Saturday 25 December 2021

NIGERIA’S ARMY CHIEF PARDONS FEMALE SOLDIER WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH YOUTH CORPS MEMBER BY NEWSDESK

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt. Gen. Faruq Yahaya has pardoned the female soldier who publicly accepted the proposal of a male youths corps member at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp in Kwara state. PRNigeria learnt from credible military sources that Gen. Yahaya made overtures to the leadership of the Nigerian armed forces for the soldier to be pardoned. He however, warned that the erring soldier should be reprimanded against engaging in any kind of act that contravenes the military code of conduct for its officers and men, the sources said. The Military authority has considered the appeal of the Army Chief and ordered the release of the soldier to enjoy Christmas with family and friends. Recalled that a video of a male corps member proposing to a female soldier at the Yikpata Orientation Camp of the NYSC in Kwara state recently surfaced online and went viral. In one of the video clips, some corps members are seen having a discussion at a venue believed to be the parade ground of the orientation camp. The discussion is still on when the yet-to-be-identified corps member, who is seen holding a ring, goes down on one knee and pops the question to the soldier with the lady accepting the proposal. The corps member goes on to insert the ring in the finger of the visibly excited soldier amid cheers from others at the scene. In another clip, the pair are seen sharing lovey-dovey moments. The corps member is seen wearing the lady’s military cap as she stands directly behind him. They thereafter share a kiss to the delight of other corps members filming the incident. There were reports after the incident that the soldier was detained by the Army, an action that received wide condemnation on social media. However, aside public ‘outrage’ over the action of the Nigerian military, PRNigeria gathered that Lt. Gen. Yahaya’s ‘appeal for mercy’ for the female soldier, may not be unconnected with the fact that the Christmas season presents an opportunity for persons who erred to be given clemency. “The COAS, in his wisdom, believes that the young female soldier will retrace her steps and show remorse for engaging in acts that negates military ethical codes, by the time she is pardoned and forgiven. Hence, he has been appealing for her to be pardoned. This is what he has been doing behind the scene, in the last few days,” said a senior military officer, who does not want PRNigeria to mention his name. When contacted, the Army Spokesperson, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu told PRNigeria that the soldier would be released on Christmas Day. “I can confirm to you that an order has been made for the soldier to be freed and enjoy the Christmas with her family and friends with a serious warning for her not to repeat such act again,” he said. PRNigeria

Friday 17 December 2021

Important Updates on Dubai Visa For Nigerians By travelwaka

dubai visa for Nigerians This post is regarding the latest updates on the Dubai Visa for Nigerians. In the last few months, there have been several updates regarding Dubai visas for Nigerians. However, there is no official statement from the United Arab Emirates government yet regarding these latest developments. If you are planning to visit Dubai, this article is for you. Dubai Updates In the Last One Year These are some of the recent updates regarding the Dubai visa for Nigeria. These are some of the updates below: Dubai Visa Ban For Nigerians Early 2021, there was rumour that Dubai is no longer giving visas to Nigerians. The United Arab Emirates government has denied such claims. There was no formal ban, but we experienced a rise in the rate of refusal and denial rate for Nigerians. Latest Updates: Nigerians can apply for Dubai Visas, however, Dubai is still rejecting some applications. Delay in Processing Dubai Visa Usually, Dubai visas processing takes between 24 hours to 72 hours. With the recent updates, processing a Dubai visa now takes between 3 to 7 days. The processing days depends on the type of visa. Latest Update: The processing days for Dubai Visa is still between 3 to 7 working days. High Rate of Denial Before now, the Dubai visa is one of the easiest to get in Nigeria. The acceptance rate is almost 99 per cent. However, in the second/third quarter of 2021, there has been a significant increase in the number of Dubai visa denials for Nigerians. It was almost like a 30 per cent acceptance rate. Latest Updates: In the last six months, there’s been an increase in the rejection rate of Dubai visas for Nigerians. However rate of denial has reduced significantly. dubai visa for nigerians Denial of Dubai Visa for Nigerian Male Who are Below 35 Years Over the last few weeks, there is also a new update regarding Nigerian men that are 35 years and below. We also noticed a trend for single Nigerian men who are not married. The rate of rejection is over 95 per cent. The only exception is men below 35 who are married or travelling in the company of their parents or family. Married men who are below 35 years were granted Dubai visas. But the majority of men under 35 years were denied the Dubai visa. Latest Update: Men below 35 years can now apply for a Dubai visa. No direct Flight from Nigeria to Dubai Another related update regarding travelling to Dubai is the ban on direct flights from Nigeria to Dubai. Early this year, there was a ban on direct flights from Nigeria to Dubai. The Nigerian government and airlines flying from Nigeria to Dubai did not meet the requirement for the Rapid PCR test facility. It is the new standard requirement for airlines flying to Dubai. In addition to the regular covid test carried out, the airlines are mandated to carry out another test on passengers flying into Dubai. Latest Updates: Since the ban of direct flights from Nigeria to Dubai. Most people can only travel from Nigeria to Dubai Through Cotonou and Ghana. As of October 2021, There is still no direct flight from Nigeria to Dubai. However, you can travel to Dubai through Kenya Airways, But you have to ensure that the airline will be having a long layover. This is to give room for the instant test at the airport. Non Issuance of Work Permit to Nigerians Another recent development is the issue of Dubai work permits for Nigerians. Hundreds of people are denied work visas. Dubai Authorities has denied not granting work permits to Nigerians. But we noticed the UAE is not currently renewing nor giving work permits for many Nigerians. Most of the applications got rejected. Getting a work visa in Dubai has become harder than ever. This is for Nigerian citizens in Dubai. It doesn’t matter how long you have been working in Dubai, Dubai was not granting Latest Update: As of October 2021, the majority of Nigerians living in Dubai are still finding it hard to process or renew Dubai work permits. Also Read: What Nigerians Travelling to Dubai Through Cotonou Are Going Through Possible Reasons for these developments Increase in Crime Activities by Some Nigerians: Some people have attributed it to the recent criminal activities by some Nigerians living in the United Arab Emirates. One of the cases is the Hush Puppy cyber-criminal case. Hush Puppy is currently in a federal prison in the United States of America. He is currently facing several criminal charges. Some people claimed some of the visa difficulties Nigerians are experiencing may be related to these recent criminal activities. Cultism Activities by Some Nigerians: Another recent development is a high increase in cultism activities and gang wars by some Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates. These activities have left some people dead and others injured. These may also be related. Some Nigerians were Tagged Global Sponsors of Terrorism: Sometime in 2021, some prominent Nigerians were tagged global sponsors of terrorism. Also, this may somehow be connected to the recent visa ban for Nigerians. Issues with the Federal Government: There is a pending issue between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Arab Emirate government. This issue is still pending that subsequently led to the banning of direct flights to Dubai from Nigeria. Reduce The Number of Nigerians Coming to UAE: This may also be an attempt to reduce the number of Nigerians coming to the UAE in search of greener pasture. Things to Do To Avoid Dubai Visa Ban Do a Social Media Audit: Always ensure you do a social media audit on all your social media pages. Ensure that your profile does not suggest you are into any illegal activities. Also, ensure your page does not support any form of criminal activity. You May Travel With Your Family: One of the easiest ways to get a Dubai visa is to travel in the company of your spouse, older siblings or parents. It has become a sure way to get a Dubai visa. Apply from A Trusted Agent: Dubai usually blacklists agents whose clients are on a wanted list or whose client has done something in the past. Applying from such agents may lead to visa rejection. Always ensure you apply from trusted agents with high integrity. Below is the list of trusted Dubai Agents in Nigeria. Travelwaka Tours www.travelwaka.com/contact www.instagram.com/travelwaka_tours www.twitter.com/travelwakatours Our Recommendation If you are still in Nigeria, this is not the best time to travel to Dubai in search of jobs. You may also have to suspend visiting Dubai for now if you do not have something very important to do in Dubai. With these recent updates, You can still apply for your regular tourist visas. Tourist visas are currently being granted to Nigerians as of October 2020. However if you are planning to travel, kindly follow the above recommendations for the best strategies to get Dubai in Nigeria.

2023: I look forward to going back to my farm, says Buhari BY Segun Adewole

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has said he looks forward to taking charge of his farm in 2023 when his tenure ends. He, however, said he will do his best to advance the interest of the nation and its people before the time comes. Buhari said this while marking his 79th birthday in Istanbul, Turkey, where he is scheduled to participate in the Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit, hosted by his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Recep Erdogan. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. Shehu quoted the President as saying, “I thought that being away from Abuja I will escape these things. The Guards Brigade had written to tell me what they wanted to do on this day. Now here you are doing this far away from home. “I look forward to the year 2023 when I finish, to go home to take charge of my farm. Between now and that time, I will do the best that is possible to advance the interest of the nation and its people, and carry out my duties as prescribed by the Constitution.” PUNCH.

