Farida Waziri Disclaims Letter Written To Obasanjo, Threatens To Sue

Former chairperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Farida Waziri has disowned a letter purportedly written by her pleading with former President Olusegun Obasanjo prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan to renew her tenure in office for a second term.

Mrs Waziri said the letter was a “total forgery” and threatened to seek legal redress against those responsible for the forgery.
“The letter is a total forgery. I had no such contact or communication with former President Obasanjo,” she said in response to an enquiry. “I might consider legal action against them because what they have done is criminal.”
In the letter dated June 24, 2011, and printed on a purported EFCC official headed paper, Mrs Waziri allegedly promised to bring former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel to book for his “atrocities” and “insult” to the former president which resulted in his daughter, Senator Iyabode Obasanjo losing her election to the Senate for a second term.
The sudden emergence of the letter followed on the heels of recent war of words between former President Obasanjo and Mrs Waziri over her credibility and performance during her tenure as head of the EFCC.
In separate interviews granted Zero Tolerance, a magazine published by the EFCC media unit, Mr. Obasanjo picked holes with Mrs Waziri’s appointment by questioning her competence for the anti-corruption top job.
He also stated that information at his disposal suggested that Mrs Waziri was head hunted by a former Delta State governor, James Ibori, who is currently in jail for corruption.

But Mrs Waziri denied the claims by the former president insisting that she was very qualified to head the anti-graft agency. She also threatened to expose Mr Obasanjo’s shady dealings.
The sender of the letter she allegedly wrote to Mr Obasanjo made it clear the note was in response to the threat to expose Mr Obasanjo.
Mrs Waziri disclaimed the content of the letter and accused a “corrupt US-based lawyer and a UK-based blogger” of collaborating to forge the letter and circulating it on the Internet.
See letter below

InformationNigeria

Kidnapped Anglican Archbishop Regains Freedom

The Dean of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Archbishop Ignatius Kattey has regained his freedom from kidnappers’ den.

Kattey, who was abducted along with his wife, Beatrice last week Friday along Aleto-Eleme in Eleme Local Government Area of River States but she was later dropped off, was freed on Saturday night.
Confirming the development, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Angela Agabe said the clergyman was rescued by the police and other security forces.
As at the time of filing this report, it is unclear if any arrests were made in connection with the kidnap or if there was any shoot-out between the security forces and the kidnappers during the operation to free Archbishop Kattey.

InformationNigeria

Odimegwu Was Right, Previous Census Manipulated In Favour Of North – Afenifere

The pan-Yoruba socio cultural group, Afenifere, has disagreed with the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF and some northern leaders over their call for the removal of Chief Festus Odimegwu as Chairman of the National Population Commission.

Afenifere said Mr. Odimegwu should be allowed to conduct the 2016 census.
It would be recalled that last month, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State called for the removal of the NPC chairman after he was widely reported in the media as insinuating that the 2006 census was manipulated to favour a section of the country.
The Presidency had subsequently queried Odimegwu over the statement credited to him.
Apparently not satisfied with the query, the National Working Committee of the ACF issued a communiqué urging the Federal Government to relieve Mr. Odimegwu of his job.
But Afenifere threw its weight behind the embattled NPC chairman saying the call for his sack was misplaced and instead rallied support for Mr. Odimegwu, who they believed would conduct Nigeria’s first credible census in 2016.
He said, “What Odimegwu said is not new, even the former census boss at Adekunle Ajasin University in 2006, said the same thing, that since 1816, no census has been credible in Nigeria. The reason why the North is against Odimegwu is that they know that for the first time, census would be conducted by a credible census board in Nigeria. They are trying to defend their unjust gains through manipulations of previous census exercises.”

