Linda Ikeji: I Took Wizkid To Police In Lagos Because Of These

My issue with Wizkid...why I took the case to the police

I'm sure many of you have read that the police is now involved in my issue with Wizkid. Yes, I reported his public threat to me two Sundays ago to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police and I want to explain why I did it! Please pay attention and keep an open mind.

I've read a lot online from people saying I don't like Wizkid. Even Wizkid himself thinks I don't like him. Why he or anyone would think so is puzzling to me to be honest. Apart from his achievements after he started insulting me online a few weeks ago...everything else, every success Wizkid has recorded in the last 3/4 years is on LIB. All the awards, all the record breaking feats, his sold out concerts, his foreign magazine features, and collaborations, everything that has built him up to the young man he is today is on LIB. Please verify! Search my blog. Please continue...

I was a huge Wizkid fan. The only song I danced harder to than his 'Dance For Me' track was Fuse ODG's 'Antenna and Kiss Daniel & DJ Shabzy's Raba. So, no, I had no dislike for Wizkid. But about a year ago, I noticed his indirect snide remarks at me...and when some other music star beefed with me, Wizkid showed his support and made disrespectful comments. That was when I noticed he had issues with me... but that didn't stop me from writing about him and celebrating him.

Now to the issue at hand. When I reported that he was served quit notice at his Lekki home, I stated fact and I didn't write it out of malice. It's not everyday you get exclusive stories...and I'm sure any other blogger who got the story first would also have published it. So, there was no beef, I was just doing my job. A day or so after I wrote this story, Wizkid went on my instagram page to call me names and lied that I slept with some director of his...which I have said before is 1000% lies! But the insult and lies is not why the police is now involved.

Here's the thing; You can insult me, insult my family, call me any names you like, even lie that I slept with your forefathers...but don't threaten me. If you threaten me, I will act!

I read people online saying that I reported to the police because I am scared of Wizkid. No, my darlings, I am not afraid of Wizkid. Though I do not take his threats lightly. I went to the authorities for two reasons...and please young boys of our generation, pay attention to what I am about to write below.

You see, violence against women and threat of violence against women is not okay. Threatening harm to someone in a public space is a criminal act in every country of the world, including Nigeria. I bet some of you didn't know that, yeah? You can not publicly threaten someone with harm. You will only get away with it if your victim doesn't report to the authorities. If they do, you will have a case with the police and I promise you, the police take these things seriously.

I reported this case to the authorities because I want our young men to know this is not okay. You should not raise your hands on a woman. You shouldn't even threaten to raise your hands on a woman. Wizkid wrote that he would send his 16 year old cousin to beat the poo out of me. Letting Wizkid get away with it is basically telling our young men that this is okay...and it's not!

After Wizkid made the threat to me, I saw a lot of teen boys hailing and applauding him. To them, this was okay. If their idol can threaten a woman with harm, and use derogatory words, they also can do it...and that's how the circle of abuse of women continues. Women being called 'smelly Kitty-Cat' trended online for a day or two! Little boys were happy to use the words. Sad!

It is appalling to me that anyone, especially women, would cheer Wizkid on. When he wrote RIP Linda, I saw a few young girls write same, laughing. This is not a laughing matter. It doesn't matter whether you like me or not! This is not about Linda Ikeji. This is about abuse of women which has eaten deep into our society, so deep that it has now been accepted as normal. Men do it all the time and get away with it. So many women are battered by their husbands and they refuse to speak up because of the stigma. They refuse to seek help because they are afraid of what people will say. I am sorry, I am not one of those women. I refuse to be victimized. And as long as I have my voice and my platform, I will speak up.

We women have to come together to lend a strong voice to the plight of women in our continent. When we see a woman being physically and mentally abused, let's act. Let's speak up. Let's not laugh and say she deserves it. If we continue to keep quiet, the circle of abuse will continue. And one day, You, yes You, will find yourself in the receiving end of a thundering slap, followed by heavy blows. If not you, then maybe your daughter? Let's condemn violence and threat of violence against women! This is not acceptable!

Young men like Wizkid, a father of two young boys himself, should never advocate violence against women. One day, he will have a daughter, how would he feel if another male threatens to put hands on her or even calls her a hoe?

I can't count how many times Wizkid called me a hoe in his rant against me. That's what boys do. When they get into a fight with a woman, they try to slut-shame her. Smelly Kitty-Cat, hoe, ashawo etc. You call a woman, who gave another young woman, whose real name she doesn't even know N500,000 just because she said she would rather work by carrying cement than prostitute herself, that's the person you call a hoe? When your mind is so warped you can't differentiate between a woman and a hoe, then this is what happens. Except you drive to Sanusi Fanfuwa at 2am to pick up a prostitute, who proudly describes herself as one, then you shouldn't call any woman a hoe.

Even Tupac who was a well known thug could differentiate between the types of women he dealt with. When asked in an interview why he called women bitches, he said people shouldn't confuse things, that he wouldn't address a mother or a sister the way he would address a Dam, that the bitches were the ones he dealt with in the clubs who behaved like one. He reiterated that he respected women!

In more civilized countries, Wizkid would have lost his endorsements and spent the next year or so apologizing and being in the fore-front of promoting anti-violence crusades against women. It took Chris Brown years to get back on his feet after his assault on a woman. Up till today, he doesn't have any major endorsements and some countries still deny him entrance into their country i.e Australia for something he did 7 years ago. Yes, violence against women is serious!

And there's the case of incitement. When you have power and influence, you have to be careful what you say in public. Because you have such power, something you say can influence your followers. A fan can commit acts that even you may not support or might not even condone. But because it came out of your mouth, they think you mean it. So it is irresponsible to say things that might be inciteful. In Law, you can be held responsible when people act based on what you said in public. Tupac was charged to court and indicted after some thugs killed a police officer. The thugs went to court and mentioned that their idol encouraged violence against LA police officers in a song where he said 'Drop a cop'. So, we folks with some measure of influence should be more careful with our utterances. People are watching and listening!


The second reason I filed a police report is to encourage other women in similar situations to do same. My dear ladies, if a man threatens to puts hands on you, and you feel the threat is real, report to the authorities. Don't wait until he does it. What if you don't survive it? If he's picked up and may be charged to court (yes, you can be charged to court for making threats...it's a misdemeanor with a prison sentence), then he will think twice before making threats against you in the future or any other woman for that matter.

I went as far as I did for me and for other women. This is to pass a strong message to our young men that these kinds of behaviour towards women will not be tolerated. Should not be tolerated. If you assault or even threaten to assault a woman, the law will come after you if she chooses not to be silent. Women, don't be silent. Let's break the circle. For your sake, for my sake, for the sake of our daughters, grand daughters, great grand daughters and all other women that will follow them.

And that's really all I have to say in the matter. Thank you guys for reading

And to Wizkid fans, please be rest assured that I wish him all the best in life. He will continue to grow from strength to strength (as long as he doesn't endorse violence against women) and his light will never diminish. God brought him to this level and will continue to keep him. I have nothing but love for his craft and hope that one day, we will put this behind us.
God bless him, me, you and everyone else in the world
Cheers.

http://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2016/04/my-issue-with-wizkidwhy-i-took-case-to.html?m=1

NIPOST To Introduce Banking Services To Rural Areas — Shittu

The Nigerian Postal Services will soon introduce banking services to rural areas of Nigeria, Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has said.

Shittu told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja, that the banking services would avail Nigerians in rural areas the opportunity to carry out banking transactions.

He said that the Ministry of Communication was making effort to re-position NIPOST to make it vibrant and to diversify its services.

He said that since the commencement of GSM operations in the country, NIPOST had witnessed drop in sales particularly for postage stamp and other services.

The minister told NAN that in its efforts to reposition NIPOST, the ministry had identified some major areas that could be included in the mandate of the service.

He listed some of them to include internet services in all NIPOST locations, introduction of rural banking, property development and e-commerce.

“We are also looking at consolidating the capacity of NIPOST to engage in property development; you will recall that in most communities NIPOST usually has more land than needed.

“So we are seeking private-partnership arrangement with private sector developers to construct and rent out office blocks, malls and even high class residential houses to enable us generate revenue,’’ he said.

Shittu said the ministry was also looking at the possibility of using NIPOST to facilitate e-commerce.

He said that the ministry had finalised arrangement to appoint a new Post-Master General, who is expected to kick start the reforms in NIPOST.

“We have gone through the processes of interview test and new post-master General will soon emerge.

“Once he emerges, the reforms will take off,‘’ the minister said.

http://www.punchng.com/nipost-to-introduce-banking-services-to-rural-areas-shittu/

Timi Frank Blasts Oyegun Over Saraki's Fate

By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA – Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress APC, Timi Frank has berated the national chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun for attempting to influence the outcome of the trial of Senate President, Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal CCT.

Frank said the recent pronouncement of the chairman that the party was prepared to lose the senate presidency implies that the party has already decided Saraki’s fate even before the commencement of the trial.