UK resumes visa application processing from Nigeria By Vincent Ikuomola

The United Kingdom (UK) has announced resumption of processing of visa applications in Nigeria. The decision, which was announced through a statement, followed the Wednesday removal of Nigeria and 10 other countries from the red list. The statement titled: “UKVI lifts pause on processing visitor visa applications”, also contains information for non-visitor visa applications, including student and work visas as well. The statement reads: “In line with the lifting of red list restrictions – following the UK Government announcement that from 4:00am on 15th December, all countries who were on the red list will be removed – UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) will lift the pause on processing visitor visas in all countries previously on the red list. “Due to extremely high global demand, standard UK visitor visas are currently taking significantly longer than usual to be processed. UKVI are working hard to process visitor visa applications as soon as possible and sincerely apologise to all our customers affected. “Non-visitor visa applications (including student and work visas) are still being processed within published service standards and we are working hard to meet customer demand.” It added: ”Applicants will be contacted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC) when their passport is ready for collection. They should not visit the VAC until they have been invited to do so. “You are not required to book any travel before applying for a visa, or before a decision is made on your application. ”Those with an urgent need to travel to the UK for compassionate reasons will still need to apply for a visa in the usual way, including submitting biometrics at a VAC. Applicants should clearly explain the compelling or compassionate reasons for the visit in their application form and must alert the VAC staff during biometric submission. “If you have already submitted your visitor visa application, and you need to urgently travel to the UK for compassionate reasons, you can contact UK Visas & Immigration for help. Please note that this is a chargeable service for overseas customers. “Priority Visa (PV) and Super Priority Visa (SPV) services remain temporarily suspended for all visa routes in all countries coming off the red list. This allows UKVI to concentrate on assessing applications in date order for all our visa customers, and to deal equitably with the increased demand we are currently experiencing. This will be kept under review and we hope to be able to reinstate PV services in due course. “Students who may have planned to use PV services can speak to their course provider about options, including COVID-19 concessions or slightly later starts if necessary. However, students may wish to consider making their application early, rather than waiting for PV and SPV services to be resumed.”

Akande: I’ve never seen anything genuine in Obasanjo. By Olukorede Yisau

*'Ex-president did everything to bring my government down'
A former Osun State Governor and first National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Bisi Akande has said he has never seen anything genuine in ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo. Akande, in his book, ‘My Participations’, narrated several instances of Obasanjo’s alleged attempts to bring him down. He added that even after he had been rigged out in 2003, Obasanjo did not relent in his effort to bring him closer to himself for the purpose of rubbishing him. Akande said during the centenary celebration of the Baptist Church in Abeokuta, Obasanjo announced that he was “an example of a prudent and honest governor”. “He said I was the most credible. That didn’t make me to have a change of opinion about Obasanjo. “I have never seen anything genuine about him despite his self-glorification,” Akande wrote. He claimed the ex-president’s nationalism and patriotism were fake, adding that his ambition to be the centre of Nigeria’s universe made him express constant hatred for the late Obafemi Awolowo. “It was this vaunting ambition that made him express constant hatred to the most altruistic and selfless leader of our time, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. “He continues to wonder till tomorrow why the Yoruba people, especially after his tour of duty as a two-time President, continue to elevate Awolowo to the highest pedestal while they have no respect for him. So, he would wonder to his grave! “In his detestations for Awolowo, he is ruled by a virulent inferiority complex, believing that he needed to do everything to supplant the greatness of Awolowo or undermine his legacies. “That was why he launched the Universal Basic Education in 1978, knowing that free education would be the core of Awolowo programme for the Second Republic. “That was also why he continued in this line during his two-term disastrous presidency. “For the reason that I was not dancing to his tune, Obasanjo did everything to depress and discredit my government and undermine us in Osun state. “Indeed, he wanted my government to collapse and once I had problem with Omisore, he adopted him as a willing tool and railroaded him into the Senate despite his detention for the assassination of Bola Ige,” he wrote. He accused Obasanjo of ordering that Osun State should be short-paid by N216 million monthly from the Federal Allocation.

‘Don’t set your house on fire over Tinubu’, Bode George asks Akande to withdraw book by Sodiq Oyeleke

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, has asked a former Interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, to withdraw his book, ‘My Participation’. In a text of press conference obtained by our correspondent on Thursday, George warned Akande against causing trouble for himself because of the political ambition of Bola Tinubu, APC national leader. According to the PDP leader, the book written by Akande is malicious and offensive to Yoruba elders. While describing the book as “shameful” and “disappointing”, George said Akande must apologise to Yoruba elders publicly. He said, “Akande must apologise openly to Yoruba elders. The attitude that he displayed is not acceptable in a civilised society. Is it his legacy to dishonour Yoruba elders? “At his age, Akande should not set his house on fire because of Tinubu’s ambition. I felt very bad as a Yoruba man and as a Nigerian. He was maligned Yoruba elders and highly respectable people in the country. He was busy giving kudos to Bola Tinubu. Baba Akande is from Osun State and Tinubu is the only man that he could single out to praise. “From the reaction to his book, you must have heard what Baba Adebanjo said. How are we going to be regarded by others? Is that the right thing to do? Baba Akande should withdraw the book that he has authored. It is very shameful. He is older than me and I don’t expect an elderly person to behave in that manner. He must apologise to those he has offended.” PUNCH.

NCC: Tinubu’s alleged connection with Mafab ‘strange

The Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has denied knowledge about alleged connection of Sen Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s to Mafab Communications Ltd, one of the winners of the 3.5gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auctioned on Monday in Abuja. The Commission in a statement, said in the course of its routine media review, yesterday, it became aware of publications in some online media channels alleging the involvement of the former Lagos State Governor in Mafab Communications Limited. “It bears restating that, consistent with the Commission’s long-established regulatory culture and tradition, the process leading to the auction of the 5G spectrum was open, fair and transparent in the most, as the public auction followed a rigorous due process and was witnessed by a cross-section of stakeholders as observers, including the media, the Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) as well as civil society groups. “Mafab Communications Limited is a corporate entity duly licensed by the Commission to conduct telecommunications business. The company, which is in good regulatory standing with the Commission, currently holds international data access (IDA), inter-connect data exchange (IDE) and Value-Added Service (VAS) licences. “It is pertinent to state that the Information Memorandum (IM) for the auction of the 3.5 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum clearly set out eligibility criteria for participation of interested bidders in the auction, which included that new companies could participate in the bid. “Over the years, the NCC has had spectrum auctions and as an independent regulatory agency, has maintained an undisputable reputation of successful auctions based on openness, fairness and transparency, a fact widely acknowledged locally and internationally. NCC’s auction proceedings conform to international best practice, devoid of any undue influence or interferences whatsoever. “A higher standard of integrity and openness was emplaced in the 5G auction as the process was, for the first time, witnessed by the public both physically and virtually through a link provided by the Commission on its official website. “The Commission would like to assure Nigerians that, following the successful auction of the 5G spectrum, it is prepared to drive the implementation of the next phase of the deployment of the new technology, in line with the Federal Government’s approved plan, for the benefit of all citizens,” the statement explained.

FG officially asks UN to recover, return looted assets to Nigeria. by Okechukwu Nnodim

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) Nigeria has submitted a draft resolution to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption on the Use of Beneficial Ownership Information and Data Disclosure to identify, track, recover and return assets looted or stolen from developing countries. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, announced this while addressing the 9th Session of Conference of State Parties in progress in Sharm EL Sheikh, Egypt. He explained that the draft resolution was submitted jointly with the support and partnership of five other developing countries, namely, Kenya, Pakistan, Peru and Saudi Arabia. A statement issued in Abuja by the Deputy Director/Head Communications and Advocacy, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Obiageli Onuorah, said Malami informed the UN Convention that Nigeria had put in place institutional structures and legislations to protect its resources. The minister conveyed Nigeria’s appeal to the Conference of State Parties of the UN Convention Against Corruption to consider the draft resolution on its merit in view of its strategic importance in recovering looted assets from developing countries. This came as NEITI announced that a National Beneficial Ownership Register would be inaugurated by the agency and the Corporate Affairs Commission in January next year. The NEITI boss explained that under the joint inter-agency collaboration with the CAC, the beneficial ownership register filled with facts, information and data on who owns what in the oil, gas and mining sectors would merge with CAC beneficial ownership portal that covered all registered companies in Nigeria. PUNCH.

