Birth limit policy: China to allow three children per family by Victoria Edeme

China has announced that married Chinese couples are now allowed to have up to three children, easing the child limit policy that restricted couples to just two children. The announcement was made on Monday, following a need to cope with the risk faced by Chinese economy as a result of the increasing aging population in China, according to Reuters. In order to reduce economic risks stemming from the rapidly aging population, China introduced the two-child limit policy in 2016 after its one-child policy that had been practiced for decades. However, the country expressed worry over a rapid fall in the working population and claimed that such is capable of disrupting the country’s future plans for the economy. Recent data has shown that there is a dramatic decline of birth and a rapid increase in the aging population, leading to more concerns. The reduction in birth rate, resulting from the high cost of child up-keep in China, has led to more provisions by the government. The new policy change will come with “supportive measures, which will be conducive to improving our country’s population structure, fulfilling the country’s strategy of actively coping with an aging population”.

N90bn drugs seized, 2,175 suspects arrested in four months –Marwa

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency intercepted assorted drugs worth over N90 billion and arrested 2, 175 drug traffickers in four months, the Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, has said. Marwa disclosed this on Monday in Abuja during a ceremony to present the best performing commands for March and April and presentation of commendation letters to outstanding officers and men. Marwa said the agency had spent the past four months implementing various measures aimed at repositioning the agency, with emphasis on strengthening the capacity of its officers. He said that the agency in return had reaped high-impact, far-reaching results that left no room for any doubt about the efficacy of the strategies adopted. The NDLEA chairman added that the results, however, justified the agency’s efforts saying that the evidence was clear for everyone to see. According to him, we would not have been able to arrest 2,175 drug traffickers. “And neither would the seizure of 2,050,766.33 kilograms of assorted illicit drugs have been possible if you had chosen to do just the minimal work across your various commands. “If our approach has been one of business, as usual, we would not have been able to seize drug and cash valued at over N90 billion in just four months. “Think of what a fraction of that could have done to the various criminalities in Nigeria. “The filing of about 2,100 drug cases in court with over 500 convictions was made possible by the collective efforts of our officers and men who decided to go the extra mile. “Today, it is part of our records and collective credits that we are not only breaking down the high walls shielding drug cartels but also reining in drug barons. “So, every one of you, our officers and men, spread across the country made the achievements possible,” he said. The NDLEA boss assured the officers and men that the agency would not rest on its oars. He added that the offensive action would not stop until the streets, communities, towns and cities have been cleaned up of any remnant of illicit drugs. Marwa said that the agency would keep up the offensive in the field, saying that the leadership of the agency would daily continue to work out effective strategies and tactics to sustain the momentum. “That is why we have strengthened our Directorate of Assets and Financial Investigations to go after all assets or funds linked to drug trafficking which had led to interim and final forfeiture orders on assets and funds worth billions of naira linked to drug traffickers and barons. “Of significant interest is our current investigation of N30 billion slush fund believed to be proceeds of drugs,” he said. Marwa charged the officers and men to sustain the hard work, adding “reward for good work is more work”. (NAN).

‘Lavished’ N3.4bn: Buhari sacks Somefun as MD of NSITF, names replacement By Frank Ikpefan

President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked the suspended Managing Director of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund for spending N3.4 billion on “non-existent staff training.” The President approved the appointment of Akabogu Michael as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer to replace Somefun. Somefun and three other Executive members of the NSITF were suspended last year for breaching procurement rules and other financial infractions by Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige. Ngige had accused the then Management team of lavishing N3.4 billion on “non-existent staff training split into about 196 different consultancy contracts in order to evade the Ministerial Tenders Board and Federal Executive Council (FEC) approvals.” Following their suspension, Buhari inaugurated a Presidential Joint Board and Audit Investigation Panel set up in July 2020 to investigate the infractions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007, and the Financial Regulations (FR) in the NSITF. A statement by the Deputy Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan said the President acted on the report of the panel to approve the sacking of Somefun and also ordered the reconstitution of the management board of NSITF on Monday. Somefun and the three Executive Directors fingered in financial infractions were asked to refund to the NSITF treasury N181, 056,000 million being illegal over payments in salaries, allowances such as overseas travels, leave allowances for self and spouses in overseas, house allowance, DSTV and club registration and extraneous allowances not approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC). The statement said: “These financial infractions and other serious prima facia established malfeasance had resulted in the President approving the setting up of the Panel and the subsequent suspension from Office of the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive, and the three Executive Directors respectively of Finance and Investment, Operations, and Administration and Human Resources. Nine other top Management Officers in the General Manager Cadre were also suspended with the MD and the three Executive Directors on the recommendations of the Honourable Minister of Labour & Employment. “In approving the implementation of the recommendations in the Panel’s report, the President specifically approved: 1) The removal from Office of the MD/CE and the three (3) Executive Directors and their immediate replacement from the pool of General Managers of the NSITF and if necessary sourcing of capable hands from sister like corporate organizations to uplift performance in the NSITF. “Messrs. Bayo Somefun, Jasper Azuatalam, Tijani Sulaiman and Mrs. Olukemi Nelson were therefore relieved of their appointments with effect from 1st July, 2020. Also relieved of their appointments were the nine (9) top Management Officers on suspension with the MD and EDs who had their appointments terminated compulsorily with some to be retired after demotion in ranks from their present Ranks as recommended by the Panel. “The MD and the three (3) Executive Directors are to refund the NSITF Treasury the total sum of One Hundred and Eighty One Million, Fifty Six Thousand Naira (N181, 056,000) being illegal over payments in salaries, allowances such as overseas travels, leave allowances for self and spouses in overseas, house allowance, DSTV and club registration and extraneous allowances not approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC). “Other nine top Management staff whose appointments were terminated for various infractions and who have also benefitted from the excess remuneration are to refund such overpayments to the Panel. These staff are: i) Bashorun Olumide, General Manager, Administration, ii) Alhaji Lawan Tahir, General Manager, Finance and Accounts, iii) Chris Esedebe, General Manager, Claims and Compensation, iv) Enyinanya Sike, Deputy General Manager, Finance, v) Dorothay Tukura, Deputy General Manager, Training, vi) Victoria Ayantuga, Assistant General Manager, Audit, vii) Dotun Adegbite, Deputy General Manager, Investment, viii) Arokoyo Olutoye, Deputy General Manager, Legal, ix) Abdul Rasheed Lawan, Deputy General Manager, Procurement. “The “total overhaul” of the Procurement Department of the NSITF with a new team of Procurement Officers be trained from the pool of existing Staff and deployed to the Department while all the staff that have been serving there from 2017 – 2020 be removed and made to undergo disciplinary actions for offences ranging from injection of extraneous companies and projects after advertisement and bidding has been concluded, contract splitting, initiation of procurement contract without budgetary allocation, conversion and switching of one fully bided project to another. All Officers indicted are to receive the appropriate official sanction by the Board. “The President also approved and directed that the Head of Service of the Federation terminate the appointment and dismiss the erstwhile Head of Procurement Department Engr. Abdulrasheed Lawal from the Public Service with effect from the date of suspension. “The President also approved that erring companies and persons who default/neglect/refuse to make refunds of illegal monies paid to them will be sent to Anti-Graft Agencies (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission – EFCC and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission – ICPC) by the Minister of Labour and Employment for further necessary action.”

THE AFRICAN PEAR (UBE) - Praise Amula

In Nigeria the Igbo’s call it Ube, the Yoruba’s call it Orumu, I don’t know if hausas eat it. It’s commonly known as African or native pear. It’s a nutritious fruit and very medicinal. African pear (Ube) is a seasonal fruit that goes very well with corn. How to prepare African pear (Ube) before eating : Boil hot water and pour it in a bowl put the pear in the hot water, cover for about 4 minutes remove it from the water and it’s ready or put it In a dry frying pan, place it in fire and turn it until soft and it’s ready for eating, in a traditional kitchen you can roast it in a hot ash until soft, it’s best enjoyed with roasted or cooked corn. Exposed: How this Amazing Powerful Cooking Spice can Improve your Memory, reduce your Belly fat and reduce Miscarriage. So here are other amazing health benefits of licking pear. 1. It helps in pregnancy Its high natural Folic acid content makes it suitable for pregnant women, it’s natural folic acid is an essential supplement for pregnant mothers. As we all know, Folic acid helps prevent deficiencies in baby’s brain and spinal cord. 2. African pear promotes good bones and teeth African pear (Ube) is also rich in calcium and phosphorus which are the main element for flexible and strong bones, and neat and healthy teeth. The calcium and phosphorus in Ube helps prevent stiff joints and bone or teeth pains. So if you are battling with toothache or joint pains, it’s advisable you start with natural remedy without spending much money. In it’s season, consume lots of African pear for great result. 3. Ube reduces the risk of diabetes African pear has high content of Vitamins and minerals that helps in controlling the blood sugar level. It is good for Diabetics. 4. It helps prevents constipation Because of its high fiber content it helps in the easy movement of stool down to the anus, making stool easy and simple. 5. African pear maintains a healthy skin Because of its butter like nature when roasted or dipped into the hot water, it improves the texture by smoothing and reducing wrinkles on your skin. It’s high in Vitamin C, which repairs damaged cells in the skin. Ube repairs damaged skin even more than vitamin C found in other fruits like orange and lemons. 6. Ube reduces age related diseases Because of its strong antioxidants contents, it prevents some age related diseases and poor vision. Eating ube will make you look younger than your age. The risk of muscular degeneration in aged people will reduced drastically as you consume Ube regularly. 7. African pear is a heart friendly fruit. It has been discovered that African pear contains lots of soluble fiber that reduces cholesterol and bile acid from the small intestines, it thereby reduces blood cholesterol level completely when consumed on a daily basis. Africa pear (Ube) is in season, start consuming it for it’s healthy benefits.

