Flashback: How President Yaradua Dealt With Boko Haram in 2009.

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MOHAMMED Yusuf, the youthful leader of Boko Haram the Islamic Militant Sect, did not recant on his beliefs even when it became apparent that he would die.
Sources close to security operatives who witness Yusuf’s final moments, told National Daily that contrary to report in some media, Yusuf was not intimidated by hundreds of soldiers and policemen who stormed his hideout, his in-laws’ cattle ranch in the outskirt of Maiduguri, Borno State.
“He was defiant even when the foreboding was disastrous. He kept shouting Allah Akbar (God is great) as he sighted the joint team of soldiers and police men who swooped on his residence.
“He did not really attempt to escape” said our informed source. Yusuf’s courage and trust in Allah at that ominous moment of his life baffled the security agents who according to sources initially watched him with awe.
However, the security operatives did not lose sight of their patriotic responsibility as they reportedly moved into action.
“The security men took Yusuf by surprise. You know he escaped from his own residence and took refuge in his in-laws’ ranch in Maiduguri. It is possible that the security operatives have been monitoring Yusuf’s movement for some time.” One of our sources said.
National Daily learned that Yusuf got a hint on the impending invasion of his residence in Maiduguri and promptly fled to his in-laws’ cattle ranch. Unknown to him, a surveillance team had been mounted around him. Some of Yusuf’s members were actually spies who dutifully debriefed their bosses on the Boko Haram leader’s activities and whereabouts.
The combined security team began operation as soon as it was certain that Yusuf was hiding in his in-laws’ ranch in Maiduguri.
The arrival of the gun-trotting soldiers and policemen sources said, frightened Yusuf’s aged in-laws’ who pleaded with them not to harm any member of the family.
“They arrived there in the evening Thursdays July 29, in a military truck. They wore fierce looks that did not leave anybody in doubt as to their intentions. Yusuf could not escape even if he wanted because there were so many soldiers and policemen, while some ran towards the ranch, others paraded the street with their guns on ready-to-shoot position” said our source who himself is close to security operatives in Maiduguri.
Yusuf was said to have been ensconced inside the house in the ranch until the leader of the team, a colonel, shouted his name from the entrance. The Boko Haram leader, reportedly, screamed at the Marauding security agents from his vantage position.
“The soldiers and policemen ordered Yusuf and his hosts to open the door. They were banging at the door and vowed to raze down the house if the door was not opened. Yusuf did not break down at all. He kept calling the name of Allah”, an inside source said.
Eventually, the security team gained entrance into the house and arrested Yusuf amid protest by his in-laws’.
National Daily sources said Yusuf was taken to his residence where a thorough search was conducted.
Documents on the Islamic religion, correspondence with foreign Islamic groups and some inciting pamphlets were allegedly recovered.
The gloating soldiers and policemen, sources said, were astonished to discover that Yusuf was living in opulence while preaching the doctrine of austerity and self-denial to his followers and members of the public. He was said to have owned properties produced by the Western World which he condemned. “The security men were surprised that Yusuf had Cable Satellite, fleet of cars, canned food and fruits drinks”, our source said.
National Daily learned that Yusuf did not really restrict himself to the Islamic injunction which allows him to marry four wives. He was the licentious lover of over a hundred women who were allegedly discovered in his extended residence, though he claimed that they were members of his sect.
Sources alleged that Yusuf was brutally tortured when he was finally arrested. He was said to have been screaming “even if you kill me, I will rise again” (in Hausa) as he was pummeled and hit severally with gun buts.
“My followers will continue the struggle. I know Allah will bring me back”
Passersby were said to have watched the scene with mixed reaction. Sources said Yusuf was then taken to the government house where he had audience with the governor, Ali Modu Sherrif.
“The governor was very angry when he saw Yusuf, he cursed him persistently and accused him of instigating wanton destruction of lives and property in the State” said an inside source. Thereafter the soldiers handed Yusuf over to the Borno State police command.