Group accuses Obasanjo of raising tension, heating polity

The Save Nigeria Movement has accused former President Olusegun Obasanjo of inflaming passion and raising tension in the country through his recent statements. The group made the accusation at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, December 2021, urging the former president not to jeopardize the security of the country. Addressing journalists at the briefing, Rev Solomon Semaka, Convener of the Save Nigeria Movement, alleged that Obasanjo has decided ”to embark on another round of divisive consultations conversant with his character.” He continued: ”Media reports further indicate Obasanjo plans to co-opt past heads of state, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and some respected elder statesmen among which is a former federal commission, Pa Edwin Clark into the massive drive to divide the country. ”All these antics are in a bid to discredit President Buhari’s administration efforts having surpassed former president Obasanjo’s two terms in office both as military and civilian head of state. ”Former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s antecedents are scary if allowed to fester. The Save Nigeria Movement is deeply concerned that Obasanjo would choose to inflame passions and raise tensions at this critical point in time when the federal government is consolidating on security. ”Former President Olusegun is urged to reconsider his personal agenda as it can only jeopardize national security. To this end, the Movement is suspicious of the former president and calls all Nigerians to speak in one voice against him. ”The Save Nigeria Movement is inclined to caution the former president to have a rethink if his personal intentions will not promote peace and unity in the country. ”This appeal is also a word of caution that should Obasanjo be bent on heating the polity and raising tensions, Nigerians will know who to hold responsible and demand the law to take its full course.” Rev Semaka said the group expects nothing but selfless service to the nation and moral support from people like former Obasanjo and not fanning the embers of disunity. He added that Obasanjo has no moral right to be dissatisfied with the modest achievements of the Buhari administration, ”especially when he could not do better when Nigerians gave him the opportunity twice as military and civilian head of state.” He further stated that ”Nigerians are proud of what President Buhari is doing to rescue the nation from the grip of people like Obasanjo who designated the country as a free zone for corruption for more than a decade. ”Nigerians from all walks of life are proud of the modest achievements recorded under the Buhari administration. From road infrastructure to massive social welfare packages and a historic recapture of territories hitherto held by insurgents and bandits. ”At least President Buhari has not mobilized soldiers to demolish communities and kill scores of innocent Nigerians like Obasanjo did in Odi, Bayelsa, and Zaki Biam, in Benue states respectively. ”President Buhari administration in all sincerity has admitted to challenges and taken steps to secure the nation, all the government needs now is wise counsel and moral support as opposed to acts that could jeopardize existing efforts in peace and security of the country. ”The whole world is watching and will join us in solidarity to hold anyone who would be responsible for acts that breach national security.” Vanguard

‘Abuja metro station to resume operations soon’ By Gbenga Omokhunu

The Abuja Metro Train Station will soon resume operations, Secretary of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Transport Secretariat, Zakari Dobi, said on Thursday. It was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I was told that the place was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “But I felt that it was not enough to leave the place dirty. “We are going to meet internally and ensure that we clean the Metro Station and see possible ways for operations to resume as quickly as possible. “I think the major aim of every administration is to generate revenue,” he said during an inspection.

Thursday 16 December 2021

APC convention: Mustapha proffers solutions to party crisis By Omeiza Ajayi

A national chairmanship aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Malam Saliu Mustapha, has promised to adopt preventive diplomacy in crisis management should he emerge as national chairman of the party in its forthcoming national convention. The Turaki of Ilorin also promised to discourage a fire-brigade approach to party administration, adding that under him, “All plans and programmes of the party would be well thought out, properly marshalled, strategically planned and thoroughly debated before they are implemented.” Speaking on his plan to move the ruling party forward Thursday in Abuja at the second annual public lecture of the APC Press Corps, Mustapha who was represented by Hon. Edwin Osa Ogunbor, said; “APC will continue its approach to politics and have a defined political culture that will have profound impact on the country’s development just like President Muhammadu Buhari is putting in place legacies that will cement the party’s name in Nigeria’s political history. “For us, politics of development will be our focus. It is a new brand of political culture and ideology that places emphasis on smart and good politicking as essential tool for rapid national development. “As APC Chairman, we intend to work for and pursue a larger leadership role for the youth, women and People living with Disabilities (PLWDs) in the party. “We will adopt preventive diplomacy in crisis management. We will manage political crisis by preventing them. We will prevent crisis by constantly looking out for conventional and non-conventional triggers otherwise known as early warning signals across all strata of the party, and nip them in the bud promptly and firmly before they degenerate. “But in the event that conflicts still rear their heads in spite of all, we will be prepared with a bottoms-up dispute resolution mechanism that is independent, dependable, fair and inclusive.” While promising to build on the legacy of Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee, Mustapha said from his first day in office, “we will vigorously create and pursue a positive, consistent and confident public image for the party and government working hand-in-hand with political office holders especially in the run up to the 2023 election”.

APC Convention: Mustapha Vows to End Internal Crisis As Party Chairman by Jerrywright Ukwu

Mallam Saliu Mustapha has promised to adopt new measures in crisis management if he emerges as APC national chairman Kwara-born Mustapha is one of the front-line aspirants for the position of APC national chairman ahead of the party's convention Mustapha also stated that the legacies of President Muhammadu Buhari has improved the image of the APC in Nigeria A frontline national chairmanship aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Mallam Saliu Mustapha, has promised to adopt preventive diplomacy in crisis management if given the opportunity to emerge in the party's forthcoming national convention. The Kwara state-born APC chieftain also promised to discourage a fire-brigade approach to party governance, adding that under him: “All plans and programmes of the party would be well thought out, properly marshaled, strategically planned, and thoroughly debated before they are implemented.” Mallam Mustapha says he will ensure a new lease of life within the APC. Photo credit: APC press corps Source: Facebook Mustapha made his plans known while speaking on Thursday, December 16 in Abuja at the second annual public lecture summit of the APC Press Corps attended by a Legit.ng reporter. Mustapha who was represented by Hon. Edwin Osa Ogunbor, said: “APC will continue its approach to politics and have a defined political culture that will have profound impact on the country's development just like President Muhammadu Buhari is putting in place legacies that will cement the party's name in Nigeria's political history. “For us, politics of development will be our focus. It is a new brand of political culture and ideology that places emphasis on smart and good politicking as essential tool for rapid national development. “As APC chairman, we intend to work for and pursue a larger leadership role for the youth, women, and People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) in the party. “We will adopt preventive diplomacy in crisis management. We will manage political crisis by preventing them. “We will prevent crisis by constantly looking out for conventional and non-conventional triggers otherwise known as early warning signals across all strata of the party, and nip them in the bud promptly and firmly before they degenerate. “But in the event that conflicts still rear their heads in spite of all, we will be prepared with a bottoms-up dispute resolution mechanism that is independent, dependable, fair, and inclusive.” He also promised to build on the legacy of Governor Mai Mala Buni-led National Caretaker Committee, adding that from his first day in office, he will vigorously create and pursue a positive, consistent, and confident public image for the party and government.

APC Convention: Fire Brigade Approach Won’t Solve Our Challenges ― Mustapha, Chairmanship Aspirant By Taiwo Amodu

Ahead of next February national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), a chairman aspirant, Saliu Mustapha, has said that a sound management practice would drive the change to mitigate crises in the party. Mustapa stated this, on Thursday, while speaking at the annual lecture organised by the APC Press Corps. Represented by Edwin Osa Ogunbor, Mustapha submitted that a new leadership must be proactive enough to foresee the crisis and nib it in the bud. He further maintained that a leadership prepared to accommodate the interests of all stakeholders would inspire a sense of belonging that would douse tension at all levels of leadership. He said: “As APC Chairman, we intend to work for and pursue a larger leadership role for the youth, women and People living with Disabilities (PLWDs) in the party. “We will run a strategic party governance system. We will be clearheaded in our processes with eyes firmly on the future. We will discourage a fire-brigade approach to party governance. All plans and programmes of the party would be well thought out, properly marshalled, strategically planned and thoroughly debated before they are implemented. “We will adopt preventive diplomacy in crisis management. We will manage the political crisis by preventing them. We will prevent crisis by constantly looking out for conventional and non-conventional triggers otherwise known as early warning signals across all strata of the party, and nip them in the bud promptly and firmly before they degenerate. “But in the event that conflicts still rear their heads in spite of all, we will be prepared with a bottoms-up dispute resolution mechanism that is independent, dependable, fair and inclusive. “APC has been in existence for almost nine years during which we have witnessed several positive developments including winning two consecutive Presidential elections as well as the lows especially the one that birthed the current Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) headed by Governor Mai Mala Buni which has done a great job in stabilizing the party. “But we promise to build on what the CECPC is doing by managing all stakeholder interest as best as we could. “We know that it is interest that drives politics and politicking. We recognise the essentiality of both individual and group interest in politics. We equally recognise that proper management of political interest of leaders, stakeholders and members of the party is fundamental to a successful party administration so we shall ensure a delicate balance in managing the varying competing but legitimate interest in the party through dialogue, consensus building, engagement and communication.” Earlier in his keynote address, APC Beyond 2023: The tasks ahead – The Role of Stakeholders,” Osita Okechukwu, who incidentally is the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria expressed confidence that the governing party would still retain its control of the central government in the next general elections given its performance in the provision of social infrastructures across the country. He however called on stakeholders to ensure that internal democracy was restored before the general election. “One will appeal that we candidly for the collective interest of our party to observe Article 20 of the Constitution of our great party, which states interalia, “All party posts prescribed or implied by this constitution shall be filled by democratically conducted elections at a respective national convention or congress subject, where possible, to consensus. Where a candidate has emerged by consensus for an elective position, a vote of “yes” or “no” by ballot or voice shall be called to ensure that it was not an imposition which could breed discontent and crisis.” “In sum, our great party, the APC without prejudice to challenges like palpable insecurity in the land is a comeback party and will surely prevail by winning 2023 presidential election given the solid infrastructural foundation consciously being laid for economic growth and prosperity.”