APC Stalling National Convention Because Committee Members Plan to Succeed Themselves By Unini Chioma

*APC members threaten legal action for over staying The extraordinary caretaker committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is yet to announce dates for the national convention of the party because some members of the committee are allegedly planning to succeed themselves as national executive committee members, According to Thisday report. A Special National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC in June 2020 appointed a former National Secretary of the party, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, as Chairman with a six months mandate to organise an election that would elect a new National Working Committee (NWC). But after 12 months, no date has been announced for the election of the executive committee members, even after the six months mandate was extended in December 2020. THISDAY also gathered that the Buni-led caretaker committee had begun to plan another meeting of NEC to seek an elongation of the tenure of the committee. A member of the committee that spoke to THISDAY in confidence said there was a plot for the Buni committee to seek an elongation or an outright self-perpetuation of members in office. The argument, the source said, was that an election from ward to states and eventually, national convention in the party would further divide the party at a time when it should be consolidating in the states It was against this backdrop that some committee members, albeit with the consent Buni were considering presenting to the NEC that he should rather resign as governor and continue at the national convention, where he would be affirmed as the substantive national chairman of the party. The source hinted that Buni did not spend up to four days a week in the state as he stays in Abuja most of the time.. Before winning the election to become the governor of Yobe State, he was the national secretary of APC, when Adams Oshiomhole was the national chairman. Although this has not been tabled before the NEC, members of the party, who should know were already protesting against the idea of members self-perpetuating themselves under any guise. Some of the members that did not want be quoted said they had concluded plans to seek legal action against any plans by the committee members to self-perpetuate in office Another member told THISDAY that the Buni committee had already overstayed its welcome. According to the source, “We were appointed to right the wrongs of Adams Oshiomhole, but this idea of not announcing the dates for the wards, local government, states and national convention. Anything outside announcing the dates of the national convention and other dates for the states congresses is outside our mandate. If by the next month, there is no date announced for the elections, I will speak out and also resign. What is happening is not our mandate. “We were appointed in June 2020 and our mandate was renewed in December to end in June. Any further plan to seek extension or perpetuate us in office, count me out.”

BREAKING NWES: ASUU elects new President .ByMojeed Alabi

Mr Osodeke, a professor of soil science at the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, was elected early Sunday morning during a three-day conference of the union which held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. The immediate past vice-president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, has emerged as the new president of the union. Mr Osodeke, a professor of soil science at the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, was elected early Sunday morning during a three-day conference of the union which held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. He took over from Biodun Ogunyemi, a professor of education at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. Other members of the union, who were elected alongside Mr Osodeke, include Chris Piwuna of the University of Jos as vice president; Olusiji Sowande of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, as treasurer while Ade Adejumo, a professor from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, was elected as financial secretary. Also, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, Austen Sado, was elected as investment secretary; Adamu Babayo from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, was elected the union’s internal auditor while Stella-Maris Oke from Cross Rivers State University of Science and Technology, was elected as the new welfare secretary. Mr Ogunyemi will continue to serve in the new executive committee as an ex-officio, apparently to guide the new leadership. I’m back to the classroom Meanwhile, Mr Osodeke’s predecessor, Mr Ogunyemi, described his two-term tenure of office as a period of service to the nation. Speaking on the phone with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, Mr Ogunyemi thanked the union and his colleagues for the support and encouragement. He said whatever that was achieved during his tenure was a product of team work, and urged the successors to continue the tradition. “Sure, I’m returning to the classroom to continue to do our own bit towards the development of this nation.” Earlier on Friday, in his valedictory speech at the conference as reported by Punch Newspaper,Mr Ogunyemi highlighted some of the union’s activities including successes and challenges recorded within the last five years of his administration. The tenure of office for elected ASUU leadership is a period of two years and Mr Ogunyemi spent two terms of four years. His tenure was, however, elongated by the dangerous Coronavirus pandemic which paradises activities for almost one year globally. He said, “At a point of departure, we must place on record that COVID-19 did not spare our campuses. Many of our infected members had had to combat the COVID attack with resources from colleagues and other people of goodwill because their salaries and emoluments, as well as the union’s check-off deductions, were either withheld by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation over the rejection of the discredited Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System. “Our other comrades suffered the same fate in the hands of overzealous State University Vice-Chancellors and Visitors. As a matter of fact, we lost at least 30 members.” He, however, said the union, in the last three years, has enjoyed tremendous goodwill from quarters he said were too numerous to mention. Mr Ogunyemi said: “Despite being a government official, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund has never denied his training in ASUU and the role played by the Union in midwifing the intervention agency. “The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission is also another rare breed who projects his clear understanding of ASUU’s mission at every meeting with the government. May their race multiply! “We equally appreciate the intervention efforts of the Hon. Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu as well as his Labour and Employment counterpart, Sen (Dr) Chris Ngige when it mattered. “We cannot thank them enough. Our profound appreciation equally goes to the Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, who has continued to play significant roles in getting our matters resolved in the last one year. “The NLC President and Global President of the International Trade Union Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has stood by us all the way. His strategic intervention, on behalf of the Congress to which we are an affiliate, always made the difference. Comrade Global President, may your shadow never grow less.” ASUU elects new president Mr Osodeke, a professor of soil science at the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, was elected early Sunday morning during a three-day conference of the union which held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. The immediate past vice-president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, has emerged as the new president of the union. Mr Osodeke, a professor of soil science at the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, was elected early Sunday morning during a three-day conference of the union which held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. He took over from Biodun Ogunyemi, a professor of education at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State. Other members of the union, who were elected alongside Mr Osodeke, include Chris Piwuna of the University of Jos as vice president; Olusiji Sowande of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, as treasurer while Ade Adejumo, a professor from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, was elected as financial secretary. Also, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, Austen Sado, was elected as investment secretary; Adamu Babayo from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, was elected the union’s internal auditor while Stella-Maris Oke from Cross Rivers State University of Science and Technology, was elected as the new welfare secretary. Mr Ogunyemi will continue to serve in the new executive committee as an ex-officio, apparently to guide the new leadership. I’m back to the classroom Meanwhile, Mr Osodeke’s predecessor, Mr Ogunyemi, described his two-term tenure of office as a period of service to the nation. Speaking on the phone with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, Mr Ogunyemi thanked the union and his colleagues for the support and encouragement. He said whatever that was achieved during his tenure was a product of team work, and urged the successors to continue the tradition. “Sure, I’m returning to the classroom to continue to do our own bit towards the development of this nation.” Earlier on Friday, in his valedictory speech at the conference as reported by Punch Newspaper,Mr Ogunyemi highlighted some of the union’s activities including successes and challenges recorded within the last five years of his administration. The tenure of office for elected ASUU leadership is a period of two years and Mr Ogunyemi spent two terms of four years. His tenure was, however, elongated by the dangerous Coronavirus pandemic which paradises activities for almost one year globally. He said, “At a point of departure, we must place on record that COVID-19 did not spare our campuses. Many of our infected members had had to combat the COVID attack with resources from colleagues and other people of goodwill because their salaries and emoluments, as well as the union’s check-off deductions, were either withheld by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation over the rejection of the discredited Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System. “Our other comrades suffered the same fate in the hands of overzealous State University Vice-Chancellors and Visitors. As a matter of fact, we lost at least 30 members.” He, however, said the union, in the last three years, has enjoyed tremendous goodwill from quarters he said were too numerous to mention. Mr Ogunyemi said: “Despite being a government official, the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund has never denied his training in ASUU and the role played by the Union in midwifing the intervention agency. “The Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission is also another rare breed who projects his clear understanding of ASUU’s mission at every meeting with the government. May their race multiply! “We equally appreciate the intervention efforts of the Hon. Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu as well as his Labour and Employment counterpart, Sen (Dr) Chris Ngige when it mattered. “We cannot thank them enough. Our profound appreciation equally goes to the Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, who has continued to play significant roles in getting our matters resolved in the last one year. “The NLC President and Global President of the International Trade Union Congress, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has stood by us all the way. His strategic intervention, on behalf of the Congress to which we are an affiliate, always made the difference. Comrade Global President, may your shadow never grow less.”