Informed sources said that Yusuf had bruises on his head, neck, chest and limb when he was brought to the Police headquarters. He was allegedly panting for breath and in a fleet moment recites some Islamic verses. He was said to have repeated his boast that if he eventually died in the struggle to eradicate Western education from the North he will come back to life, somehow. Sources revealed that Mohammed Yusuf was kept in a dungy cell at the State Police headquarters with armed policemen instructed to mount sentry around the cell gate, some other policemen were drafted to beef up the security at the entrance gate of the command headquarters.
National Daily gathered in Maiduguri that news of the arrest of Mohammed Yusuf, the infamous leader of the Boko Haram Sect, was received with excitement by Maiduguri residents who were scared of the violence activities of his Sect. The arrest was said to have formed the topic of discussion in the streets, restaurants and parks, though in hushed tone, as residents were still afraid of reprisal attacks by surviving members of the dreaded sect.
As Yusuf was being driven to the Borno State Police Headquarters, the vehicle conveying him was trailed by a crowd.
Policemen were instructed to chase away the crowd that had gathered around the station for security reasons, to avoid Boko Haram members from infiltrating the area and cause trouble.
Yusuf was finally executed later in the night after the command allegedly received the go ahead order from higher authorities.
However, Force Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said Yusuf died in a gun duel with security agents. The police authorities later claimed he died from wounds sustained from gunshots.
Mohammed Yusuf was aged 39. The lanky and light-skinned Islamic Fundamentalist was from Yobe State, though he lived in Maiduguri before he died.
Yusuf was said to have been schooled in the Islamiya Islamic Sect Quaranic School in the old City of Borno. He also attended the Maiduguri Arabic Teachers College, though some sources contradicted this claim. He married four wives and had 12 children.
Mohammed Yusuf became popular in Maiduguri because of his radical preaching on Islam. He later set up a camp on the border with Niger Republic from where he allegedly launched series of attacks on the police.
Yusuf preached against Western form of education and lifestyle. He was convinced that it was his divine mission to vanquish everything connected to Western civilization. He formed the religious Sect Boko Haram to achieve his despicable objectives.
Boko Haram means ‘Western education is sin.’
National Daily learned that Mohammed Yusuf was the leader of the Taliban group which invaded Yobe in 2003. His two lieutenants, Abu Umar and Usman Jalabu were killed in the clash.
The Sect who were known as Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jama was actually discovered in Kano, where they were recruiting and training members. They fled to Kanamma, Yobe State and declared Kanama a Taliban enclave.
Mohammed Yusuf may have been killed because the authorities were scared that he would be released by the court again.
He is also believed to have been killed because those masquerades who used him to achieve their political objectives do not want to be exposed.
Local and foreign human Rights groups have criticized the execution of the Islamic Fundamentalist group leader, Mohammed Yusuf describing the act as extra judicial killing.
Human rights Watch researcher described Yusuf’s execution as a “shocking example of the brazen contempt by the Nigerian Police for the rule of Law.”
Amnesty International called for an investigation and said those behind illegal killing must be brought to justice.
The FPRO said an investigation will be conducted into the remote and immediate cause of the death of the Boko Haram leader, how he was captured and handed over to the police, but ruled out extra-judicial killing.
Yusuf probably foresaw his own death, barely a week before he was killed.
“What I said previously that we are going to be attacked by the authorities has manifested itself in Bauchi, where about 40 of our brothers were killed, their mosque and homes burnt down completely and several others were injured and about 100 are presently in detention. Therefore, we will not agree with this kind of humiliation, we are ready to die together with our brothers and we would never concede to non-belief in Allah. I will not give myself up. If Allah wishes, they will arrest me; if Allah does not wish, they will never arrest me. But I will never give up myself, not after about 40 of my followers were killed in Bauchi. Is it right to kill them, is it right to shoot human beings? To surrender myself means what they did is right. Therefore, we are ready to fight to die.