Odumakin stated that due to the manipulation of census figures in the past, the North had gained undue political advantages over the South.
He said, “It is on the basis of manipulated census that the North, which was one out of three regions we had in the country, now has 19 states, while the Western and Eastern regions have 17 states combined. In the First Republic, Lagos and Kano were divisions.
“Today, Kano has been divided into Kano and Jigawa states, with 77 local government areas shared between the two’ Lagos has remained one state, with about 20 local governments.
“It is also on the basis of this that the North-West and the North-East have enough representatives in the National Assembly to initiate the impeachment of the President; they can influence things because of this manipulation of census. There is nothing wrong in what Odimegwu said. He said the truth.
“In fact, by the time he made the statement, the Independent National Electoral Commission was embarking on delineation of constituency, which was seriously contested. If it was done, the far North would have lost some constituencies, and the South would have gained more constituencies based on 2006 census. That is why they (northerners) are up-in-arms against Odimegwu conducting 2016 census.”

InformationNigeria

I dislike cosmetic surgery – Kema Chikwe

Kema Chikwe

After forty minutes of talking to Kema Chikwe, former Minister of Aviation, Ambassador to Ireland and Women Leader, Peoples Democratic Party, one cannot ignore her infectious humility and friendliness.

According to her, these qualities stem from her childhood and parental background which she says kept her well-grounded.

“I grew up in a sophisticated and elitist environment because my father, Nathan Ejiogu, was the Chief Inspector of Education and a household name in Eastern Nigeria.  But he always told us that we needed to do well because people will employ us on the basis of our educational qualification and not on the basis of our relationship with Ejiogu.  When he died as the Chairman, Public Service Commission, East Central State, we started struggling for ourselves.  As highly respected as he was then, my father was very grounded and related to everybody in a down to earth manner,” she says.

Now a grandmother, Chikwe who has been active in public service for over two decades, says it is very important for women to always strike a balance between home and work. She states that her home is very important to her even as a public figure.

“I like to be down to earth in everything I do. When I come back home, I am no longer minister, ambassador or women leader,  I am just the matriarch of my family. I make sure that my family eats well. I cook, I supervise the house and make sure that everywhere is clean. I go to the market to buy foodstuff for my home and I call my children every night before I go to sleep; I visit the school where my grandchildren are to participate in activities with other parents and to hang out with them on their special days,” she says.

Relieving fond memories of her childhood, she says her father was very strict and it was difficult to convince him to allow her attend parties. She states, “If there was a party, we would be very nice around the house four weeks before the date. Since informing him about the party was very difficult, my siblings would always nominate my sister, Ngozi, and myself to announce the party to him.  My father would be disappointed because he did not understand why children like us should be interested in parties. He would then start preaching to us but of course, since our minds were not on the sermon, we would continue to scheme, until he would finally agree. However, he would ask the driver to take us to the venue and wait for us.  On getting to the party venue, we would give the driver money to go home because if he waited, it meant we would go home after about one hour but if he went home, we would stay for as long as the party lasted.  My father was not easy to dribble but we always came up with excuses that would allow us the freedom we wanted. We would say we wanted to visit friends but we would all have a meeting point where all our friends from the various homes who had given their parents the same excuse would meet and proceed to the party venue.   All our parties were like Cinderella parties, at a particular time, we would all rush home.”

Kema who met her  husband, Chief Albert Chikwe, through her father,  recalls the encounter, “He was a diplomat based in France and my father  had invited him to our house because he wanted to give him a letter to deliver to my sister who was in  a university in France.  When he saw me, he told his parents that he had seen a girl he wanted to marry. With encouragement from his parents, his  family approached mine and that was how we got married. We did not date before then since it was unethical for a girl to expose herself to a man who wanted to marry her before the parents had given their consent.”

Mother to Nigerian rapper, Naeto C, Chikwe says she disagreed with his music career and attempted to prevent him from pursuing his passion.

“Naeto’s first degree was in Biology, we were in America then and he was supposed to be a medical doctor, but he was also very talented in poetry.  He started writing lyrics for his friends and I noticed that in between going to classes for exam into medical school, he would branch into the studio and I just did not like the studio idea.  I started chasing him around. My husband thought I was supporting him but I was not, I was pushing him away from music. I would go to the studio to try to stop him but he would disarm me with his charming ways and I would leave him alone,” she says.