EXCLUSIVE: How Abidemi Rufai’s brother declined to stand surety for him - ByAdejumo Kabir

Mr Rufai is currently enmeshed in a $350,000 COVID-19 unemployment fraud in the United States. Abidemi Rufai’s brother refused to stand surety for him in the $350,000 fraud case against him in the United States (U.S.), PREMIUM TIMES can report. Mr Rufai, a suspended aide of Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on May 14. He was on May 19 granted a $300,000 bail by a New York magistrate’s court, but the Acting U.S. Attorney, Tessa Gorman, on May 24, filed an “emergency motion” at the U.S. Western District Court of Washington, Tacoma, “to stay the order of release.” It was earlier reported that Mr Rufai remained in detention, despite the magistrate’s order for his release, because his brother proposed as his surety could not post the $300,000 bond. But the U.S. government’s court filing obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, on Friday, has now shown that the proposed surety did not sign the bond not because of his inability to pay. The surety, whose name was not given in the document, was not just willing to play that role for his brother, the court document showed. Even when the magistrate, Ramon Reyes, explained to Mr Rufai’s brother that he would not be required to make payment for the bond only if Mr Rufai jumped bail, he still declined. “Rufai’s brother told the Court he was unwilling to sign the bond. Judge Reyes explained to Rufai’s brother that he would not be required to put up any security for the bond, and would be required to make payment on the bond only if Rufai failed to appear at court proceedings. “Rufai’s brother stated that he was unwilling to sign the bond even on those conditions. Accordingly, Judge Reyes entered a detention and transfer order,” the U.S. government said in the document. Questionable character as surety? Following the refusal by Mr Rufai’s brother to stand as a surety, the defendant’s lawyer, Michael Barrows, on May 21, presented Nekpen Soyemi, a registered nurse, whose family comes from Nigeria. She told the court that she would guarantee the $300,000 bond and allow Mr Rufai to stay at her and her husband’s home. The Acting U.S. Attorney, Ms Gorma, later exposed Ms Soyemi, saying she is a “suspect in an investigation into an email impersonation scheme.” Her husband, Idris Soyemi, is also said to have been convicted for wire fraud in 2014. The U.S. government told the court that it is dangerous to release Mr Rufai on bail, claiming the suspect presents an extreme risk of flight and “if he does escape to Nigeria, extradition will be extraordinarily difficult or impossible because of his ties to the Nigerian government.” Government’s request for order to stay release granted On Tuesday, the United States District Judge, Benjamin Settle, granted the government’s motion to stay release of Mr Rufai. “The release order is stayed, and the defendant shall remain in custody pending this Court’s decision on the government’s motion for review,” a court document obtained by PREMIUM TIMES read. Backstory Mr Rufai was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York while heading to Nigeria on May 14. He allegedly used the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. At the end of a detention hearing held on May 19, 2021, the Magistrate of the District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Ramon Reyes, agreed with the government that Mr Rufai posed “a serious flight risk”, but found that the risk could be addressed by conditions of release, including a $300,000 bond. The magistrate went on to issue an order releasing Mr Rufai based on the bond in which Mr Rufai’s brother, who is licensed as an attorney in New York, was proposed as surety. But Mr Rufai was not released eventually because his brother did not sign the bail bond. The suspect was therefore remanded pending when he would provide an alternate surety. The U.S. government on May 24 filed an emergency motion of stay release order before the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, on May 24. The court on Tuesday granted the U.S government’s request staying the earlier release order issued by the magistrate’s court.

EXCLUSIVE: U.S. uncovers more criminal activities involving Abidemi Rufai ByAdejumo Kabir

Mr Rufai allegedly filed 652 fraudulent tax returns, seeking approximately $1.6 million in fraudulent tax refunds. The United States government has uncovered more criminal activities involving Abidemi Rufai, the suspended aide of Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State. PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday obtained the U.S. government’s court filing submitted in connection with its pending Motion for Review of Detention Order. ‘Fraudulent claims for tax refunds’ The Acting U.S. Attorney, Tessa Gorman, said special agents from the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations had been investigating Mr Rufai for several years. Ms Gorman said Mr Rufai was being investigated for allegedly making “fraudulent claims for tax refunds”. “On May 26 and 27, 2021, special agents from the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations notified the United States Attorney’s Office that the IRS has been investigating the sandytangy58@gmail.com account for several years. “IRS-CI determined that the sandytangy58@gmail.com account was used to submit fraudulent claims for tax refunds using American taxpayers’ stolen PII (Personal Identification Information). “That is, Rufai filed tax returns in the names of taxpayers, using their stolen PII, and requested that tax refunds be paid out to bank accounts under Rufai’s control,” the document stated. He was said to have filed 652 fraudulent tax returns, seeking approximately $1.6 million in fraudulent tax refunds, for the tax years 2016 through 2019. “IRS-CI provided the United States Attorney’s Office with information establishing that the sandytangy58@gmail.com email account was used (employing the same ‘dot variant’ practice described in the Indictment) to file 652 fraudulent tax returns, seeking a total of approximately $1.6 million in fraudulent tax refunds, for the tax years 2016 through 2019,” the court document obtained by PREMIUM TIMES partly read. “The IRS rejected many of the filings, but accepted returns seeking approximately $900,000. The IRS is calculating the amount of refunds actually paid out on these returns. This information increases the need for detention in several respects. First, now that the loss and attempted loss associated with Rufai’s conduct has grown substantially. “Rufai faces an even longer prison sentence, and therefore an even stronger incentive to flee. This incentive is compounded by the fact that the Grand Jury has now returned an Indictment charging Rufai with five counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, which carries a two-year mandatory sentence consecutive to any other sentence. “Second, the fact that Rufai filed 652 fraudulent tax returns significantly increases the scope and seriousness of Rufai’s conduct, meaning that both Rufai’s personal history and characteristics, and the nature and circumstances of his conduct weigh even more heavily in favor of detention. “Third, the extent of Rufai’s possession and use of stolen PII, and the economic damage caused by it, establishes that Rufai presents an economic danger to the community,” Ms Gorman said. Backstory Mr Rufai was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York while heading to Nigeria on May 14. He allegedly used the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to steal more than $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. At the end of a detention hearing held on May 19, 2021, the Magistrate of the District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Ramon Reyes, agreed with the government that Mr Rufai posed “a serious flight risk”, but found that the risk could be addressed by certain conditions of release, including a $300,000 bond. The magistrate went on to issue an order releasing Mr Rufai based on the bond in which Mr Rufai’s brother, who is licensed as an attorney in New York, was proposed as surety. But Mr Rufai was not released eventually because his brother did not sign the bail bond. The suspect was, therefore, remanded pending when he would provide an alternate surety. Following the refusal by Mr Rufai’s brother to stand as a surety, the defendant’s lawyer, Michael Barrows, on May 21, presented Nekpen Soyemi, a registered nurse, whose family comes from Nigeria. Ms Soyemi was later exposed as “suspect in an investigation into an email impersonation scheme”. Her husband, Idris Soyemi, is also said to have been convicted for wire fraud in 2014. The U.S. government on May 24 filed an emergency motion of stay release order before the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington at Tacoma, on May 24. The United States District Judge, Benjamin Settle, on Tuesday, granted the government’s motion to stay release of Mr Rufai.

Mendy becomes first African goalkeeper to win Champions League by Sodiq Oyeleke

Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy has become the first African goalkeeper to win a Champions League title, in its current form, after Chelsea beat Manchester City in tonight’s final. According to records, Zimbabwe’s Bruce Grobbelaar won the titles during the European Cup era in 1984 with Liverpool. As far back as 37 years ago, Zimbabwe goalkeeper Grobbelaar became the first African player to feature in a European Cup final, with the Liverpool stopper influential as the Reds defeated AS Roma on penalties in 1984. He was almost a two-time winner, only for Liverpool to fall short against Juventus in the 1985 final. Mendy’s Senegal countryman Tony Sylva, understudy to Flavio Roma in the AS Monaco team that were defeated by Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto in the 2005 final, was the next African keeper who came closest to the title. For Sylva, the presence of role models — pioneering Cameroon goalkeepers Joseph-Antoine Bell and Thomas N’Kono — was a key reason why he believed that a career in Europe as a goalkeeper was possible as a youngster. Mendy has been outstanding since signing from Rennes at the beginning of the season. During the final, City pressed high but struggled to trouble Edouard Mendy in the Chelsea goal, while at the other end Timo Werner should have done better than shoot straight at Ederson in the 14th minute. Chelsea then suffered an injury blow as an emotional Thiago Silva was forced off hurt, Andreas Christensen taking the Brazilian’s place in central defence. Yet it was they who opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, Mason Mount’s ball splitting the City defence with John Stones out of position, allowing Havertz — their marquee 71 million-pound ($100m) signing last summer — to go around the lunging Ederson and convert into an empty net. City now needed to break down a Chelsea defence that has been exceptional since Tuchel came in. But they lost De Bruyne just before the hour mark, the brilliant Belgian taken out in a collision with Antonio Ruediger that appeared to leave him concussed. He came off in tears, and Guardiola instead turned to Sergio Aguero for the latter stages, but there was to be no glorious send-off as a City player for the Argentine, even if a Riyad Mahrez shot sailed just over in the sixth minute of injury time. There was also no third European Cup for Guardiola, who remains one adrift of the record for the coaches with most wins in the competition, held jointly by Bob Paisley, Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane.