According to him, Mr Oyegun is only acting out a script by such pronouncements, adding that no organ of the party has met to take any formal position regarding the travails of the Senate President.

“The recent interview granted by the Chairman of the APC…has again vindicated my position on the crisis rocking the APC, which may finally put to rest the doubt that all is well within the APC. That the chairman of the ruling party would grant an interview on his personal opinion and asserting it to be the decision of the party, can at best be described as unfortunate and a carefully mapped-out plan to rubbish the current trial of the Senate President.

“It is on record, that there has not been any NEC , NWC , BOT or Caucus meeting of the party where such decision was taking to abandon the Senate President to his fate. This move undoubtedly proves once more, that the Chairman is acting on an already prepared script to incarcerate and make the Senate President pay for his disobedience for not adhering to the party’s decision in contesting for the seat of the Senate Presidency.

“The chairman’s position on the current travails of the Senate President in the CCT, is a clear indication that the APC under Chief Oyegun has spoken the minds of all those, that were in doubt that the persecution of the Senate President is and may be politically motivated.

“Instead of allowing the court to take its course in finding the Senate President guilty, having utilised his fundamental rights as enshrined in our constitution of the legality of his trial at the tribunal, one would have wondered the hurry in Chief Oyegun’s assertions. Having said therefore, would it not be most appropriate for the Chairman of the ruling party to allow for the trial to commence and for the court to conclude on its findings before hurriedly confirming the position of the party or the President in justifying the current travails of the Senate President as his sole cross to bear?

“The chairman further emphasised that the party wouldn’t mind to loose its Number 3 seat to the opposition PDP. This action as ridiculous as it may sound only goes to confirm that indeed the party may have hit the final nail on the coffin, having taking a position already on the fate of its Number 3 man before the conclusion of the verdict of the court in confirming if the senate president is guilty or not. This supposedly hurried speech is another confirmation that an already prepared script is in the offing by those who will stop at nothing in seeing that the Senate President is used as the scapegoat of the Anti Corruption war of this administration. This may very well be in the offing since the Senate President won the seat into the upper legislative chamber, which was seen as a move against the party ab initio.

“The chairman must be reminded of the role played by Senator Saraki in the emergence of the ruling party and if Chief Oyegun in all honesty believes that Senator Saraki should be the scapegoat for the ruling party, owing to his confirmation of bias in the ongoing trial of the senate president, then indeed the chairman has to be reminded that history has a way of repeating itself and reminding those who take it for granted when it beckons”, he said.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/oyegun-influence-sarakis-trial-apc-scribe/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter

Saruku Suraju Dies In Ogun Hotel, Mistress Disappears

– The chairman of the PDP in Ipokia local
government died in a hotel

– The PDP chieftain was in the hotel with
his mistress

– His turbanning ceremony has been
postponed following his mysterious death

Abiodun Onafuye/Abeokuta

The Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party,PDP in Ipokia local government area of Ogun state, Alhaji Saruku Suraju has died in a hotel in the town of Ipokia.
He was aged 68.

It was learnt that the PDP leader, famously called Aro Meta had gone into the hotel with a female friend, who disappeared before he was found dead.

His death at De Lovers Hotel on Friday night has triggered a number of conspiracy theories. It also caused to be postponed the conferment of an Islamic chieftaincy title on him at the town’s central mosque.

He was to be turbaned on Saturday as Giwa Adinni of Ibatefin Central Mosque, but the ceremony had to be postponed indefinitely.

According to family sources he died around 9:00pm on Friday and he was buried on Saturday, according to Islamic rites.

“Yes,he died at De Lover hotel. What I know was that,his party, PDP was going to have the final meeting of those to be elected as officers of the party in their forthcoming Congress.

“He was on his way to the meeting when they said,a lady called him on his phone and asked him to join her in the hotel. It was his body that was later taken out from the hotel with series of speculations flying around.

“Some people said he was strangled to death by unknown people,while some said he was killed by a chemical substance which he inhaled via a handkerchief. What all these means is that his death may have a political undertone.

“We were told that he had a misunderstanding with someone in the party over the chairmanship seat,as he wanted to return to the office while other candidates are coming out”.

There were also speculations that he died of Magun, certain death arising if a man makes love to a charmed woman.

The PDP chieftain had three wives in his lifetime. But none was living with him at the time of his death.The man was staying alone without any woman living with him as at the time he died.

http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/04/pdp-chairman-dies-in-hotel-mistress-disappears/

Stella Damasus Celebrates Her 16-Year-Old Daughter On Instagram (Photos)

Actress Stella Damasus took to her Instagram to celebrate her daughter Izzy. She shared the photo below and wrote;

"I am so proud of my daughter @izzybelleimages who does not only handle lyrics and camera in church but does the #graphics too. I thank God everyday because not every 16 year old girl living in America will dedicate her time and service to God and the church. I bless God that regardless of what people have said God has helped me raise the most amazing kids ever. #church#freechapel #service #dedication#calling #purpose #proudmommy#gooddaughter #media #america

https://www.instagram.com/p/BETMvXnuUf3/?taken-by=stelladamasus

OPEC Meeting Concludes In Stalemate

Hopes that crude oil prices would be boosted by a production freeze are now in jeopardy following a stalemate at the oil producers’ meeting in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday.
The conference, held by OPEC and non-OPEC members, ended after a 14-hour session without agreeing on a freeze as Iran and Saudi Arabia continued to flex muscles.
TheCable understands that Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s minister of state for petroleum resources, worked behind the scene to get the Arab countries to reach a consensus but his efforts did not yield any fruits.
Saudi Arabia is insisting that Iran, which was absent at the conference, must also agree to a production freeze before any deal can be reached.
Iran, which just returned to the international market after the lifting of sanctions, is keen to regain its share, contrary to the wish of the Saudis that the country should join a global freeze deal.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have been locked in a regional supremacy battle.
The conference, presided over by Mohammed Saleh Abdulla Al Sada, the Qatari minister of energy and industry, ended without any decision.
Decision has now been moved to June – five months after the deal was first mooted to stabilise output at January levels until October 2016.

http://www.thebreakingtimes.com/breaking-opec-meeting-concludes-in-stalemate/

25 Born-Again Christians Return WAEC Certificates

NEC accepts, cancels certificates



By Gabriel Dike

NO fewer than 25 former candidates who sat for either the school or privates examinations conducted by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and are born again Christians have returned their certificate claiming it was acquired through fraudulent means.

Sunday Sun learnt that the affected born again former candidates in obeying the Christian doctrine of seeking for restitution, approached WAEC, through letters and personal visits to the council, seeking for restitution after they had confessed how they acquired their certificates when they wrote the examinations at various periods.

A senior staff of WAEC disclosed that the council wrote to the candidates explaining what they were ex-­pected to do which is to return the certificates in accordance with the rules and regulations guiding the conduct of the examinations.

Investigations revealed that those who complied with the directive returned their certificates to various WAEC offices nationa wide, and the council took their cases to the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), which met recently in Lagos and cancelled the returned 25 certificates.

The one-­page WAEC document revealed that the returned certificates by the born again Christians are for both the May/June (school exam) and November/December (private candidates) West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Breakdown of the year

the examinations were taken revealed that the oldest certificates dates back to June 1980 with certificates dated 1986 for Nov/Dec with certificates nos NGPO497232 and NGO 442267 and three obtained in 1989, all for school examinations with certificates nos NGPO 1004584, NGPO 823128 and NGO 1002145.

In the1993 Nov/Dec exam, two candidates sought restitution and returned their certificates, while 1994, 1997,1999, 2000, 2006, 2008,and 2009, one person each returned their certificates. In 2001, three did so, in 2003 (two), 2004 (three) and in the May/June school examinations, two candidates returned their certificates

Seventeen of former WAEC candidates that returned their certificates wrote the May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) and eight sat for the Nov/Dec WASSCE.

A former principal and now proprietor of Royal Academy International, Oshodi, Mr. Olatunji Ogunmode, commended the candidates for seeking restitution after many years of acquiring the certificates, and urged several others to obey the Biblical command. Ogunmode warned other candidates in future

WAEC exams to stay clear of examination malpractices, noting that if they were not caught in the classroom for exam fraud, nemesis would certainly catch up with them, no matter how long it takes.

Pastor Miracle Wisdom said the 25 former WAEC candidates by returning the certificates they acquired wrongly are obeying the Christian doctrine by seeking for restitution, and that no matter how long it took them to come forward, their past sins are forgiven.

Wisdom was however silent on what happens to higher certificates the 25 candidates used the WAEC certificates to acquire, nothing “the most important thing is that they came forward to admit how they passed their exams. It is a welcome development, it would make others not to engage in exam fraud.’’

The pastor said there are several verses in the Bible to support restitution which conform to what the 25 born

again Christians did by confessing their sins and seeking for restitution from WAEC. John 1:9 says ‘’If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’’.

