Blame governors for insecurity — Jonathan

 by Olalekan Adetayo and Ifeanyi Onuba

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday indicted some unnamed state governors in the north-eastern part of the country over the spate of insecurity in the zone that has left hundreds of people dead.

He said the unnamed governors who turn around to attribute the violence to bad leadership failed in their responsibility of providing basic primary and secondary education for the children.

He said the uneducated children who form an army of unemployed and unemployable youths are now tools in the hands of miscreants who feed and arm them to kill innocent citizens.

Jonathan spoke at the Peoples Democratic Party’s North East Unity Rally held in Bauchi, Bauchi State.

He said while the Federal Government was doing its part by providing tertiary education to teeming Nigerian youths, state governments must also play their roles and stop pointing accusing fingers at him.

He said he played his role well to end insecurity in Bayelsa State when he was the deputy governor and the state governor, hence he expected state governors to play their roles too.

He added that north-eastern states had lost more people than any other part of the country in the violence orchestrated by the fundamental Islamic sect, Boko Haram because people refused to do the right thing.

Meanwhile, Jonathan  on Saturday also said the problems of youth restiveness and insecurity within the African continent might have been caused  by “external forces” working against the progress of the region.

Jonathan was not specific on what he meant by “external forces” but stated however, that the growth which the continent had recorded within the last few years might be a major reason for people who are envious of the region to cause instability.

He stated these in Abuja at the opening session of the Seventh joint annual meetings of the Economic Commission of Africa conference of African ministers of finance, planning and economic development and the African Union conference of ministers of economy and finance.

In a related development, the Katsina State Government said it had concluded arrangements to convene a special security meeting with neighbouring Zamfara on ways to fight crime and attacks on villages.

Gov. Ibrahim Shema said this at a meeting with his Zamfara counterpart, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari, at the Government House in Gusau.

He expressed concerns over increasing criminal activities, where large number of heavily armed hoodlums invaded villages, maimed and killed several community members.

Punch

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua: The Legacy of a President

