Kudirat Abiola’s murder: Appeal Court frees Mustapha, Shofolahan

By BARTHOLOMEW MADUKWE
The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal yesterday overruled the death sentence handed to Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan on January 30, 2012, by Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos High Court in Igbosere.

According to the presiding judge, Justice Rita Pemu “the lower court stroked to secure a conviction by all means.” The appellate court therefore discharged and acquitted the duo of conspiracy and murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, 45, who was shot in Lagos on June 4, 1996.

Al-Mustapha

The three female appellate court justices that discharged and acquitted Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan are Justice Rita Pemu (presiding), Justice Amina Adamu Augie and Justice F. O. Akinbami. Justice Augie was drafted into the panel following the decision of Justice Ibrahim Saulawa who disqualified himself from hearing the appeal.
Al-Mustapha, a former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, and Shofolahan, a former Personal Assistant to late Kudirat, were both convicted by the lower court for the conspiracy and murder preferred against them by Lagos State.
The duo separately filed their appeals 24-hours after they were convicted, contending that the death sentence handed them was unwarranted, unreasonable and a manifest miscarriage of justice.
Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan also contended that the trial judge erred in law by arriving at the conclusion that they conspired to kill Alhaja Kudirat on June 4, 1996, and faulted the court’s reliance on the testimony of Dr. Ore Falomo on the bullet extracted from the late Kudirat.
Counsel to Al-Mustapha, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), adopting his address, urged the court to allow the appeal and set aside the judgment of the lower court. He argued that the trial court erred in law to have based its judgment on the testimonies of PW1 (Sgt Rogers) and PW2 (Katako), which were contradictory.
”The testimonies of PW1 and 2 were inconclusive and contradictory. The court drew inferences from these contradictory statements, to establish the guilty of the appellants. It is my submission that those inferences, upon which the court based its judgment, were merely political evidence formulated by the respondent, and which the trial court ought not to have considered. I therefore urge the court to allow this appeal, and quash the judgment of the lower court,” Daudu argued.
Counsel to Shofolahan, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, also aligned himself with the submission of Daudu, saying that the prosecution called four witnesses and two of the witnesses were presumed to be star witnesses.
The appellants counsel submitted that the lower court relied on conjectures and inferences to support the conviction of the Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan, which did not form part of the evidence presented before the court, saying “the constitution did not support the conviction. The testimonies of PW1 (Sgt Rogers) and PW2 (Katako) are not strong enough to warrant the conviction of the appellant.”
In his response, counsel to the respondent, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), urged the court to dismiss the appeal for lack of merit and uphold the judgment of the lower court. He argued that apart from the evidence of PW1 and 2, there were other evidence from the defendants, which supports the counts of conspiracy and murder.
How Justice Mojisala Dada sentenced Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan to death by hanging
After many years of waiting to know who the court deemed to have masterminded the assassination of late Kudirat, wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, late Chief MKO Abiola, Justice Mojisala Dada of Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere delivered the judgment on a Monday afternoon of January 30, 2012.
Clad in a white robe and a prayer cap, Al-Mustapha watched as Justice Dada reads her judgment which lasted several hours. Not left in wonder, Shofolahan, however broke down in tears when it became clear that they have been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging.

Al-Mustapha at the Lagos High court Igbosere Lagos

Justice Dada ruled: “Evidence proves  Al-Mustapha, Shofolahan   killed Kudiratu Abiola. Evidence was manifestedly heavy that they killed Kudiratu Abiola. In view of this, they are guilty of conspiracy and murder.” Dada said in her ruling which lasted several hours.The prosecution has proved its case beyond all reasonable doubt. In view of this, they should be hanged.”
The judge described Shofolahan as a viper, saying “he acted like Judas Iscariot. He was friend to the Abiola family in the open and enemy in secret. He sacrificed his master (Abiola) because of his personal greed. He was a viper.”
The Appeal Court’s judgement yesterday read:
“In a criminal trial, the burden is to prove beyond reasonable doubt and this is a chain that cannot be broken. The prosecution listed four witnesses- PW 9, 10, 11 and 12 with which it intended to call in the trial, but never called any of them. PW 1 (Dr Ore Falomo) testified before the lower court that the bullet extracted from the forehead of the deceased, was white and of a special kind, but the prosecution failed to tender the bullet as exhibit and this is fatal to their case. The prosecution also called PW 4 (Investigating Police Officer) who investigated the death of the deceased, but this witness was never produced for cross examination by the defence, as he never showed up in court.
“This renders the evidence of the police officer inconclusive as it denied the defendants their right to fair hearing, and no reasonable court can safely make a conviction on such an inconclusive testimony. PW 2 (Sgt.Barnabas Jabila Mshelia, a.k.a. Sgt. Rogers) and PW 3( Mohammedd Abdul) in their confessional statements to the Police, said they were enjoined by the first appellant, (Al-Mustapha) to murder Kudirat, but this statement was later retracted by them in court. PW 2 and 3 in retracting their earlier statements to the Police told the court that they were cajoled by the prosecution to indict the appellant, with a promise to give them monetary compensation. This is a contradiction in the testimonies of the witnesses; it raises doubt in the case of the prosecution, and it is unimaginable that the lower court did not expunge this evidence.
“For an offence like murder, I wonder why the Nigerian Police did not do a proper investigation. Jabila who was initially arrested as co-defendant, was later called prosecution witness; witnesses who ought
to be called were never called, the bullet extracted was never tendered before the court. Once there is doubt in the case of the prosecution, as in the instant case, it must be resolved in favour of the accused, and this doubt is accordingly resolved in favour of the appellants.
“One thing is clear, Kudirat was shot, but the big question is: who pulled the trigger? I find nothing in this case which sufficiently links the appellants with the commission of the offence. It is preposterous that in a 326-page judgment, the lower court was only concerned with securing a conviction at all costs. Just as God is no respecter of persons, so also is this court. I hereby order that the appellants be discharged and acquitted while the conviction and sentence of the lower court, is hereby discharged.”
Vanguard

Malala vows not to be silenced by terrorists

 

NEW YORK CITY (AFP) – Pakistan teenager Malala Yousafzai vowed Friday not to be silenced by terrorists in a powerful speech to the United Nations on her first public appearance since being shot by the Taliban.
“They thought that the bullet would silence us, but they failed,” Malala said on her 16th birthday in a presentation in which she called for books and pens to be used as weapons.
“The terrorists thought that they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life, except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born,” she said.