Democracy and the current system of education must be changed otherwise this war that is yet to start would continue for long.” The late Taliban leader was quoted as having said.
Meanwhile, the combined team of soldiers and policemen also raided the camp of the Boko Haram Sect in the Border with Niger Republic.
Sources said the sect members were enraged by the presence of security agents and started to shoot at them. The security agents returned fire-for-fire.
At the end of the operation which lasted several hours, scores of corpses of the sect members littered roads leading to Bayan Quarters base of the Islamic Fundamentalist and the building in the camp. About 700 members of the Sect were allegedly killed.
However, the leader Mohammed Yusuf was said to have escaped to his in-laws’ resident but his Deputy, Abubakar Shekan was killed in the operation.
A former Borno State Commissioner, Alhaji Buji Fai was also killed among the 700 sect members. Fai who was Commissioner for Water Resources before he was moved to the Ministry of Religious Affairs based on his request.
Sources said that Fai was actually captured alive before he was shot dead. His body was displaced in front of the Police Headquarters on Friday morning.
National Daily gathered that Fai was a strong member of the sect as some of his properties were used by the sect members for their activities. Police sources said he owned a warehouse in Bauchi in which some families of the members in Bauchi, numbering about 180, were hidden in an outskirt of Maiduguri.
Col. Ahanotu who led the operation disclosed that about 20 cars, including a sports utility vehicle, one Toyota, one Camry, one Honda car and about 200 Motorcycles. Others items discovered in the Boko Haram’s camp were serving machines, deep freezers, food items and homemade petrol bombs.
Meanwhile, controversies are now raging over the circumstances that led to the killing of Mohammed Yusuf, the Boko Haram leader.
Borno State Commissioner of Police Christopher Dega confirmed that Yusuf was handed over to the police alive.
However, he said the sect leader sustained severe injuries from gunshots in an encounter with counter insurgency security men prior to his arrest and because of the severity of the injury he died. This should imply that Yusuf was not executed by the Police after his arrest.
The Boko Haram Sect disturbances are arguably the bloodiest Sectarian crisis since the Jos uprising last November. The crisis which started in Bauchi two weeks ago spread to Yobe, Katsina, Sokoto and Kano States.
The Taliban leader, Mohammed Yusuf had been arrested and charged before a Maiduguri High Court for public incitement, but he challenged the government through his lawyer for alleged infringement on his fundamental human rights, freedom of expression and association.
The Boko Haram Sect came to prominence in 2003 when some of their members who were driven out of Kano opened a camp in Kanamma the headquarters of Yunusa Local Government Area in Yobe State.
They started attacking Police until a joint team of security forces invaded the camp during which the lieutenants to Yusuf were killed while he (Yusuf) escaped to neighbouring Chad.
So, the Boko Haram groups were crunched in 2003 when they clashed with a combined team of military and police in Yobe State.
Nothing was heard about him, at least in Yobe State, until recently when the Boko Haram Sect laid siege at the Divisional Police headquarters in Potiskum, where they killed a police officer and a fire service driver and set ablaze the police station, the office of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and the National Population Commission (NPC).
An Inspector died from injuries inflicted on him by the sect members who also attacked and killed a mobile policeman.
After a fierce battle with combined team of soldiers and policemen in a bush in Mamudo near Potiskum, 33 members of the Boko Haram Sect aged between 20 40 years were killed.
Hundreds of youths, some sewing machine, pharmacy, engineering, agriculture and humanities dropped out of universities and tertiary institutions across the country to join the group.
The mission of the Islamic Sect is to wipe out government and Western education. To them, anything Western is against Islam. Many Islamic clerics condemn this claim as false.
Sources said the Boko Haram Sect members were taught how to use gun, fight in the desert like the Taliban and learnt the doctrines of the Sect as propagated by their leader Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf.
Members of this sect believed that their leader was infallible; no member could challenge him because his word was law.