Tuesday 14 December 2021

JUST IN: NSA names groups backing terrorism in Nigeria, Africa. BY AGENCY REPORT

The National Security Adviser, NSA, Babagana Monguno, has identified three religious groups as organisations backing terrorism activities in Nigeria and other Sahel countries. Speaking at the 14th Workshop of the League of Ulamas, Preachers and Imams of Sahel countries in Abuja, the NSA listed the groups as Jama’at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin, JNIM, Islamic and Muslim Support Group, GSIM, and Islamic State in Greater Sahara, ISGS. He said: “Terrorism and the rapid escalation of violent activities by militant Islamist groups in the Sahel since 2016 have been primarily driven by the Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS), which mainly operates in Mali and extends to Niger Republic and Burkina Faso. It is bolstered by activities of groups such as Jama’at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin (JNIM), the Islamic and Muslim Support Group (GSIM) and ISGS, which have continued to pose an imminent threat to the stability of the region. “In Nigeria, Boko-Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) dominate terrorist activities, especially in the North-Eastern part of the country. “The situation in the Sahel has never been grimmer, extremist violence continues to spread; the number of internally displaced persons (IDPS) is growing; and food insecurity is affecting more people than ever before. The NSA, therefore, urged Islamic preachers and Imams to deploy their vantage positions to canvas support for ongoing counter-terrorism operations. According to him, alliances between the clerics and security forces “should be the backbone to rebuilding our terrorism infested communities”. According to him, the possibility of Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) creating an established caliphate to rival Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) countries has been checkmated. This was done through series of concerted and reinvigorated efforts of the countries of the Region. He said the adoption of both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches by LCBC countries to stem the conflict had yielded tremendous success. Monguno also said that the adoption of propaganda videos by terrorist groups to project themselves as contending powers in the region was a mere attempt to garner support from sympathisers as they struggled to maintain relevance. According to him, it is assessed that while the groups maintain the long term strategic goal of creating a caliphate, the efforts of LCBC countries will continues to frustrate that goal. “In that regard, it is imperative that Ulamas, Preachers and Community Leaders in your localities key in to support efforts of our Security Forces, in order to end this menace. “Just as collaborations between governments are boosting the advance of Security Forces in the fight against terrorism, alliances and group effort like LOPIS should be the backbone to rebuilding our terrorism-infested communities. “There’s no gun more powerful than enlightenment and education at the grass root level,” he said. NAN

