LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD IN EDO STATE PART 2

The court of appeal sitting in Benin City on Thursday 15thNovember, 2012, set aside the ruling of the disbanded Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal delivered on September 27, 2012. In the lead Judgment delivered by Hon. Justice HelenMoronkeji Ogunwumiju, JCA, the three-man court of Appeal ordered that the petition challenging Comrade Adams Aliu(Aliyu)Oshiomhole’s educational qualification to contest for the office of Governor of Edo State be remitted back to the lower tribunal to be heard by another panel to be constituted by the Acting President of the Court of Appeal. In his own judgment, Hon. Justice TomShaibu Yakubu, JCA, in agreeing with the lead judgment said: “In the circumstances of this appeal, I am of the firm and considered opinion that the integrity and credibility of the 1st Respondent, would be better enhanced if the challenge, especially to his qualification as a candidate at the 14th July, 2012 election which threw him up as the Governor of Edo State, were ventilated and thrashed out/settled at the lower tribunal. I say no more”

This unanimous judgment of the Court of Appeal panel thus set the stage for the Comrade Governor to ventilate and thrash out/settle the aspect of the PDP Governorship Candidate, General CharlesAirhiavbere’s allegation of non-educational qualification as a candidate at the 14th July 2012 Governorship election in Edo State. It was a golden opportunity which everybody expected the Comrade Governor to seize but behold, that was not to be. The Comrade Governor as defendant in the petition before the Edo Governorship Election Tribunal closed his case on Thursday 6th December, 2012, without appearing as a witness. His failure to appear as a witness in his own defense took keen watchers of the tribunal proceedings by surprise despite the fact that information from the grapevine has it that he was advised to produce his primary six certificate before the tribunal. To many people of Edo State, his failure once again to clear the air on issues relating to his integrity and credibility pointsto just one simple fact - that he does not have the necessary educational qualification for the office of Governor of Edo State so there was nothing  to ventilate or thrash out at the tribunal.

The only witness produced in court by the ACN with regards to the educational qualification issue, Professor Phillips Agbebaku, at the end of his testimony compounded the woes of the Comrade Governor the more.  Under cross examination by Chief EfeAkpofure, SAN, counsel to General Charles Airhiavbere (rtd),Professor Agbebaku agreed that anybody dropping or adding a name/s to his/her original names ought to back up the change with a sworn affidavit. Though he admitted that Adams Oshiomhole was his classmate at Blessed  Martins Secondary Modern School, Jattu-Uzairue, he could not produce to the tribunal on demand his modern school certificate to authenticate his claim.

I wonder what the Comrade Governor hopes to gain by the conspiracy of silence between himself and his defence team or is he hoping that the Supreme Court will upturn the judgment of the Court of Appeal? In my view, approaching the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin is further wasting of Edo Commonwealth fund. The Edo State tax payers who are groaning as a result of the pains of excessive taxation should be saved the further burden of allowing their hard earned money to be wasted on needless and senseless litigation. Or am I to believe that the Comrade Governor is using his own moneyto prosecute the case in which he has engaged over thirteen senior advocates, nine for himself and four for the ACN. Oshiomhole came to power through the instrumentality of an Election Tribunal so one wonders why he has suddenly grown cold feet over appearing before the same tribunal that brought him to power four years ago. Or is he afraid of the adage that says ‘those who live bythe guns also die by the guns’.

​My motive for taking my current stand should not be misconstrued for mischief. Rather, it is borne out of patriotic zeal to ensure that those entrusted with public responsibilities are both honest and virtuous. To whom much is giving much is also expected. Like the Benin Court of Appeal noted in its ruling on the case on 15th November 2012, the issue is a matter of “integrity” andTHAT IT TRULY IS. Some of those who reacted to my last piece published in the Nigerian Tribune of Wednesday November 21, 2012 wondered why the Comrade Governor should not be left alone. Accordingly to them, he is both eloquent and articulate as well as being a performer. I do not agree with them. I will like to point out to them that section 177(d) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended did not specify eloquence, articulate or performance as conditions to be met before contesting elections to public offices. The section was emphatic on the basic minimum qualification to contest public offices. There is nothing anybody can do about it until there is a review of that aspect of the constitution. The position right now is that you either have it or you stay out, eloquent, articulate or performance notwithstanding. Even as at that, the issue of performance is relative when compared to the PDP State especially those in the South South  geo-political zone. We are over orchestrating Oshiomhole’s so called performance because the past governments in the state did not leave behind a template with which to measure such so called performance.