Mohammed Yusuf was said to have prepared special food and fruit drink known as dabino with a magical power to turn the senses of his listeners and make them accept his doctrines and become fiercely loyal to him once they ate the food and drank the dabino.

An informed source inside the Boko Haram Sect told National Daily that “If you eat the dabino (fruit drink) your brain will turn around and you will start to believe whatever Yusuf preach to you. You will believe that even if you die fighting for him, you will become a Martyr.”
The Boko Haram Jihad began in Bauchi when members of the fanatical Sect attacked a police station in the northern side of Bauchi.
Reports said a total of over 700 members of the Sect have been killed by the police. Over 200 members of the sect clashed with military personnel in the Maiduguri metropolis.
The conflict began when the religious zealots who wore military camouflage stormed the Police headquarters and other structures within Maiduguri with petrol bombs, arrows and other weapons with the aim of razing down the place.
The sect seized the mosques in Kano Township and violently sacked defenseless citizens. The police killed three of the sect members and arrested 33 others.
The Boko Haram carried out an audacious attack on Police Stations in Yobe compelling the government to impose dusk-to-dawn curfew in the State.
Yusuf and his extremist sect were said to have a clearly stated intention of vanquishing any form of Western values in the North by engaging in a Jihad (Holy War). Already Boko Haram has thousands of members in five States of the North.
About 700 Boko Haram members have been killed so far in the sectarian crisis.
The sect apart from enlisting teenagers into the group also conscripted under aged children. Alhaji Mohammed Ahmed Danlami was forcefully separated from his two daughters, Maimunatu and Iklimatu in Jos, Plateau State. It was also alleged that the fanatical sect abducted 12 female students, who were aged between 12 19 years in Bukuru, Jos, and took them to unknown destination. This also allegedly happened in other places like Bauchi, Adamawa, Kaduna and Katsina States.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja to forestall the influx of the radical Sect just as about 36 members of the Boko Haram who were on their way to Lagos possibly to launch the Jihad in the South were arrested.
The late Mohammed Yusuf’s followers and the entire nation are waiting to see if the executed Islamic extremist will fulfill his promise by ‘coming back to life.’

Read more: http://newsrescue.com/recollecting-president-yaradua-dealt-boko-haram-2009/#ixzz23XPGTZZw

Presidency agrees with El-Rufai on Boko Haram types.

Premium Times

Idris Akinbajo
The Presidency through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, Monday morning, said there are three categories of Boko Haram operating in Nigeria.
Mr. Okupe who spoke during a televised interview on the African Independent Television listed the three categories of Boko Haram as the religious one, the criminal, and the political.
These were the same categories of Boko Haram listed by opposition leader of the Congress of Progressive Change (CPC), Nasir El-Rufai.
Mr. Okupe however disagreed with Mr. El-Rufai on who the sponsors of the political Boko Haram are, insinuating that they were being sponsored by the opposition.

President Jonathan New Spokesperson, Doyin Okupe, Spent A Month In EFCC Detention For Fraud in 2006.

Saharareporters can authoritatively report that the newly appointed Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, spent close to one month in jail between July and August 2006 on allegations of fraud.
Our sources within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said he was detained by the commission for defrauding the Imo State government of several millions of Naira for contracts he failed to execute after collecting mobilization fees.
Mr. Okupe who was a former National Republican Convention (NRC) chieftain and later a spokesperson to President Obasanjo spokesperson, was released by the EFCC on bail but was not charged because of administrative changes at the commission.
When Mrs. Farida Waziri eventually took over as the chairperson of the EFCC, Mr. Okupe's files were moved to Abuja under the pretext that fresh investigations, concerning another contract fraud that reportedly involved the Benue State government, was taking place.
EFCC sources said the files have since disappeared but that efforts to retrieve them are ongoing.
SaharaReporters calls and text messages to Mr. Okupe today were not answered.

RAISED VOICES.

By: Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed.

“If you listen to the voice of thunder you will not be soaked with rain.” Ghanaian Proverb.

One of the most distinguished former Federal Permanent Secretaries, Alhaji Ahmed Joda last week lent his own elder’s voice in support of the initiative of President Obasanjo and Babangida to draw the nation’s attention to serious threats to the security and survival of the nation. Praising the two former Presidents for playing elders, he said the future of the nation is too important to be left in the hands of those who now hold political offices. He proferred his own views on the way forward, amidst on-going cacophony over whether Obasanjo and Babangida are even qualified to discuss Nigeria’s future; over the legality and propriety of Chief Edwin Clark’s accusation and demands that northern leaders like Babangida and Buhari condemn and put out the fire of the JASLIWAJ insurgency; over Alhaji Asari Dokubo’s fire-spitting threat that the south-south will destroy the north if this insurgency starts to resemble a war; over reactions of Femi Fani-Kayode to Chief Clark calling him a thief; over demands by pro-constitutional conference groups that this is the time to talk on their terms, and over Chief Clark’s invitation to President Babangida to a public debate to test who is more in control of his faculties.  

Several raised voice are threatening to drown out Alhaji Ahmed Joda’s contribution. Chief Doyin Okupe, the new aide on the block brought in to shore up the sagging performances of Dr Reuben Abati loudly lambasted Pastor Tunde Bakare and Malam Nasir el-Rufai, for their unceasing and scathing criticisms of President Goodluck Jonathan’s record in office. Both have also been taken up by the State Security Service on their comments, action which drew their own howls of disapproval for the administration’s intolerance and tendency to use coercive measures against expressions of rights to criticize.