Bisi Akande And His Book Of Gaps 

THERE have been many informed commentaries on Chief Bisi Akande’s autobiography. I intend to continue the conversation here by pointing at what I would call preliminary observations from what I have read in the book. I focus on the gaps and other inadequacies. I start with his travails in politics. He was jailed by General Muhammadu Buhari in 1984 and he recounted that experience on 20 pages (page 197 to 216) but Akande mentioned Buhari’s name in passing only twice. Those two occasions were loudly timorous mentions. The first is on page 209 where he said decree 4 under which he was detained was issued by Tunde Idiagbon, Buhari’s deputy. That is rather strange. Decrees were signed by the Head of State, not by the deputy. The second mention is on Buhari’s overthrow by Ibrahim Babangida (page 210) which didn’t last more than a second in reading. Was it fear of Buhari or love of him that informed this treatment of Akande’s own experience in the hands of the General? How did Chief Bisi Akande become a member of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo political dynasty? He explained that on page 116. He said he was contesting to represent his people at the constituent assembly that would write the 1979 constitution and met Chief S.M. Afolabi in Ikirun, venue of the election and Afolabi wooed him. The Ila Orangun, Osun State, born politician said that as he arrived Ikirun, alongside others “for the election, Chief S.M. Afolabi called me aside and introduced himself to me. …He pleaded with me to join the Awolowo group” (page 116). And he was convinced. What followed that disclosure is a chapter on page 117 that starts with “After my meeting with Chief Awolowo…” Which meeting? Meeting Chief Awolowo as what? Akande has obviously edited out some facts there leaving a gap that yawns for mention. Why? He needs to fill that gap one way or the other. He may have deliberately left out certain details of his journey into the midst of the progressives, but he had ample space for how he became the Secretary to the Oyo State Government as against the envisaged position of commissioner. This is on page 131: “Chief Afolabi invited me into (his hotel) bedroom… He showed me  the brief insertion of what the military perceived as the functions of the Secretary to the State Government as stated in the handover notes from the outgoing authorities. He confirmed that the governor-elect would offer me the post of Commissioner of Finance but pleaded with me to accept to be the Secretary to the State Government (SSG)….” Today’s politicians should learn from this that Akande, warts and all, still had the humility to admit that his late foe, S.M. Afolabi was the benevolent squirrel who cracked his political palm kernel for him. Baba Bisi Akande is 82 years old. By January 16, 2022, some 33 days time, God willing, the former governor of Osun State will be 83 years old. At the launch of his book that he christened: “My Participations,’ all the big birds in Nigeria’s political sky gathered in Lagos to honour him. General Muhammadu Buhari led the pack. I looked at the roll call of the ‘dignitaries’ at the event and I smiled. The gathering was a mixed bag. My elders have a descriptive name for such a flock. “Rikisi pa won po won di ore”- intrigue brings them together and they become friends.  The contents of Baba Akande’s book have since gone viral, drawing comments, good and bad. Again, reading some of the reactions to the book, I drew strength from the saying of our ancestors: “Agbalagba ki sa langba langba”- an old man does not play the zig-zag game. In the book, which ordinarily should be a reflection of the life and times of the old man, as given by him, the former deputy governor to the legend and orator, Chief Bola Ige, in the old Oyo State, decided to be a lapdog of a much younger one, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he said was and probably still the only rich politician around. I beg your pardon. The name, lapdog, was never my creation. I borrowed it from Paul Ibe, the media aide to the former vice president, Abubakar Atiku. Ibe used that to describe Baba Akande, while he, Ibe, was reacting to the claim by Baba that Atiku was always beggarly in the 2007 presidential election; going cap in hand to Tinubu to fund his (Atiku’s) campaign. Don’t bother about the appellation. Baba Akande understands very well that “isoro ni igbesi”-proposition draws a response.  There is eternal wisdom in the admonition that any old man who detests being an object of ridicule for the fowls should not tie a cob of maize around his waist. Some Ibes can be very rude and acerbic. That is not his fault, anyway. Everyman must protect his own pot of soup. Baba Akande used a 559-page book to do just that. Baba’s book is also very revealing. Nigerians, especially those from the South-West, have Baba Akande to thank for putting some records straight in his book. At least, through the instrumentality of the book, the Yoruba are aware now that, contrary to the narrative that the former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan hated the Yoruba, the man actually did all he could to maintain an equilibrium in the nation’s political power equation. The author, who was a great ‘participant’ in the 2011 power equation game, told us that Jonathan, indeed, supported the zoning of the speakership of the House of Representatives to the Yoruba region. Akande, his younger boss, Tinubu and other “participants” were the ones who gave out the number four position to Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State. Imagine the distance from Ibadan to Sokoto! In an attempt to sow an early political IOU, the Akande/Tinubu gang worked against Mrs Mulikat Adeola and crowned Tambuwal as Speaker. President Jonathan must be smiling by now; God will always vindicate the just. And for those South Westerners, who were recruited to be Jonathan’s haters on the false narrative that the ex-president hated them, they can now see who the real enemies of the Yoruba race are. Remember, our elders admonish us to allow lies to run for twenty years, truth will always catch up with it in seconds! As if buttressing the “lapdog” qualification of Ibe, Akande, in the book told us, in an attempt to remind other “participants” about Tinubu’s ‘generosity’ in the 2007 general elections, that: “Bola was the only one spending the money among us. The rest of us were poor. Tinubu also put all his energy and resources into the formation of the AC and we felt he deserved a spot on the ticket”. In essence, what Baba Akande is saying about his younger boss is that because Tinubu is the ‘richest’ among the “participating gang”, the rest of the country should appreciate him and drop the presidency on Tinubu’s lap. What warped logic! If Tinubu became so rich in 2007 such that Atiku, who in 1993, funded a presidential primary and forced the late MKO Abiola to have a run off in Jos, during the SDP presidential primaries, had to go cap in hand to Tinubu, after Atiku had been vice president for eight years, Baba Akande owes us explanations on the sources of Tinubu’s stupendous wealth. Until Baba convinces us of that, we may be tempted to adopt Ibe’s description as the gospel truth of why the autobiography was written in the first instance. Ibe is no doubt, in my own estimation, rude about the “lapdog” baptism of Baba Akande, the former National Chairman of the APC himself betrayed his purpose of writing the book. How on earth do we categorise the aspersion Baba Akande tried to cast on the reputation of the Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo. Just as a friend pointed out: if I considered Ibe as being rude in calling Baba Akande a Tinubu’s lapdog, what do I call Baba’s allegation that Pa Adebanjo pestered Tinubu to build a house for him (Adebanjo) in Lekki? If indeed that was the case, why should it be an old Akande to tell the tale? What happened to the caution: “inu ni agba nya, agba ki ya enu”- old ones keep secrets in their bellies and not in their mouths. If Baba Akande expects the ones following him to show him due respect, why would he describe Pa Adebanjo as a blank politically-minded leader who does not have what it takes to contest political positions? Which type of elder, in the age bracket of Baba Akande, would allege that Pa Adebanjo, the late pa Olaniwun Ajayi and Chief Olu Falae refused to suggest younger Yoruba sons to represent the South-West at the 2014 National Conference, but chose to attend themselves because of money? “They could not find any younger Yoruba to send to the conference to represent our interest. They believed, even in their old age, that they were the only people who could have gone there. Sir Ajayi, who was close to 90 at the time of the Conference, has since joined his ancestors. Chief Adebanjo celebrated his 90th birthday in 2018. Chief Falae is in his 80s. Note that Jonathan paid the conference delegates generous allowances”, he wrote. Can we also ask the Ila-Orangun politician why he has not found a younger one to carry Tinubu’s bag around instead of him doing it? Is it also for generous ‘dash’ since Tinubu has the deepest pocket? Both Tinubu and Buhari described Akande as a honest and truthful personage, who is courageous and bold. But in naming those who did not want Buhari as president in 2015, Akande was bold in calling General Olusegun Obasanjo’s name but became less bold and courageous in naming the Northern elite who shared the same sentiment with Obasanjo. All his “courage and boldness” could allow him to pen is: “A prominent aristocratic leader from the North stayed several nights in Osogbo, persuading Governor Aregbesola to prevail on us not to field Buhari”. The same Akande who was bold in calling Obasano’s name suddenly became descriptive when it got to naming the “prominent aristocratic leader from the North”. That was the same Obasanjo the “participants” called their “navigator” in 2015! It is not less surprising that Buhari would label Baba Akande as a man with “inflexible integrity in and out of public office, never accepting or offering bribes”. A man of such sterling qualities deserved to be jailed for 44 years in 1983 after Buhari and his gun toting soldiers chased Alhaji Sheu Shagari out of power. Buhari, who became the sole beneficiary of the December 31, 1983 military political heist, threw Akande and his fellow “corrupt” politicians in Agodi Prison, Ibadan, and threw the key to the jail house into Asejire Dam. But in 2021, the same Akande is Buhari’s  Mai Gaskiya because “rikisi pa won po”. Many “reviewers” of Akande’s book, since it was launched a few days ago, have no doubt that it is all about 2023 and Tinubu’s presidential ambition. I have no problem with that. Tinubu, being the “only one that is rich among them (us)”, can use any strategy to realise his ambition. My worry here is how Baba Akande simply forgot that only a child is sent to convert the food of the next door neighbour. It is an aberration to send an elder on such an errand.  I am equally worried that Baba would agree to put all the things he wrote on a paper, knowing that his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren would have to read the book. It bothers me that Baba, at his present age, would elect to be a forerunner to Tinubu, when his age and generation say to us that rather than the lion to carry the game bag of the tiger, hunters would rather go on different hunting routes. It pains me that Baba Akande would allow an Ibe to call him a “lapdog” while we could not muster enough justification to impose on the impertinent lad, some exercises in home training. My consolation in all the razzmatazz of the book launch is again, embedded in the wise saying that two persons do not lose out in a game of lies. If the one being lied to does not know, the ones telling the lies know. Buhari, Tinubu and Baba Akande know that whatever they said at the Eko Hotels venue of the launch of “My Participations” is nothing but “Oyo dobale, inu e loso”- Oyo man prostrates but his stomach squats. They know that they all gathered to deceive one another.

Omicron: Nigeria makes U-turn, takes ‘diplomatic steps’ to resolve travel ban by UK, others. ByEbuka Onyeji

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that blanket travel bans would not stop the spread of the variant and could potentially discourage countries from reporting and sharing essential data on Coronavirus. The Nigerian government has said it is making efforts to ‘diplomatically’ address the travel restrictions placed on the country by the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina over the discovery of omicron variant of coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria.’ Speaking during an emergency briefing by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 on Monday night, the committee’s chairman, Boss Mustapha, hinted of possible resolution of the contradictions within the next week. He said the committee is working with relevant ministries to address the issues, saying; “While each country is entitled to put in place measures to protect its citizens, Nigeria has similar responsibilities. However, based on existing relationships, Nigeria has initiated diplomatic steps to make these countries reverse their course. This is ongoing in the interest of all parties concerned and we expect that positive results would emerge within the next one week.” The new development is contrary to the country’s earlier position pushed by some ministers and members of the national assembly, who had suggested retaliatory actions by the Nigerian government. Travel ban Nigeria and some other African nations had been hit with travel bans from western countries since the Omicron variant was first detected in Southern Africa and Hong Kong in November. The variant has since spread to at least, 57 countries worldwide. Although Canada was the first to place a travel ban on Nigeria, of more concern is the one imposed later by the UK. Nigeria became the 11th country to go on the UK’s Red List for international travel over the discovery of Omicron. All nations currently on that list are African in what has been described as “unfair and racists.” ⓘ The UK had claimed that 21 cases of Omicron recorded in England were linked to travellers from Nigeria. Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, described as “discriminatory, unfair, punitive, indefensible, and unjust,” the UK travel ban, with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, last saying it was a “travel apartheid.” Mr Muhammed’s counterpart at the aviation ministry, Hadi Sirika, on Sunday, said he had recommended that the four countries listed above should be placed on a COVID-19 “red list.” “We have given our input as aviation that it is not acceptable by us, and we recommend that those countries – Canada, UK, Saudi Arabia and Argentina be also put on the red list, just like they did similarly to us,” Mr Sirika said. Amid criticisms, UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, defended the travel ban on Nigeria, insisting it was based on science and not discriminatory. “I think I can say comfortably, it is not [discriminatory]. When the UK was the epicentre of the Alpha variant, we took some very tough measures ourselves to essentially cut ourselves off and we banned all but essential travels from the UK. “So, that was a very tough decision for us. The UK has been Red-listed in earlier stages of these variants; I think when the Delta variant took off, we were Red-listed by Austria and by France and Turkey,” she said. TEXEM But the World Health Organisation (WHO) has, however, said that blanket travel bans would not stop the spread of the variant, and could potentially discourage countries from reporting and sharing important data on Coronavirus. ⓘ U-turn Meanwhile, corroborating Mr Mustapha on Monday during the briefing, Mr Sirika said Nigeria has initiated diplomatic steps to make these countries reverse their course. “This is ongoing in the interest of all parties concerned and we expect that positive results would emerge within the next one week,” he said. Omicron Omicron was discovered in November further, pushing back hopes of the fight against the deadly pandemic, coming to an end soon. While there have been previous variants – Alpha and Delta – the discovery of Omicron seems to trigger a more political and diplomatic stance rather than that of public health concern. Nigeria joined the growing number of countries that have recorded cases of the Omicron variant also known as B.1.1.529 lineage, confirming the discovery of three additional Omicron variant cases about two weeks ago. The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ifedayo Adetifa, who disclosed this, noted that the new cases were detected in persons with recent travel history to South Africa in November. Mr Adetifa confirmed that through the NCDC, the Nigerian government has been notified by the government of the United Kingdom (UK) of seven cases of Omicron variant detected in travellers from Nigeria. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Aviation minister said the government has escalated surveillance and control measures around the country and ramped up vaccination, including making booster shots available as part of efforts to curb the spread of Omicron.