​Apologists of Adams Oshiomhole who are expecting a political judgment from the tribunal will be disappointed at the end of the day because I know that the present tribunal is made up of virtuous and honorable members who cannot and will not allow themselves to be compromise for any reason and by anybody no matter how highly placed the person might be in the society. The tribunal I am sure will give the people of Edo State a legal and judicial judgment based on facts and documentary evidences and not a political judgment based on sentiment as apologists of the Comrade Governor are hoping. Truth and justice might crawl slowly but steadily from darkness to light but with time they come out triumphant. In Edo State, time will definitely tell but the truth like a sore thumb will surely come out. When I reflect on happenings in the State for the past five months, I remember with nostalgia two of my favourite novels written by the legendary James Hardly Chase: GOLD FISH HAS NO HIDING PLACE and THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES as well as Jimmy Cliff’s song the HARDER THEY COME THE HARDER THEY FALL.

Hon. Osaze Jesuorobo

Hon. Osaze Jesuorobo is journalist and a public commentator based in Benin City.

Gumi Reacts To Kukah’s Sermon At Yakowa’s Funeral, Challenges Sultan, Buhari

By SaharaReporters, New York

Sheik Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic scholar and son of late Sheik Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, who have been critical of Nigerian establishment recently has reacted over a sermon by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah preached at the funeral of late Kaduna State governor, Mr. Patrick Yakowa who died in a plane crash.

He challenged the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa’ad Muhammad Abubakar, General Muhammadu Buhari and Bishop Kukah to explain why they remained quiet, when Muslims were allegedly killed in Kaduna State.

Gumi who was reacting following Kukah’s sermon that SaharaReporters exclusively published said, “No Muslim should rejoice at the death of any person except if such a person has shown enmity to Islam and takes part in plots to undermine it.”

Insisting that Muslims were killed during Yakowa’s reign in Southern Kaduna, Gumi who is known to be blunt, added “But when Yakowa ascended to power, more than 500 innocent Muslims were massacred in cold blood in southern Kaduna, the area he came from. Many families were exterminated and many were expelled from their abode even up to this day. Many are still refugees in camps and in other places, with little help from the federal, state governments and individuals. Worst still there was no remarkable reaction against these atrocities from any notable Muslim individual or organization except of course the ‘supreme council for sharia’ headed by Dr. Ahmad Datti which documented all these atrocities (May Allah reward them abundantly) and personal contributions from many individuals that could not match the degree of the disaster. That was a case of genocide against poor innocent Muslims just because of the ascension of this man to power. Now I ask and I want answers. What was the reaction of CAN to these atrocities? What was the reaction of the bishop? What was the reaction of the Sultan of Sokoto? What was the reaction of Gen. Buhari? What was the reaction of Sheikh Yusuf Sambo? What was the reaction of Yakowa’s noisy SA of Islamic religious affairs?

“What are we witnessing as an Ummah, when thousands of Muslims are and were killed, maimed and displaced (today all Muslims in Tafawa Balewa are exiled and their properties confiscated) and yet, look at this blatant hypocrisy! Some academic staffs of Kaduna University came to me complaining of the Christian VC and his policy of intentional marginalization and prejudice against the Muslims. These are academicians not riff raffs. And many other complaints that are natural when a minority accend to power. Brothers and Sisters, to get me right, I am not questioning these people’s genuine concern of the death of their bosom friend and comrade. What I am questioning is the apathy when Muslims are killed by criminals and the sadness when Allah has done His justice. May Allah preserve our faith and protect us all from all Evil.”

Must Read: Unbelievable Alternative Uses Of Onions

Rich in antioxidants, thought to prevent cancer, diabetes, and even the common cold, onions are nothing if not a superfood. But that’s not all they are — the same properties that make onions a great food to eat also make them great for other things, from healing your skin to cleaning metal.