[BREAKING] UCL final: Chelsea beat Man City to win Champions League by Sodiq Oyeleke

Chelsea have defeated Manchester City 1-0 to win the Champions League in Porto on Saturday. This is Chelsea’s second Champions League title after their 2012 triumph, while Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City appeared in the final for the first time. Kai Havertz scored the decisive goal just before half-time, running on to Mason Mount’s excellent ball before knocking it past Ederson and then rolling into the empty net. City, who were looking to win the competition for the first time, never really showed the imposing dominance that had brought them the 2020-21 Premier League title, with Pep Guardiola’s bold team selection having failed to come off. The former Barcelona boss had left Fernandinho and Rodri on the bench as he named an attacking line-up but they struggled to take control of midfield in their absence. They did have a good chance to score before Havertz’s goal but Antonio Rudiger made an excellent block to deny Phil Foden. Riyad Mahrez flashed a shot just wide in the final seconds but it was not to be for City as Chelsea held firm to claim the trophy.

Abducted Greenfield students regain freedom By Nsikak Nseyen

14 kidnapped students and three staff members of Greenfield University Kaduna State have regained freedom Recall that the students were abducted on April 20 after bandits broke into the University. A few days later five of the students were found dead in a village close to the school. According to TVC news, they were released on a Saturday afternoon at a location along the Kaduna- Abuja highway. Parents of the abducted students had said they were told to pay a ransom and provide eight new motorcycles to the kidnappers before their children can be released. Details later…

Army vows to make Nigeria safe as 6,400 soldiers graduate from training - By Wale Odunsi

The Nigerian Army has promised to suppress the security challenges in various parts of the country. Maj.-Gen. Danjumma Ali-Keffi, General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Kaduna, spoke during the passing out of 80 regular recruit intakes. At the event held at Depot Nigeria Army Zaria on Saturday, no fewer than 6,000 soldiers graduated. Ali-Keffi, the Reviewing Officer and Special Guest of Honour said the army will not rest until the country is safe for all. He noted that since its establishment in 1924, the Depot has the mandate of transforming able-bodied civilians into soldiers to meet the manpower requirement of the Nigeria Army. “It is noteworthy that as you pass out today, the strength of Nigeria army has been enhanced by 6,400 able-bodied men and women.” The GOC added that the Depot has been able to evolve innovative ways of improving the standard of training in the Nigeria Army. Ali-Keffi noted that the Nigeria Army has been yielding a positive result, which is evident by the robust fighting spirit of the soldiers in various theatre of operations. “With the excellent display of drill exhibited on this parade ground today, I am certain that you have acquired the basic training that is required of you to be good soldiers.’’ The senior officers told the soldiers to always abide by their Oath of Allegiance and to avoid acts that are capable of tarnishing the image of the Army and Nigeria. The late Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru was to be the Reviewing Officer and Special Guest. Gunshots were fired in his honour and others who died in the Kaduna air crash last Friday evening.

BREAKING: Nigeria’s President Buhari wins 2021 all-Africa award for performance By BASHIR ADEFAKA

The selection committee comprises media representatives from the five regions of the continent who rely on media reports and experts on road networks, transport, and sustainable development. To the chagrin of elements, who would stop at nothing to block achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari from being noticed, more international bodies not only see those achievements but are nominating the Nigerian President for award competitions and global as well as continental leadership roles, none of which he has failed to pick. The latest being that on Friday 28 May, 2021, the Daura, Katsina State-born President of Africa’s most populous country, Muhammadu Buhari, was named winner of the 2021 Great Builder Super Prize for Trophée Babacar Ndiaye, taking over from Abdel Fattah al-Sissi of Egypt, who won the 2020 prize. According to a statement from the African Development Bank (AfDB) on Friday, Buhari was named winner during the inaugural Africa Road Builders Conference held on March 31 in Cairo, Egypt. The trophy would be awarded on June 24 on the side-lines of the AfDB’s Annual Meetings. Fattah al-Sissi, received the award “for his personal leadership and for the efforts made to ensure road safety and the health of the population in the context of transport”. The selection committee, however, cited Nigeria’s efforts to improve road safety and air quality for road users. It also commended efforts to obtain COVID-19 vaccines and for advancing major transport projects, especially in the rail sector that would ensure the optimal operation of roads and transport. The Babacar Ndiaye Africa Road Builders Award is organised by Acturoutes, an information platform on infrastructure and roads in Africa, and Media for Infrastructure and Finance in Africa (MIFA), a network of African journalists specialised in road infrastructure. The AfDB president sponsors the award. The selection committee comprises media representatives from the five regions of the continent who rely on media reports and experts on road networks, transport, and sustainable development. The award was created in honour of Babacar Ndiaye, President of the AfDB Group from 1985 to 1995. Each year, the Africa Road Builders selection committee carefully evaluates ambitious and tangible projects that have a real impact on the mobility of people in Africa.

Drama as Emir of Zazzau walks out of Army’s Passing Out Parade By Felix Kassim

There was a mild drama on Saturday involving soldiers and the entourage of the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Bamalli, during the Passing Out Parade of 6,400 new recruits enlisted into the Nigeria Army. A misunderstanding ensued between the entourage of the Emir and some soldiers maintaining security at the entrance of the Depot Nigerian Army, a development that forced the emir to return to his palace. It was gathered that the soldiers at the gate insisted that the entourage of the emir must put off the royal musical trumpet blazing the area, and this the emir and his entourage found insulting. However, the commandant of the Depot Nigerian Army, Major General Abubakar Ibrahim, with his lieutenants, later visited the palace to apologise to the emir. READ ALSO :Emir Bayero turbans elder brother as Wanbam Kano after 7 years in exile The emir later returned to grace the ceremony. The POP was scheduled for last Saturday but was postponed to honour the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, who died in a plane crash in Kaduna. GOC 1 Mechanised Division, Kaduna, Major General Danjuma Ali Keffi, who served as the Reviewing Officer, also read the speech of the late COAS. Late Attahiru said the Nigerian Army is determined to defeat all security challenges facing the country, as the Army has been professionally repositioned. He said, with the passing out of the 80th Regular Recruits, the strength of the Army had been enhanced with the 6,400 soldiers, who have acquired all the professional training that made them combat-ready and efficient. He urged the recruits to be patriotic in the discharge of their duties, assuring that the Army would not rest on its oars to deal with all criminal especially Boko Haram, armed bandits, kidnappers and IPOB. (DAILYTRUST)

It is true we are all angry but we must control it –Remi Tinubu by Kayode Oyero

Mrs. Remi Tinubu, wife of All Progressives Congress chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says it is true that Nigerians are angry but people must learn to manage their anger and put their emotions under control. The Senator representing Lagos Central made this known on Friday while featuring on TVC breakfast show, ‘Your View’ monitored by The PUNCH. The rising insecurity, unemployment, injustice and worsening economy have been sources of worry in the country of late. But responding to a question on the television programme, Mrs. Tinubu said, “Why are we condoning that young people are angry, angry over what? Who said I am not angry? I am only keeping my anger. Are you (presenters) not angry about things? Everybody has to control their anger. Who is not angry? I am angry about a lot of issues. “You (presenters) were talking to me about a bill I have been trying to get for nine years ago and it is still alive. Do they (youths) understand what it means by waiting? Do they understand what it means by waiting in the morning and go to do your job? “I remember because they say there are not jobs, I said I am going to start a programme – Work Experience Programme. We got about almost 200 youths. “I know some people in some places and I said just employ them for just one-month internship. I will pay N40,000 for them to go. I will pay N20,000 for transport and then when they conclude and complete the one month, I will pay another N20,000. “We did an orientation for them – how to work in a workplace. Some don’t even know how to work in a workplace. They don’t have the etiquette for workplace. We did the training for them. Would you believe that they employed almost 80% of them, they retain them and they were screaming there were no jobs. “I need people to work with me but I need the right people. Morayo (Afolabi-Brown) knows that I am not one of those people you work with and you say, ‘No problem’. That’s no English. I know the people I interact with. Did I tell you there is a problem? That is a question I always ask. It is a slang that people are used to but in certain levels of governance, such languages are not ethical.” The PUNCH had earlier reported that the National Bureau of Statistics said Nigeria’s unemployment rate rose from 27.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 to 33.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020, adding that over 23.19 million people are unemployed in the country. Nigeria, with over 200 million people, has a vibrant youth population mostly between the ages of 18 and 35 but sadly, the nation has not made judicious use of its human resource gift to develop its industries and economic wealth.