Toorpekai Yousafzai, mother of Malala Yousafzai , the 16-year-old Pakistani advocate

Her 20 minute speech was given several standing ovations and was quickly hailed for her message of peace.
Malala, who wore a pink headscarf and a shawl that belonged to assassinated Pakistan leader Benazir Bhutto, insisted she did not want “personal revenge” against the Taliban gunman who shot her on a bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley on October 12 last year.
“I want education for the sons and daughters of the Taliban and all the terrorists and extremists. I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me I would not shoot him.”
But Malala said “the extremists were and they are afraid of books and pens, the power of education. The power of education silenced them. They are afraid of women.”
“Let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world. Education is the only solution,” she said.
The passionate advocate for girls education was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman as she road on a school bus near her home in Pakistan’s Swat Valley in October.
She was given life-saving treatment in Britain where she now lives, but the attack has given new life to her campaign for greater educational opportunities for girls.
Malala is now considered a leading contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Taliban have made it clear however that she remains a target.
Gordon Brown, the former British prime minister and UN special envoy for education, hailed Malala as “the bravest girl in the world” as he presented her at the UN Youth Assembly.
Brown said it was “a miracle” that Malala had recovered to be present at the meeting.
UN leader Ban Ki-moon and other top officials also hailed her achievements.
The speech in which Malala invoked the legacy of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and other legendary peace advocates brought quick praise.
Malala also thanked British doctors and nurses for the care they had given and the United Arab Emirates government for paying for her treatment.
“I cannot believe how much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good wish cards and gifts from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose innocent words encouraged me,” she said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said on his twitter account that Malala had delivered a “powerful message”.
The United Nations estimates that 57 million children of primary school age do not get an education — half of them in countries at conflict like Syria.
“Students and teachers across our globe are intimidated and harassed, injured, raped, and even killed. Schools are burned, bombed, and destroyed,” said Diya Nijhowne, director of the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack.
Nijhowne highlighted a horrific attack in northern Nigeria last week.

Malala Yousafzai

Gunmen from the Boko Haram Islamist group — whose name literally means “Western education is a sin” — broke into a secondary boarding school and killed 41 students and one teacher before setting fire to the building.
According to Ban’s annual report on children and conflict, 115 schools were attacked last year in Mali, 321 in the occupied Palestinian territory, 167 in Afghanistan and 165 in Yemen.
Pakistan has an estimated five million children out of school and Nigeria 10 million, according to UN estimates.

Vanguard

'Eebu tins' (insult extravaganza) by Pius Adesanmi

 