Health & Body
1. Repel Insects. Rubbing an onion on your skin is a simple way to repel bugs.
2. Soothe Insect Bites & Stings. Forgot to follow tip #1? Rubbing onion onto bug bites will help to ease the pain.
3. Soothe a Sore Throat. Making onion tea is a great remedy for soothing sore throats. On the stovetop, boil water with onion peels in it (about 1 cup of water for the peels of 1/2 an onion.) Bring to a boil, remove onion and serve.
4. Use in Place of Smelling Salts. Overwork yourself? Feeling light-headed? Onions are a great natural remedy to use instead of smelling salts.
5. Ease the Pain of Burns. Rubbing onions onto burns helps soothe the pain.
6. Remove Splinters. Have a splinter that just won’t budge? Try taping (yes, with tape, or a adhesive bandage) a piece of raw onion to it. Hold tight for about an hour before removing the onion.
Home
7. Polish Metal. Slice onion and then crush it. Combine crushed onion with water. With a cloth, dab it on the metal surface. Rub until clean.
8. Get Rid of that Paint Smell. The same mixture described for polishing metal works great for combating the unpleasant, and sometimes unhealthy, odors of paints and varnishes.
9. Clean Sponges. Okay, so this particular use is actually for the mesh packaging that onions are often sold in, but hey — a way to re-use unnecessary packaging, right?! The mesh is a perfect tool to clean all that gunk that builds up on sponges. Cut it up into smaller pieces for best results.
10. Clean Your Grill. Chop an onion in half, and turn on your grill. Using a fork, glide the onion on the grill to scrub it clean.
11. Make a DIY Dye. Onion skins make great dyes! Place the skins in nylon panty hose, tie top shut, and boil in a pot for about 20 minutes.
Food
12. Make Burned Rice Edible Again. Neglected your rice, and now some of it has burned? No need to toss it! Simply place half of an onion on top of the rice. It will absorb the burned taste.
13. Preserve Avocados. Prevent your avocados from browning by storing them in a plastic airtight container with red onions. Place half of an onion in the container first, skin side up, and then place the avocado.
InformationNigeria

Breaking News: Obasanjo’s Abeokuta Mansion on Fire!

from Dimeji Kayode Adedeji

By SaharaReporters, New York

The Abeokuta mansion of Nigeria's former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, today went up in flames, reports monitored in New York say.
It is unclear at this time whether Obasanjo was in the palatial estate when the fire started, or how much damage was done, but some reports say that his personal bedroom was damaged.
Some of the accounts say the fire brigade has arrived at the premises and is trying to put out the blaze.
The estate also includes a church that Obasanjo built after he left office.
Updates from African Spotlight below:
The fire reportedly started at about 4:30pm.
It gutted Obasanjo’s office within the building and it is not yet clear what caused it.
Report says members of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Police Force, State Security Service and close friends of the ex-president battled to contain the fire from spreading to other parts of the sprawling estate.
Ogun State Fire Service truck marked OG 122 AO9 roared into the compound an hour after the fire was detected and was joined by another ten minutes later.