Then the Governor of Kano State Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso resurrects the old frontline on on-shore, off-shore dichotomy, and says the north will challenge it because it is illegal, unconscionable and intolerable. Amidst all these, the leadership of the CAN writes a letter asking the US to label the JASLIWAJ (Boko Haram) insurgency as a terrorist group. Everyone was falling over themselves to influence the visiting US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton on how the US should see the insurgency. The lady herself spoke through another medium after the briefest of visits to say the US is looking for solutions beyond the application of force, and certainly far beyond the northern part of Nigeria. Worshippers were killed in churches and mosques in Kogi State, and in parts of Maiduguri, Bauchi and Potiskum, and the babble of accusations went up a notch higher.

Alhaji Ahmed Joda’s contribution made the case for a comprehensive review of the constitution as a key element in addressing the nation’s long-term structural and political weakness, but he does not trust the National and State Assemblies and the Presidency to understake this sentive job. He suggests the establishment of a Constituent Assembly made up entirely of elected members standing on non-partisan basis. The National Assembly would create the Constituent Assembly, while President Goodluck Jonathan, all former Presidents and Heads of Government and their deputies, former Chief Justices of the Federation, Presidents of Senate and Speakers of House of Representatives and one Governor from each political zone should draw up the agenda. This Assembly would, within one year, produce a Draft Constitution which would be subject of a referendum by the Nigerian people. If approved, it will be brought into effect by an Act of the National Assembly. The composition, procedures and outcomes of the Constituent Assembly would not be subject to any legal challenge.

It could be a function of a mindset which sees value in providing solutions to difficult problems, but Alhaji Joda’s proposals would not even leave the ground. When he questions the legitimacy and integrity of the national assembly to give the nation a new constitution that substantially addresses its weakness, and then demands that the same legislature voluntarily enacts legislation to bring into force a Constituent Assembly, his suggestion is literally dead on arrival. A constitution review or writing exercise which sidelines the entire executive and legislature in terms of its agenda, autonomy and output in a nation such as ours may be the best thing we need, but the reality is also that those who sit in leadership positions today will not let it see the light of day. The President will at least be involved in agenda setting, which is not a minor task in itself. But Governors and legislators will be required to stand aside, while ordinary Nigerians will be elected to produce a draft constitution that goes straight to the citizenry for assent or rejection.

People with elected mandates (even if largely disputed) and constitutional powers to make laws, including amending or re-writing constitutions will not just roll over and submit to popular clamour for another set of people to do jobs which is theirs. They will raise legal issues. They will ask what happens if the Assembly is deadlocked or inconclusive. They will ask why, as representatives of the people, they will have little say in the process, but ex-military rulers will set the agenda. They will ask what happens if the Assembly prescribes what they consider offensive or unacceptable to their own version of the national interest or their own interests. They will see a very thin line between the Constituent Assembly and a Sovereign Conference, because they will be powerless to override or tamper with its recommendations. All these arguments can be countered of course, and there are many radical and ingenious suggestions over how a new nation can emerge through a conclave, but all of them predicated on negating existing institutions and structures. 

Given its record since 1999, the legislature is not going to accept to surrender such vital powers it has such as law-making and constitutional amendment to a body they will create using the same constitutional powers they are not trusted with. Nor will this President who defined the boundaries of constitutional amendments as excluding “settled issues” even contemplate a radical option of creating an autonomous Constituent Assembly. The Governors also have deep, vested interests and immense influence, and they will scuttle any effort that creates a body which is not amenable to their influence to re-write our constitution.

Which is all to say that Baba Joda’s suggestions are doomed to fail if they are being contemplated under the current disposition of power and authority. The idea of an autonomous Constituent Assembly of elected people whose work will only be decided directly by Nigerians is feasible if a monumental struggle involving civil society substantially whittles down the resistance of the present executive and legislative arms, and succeeds in making the case that  a credible re-writing of our constitution is the most critical requirement for resolving the political, economic and security problems of the nation.