At a slippery point in time in Nigeria’s history and indeed the history of Africa, where decent leadership is elusive and desperation triumphs; where the people have given up on integrity and the possibility of upright anti corrupt leadership. A time where many ask, what can be better, and is it possible to deliver more for the people and less for the cabal; it becomes valuable to revisit the leaderships of our past and study if possibly there were better legacies, better examples to compare, and greater natures of human beings to emulate and seek in the present-future.
Looking not too far into the past, in fact in this very 4th republic, and from this very currently ruling PDP party, the much overlooked, abbreviated regime of late President Umaru Yar’adua comes to the fore, and has recently re-featured in the national immodest crises of the ‘missing’ $20bn, for which external auditors have embarrassingly been requested to help Nigeria address. A characteristic of a good legacy is when your valued words and actions of the past are raised as measures and standards in determination of the problems of the future. Late Umaru Yar’Adua in this regard, as invoked in the national discussion, left a good and important legacy.
Late President Yar’adua was elected to power in 2007, sponsored by another and two time Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo. Umaru Yar’Adua was in office from 29 May 2007 – 5 May 2010 when he passed after a chronic illness. Considering Yar’Adua’s reign requires a brief review of the era before him, that he came to replace.
The democratic regime of Olusegun Obasanjo was very flamboyant and prestigious. It was Nigeria’s first return to democracy after 16 years of imposed military dictatorship.
Two of the common credits of the OBJ regime were the reduction in foreign debt and the establishment of GSM mobile phone networks in the country. Other things OBJ is remembered for is his campaign of privatizations and establishment of an anti-corruption agency, the EFCC. As OBJ’s regime is reviewed in cognizance of its real features and its future results, as well as the economic and political dynamics of the time, a few things are notable.
OBJ rode the oil price waves. OBJ’s regime was not particularly economically unique, it more accurately was in favorable times and the economic growth was concordant with catapulting global oil prices. Oil prices were $16 in 1999 at the start of his tenure and rose rapidly to double that, $35 in September 2000. By August 2005, oil sold at $65 and by October 2007, oil prices were $90/barrel. Obasanjo rode these prices in an ‘oil cruise.’
Contrary to popular narrative, it was late Abacha who introduced GSM to Nigeria. Abacha awarded the first GSM license to Motophone before he passed. When Motophone refused to bend to Obasanjo’s requests for 50% shares in the company as reliable sources detail, Obasanjo cancelled their award and then awarded 27 licenses of his own to companies he brought.
One more issue to discuss that was a hallmark of the predecessor administration was the privatization agenda. Obasanjo built his friends and sponsors of his party, the PDP; the likes of Dangote and Otedola were handed chunks of Nigeria in a privatization frenzy. Transcorp was formed to further facilitate the complete handing over of Nigeria’s assets to private cronies of the PDP. As Obasanjo failed to secure his third term bid, he quickly auctioned off Nigeria’s oil refineries to the same cabal.
Other not so favorable aspects of the OBJ years, including the ‘skewed’ use of the EFCC, the billions allocated for repairing power plants, the ‘missing’ recovered Abacha loot and the like have been thrashed suitably in the media.
The rich got stupendously richer during Obasanjo and the poor got poorer. The gap between the rich and poor have since in the 4^th republic widened to levels never before seen. From 2004, midway into the Obasnajo tenure, to date after 4+ full years of Goodluck Jonathan, according to Nigeria’s statistics Bureau, NBS, Nigeria’s destitute, living under a dollar-a-day have doubled to 100 million, the highest number of any African nation and one-tenth of the world’s total destitute.
Enter Yar’Adua, 2007:
Yar’Adua had an uphill task. The first president to publicly declare his assets, Yar’Aduawas referred to as ‘go-slow,’ possibly because at the time, people did not realize what cards he had been handed and also actually due to his attention to details and due process. He was coming in when oil prices were dropping during the global recession and Nigeria’s economy faced testing. The Yar’Adua government had to stabilize the economy against dropping oil prices and decreased production as a result of Niger-Delta terror.
Yet, Yar’Adua had been handed two catastrophic problems by the predecessor Obasanjo government. Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND was wrecking havoc in the Southern creeks and Boko Haram had similarly evolved in the north east. Under the Obasanjo regime, Nigeria’s national security boss, NSA Aliyu Gusau, a Babangida dictator regime henchman and the man behind most of Nigeria’s sad history of military coups—who together with Babangida organized the 1983 coup and displacement of the Shagari civilian regime, in which they put army senior Buhari in charge and also behind the 1985 coup in which he removed Buhari and the 1993 coup in which he removed Shonekan and replaced him with Abacha—had failed to abate the problems in the north and south. According to reports, Gusau had actually told president Obasanjo when he asked about Boko Haram, then called, ‘Nigerian Taliban,’ that ‘no such group existed,’ despite attacks by the group.