Exposed: Abuja minister lied to Nigerians, promised fake, non-existent jobs

Ini Ekott

Olajumoke Akinjide, state minister of FCT

The perceived failure of the SURE-P to translate to jobs as promised, has touched off at all states and Abuja
An ambitious pledge by the Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory, Olajumoke Akinjide, of “massive” recruitment before year ending, has turned out an elaborate deception, with just days away from December 31, 2012.
New slots of about 10,000 jobs were to be provided for Abuja under the federal government subsidy reinvestment programme, the minister had said.
But days to the year’s close, the openings are nowhere near reality. Neither the advertisement, registration, pre-selection calls, nor recruitment tests have taken place, PREMIUM TIMES has found.
Weeks of inquiries have proven the idea of preliminary registration for the jobs as Ms. Akinjide announced separately in August and November, to not only be a ruse, but a subject unknown to several officials of the FCT administration. One official said the selection had been concluded since March.
The contradictions come as the intervention programme, the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, faces mounting criticisms over its failure to deliver on proposed projects, with critics dismissing the initiative as a drain pipe that squanders badly needed funds, while unemployment, which it was partly meant to address nationwide, escalates.
If anything, the inconsistencies at the Abuja ministry point to the indifference authorities accord a pressing national need as jobs creation, which are often eagerly promised by officials, but hardly delivered.
Ms. Akinjide gave her promise as a passing remark while addressing two women groups in August and November.
“There will be massive employment before the end of this year and we have started registration of unemployed women and youth in the FCT,” the minister said in a remark to the National Council for Women Societies, Abuja chapter, who visited her office on November 13.
Applicants were to be “be employed into different fields and also vocation acquisition programmes,” of the SURE-P plan, the minister said.
To demonstrate seriousness, Ms. Akinjide advised interested women and youth to register with the FCT Social Development Secretariat as of November.
No registration
Repeated visits to the office and contacts to other arms of the FCT administration supposedly responsible for the ‘recruitment’ since November have proven no such job drives exist, and officials have consistently denied knowledge of any job-related registration.
At various units of the FCT Secretariat at Area 10, Garki, Abuja, a week after the minister’s promise, all key officials spoken to said they were unaware of the plans. PREMIUM TIMES also observed no registration took place.
“As you can see, there is nothing like that going on, maybe you could get further clarification from the minister’s office,” one official said on anonymity, fearing sanctions if he were identified.
Despite the apparent absence of the existence, a spokesperson for the minister, Oluyinka Akintunde, insisted the plan was afoot.
Mr. Akintunde denied the minister had misled the unemployed by announcing a non-existent exercise, possibly as a passing political remark. He said as part of the SURE-P, the programme was being administered by a central presidential task team.
He also said the plan was targeted at the grassroots and the recruitment was meant to done on the basis of electoral Wards.
“There are provisions made for these things, and there are people working on them,” Mr. Akintunde insisted. “The minister did not lie.”
Yet, he provided no verifiable detail about where the listings were actually done, and no explanation was given as to why, if the registration existed elsewhere, Ms. Akinjide had given a different venue.
Again, there were no truly existed plans for the exercise elsewhere, as PREMIUM TIMES found none ongoing within Abuja as the minister claimed.
At one of the FCT units our reporters were referred to for clarification, an official who spoke under anonymity said the so called grassroots registrations had been completed since March, and 15,000-more than the 10,000 required- were captured.
“We even had excess application,” the staff said.
Rosy initiative, fat budget, no delivery
At least 370,000 jobs are to be created under the SURE-P, with each state and Abuja providing 10,000 in partnership with the federal government.
A second component of the programme is tagged the Graduate Internship Scheme, GIS, designed to enhance the employability of another 100,000 unemployed graduates across the federation. That will involve internship placements with interested companies.
A new website has recently been dedicated for registration into the GIS.
But the 470,000 total slots, a potentially significant figure for an ever-soaring unemployment rate, have barely taken off months even at the state level, months after the SURE-P was created.
The programmer’s dismal performance, despite its huge multibillion budget, recently alarmed federal lawmakers.
At a budget meeting a fortnight ago, the National Assembly joint committee on petroleum downstream, declared the programme a scam that has failed to keep any of its promises of job creation, and accused Christopher Kolade-led SURE-P committee of reckless spending.
The lawmakers accused the subsidy committee of duplicating projects with ministries, and defrauding the nation by making double payments for projects also financed by the ministries.
Most shocking, the committee found out how the committee claimed spending N2.2 billion on “secretariat services” and another N75 million on travels between July and October.
Another N27 billion was also spent on “Public Works for Youths”, and N8.9bn for the purchase of 800 buses. Details of how the monies were allocated were not provided to the lawmakers.
“The SURE-P funds should not be seen as crude oil money which everybody is sharing,” Magnus Abe, the Chairman of the Senate Downstream Petroleum Committee warned as the committee pressed for more information.
For 2013, SURE-P is to spend N273.52 billion.
At a separate meeting, Mr. Kolade claimed the amount involved with office administration was N1 billion and not N2.2 billion as earlier stated. He knocked off criticisms trailing the committee’s failings by declaring he will not quit.
“I will not quit, if you attack me, I will defend myself. The National Assembly and the SURE-P Committee and everybody are supposed to be working for Nigerians not individuals,” he was quoted as saying at a media luncheon in Lagos.
Across the states, the confusion has played out, with barely any state releasing provable data of how much of the 10,000 jobs have been in the months that SURE-P existed.
PREMIUM TIMES’ attention was first drawn to Ms. Akinjide’s bogus job announcement for Abuja, after early responders to her notice of registration alerted that no such exercise was taking place at the designated venue.
Reporters, who visited the secretariat and the FCT head office at Area 11 repeatedly, confirmed same to be true.
PremiumTimes