While Number 5:6-­7 says ’’When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed.[a] And he shall make full restitution for his wrong.’’

http://sunnewsonline.com/25-born-again-christians-return-waec-certificates/

2016 Budget: Heads May Roll As Presidency Uncovers More Infractions

As controversy continues to dog the budget transmitted by the National Assembly to the Presidency for assent, indications emerged last night that President Muhammadu Buhari was still furious with the high level of distortions inflicted on his estimates by the lawmakers.

For that reason, the President is said to be considering measures to deal with those who masterminded the budget infractions, thereby drawing back the hands of his administration.

Competent sources said that the President became more upset as more stunning revelations emerged that apart from the Calabar –Lagos Railway Project, the National Assembly equally expunged other key national infrastructural projects and also drastically reduced the votes earmarked for others.
Revealed: NASS slashed capital votes for Lagos-Ibadan Highway by N24 billion, 2nd Niger Bridge vote by N3.9 billion, Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene Road vote by N4.3 billion, Benin-Shagamu Road vote by N800 million, Itakpe-Warri Signalling Project by N302.9 million etec

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/2016-budget-heads-may-roll-presidency-uncovers-infractions/

Vote Of No Confidence: Governor Yahaya Bello Reacts, Blasts APC Chairman

– Kogi state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has reacted to allegations made against him by the leadership of his party in the state
– The state chapter of the party had accused the governor of sidelining leaders of the party when taking key decisions

– Governor Bello however said the APC leadership are free to recommend anybody for appointment
Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has dismissed the allegations made against him by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.


Kogi state APC chairman Alhaji Hadi Ametuo and Governor Yahaya Bello, when the going was good
The governor, who was reacting to the vote of no confidence passed on him by the state executive members of the party, said it is his constitutional responsibility to appoint his personal aides without any recourse to a group of people, provided the person meet up the requirement as stipulated by law of the land.



The ‎governor his stand known on the issue through a statement released to the media and obtained by NAIJ.com by special adviser on media and strategy, Mallam Abdulkarim Abdulmalik.
Governor Bello also stated that he was yet to be informed by the national secretariat of ‎APC about the petition by the state chapter of the party.
He opined that he is running an all inclusive government and the APC leadership in the state are free to recommend anyone for any appointment provided the person is well qualified to fill such position.
According to the governor, his government is working towards unity and as such his doors are always open to accommodate every body irrespective of religion, ethnic and political differences.
Governor however accused the state chairman of the APC, Alhaji Haddi Ametuo of moving against his government because his brother, Honourable Jimoh Lawal was removed as speaker of the Kogi state House of Assembly.
NAIJ.com recalls that the Kogi state House of Assembly has been enmeshed in crisis as two lawmakers were claiming headship of the house.
A situation that prompted the House of Representatives to intervene by taking over the activities of the house.
Governor Bello reiterated his commitment towards rebuilding the state and uniting the people for a peaceful co-existence through people oriented policies and programme.

“I don’t want to behave like the past leaders who were regretting for not doing the right thing while in office due to selfish pressure mounted on them by some people. Any body with impeccable credentials and feel that he has something to offer the state can come forward,” he stated.


Governor Bello was declared the winner of the Kogi state supplementary election held on Saturday, December 5 2015 after the death of Late Prince Abubakar Audu paved the way for his emergence as APC’s candidate.

https://www.naij.com/802029-vote-no-confidence-governor-yahaya-bello-reacts-blasts-apc-chairman.html

BUDGET IMPASSE: Buhari Returns From China, To Deal With Saboteurs

•Review looms as Presidency compiles areas of distortion

By Soni Daniel, Abuja

After spending a week in China to seal economic deals that could see Nigeria draw down $6 billion investments, President Muhammadu Buhari returned to Abuja yesterday to finish work on this year’s budget, which has been dogged by controversy.

But there was apprehension, last night, that Buhari, who feels highly embarrassed by the alleged distortion of the budget by some members of the National Assembly, might press for sanctions against those found culpable.

However, a source close to the Presidency said nobody could read the mind of the President on what he intended to do in relation to the crisis associated with the fiscal document.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the apprehension of some powerful federal lawmakers, who allegedly sabotaged the budget for pecuniary reasons, had been identified in both chambers of the National Assembly.

The identification of the roles played by each of the lawmakers, according to competent sources, followed the week-long scrutiny of the document transmitted to the Presidency by the NASS.

Presidency sources confirmed to Sunday Vanguard that the major areas of distortion carried out by the NASS had been compiled, saying Buhari would likely address Nigerians on the matter.

It was also learnt that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, who held a closed-door meeting with members on the budget, got to know how bad the budget had been ‘treated’ and offered to undertake a review to avoid further altercation with the Presidency on the matter.

Dogara’s disposition, it was learnt, followed a meeting he had with a Minister who gave him a breakdown of the distortion done to the budget by members of the Appropriation Committees of the NASS.

It was gathered that the Speaker had undertaken to do whatever was needed to ensure the review of the budget to ensure its success when assented to by Buhari and give succor to Nigerians.

It was also learnt that, despite the tough stance of the Senate on the budget impasse, some leading members who had been briefed on how far the budget was “padded”, had opted to soften their stance and review the document in the national interest.

“All that the President wants is to give Nigerians a budget that will reflate the economy and something to cheer about,” a Minister told Sunday Vanguard.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/04/budget-impasse-buhari-returns-china-deal-sabote

CCT: Saraki’s Camp In Disarray As Senators Seek End To Crises

Hours after the refusal of the fundamental rights application by Senate President Bukola Saraki to stop his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) by a Federal High Court in Abuja, there were signs at the weekend that some of his prominent loyalists within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) may be retracing their steps. There were strong indications that they may be opting to support an ongoing move by the leadership of the party to unite the party’s caucus in the national assembly. Reliable national assembly sources told The Nation yesterday that prior to the judgment delivered by Justice Abdul Kafarati on Friday, some frontline supporters of the embattled Senate President have resolved to withdraw their support for Saraki in his bid to remain in office as Senate President while his trial at the CCT lasts. In the meantime, the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has ruled out the possibility of the party losing the senate presidency to the opposition. In an interview with an online medium, The Premium Times, he said, “We don’t take anything for granted. As they are planning, we are also planning. The situation is under control.” He insisted that the party is not likely to lose the position to the opposition, but noted that should this happen, it will have to be the ‘price’ for the desired ‘change’. It was also learnt that some members of the Senate President’s camp in the national assembly are now of the view that the incessant face-off between the legislature and the presidency allegedly being generated by Saraki’s trial at the CCT, is needless and avoidable. “Hence, some of them are ready to support a change in the leadership of the senate to save the ruling party from further crises and at the same time represent the yearnings of their constituents for good governance by ensuring strict adherence to the provisions of the laws of the country,” our source, a Senator from Lagos State, said. “Mr. Senate President is currently facing charges that borders on false declaration of assets … The issue has gone beyond mere accusations as he has already gone down in history as the first serving Senate President in the country to be docked in a competent court. “Sadly, one recalls that there is a way these things have been handled in the past to save the national assembly, and by extension, the government, from unnecessary embarrassment. All former presiding officers of the National Assembly, who were faced with similar charges, first resigned their positions in order to protect the integrity and sanctity of the country’s hallowed chambers.” The senator regrets that what has been happening in the last few months “were blatant display of disregard for the sanctity of the senate by some misled and confused senators whose loyalty is not to the country, but to an individual or group.” The senator added, “But one is happy today, to tell you that things are changing for better. For one, I can tell you the APC caucus in the senate is working towards uniting all. We are healing the divide imposed on us by self serving individuals. We are all returning our loyalty to the party and the government.” The Nation gathered that attendance at the regular and emergency meetings  of the ‘Like Minds Senators’, the group of senators loyal to the President of Senate, has plummeted in recent times, giving credence to talks about serious cracks in the ranks of Saraki  loyalists. Senate sources put the reduction in attendance to the activities of a committee instituted by the APC caucus in the national assembly to unite the legislators elected on the platform of the ruling party. According to reliable sources, the committee, that has core Saraki allies in the likes of Senators Aliyu Wammako, Danjuma Goje, Kabiru Gaya, Ahmed Yerima and Adamu Aliero, as members, is championing a united APC caucus that is loyal to the party and government as against the current arrangement of a divided caucus. For instance, a meeting called yesterday at the residence of Saraki in continuation of the one held earlier in the week recorded abysmal attendance in spite of the fact that it was scheduled early enough and a text message was sent few hours before the kick off to remind senators. Not only was the attendance low, the discussion, we learnt, was unimpressive. Those who attended, it was said, were downcast and disturbed. The meeting, unlike the one a few days earlier where the decision to review the laws establishing the CCT was taken, was devoid of the usual vibrancy, our source added. The Nation also gathered that the text message reminding Like Minds Senators of the meeting was, unlike the previous ones, sent by an aide of the Senate President. A prominent Senator from Kogi State is known to have sent invites to such meeting before now. “What we heard was that the Senator who used to do the invite tactically avoided doing same for the last meeting. To further cause anxiety in the Senate President’s camp, he was absent at the meeting where he was scheduled to brief the Senators on certain steps taken to advance the cause of the group. His action and absence formed the chunk of the discussion at the unimpressive meeting,” our source added. It was also gathered that the APC caucus in the lower chamber recently met to discuss the crises in the national assembly and resolved that members of the caucus must desist from taking side in the Saraki saga. “The House caucus took a decision that none of us should drag the lower chamber into the senate crisis by making inflammatory statements. Specifically, we are to henceforth toe the party’s line in all matters. The meeting also resolved that there should be no division within the caucus.” Another member of the lower chamber from Kogi State told our correspondent that effort to unite the APC caucus in the national assembly is yielding fruit to the detriment of the camp of pro-Saraki hardliners. According to him, it is only a matter of time before a final position on the various bones of contention in the national assembly is announced. The Nation also gathered that the dwindling fortunes of the Saraki camp is responsible for its inability to push through the suspension plot allegedly instituted against the Senator representing Zamfara Central, Kabir Marafa, an unrepentant critic of the Senate President. Weeks after the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, submitted its report on its investigation on Marafa, the Senate has failed to deliberate on the panel’s recommendations. Marafa was accused of granting a press interview to allegedly mislead the public about the senate. Marafa, a second-timer at the upper chamber of the National Assembly, served as the mouthpiece of the Unity Forum, an umbrella of senators that worked for Senator Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North), the preferred candidate of the APC for the plum job. Following the Supreme Court verdict on the appeal of Saraki on his CCT trial, Marafa demanded the resignation of Saraki. He had said, “What is happening in the CCT is personal to Saraki and has nothing to do with his position as the Senate President. It has now reached the time when Saraki should take a bow to enable him concentrate on his case at the CCT.  I don’t have anything against him as a person.”