 Pius Adesanmi

It’s been ‘eebu tins’ (insult extravaganza) in the arena of political discourse and public commentary since this column decided to award itself an extended vacation five weeks ago. So massive has been the scramble for pottymouthing by critical segments of our commentariat that one was compelled to punctuate one’s vacation in favour of the occasional Facebook commentary on the matter. And the Nigerian penchant for flourish and exhaustiveness in negative matters means that we invaded the house of ‘eebu’ (insult) and appropriated all resources therein.
Name calling, bullying, catfighting, mudfighting, and roforofo became the building blocks of a colourful national orgy of insults and pottymouthing: Presidency versus Opposition; Presidency versus NGF; Presidency versus Media; Presidency versus former Facebook friends suffering from buyer’s remorse; NGF versus PDP Governors Forum; PDP versus PDP; PDP versus APC; APC versus APC; APC versus PDP; Jang versus Amaechi; Amaechi versus Jangjaweed Governors. In the middle of it all, the triumvirate of sophistry and chicanery, Doyin Okupe, Reuben Abati, and Reno Omokri, migrated their mouths from the gutter to a more scatological habitat in the pit latrine, trafficking in words unbecoming of any presidency as they engaged the Opposition while servicing the lies of a glaringly inept President Jonathan. With these three clowns throwing insults all over the place, D.O. Fagunwa would refer to Jonathan’s Aso Rock as ‘Eebudimeta’.
Sadly, the season of ‘eebu tins’ was contagious. It would have been an occasion for rejoicing had the season of national pottymouthing been restricted to the pestilential ranks of corrupt government officials and political actors for one’s heart is always gladdened when the rapists of Nigeria tear at each other while dancing naked in the public sphere.
President Jonathan fighting the NGF, Tambuwal and Wamakko clawing at Bamanga Tukur, Rotimi Amaechi and the Jangjaweed Governors pottymouthing one another are all occasions for rejoicing by the people. These are all instances of the Yoruba philosophy of ‘fun ra won ni won o ma fun ra won l’ogun je’. In other words, o ye people of Nigeria, rejoice and be merry whenever the corrupt rapists of our commonwealth feed each other poison. You do not need to inherit their cant and chicanery; their bickering; their pottymouthing; their pettiness; their irrationalities. For in the dead of night, when all doors are closed and you guys are still outside abusing each other along religious, tribal, and geopolitical fault-lines and lining up behind one political gladiator against the other, these guys close ranks, embrace, and declare aloota continua behind your backs.
There is one group of fellow citizens who, apparently, does not subscribe to the notion that we, the grass beneath the feet of the gorging elephants in the political class, do not need to tear at each other and spread the contagion of ‘eebu tins’ just because we support a particular political actor and believe that he is Junior Jesus and Deputy Mohammed combined. I am talking about the formidable armies of social media marketers of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and General Mohammadu Buhari who have taken on the task of marketing these two prominent figures of a very amorphous opposition to the broader Nigerian electorate. The methodology and strategies of these marketers have very serious implications for the democracy we all envisage and the Nigeria we all envision.
Asiwaju Tinubu’s claim to an oppositional/progressive patina stems from his investment in NADECO and the anti-Abacha struggle of the era, his relatively successful tenure as Lagos State Governor during which, we must admit, the foundation was laid for much of what Raji Fashola is doing today. It was also during his tenure in Lagos that the state became a model of resistance to Federal brigandage as he was largely able to resist what I call our “almajiri federalism”, which has state governors singing “asiri a bo bam bi Allah” all the way to Abuja, becoming cowering and conquered houseboys of an omnipotent President in the process. Rotimi Amaechi’s laudable resistance to Goodluck Jonathan’s arrogance of power today is nothing new. By successfully resisting Obasanjo’s crudeness, Tinubu paved the way for any Governor willing to remember that Federalism does not mean that states should become vassals of an arrogant centre with irrational powers. Is the pathetic Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa really a state governor today or Goodluck Jonathan’s palace eunuch?
Nigerians know the answer. Lagos is also where Asiwaju marshaled strategies and resources to eventually rid the southwest of the ruinous stranglehold of the PDP. He resisted Obasanjo in Abuja and also brought in new brooms to sweep away all the corrupt PDP governors that Ebora Owu had rigged into office in the southwest.
This is a broad summary of the achievements that have earned Asiwaju the right to become he who must be obeyed and never questioned in the world of his supporters. If these supporters were content with just sacrificing their own right to civic questioning, becoming marionettes, and letting Asiwaju take over the responsibility of thinking and deciding everything for them in the political and democratic sphere, that, I guess, would be their own kettle of fish. We must concede to every Nigerian his democratic right to be the political toilet paper of his own chosen hero among the gladiators in our public sphere. But Asiwaju’s fans are not content with worshipping their ordained orisha. They fan across social media as onward Christian soldiers, sorry, onward Asiwaju soldiers, trying to force-feed their idol intravenously into the Nigerian electorate in a manner that brooks no argument, opposition, or genuine debate.
Asiwaju, the argument goes, liberated the southwest from the PDP and his reward must be the everlasting silence of all Nigerians, even beyond the southwest. We should just all submit ourselves uncritically to his every whim, his every caprice, his every political calculus. We should just all become eternally grateful citizens of the nebulous empire that Asiwaju is building, no questions asked. To ask any question is to attract the ire of his supporters who mass in and rain insults on the critical questioner, blind as they are to the essence and meaning of democratic citizenship.
Democratic citizenship starts with my fundamental right to ask questions and probe the practices and politics of any participant in the political destiny of my country. If you are selling a political hero, democratic citizenship starts with my right to haggle, to critically examine the product you are attempting to sell to me, to ask questions about the provenance, usefulness, and durability of your product. Questions of worth and value are pertinent.
To put it in a popular Nigerian parlance, if you are selling Asiwaju to me, it is my right to price your market. Pricing your market in this respect means that I can raise very serious critical and ethical questions about the ruinous financial slavery of Lagos state – and increasingly the southwest – to one man today. I have the right to ask questions about tax collection processes in Lagos state. I have the right to raise an alarm over tolling at Lekki and where the money goes.
If you are selling Asiwaju to me, I have the right to wonder if you are not asking me to replace the corrupt dictatorship of the PDP at the centre with the no less corrupt one-man show of an aspiring emperor. I have the right to ask if you are asking me to replace Nigeria’s failed Federalism with Tinubu’s political empire, which is emerging somewhat parallel to and somewhat in opposition to that failed federalism at the centre. When I peep into this emergent political empire and I see things injurious to the spirit of democracy, I have the right to ask you questions if you persist in selling that product to me.
I could tell you that looking at the untidy way in which Asiwaju’s wife was imposed as a Senatorial candidate, the untidy way in which his choices are imposed as Local Government Chairmen everywhere he holds sway, the untidy way in which his choices are imposed as Governors everywhere he holds sway (until the Ondo rout), the untidy business of attempting to impose his daughter as the new Iyaloja of Lagos, the untidy way in which he and Chief Bisi Akande have privileged a rigid babacracy over internal party democracy in the political party over which they preside and, now, the absolutely horrible, undemocratic, and arrogant way in which he is trying to abort democracy in Ekiti by asking Opeyemi Bamidele to wait for his turn – I could look at all these things, all these dictatorial tendencies, the recurrence of the word ‘imposition’, and decide that the corrupt democracy of Aso Rock is better than the corrupt babacracy of Bourdillon Road. At least the pretense of democracy exists in Aso Rock whereas there is no room for even democratic pretense in Bourdillon road. Indeed, the unfolding outrage in Ekiti has confirmed my long-held suspicion that Bourdillon road is the most formidable antithesis to democracy in Nigeria now. I certainly hope that Opeyemi Bamidele will be buoyed by the precedence of Ondo and defy imposition and empire building.
When bold and patriotic compatriots raise these legitimate issues, Tinubu’s social media supporters, who have no liver for debate, resort to knee-jerk ‘eebu tins’. They rain insults and curse and curse again. They bully and intimidate the same people they are trying to persuade to adopt their orisha of Bourdillon. Yet, the very next minute, these devotees of the orisha of Bourdillon begin to hold out the southwest as an example of democracy to the rest of the country. They purport that the southwest has lessons to teach the rest of the country in democracy and its practices. I always wonder who dashed them the mouth to make such spurious submissions. Until the southwest deals with the untidy legacy of Tinubu’s impositions and his long-winding trail of subversion of democratic principles, they must understand that they have lost the mouth with which to contribute to broader national arguments about democratic ethos. The rest of the country would be justified if they told the southwest: abeg, make we hear word.