There will still be many who will argue that imperfect as they have been, our constitutions are not the basic problems of the nation. Our political system is fed by value systems which include the historic absence of accountability by leaders, structural and systemic corruption and progressively-declining levels of competence in managing political pluralism. These are problems which get worse by the day, and which no constitution has succeeded in addressing. Many Nigerians will argue that if you could have honest and competent leaders with a strong political will to enforce the laws of the land, the most pressing political problems of the nation will disappear.

Rather than challenge our current leaders with the duty to facilitate the emergence of a new constitution, or introduce new arrangements under which all Nigerians will feel sufficiently relevant and comfortable (a challenge they will not even contemplate), it may be more useful if Alhaji Ahmed Joda’s other suggestions are assessed in the context of debates about the current direction and challenges of the nation. Although he places his other prescriptions in the context of the proposals for a constitutional review, all of which have to be concluded before 2015, he suggests that President Jonathan should overhaul his cabinet to improve its quality. The President should work with the judiciary to diligently curb corruption; introduce an austerity budget and reduce waste; work hard to ensure that the 2015 election are free and fair; faithfully execute all awarded contracts; and become more involved in solving the nation’s security problems. Then the big one: the President should renounce any intention he may have of contesting the 2015 election, because this is the only way he can give the nation a credible and acceptable constitution, and a free and fair election.

These last few recommendations will place Baba Joda firmly among the ranks of prominent people who have drawn the ire of the President’s people as those who see nothing good in his administration, and who are the architects of all his shortcomings. Such is the deep division among Nigerians, with those who think the President is the biggest disaster to befall the nation; and those who think the disaster is the people who are bent on bringing him down, no matter what he does, that there are no neutrals. Perhaps Baba Joda will be spared some of the most virulent verbal assaults owing to his rather detached relationship with the political process, but it is doubtful it any ideas on improving our current situation which are founded on the registered incompetence, corruption and absence of vision of this administration will even attract the mildest of interest from it. Perhaps the real value of Alhaji Ahmed Joda’s intervention is not in the substance of his suggestions, but in the spirit behind them. This spirit says clearly that our nation is in very deep crisis, and only unconventional thinking and action can salvage it.

Rotimi Fashakin: Dr. Okupe is desperate to justify his appointment, he’s a liability to his paymasters.

Our attention, in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), has been drawn to the recent statement credited to the newly appointed Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, wherein he unleashed needless vituperation on Pastor Tunde Bakare and Mallam Nasir El-rufa’I for their recent call on the President to resign on account of his regime’s helplessness in tackling the myriad of problems besetting the Nation.
It would be recalled that Dr Doyin Okupe was appointed in the wake of the expressed angst of the citizenry against the unconscionable show of profligacy by the regime, in ordering two hundred (200) luxury cars for the use of the visiting African first ladies, under the auspices of a Jamboree hosted by Nigeria’s flamboyant first lady, Dame Patience Goodluck-Jonathan. Indeed, the spirited attempt by the Presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati, to douse the seething anger of the people against that reckless and unbudgeted expenditure was too feeble to have any appreciable impact.
Dr Doyin Okupe , in a desperate attempt to justify his appointment and invariably satisfy his employers, lambasted these two eminent Nigerians with such crudity that is not in consonance with decent, diplomatic comportment. Understandably, the reason for his appointment was the experience in the similar position-under another PDP-led Presidency, though was unceremoniously relieved of his position for undisclosed misdeed in 2000. It is therefore not unlikely that the Jonathan regime had hoped to leverage on his previous use of the position as an avenue to launch unceasing tirades against his employer’s political adversaries.
In his characteristic style of persecuting the messenger rather than examining the merit of the message (as a basis for constructive engagement), the Jonathan regime’s new ‘attack dog’ chose to cast aspersion of Pastor Bakare’s pastoral calling, in relation to his political activism. Indeed, world history is replete with examples of clergymen that used the pulpit as the pedestal for ensuring political freedom for their people.
Martin Luther King, a Baptist minister, used his position to excite awakening of civil rights in America. The undying seed of that effort eventually paid off with a black man being the current president of the American Nation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, an Anglican Minister, was unsparing in his scathing criticism of the Apartheid regime and was actively involved in the ethical and political sharpening of post-Apartheid South Africa! The Old Testament Prophets were known to be very vociferous against the oppressive tendencies of the Principalities in their time.
Undoubtedly, Dr Doyin Okupe is a liability to any employer currently engaging his services. Over the years, he seems to have perfected the art of being more loyal to his belly than to anyone else. In the last few years, he had showed loyalty only to his subsisting source of livelihood while castigating his immediate past employer. For instance, he disparaged the former President Olusegun Obasanjo after being relieved of his post. As is commonly said in the contemporary Nigerian cultures, “the whip used against the senior wife is reserved for the other ones.” Truly, this regime can only reap the liability that the engagement of Dr Okupe brings to any employer!
As a Party, we shall continue to advocate for good governance at the risk of the Jonathan regime’s new initiative in muzzling lawful dissent. The task of elevating the national discourse beyond the mundane and cluelessness of this regime is what we are irrevocably committed to.
God bless Nigeria.
Rotimi Fashakin (Engr.)
National Publicity Secretary, CPC.
(Sunday, 12th August, 2012).