Expectedly, pro-Saraki Senators made a huge show of the interview and demanded the immediate suspension of the Zamfara senator. But following an unexpected show of support for Marafa by other senators across party lines, Saraki referred the matter to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.  He asked the committee to report back a week later. According to senate sources, the Senator Samuel Anyanwu (PDP, Imo East)-led committee has recommended Marafa’s suspension but the development has failed to receive the blessing of majority of the members of the senate as many feel Marafa has not done anything wrong that would warrant any punishment. Our source also attributed the new thinking in the national assembly to both the effort of some party leaders in senate and the failure of Saraki to stop his trial at the CCT in spite of several efforts to get competent law courts to declare that he shouldn’t be docked. Kafarati’s judgement on Friday put paid to earlier optimism that the Senate President will get a reprieve. The judge held that the reliefs prayed for by Saraki “are not cognisable under Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution”, which lists the fundamental rights of citizens. Saraki had, for the umpteenth time through his counsel, Ajibola Oluyede, filed the application challenging the trial at the CCT for falling short of Article 3 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution. He argued that the prosecution wants to achieve the political objective of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Saraki’s counsel, Oluyede has indicated intention to appeal the verdict of the court before the Court of Appeal. The APC chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun has declared that a political solution may not be in sight for the ongoing Senate President’s trial at the CCT. According to him, a purported political solution as is being bandied by a section of the political class will negate the change philosophy upon which the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government was voted into power last year. He said “The President is certainly not the type who will interfere in a judicial matter,” as that would also negate his straight personality. “Things must be done normally. And that is part of the change mantra that we must play by the rule so we don’t truncate the processes.” Odigie-Oyegun explained that “People don’t seem to internalize what change is. If the President says “court, free that man”, the same president can say “court, imprison that man.” Is that the Nigeria you want? No! Change means allowing the law to take the proper course. I can tell you the President won’t interfere. The President is straight definite, straight and firm in all facets.” On the possibility of the party losing the senate president position to opposition PDP, Oyegun said, “We don’t take anything for granted. As they are planning, we are also planning. The situation is under control.” He said, “I don’t think we will lose that position. But sometimes, for change to take place there is price you have to pay. So losing the position may be sacrifice for change.” On speculations of in-fighting in the party, Oyegun said this is normal as there are always different views. “Interests differ. Some feel they are not sufficiently rewarded or consulted. So, it happens. We are just barely one year in power.” On complaints that Nigerians have yet to feel the much-touted change, the APC chairman said change is a ‘process’ and a ‘progressive’ phenomenon. “When the process fully completes, we will have a totally new Nigeria.” http://thenationonlineng.net/cct-sarakis-camp-disarray-senators-seek-end-crises-2/

Why People Join Boko Haram By Charlotte Alfred (PICTURES)

The catalog of atrocities committed by Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram is harrowing. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of women and children have been abducted from their homes. Captives report being gang-raped and forced into sexual slavery. Young girls have been sent to blow themselves up in suicide attacks. The relentless slaughter of men, women and children has made Boko Haram the deadliest terrorist group in the world in recent years. Why would anyone join such a group? A new report by aid agency Mercy Corps seeks to answer that question. The U.S.-based group interviewed 47 former members about the reasons they entered Boko Haram and published its findings this week. The militant group has thousands of members, including fighters and people playing other supportive roles, such as smuggling and logistics, analysts say. Its ranks are made up mostly of young men, but it also has some female recruits. The Mercy Corps report paints a complex picture of Boko Haram’s recruitment tactics. First, though Boko Haram has lately become notorious for abducting children and forcing captives to fight or carry out suicide attacks, not all recruits join against their will. Most ex-members interviewed by Mercy Corps fell in the gray area between coercion and choice. Some said they were threatened; some faced extreme pressure from friends, family or colleagues, while others saw the group as their least bad option in impoverished and marginalized northeast Nigeria. “I officially joined them when they started killing indiscriminately,” one man told Mercy Corps. “I needed protection and immunity from persecution by them so I could continue with my business.” Second, the group attracts recruits with a blend of religious ideology, social pressure and economic incentives. The financial draw is not just about escaping poverty and unemployment, both of which are high in northeast Nigeria. In fact, the study found Boko Haram recruits poor and rich, employed and unemployed alike. Rather, the group plays on the ambitions of young men who are struggling to get ahead in an area with scant financial services and pernicious inequality and corruption. Several former recruits depicted Boko Haram as a mafia-style organization, offering young entrepreneurs loans for small businesses like shops, salons and tailors and then forcing them to join the group when they couldn’t repay the loan. One man told Mercy Corps that his Boko Haram recruiter “started playing me their preaching tapes to convince me, and he equally started [financially] assisting me and my parents.” Soon after, his recruiter made it clear that he was obligated to join Boko Haram because of these financial “gifts,” so he fled for his life. Third, nearly half of the Boko Haram recruits interviewed for the study were women. Some of them were abducted or coerced by their husbands into joining; others were recruited voluntarily by friends or family. Some women told Mercy Corps that joining Boko Haram provided opportunities for religious study and status within the militant group. “I just wanted to learn more of the Quran and my religion,” one woman told Mercy Corps. The study provides an important insight into the profile and motivations of Boko Haram members and offers strategies to stem the flow of recruits. Mercy Corps urged more access to financial services, reintegration of former fighters and support for counter-narratives that have already proved effective against Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria. But it should be read with attention to an important piece of context — Boko Haram has changed almost beyond recognition since it first emerged in 2002. Before the death of its founder, Muhammed Yusuf, in 2009, the group was a radical but predominantly nonviolent sect that espoused strict Islamic governance as the answer to the region’s rampant corruption. After Yusuf was killed, Boko Haram went underground and re-emerged as a brutal insurgency under its hardline and elusive new leader, Abubakar Shekau. The study found a “marked difference” in Boko Haram’s recruitment techniques after 2009, Mercy Corps’ Rebecca Wolfe, who worked on the report, told The WorldPost. “As Boko Haram’s tactics became more violent, community acceptance started to go and people weren’t joining as much as being coerced,” she said. Further, some researchers said that the study’s depiction of Boko Haram attracting wealthier recruits through a coercive micro-lending scheme was more typical of the earlier days of the group under Mohammed Yusuf. “Yusuf was a wealthy man himself, as well as a charismatic preacher,” Virginia Comolli, the author of Boko Haram: Nigeria’s Islamist Insurgency, told The WorldPost. “He was able to offer people small amounts of money which they used to set up small businesses like motorbike taxis and paid the proceeds back into the group as membership fees.” “It was both a way of attracting people and attracting revenues.” Comolli and other researchers said they had not seen much evidence of such tactics since Yusuf’s death, but the Mercy Corps study found this practice of offering business incentives has continued. “We did speak with several former members who joined post-2009 who were at least partially influenced or coerced by the offer of business support,” study author Lisa Inks told The WorldPost. The study demonstrates how Boko Haram, like extremist groups around the world, has multiple ways to attract, intimidate and coerce recruits, including exploiting the socioeconomic and political grievances of the area. “People are attracted by the violent ideology and by their legitimate grievances against the state,” Comolli said. “You feel like you are somebody when you are given a gun and a mission.” http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/boko-haram-recruitment-tactics_us_571265afe4b06f35cb6fc595

Re: Why People Join Boko Haram By Charlotte Alfred (PICTURES)

Gov Polls: EFCC Arrests INEC Chiefs For Taking N675m In Bribes

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has found over N675.1m in the bank accounts of different Independent National Electoral Commission officials in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta states.