I didn’t call Arinola Oloko thug, says Remi Tinubu by Kayode Oyero

Mrs. Remi Tinubu, wife of All Progressives Congress chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said she didn’t call an educationist, Arinola Oloko, a thug at the venue of a public hearing on constitutional review on Wednesday. According to her, she asked Oloko if she was a thug and not that she called her a thug. The Senator representing Lagos Central made this known on Friday while featuring on TVC breakfast show, ‘Your View’ monitored by The PUNCH. The PUNCH had earlier reported that viral video showed that Mrs. Tinubu was involved in a shouting match with some Nigerians who attended the event at the Marriot Hotel in Lagos. Tinubu led the Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution in the South-West. However, there was a ruckus when Oloko was denied entry into the venue of the hearing. The 51-year-old woman, who protested her exclusion from the venue, was subsequently flayed by Mrs. Tinubu for being “rude”. Speaking about the incident on Friday, the former First Lady of Lagos State said, “It was the noise I heard and as somebody concerned, I went there, that they will be a bit respectful when they see that they put my name as chair and I came out to see them. “At least, we will be able to talk and dialogue. I didn’t know that it will turn into a noisy field and people will start screaming. “I looked at them and I saw a woman. I will tell you, most of the works I’ve done have been supported by women. I understand women more than men despite the men I work with and even the men I work with, I respect them when I have to respect them but in this particular incident, I looked at the man, he was angry, possibly he could have waited for a long time. I didn’t know who registered, I wasn’t on the registration desk but I looked at the woman screaming and I said I can talk to a woman. “I said, let me talk to you outside where everybody is, I’ve had COVID and I don’t think I want to be in a cramped place to want to be speaking. And I said, let’s go outside so that I can hear you and hear your complaint.” “Then, she kept screaming and I said what is going on, are you a thug? I am not going to take that. Are you a thug? Am I talking to a thug? Then her eyes were popping and popping. She is younger than I am, why would I call her a thug outrightly?” the senator asked.

I was advised to lie low after clash with Remi Tinubu at constitution review hearing – Arinola Oloko, Lagos politician by Kayode Oyero

Mrs Arinola Oloko is the woman captured in a viral video objecting to being called a ‘thug’ by Senator Oluremi Tinubu at the venue of the public hearing on constitution review. In this interview with KAYODE OYERO, Oloko, an educationist with a master’s degree in Public Health who veered into politics, speaks about her encounter with Mrs Tinubu Tell us about yourself. My name is Arinola Oloko. I am an educationist and a politician. I like to say that I am the new face of politics. Can you explain what you mean by ‘the new face of politics?’ I’m a younger version (of politicians), a more vibrant version that brings transparency, accountability, responsibility, responsiveness to the table. I am not the version that tells people I want to empower them; rather, I want people to be part of the government, knowing that they are the ones in charge of governance. I want a Nigeria that we have not had in the past. Gone are the days when people have power and feel like they can do anyhow they want. So, I am the new face of politics; this is what politics is going to look like going forward. It is not going to be like before. When you say you are the new face of politics, are you saying the faces we see in politics today are old faces and should be pushed out? If they are not prepared to do things differently, they should start thinking about it because the world is evolving and right now, Nigeria is evolving. Nigerians are tired of the same thing; they are distressed. There is so much poverty in the land, so much insecurity, they are tired, and they want people (politicians) that are ready to represent them, people that are ready to serve them, and people that are interested in making a difference. Nigerians want people who are in touch with the reality. For instance, women and youths are the most valuable assets that we have but what are we doing with them? What was your intention for attending the Senate constitutional review hearing in Lagos? I ran in the last election in 2019 and I know all the discrepancies and the things that we saw. I know for a fact that we are never involved in what is happening and that was what led me to the review. I made concerted efforts to be at the review with my colleagues so that we could present a paper to contribute to national public consultation on constitutional reform. Can you tell us what really transpired at Marriot Hotel in Lagos between you and Senator Oluremi Tinubu? Well, I do not want the issue to overshadow the major issues confronting us as a country. The issues we have in Nigeria are greater than what happened on Wednesday. It is not a personal thing. Let us leave it and let it go to sleep but we need to concentrate on the fact that every process must be thought out thoroughly. You cannot invite people to certain things and you do not sort it out; you need to make it (environment) conducive and accessible. If they cannot, on their own, manage it, they should have employed the services of those who do that for a living, to create and manage the process. Marriot Hotel was not an appropriate venue for a public hearing. 250 seats do not represent Lagos, Oyo and Ogun. It is a South-West hearing and not Lagos only. Even if it was Lagos only, Lagos has a population of 20 million people and counting and what percentage is 250? What venue would have been appropriate for the hearing? It was advertised as the TBS (Tafawa Balewa Square). It was at the last minute that it was changed to Marriot Hotel and the excuse for changing it to the place was that they were trying to observe COVID-19 protocol. I do not see how they were trying to observe the protocol when the seats were arranged closely, (with) no social distancing and the place was enclosed. TBS is an open place and we would have been able to observe social distance and it would have been better. What did you do at the hotel that made Senator Oluremi Tinubu take you on? Senator Oluremi Tinubu is my senator and I respect her as my senator. I have tremendous respect for authority. We were at the venue, standing in a queue, only for us to get to a point and they said registration had closed. They did not say from the beginning that they had a certain number that they were restricting the hearing to. If so, they should have made us register online, so that we would have known that on getting to the centre we wouldn’t bother trying to enter. Also, we saw (other) people coming in; senators were coming in, governors, local government chairmen, government officials and a few other people who came to present papers (were coming in) but it didn’t look like a proper representation of the people. Everybody says the constitution is faulty. They (government)said we cannot get a new constitution; but we can get a review. Now, to present our contributions, we can’t. I was expecting a proper hearing for the Senate constitutional review. I was genuinely interested in the hearing. I was talking with those at the entrance, asking them to be fair and allow us to enter. I don’t know what happened but the Senator came out and started saying, ‘Call that woman! Come here!’ By default, I responded and went to her (Mrs Tinubu). I told her my name and told her I am in her constituency and that she is my senator and that we had been in the queue like forever. I tried to recount everything that had transpired to her. In my mind, I thought she would say, ‘Oh, this is wrong and all of that.’ But she said, ‘Shut up! Shut up! Call the security to take this thug away.’ At that point, I told her, ‘Ma, I am not a thug; I don’t look like a thug. I am not being violent and I don’t look a criminal. That’s the qualification of a thug. That was all that happened. What does your family think about the incident, particularly as a video of it went viral on the Internet? They acknowledge the fact that I was not rude; I was only assertive. That stood out. In the viral video clip some people at the hearing asked the senator to apologise to you but she said she was not going to apologise. How do you feel about this? Actually, you cannot make someone do what they don’t want to do. If she feels it is not necessary to apologise, it is really up to her. I know who I am and I know the way I was brought up. I know the right thing and I will do the right thing. It is a lesson for everyone to learn to be humble, to understand that even when you are in power, you are there to serve the people. Has the senator reached out to you after that encounter? No, she hasn’t. She has said she was not going to apologise. Were you eventually able to make your contributions at the hearing? No, myself and my colleagues were not able to make our contributions at the hearing on Wednesday. And I did not bother going the following day (Thursday). People were already calling me not to come. Some told me to lie low while some said I should have come and make my presentation, but I have submitted the document containing our presentation. What is the content of the document you submitted at the hearing? First (point) is that we do not believe in a review or an amendment. What we want is a new constitution that is borne out of true consultation with all Nigerians; we want everyone to be represented in the constitution, especially with respect to certain areas like power, accountability, universal right to basic education and we want the girl-child to be well-educated and that the government must respect the rule of law. These are some of the things in the document. Do you feel threatened after that encounter with the senator? Nobody has threatened me and I don’t want to be threatened. I feel I have not stepped on anybody’s toes; I only stood on my rights as a citizen and I have demanded accountability from those in government. You said you are a politician. When did you start your political journey? I joined politics in 2018. I am a member of pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere. I attend meetings and contribute my quota. Afenifere is non-partisan and not based on any political party; it is a group that wants the best for the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Afenifere is passionate about social welfare, education, amongst others. After being a member for a while, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. It is just like watching a football match at home and you say, ‘Oh, that footballer didn’t kick the ball well,’ when you are not on the field. I registered with a party then but the registration was short-lived. I later joined the Social Democratic Party. After a year or so, I decided to pick up the ticket contesting for Lagos State House of Assembly, Eti-Osa Constituency 2 in 2019. I won at the primaries. I got the ticket but I didn’t win the election. Why do you think you lost the election? The 2019 election took almost everything from me; it was the most difficult thing I have ever done aside from childbirth. That is the problem with women and politics. The people are hungry and there is so much poverty in the land. People are ready to sell their votes for whatever it is. On the day of the election, people were saying, ‘Mama, even if it is N500, give me.’ I went from door to door during my campaign and rally. I met people and spoke with people. Throughout my campaign, I never gave anyone money and I told the people, until we change the narrative, our children won’t be able to contest election in this country. We cannot continue to use money to contest elections in this country because you do not stand a chance and your children do not stand a chance. So, I lost because I was not from the ruling party and because I didn’t give out money to the people. The mindset of the people is that election comes once in four years and they need to get all that they could get from you. Also, they can’t read your mind and they cannot differentiate between you and the others. PUNCH.