BREAKING: Nigeria, 10 others taken off UK’s Omicron red list

All 11 countries will be taken off England’s travel red list from 04:00 GMT on Wednesday, the health secretary announces But testing measures – a pre-arrival negative test and then another PCR test after arrival – remain in place for all travellers Deputy PM Dominic Raab earlier said people in England will be able to spend Christmas in a way they could not last year because of Plan B restrictions MPs are debating the new measures in the Commons today, with a big Tory rebellion expected over Covid passes for some venues In Scotland, people have been asked to limit socialising to three households at a time in the run-up to Christmas More than half a million people booked booster jabs on Monday and long queues are forming again at some vaccination centres on Tuesday A top South African doctor says the country is mainly seeing “mild disease” and intensive care units are not overwhelmed Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting is speaking in the Commons, and opens by saying sincere beliefs are held on all sides, but he hopes the debate on Plan B measures can be worthy of Parliament. He criticises the comparison by one Tory MP of Covid passes to Nazi Germany’s policies, saying: “We are not living in the 1930s and the secretary of state and his team are not Nazis.” Streeting says the health secretary has a responsibility to protect our NHS and calls the measures “a necessary response to the Omicron threat”. But he says that confronting the challenges of this winter has been made much harder because we went into the pandemic with record waiting lists, 100,000 unfilled vacancies in the NHS and shortages of care staff. Sajid Javid has told MPs he is seeking “urgent advice” about people currently in quarantine hotels being permitted to leave early. Labour MP Ben Bradshaw asks the health secretary if the government will now release people in isolation in quarantine hotels, given that all 11 African countries are to be removed from the red list. Javid says: “I am told that the practice in the past has been requiring them to complete their quarantine period. However, I do understand the importance of that. “I have asked for urgent advice about what this means and I hope to act very quickly on just that.” The health secretary has set out in Parliament the rationale for ending the travel red list, saying that as the new variant is spreading in the UK, travel restrictions are “now less effective in slowing the incursion of Omicron from abroad”. The decision means England will no longer require hotel quarantine for travellers from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Travel rules are set by the four nations of the UK independently, but the other nations’ governments often follow proposals from Westminster.

"STRUCK OUT": Fiona Onasanya

Fiona Onasanya, is a Nigerian, although she never lived in any part of the country. She was born & raised in the UK. She would go on to become a lawyer & a Member of Parliament (MP) in Britain🇳🇬🇬🇧 Her ultimate ambition was anything but ordinary: To become the first black female Prime Minister of her country of birth👸🏻 As things stand, that dream has suffered an abortion, triggered by the eclampsia of zero integrity.😔 The failed delivery started shortly after 10pm on 24 July 2017, when her car was caught on CCTV camera clocking 41mph on the Causeway of Thorney, Cambridgeshire. That area is a 30mph zone. 🚦 Upon investigation, she told the Police that she wasn't the person behind the wheels on the said night. She insisted that it was her brother, Festus Onasanya who was the driver. 💁🏼‍♂️❌ The former Labour MP who rose to the position of party whip, it was found, had connnived with her brother to name one Aleks Antipow, her sibling's former lodger as the driver. Unfortunately, that alibi wasn't water tight. Antipow was with his parents in Russia, 1,800 miles away, at the time of this fateful driving.🙆🏼‍♂️ This string of lies would become the undoing of Onasanya, who was a former commercial property lawyer. At the Old Bailey trial, she was found guilty and jailed for 3 months for perverting the course of Justice, as lying is deemed.🏴‍☠️ Neither did her brother escape the long arm of the law as he bagged 10 months behind bars for making himself available for conspiracy.➿ Promptly, the Labour Party launched a successful recall proceeding & deposed her as an MP for Peterborough.📛 You would have thought she had suffered enough for lying- a routine misdeed for many. But in that event, that wasn't the opinion of the British legal profession umpire! The Solicitors Tribunal held a disciplinary hearing on Onasanya, for lying to evade consequences of speed limit breach. Seemingly remorseless, she arrived the hearing with her mother where she held on to her browbeaten line that she was innocent.💔 In the face of her insistence, the tribunal took the view that she had failed to act with integrity, that she acted dishonestly & failed to maintain the trust the public placed in her♌ The Chair of the 3 member panel, which sat in Central London, Edward Nally summed up the matter this way: "As a parliamentarian makes the law, so a solicitor must uphold the law and rule of law and sadly in this case Ms Onasanya has failed in those duties. We must strike off Onasanya from the roll of solicitors".⚖️ With those words, Onasanya who qualified as a lawyer in November 2015 & worked in the lucrative area of commercial property law before becoming an MP in June 2017, will now seek gainful employment in any profession where integrity is not a critical qualification♐ Lying is an unpassable wrongdoing. This is the message spelt out clearly by the Onasanya experience. On the other hand, the everyday Nigerian might wonder what the big deal is about lying let alone about the speed with which a car was driven. Some others might even ask in sarcasm, 'was anyone killed by the speed?' There goes the mindset that sets integrity alight🙅🏼‍♂️ MSD Reminds U to Act Leaderly & insist that in any event, the standard for leaders, as captured by the solicitors' panel, is MATCHLESS INTEGRITY! EVERYTHING RISES & FALLS ON LEADERSHIP! FOR THOSE WHO DEFEND LIES, THIS IS THEIR FATE IN SANE SOCIETIES.

Oba of Benin lauds Buhari over return of artefacts By Gabriel Enogholase

OBA of Benin, Omo N’Oba Ewuare 11, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for ordering the Nigerian High Commissioner to Britain to immediately return some of the Benin artworks, which were recently returned by Jesus College, Cambridge and University of Aberdeen, Scotland to the Palace of Oba of Benin. The president’s directive to return the Benin bronzes to the ancient palace of the Oba of Benin was made known by the Secretary of Benin Traditional Council, Frank Irabor, in a statement, yesterday. He disclosed that the handing over of the returned artefacts would take place at the Oba place on December 13, 2021, by 11 a.m. He explained that the event would also be used to mark the 5th anniversary of Oba Ewaure 11 on his ascension to the throne of his forebears, which was shifted in honour of late Captain Hosa Okunbo. He said: “The general public is, hereby, invited to join his royal majesty in receiving the Benin bronze cast of Okpa ‘Cockerel’ and Benin bronze burst of an Oba both from Jesus College, Cambridge, England and University of Aberdeen, Scotland. “His royal majesty Benin royal family and the good people of Edo State thank the president for this directive. “This further shows that the Federal Government is the only constitutional authority to receive in custody Benin bronzes and other artefacts before being sent to their original owner, the Oba of Benin, which were recently repatriated from Jesus College, Cambridge and University of Aberdeen, Scotland to the palace of Oba of Benin.”