According to the anti-graft agency, the money was received and shared by the officials during the last governorship elections.

Our correspondents gathered that the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the 2015 election in Rivers State, Mrs. Gesila Khan, and other officials of INEC are already in EFCC custody. Khan was quizzed by the Department of State Services in July last year but was never charged.

However, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that Khan and four others were arrested on Thursday, by the zonal office of the EFCC in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The residences of all the suspects were subsequently searched and incriminating documents were said to have been recovered by the commission.

According to impeccable sources at the EFCC, Khan, who is now the REC in Cross River State, allegedly received N185.8m ahead of the March 28 and April 11, 2015 election.

A source at the EFCC, who did not want his name in print, said Khan had made confessional statements and was cooperating with the commission.

He alleged that Khan received money through a special bank account and the commission had received overwhelming evidence.

He said, “Khan was the REC in Rivers State in 2015 election before she was transferred to Cross River early this year. She was said to have received N185.8m. She has made confessional statements.”

The anti-graft agency also arrested one Edem Okon Essanga, who is a retired INEC official. Essanga was arrested alongside his alleged accomplice, Immaculata Asuquo, who is the Head, Voter Education, INEC, Akwa Ibom State.

Essanga was alleged to have received over N240m which he shared among INEC ad hoc workers during the last election.

“Essanga received N241.1m during the general election. He admitted receiving the money and confirmed sharing it with different ad hoc workers during the election. His accomplice Asuquo has also been arrested,” the source added.

The source also disclosed that the EFCC had arrested one Fidelia Omoile who was the INEC electoral officer in Isoko-South Local Government Area, Delta State.

Apart from tracing over N112m to her, the commission also recovered some sensitive electoral materials during a search of her apartments in Edo and Delta states.

“She received N112.4m during the 2015 general election. A search warrant was executed at her residences in Asaba and Benin. Sensitive materials used in the 2015 elections were recovered, including evidence of the suspicious bank transaction and land documents that will assist us in our investigations,” the source said.

The commission also arrested one Oluchi Obi Brown who was the INEC administrative secretary in Delta State. She allegedly received over N111m.

Further investigations by detectives revealed that Brown had about $75,000 in an account in the United States.

“Oluchi received N111.5m during the general election. Investigations showed that she operates a foreign account with the Bank of America. As of February this year, the account balance was $75,857, (N24, 274,240),” the source added.
The sum total of the money found in the bank accounts of the INEC officials is N675.1m.

When asked if the anti-graft agency had recovered any funds, the source said efforts were being made to recover the funds in Nigeria and abroad.

He said the commission was banking on using the confessional statements of the suspects to catch the ‘big fish.’
But the INEC has claimed ignorance of the development, saying it is not sure of the story.

The Deputy Director of Publicity and Voters Education of the commission, Mr. Nick Danzang, told our correspondent that he was unable to either confirm or deny the story.

“I’m not in town, but I have made calls. Nobody seems to know what is happening,” he said.

All attempts to get the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umana, to react to the matter proved abortive as he turned down calls from our correspondent. He did not also respond to text message sent to his phone.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Ekerette Udo, who responded to the call, declined any comment on the issue.

But the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Paul Ekpo, who responded to the call from our correspondent, said he was unaware of such development and he didn’t know either Efanga or Immaculata.

Reacting, the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Dr. Austin Tam-George, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the investigation or arrest of Gesila Khan had nothing to do with Governor Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Government or the state Peoples Democratic Party.

Tam-George explained that security agencies, including the EFCC, appeared to be conducting politically-targeted arrests since the beginning of the current political dispensation.

“We believe there is now a universal consensus that the security agencies, including the EFCC, appear to be conducting politically-targeted arrests since the beginning of this political dispensation.

“Mrs. Khan has particularly been viciously castigated by the All Progressives Congress for her steadfastness and incorruptible stance during the general election in Rivers State in April 2015.

“The fact that the governorship election she supervised in Rivers was ultimately validated by the Supreme Court speaks of her integrity. The world will watch closely to see if Mrs. Khan is being persecuted for her lofty principles and belief in popular democracy in Nigeria.”

The Chief Press Secretary to the Delta State Governor, Charles Aniagwu, while responding, said the government agencies should do their work diligently.

“Let the INEC (and EFCC) find out where the person got the money from. We cannot begin to talk about what we do not know anything about. I do not know about the person. We are not involved. The person accused of having N100m in his or her account should be able to explain the source of the money. We do not need to bribe people to get votes. We do not buy a crowd. We have the crowd behind us already. It is those who do not have the crowd behind them that can buy people with money. We do not buy people with money. We do not engage in bribery and corruption. The governor is a grass roots person,” Aniagwu said.

However, the Ijaw Youth Council. Worldwide has demanded the immediate release of the arrested officials, insisting that they are innocent.
Eric Omare, the group’s spokesman, said in a statement that Khan, who is also an Ijaw, was a victim of witch-hunt.

He said. “Mrs. Khan, had gone to the office of the EFCC to honour an invitation and having met with the EFCC team, they demanded for a first class traditional ruler or holder of the national honour of Commander of the Niger (CON) to stand surety to bail her. However, when the surety was made available on Thursday, the 14th of April, 2016, the EFCC at Port Harcourt claimed that they no longer knew her whereabouts.”

“This is an illegal conduct and flagrant abuse of power by the EFCC in the guise of fighting corruption. While all well-meaning Nigerians and organisations, including the IYC have over the years supported efforts at stamping out corruption from Nigeria, we insist that such a fight must be done within the ambit of the law.”

http://www.punchng.com/gov-polls-efcc-arrests-inec-chiefs-for-taking-n675m-in-bribes/

Buhari Didn’t Sign Any Loan Deal With China – Presidency

The Presidency on Saturday said President Muhammadu Buhari did not sign any loan deal with the Peoples Republic of China during his just-concluded one-week working visit to the country.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, gave the clarification in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH.

Ahead of Buhari’s trip which started last Sunday, there were media reports that he would sign a $2bn loan deal with China during the visit as the Federal Government sought funds to finance the over N2tn budget deficit.

Reuters had reported that Adesina confirmed that loan agreement would be signed but he could not say how much until it was signed.

But the presidential spokesman told our correspondent on Saturday that there was no iota of truth in the report.

“There was no loan deal during the President’s visit to China. All that is coming are investments into Nigeria,” he stated.

At the conclusion of the visit on Friday, the Presidency had said the President’s trip yielded over $6bn additional investments for Nigeria.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.

Shehu said the President believed that the agreements concluded with the Chinese during the visit would have a huge and positive impact on key sectors of the Nigerian economy, including power, solid minerals, agriculture, housing and rail transportation.

He said, “In the power sector, North South Power Company Limited and Sinohydro Corporation Limited signed an agreement valued at $478,657,941.28 for the construction of 300 Mega Watts solar power in Shiriro, Niger State.

“In the solid minerals sector, Granite and Marble Nigeria Limited and Shanghai Shibang signed an agreement valued at $55m for the construction and equipping of granite mining plant in Nigeria.

“A total of $1bn is to be invested in the development of a greenfield expressway for Abuja-Ibadan-Lagos under an agreement reached by the Infrastructure Bank and Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

“For the housing sector, both companies also sealed a $250m deal to develop an ultra modern 27-storeyed high rise complex and a $2.5bn agreement for the development of the Lagos Metro Rail Transit Red Line project.”

According to the presidential spokesman, other agreements announced and signed during the visit included $1bn for the establishment of a hi-tech industrial park in Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Igbesa, Ogun State.

He added that the Ogun-Guangdong Free Trade Zone and CNG (Nigeria) Investment Limited also signed an agreement valued at $200m for the construction of two 500MT/day float gas facilities.

“An agreement valued at $363m for the establishment of a comprehensive farm and downstream industrial park in Kogi State was also announced at the Nigeria-China business forum.

“Other agreements undergoing negotiations include a $500m project for the provision of television broadcast equipment and a $25m facility for production of pre-paid smart meters between Mojec International Limited and Microstar Company Limited.

“About 100 Nigerian businesses and 300 Chinese firms participated in the Nigeria-China business forum, which took place a day after President Buhari began his visit to China,” Shehu added.

http://www.punchng.com/buhari-didnt-sign-any-loan-deal-with-china-presidency/

‘Treat Jonathan With Care; Falae, Anenih Too Old To Be Jailed’ – Sagay To Buhari

$2.1bn arms fund: Treat Jonathan with caution, Presidential Adviser, Sagay tells Buhari

.Says Yakassai, Anenih, Falae too old to go to jail

Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, is the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption. In this interview with TUNDE THOMAS, he urged President Muhammadu Buhari to apply caution over recent calls by some Nigerians that former President Goodluck Jonathan be invited for questioning over the raging $2.1 billion arms scandal for which ex-NSA, Sambo Dasuki and other top PDP chiefs are currently facing trial. Excerpts:

FORMER President, Olusegun Obasanjo, recently described EFCC as a toothless bulldog.He said that the anti-graft agency has lost its bite unlike when he was in power, how do you see his com­ments?