One day, she fell in love with a particular music and had no idea her son was the singer. “I was in the car and I heard a very fine music on radio done in collaboration with Hugh Masekela of South Africa, I was enjoying the music so much that I instructed my driver to get me the CD.   At the same time, the radio announcer said the song was done by Naeto C in collaboration with Hugh Masekela. When I heard it, I was embarrassed because my driver knew that I was not supporting him,” she adds.

Continuing the glowing tribute to her famous son, Chikwe says, “He is very good in research, very knowledgeable; he is somebody who will apply his attention to everything he sets his mind on. He obtained an admission to study Oil and Gas in Scotland but later switched to Energy Economics. According to him, he would like to be known as an economist. Right now, he is in London at the Oxford University taking a course in Energy Economics.  He is there with his wife and baby.  He is a son any mother would want.  In December, he bought me very expensive jewellery and said he had saved up some money to thank me for everything I did for him.”

On the secret of her looks, Chikwe who has managed to stay trim and pretty after all these years has this to say:

 “The important thing is that I don’t engage in dangerous beauty activities like surgery and injections, I try to eat right. The grace of God is sufficient for me and I have inward happiness.  I pursue my own desires; I don’t bother about other people.”

Also about her style, she notes, “I like to dress very well and I like to be complemented on my dressing. Dressing announces the presence of the wearer.  I don’t want to be seen as not well dressed at all, I don’t want to be caught unawares. But I would never wear short dresses, sleeveless or shorts.

“I believe fashion should be according to the function you are attending. These days you see people wearing evening dresses in the morning and afternoon, they think it is a joke, it is not a joke.  I like women to be appropriately dressed. I try to be modest with jewellery so as not to attract the wrong attention to myself.”

 

Punch

'Blurred Lines' Banned By University Student Union

Robin Thicke's chart-topping "Blurred Lines" has been banned by a university student union for allegedly promoting non-consensual sex.
The Edinburgh University Students' Association won't allow the hit song to be played in union buildings as part of a larger policy to "End Rape Culture and Lad Banter on Campus," according to the BBC.
The policy was first enacted in March of this year in an attempt to counter "myths and stereotypes around sexual violence" and "dangerous victim-blaming views about women who experience rape and sexual violence."
"The decision to ban 'Blurred Lines' from our venues has been taken as it promotes an unhealthy attitude towards sex and consent," student union vice president Kirsty Haigh told the BBC. "There is a zero tolerance towards sexual harassment, a policy to end lad culture on campus and a safe space policy - all of which this song violates."
Thicke's song has been criticized as "creepy" and "rape-y" since it skyrocketed in popularity this summer. The chorus of "I hate these blurred lines, I know you want it," has come under particular scrutiny. "Call me a cynic," feminist blogger Lisa Huyne wrote, "but that phrase does not exactly encompass the notion of consent in sexual activity … Seriously, this song is disgusting -- though admittedly very catchy."
Thicke, for his part, has dismissed the accusations that the song promotes rape and says that his lyrics have been "misconstrued."
"If you listen to the lyrics, it says, 'That man is not your maker.' It's actually a feminist movement within itself," Thicke said during a July appearance on the "Today" show. It's saying that women and men are equals as animals and as power. It doesn't matter if you're a good girl or a bad girl, you can still have a good time."