My escapades as Biafran warplane pilot – Portuguese

The pilot…

At a time when the Will of the late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, is generating controversy, a Portuguese pilot, who flew Biafran war planes during the civil war, has given insight into the air strikes that characterised the war.
According to Mr. Artur Alves, who interacted with Saturday Sun on the Internet, Biafran soldiers converted modified the B26 plane to suit their purpose during the war.
The war pilot, who is based abroad, spoke on this and others.
Could you tell us how you were contacted to work for Biafra?
After I ended my commission with the Portuguese Air Force I got a job working in Angola flying a Piper Aztec to a big coffee corporation and an ex-camaraderie and good friend Capt Gil Pinto de Sousa invited me to join and organise a squadron of Harvard T6G that we would have to fly into Biafra and operate in combat missions. Capt Pinto de Sousa was also an ex-Biafran Air Force pilot. He was contracted to fly a B25 Mitchel, which was destroyed in an accident in Port Harcourt. Landlocked from the early 1968, Biafra was fighting for their very existence, a fight against starvation and a well-armed enemy.
How did you fly the aircraft to Biafra and from where?
Due to diplomatic reasons, we had to dismount and mount again the aircraft in Bissau, Portuguese Guinea at the time. They went by ship and the Portuguese Air Force in Bissau did a great job mounting the aircraft very fast. We had six T6G ready and we were only three pilots. The flight from Bissau to Abidjan was also very complicated. The British Foreign Affairs had a long and powerful arm and convinced the Portuguese government not to authorise Portuguese pilots to fly the aircraft out of Bissau, but we were veterans of the air force and we had a plan. We convinced the Bissau Air Base Commander to let us rob the planes during the night and take them to Abidjan. That was what we did. The flight was in the limits and we carried also an extra tank in the back seat. The fuel smell was intense and I had no courage to light up a cigarette. We had to land before Abidjan in Sassandra, as was already fixed. We had no problems in Sassandra and we continued the flight to Abidjan.
In Bissau, one of the pilots decided not to continue and in Abidjan we had the same problem. But we welcome a new one, José Pignattely, also a veteran from the Portuguese Air Force. Gil Pinto de Sousa returned to Bissau and flew another plane to Abidjan. We had four planes in Abidjan and we were three pilots. Me, Gil and Pignattely. From Abidjan, we had the last leg to fly to Uli. We had decided to be airborne in order to land in Uli by dusk. During the inbound flight, Gil lost the radio and beacon system and in the dark he got lost and didn’t find the course to Uli and had to bailout in enemy territory. He was arrested for five years in Lagos. I landed in Uli and a little later Pignattely did the same. Next day, we took the planes to Uga, an airstrip in Akokwa.
How was it like being in Biafra at the time of the conflict?
I was living with Pignatettely and two Portuguese engineers, in a good house in Akokwa. We had a chef and a guard that was also the driver of our old Peugeot 403. Johny Chukwukadibie was the liaison officer with the headquarters. Everything was camouflaged and we had also a bunker to protect ourselves of the Nigerians air raids. The food had little variety, always chicken, cassava and sweet potatoes. Not bad, considering the situation.
How did you see the behaviour of the Igbo?
Well, on May the 30, 1967, was read the declaration for the creation of the Republic of Biafra. Due to the genocide murder of Eastern Nigerians, civilians, they had to seek a safe place to live; so, they declared independence. The civil war was declared by Nigeria and had the world powers, British and Russians on her side. Some say two million people, mostly Igbo lost their lives. Four countries recognised our independence and others, like Portugal and France, had a very important role in supporting Biafra.
Do you think the Declaration of a sovereign state of Biafra by Ojukwu needful at the time?
Well, I was saying, two million people, mostly Igbo, lost their lives. The world recoiled in horror as images reached news network. It was genocide, no more no less, genocide. For me, Emeka Ojukwu was a legendary freedom fighter. He did the right thing. With very little outside support the Biafrans put up a fierce resistance that lasted for 30 months before collapsing in January 10, 1970. I have with me the Ahiria declaration, still regarded by some as a possible blue print for every modern African country. He will never be forgotten; believe me.
Can you remember war songs that Biafrans soldiers sang to ginger themselves on?