I think Obasanjo was not well in­formed before making this comment. Indeed, there was a time EFCC went down because there were some ele­ments within the organisation whose hands were not clean.

Now, EFCC is under a new lead­ership, and the new man in charge, Ibrahim Magu is totally committed to the war against corruption. He is determined to ensure that cor­rupt people are not only arrested but made to face justice.

Obasanjo, during his time ap­peared to have succeeded in the war against corruption because it was during his time that we have the EFCC and ICPC Act. The type of successes Obasanjo achieved against corruption, and the method by which he achieved them can’t be practiced now.

Why sir?

I said so because Obasanjo broke all the rules. In most cases, he didn’t follow due process while waging war against corruption.

Look at what happened in Bayelsa State, how he got all members of Bayelsa State House of Assembly arrested while trying to ensure that the then governor Diepreye Alami­eyeseigha was impeached.

He did not only take the law­makers to Abuja, Obasanjo also compelled them to impeach Alami­eyeseigha. He threatened them that if they refused to do so, they would remain in detention.

Obasanjo used unorthodox methods to wage war against cor­ruption. His own methods can’t be used today. Don’t forget that Obasanjo also used the same meth­od in Plateau State when he used only five lawmakers to impeach Joshua Dariye, the then state gov­ernor who was accused of being corrupt. Obasanjo later installed a man called Botman as state gover­nor after illegally removing Dari­ye. But these kind of methods are abnormal. They negate principles of due process.

But a lot of things are going on in the war against corruption today. A lot of prosecution is going on, and these prosecutions are dynamic.

We have a lot of cases going on and these are being followed to a logical conclusion. For instance, the case against the Publicity Sec­retary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh is already completed, and Metuh lost his no-case submission, but to evade judgement, Metuh has now been trying to transfer his case to another court so that the case can start afresh.

EFCC is doing its own part. The Federal Government is also doing its best to tackle corruption. Look at the case against Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal: The case is going on very well.

Look at the other corruption cas­es against Dasuki, Badeh and oth­ers. EFCC is doing very well. The agency has been very dynamic, so I don’t agree with Obasanjo’s claims. You know you have to fol­low due process before you can get judgement against those people be­ing charged to court, Like I said, Obasanjo was very unorthodox in his style when he was in gov­ernment. But I’m optimistic that EFCC will get some cases con­cluded before the end of the year.

You sound so optimis­tic sir, but we have many cases that have been lin­gering for years without be­ing concluded, what is the basis of this assurance that you are giving?

It is true that there are many cases like that with some dating far back to 2007. I want to assure that we are going to get some cases concluded before the end of the year.


Again, the administration of Criminal Justice Act which now makes it impossible for those who have been using various tactics to evade justice to do so again. I’m not saying that convictions, but I’m very sure that judgement will be delivered.

But the only thing that can make this impossible is if some judges decide to ignore the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, and decide to continue with the old bad ways.

Then, how do we ensure that this fear of some judg­es continuing in their old ways is addressed?

Our committee is doing every­thing possible to address the issue. We are interacting with judges on proper interpretation of Admin­istration of Criminal Justice Act, that they should not give adjourn­ments anyhow and that there can’t be more than five adjournments in a case.

The law says that when an appli­cation is made, you take the appli­cation and the main case together, so that at the end of the day, you will give ruling and judgement together, not that you adjourn and later give the ruling.

I noticed that some judges are doing this, but this has shown that they are ignorant of the law. But I believe with time, everything will fall into place.

The question of what should happen to looters and the loot being recov­ered has been generating controversy, what is your view on this?

The laws are already there. The punishments range from a maxi­mum of 21 years to others between 7 and 10 years.

There is also a provision for plea bargaining so that whoever is quick to admit to being involved in cor­rupt practices will be given light sentence for admitting to his guilt and for not wasting prosecution time. But this time around, recov­ery from anybody making plea bar­gaining will be total.

It will not be like a situation be­fore when somebody is accused of stealing N2 billion would be asked­to return N2 million under plea bar­gaining.

As for the recovered funds, I know that the money is being kept somewhere. At the appropriate time, government will decide what to do with it.

On Dasuki’s case, it has been attracting so much publicity, and one of the reasons for that is that many people are wonder­ing why the man has not been released on bail after about 5 courts had granted him bail, what is your view on this?

My understanding is that Dasuki haa other matters that are not cov­ered by bail.

For some elderly, promi­nent Nigerians that were linked to Dasukigate, people like Chief Olu Fa­lae, Tanko Yakassai, Tony Anenih and others, some Nigerians are saying that they should be sent to jail if they are found guilty, their old age not withstanding, what is your take on this?

When Nigerians want to be radi­cal, at times, they go overboard. The law recognises the physical and mental state. There are people who are not fit to undergo trial. So, we can’t be an exception. There­fore, we can’t afford to drag a 90- year old man to jail.

At a certain age and a certain level of infirmity, the best you can do is to get whatever you can from such suspects. You can’t send ev­erybody to jail, you have to take into consideration, age and state of health. Like all criminal offences have mental ingredients, the ques­tion you ask again is this, what is the mental state of the person that receives money, did they know that the money being received was criminally obtained or do they think it was collection from the party that was given to them?

The fact that these elder states­men received money is not enough, there has to be a motive. Actual taking or receiving money by these people is not enough reason to send them to jail, you also have to con­sider their mental state when they were receiving it. We have to find out what the person understood he was collecting and from whom he was collecting.

Some Nigerians have been clamouring that for­mer President Goodluck Jonathan should either speak out or be invited to react to the allegations against him by some of these people that had been picked, what is your opin­ion?

Some Nigerians have been clamouring that for­mer President Goodluck Jonathan should either speak out or be invited to react to the allegations against him by some of these people that had been picked, what is your opin­ion?

It is a sensitive matter – we have to be very careful. My personal view is that somebody that is of high rank in this administration should talk to Jonathan. We have to handle the issue diplomatically. I’m not one of those persons that will say go and haul your former president into jail. The matter is sensitive. Like I said, somebody can be sent to Jonathan to get his own reactions or views regarding those who have been mentioning his name, and see what can be recovered. We should be careful about how we handle the issue. The issue can affect the im­age of the country.

How would you assess the ongoing anti-corruption war?

It is achieving the desired result. The impunity that you can commit fraud and escape with it is no longer there. People are now aware that it is no longer business as usual. Ni­gerians are being re-orientated that looting is evil. Nigerians are now being made to be aware that corrup­tion should not be tolerated. Then, Nigerians should also realize that the era of impunity is gone forever.

What has your committee been doing since it was in­augurated by the Federal Government?

We are working towards ensur­ing that the work of judges and anti-corruption agencies is made easier. We also have a manual on plea bargaining.

Your view on Supreme Court pronouncements on Rivers and Akwa Ibom State elections has come under criticisms in some quarters – that Supreme Court judgement or ruling should be seen as final, how do you react to this?

The Supreme Court is the final court. There is no appeal again ex­cept to God, but the judges at the Supreme Court are infallible. They make mistakes; and of course some of their judgements are wrong. But we can’t appeal against it.

But my own personal view again is that the Supreme Court judge­ments on Rivers and Akwa Ibom were terribly wrong. I call it per­verse. I’m going to write a com­prehensive review and my own opinion on those judgements, and I’m going to publish it. Nigerians ought to know what exactly went wrong.

We have certainly not heard the last on the elections in Rivers and Akwa Ibom State because the Su­preme Court judgement on the two states is going to have a profound effect on the future of election pe­titions unless something is done about it.

Is there a way your own view and what you intend to publish can have effect on subsequent Supreme Court judgements?

It can have. Of course the Na­tional Assembly can also make bye-laws to correct errors in pre­vious Supreme Court judgements. The lawmakers can make laws to correct Supreme Court.

Have you been receiving criticisms over your dissent­ing views to the Supreme Court ruling on Rivers and Akwa Ibom State elections?

I have been criticised by some people while some have also com­mended me. I have been criticised for attacking Supreme Court judge­ment on the pages of newspapers, some felt that I should have done so in a law journal, but remember that a law journal comes out in every five years. Even at that, only a few people will read it, but I want to do something that all members of the public will read. I have no apology for criticizing the Supreme Court judgement because what I’m doing is in the best interest of the country. I have no apology to offer anybody, my comment is for public good and in the interest of the Judiciary. This nation comes first – I will not allow any parochial interest to becloud my own sense of reasoning.

http://sunnewsonline.com/2-1bn-arms-fund-treat-jonathan-with-caution-presidential-adviser-sagay-tells-buhari/

PDP Blasts Bello For Donating To Aisha Buhari's Book Launch

Following allegations that many APC Chieftains made secret donations to Aisha Buhari's book launch,PDP has taken a swipe of Gov Bello of Kogi state.According to PDP,Gov. Bello secretly donated N70m to Aisha Buhari despite not paying salaries to workers since he assume office as governor.

