to build a law-abiding society and secure progressive outcomes for our people, we cannot allow the triumph on these shores of those who will have us move to a post-factual world,” he said.
The Kaduna governor said not even Mr. Abubakar’s expertise “in the dark arts of damaging other people through a campaign of lies from him and his media machine” is capable of returning the country to its past.
Mr. El-Rufai said contrary to the postulation by Mr. Abubakar, he never had anything to do with the incorporation of Transcorp.
“Those that established that company and fronted it like Festus
Odimegwu, Tony Elumelu, Otunba Lawal Solarin and Ndi Okereke-Onyiuke are still around and alive.

“As such I could not have and did not offer Alhaji Atiku any shares in Transcorp. I declined the shares that were offered to me. Having done that, how could I have offered anyone shares?,” he said.
The governor said he even advised the then President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Abubakar, and then finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, not to accept the shares they were offered by the promoters of Transcorp.
“My counsel to them was based on the grounds that they would face conflicts of interest when Transcorp bids for privatization assets.
“At the time Alhaji Atiku and Ngozi were chair and vice-chair of the National Council on Privatization, and were particularly directly involved in approving the sales of state-owned enterprises and assets.
“It is too late in the day to try to pretend that the fiasco concerning the attempt by then Senators Ibrahim Mantu and Jonathan Zwingina to extort money from me for Senate clearance never happened.
“All Alhaji Atiku has just done is confirm that he paid the Senators, as I revealed in Page 139 of my book,” he said.
He also said when he published The Accidental Public Servant in 2013, Mr. Abubakar unleashed his media team in a campaign of vilification.
“Despite the viciousness of the attacks, they did not contest or explain away his shenanigans that were detailed in the book, from the Ericsson manoeuvre, to the Abuja water treatment plant contract and his obsession with marabouts and their assurances of the political big prize.
“He might also consider a full reckoning for what he and his acolytes did with public funds in the PTDF imbroglio, rather than indulging the usual bold face of the Nigerian big-man.
“As a federal public servant, my oath of allegiance appropriately stood with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not the big men whose conduct I was privileged to witness at close quarters.
“People like Alhaji Atiku think that loyalty to them should be the goal of a public officer, and that it should trump the oath of allegiance to the country.
Although Mr. El-Rufai and the former vice president are both members of the APC, Nigeria’s ruling party, the Kaduna governor hinted that their public spat may be a battle for the party’s presidential ticket in 2019.
“Alhaji Atiku is already running for 2019, and he thinks that he can make people like us collateral damage in his attempt to rejuvenate his image,” the governor said.
“This obsession for power inclined him to support the rebellion against the party that manifested in the National Assembly, and is continuing with obvious disrespect for the incumbent president.

“Everyone knows that I support and will continue to work for the success of President Muhammadu Buhari as he leads our country through tough times,” he said.
While Mr. Abubakar has not publicly indicated any interest to run for president in 2019, several Nigerians believe he would be Mr. Buhari’s main opponent should the president seek a second term in office.
However, there have also been reports that Mr. El-Rufai is scheming to be the party’s presidential candidate in 2019 should Mr. Buhari decide not to seek re-election. Mr. El-Rufai did not comment on that rumour in his Friday statement.
The governor also accused Mr. Abubakar of corruption saying the former vice president has not gone to the U.S. for fear of being arrested.
“Can Alhaji Atiku explain the findings in the report of the United States Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations which detailed a pattern of wire transfers of more than USD 40 million from offshore companies like Siemens into bank accounts controlled by him and one of his wives.
“The report detailing the US Senate findings is online, as one of four case histories of foreign corruption in the USA. Alhaji Atiku should tell a better tale of why he is avoiding the United States of America.
“Someone as obsessed with Nigeria’s presidency as he is, should clear up such matters conclusively. We wait to see how well he does with that,” Mr. El-Rufai said.

PREMIUM TIMES

Obama suggests Clinton didn't work as hard as he did

2016-11-15T09:05:00.002-08:00

'I spent 87 days going to every small town and fair and fish fry and VFW hall,' Obama said.