I remember the songs, usually war songs. Near Christmas in 1969, I was only with one T6G operational; Pignatelly went to Abidjan to bring the other one we left there. Gen Godwin Ezeillo sent for me. Federal troops, more than one division and heavily armed, were about to cross the Imo River and Owerri will be in danger. We had to try to stop them. To attack a concentration of troops with a single airplane was not an easy task. I knew they were south of the river but not their exact position. I did the approach early in the morning leaving the River in my right wing, flying 500 feet above the ground and nobody opened fire against me. I made a large turn by the left, over flying our Army and made another approach to the river. This time, they started shooting from the south side of the river, thousand of tracers were flying in my direction, but now I knew where my target was. I just dive to the target, gaining speed. I heard some lucky shots hitting the airplane and as close as I was to the ground I was able to see trucks and armoured cars below the trees and plenty soldiers running around, looking for cover. I fired every thing I had and escape at a very low altitude to our side, that I overflew again, waving good-bye to our Army.
In the other day, lunch time, Johny Chukwukadibie came to my place with a young Captain that was in the frontline during the attack at the Imo River. He said the attack was terrific and a success. They heard the federal troops weeping a lot on the radio. Next day, we went with him to frontline to cheer up his men. It was here, near the enemy line, in the Imo River that I heard war songs from the Biafran soldiers.
What about the Port Harcourt attack in 1969?
I still remember this very well. It was my 5th mission and we had been expecting anxiously information that MIGs landed and parked in Port Harcourt. I was with Pignattely flying the T6s. We got the order in the afternoon before and at sun rise the airplanes were fully armed with the usual four machine guns and 12, 68mm rockets. There was some light fog touching the ground when we were airborne. There were no reports of MIGs in the air. We knew that we were going to face the strongest anti-aircraft fire, south of Ecuador. The surprise factor was essential and will be a hit and run attack. We only could afford one pass. I was flying a little higher than Pignattely that was at treetop level. Flying higher, I was safer from the light machine guns because my plane was far and more difficult to be hit. I had better visibility ahead and I was able to gain speed during the dive to the target. This was the strategy used by us before.
Port Harcourt was very close and we were approaching the air base with the very shy sun in our back. I saw the huge runway, four MIGs in the parking area, the terminal, hangars, control tower and another plane also parked near the terminal. I shouted to Pignattely, ‘MIGs in the tarmac’ and I started the diving to the target. At this time, tracers and explosions were every where. By instinct, I curled up inside the cockpit, full boost in the engine, nose down gaining speed, MIGs well centred, wings levelled and I start firing the rockets and machine guns burst at the same time. I was seeing my rockets hit around the parked MIGs. It seems nothing was happening and suddenly flames and black smoke erupted from the aircraft. I made the flight straight ahead to the sea, took a better sitting position, reduced the boost of the aircraft and looked back to Port Harcourt and behind me trying to spot Pignatelly. Port Harcourt was on fire and smoke and the Pignatelly T6 was surrounded by anti-aircraft explosions. I thought to my self he was in deep trouble. It was time to relax and return. I did a long turn by sea, eyes wide open looking for MIGs in the sky; did the course inbound by the Niger Delta, followed the river for a while ad landed in Uga. Pignattely airplane was already landed and camouflaged. Result, three MIGs destroyed, a four-engine aircraft also damaged, including fuel station, terminal building and control tower.
Two or three months ago, I received via Facebook a very interesting article from a veteran Russian pilot in Afghanistan. The article was from a Veteran Russia Air Force Magazine and was about the MIG17 in the Nigeria-Biafra war. These MIG17 in Port Harcourt were flown by British pilots and confirmed the destruction of two and severely damaged of other one. The fourth in line was not a MIG-17 but a Ylushin that was also hit. They decided to paint the MIGs in camouflaged colours and build defensive rackets to protect the planes on ground. There is also a book named Shadows, by Michel I. Drapper, with very interesting articles, real ones, about the air war and airlift in Biafra from 1967/1970.
What does a Biafran airstrip look like and what were the dangers of flying?