Buhari flays governors over open-grazing ban, approves rehabilitation of reserves By Chiamaka Okafor

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the rehabilitation of grazing reserves across the country as from June, to curb the bloody clashes between herders and farmers across the country. The president, who questioned the legality of the recent ban on open grazing in the southern region of the nation, said his administration is working on other alternatives to bring peace between farmers and herders. A statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, announced that other measures are being finetuned to address the security challenges occasioned by armed herders across the country which have led to the loss of lives. This development comes a few days after southern governors banned open grazing in the entire region. The move was criticised as unconstitutional by the nation’s justice minister, Abubakar Malami. Mr Buhari, who also chided the governors for their resolution, in Monday’s statement said “he has approved a number of specific measures to bring a permanent end to the frequent skirmishes as recommended by Alhaji Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture in a report he submitted”. “The President signed off on it back in April, well before the actions of the Southern Governors Forum which attempts to place a ban on open grazing and other acts of politicking intended by its signatories to demonstrate their power,” the release added. Read full statement below: STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT BUHARI OKAYS DEEP ROOTED SOLUTIONS TO HERDSMEN ATTACKS, CLEARS WAY FOR RANCHING AND REVIVAL OF FOREST RESERVES RelatedNews COVID-19: Nigeria must set aside special fund for public health emergencies – Osinbajo Nigeria’s coronavirus infections surpass 166,000 COVID-19: World Health Assembly to focus on ending pandemic Tell Nigerians your spending plan for Ibori loot, others, SERAP tells Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed a strong resolve to address the conflicts of herders and farmers in a sustained and lasting manner that should lead to the emergence of a permanent solution to the frequent clashes between them, as well as the associated problem of the gun-wielding “killer herdsmen.” The President had approved a number of specific measures to bring a permanent end to the frequent skirmishes as recommended by Alhaji Sabo Nanono, the Minister of Agriculture in a report he submitted and the President signed off on it back in April, well before the actions of the Southern Governors Forum which attempts to place a ban on open grazing and other acts of politicking intended by its signatories to demonstrate their power. It is very clear that there was no solution offered from their resolutions to the herder-farmer clashes that have been continuing in our country for generations. But the citizens of the southern states – indeed citizens of all states of Nigeria – have a right to expect their elected leaders and representatives to find answers to challenges of governance and rights, and not to wash their hands off hard choices by, instead, issuing bans that say: “not in my state.” It is equally true that their announcement is of questionable legality, given the Constitutional right of all Nigerians to enjoy the same rights and freedoms within every one of our 36 states (and FCT) -regardless of the state of their birth or residence. Fortunately, this declaration has been preempted, for whatever it is intended to achieve and Mr. President, who has rightly been worried about these problems more than any other citizen in consultation with farmers and herders alike, commissioned and approved an actionable plan of rehabilitating grazing reserves in the states, starting with those that are truly committed to the solution and compliant with stated requirements. With veterinary clinics, water points for animals, and facilities for herders and their families including schooling – through these rehabilitated reserves, the Federal Government is making far-reaching and practical changes allowing for different communities to co-exist side-by-side: supporting farmers to till their fields, herders to rear their livestock and Nigerians everywhere to be safe. The entire country is acutely aware of the strain the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on public finances, for both Federal and States. Still, given the pressing urgency of addressing the perennial challenges, the federal funding for the project that has been delayed is now being partly unlocked. Actual work for the full actualization of the modern reserve system in a few of the consenting states should take off in June.