What goes for Tinubu’s supporters also goes for a vast majority of General Buhari’s supporters. Indeed, General Buhari’s avowed online loyalists make Tinubu’s supporters look like kindergarten pupils in the department of ‘eebu tins’. Unlike Tinubu’s supporters who are trying to sell a political orisha because their principal is trying to consolidate an empire rather than openly jostling for an elective office, General Buhari’s supporters are trying to sell a political candidate jostling for the office of President. They insist on the General’s personal capital: simplicity, integrity, leadership, zero-tolerance of corruption, sound moral and ethical stock. According to this narrative, corrupt politicians would scamper out of Nigeria were General Buhari ever to be elected President for he would not spare them.
So far so good. Things get a bit more complicated for General Buhari and his loyalists the moment you move beyond the General’s impeccable personal capital to other things you need to be acceptable to all Nigerians irrespective of tribe and creed. General Buhari’s loyalists are quick to insist that he is a pan-Nigerian statesman. His statements and actions suggest otherwise and when concerned Nigerians insist on raising that significant issue, the General’s loyalists, like Tinubu’s supporters, recourse to ‘eebu tins’ to sell their product. They curse and curse and curse. They rain insult upon insult on Nigerians for being simpletons who just can’t understand the General. One wrote an article in Sahara Reporters advising the General to withdraw from politics because he is too good for Nigeria or Nigerians aren’t good enough for him. The stupidity of claiming that 160 million of us are not good enough for or are undeserving of one of us was not apparent to this Buhari loyalist. I’ve encountered more bellicose variants of that insult coming from General Buhari’s army of online loyalists. Nigeria, they insist, is not ready for him because Nigeria is not good enough for him.
But the Nigerians who are being insulted by Buhari’s loyalists are not the people responsible for the persistent question mark on the General’s pan-Nigerian credentials. The General is and the blame must be placed firmly and unequivocally at his doorstep. General Buhari has done more in the last two decades or so to forge an image of himself as a closet geopolitical irredentist and very little to encourage perceptions of himself as a pan-Nigerian statesman. This is not limited to his healthy syllabus of northern and Islamic irredentist statements – his supporters are ever ready to insult us that we are just not intelligent enough to understand those statements – but also to his inaction. I will explain the bit about inaction presently.
Suffice it to say for now that the insults and curses rained on Nigerians daily by Buhari’s supporters are far worse than the treatment we get from Tinubu’s supporters. My stomach churns whenever I encounter pro-Buhari statements starting with such illogicalities as “Buhari is the only living Nigerian capable of this and that”. Really? Please! There are 160 million of us. There must be limits to hyperbole. And there is no greater insult than saying that 160 million of us are either too mischievous or too unintelligent to understand the repeated careless statements of your hero. Personally, I’m loath to have a President of Nigeria who constantly needs the service of the extra-talented geniuses in his core support base to explain his constant stream of misstatements and misspeaks to 160 million unintelligent simpletons. We must ask the question again: why is it that only fundamentalist loyalists have found the key to understanding General Buhari’s statements?
Now to Buhari’s inaction. We must ask his supporters: exactly where is Buhari’s national presence, say, since 2011? His statements, careless or reasonable, mostly get to the south of the river Niger whenever local journalists are lucky enough to monitor an interview he granted the Hausa service of BBC or VOA from his Kaduna base. I know that he was at my friend, Nasir El Rufai’s book launch in Lagos and was, also, recently at the funeral of Asiwaju’s mother in Lagos. There may be other unreported low-profile ventures outside of the north by the General. However, if I were in Buhari’s shoes, I would have been all over the Nigerian map physically since 2011. My social and political calendar across Nigeria would have been very busy and active. I would have been attending well-publicized events all over the country, delivering speeches on critical national issues in Universities all over Igboland, all over the south-south. I would even have ‘invaded’ Professor Bolaji Aluko’s fief in the Federal University, Otuoke, by delivering a significant lecture on critical national issues from that pregnant location. I would have been all over the southwest, the MiddleBelt – everywhere - engaging people and issues, strategizing about the way forward with critical stakeholders. Newspapers would be reporting that some of my national statements and interviews were monitored in Isanlu, Kabba, Amawbia, Nnobi, Calabar, Nsukka, Enugu, Okene, Owerri, Osogbo, Ore, Ibadan, Abakaliki, Ogwashi-Uku, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Ijebu Ode, Akure, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Warri, etc.
If , rather than cultivate this broad national praxis in the service of my presidential ambition, I cocoon myself mostly in Kaduna, releasing northern and Islamic irredentist statements to the rest of the country in interviews granted the Hausa service of BBC and VOA, going as far as to carelessly equate a legitimate clamp down on Boko Haram with a war against the North, I should be prepared to accept responsibility for a certain perception of myself and work very hard to address the issue. Genuine supporters of General Buhari have serious work to do. I know many of them, patriotic compatriots working tirelessly for Nigeria, convinced that General Buhari is a far better option than the disgrace currently residing in Aso Rock. They are not into the business of insulting Nigerians to sell their product.
They are my friends: Adebayo Adeneye-Adejuwon, Marian Iyabode Awolowo, Kizito Agba-Injo. One of them, Tunde Asaju, is my cousin. What these believers in the Buhari project must understand is that their genuine efforts to sell Buhari online is largely crowded out by the ill-reflected strategies of the more fundamentalist Buhari supporters who believe that the best way to sell their product is to constantly insult and bully Nigerians. Adebayo Adejuwon and co must understand that they have their work cut out for them. Not only must they continue to try to sell their product using the time-tested strategies of democratic debate and superior argument, they must also work harder to convince those who are trying to sell the General via insults that they are damaging Buhari’s brand – to borrow a way of speaking made popular by my sister Bamidele Ademola-Olateju. And unless they believe that General Buhari is infallible, they must be prepared to reach out to their hero, engage him, and see how he could work on the statesman and de-emphasize the northern irredentist. Accusing those asking questions of ill-will or inability to understand the General will not cut it.
Personally, I’m not on the Buhari train because I am not convinced me that we cannot find a Nigerian in the age bracket of 40-55 among 160 million people who fits the bill for 2015. As a friend of mine, Kemi Sisi Eko, once observed, there is something fundamentally wrong with you if you are a Nigerian in your  20s, 30s, or  40s and you insist that a septuagenarian is the singular and the only answer to your problem in the age of Obama, Cameron, Merkel, Harper, and Hollande. If I raise this issue, it is your responsibility as a Buhari loyalist to engage or confront me with superior logic and try to persuade me. Don’t come hurling insults at me, avoiding serious issues by claiming that I harbor some undefined animus against the General. That is the lazy strategy that General Buhari’s loyalists often deploy to kill genuine debate.
Building democracy is not just about the struggle to rid our country of a corrupt, comatose, and visionless leadership such as we currently have in Goodluck Jonathan; it is not just about the struggle to build credible and genuine institutions; it is also mostly about the need to forge, inform, and instruct a critical and civic-minded followership. A democracy without a followership that questions is doomed. And questioning does not mean criticizing Jonathan endlessly while being intolerant of any criticism of your own political orisha. By resorting ever so often to ‘eebu tins’ in the marketing of their heroes, too many supporters of Asiwaju Tinubu and General Buhari are endangering democracy. They are part of the problem. They are tolerating democracy only to the extent that their respective heroes shall neither be critiqued, questioned, nor engaged. Those of us whose singular premise is Nigeria – and not sacrosanct heroes – shall not allow this to happen. We shall continue to question, to critique, to engage.
Perish the thought that we shall ever allow the emergence of a Nigeria in which it would be possible for some citizens to crown political orishas that are deemed too good for some undeserving 160 million people. If you belong in the group of workers for Nigeria who are not beholden to any political orisha, then by all means  continue to raise very pertinent and critical issues whenever and wherever the loyalists of Tinubu and Buhari sell their heroes on social media. That is the stuff, the essence of democracy. Followers must be able to ask legitimate questions of other followers without being intimidated or insulted. That is the Nigeria we envisage and envision.
If Buhari’s or Tinubu’s loyalists insult you for asking questions, shrug your shoulders and tell them that insults do not grow on the forehead of the insulted or, as the Yoruba would put it, “eebu o so”.
Saharareporters