President Barack Obama didn’t quite blame his ally Hillary Clinton for causing her stunning loss to Donald Trump last week — but he chided her for not focusing on reaching out to white, non-urban voters like he did in 2008 and 2012.
Obama — about to hand off the presidency to a man whom he declared temperamentally unfit to serve — pointedly declined to endorse Clinton’s own explanation for her defeat, instead suggesting that the former secretary of state’s failure to “show up everywhere,” not just the big diverse cities she targeted in her final campaign push, proved to be her downfall.

“How we organize politically I think is something that
we should spend some time thinking about. I believe that we have better ideas, but I also believe that good ideas don’t matter if people don’t hear them,” Obama told reporters Monday ahead of a foreign trip to Greece, Germany and Peru. “And one of the issues the Democrats have to be clear on is, given population distribution across the country, we have to compete everywhere. We have to show up everywhere. We have to work at a grass-roots level, something that’s been a running thread in my career.”
Obama outperformed Clinton substantially in most suburbs and in critical swing areas in the Midwest, like Michigan’s Oakland and Macomb counties.

Of the nearly 700 counties that twice sent Obama to the White House, a stunning one-third flipped to support Trump, who also won 194 of the 207 counties that voted for Obama either in 2008 or 2012.
During a candid and bittersweet post-election news conference in the White House, Obama signaled to Democrats a need to emphasize a 50-state strategy, citing his success in Iowa as an outline of an effective campaign.
“You know, I won Iowa not because the demographics dictated that I would win Iowa. It was because I spent 87 days going to every small town and fair and fish fry and VFW hall, and there were some counties where I might have lost, but maybe I lost by 20 points instead of 50 points,” Obama said. “There are some counties maybe I won that people didn’t expect because people had a chance to see you and listen to you and get a sense of who you stood for and who you were fighting for.”
The Democratic Party, which is looking to name a new chairman early next year ahead of the 2018 midterms and 2020 presidential election, must try to replicate that, added Obama, who described the party’s introspection as a “healthy thing” and advocated for “new voices and new ideas.”

“The challenge for a national party is how do you dig in there and create those kinds of structures so that people have a sense of what it is that you stand for,” Obama said, stressing the difficulty of doing so with just a national press strategy. “It’s increasingly difficult to do because of the splintering of the press. And so I think the discussions that have been taking place about how do you build more grass-roots organizing, how do you build up state parties and local parties and school board elections you’re paying attention to and state rep races and city council races, that all, I think, will contribute to stronger outcomes in the future. And I’m optimistic that will happen.”
The president conveyed that optimism by recalling how Democrats rebounded from a dismal showing in 2004, when John Kerry lost his White House bid and Democratic Senate leader Tom Daschle lost reelection.
“Things change pretty rapidly, but they don’t change inevitably,” Obama said. “They change because you work for it. Nobody said democracy’s supposed to be easy. It’s hard. And in a big country like this, it probably should be hard.”
In 2004, Obama and Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar “were the only two Democrats that won nationally,” he continued. “Republicans controlled the Senate and the House. And two years later, Democrats were winning back Congress. And four years later, I was president of the United States.”

You Cannot attend your Father’s Funeral – FG to Dasuki

2016-11-15T04:02:00.001-08:00

The Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS) Mr. Lawal Musa Daura has declined the request of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki to attend the burial of his father, former Sultan of Sokoto later today in Sokoto, Sokoto State.
A close source reveals that Dasuki sought the permission of the DG of DSS to attend the burial of his father who died on Monday night in an Abuja hospital and who is scheduled to be buried at a funeral service to take place after Zuhr prayer this afternoon, Tuesday at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Sokoto.
The source said the DG of DSS told Dasuki that “You cannot attend the funeral of your father in Sokoto today”. The source said Dasuki repeatedly pleaded with the Director General of the DSS to allow him pay his last respect to his father even if it means he will be in handcuffs at the funeral but Daura declined saying there is no such privilege for detained suspects.
Sambo Dasuki has been detained at the headquarters of the the DSS in Abuja since December 30th, 2015. The DSS had laid siege to Dasuki’s Asokoro house for days, claiming he was being investigated for another matter, even though he was supposedly billed to travel for medical checkup abroad after a court had granted him leave to travel for medical checkup. Dasuki was later arraigned before Justice Yusuf Baba of another Abuja High court on breach of trust, and though was granted bail, was again re-arrested by the security operatives.
Dasuki has insisted that “as for my tenure as the nation’s NSA, I acted in the interest of the nation and with utmost fear of God. I did not use the office for any self-serving agenda. I occupied the Office of the National Security Adviser at a difficult moment in Nigerian history when terrorism was at its peak and I am leaving posterity to judge me accordingly Jonathan, not me, approved arms procurement deals”.