Call Me An Attack Lion, Not Dog, Doyin Okupe Begs Critics-PREMIUM TIMES.

Doyin Okupe

By Idris Akinbajo

A recently appointed presidential aide said he prefers a bullish ‘Attack Lion’ pet title to the bearish ‘Attack Dog’ critics call him.
The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, on Monday rejected the tag of an “attack dog,” for the Presidency.
Mr. Okupe, who appeared on an interview programme on the Africa Independent television (AIT), said his job for the presidency was to engage the public on discussions around the achievement of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
He said those calling him an attack dog where not fair to him considering his (physical) size and past achievements.
“They should even call me an ‘attack lion,” Mr. Okupe said.
The light remark by Mr. Okupe caused the interviewer, Gbenga Aruleba, to say that there were some dogs that could be so fierce and large like a lion. A remark the presidential aide rejected, seemingly preferring the title, ‘Attack Lion’, when he said no dog could be fierce or large enough to confront a lion.
The Ogun State politician also gave an indication of what to expect from his office. He said his office and his team would respond to any public criticism (by public commentators) against Mr. Jonathan and his policies.
Mr. Okupe also used the interview to explain President Jonathan’s reluctance to use maximum force on the Boko Haram
No maximum force on Boko Haram
The presidential aide said those accusing Mr. Jonathan of inaction, on the insecurity pervading the country, were not fair on the President.
“It is wrong to say the President has not been able to tackle the security problem,” Mr. Okupe said.
The Ogun state politician said the Federal Government could not use force on the Islamist group because it wanted to avoid civilian casualties.
“The Nigerian army can in one month wipe out the Boko Haram, but the collateral damage will be unbearable,” he said.
He said that the government was already achieving some success against the terrorist group.
“Three people (Boko Haram members) have been declared terrorists (by the U.S.). One is dead (killed), one is under the armpits of security forces, and another is on the run,” Mr. Okupe said. “That is a remarkable achievement.”
Mr. Okupe compared the difficulty in tackling the Boko Haram menace in Nigeria to what the British government faced with the Irish Republican Army saying “for 28years, the British Government could not stop it (IRA). When terrorism is internal, it is hard.”
Three categories of Boko Haram
Mr. Okupe also said there were three categories of Boko Haram operating in the country. He listed them as the religious Boko Haram, the criminal one, and the political Boko Haram.
Nasir El-Rufai, an opposition figure and leader of the Congress for Progressive Change had also listed the same categories of Boko Haram in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES.
The two me however disagreed on the sponsors of the political Boko Haram. While Mr. El-Rufai alleges that they are sponsored by the Federal Government in order to split the country along ethnic lines and for other reasons, Mr. Okupe insinuated that they were being sponsored by the opposition.
Though he refused to mention names, Mr. Okupe said that the fact that the violence went out of proportion after the 2011 presidential elections was a sign that the opposition were behind the political sect.
He said that the Federal Government was going to dialogue with perceived political sponsors of the terrorist group because it had no hard evidence with which to link them to the group’s sponsorship.
“When we have weakened the apparatus of the insurgency, you now call for dialogue,” Mr. Okupe added.
Muslims harbour Boko Haram
Mr. Okupe also said that gathering intelligence on the Boko Haram group was difficult as they were getting help from some Muslims.
“Sincere and pious Muslims believe it is against their religion to report these terrorists,” he said while explaining that the security forces were improving on their intelligence gathering efforts.