Battle for Osadebe House: Who’s next after Oshiomhole?

 

 

By Gabriel Enogholase, Benin
ALTHOUGH the next governorship election in Edo State is expected to hold in 2016, preparations are already in top gear across the state’s three senatorial districts, as politicians search for Comrade Governor Oshiomhole’s successor.
However, going by the principle of zoning which has been entrenched into Nigeria’s political lexicon, Edo North Senatorial district would certainly be left out of the governorship race as the incumbent governor hails from the zone.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole

So the coast is now clear for Edo South and Edo Central Senatorial districts to produce the next governor, and both districts seem to have drawn a battle line as far as the issue is concerned.
Since the advent of the current political dispensation in the state in 1999, Edo-South has presided over affairs for eight years in the person of Chief Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion (1999-2007) and  his Deputy, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe from Edo North.
Edo Central held the reins of power for one and half years under Prof. Oserhiemen Osunbor (2007- Nov. 2008) with Mr. Lucky Imansuen from Edo South as his Deputy; while Edo North is currently having its eight years in office under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole with Rt. Hon (Dr.) Pius Odubu from Edo South as his Deputy.
Against this backdrop, zoning of political offices, ethnic sentiments and horse trading are expected to play a major role in determining which of the aforementioned zones would produce the next governor of the state.
Having had a bitter experience following its defeat by the ACN in the 2012 governorship election, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, would not play to the gallery this time around regarding the choice of who flies its flag in 2016. While the party would want to adhere to its zoning formula; its strength in each zone, voting population, contributions of individuals as well as party loyalty and discipline would also come into play as far as who turns out to be its flagbearer is concerned.
As for the Action Congress of Nigeria,if APC sails through the INEC registration, the question of who becomes its gubernatorial candidate after Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is already raising dust.  While some would-be governorship aspirants are already warming up for the coveted seat, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s high-flying performance, acknowledged even by the World Bank, is expected to be one of the yard sticks that will determine the party’s choice.
According to the former Chief of General Staff, SSG, to the Lucky Igbinedion administration and currently the National Vice-Chairman (South- South) of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu at a recent lecture in Benin, “The fact is that the incumbent goveror, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has taken Edo State to a higher pedestal in developmental indices that was even acknowledged by the World Bank. Definitely, Edo people cannot accept anything less in the political credentials of those aspiring to that exalted office, as retrogression in development and lethargy in governance is now antithetical to the expected quality of governance in Edo State.
“Edo needs a grassroots political leader with a compassionate heart to connect with the suffering citizens and the under-privileged; a youthful face to reach out to the teeming youngsters seeking hope for tomorrow; a deeply religious politician as righteousness exalts a people and brings down the blessings of God; experienced enough to wisely dissect the counsel of the elderly in the political class, and popular nationally in the party to attract economic investments to Edo State”
Among those speculated to be interested in the race so far are: Dr. Joseph E. Ebidamiagbon, a UK-based Medical Doctor; Prof. Sylvanus Isi Oriakhi, based in the United States; Pastor Osagie Ize- Iyamu, Barr. Osarodion Ogie, Senator Ehigie Uzamere and former Governor Oserhiemen Osunbor. Also rumoured to be interested in the race is Arch. Mike Onolemenmen, current Minister of Worksand so on. There are several others who may indicate their interest in the race in the future.
Meanwhile, political pundits in the state are of the view that emphasis should be placed on prudence going by the loss of political equation Edo Central has witnessed as a result of the Court of Appeal’s ruling in 2008 when deciding prospective candidates by the parties.
Political observers also reason that following the drawbacks Edo Central Senatorial zone has experienced in the politics of Edo State in recent years, a possible consensus could lead to a formidable candidate from the zone on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, even with the high-profile names that are being rumoured to have shown interest in the governorship race from the zone.
The rumour making the rounds is that Arc. Mike Onolememen is highly favoured by the political class in the PDP, given that he is currently a source of leadership inspiration in the party and has attracted so many people with his maturity as a Minister of State, Defense and Minister of Works. He is also said to be enjoying the full support of the political leadership in Edo cutting across various political divides. If that ‘permutation’ is anything to go by, then there could be hope for the PDP in the future politics of the state. This, no doubt, will be a major hurdle for would-be candidates from other political parties – especially the ACN which the PDP is waiting to take advantage of.
Onolememen is believed to command a positive influence among the general public and he has endeared to himself a mature leadership ever since he became a Minister in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is also said to have displayed a high sense of leadership in the management of affairs even as a Minister of Works, and he could do better if given the opportunity as a Governor. In the words of the coordinator of Edo16 Network at the meeting, “Arc. Mike has shown enough competence right from when he was a Minister of State for Defense. Leadership is about vision and competence.”
In a position paper presented by a new pressure group, “Do 16 Network”, coordinated by Aihie Tom and Dr. Evans Uwadia at its inaugural meeting on Political Equation in Edo State recently, it posited that the emergence of any Governorship Candidate from the three Senatorial Districts should be of a great concern to every person that believes in the unity, fairness and progress of Edo State.
This, they believe, should be a lesson drawn from the crisis generated before, during and after the 2007 Governorship Election that eventually nosedived in 2008. The group, comprising members from the three senatorial districts in Edo, described Edo Central Senatorial Zone as the Political Wealth of Edo and wondered why a district with such a reputation should not be allowed to govern for two terms as experienced by the two Senatorial districts – Edo North and Edo South.
And for the ACN, Comrade Oshiomhole is very busy providing democratic dividends for the people of the state. For now, he is not thinking of grooming a possible successor although he has a major role to play in deciding who succeeds him.
The possible gladiators in the ACN are Oshiomhole’s deputy, Rt. Hon Dr. Pius Odubu, who is very loyal to his boss and has also paid his political dues in the state. Having served as a two-time lawmaker in the House of Representatives and another eight years as Deputy Governor, he has garnered enough experience and is  well equipped for the governance of the state if given the nod by his party.
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is not a stranger in the politics of the state. As a former Chief of Staff and SSG to the Lucky Igbinedion administration, he knows the workings of government in and out. And as one of those who promoted the Grace Group, he commands a lot of followership and has the political sagacity to perform in office if given the opportunity.
As for Barrister Osarodion  Ogie, the current Commissioner for Works, many see in him another Babatunde Fashola who as former Chief of Staff to Ahmed Bola Tinubu, under-studied his master. Ogie, an unassuming and quintessential team player, is one man many should watch out for in the race for Osadebe Avenue.
Senator Ehigie Uzamere, the two-time lawmaker representing Edo South in the Senate, is not a pushover also. He has the capacity to do battle with others  for the plum office when the right time comes.
Vanguard