Everything under Buhari is upside down, his only focus is oil – Iyabo Obasanjo

2016-11-15T03:58:00.003-08:00

Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, has lamented how old people are being allowed to spearhead the affairs of Nigeria.
Iyabo, who served as a Commissioner for Health in Ogun State between 2003 and 2006, lamented that the younger generation is not allowed to hold leadership positions.

On the state of the country under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, Iyabo said “I have no idea but it is not only about the PDP, almost everything in the

country is upside down”.

Asked if the country is truly experiencing positive change as promised by the APC, the former senator said, “Twice recently I have come across interviews of the President (Muhammadu Buhari) and it seems his focus is just on oil and gas,” she told Vanguard.

“Focusing on oil and gas, a natural resource we have no control over is what got us to where we are and somehow he thinks it will get us out! The time of oil as a king commodity is past and never coming back.

“In the history of humanity, the commodity that becomes king changes from time to time. From the time of the OPEC formation in the early seventies till now, oil had been king.

“It will no longer be because if we continue using it at the rate we have in the last 100 years we will not have a planet. Countries that didn’t use their income from oil to generate other sources of income will be in dire straits, hence Nigeria’s economic woes.

“Taking oil for granted as if it would be at high prices forever is idiotic. Now if change means more focus on oil and gas as the President is saying, then obviously change has not come,” she said.

#Election2016: Read Donald Trump's FULL Presidential Speech

2016-11-09T05:58:00.000-08:00

Thank you. Thank you very much, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business, complicated. Thank you very much.

I've just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us. It’s about us. On our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign.

I mean, she fought very hard. Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.

I mean that very sincerely. Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.

It is time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans, and this is so important to me. For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country. As I've said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign but rather an incredible and great movement, made up of millions of hard-working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their family.

It is a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds, and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will.

Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American dream. I've spent my entire life in business, looking at the untapped potential in projects and in people all over the world.

That is now what I want to do for our country. Tremendous potential. I've gotten to know our country so well. Tremendous potential. It is going to be a beautiful thing. Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We're going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none, and we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it. We will also finally take care of our great veterans who have been so loyal, and I've gotten to know so many over this 18-month journey.

The time I've spent with them during this campaign has been among my greatest honors.

Our veterans are incredible people. We will embark upon a project of national growth and renewal. I will harness the creative talents of our people, and we will call upon the best and brightest to leverage their tremendous talent for the benefit of all. It is going to happen. We have a great economic plan. We will double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world. At the same time, we will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will be. We will have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.

America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country's destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that. We're going to dream of things for our country, and beautiful things and successful things once again.

I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America's interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone.

All people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict. And now I would like to take this moment to thank some of the people who really helped me with this, what they are calling tonight a very, very historic victory.

First, I want to thank my parents, who I know are looking down on me right now. Great people. I've learned so much from them. They were wonderful in every regard.
Truly great parents. I also want to thank my sisters, Marianne and Elizabeth, who are here with us tonight. Where are they? They're here someplace. They're very shy, actually.

And my brother Robert, my great friend. Where is Robert? Where is Robert?

My brother Robert, and they should be on this stage, but that's okay. They're great.

And also my late brother Fred, great guy. Fantastic guy. Fantastic family. I was very lucky.

Great brothers, sisters, great, unbelievable parents. To Melania and Don and Ivanka and Eric and Tiffany and Barron, I love you and I thank you, and especially for putting up with all of those hours. This was tough.