Reviewed: What Britain Did to Nigeria by Max Siollun. By Paddy Kehoe

Historian Max Siollun asks three questions in his fascinating new study: Why did Britain come to Nigeria? What did Britain do to Nigeria? And how did the local people react to British presence? The answers are absorbing. It is, to say the least, a complex story, but Siollun gets to the heart of it, offering a cogent analysis of the development of slavery and the lucrative trade in rubber, in palm oil as well as the livestock and cereals industries and the wholesale exploitation involved. He also pays attention to the Christian missionary endeavour which was particularly challenging when it began in Nigeria. Islam, for instance, did not require polygamous people to jeopardise their family lives by divorcing. Conversion to Christianity was markedly more difficult than vice versa. Rivalries and tensions between the various exploiting forces, and the deeper-rooted tensions between the different ethnic groups are integral and fundamental aspects of the story. Slavery existed before the arrival of the Europeans, and the more enterprising could make notable progress in their lives and careers, albeit against terrible odds. One of the leading chiefs in Southern Nigeria was Jaja of Opobo, a slave who eventually became one of the most powerful figures in his region. Many of the emirs who ruled northern Nigeria were the sons of slave women. The first British ships to reach the land that would later be named Nigeria were led by one Captain Windham. He arrived in the Bight of Benin in 1553. He was taken aback to say the least when he learned that interaction between the Portuguese and the people of Benin was so advanced that the oba or king of Benin actually spoke Portuguese. The Nigerian capitol city Lagos Windham remained in Nigeria, but he and many expedition members subsequently died from illness or excessive drinking. Only forty of the original 140 members of his expedition survived to make the return journey to Britain. The colonisers were often violent marauders who worked their slaves literally to death. Shootings, hangings, rape, floggings and torture were commonplace. The Royal Niger Company, which was most influential between 1885 and 1914, had in its employ at one point a certain Captain Christian. He once detained a native woman, stripped her and covered her body in tar. There seemed little appreciation of the effect such appalling treatment had on the natives, writes Siollun in one of his characteristically understated sentences. The theme of resistance to the British is accorded three chapters alone. The country became independent in 1960, after which the British Empire part-shrank by fifty per cent and African's independent population doubled. In the near future, the historian confidently predicts that Nigeria will become the country with the third-largest English-speaking population in the world. The country at that point will have more English speakers and Christians than the UK, the very country which exported the English language and Christianity to Nigeria in the first instance. A BBC journalist once asked a school headteacher in the Nigerian town of Hadejia the following question in 2010: Would he wish that the British had stayed? He replied as follows: 'Yes, it would have been better.’ He added, moreover, that he would not mind if the British would ‘come back again’ to rule Nigeria. The background to how answers such as this one came to seem reasonable - and indeed very different answers to the same question - are investigated with skill and erudition by Max Siollun in this compelling work which runs to just over 370 pages, with maps, illustrations and photographs.

Monday 13 December 2021

Strike’ll be indefinite, won’t end until all agreements are fulfilled – ASUU. by Adeyinka Adedipe and Ikenna Obianeri

ASUU President, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Owerri Zone, has threatened a total showdown with the Federal Government over the non-implementation of the 2009 agreement. The union said during a press conference at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, on Monday that it would embark on an indefinite strike as “the magnanimity of ASUU that resulted in various MOUs and MOAs arising from the 2009 agreement has been spurned by the Federal Government.” Leaders of the union from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo State University, Owerri, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam and Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, were in attendance. Addressing journalists, the ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Mr Uzo Onyebinama, explained that some lecturers are being owed as much as 10 months’ salary. “As we speak now, the Federal Government is in arrears of major components of the agreement, and that includes funding for the revitalization of public universities, earned academic allowances, and the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement. “The consequences of the Federal Government’s refusal to implement the 2009 agreement is that the union has resolved to go on an indefinite strike any moment and once it begins, it will not stop until all agreements are fulfilled.” Also, ASUU Benin Zone, has said the impending strike by the nation’s university lecturers is a last resort to draw government attention to their plights and not to derail academic activities. The zonal Coordinator of the Benin Zone ASUU, Prof. Fred Esumeh, stated this in Benin, Edo State. Esumeh said, “Strike is less frequent in the western world because their governments act. But here in Nigeria, you have to go on strike frequently before government can act.” The zonal coordinator, who described members’ remuneration as slave wage, demanded a new condition of service. He said, “The Nigerian universities are no longer attractive to foreign lecturers, including those from neighbouring countries. “This is due to the prevailing slave wage where the highest ranked professor earns less than a thousand dollars monthly.” PUNCH.

Nigeria's Chief Of Defence Staff, Irabor Asks 50 Military Generals To Quit Service. BY SAHARAREPORTERS

The officers cut across the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy; around 25 of the senior officers are in the army. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Leo Irabor has ordered 50 Generals in the Nigerian military to tender their resignation with immediate effect. According to Daily Post, the officers cut across the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy; around 25 of the senior officers are in the army. An impeccable source stated that Irabor gave the directive at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja on Monday. At a 2pm meeting, the CDS thanked them for their service and told all present that it was high time they left office. But the Course 36 Generals still had more than three years before their retirement. “They are about 50; two of them in the Army will retire in 2022, while the rest have about three and half years left in service”, the source revealed. Another source wondered why the Armed Forces were eager to ease out scores of capable and experienced hands at a time the country is battling insecurity. Ironically, Irabor recently intervened in the 2016 forceful retirement of 38 Nigerian Army officers via a letter (Ref. No. CDS/8/A) to the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, a retired Major-General. They were asked to go in June 2016, an action described as arbitrary by those affected, security personnel, experts and Nigerians. Till date, the military and the federal government are yet to comply with extant court judgments ordering the officers’ reabsorption. In January 2020, Justice Rukiya Hasstrup at National Industrial Court in Abuja faulted the Army decision and directed their reinstatement. In May 2020, Justice Edith Agbakoba approved that contempt of court charge is filed against the military chiefs for failing to comply with a valid order.