Source: http://www.trezzyblog.com/2016/04/pdp-blasts-yahaya-bellomadness-kogi.html

South African Victim: TB Joshua Left Me High And Dry

Promised help by the church has yet to materialise – after almost 18 months.

Almost 18 months after a building collapse at the church of self-proclaimed prophet TB Joshua in Lagos, Nigeria, left 116 dead and scores injured, a young South African survivor has given up hope of receiving aid.

Vusi Makwele, 27, said he last heard from a Synagogue Church of All Nations (Scoan) representative in October 2014. That was shortly after he returned to South Africa following the tragedy. The church had allegedly promised to help him following his injuries.

Makwele, a human resource honours graduate at the time of his visit to the Scoan in September 2014, said he had gone to the church to change his life. “In that plane, all I was thinking of was my family,” said Makwele.

“I wanted to pray for their problems to go away. But things turned ugly. The trip changed my whole life.” Two days later, Makwele’s life changed forever when a six storey guest house at the church collapsed. Of the close to 120 people who lost their lives, more than 80 were South Africans.

Speculation was rife that the building did not meet construction standards and families of the victims and deceased wanted the popular televangelist to be held accountable. Makwele, who previously worked in a sales department at a retail store, said the tragedy nearly robbed him of his dreams.

“With the job that I had, I was able to pay my bills,” he said. “I was able to support my family. But now, I’m part of the unemployment statistics.” Makwele said of the fateful day: “It was really traumatising, it still is.” He said he did not know how he survived because his injuries were very severe.

“I lost a lot of blood on that day. I’m still scared of storey structures.” He was in hospital for three days in Nigeria, but said he had to pretend to be fine, “just to get out of that city and come home”.

But little did he know how different it would be. Makwele said he had to use crutches to get around. “I could not even walk and as a result, failed to perform my duties at work. I had to be released from my job.”

He refused to go for counselling because he was still confused and in shock, but feels that traumatic incident “messed up” his mind. Makwele says after losing his job, he never received anything from the church.

Church’s response:

Kirsten Nematandani, Scoan representative in South Africa, told The Citizen at the time of the collapse that the church focused more on those who lost their lives. “We only focused on ensuring that processes of the funerals were dealt with.”
The families of the deceased each received R50 000.
However, it is understood that people who were severely injured were given more money than the families of those who lost their lives.


Source:http://citizen.co.za/1074009/tb-joshua-has-left-me-high-dry/

Lightning Kills Women In Church In Imo (photo)

From NGOZI UWUJARE

IN a bizarre case of ill fate, two women, 25-year-old Chioma Jonathan, a native of Obiangwu in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area and Chinonye Anyanwu, aged 26, from Ahiazu Mbaise LGA, both in Imo State, died when they were struck by lightning.

The unfortunate incident happened when the two women went to participate in the regular Holy Ghost Hour prayer session of Heavenly Sure Charismatic Church, a Pentecostal church, usually held in the premises of Comprehensive Secondary School, Emekuku in Owerri North LGA, Imo State.

Also affected in the lightning strike was the 54-year-old General Overseer of the church, Pastor Luke Nwokocha, who led the short-lived prayer session. He temporarily lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital by his wife and another member of the church, where he was revived. In addition, he sustained injuries on his leg.

At the headquarters of the police command in Imo State, Pastor Nwokocha recounted to Sunday Sun, what happened. “We always have fellowship every Tuesday. On the fateful day, we had our ‘Holy Ghost Hour’.

We were five members in the church. The two deceased sisters, including the sister that swept the church premises; Evangelist Solomon and myself were arranging the benches. Around 4.30pm heavy rain started falling. I started praying for the programme.”

Then there was a sudden lightning flash followed by the deafening sound of thunder. The two women, who were in the direct path of the electric field created by the lightning flash died instantly, when they were struck by the streak. Nwokocha, who apparently was off the direct path of the streak received a much lower jolt of electricity, which, however, was strong enough to throw him across the room, cause temporary loss of consciousness and physical injuries on his leg and hands.

“My wife, Pastor Eucharia Nwokocha and the other church member rushed me to the hospital for medical treatment,” he said.

Nwokocha who hails from Umuakuru Emekuku in Owerri North LGA further explained: “I have been in this ministry for 26 years. I have never experienced anything like this. I was called into ministry in 1990.

Until that time, I was a policeman and served in the Imo State Police Command and retired at Akwa Ibom Police Command in July 2007. Following my retirement, I decided to focus on my ministry fulltime. I do not understand how it happened, its only God who understands and knows all.”

Following the incident, the elder brother of Chioma Jonathan reported the case to the Owerri North Divisional Police Station, from where the case was transferred to the homicide department at the headquarters of the Imo State Police Command, Owerri, the state capital.

The Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu who confirmed the incident said it was a strange occurrence. He added that the cleric was undergoing interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation Department while the corpses of the dead women had been deposited at the mortuary of the Holy Rosary Hospital, Emekuku.

One of the elders of Emekuku community, Godwin John told Sunday Sun that the whole thing was a mystery.

“We know Pastor Luke usually holds the ‘Holy Ghost Hour’ prayer session. What happened to Pastor Luke Nwokocha and the lightning strike that killed two members of his church is an abomination. We will consult the elders,” he said.

Meanwhile Lakanu has reassured relations of the deceased women that proper investigation would be carried out by the officer in charge of the homicide section of State Criminal Investigation Department, Supol Innocent Obi, who is working hard with the detectives under him to ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice

http://sunnewsonline.com/shocking-lightning-kills-2-women-during-prayer-session-in-church/

The Man Who Claimed To Be Jesus EDIDEM BASSEY From Ikot Ekpene Akwa Ibom State

The Untold Story of Jesus of Ikot-Ekpene, EDIDEM BASSEY

This is story back in time. It is a story of a man who lived like an emperor, who lived as if the world would never end but about whom very little is known. This piece attempts to amalgamate the most reliable information found on him.

He proclaimed himself as Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour and the Lord. While some viewed him as raving mad, his ‘madness’ attracted hordes of devoted worshippers to his territory. Soon, news spread all over and beyond Eastern Nigeria, of a strange man named Edidem Bassey, revered by his followers and branded the Jesus of Ikot-Ekpene.

Today, the city of Ikot-Ekpene is located in Akwa Ibom State, a state that has the densest concentration of churches on earth. Ikot-Ekpene is regarded as the cultural and political centre of the Annangs and Ibibios and it is represented in the Nigerian Senate by a former governor of the state, Godswill Obot Akpabio Now, let’s roll back in time.

When the Christian missionaries arrived Nigeria, Ikot-Ekpene was one of the first destinations. And they arrived with fire and brimstone, their goal was to convert everyone from what they regarded as African paganism to Christianity.

The influence of Christianity is still very strong and visible in Ikot-Ekpene till date. However, since the native people already had their own set of traditional beliefs, what later emerged over time in some areas of Ikot-Ekpene was a blend of Christianity and African traditional religions, leading to a curious strand of syncretism that produced people like Edidem Bassey

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Primate Ayodele: Buhari Can’t Take Us To Promise Land, Nigeria Will Break Up

The Spiritual Leader of INRI Spiritual and Evangelical Church, Oke-Afa, Isolo, Lagos, has once again reaffirmed his prophecy that President Muhammadu Buhari is not the person to lead Nigeria to the promised land.

Like the biblical Moses, Ayodele said, Buhari will only lay the foundation for a new Nigeria but won’t be the one to lead the country to the desired promised land.

Speaking with Vanguard, the controversial prophet said he was teaming up with several prophets to offer prayer for Nigeria.

According to him, “What Buhari has come to do is not to take Nigeria to the Promised Land but to pave the way for it to happen. He will lay the foundation for a new Nigeria.”

Speaking further, Ayodele said he foresaw many republic springing up from this entity called Nigeria.

His words, “Nigeria may not be one again and we will then have a regional system of government whereby each region will operate on its own and I see a situation where different republics come out of Nigeria because we failed to find drastic solutions to our problems. May be there is security report to that effect or not, I don’t know.”

On the ongoing scarcity of petrol nationwide, the cleric said, “You remember I said in one of my interviews in the past that Nigerians would buy fuel for N200, N250. Has it not come to pass now? It is the same thing I am saying now, many people may not believe. I said that some states would collapse economically and that Buhari would become President but that his government would be fluctuating.”