This was tough. This political stuff is nasty, and it is tough. So I want to thank my family very much. Really fantastic. Thank you all. Thank you all. Lara, unbelievable job. Unbelievable. Vanessa, thank you. Thank you very much. What a great group.

You've all given me such incredible support, and I will tell you that we have a large group of people. You know, they kept saying we have a small staff. Not so small. Look at all of the people that we have. Look at all of these people.

And Kellyanne and Chris and Rudy and Steve and David. We have got tremendously talented people up here, and I want to tell you it's been very, very special.

I want to give a very special thanks to our former mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He's unbelievable. Unbelievable. He traveled with us and he went through meetings, and Rudy never changes. Where is Rudy. Where is he?

[Chanting "Rudy"]

Gov. Chris Christie, folks, was unbelievable. Thank you, Chris. The first man, first senator, first major, major politician — let me tell you, he is highly respected in Washington because he is as smart as you get. Sen. Jeff Sessions. Where is Jeff? A great man. Another great man, very tough competitor. He was not easy. He was not easy. Who is that? Is that the mayor that showed up? Is that Rudy?

Up here. Really a friend to me, but I'll tell you, I got to know him as a competitor because he was one of the folks that was negotiating to go against those Democrats, Dr. Ben Carson. Where's been? Where is Ben? By the way, Mike Huckabee is here someplace, and he is fantastic. Mike and his familiar bring Sarah, thank you very much. Gen. Mike Flynn. Where is Mike? And Gen. Kellogg. We have over 200 generals and admirals that have endorsed our campaign and there are special people.

We have 22 Congressional Medal of Honor people. A very special person who, believe me, I read reports that I wasn't getting along with him. I never had a bad second with him. He's an unbelievable star. He is — that's right, how did you possibly guess? Let me tell you about Reince. I've said Reince. I know it. I know it. Look at all of those people over there. I know it, Reince is a superstar. I said, they can't call you a superstar, Reince, unless we win it. Like Secretariat. He would not have that bust at the track at Belmont.

Reince is really a star and he is the hardest-working guy, and in a certain way I did this. Reince, come up here. Get over here, Reince.

Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy. It's about time you did this right. My god. Nah, come here. Say something.

[Reince Priebus: Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the united States, Donald Trump! Thank you. It's been an honor. God bless. Thank God.]

Amazing guy. Our partnership with the RNC was so important to the success and what we've done, so I also have to say, I've gotten to know some incredible people.

The Secret Service people. They're tough and they're smart and they're sharp and I don't want to mess around with them, I can tell ya. And when I want to go and wave to a big group of people and they rip me down and put me back down in the seat, but they are fantastic people so I want to thank the Secret Service.

And law enforcement in New York City, they're here tonight. These are spectacular people, sometimes under appreciated unfortunately. We appreciate them. So it's been what they call an historic event, but to be really historic, we have to do a great job, and I promise you that I will not let you down. We will do a great job. We will do a great job. I look very much forward to being your president, and hopefully at the end of two years or three years or four years or maybe even eight years you will say so many of you worked so hard for us, with you. You will say that — you will say that that was something that you were — really were very proud to do and I can — thank you very much.

And I can only say that while the campaign is over, our work on this movement is now really just beginning. We're going to get to work immediately for the American people, and we're going to be doing a job that hopefully you will be so proud of your president. You will be so proud. Again, it's my honor.

It's an amazing evening. It's been an amazing two-year period, and I love this country. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Thank you to Mike Pence.''

Militants blow up pipeline in Warri

2016-11-08T02:00:00.001-08:00

Militants in the Niger Delta on Tuesday blew up an oil pipeline in Warri, Delta, according to AFP.
Chairman of Batan community Dickson Ogugu who confirmed the incident said, “The line which was undergoing repair after the previous attack … was billed for commissioning either today or tomorrow.”
Ogugu said four surveillance guards deployed to protect the Trans Forcados export line narrowly escaped death after the militants opened fire on them.