NIGERIA: TARGETED FOR DESTRUCTION by Gordon Duff

@Gabadaya Editor’s Note: For Nigerians who want to have an insight on the failure of the war on terror in Nigeria pre-Buhari, read this article written in 2011 by Gordon Duff, a Senior Editor with Veterans Today.
For Those Who Have Ears to Hear I won’t write about Nigeria as a journalist. I am known in Nigeria as a national security specialist with decades of experience there. I have close personal friends at the highest levels of government and only write these few words out of deep concern. For those reading the news about Africa, both of you, Nigeria is under terrorist attack and preparing military operations against a group called Boko Haram, an Islamic group from the North, more accurately centered in Niger, a nation to the north, a cesspool of international intrigue. From Veterans Today’s London correspondent, a specialist on African affairs: The article was well written and thoroughly researched although it didn’t go far enough in identifying dealing with the greed of certain establishment figures that may directly or indirectly be involved in some of the atrocities committed by Boko Haram. 1. The security of the presidency and the entire nation has been greatly compromised by the activities of certain individuals very close to the presidency. 2. It is common knowledge that the president of Nigeria is not protected at all and you can get at him at any time in or out of his residence. 3. The security around him is a joke to say the least, contrary to the views of certain individuals around the president. 4. The issues of government by settlement which had long plagued Nigeria are the orders of the day now where certain individuals are asking for colossal sums of money from certain security consultants to provide training and security equipment to the government. 5. One individual in particular has been known to collect huge sums of money from these outfits currently parading themselves as security consultants in Abuja 6. The level of cover and protection given the president and his family is simply laughable and nonexistent Why has the country been compromised??? It is widely known that certain foreign elements are providing security to the president and providing his current security details. What a joke, you might say. These same foreign elements are the same who have sold outdated equipment to the government and are going around Abuja installing CCTV and bomb detection equipment around the capitol, technology decades old. Huge sums of money have changed hands for second rate equipment The government pays for a Rolls Royce car but gets a VW Beetle instead!! Why is there so much fear and apprehension among Nigerians that the government can no longer protect its citizens? What are the costs expended so far on security equipment and the so called security consultants? Why have certain individuals collected bribe money to award these security contracts at over inflated figures? Now, this is one example of several of how corruption is endemic and goes to the heart of government. You may wonder who stands to benefit from these contracts at the expense of the security of the president, the presidency and the nation. The answers to these questions lie within the presidency itself because of the acts of these individuals in the last few weeks. There are no real interests to control the activities of Boko Haram because of the vested interests of certain foreign governments in collusion with their agents in the present administration and the country. To some in government, this is another tool to control certain individuals. Most Nigerians are cowards, anyway. Kill a few “Nigerians,” “Christians” and make it look like christ6ianity against Islam to provoke a reaction from Nigerians. If you get no reaction, kill a few more or go after prime targets to grab headlines. Again, you may ask yourself, who stands to gain when there are terror scares in the country? Nigerians are highly intelligent and resourceful people and can put an immediate end to all of these happenings when their own status is on the line and their livelihood is at stake or threatened. Nigeria has not gotten to that point yet but may soon reach the point of no return. Sources within the Intel community have confirmed that Boko Haram is getting Intel assistance from senior Nigerian intelligence officials. To these officials, this is a means to an end. The danger here is that a monster has been created which sooner or later may go out of control of their political masters. Certain people are benefiting financially from the current security situation in the country, from inflated security contracts. One such individual from within the presidency recently placed orders from a North American and Middle East country located near Tel Aviv. What is the cost of a Nigerian life (Mr.) and how much is it worth to you sir? This is the public version of things anyway. However, outside forces are at play, concerns “from afar” best described in a fictional context. H. G. Wells described it best in his science fiction novel, War of the Worlds. “No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man’s and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter… It is curious to recall some of the mental habits of those departed days…Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. And early in the twentieth century came the great disillusionment.” Thus, fiction again becomes reality, not an enemy from space but one of terrestrial origin, unnamed but recognized by all who see the lands laid waste. This organization, call it “globalist” if you want, began orchestrating war in Yemen a bit ago after failing to set war against Iran into motion through incidents in Bahrain and the Persian Gulf. The “Al Qaeda franchise” in Yemen represents an “understanding” between the current government, the CIA and Mossad to create a simulated terrorist environment as “deception and cover” for a series of other activities in the region. There is now, nor has there ever been an organized “pan-Islamic” terrorist presence in Yemen though one has been “simulated” through misleading reports, “false flag” terror and a theatre of “counter-terrorist” activities, drone attacks and such, for no purpose other than to provide a base of operations for a global criminal enterprise. What we are seeing now in Nigeria is part of the same strategy, one that has included attacks on a physical scale, currency manipulation and now a staged move against Africa, which will be combined with attempts to exploit the vulnerabilities of the Arab Spring, new players, new governments and new greed. Key Nigerians ripe for bribery are making this possible. They are aware they are bringing about the destruction of their own nation, they simply don’t care. The attitude there is “every man for himself.” Another way of describing those currently in power, including and especially officials in counter-terrorism and security is “rats abandoning a sinking ship.” In all fairness, the U.S. has a similar elitist clique of politicians, special interest multi-nationals, some of whom have their own intelligence resources that rival most countries. The terror group, Boko Haram, is real but in its current formation, it is a proxy of outside powers who plan to Balkanize Nigeria, simply another domino to fall as have so many others. As with any group seeking redress, Boko Haram has been hijacked and is now being directed from within, from without as is the Nigerian government that will be fighting it. What is playing out, though all are ready to “go through the motions” otherwise, is far more about drugs than anything else. The Nigerians don’t yet know this or those hands that are out would be more aggressive. Nigeria, a great playing field, largest in Africa, is the southern flank of an operation that is much more than simply stolen oil revenue and inscrutable games about gas pipelines that never come online. Drugs are perfection. If you produce narcotics, you control the land, if you transit narcotics, you control the authorities, if you sell narcotics, you control the courts, the police and, of course, the government itself. Arms and oil count, money is still worth counterfeiting, oil worth stealing but all this is so “yesterday.” The real world struggle today is narco-driven, fought from the Kyber Pass to the Mexico-Arizona border and all lands in between. Nigerians who think “tribal” or “ethnic” will die “regional” and “global,” perhaps by the millions. This is all little but theatre. The US bought a ticket to a play staged in Afghanistan and has found themselves unable to find the exit. This one will be quieter as this is Africa, it will be black people killing black people. Few will notice, fewer will care. Those with a stake notice, they care, but their agenda has no room for human life. Nigeria is a tinderbox beyond imagination. Decades old hatreds and fears are closer to the surface here than even in the Balkans. This is a very dangerous game some have chosen to begin. Were they available, and who is to say they aren’t, Nigerians would gleefully use nuclear weapons to settle domestic differences. Nigeria, is, in itself, a construct that never should have existed. The North is Muslim, the South is Christian, each side having nearly 100 million people and neither half is united in any way. Nigeria is a ripe plum for those who recognize such things and recognizing such things is how predators have come to dominate world affairs. The history after colonial occupation is one of military dictatorship and corruption at levels unimaginable. Nigeria is Africa, the most populace country, the most oil and gas wealth, the greatest economic potential, the biggest potential market. Thus, Nigeria is a target. A note from a friend in the region choosing to weigh in with information generally not for public consumption: “We can take down French AQIM without any problem to be honest but Boko Haram are tribes and clans, they are offered drugs, money etc… far far from Islam but at the origin it was an Islamic party infiltrated by the English, French and financed by the “narcos” linked to the CIA, DEA etc… … who are landing their planes full of drugs in Niger, Mali, Mauritania, north of Nigeria, Chad in the desert… around 4 billions a year transit in this region… …then up through Morocco, Polisario, Spain and then Europe and through Tunisia, Libya-Algeria border through Italy, or Greece depending which recipient networks… Ben Ali , king of Morocco, Polisario Front, Algerian zionists are deeply involved in this dirty business, same for migrants, exactly the same people… Boko Haram in charge of Nigeria up to Libya and south of Tunisia, with Touaregs…” For those unaware, and those who wonder why Saif Gaddafi is where he is, those who choose to be fed the superficial view of a region maps show as only empty desert, I hope this is found to be “enriching.” For others, it is exposure I hope they find disturbing. Those in power know I laid out their fate. I told them when the bombings would start, what type, I was even right about the first target, exactly right. I figured what I would do and it happened. I figured what I would do if I were the head of a foreign intelligence agency planning to take over security operations for the government by making the new president appear vulnerable, powerless and then exploiting divisions in the country in order to start two decades of extremely profitable war. In the process, side can be played against side, crooked politicians can keep the decision making apparatus paralyzed and the country can be turned into a terrorist battleground, leading to the long awaited civil war while being bled dry. I laid the whole thing out. Two foreign governments are involved, I named them. I told my friends that Abuja would soon look like Islamabad, cameras, check points, troops, that was the first part of the destabilization plan. This is being done as we speak. Real nation building is not in the cards, only rape and destruction, debt and more debt. I saw it done, more carefully, to the United States. It isn’t the same crew, not entirely, but many of the same actors are involved. First they began by blocking the new president from assuming real power, buying off key political and military leaders. Then a phony terror campaign was begun, like the one the US saw with 9/11. Then “they” arrived with solutions. At the same time, “they,” who have been working with the terror groups for years, are building an “Al Qaeda” type organization that will be able to dart across borders and carefully orchestrate a pattern of destabilization using the same contractors that are going to be paid millions to help put in place security apparatus to protect the country. This happened in America, in a way at least. It is a plan long in motion. Nigerians are ripe for civil war, angry, divided, fed up with abuse. One minor offshoot of the decision making and policy formulation we are seeing is the utter and total destruction of Nigeria’s economic and commercial viability. It is being erased from the maps of boardrooms across the world as a potential place of business, of development, of wealth creation, from Beijing to Zurich and places beyond. Christian Nigeria is being set up, not just to fight a “terror group” in the North but to take on all of Islamic Africa, to draw them into a war that will bring more players, America, for one, into another endless cesspool. Yemen was the model. Simple tribal misunderstandings became tribal conflict and then, through careful orchestration, bushels of bribe money and false flag terrorism, which Nigeria has already been dosed with, Yemen became the stronghold of an imaginary Al Qaeda cell. Soon Nigeria will enjoy the sight of armed UAVs, piloted from, just perhaps, Tel Aviv, theoretically there to punish terrorists. Pakistan will explain it to you if you care to listen. UAV attacks are how terrorists are recruited, how wars are instigated and how the disjointed and unsettled are turned into an enemy camp. The presentations have been made and the purchase orders await only the promised “backhanders” or as we call it here, “kickbacks” to be executed. Nigeria, I love the damned country, my friends there which include those who theoretically rule the country, if such a thing were possible. It is not. What I did do is lay out a plan for the first hundred days that would have prevented this. In order to accomplish this, one would have to overcome a corrupt government, meaning that one would have to assume near dictatorial powers and turn to the people, all the people, for support. One would have to deliver on promises of electrical power, police reform, refinancing debt, so many things. There were two choices, one was to build a nation and the other was to react and become the victim of a plot long stewing in two capitols far away. The desire for a civil war, something so many want in Nigeria, have waited for, has allowed them, the government, the people, to become what they fear most, slaves in their own nation. Nigeria isn’t Libya. It has a population 15 times that of Libya. Nigeria is Africa. Saving Nigeria was vital to world stability, something only a select few know. Destroying Nigeria was vital to world entropy, something only a select few know also. Even fewer know that Nigerian security is considered an area of “clear and present danger” to the United States, or to term it differently for others, an area of “vital national interest.” Our armies enjoy joint exercises yearly, Nigeria is the lynchpin of America’s African policy for the next 25 years. The destabilzation of Nigeria is part and parcel to the destabilization of America’s position in the world, one more thing making Nigeria attractive. America has spent decades making enemies and Nigeria is a way of helping bury America as is Afghanistan. Who would wish such a thing? Get a map and figure it out. As we speak, planeloads of bomb detection equipment is coming in from the same people who built the car bombs in the first place. War is being planned with the help of those who organized and armed the enemy. Enough people were there who remember it all being laid out, how it would be done. Predicting this didn’t take genius, not hardly. I had seen it all before, so many times. The plots spoken of as against Libya are very real but Egypt and Nigeria are the primary targets, taking the place of Iran, a nation that has been more resourceful than expected. Were it taught, which it is not, we would call it history. _________________________ Follow GABADAYA @gabadayanews on Twitter or send mails to gabadayanews@gmail.com