2023: Why APC won’t ignore zoning —Odigie-Oyegun by Romanus Ugwu

...Says PDP paying APC in its own coin on criticism Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, is an asset and embodiment of everything rolled into one. He is a quintessential public servant, an astute political party administrator, a political icon and many more. Fielding questions from Sunday Sun in this no-hold-barred interview on the state of the nation held in Abuja, he touched virtually on every aspect of national life. From the controversial zoning arrangement in the ruling party ahead of the 2023 presidential poll, the peace of the graveyard in the APC household in his home state, Edo, the kind of president he wants in 2023 to the worrisome, disturbing spate of insecurity in the country. His straightforwardness, brazenness and courage in tackling the issues actually left no one in doubt that he is still a delight any day anytime. In fact, it is Chief Oyegun at his best. Some people that were surprised when you attended the Edo APC dialogue meeting recently asked whether you are still a member of the APC? This is the real deep problem we have in this country. It is a pity that people think that way especially that you cannot have a deep, but very sincere difference of opinion because you are on the same platform. We were not charging the APC, but only saying that the decision that was about to be taken was wrong. We only have a difference of opinion, but did not differ as to the quality of the APC and the desirability of the APC, no, not at all. We both wanted the APC to win in Edo State, but unfortunately some of us felt that it was taken wrongly. I have never at any point announced that I have left the APC because if I did, the media will know. I did not do that and I don’t intend to do that. While the issue that created the problem was resolved by the people, we just moved on. In this country, we must get used to misinterpreting difference of opinion to mean disloyalty. They are entirely two different things and if that is not allowed to happen, that is if you can’t have different opinions, then you cannot have people of principle in the party who will tell you things as they really are not as you want it. As for the meeting, when you do something based on principle, there will be no regret and I suppose the same thing happened on the other side. They also strongly believe that what they were doing was right. It was a simple difference in opinion and principle strongly felt and pursued to a logical conclusion. The people became the arbiters as to who was right and who was wrong. There was nothing personal attached to it at all. It was not a personal quarrel and once the struggle was over, we moved on. Will it be right to conclude that the APC in Edo is now peacefully united under one umbrella? Yes, it is under one united umbrella, but you cannot at any stage in any human organisation or grouping claim that there is total unanimity of opinions and direction. It is impossible for that to happen and that never happens. The reality, of course, will be that those who felt that they have lost something because of the way the election went will continue to feel residue of either regret for doing what they did or bitterness that somebody else, a third party, was the cause of their misfortune. That will always happen, but it is residual and will disappear over time. We have the future ahead of us and if we continue to live in the past, we will never arrive in the future. Yes, it is over and it is over, but that bitterness will naturally be there especially in a human organisation as I said earlier. With what happened to Governor Obaseki, will you still say that this is the APC of your dream? It could not have been the APC of my dream. The decision taken against Obaseki was not based on principle. There was too much of personal bitterness and that was the way it looked. You want a particular result at all costs and it is wrong to do politics like that. You must take your person out of it and deal with principle, deal with what is right and what is wrong not because somebody offended you or did not offend you that made you prefer something else. The truth is that we have a sitting governor and you must have a provable, incontrovertible disloyalty to the party before you treat a sitting governor in that manner, but there was no such thing on the table. As I said before, I hope the country and the whole political parties must have learnt from that experience, especially that the people are not as reverent as they used to be. We underestimate them to our own peril or detriment. They think, they know what is right and wrong and an individual or group should not force things willy-nilly down their throat. It can’t just work. You can see all over the place that the issue of godfatherism is creating problems for virtually every political party and we are hoping that the Edo experience will make lots of people learn that there are limits to the perceived or so-called exaggerated influence of godfathers. This relationship has failed in many cases unfortunately to the detriment of the people. You can have mentors, but when you have mentored somebody and he has become an adult, please allow him to make his own mistakes and learn. You cannot continue to carry him on your back because his weight will even be too much for you. If you mentor somebody, step back and let him make mistakes and if he does, give him advice, but don’t decapitate him because you mentored him. Will it be right to say that the Edo saga kept the APC in its present condition of having a Caretaker Committee arrangement as its national leadership? It was not just an Edo experience. There were lots of other issues, but I don’t want to go into that because I am somebody who looks at the future not the past in the hope that we have learnt from the past and will not be repeating the mistakes later in the future. Inasmuch as I don’t want to go back to what happened, you know very well that there were lots of issues from all sides before the situation became untenable and what happened happened. It was very unfortunate, but I don’t think going into the past will help matters. Will you encourage Governor Obaseki to return to the APC? Obaseki was chased out of the party and if he decides to come back, what is surprising in that. I don’t know if he wants to come back and I am not telling you he wants to come back. But, if he decides to, there is nothing wrong with it. How many people have gone to one party and come back. It is a daily occurrence. When we formed the party, how many governors came from the PDP, there were lots of them, but today many have returned to the PDP. If he decides of his own accord to come back, I am very sure he will be well received very warmly. Do you share the apprehension in many quarters that the APC is facing a bleak future ahead of 2023 with the divisions within the party? Tell me the political party who does not have disagreement within its fold now. We all have disagreements, but if what you are saying is that the nation under the governing party is going through difficult times, there is no question about that. We are certainly going through difficult and challenging times. We must find answers to the security problem in the country because things cannot just continue the way they are. It is obvious, but the solution does not rest in condemning. The solution to this difficulty must be found because the people are unhappy and hungry and APC as the party in power must find the solution to all of these. Will you say that the APC government has failed Nigerians? Of course, the party has not failed Nigerians. Yes, there are issues and they must find answers to those issues, yes things are difficult and lots of nations go through difficulties, but that does not automatically become a failure or total failure. Yes, we made some promises but you should remember what the economists use to say, that all things being equal and things cannot be equal because the world economy tumbled, oil price tumbled and lots of things happened totally outside the control of the party. Yes, I totally agree that we probably could have handled things better and I am not going to be the one who will say that everything is going on well 100 per cent, but to say that the APC government has failed is an unfair judgment. Yes, we would have done better but we still have time to correct it. God help us if we don’t succeed in correcting or ameliorating the situation then we will have a bit of trouble. Judging by the situation now, will it be a mission possible for the APC to retain the power beyond 2023? How will I know, we don’t know who the candidate will be. He could turn out to be a charismatic person. Anything can happen and we should not start playing God between now and 2023. Let us leave judgmental politics of 2023 for now and concentrate on the future of this country and how we are going to get out of our present predicaments. Can you re-emphasis your stand on the ragging issue of restructuring? Well, we have made our submission and recommendations on restructuring. It is very clear and has been accepted as APC policy, but I am not in the system directly now and may not be able to tell you what is holding it back. Restructuring is part of the APC until it is rescinded and it has not been rescinded to the best of my knowledge. We have a booklet on restructuring which deals with every single aspect of it. It defines restructuring from confederation to devolution of powers to the state and people, even wanting the geopolitical zones to become the confederating units. So, we decided to define what restructuring meant to the APC and went on to make recommendations how it can be handled. It is clear there. The report was approved by the NEC of the party and it is just the implementation that we are looking for. We will continue to wait hoping that one day it will have to be implemented. We can’t run away from it. What do you advise the APC Caretaker Committee on the controversy in conducting the national convention? What is the controversy in conducting a national convention when they are preparing to do it? They have said they are proposing a committee of 70 members to conduct the convention. As far as I am concerned, there is no controversy in organising the convention. They will do it. How best can the government handle the spate of secessionist agitations across the country? It is something that must be brought under control otherwise all sorts of characters and interests will start exploiting the situation from their own end. And the different groups have different objections whether it is Boko Haram, IPOB or the rest. The fact that there is relative instability is giving that urge to exploit the situation. It is something that the government must have to bring under control. And the earlier we do that the better for the country. One point I must make is the horror with which I view the seeming methodical attacks on our national police. It is becoming something of worry and it is an institution that must be defended. It needs lots of reorganising, but it should not become targets of attack for all and sundry. That totally is not in the national interest, it is not acceptable and whatever needs to be done to protect the Nigerian police must be done with all the issues and problems that they have. This is because without the police, we will have anarchy. So, they must be protected and preserved. What is your take on the controversial issue of zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket in the APC? It is the media that are making zoning a serious issue and problem. First and foremost, one thing clear is that it is the responsibility of the person interested in an office to make his intention very clear and work towards it because nobody is going to bring that office on a platter to say congratulations, it is your turn. The person must struggle for it. Otherwise, zoning is not an issue because it happens in everyday life all over the world. It comes with various names like balancing, gender equality or anything, targeted at giving a sense of belonging to disadvantaged areas or persons. In USA, they call it the industrial, agricultural, urban or rural bed. In choosing people, they take votes from these areas into consideration. In Nigeria, it is an existential problem. The situation is such that you must make everybody feel a sense of belonging, sense of participation, sense of equal access even up to ward level. In my ward, we have large rural areas. You cannot take all the representatives from Benin City because it is where the elite and knowledgeable people are. It is simple common sense and I don’t understand why we make all these noise over zoning when it is part of our everyday life. As for the APC arrangement, zoning does not have to be in the constitution even though it is there with all the balancing and federal character. It is only a very stupid party that will continuously take its candidate from a particular zone. Any party that wishes itself out of existence can say that there is no zoning. We will continue arguing over it and the media will continue feasting on it. When they want extremists to make a statement that will shake the whole place they will go to them. But at the end of the day, the parties are not stupid and they don’t wish themselves out of existence. They will still do the balancing required to convince the nation of the need to stay together and tell people that they belong and have equal access. It is inevitable. Is it possible for the youths to constitute themselves into a third force and take over power from your generation? It must happen. The youths must take over whether my generation likes it or not because if we don’t leave, nature will send us away. Of course, we will not live forever. But who do you call youths? List all the serving governors and tell me their ages. Are they old men? No. Go to the National Assembly and tell me how many of the lawmakers are moving with walking sticks. It is the samething at the State Assembly and local government areas, the youths are there. They can take over everywhere but they have to work for it just like I said about zoning. There is no alternative to that. There is no way the elders at 80 or 70 years will voluntarily handover the mantle of leadership to the youths and move away. It does not work that way. Nature arranges it. But, it is how well the youths present themselves to even the voters, not just the leaders of the nation, at that material time that matters. Is it over for you in any elective position? It is very, very much over for me. We just talked about the youths taking over and I am no longer a youth by any stretch of imagination. I am on extra time now. You amuse me when you say what if Nigerians clamour for me to contest for president. Nobody will do that because at my age it is totally and completely out of the question. What are those things you will consider your unfulfilled dreams? That should be a question for another day. There are so many and very difficult to list them and I will rather say what I was hoping will be my situation today and that is that I will say, thank you Lord because our country is finally on the path to greatness, but I cannot say that now and that is one regret I have. So, I am thanking God for what I have been able to achieve personally rather than where our nation is currently. As far as personal achievements are concerned, I am fulfilled. I only went into politics because I want to do my bit to help place Nigeria squarely by the time I am on my deathbed. I will have that complete conviction that we are now on the path to greatness. We are the largest black nation in the world. I am not thinking of my personal achievements because God has been absolutely kind to me and I have absolutely no reason to complain about that. The sole motivation for being in politics and public service is to see Nigeria on the path to greatness. I joined politics reluctantly. It is a mission not a job. What is your advice to the electorate and candidates ahead of 2023? I don’t have any advice for them until I know who and who that are coming out to aspire to lead us. I cannot even advise myself now until I know who and who wants to lead us. We need a very strong candidate, a candidate of character, who understands governance and who can deliver on the hopes of the people of the country. What is your dream president for Nigeria in 2023? I kept telling people that the next Nigeria president must be slightly crazy because Nigeria is a difficult country. Did it surprise you hearing the PDP governors describe the APC government as incompetent and rudderless? Well, that is PDP and they are the opposition and I didn’t expect them to do anything differently. This is what we did to them to get them out of office and they are just paying us in our own coins. They are opposition party and it is when we have such reactions within the party that such issues will be of any concern.

PDP reacts to ’forceful takeover’ of secretariat by Ayade

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caretaker Committee, Cross River, has reacted to what it described as a trespass and forceful takeover of its secretariat by the state’s governor, Ben Ayade. Vanguard had earlier reported that Governor Ayade defected from the PDP to the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Thursday. In a follow up development, Vanguard reported that the property located at 142( a) along Muritala Mohammed Highway in Calabar which housed the PDP Secretariat in Cross River was on Saturday morning painted into All Progressive Congress, APC, colours. A reaction press statement signed by Effiok Cobham, the Chairman, PDP Caretaker Committee, Cross River State, reads; ”This morning armed policemen cordoned off the Cross River State PDP secretariat at 42 Murtala Mohamed Highway, Calabar, and created cover for thugs from the Governor Ben Ayade faction of the APC to invade the PDP state secretariat with the intention of converting the property to the state secretariat of the APC. ”Currently properties of the PDP, especially vital documents and records of the party, that have been built up for over twenty years are either vandalised, destroyed or in the custody of Governor Ben Ayade. ALSO READ: Ayade, APC take over PDP Secretariat in Cross River ”Members of the newly constituted PDP state Caretaker committee have been prevented from accessing the property by APC thugs and men of the Nigerian police. The building is currently being painted in the colours of the APC. ”Accordingly, we vehemently protest this primitive invasion of the PDP secretariat by the APC on the instructions of Governor Ben Ayade. PDP has a subsisting tenancy over the property. ”We have the tenancy agreements and receipts evidencing payment of the rent for the current tenure in respect of the property. ”The lessor of the property has clarified that the tenancy of the PDP in respect of 42A Murtala Mohamed Highway is still subsisting. Protesting the primitive action of the APC, the Lessor lamented: ”I understand that the property is right now being painted with APC colours and I am calling to say that I have no agreement whatsoever with APC. I hereby state that PDP’S tenancy is still subsisting and they remain my legal and recognised tenant. ”This invasion amounts to criminal trespass, malicious damage to property, and constitutes conduct likely to lead to a breach of the public peace. ”We are surprised that it is Governor Ayade, who has the constitutional responsibility, as chief security officer of the state, for maintaining law and order, that is promoting this type of dubious and vicious conduct. ”When the ordinary man on the street copies this behaviour and moves into any house or property that catches his fancy, including Governor Ayade’s newly acquired sprawling properties in Cross River state, we hope this will be taken as political fair game. ”The conduct of the APC is a new level of low in Nigerian politics. This action is inciteful and vendetta driven. The PDP delivered the mandate of the people of Cross River state to Governor Ayade firstly as a senator, and twice as governor. While we respect Governor Ayade’s political choices, we state that he has no right to impede the peaceful conduct of the affairs of law abiding citizens of Cross River State, including the organisation of any political party. ”We therefore call on the leadership of the APC in Cross River State, and the national leadership of the APC, to reject Governor Ayade’s infantile behaviour and allow the PDP the peaceful occupation and use of its property. ”We also demand the return of all documents, property and equipment removed from the PDP secretariat by the APC. ”We believe that President Mohamed Buhari can encourage Governor Ayade to respect law and order and desist from conduct that further exacerbate the security situation in the country. ”Finally, we believe that Governor Ayade is missing an opportunity by not acquiring a new building for his faction of the APC in the state. ”Doing so will be his opportunity to at least complete a project in Cross River state during the lifetime of his administration”. Vanguard News Nigeria