He added, “The hoodlums after chasing them from the spot came down from their speedboat, planted dynamite on swamp boogie, barge, crane and on the line.
“Unfortunately, only the dynamite on the barge exploded and immediately sank into the water. As I speak to you, the military are at the scene of the incident trying to dismantle the other dynamites.”
An army officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity also confirmed the incident.
“We heard the shots in the middle of the night, but as you know, we do not patrol the area at night, so there was nothing we could do,” he said.

EFCC Forcing Me To Incriminate Patience Jonathan, Ex-president’s Aide Alleges

2016-11-08T01:35:00.000-08:00

An aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who is facing corruption trial, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of mounting pressure on him to incriminate former first lady, Patience Jonathan.
Waripamo-Owei Dudafa, who served as a senior assistant on Domestic Matters to Mr. Jonathan, in a petition to the National Human Rights Commission said he was being deliberately punished by the Commission because of his loyalty to the former president and his family.
He accused the anti-graft agency of a desperation to perpetually detain him in despite meeting the bail conditions granted him by two federal judges.
“My only sin is that I have refused to yield to the Commission’s
pressure to write false statements to incriminate the former first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan,” said Mr. Dudafa in his petition dated November 4.
Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC Spokesperson, denied Mr. Dudafa’s claims.

“I don’t know the petition you are talking about but whatever petition there is, the Commission does not force anybody to do anything,” Mr. Uwujaren told PREMIUM TIMES on Monday.

‘Herculean’ bail conditions

Mr. Dudafa was arrested by operatives of the State Security Service in Lagos last April while attempting to travel out of the country.
The SSS later handed him over to the EFCC.
In June, the EFCC arraigned Mr. Dudafa and two others before Justice Mohammed Idris of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court on a 23-count charge of concealment and retention of proceeds of crime totalling N1.67 billion.
He was also arraigned, alongside two persons and four companies, before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the same federal court for money laundering to the tune of $15 million.
Mrs. Jonathan has since claimed the money belonged to her.
In the case before Mr. Idris, the judge granted Mr. Dudafa bail in the sum of N500 million with three sureties in like sum.
“The sureties shall be landed property owner within the jurisdiction of the court,” said Mr. Idris.
“The sureties shall deposit the title documents in the registry of the court. The said title documents shall be verified as genuine by the EFCC.
“The sureties shall deposit three years tax clearance certificates which shall be verified as genuine by the EFCC. The sureties shall file affidavit of means and residency which shall be verified by the EFCC.”
The judge further ordered Mr. Dudafa to deposit his international passport with the registry of the court.
For the matter before Mr. Kuewumi, the defendant was admitted to bail in the sum of N250 million with one surety.
“The surety shall be ordinarily resident in Lagos and shall be owner of built up property within Lagos metropolis,” the judge said.
“The surety shall deposit original copy of property certificate of occupancy with the registry of the court. The surety shall deposit four recent passport photographs, his international passport, depose to affidavit of means and show proof of payment of three year tax paid as at when due.”
The judge also mandated that the surety be a civil servant or public officer and must obtain a letter of introduction from an officer not below the cadre of a permanent secretary in either federal or state civil service and resident within Lagos State.
“The bankers of the surety shall write letter of introduction to indicate the age of the surety account with the bank.
“The prosecution in conjunction with the court registrar shall verify the surety as a suitable person as well as the property in issue. The certificate of occupancy shall be verified by the land registry in Lagos.”
The judge also mandated that Mr. Dudafa deposit his international passport and four recent passport photographs with the court registrar.
“Despite meeting all the herculean bail conditions as ordered by the two courts, the Commission has failed to fulfill its part, by verifying all the title documents of the sureties,” Mr. Dudafa stated in his petition.
He said various attempts by his lawyer to ensure that the Commission deposit his international travel passport with the court since he was admitted to bail had been unsuccessful.
The petitioner further accused the EFCC of a blatant refusal to verify all the title documents provided by his sureties at the Land Registry for over two months in relations to the bail conditions granted him by Mr. Kuewumi.
“From the above facts, it has become obvious that the EFCC is desperate to keep him perpetually in prison with the ultimate aim of killing him in prison despite the fact that his deteriorating state of health has been made known to the EFCC through a medical report dated August 29, 2016, and issued by the Nigerian Prison Service, Ikoyi, Lagos,” the petition said.
Mr. Dudafa appealed to the Human Rights Commission to intervene in “a clear case of arbitrary abuse of power and flagrant disregard to court order and breach of his fundamental rights” by the EFCC.
On Mr. Dudafa’s claims of the EFCC refusing to verify his bail documents, Mr. Uwujaren said “that matter is before a competent court of jurisdiction and matters before the court I don’t comment on them”.