Asked what the way forward is, the Apostle said, “Now, the solution is this, the prophets have to come together. There are differences between prophets and pastors. I have been taking steps for prophets to come together and pray for this nation through their anointing. The country needs prayers. What is happening now to the nation is more than the government can do alone.”

http://dailypost.ng/2016/04/17/buhari-cant-take-us-to-promise-land-nigeria-will-break-up-primate-ayodele/?utm_source=nnd&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=nnd

Northern Elders Write Buhari "2016 Budget Not Favourable To The North

Northern elders cry to Buhari
— 17th April 2016
Say region shortchanged in 2016 budget
Want Biafra crushed
We’ll open up discussion to accommodate all grievances –Reps

From Iheanacho Nwosu and Fred Itua, Abuja

NORTHERN elders have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to upwardly review capital allocations to the North in the 2016 budget, claiming that the region was shortchanged.

This is as the elders advised the president not to buckle in dealing with the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), and urged him to ensure that the full weight of the law was brought against the agitators.

The elders in a five-page letter signed by elder statesman, Amb. Yusuf Maitama Sule equally enjoined President Buhari to continue to show sympathy to initiatives that channel “funding and expertise to the North from the country as well as from international financing and other support sources.”

The letter entitled ‘Advice on National Issues ‘was written under the aegis of Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on March 7. Describing allocations for capital projects given to the North-­east, North-­west and North-­west as inadequate, the group claimed that the region was shortchanged.

It reminded the president that the backbone of his administration is the North and cautioned that if the allocations were not upwardly reviewed, it would pose a huge problem for his government.

NEF said: “We have conducted some analysis on the 2016 budget estimates which Mr President submitted to the National Assembly. We are concerned over the absence of equity in the allocation of capital spending. The three geo-­political zones in the North are severely shortchanged.”

The group continued: “For a region deserving greater resources and attention as well as being the political backbone of your administration, this situation will pose serious problems for your administration.

“We advise Mr President to review the proposed allocations in consultation with the National Assembly.”

The Northern elders said the South already had advantage over the North in terms of the number of federal civil servants, a situation it said meant that the south would enjoy allocations for recurrent votes.

The forum further contended: “We wish to draw Mr. President’s attention to the fact that over 75 percent of all Federal Government public service employees are from the three geo-political zones in the South. This means that virtually the same percentage of recurrent spending will go to Nigerians from the South.”

On the government structure, the verdict of the NEF was damning. The forum described

Buhari’s team as weak, urging him to immediately establish an

Economic Management Team. The group wrote: “We have

noted the need for improvements in the human and institutional

capabilities which aid Mr. President in governing the nation.

As economic difficulties and demands for good governance

become more challenging, the quality of advice and support

Mr. President will require will need to be substantially raised.

“We urge Mr. President to establish an Economic Management Team and conclude

Appointments of key officers and advisers. Where there are

evident weaknesses and gaps in skills, competencies, experience and integrity, we urge Mr. President to take steps to address them.”

On national security, NEF urged President Buhari to look into allegations that Boko Haram “still has substantial presence in

many areas near Maiduguri and other towns and villages.” The elders called for measures that would help improve the “quality of intelligence and integrity of the leadership of the Armed

Forces.” Focusing specifically on what it called the threat posed by

IPOB to national security, the forum said: “We commend Mr

President’s stand and disposition towards the threats posed by the

Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and advise that in addition to allowing full weight of the law to be deployed against these threats, Mr. President should support initiatives which

isolate this threat among Igbo people.”

Recommending on ways of rehabilitating the Northeast

ravaged by insurgency, the body called for the establishment of North-­east Development Commission in addition to other development strategies.

It counseled that the commission should be well funded and deliberately assisted to function effectively.

On what the president should do to revive the economy of the North, NEF said: “We recognize that Mr President has a national mandate and we do not intend to ask for what does not belong to the North. However, the level of poverty, which is increasing particularly in relation to the rest of the country, represents a serious threat to the region and the unity and survival of our dear country.”

The group charged the president to continue to give special attention to economic and welfare needs of the region.

In a reaction to the issues raised by the Northern elders in

respect of the 2016 budget, the House of Representatives last

night gave assurance it would look into the grouse of the North

In a telephone chat with a Sunday Sun correspondent, Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulrazak Saad Namdas, promised that every gray area would be addressed in fresh negotiations with the Presidency in respect of provisions in the budget for capital projects.

“We are still awaiting response from Mr. President on the budget before we open further discussions,” Namdas said.

Further efforts made to speak with some other notable lawmakers were unsuccessful as they did not pick their calls or respond to text messages as at the time of filling this report.

Also reacting to the request to the president on Biafra agitators

last night, the National Leader of a faction of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Uchenna Madu dismissed it as nonsense.

Madu described the northern elders as a bunch of old men talking nonsense.

He added: “By the letter to Buhari, they have accepted the failure of their kinsman in governing the country and now acting in frustration.

“They should not deceive themselves in the old Biafra.

The new Biafra runs in the blood of every Igbo man and nobody can stop it. The letter asking Buhari to deal with Biafra agitators has no meaning because they cannot crush or stop Biafra. The Northern elders or whatever they call themselves can go to hell.”

http://sunnewsonline.com/northern-elders-cry-to-buhari/

Senate Buys 108 Jeeps At Twice Price.

The Senate has started taking delivery of 108 Toyota Land Cruiser Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) it ordered for members at the cost of N3.8 billion, Daily Trust on Sunday has gathered.

Our correspondent learnt that the first set of the cars, numbering 36, was delivered last Tuesday and distributed to senators last Wednesday. There are indications that the Senate purchased the vehicles at double the price of each in the showroom in Nigeria. The lawmakers purchased each for N35.1 million, but checks by our reporter indicated that a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV V6 2016 model is sold at N17 million.

The delivery is coming in spite of the controversy surrounding the purchase of the vehicles. The cars, it was further gathered, were distributed the same day some senators told the Senate President Bukola Saraki that standing committees could no longer perform their statutory functions as a result of paucity of funds.

Saraki had, in February, acquired official cars at the cost of N330 million. The cars were purchased despite reservations expressed by prominent Nigerians.

A source privy to the delivery of the cars told Daily Trust on Sunday that one senator had been given from each of the 36 states of the federation.
“Since only 36 were delivered at a meeting on Tuesday, it was agreed that one senator should be given from each of the 36 states of the federation. They were given the cars on Wednesday,” the source said.

It was gathered that another set of 36 cars would be delivered in two weeks and the supplier would deliver the last batch of same number in early May.
In all, a total of 108 cars would be supplied by the contractor and each senator, excluding the Senate President, is expected to get one. It would be recalled that the senators, in August last year, received car loans.

Speaking on the delivery of the cars, a senator said the contract for the supply of the cars had been reviewed upward in view of the foreign exchange crisis.

“The cars were initially pegged at N35 million but now it has been reviewed upward to N55 million. They will soon bring the remaining cars but most of the senators close to Saraki have been given. My friend started driving his own on Thursday, “ he said.
He decried the decision by some of his colleagues to sell theirs in order to pretend as if they never received them. “Nigerians should watch out. Our colleagues have started receiving the cars but some have decided to sell theirs because they don’t want their people to know about them.

“If you collect the cars and you think you are doing the right thing, why won’t you drive it? Are they [Senators] not the ones who insisted on buying the cars? If it is legal and right, let them drive the cars to their constituencies,” he said on the condition of anonymity.

When contacted, the spokesperson of the Senate, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said the cars were a necessity, and not luxury.

“Let us face the reality, if Special Advisers can use cars like this as official cars, then why the noise about ours? A senator is representing a constituency, a district. Do you expect him to be trekking to discharge his duties? These cars are not a luxury, the cars are a practical and absolute necessity,” he said in a phone interview.

On the paucity of funds bedevilling committees, he said: “It is not far from the problem everybody knows. It is not that the committees are not working; it is the quantum of the work; because one committee could organize five public hearings. So it is the quantum of work and limited resources.

“The cars are capital projects, while the public hearings are not. There is a difference between capital and recurrent expenditure,” he said.
It would be recalled that senators, during their sitting on Wednesday, told Senate President Bukola Saraki that paucity of funds was hindering the discharge of their legislative duties.


Commenting on the purchase of the cars, Barrister Audu Bulama Bukarti of the Bayero University Kano (BUK) said the senators were unaware of the public perception about them.

“In my opinion, the Senate’s purchase of these exotic cars at a time Senate standing committees are finding it difficult to carry out their constitutional and statutory functions over alleged paucity of funds is, to say the least, unpatriotic, selfish, contemptuous, callous and ill-timed.

“One cannot help but wonder where the Senate got the money from, since the budget is yet to be passed. Do they have the powers to spend such a huge sum without appropriation and authorization? Or are they just daring Nigerians?

“From the Senate’s action on the CCB, CCT Act and ACJA Amendments, their attitude to the 2016 budget and purchase of these cars, I am compelled to conclude that the senators are unmindful of public perception and our senators can go to any length to achieve their goals even at the expense of Nigerians,” he said.

http://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/senate-buys-108-jeeps-at-twice-price/142766.html