WHY NIGER DELTANS DO NOT WANT TO BE PART OF BIAFRA - H.E Goodluck Jonathan

Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan yesterday delivered a lecture at Texas US on why remaining indivisible with Nigeria than joining forces with Biafrans in splitting the country will pay Niger Deltans more. I begin this write-up by saying that I mean no ill-thought towards the Biafran struggle or Igbos in general. What I’ve written here are mainly my personal reflections concerning the Niger Delta, especially with regards to non-Igbo groups and their stake in the Biafran movement which has been rebirthed for some time now. I am not a mouthpiece for the Niger Delta but I believe I’ve been in the Niger Delta long enough to know our problems and our stand. I’ve also interacted with many Niger Deltans to know their stand in the Biafran struggle. When I use the term Niger Delta, I am referring to the region covering Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River states. However, I understand that the region also covers Ondo, Imo, and Abia states. I’m not concerned with the latter because they are either Igbos or Yorubas and have their own struggles. The ethnic groups within my coverage include Urhobo-Isoko, Bini, Esan, Itsekiri, Ijaw-Epie-Ogbia, Ogoni, Afemai, Efik-Annang-Eket-Oron-Ibibio, Ogoja, Ejagham, and other groups in Cross River North. Ikwerre, Ukwuani, Ika, Aniocha, Ogba, and other Igboid groups, are not included. Historically, Biafra covered all the Niger Delta states EXCEPT Delta and Ondo states. This fact must be emphasised. Pro-Biafrans are welcome to debate and address my issues in a civil manner. I understand that most pro-Biafrans resort to insults when salient issues are addressed. Please let’s set a good precedence from hereon. 1. Biafra may not be better for Niger Deltans because Niger Deltans may end up living one form of subjugation for another. The argument Igbos have made for their freedom is the desire to be free from Hausa-Yoruba domination. That argument also applies to the average Niger Deltan. Igbo, no doubt, will be the major ethnic group if Biafra is actualised. Ijaws may have a stake due to their numbers. What about the Ogonis, Urhobo-Isokos, Itsekiris, Efiks, etc? Where will they fit in at the national level? The sad reality is that another Nigeria will just be made manifest and resentments will build up. What will really be the fate of minorities? Will they fare better in Biafra or alone? In Nigeria, big groups such as Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo checkmate each other’s excesses very well. Who will checkmate that of Igbos in the new nation? 2. Where will the capital be located? If we are to follow the notion of central location, the capital of Biafra won’t be Enugu but around Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene axis. Will Igbos allow their capital to be sited in a non-Igbo location? This is a very salient issue because you don’t expect the riverine Niger Deltan in Twon-Brass, for instance, to journey all the way to Enugu to see their President. It has to be a location where ALL BIAFRANS can access easily. Enugu won’t go. 3. The issue of annexation comes to play. For so long, e-Biafrans have annexed Niger Delta as part of the proposed nation. The map below shows us what Biafrans have drawn to constitute the new nation: If we judge from this map, it means all groups in the Niger Delta have been annexed. My question is whether the leaders of these groups have been consulted before the annexation was done. I, for one, know that Urhobo-Isoko and Efik-Ibibio leaders have not approved of Biafra neither have anybody in these regions declared Biafra. So how and why were they included in the proposed map? Little things like this bring distrust and I understand that many of these non-Igbo regions have disowned the map and pledged allegiance to Nigeria. The declaration by the Delta State government is a case in point. I see this as forceful annexation. The so-called e-Biafrans have also not done much in calming the nerves of the people of the annexed regions. I’ve seen comments such as “if you don’t like it, go and stay in Sokoto”, “all land in the South is Biafraland”, etc. Is it not ironic that a group of people who want freedom want to annexe others? 4. What languages will be made the official languages of the new nation? I have seen several posts by e-Biafrans where Igbo was proposed as the official language of the new republic. What then will happen to other languages such as Urhobo, Isoko, Okpe, Efik, Ibibio, Oron, Ogoni, Eleme, Okrika, Kalabari, Bini, Esan, etc? Will they die off because of Igbo? Certainly NOT! If English is made the official language, the Igbo majority factor will kick in. If your name isn’t Chukwuemeka or Oliseh, Amarachi or Nneka, etc, you won’t get any appointment nor shall you be recognised. These are things we can’t deny. We are very ethnocentric in Africa. 5. What and what have Igbo nation done for Niger Deltans to gain their trust? Every day I see Igbo youths making enemies where there were none. They constantly use the agency of the internet to sprout controversy, hurl insults at dissenters and make unfounded claims. There is this general air of mistrust for Igbos by some Niger Deltans, particularly by Urhobo-Isoko and Bini people. What have Igbos done to checkmate this? Has any Igbo leader or group extended the hand of friendship to the Niger Deltans. Mistrust cannot be wished away. Most Niger Deltans would rather follow Hausas as slaves than follow Igbos as kings. This is the real reality and truthfully, Igbos caused this. 6. Who will lead the new nation? Obviously, Nnamdi Kanu, their hero, has fought tooth and nails for Biafra and he is currently cooling off in jail. If Biafra comes today, who will be the interim leader and what modalities are in place for subsequent leaders to be elected? Igbos have been the only ones fighting for Biafra since time immemorial with a handful of other groups here and there. Will Igbos allow other groups to rule over them? Will they allow an Urhobo man to be President, for instance? This is not a case of mere wishing. We have to understand that Niger Delta groups MAY NEVER BE ALLOWED TO RULE BIAFRA IF IT IS ACTUALISED. 7. Still on the issue of leaders, are the new leaders going to fall from the skies or they are simply going to change addresses from Abuja to Enugu. If so, what will change in the new nation? It is not arguable that Igbo national leaders are the most corrupt persons in Nigeria. If these same people are the ones to rule the new nation then there is no hope because corruption will be so rife that the economy of the new nation will shut down like a knocked engine. If we argue that new and younger leaders will arise, we still have the issue of who fought for Biafra to contend with. Most pro-Biafrans will not allow someone who sat at the periphery of the struggle to just come and waltz power away from the “heroes” of Biafra. If this is true then we will not have a proper democracy in Biafra. 8. Will Biafra be a utopia? The impression that e-Biafrans give is that Biafra will be perfect and we all know for a fact that this is not true. Apart from the issue of corruption and sentimentalism that have been addressed, we still have the issue of development. Where will money be generated from to develop the nation? In the whole of the proposed Biafra, only Port Harcourt and Onitsha are economically viable cities. Where will the investors come from? Why should they invest in a volatile country? Only in Warri, we have Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo at loggerheads, imagine what would happen to the whole nation. Secondly, I am sure that no Niger Deltan will allow his “oil” to be used to develop Enugu like what happened with Abuja, and is still happening today. Niger Deltans are getting wiser and by the time the new nation is formed, matters that border on oil, wealth distribution and infrastructural development will be raised. 9. The current structure of the proposed nation, as shown in the map earlier embedded, favour Igbos with more states. Urhobo has one, Efik-Ibibio has two, Itsekiri has none, etc. How will this be addressed? Certainly, every ethnic nationality will want adequate representation and so the structure on that map will never work. 10. Last, but not the least, is the issue of referendum. Some Biafrans are already calling for a referendum which will involve all parts of the proposed nation. I am pretty sure how this referendum will turn out. However, for the sake of being hypothetical, let us imagine that some ethnic groups/states vote against Biafra by the majority, what will be their fate at the end of the day? Secondly, will the result of such a referendum be true and honest? I understand that electoral malpractice forms a part of our identity. How are we going to get a true reflection of people’s thoughts? Thirdly, if states and ethnic groups do decide to vote for Biafra, what mechanisms are in place to contain Igbophobia, Igbomania, Igbocentrism, Igbo hegemony, Landgrabbing, and all issues that minorities have raised? Above are the reasons why I feel that Niger Deltans will NOT subscribe to the Biafran movement. I have been very practical, philosophical and hypothetical in my approach. I do not speak for any group or persons but I present these issues for the pro-Biafrans to address. Niger Deltans can raise more issues that I have not raised. Finally, it should be noted that I expect insults directed at my person by e-warriors and keyboard mercenaries, as usual, but I won’t pleasure such persons with answers or altercations. If you raise good points, we can discuss like intellectuals. H.E. Goodluck Jonathan.