Buying Pot For My 11-Year-Old

I am standing in line in one of our state's legal pot clubs, which sells marijuana to anyone with a doctor's letter of recommendation. The "patients" look similar to the customers in a middle-market liquor store. There are a preponderance of frat boys and surfer dude-types, women with tattooed shoulders and piercings and a few older folks, who might be military vets fallen on hard times. Most of us look like we are shopping for something to put the spark into Saturday night, but I am here in the hope that marijuana will help my 11-year-old daughter enjoy her food once again.
It had started after Natasha had finished craniospinal radiation, following her brain tumor recurrence. Gradually, eating had become a chore. She stopped eating meat and then fish. Pasta was "too chewy" and potatoes "too heavy." For a while, my smoothies curbed her weight loss, until she asked me to skip the peanut butter, then the ice cream, and eventually even the banana. My protein-packed high-calorie smoothie had become a low-calorie berry juice, better suited for an extreme weight-loss enthusiast. The drug Periactin, which is often used in cancer patients to restore appetite, failed to work and so did Marinol, an FDA-approved synthetic marijuana. Could the real deal be more potent? A search on the Internet indicated that it might be.
I respond to the call for the "next patient" at the pot club. What am I interested in purchasing, asks the sales assistant whose slurred speech suggests that he might be a patient himself. We settle on a strain of marijuana with THC and CBD levels that minimize the buzz and boost appetite. I purchase a tincture, hop into the car and prepare dinner, my hopes rising that I might have found the ultimate unorthodox fix-it. Minutes after taking the tincture, Natasha's posture droops, her speech slows and she bursts into sporadic gales of maniacal laughter. I take advantage of the apparent good humor and feed her spoonfuls of chicken-noodle soup. After spoonful number four, Natasha's eyes start to close.
Over the next several months we make multiple trips to the pot club, ordering chewables and tinctures with different configurations of CBD and THC. Nothing helps her appetite. Our oncologist talks about a feeding tube. My daughter is about to start sixth grade in a brand new school. A feeding tube in addition to her permanent bald patch? Not the best way for the new kid to blend in. Against our endocrinologist's recommendation, our oncologist prescribes Megace ES, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone. After two weeks, I notice Natasha eating half a watermelon in one sitting. After a month, she is enjoying a highly eclectic diet of pho, orange juice, dried seaweed and crackers. The weight loss stalls.
But I don't give up on the pot club. A handful of small studies show that marijuana may be helpful to brain tumor patients. One study demonstrates that it inhibits the genes needed for the production of a protein that makes the blood vessels required for a brain tumor to thrive. For more than a year, Natasha takes a capsule or tincture before she goes to sleep at night.
At a retreat for parents of children with brain tumor and neuroblastoma, a group of us discuss alternative treatments. One parent mentions vitamins, another brings up curcumin. I mention our foray into the pot club.
One mother insists she would never give her child pot. An interesting perspective and one that is shared by many parents in Cancerland.
Why the resistance? My daughter underwent conformal radiation, craniospinal radiation, systemic chemo and experimental targeted chemo. The risks and side effects for these treatments are depletion of the body's immune system and subsequent infections including potentially fatal ones; brain hemorrhage, secondary cancers, including a rare and incurable form of leukemia, and benign and malignant brain tumors.
Marijuana never did save Natasha's life. But neither did the mainstream treatments. I'll take the side effects of the other stuff, please.
HuffingtonPost

General Buhari and the Mountebanks of PDP

General Muhammad Buhari is certainly a man of few words and as with such people, their words carry great substance and weight. So the reaction to his comment in Kaduna few days ago came not as a surprise. Those who hate him have been busy, with each one jumping over the other to respond.

Here is the transcript of what he said on Monday, 14th May, 2012 in Kaduna, he spoke in Hausa:

I have come out to thank you for coming after I have discussed with your Chairman, your Senator, your members of the House of Representatives, State Assembly and the leaders of your party.
They made remarks, but the Chairman’s statement was written and he has given it to journalists, and since he has given it to them, it has become public knowledge. The others that have made remarks included the man that contested the governorship election, the CPC leader of Niger State lawmakers, Senator Ibrahim and the leader of CPC elders in Niger state.
In my own remarks, I showed my gratitude because of how you the CPC members in Niger State have reached cohesion by cooperation, and our strength in the state has manifested in the hard work our representatives are doing. They have vindicated our party, because they are keeping the trust reposed on them by the people that voted for them.
I thank you very much and I apologise because I came late. You that came from Niger have even arrived at my office before me. I apologise. I received two party officials that came from Abuja, they came in the morning that is why I came late, I apologise.
I thank you very much, I wish you safe journey back home, and you should continue to be patient. I and the leaders of your party have decided that by the grace of Allah in 2015, either there will be fair election or it will be a tough contest where nobody will find it funny.
I have discussed with Kaduna people recently because of what has happened that took us even to the Supreme Court, but it still happened in Kogi, Adamawa and Sokoto bye- elections.
In Kaduna, the Igabi case has become famous where they voted senator, voted representatives and the party leaders, just as you are here now, moved and stayed there, until CPC was given her rightful vote.
Therefore, in 2015, all wards in Nigeria should become Igabi, otherwise we should leave politics and assume we are slaves, and continue living in slavery. Thank you very much, May Allah help us.

But below is the summary of what was reported he said by our incompetent, irresponsible and bias government influenced media outlets:
“In 2015, there must be a free and fair election or there will be a serious crisis…God willing by 2015, something will happen. They either conduct a free and fair election or they go a very disgraceful way …. If what happened in 2011 should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.”

The Hausa proverb kare jini biri jini which mean tough resistance was mischeviouly translated by the journalists present to mean the baboon and the dog will be soaked in blood. The direct translation is “the dog will bleed and the monkey will bleed” which means a hunter dog that try to catch a monkey definitely will have a tough resistance.

The Southern and Christian dominated media community have been consistent in their attempt to misrepresent General Buhari at every opportunity they get. During the invents leading up to the last General Elections, the media and Jonathan’s campaign strategy was to portray Buhari as a regional leader because of his popularity and love among average Northerners. They also tried to portray him as a religious bigot who wants to Islamise Nigeria even when his running mate was a renowned Christian Evangelist, Pastor Tunde Bakare.