HuffingtonPost

Jonathan, Rebel Govs In Make-or-Mar Meeting

President Goodluck Jonathan and seven aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors will today hold a crucial meeting that will determine the future of the factionalised ruling party.
Already, there are strong indications that the peace meeting may end in a stalemate.
The first indication came from the Presidency on Friday, when it said the President would not meet any of the demands of the aggrieved governors and other members of the New PDP.
Also sounding unyielding, the National Chairman of the New PDP, Mr. Kawu Baraje, on Friday, said the aggrieved leaders of the party and the G-7 governors would give Jonathan a deadline at today’s meeting.
Their demands include the sacking of the National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Bamanga Tukur; sticking to one-term tenure by the President by foregoing seeking re-election in 2015, and stopping the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from further investigating the governors.
Others are resolution of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum crisis and the recall of the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, from suspension.
But the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, in an interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, insisted that Jonathan would not meet the governors’ demands.
Gulak said the decision was based on the fact that the demands were unconstitutional and the President would not identify with anything strange to the nation’s extant laws.
The presidential aide added that it was wrong for any individual or group to give the President conditions.
He said, “Please note that no individual or group can give the President conditions.
“Let me say again that all the demands being made by these governors are unconstitutional. The conditions, be it the call for the sacking of Bamanga Tukur; be it the call for the EFCC to stop its work by not investigating them; be it the call on the President to abridge his rights under the law and not contest for second term; all the conditions are strange to the extant laws of this country.
“I have said it before and I don’t want to be repeating myself on this issue because our position has not changed on the matter. The conditions are unconstitutional. The President will not meet them.”
Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the Tukur-led faction, Mr. Olisa Metuh, said Baraje had derailed from the path he was following while serving as the acting national chairman of the party.
Metuh, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the telephone, said while in office, Baraje insisted that the activities of the party must not be discussed in the media.
He said Baraje’s new stance was not in consonance with PDP’s constitution.
He said, “It is unfortunate that the former acting chairman has derailed. He was a stickler for the rule of law while here; he insisted that the party’s matter must not be taken to the pages of newspapers and also said the party’s machinery must be used to settle party issues.
“Why did he change? Does he have any sinister motive? But let me add that because we are talking about reconciliation, that is not a licence to give unnecessary conditions.”
Metuh appealed to members of the party to remain calm, assuring that the crisis would soon be resolved.
But one of the aggrieved governors, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said they would not abandon Amaechi, who they said the President would want them to abandon.
He said they would also insist on all the conditions earlier given for reconciliation.
The governor said, “We won’t abandon any of us, including Amaechi. That is a promise from me and my colleagues. We won’t yield to blackmail on this matter. We don’t want to be dubbed as betrayers on this matter because it is a collective matter.”
Jonathan and four of the aggrieved governors, namely Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers); Babangida Aliyu (Niger); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto) and Muritala Nyako (Adamawa), had on Sunday met with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting was reported to have ended in a deadlock as the President rejected the governors’ demand for the removal of Tukur as the party’s national chairman.
The PDP was factionalised on August 31, 2013, when seven governors and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar walked out of the party’s mini-convention in Abuja to form a faction.

Naij

Ex-governor Olusegun Agagu, hypertensive says son

Mr Feyi Agagu, the first son of the late Dr Olusegun Agagu, a former governor of Ondo State, on Saturday said his father was hypertensive. Agagu, who returned from United States on Thursday, reportedly

slumped in Ikoyi, Lagos, where he was having a meeting with Ondo indigenes on Friday evening.
"He just had a medical examination, which showed that he had a little cholesterol, and was hypertensive."There is diabetics in our family, but it's nothing major; it was just something he had been dealing with for the past 10 to 15 years. So, there was no inkling that something was about to happen," Agagu said.
According to him, his mum has lost her best friend and her husband. He confirmed that his father passed away in Lagos on his way to St Nicholas Hospital.He added that his father had the usual illness that comes with age, "so there was no stand out cause for his passing".
"He lived a simple but a fulfilled and happy life. He left amazing memories and fantastic legacies behind."I will miss the friendship, I will miss the advice; he was pretty much anything any wife, son or daughter could ask for in a father.
"He was a mentor to many, a brother, a benefactor; I'm sure a lot of people will miss him," he said. Agagu said the family had just returned for their annual two and a half weeks family vacation and during that time his father showed no sign of illness."I guess when it's time to go, when your maker comes to get you, when he brought you, he did not ask anybody, so he can take you when he sees fit," he said.
He said that arrangements for the burial were yet to be made.
In his response to the development, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former Governor of Osun State, said he was "grieved". "We met in politics and he remained a very nice senior colleague and when he came back two days ago, we talked about a meeting tonight," Oyinlola said on Saturday.
He said that he would miss everything about his late colleague, who was the perfect gentleman, who always cared for the welfare of others. "I asked him if he would be coming to Ibadan and he answered no, he then invited me to meet on Saturday in Lagos, unfortunately that was not to be," he said.
Oba Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos, described the late Agagu as an unassuming, brilliant and hardworking governor, who served the nation meritoriously.
 

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