Remembering Dick Tiger; Once The Pride Of Nigeria.

Richard Ihetu aka "Dick Tiger"

By Ikenna Okoli, FCIArb.

Richard Ihetu, a boxer, who fought under the nom de guerre Dick Tiger, was reputed to possess fists of iron. In a charity bout, in February, 1967 against the then Nigerian middleweight champion, Abraham Tonica, to raise funds for refugees swarming into then Eastern region as a result of the killings in Northern Nigeria, he was reputed to have hit Abraham Tonica with such ferocity, that Tonica, just before throwing in the towel, wondered aloud whether he was being hit with human fists or iron. That story is apocryphal by the way.
Dick Tiger was born on 14th August, 1929 in Amaigbo in present day Imo State. Probably only a few people outside the immediate family would have remembered the great man on the anniversary of his birth, but there are a few who remembered including this writer. And having remembered, there is a need to call attention to the neglect of the great man’s memory by the Federal Government and all the States of the old Eastern region.
Dick Tiger became a world champion when on 23rd October, 1962 he defeated Gene Fullmer to win the N.B.A. (later W.B.A.) world middleweight title. The Nigerian government in a show of support sent an official delegation, led by the Federal Minister of Labour and Sports, Chief Modupe Johnson, to the fight. The Governor-General, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe cabled a goodwill message urging him to fight a good fight in the tradition of the manly art.
Dick Tiger won a unanimous decision over Fullmer after comprehensively beating the American in his own backyard. After the fight many Nigerians who kept vigil monitoring proceedings on radio trooped out in celebrations congratulating each other on the great feat achieved by a Nigerian. Meanwhile a party was organised after the fight where Chief Modupe Johnson toasted Dick Tiger as “our champion”. Dick Tiger came back to Nigeria as a hero and was feted by the governments of the Eastern and Western regions amongst several events lined up to celebrate the worthy champion.
In August, 1963  Dick Tiger knocked out Gene Fullmer in Ibadan at the Liberty Stadium to retain his middleweight title in what was the first world title fight to be staged in Black Africa. The fight was made possible by the combined efforts of the Federal Government, the East, West and North Regional Governments. It was one fight that brought Nigerians together in celebration of one of their own who had excelled at the world stage. At this point Dick Tiger was no longer just the pride of Nigeria but had been appropriated by Black Africa. After defeating Fullmer, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah congratulated him on his successful defence of his middleweight crown, remarking that the victory added another testimony to the ability of the African to scale the highest ladder of human achievement.
Dick Tiger lost his middleweight crown in December, 1963 but regained same in October, 1965 to become the oldest active world champion. On 16th December, 1966 Dick Tiger defeated Jose Torres to become only the second fighter in 63 years to win the world light heavyweight title in addition to winning a middleweight championship
By May, 1967 hostilities had broken out between Nigeria and Biafra. Dick Tiger pledged his loyalty to Biafra and declared Nigeria dead. He made a plea to sports writers all over the world not to continue to associate his name with Nigeria. He aborted his retirement plans so as to put Biafra on the sporting map. This singular act caused Dick Tiger to lose much of his wealth and assets which he had accumulated in Nigeria. The Federal Government labelled him a traitor.
By July, 1971 Dick Tiger was diagnosed with cancer of the liver in New York City. He was home sick and wanted to come back to Nigeria, but given his wartime activities he sought assurances from the authorities that he was free to come back to Nigeria. He came back to Nigeria on 18th July, 1971. His international passport was confiscated and the Government refused his request to go out of Nigeria to undergo radical treatment for his cancer. He died on 14th December, 1971.
It is instructive that Dick Tiger was never officially honoured by the Nigerian Government and till date has not been so honoured. The governments of the old Eastern region comprising of present day Imo, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States have also not deemed it fit to honour the memory of this great Nigerian.
My appeal to the authorities is that in these times where all sorts of characters are honoured for dubious achievements, Dick Tiger should be posthumously honoured. We need to show appreciation to this great and committed compatriot, who is undoubtedly Nigeria’s greatest sports personality.  I therefore suggest that the great Dick Tiger be conferred with a national honour and at a minimum the Abuja stadium named after him. As for the governments of Imo, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Rivers, Cross-River and Bayelsa States they should take urgent steps to immortalize this most illustrious Nigerian.