The hate campaign against Buhari is historical in nature, in 2000, Buhari was invited to a book launch in Dan Fodio University, Sokoto. At the event he was called upon to make a comment which he did. The next day they was a screaming headline that Buhari said Muslims should only vote Muslims and all hell went lose. He was castigated and insulted by columnists and writers all over the country. Christian leaders were furious and most of them without verifying rain torrent of insults on the Rtd General. Distinguished gentle man, Rev. Mathew Hassan Kukah, were among the few that took their time to verify from Buhari himself, what he said. It turn out Buhari merely said vote for good men whether they are from Borno, Katsina, Sokoto or wherever. The media reported something else and till today some still use the alleged statement against him despite the fact of the present of video recordings of the event that confirmed Buhari side of the story. See the full text of Rev. Mathew Hassan Kukah essay here

Buhari’s Monday comment in Kaduna once again opened him up for coordinated attacks from the media, PDP, the Presidency and others. (For more on media bias see Boko Haram, Media, and Government: Three Sides of the same Coin , Vanguard Nigeria Newspaper: A Dangerous Tool of Disunity and Religious Bigotry and The Sun’s Phenomenal Bias in Reporting the Jos Crises.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Criminal Club, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, were among the first to respond to Buhari. His response was mainly full with obscenities and blackmail calling the General “blood thirsty”. The clown interpreted the General’s statement as “a shameless call to spill blood of innocent Nigerians”. Sometimes its hard to believe that these PDP people can read anything other than Naira figures.

If, for example, I say Government should come out with policies to check carbon emissions otherwise the effect of global warming could have negative consequence on us all, only a drunk will imply I want earth to burn.

Chief Olisa built his case on a defective premise and went on a voyage of obscenities, affronts and foulness in an attempt to blackmail the personality of General Buhari. At worst, Buhari’s comment was merely a warning for those who wants to rig elections in 2015, and from the reactions, it is clear they hope to rig again and get away with it as usual. One is left to wonder how a member of a debased and infamous organisation like PDP could shamelessly accuse Buhari, of all people, of being blood thirsty.

PDP was the party in power when Soldiers massacred innocent Nigerians at Odi, Bayelsa State because they stood up against Corporate injustice and destruction of their environment, an incident that exacerbated and escalated militancy in the Niger Delta. The same murderers accused Buhari of over-throwing a grossly corrupt and undisciplined administration of Sheun Shagari in a BLOODLESS coup.

The same PDP was in charge in 2009, when Police and Military officers went on a killing spray in Maiduguri. When security officers acted like criminals with licence guns lying people with beards and jumping trousers on the ground and executing them in the street on mere allegations of being Boko Haram members ( see Critical Appraisal of the Boko Haram Insurgence and Boko Haram, Media and Government: Three Sides of the same Coin ). This incident and others marked the genesis of Boko Haram insurgency that have claimed the lives of hundreds in Nigeria today. These crop of debased murderers and incompetent heavyweight accused Buhari of post election violence which they caused themselves, encouraged and benefitted from. How can you blame Buhari for violence that killed over 1000 of his supporters in Kaduna alone? See the report of the massacre of Buhari supporters in Kaduna here. He was rigged out and his supporters were killed yet halfwits and dunderheads blame him.

On the part of the federal Government, Reuben Abati started by describing Buhari’s Statement as unfortunate. It is indeed unfortunate that for 13 years PDP have violated everything that could have be held sacred in the country with their corrupt, visionless and purposeless leadership. It took them less than 24 hours to reply Buhari, but they have shamelessly stayed quiet for several days over the National Judicial Council (NJC) recommendation for the reinstatement Justice Salami.

Just as expected, the cartoon character, Reuben Abati, went into the realm of fairy tails about how Buhari did not compaign in some states blah blah blah nonsense. It is people with failed memories that believes in such garbage. Buhari was in the South for compaign as he was in the North. You can only blame him for not having stolen resources for massive Campaign. In the North all he did was rent a venue and made paid announcement on BBC Radio and the people turn out in thousands to meet him. This was the same thing he did in states of the South, but due to the peculiarities of the Southern regions, it was not as effective as was witnessed in the North. Buhari obviously was not having the resources to do more than he did, yet he was schedule to win until the PDP had to massively rigged the Election.

During the last Voters Registration and General Elections, I was a Corp member serving in Lokoja, Kogi State and I was posted to Dekina Local Government Area of the State. I personally witnessed how PDP shamelessly rigged the elections in the very large LGA. PDP agents were on our neck to register children, and on the day of elections, to inflate votes. The much talked about Election Observers were boys on the payroll of the presidency. “Observers” were pressuring INEC staffs to allow PDP thumb print unused ballot paper in favour of Goodluck Jonathan. I was personally approached by INEC accredited election monitors to rig for PDP, I was threatened by PDP agents because unlike others I refused to give in. So if a person says to me that the last General Election were free and fair, I just think of him to be another dishonest PDP member or a stupid Nigerian.

Even in Jonathan’s Bayelsa state, PDP had to rig to be sure of winning. See this link for accounts of how some elections were rigged in Bayelsa.

In Imo State, it was Home Video, in the hotly contested Governorship election between Rochas Okorocha, Ohiakim and twelve others, the result indicated that about 50% of the registered voters came out to vote, that is about 800,000 people. By any standard this was considered high. But earlier, during the Presidential Election, INEC told us that about 83% of the registered voters came out to vote and almost all voted for Jonathan alone. So the clowns wants us to believe that around 1.4 million people in Imo State came out to vote for Jonathan during the Presidential Election, but in the Governorship Election that was hotly contested and held more significant, only around 800,000 people voted for the 14 candidates. Cock and bull stories.

I do not believe in fairy tales, to believe Jonathan genuinely won the last Presidential Election is to believe in anything from Super-Man to Hallow man.

What Reuben Abati and others don’t know is that, Buhari is more than a Politician or a Statesman to most of us, he is our hero and a living model to exemplify. He is a man with exceptional qualities and he is acknowledged for his simplicity, honesty and discipline. When he spoke that Monday, he spoke for me, a Niger Deltan, as well as Millions of others all over the Country and beyond.

Buhari floated a Political Party (Congress of Progressive Change (CPC)), without the usual funfair that is associated with it, but his unblemished record endeared it to people from all works of life, tribe and faith. The party grew from strength to strength, because of the goodwill and trust millions of Nigerians had on him.

Who are the buffoons that dare to speak ill of Buhari? Who dem bi? Buhari is most certainly the most beloved Nigerian today. Those who love him do so unconditionally and wholeheartedly, while those who hate him do so out of prejudice, bigotry, fear, ignorance and foolishness.