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Amid APC crisis, former CPC members regroup in Gombe

2016-11-07T08:04:00.002-08:00

Members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change in Gombe State have formed a group, Adalchi, to broaden support for President Muhammadu Buhari and ensure better representation in the All Progressives Congress leadership in the state.

The chairman of the group and former member of the House of Representatives (Gombe, Kwami and Funakaye federal constituency), Khamisu Mailantarki, disclosed this to PREMIUM TIMES in Gombe.
Mr. Mailantarki said the CPC members decided to regroup to resist the activities of party leaders in the state, who they accused of jeopardising the efforts and policies of the Buhari-led federal government and marginalising them in the state.

He said though the APC emerged from the merger of three political parties, members of the defunct new-PDP in Gombe hijacked the party from ward to the state levels.
“The members of the CPC were shut out as none of the CPC member emerged in the APC executive committee or structures from the unit, wards, local government, state and national level”, Mr. Mailantarki alleged. “None of the CPC member was allowed to contest in any position during the general election in 2015,” he added.
“The party leaders in the state did not live up to expectation as a result of factionalization of the party that compelled the national leadership to dissolve four key positions in the state and constitute a caretaker committee from our neighbouring states,” Mr. Mailantarki said.
He advised new members that decamped to the party to ensure they add value to the party at the state and national levels and not to add fuel to the crisis in the party.
The APC in Gombe State had broken into two factions, with each suspending members of the other from the party.

 

On July 6, 2015, the state secretary of the party, Manu Pindiga, 
announced the suspension of the state chairman, Muhammed Doho, and 17 
others, accusing them of anti-party activities, gross misconduct and 
incompetence.

Two hours after the announcement, Mr. Daho called a press briefing to announce a counter dismissal of a former governor of the state, Danjuma Goje, and 11 others, accusing them of not respecting the party’s constitution, and misconduct.

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Nigerian Army accuses Borno leaders of plotting to prolong Boko Haram insurgency

2016-11-07T02:06:00.000-08:00

The Nigerian Army on Friday raised alarm over plans by “some highly-placed individuals” in the North East, particularly Borno State, to sabotage military operations in the region.
A statement by the army spokesman, Sani Usman, said the elite were bent on having the activities of the Boko Haram terrorists prolonged for their selfish interests.
Mr. Usman, a colonel, did not however state in clear terms the means through which the notable individuals were undermining the war against terrorism or how they would benefit from the insurgency when prolonged.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to inform the public and send a very strong and serious final warning to some prominent individuals and political groups who hailed from Borno State in particular and North East generally, that there is information of plans by some highly
placed individuals and political groups to undermine and scuttle the fight against terrorism and insurgency in this country.
“The unscrupulous individuals and their cohorts were determined to reverse the gains made and scuttle our efforts of achieving the Presidential directive to defeat Boko Haram terrorists within 3 months. They are enlisting the services of some Non-Governmental Organizations in this grand design.
“It has come to our knowledge that they were employing every means to see that the operation does not succeed in order for them to continue to enjoy certain benefits.
“It has been revealed that they are employing the services of marabouts and other unethical means in order to frustrate our efforts and the operations in addition to campaign of calumny.
“We are aware of their clandestine meetings and other diabolical efforts to achieve their nefarious aims. This would not be tolerated.

“Therefore, such individuals and groups should be warned in 
unmistakable terms that anyone found would be dealt with accordingly. 

“People should place the interest of the nation above any personal gain or ambition. The continued lost of lives and property in this country through terrorists activities does not one any good,” the army spokesman said.

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