The Biafran airstrips were not new to me. Comparing with the Minicons I needed more length for take off and land with the T6Gs. Uga was an ex-asphalt road in pretty good conditions. We had lights, goose necks, for landing at night. We also had a bush in the top of the runway, where we hide the planes. The danger of flying was like David against Golias. The planes were old but well restored to flight conditions. We made the test-flights in Portugal and later in Bissau. We all had large experience in Africa and the big problem were the radio and navigation aids, starting with a simple compass. When we started the operations, our primary targets were federal troop concentration in the northern front, north of Onitsha road and the southern front, south of Owerri and in support of Biafran Army. Air bases and oil installations also become the focus of several attacks. But we were always expecting information from our Army Intelligence in order to know for sure where the MIG17 were. We could reach them in Port Harcourt, Benin and Enugu. Lagos was out of range and also Kano.
When did you leave Biafra and how?
Gen Godwin Ezeillo visited me after lunch time in January 8, 1970 and very quietly announced the imminent departure of our Biafran leader and said that was the right time for me to leave Biafra as well. There was a government flight to Sao Tome at night and a place for me was arranged. I was at the time with the other Igbo pilots and we tried to reach Uli but gave up. The road was so overcrowded that we decided to turn back and prepare the only operational T6 to escape early in the morning to Libreville. I had the black seat available and the other pilots decided that Larry Obiechi was the guy to escape with me. Larry was not Igbo, so they decided it was not safe for him to stay. The others were willing to remain inside Biafra and take a chance on being captured by federal forces. We were airborne very early with the tanks full. We made a fantastic flight to Libreville, Gabon, keeping the shoreline always in sight. After we landed in Libreville, we were very welcomed, but I had with me a very dip sense of loss.
What do you think of Nigeria today?
Living outside I’m used only to bad news from Nigeria, about old politicians and corruption. They must bury their heads in shame and allow the younger generation to take the driver’s seat. For example: they created Boko Haram and now the same people want to sit down and found solutions to the problem. Who gives a damn for what they think? They should quietly retire to their homes and wait for their turn to die giving a chance to a younger generation to take the leadership. I would love to have written something like this, but I didn’t. I want to live to hug all my mates in Biafra Air Force wishing they are in good health and I pray to God to take care of them. Rest in peace Ibi Brown and Alex Agbafuna, killed in combat fighting for his people. Thanks Gil Pinto de Sousa for the five years you gave, for supporting a cause in which you believe. My thanks to Sammy, Willy Bruce, August Opke and Larry Obiechi for the support you gave me in the last days of our dream.
During the Nigerian war, there was the feat of converting the B26 aircraft into a fighter jet or bomber. Were you part of this feat?
I did not fly the B26
How were you able to manipulate the aircraft, knowing that it wasn’t originally meant for what it was converted to?
In October 1967, we had two B25 Mitchel in Port Harcourt and both were effectively lost during one night sortie some two months later. The B26 started service at the end of June 1967 and was in Enugu for repainting, in camouflage colours. The Biafran national flag was on both sides of the rudder. At the same time of repainting our mechanics began to install rather crude weapons. They modified the nose cone of the aircraft and mounted a single tripod-mounted machine gun inside. The gun was never linked to the electrical wiring system and was operated blindly by the pilot and the gunner.
We operated it thus: One tug meant start fire. Two tugs meant stop. Another gun was fitted to the rear of the bomb bay, which fired downwards through open bay-bomb doors.
What was your relationship with air force officers, like Gibson Nwosu and the late Chudi Sokei?
I only remember Gen Godwin Ezeilo, my Biafran Air Force Commander. After the war, he was with Capt Manuel Reis, Biafran Airlift Capt in Angola. We have been together a few times.
247UReports

Davido Slapped Again?

Davido a.k.a Omo baba olowo was given a slap not from a policeman this time but from King Saheed Elegushi. Yeah… King Saheed Elegushi.

It all went down at the after-party of the Dynamix awards which took place at Voodoo lounge, Elegushi beach. A reliable eye witness stated that B-Red was heavily drunk and was arguing with the King when Davido moved forward to touch the King. In a flash the monarch delivered a hot slap on Davido’s face and they were mercilessly beaten including Davido’s bouncer by the Elegushi guards.
Davido & B-Red amidst others later prostrated and apologized to King Saheed when they were corrected by a member of the Crew.
InformationNigeria