Buhari is a man of honour, a selfless,
consistent, patient and discipline
General, in my heart I hold him dearly. The names of those that prosecute Buhari unjustly, will one day be lost or be written on the dark side of history, but the name “Muhammad Buhari” will, God’s willing, be engraved in the heart of history as his love is engraved in the heart of millions.

IGHO HAKEEM OHWOJEHERI

naijainfoman'snotes

BUHARI’S FIRST SPEECH AFTER THE MILITARY COUP OF 31ST DECEMBER 1983

General Muhammadu Buhari

In pursuance of the primary objective of saving our great nation from total collapse, I, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari of the Nigerian army have, after due consultation amongst the services of the armed forces, been formally invested with the authority of the Head of the Federal Military Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is with humility and a deep sense of responsibility that I accept this challenge and call to national duty.

As you must have heard in the previous announcement, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1979) has been suspended, except those sections of it which are exempted in the constitution. The change became necessary in order to put an end to the serious economic predicament and the crisis of confidence now afflicting our nation. Consequently, the Nigerian armed forces have constituted themselves into a Federal Military Government comprising of a Supreme Military Council, a National Council of States, a Federal Executive Council at the centre and State Executive Councils to be presided over by military governors in each of the states of the federation. Members of these councils will be announced soon. The last Federal Military Government drew up a programme with the aim of handing over political power to the civilians in 1979. This programme as you all know, was implemented to the letter. The 1979 constitution was promulgated.
However, little did the military realise that the political leadership of the second republic will circumvent most of the checks and balances in the constitution and bring the present state of general insecurity. The premium on political power became so exceedingly high that political contestants regarded victory at elections as a matter of life and death struggle and were determined to capture or retain power by all means. It is true that there is a worldwide economic recession.

However, in the case of Nigeria, its impact was aggravated by mismanagement. We believe the appropriate government agencies have good advice but the leadership disregarded their advice. The situation could have been avoided if the legislators were alive to their constitutional responsibilities; Instead, the legislators were preoccupied with determining their salary scales, fringe benefit and unnecessary foreign travels, et al, which took no account of the state of the economy and the welfare of the people they represented.

As a result of our inability to cultivate financial discipline and prudent management of the economy, we have come to depend largely on internal and external borrowing to execute government projects with attendant domestic pressure and soaring external debts, thus aggravating the propensity of the outgoing civilian administration to mismanaged our financial resources. Nigeria was already condemned perpetually with the twin problem of heavy budget deficits and weak balance of payments position, with the prospect of building a virile and viable economy.

The last general election was anything but free and fair. The only political parties that could complain of election rigging are those parties that lacked the resources to rig. There is ample evidence that rigging and thuggery were relative to the resources available to the parties. This conclusively proved to us that the parties have not developed confidence in the presidential system of government on which the nation invested so much material and human resources. While corruption and indiscipline have been associated with our state of under-development, these two evils in our body politics have attained unprecedented height in the past few years. The corrupt, inept and insensitive leadership in the last four years has been the source of immorality and impropriety in our society.

Since what happens in any society is largely a reflection of the leadership of that society, we deplore corruption in all its facets. This government will not tolerate kick-backs, inflation of contracts and over-invoicing of imports etc. Nor will it condone forgery, fraud, embezzlement, misuse and abuse of office and illegal dealings in foreign exchange and smuggling. Arson has been used to cover up fraudulent acts in public institutions. I am referring to the fire incidents that gutted the P&T buildings in Lagos, the Anambra State Broadcasting Corporation, the Republic Building at Marina, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Capital Development Authority Accounts at Abuja and the NET Building. Most of these fire incidents occurred at a time when Nigerians were being apprehensive of the frequency of fraud scandals and the government incapacity to deal with them. Corruption has become so pervasive and intractable that a whole ministry has been created to stem it.

Fellow Nigerians, this indeed is the moment of truth. My colleagues and I – the Supreme Military Council, must be frank enough to acknowledge the fact that at the moment, an accurate picture of the financial position is yet to be determined. We have no doubt that the situation is bad enough. In spite of all this, every effort will be made to ensure that the difficult and degrading conditions under which we are living are eliminated. Let no one however be deceived that workers who have not received their salaries in the past eight or so months will receive such salaries within today or tomorrow or that hospitals which have been without drugs for months will be provided with enough immediately. We are determined that with the help of God we shall do our best to settle genuine payments to which government is committed, including backlog of workers’ salaries after scrutiny.

We are confident and we assure you that even in the face of the global recession, and the seemingly gloomy financial future, given prudent management of Nigeria’s existing financial resources and our determination to substantially reduce and eventually nail down rises in budgetary deficits and weak balance of payments position. The Federal Military Government will reappraise policies with a view to paying greater attention to the following areas: The economy will be given a new impetus and better sense of direction. Corrupt officials and their agents will be brought to book.

In view of the drought that affected most parts of the country, the federal government will, with the available resources, import food stuffs to supplement the shortfalls suffered in the last harvest. Our foreign policy will both be dynamic and realistic. Africa will of course continue to be the centre piece of our foreign policy. The morale and combat readiness of the armed forces will be given high priority. Officers and men with high personal and professional integrity will have nothing to fear.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria and all other holders of judiciary appointments within the federation can continue in their appointments and the judiciary shall continue to function under existing laws subject to such exceptions as may be decreed from time to time by the Federal Military Government. All holders of appointments in the civil service, the police and the National Security Organisation shall continue to exercise their functions in the normal way subject to changes that may be introduced by the Federal Military Government.

All those chairmen and members of statutory corporations, parastatals and other executive departments are hereby relieved of their appointments with immediate effect.

The Federal Military Government will maintain and strengthen existing diplomatic relations with other states and with international organisations and institutions such as the Organisation of African Unity, the United Nations and its organs, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, ECOWAS and the Commonwealth etc. The Federal Military Government will honour and respect all treaties and obligations entered into by the previous government and we hope that such nations and bodies will reciprocate this gesture by respecting our country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Fellow Nigerians, finally, we have dutifully intervened to save this nation from imminent collapse. We therefore expect all Nigerians, including those who participated directly or indirectly in bringing the nation to this present predicament, to cooperate with us. This generation of Nigerians, and indeed future generations, have no country other than Nigeria. We shall remain here and salvage it together.May God bless us all. Good morning.

NaijaInfoman'snotes