Faced with these unique, entrenched challenges, Yar’Adua selected a National Security Adviser, Major Gen. Sarki Mukhtar, who is remembered for opposing Abacha on coup plotter treatment in the 90s, and had the commitment and wherewithal to intelligently and appropriately combat the two terror problems.
The Yar’Adua administration with NSA Mukhtar immediately approached the MEND crises with an understanding of the pressing situation. An Amnesty was worked out for the agitating youth who had reduced Nigeria’s oil output by almost half, and Nigeria invested billions in training and rehabilitating these youth. Peace that eluded Obasanjo was restored to the creeks.
Faced with a different terror uprising in the north, Yar’Adua with his apt NSA Mukhtar swung into action, again properly considering the dynamics of the northern question. Poverty is predominant in Nigeria’s north, however poverty and/or misguided fanaticism is no excuse for terrorism and murder of innocent civilians and security officers. The nation’s security men were sent to sack the Boko Haram camps in a swift and efficient operation. In one of the few times in recent global history, the terror mastermind, Mohammed Yusuf himself was caught and killed as ‘he attempted to escape.’ Over 700 Boko Haram terrorists were massacred in the operation of July 2009.
Having established calm and restored security to Nigeria, late Yar’Adua continued with managing other pressing crises he had inherited from the previous administration.
Another battle Yar’Adua had to face was the recovery of Nigeria from the cabal. Obasanjo had literally sold Nigeria to private friends of his and his party. Tycoon Dangote had been selected and favored by president Obasanjo not only during his second appearance in civilian regalia but from his first show as military dictator when he gave Dangote exclusive importation rights. With the sale of Nigeria’s refineries to Dangote and Otedola, Dangote owned as much as half of Nigeria’s assets, which included Nigeria’s cement plants, a telecoms licence and mining concessions. Bashani Aminu had revealed as relayed in Wikileaks, that Dangote once gave Obasanjo a 35 million dollar private jet as thanks for his fruitful partnership.
In July, 2007, barely two months into office, Yar’Adua summoned the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), to query the sale of Nigeria’s refineries to Dangote and co. And to the praise of Nigeria’s Labour Congress (NLC) Yar’Adua overturned these privatizations for being corrupt. Yar’Adua was next going after the Transcorp purchase of Abuja Nicon Hilton. Though Obasanjo had put Yar’Adua into office against Yar’Adua’s wishes, he having objected to contesting on health grounds, Yar’Adua was determined to rescue Nigeria from the paws of the cabal, even his sponsors, Dangote, who financially sponsored his campaigns and Obasanjo who orchestrated his selection.
But this was not even the half of Yar’Adua’s war against corruption. There was the kerosene subsidy scam, through which the fourth republic stole and still steals 10 million dollars every day from the Nigerian masses. Yar’Adua who was battling with a chronic allergic disorder and had intermittent kidney failure, took this matter as no joke and not a matter to delay on. Within his short tenure, he went hard and firm against the subsidy fraud, sending 4 directive communications to immediately seize the fake subsidy that ‘was not reaching the beneficiaries, the Nigerian masses.’  Yar’Adua’s Principal Secretary, Mr. David Edevbie conveyed the directives.
The government spent/spends millions of dollars everyday subsidizing kerosene that was/is sold to the masses at unsubsidized prices in an elaborate, cheap scam. In this scheme Yar’Adua met on the ground, and that is by all means one of the most gigantic fraud scams in recent world history, the government states that it imports 10 million liters of kerosene everyday at the cost of N156/liter. It then claims to subsidize this to N40.9/liter to be sold at N50/liter to the masses. The NNPC now sells the kerosene to a handful of cabal portfolio marketers at the N40.9/liter and allows them sell it at N150+/liter to the masses, an unsubsidized price, raking in a whooping N100 on the liter for 10 million liters a day and billions of dollars a year [Reference CBN governor Sanusi’s ‘missing’ $20bn  alert].
President Yar’Adua on June 15, 2009 gave a clear directive that NNPC should cease subsidy claims on kerosene. Kerosene fraudulent subsidy claims run up to the tune of N300 trillions per year. This was going to hurt Obsanjo and his cabal cronies.
But Yar’dua was not stopping here, late Yar’Adua gave executive orders to the EFCC to go after anyone, bar none. Obasanjo was in his crosshairs. Obasanjo panicked!
Ambassador Maitama Sule revealed that Obasanjo was scared Yar’Adua would soon come after him and AC’s Garba Shehu said Atiku warned Yar’Adua that Obasanjo was plotting to remove him for his “treachery.”
WeeklyTrust in their one year tribute, remeber him thus:

Yar’adua deconstructed power. He was not intoxicated by it, a fact that even his critics had attested to. He operated within the realm of the law. He didn’t pay lip service to the rule of law and due process he preached. The courts regained the freedom they lost during his predecessor’s tenure. They handed down verdicts that cancelled political victories even though his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was the victim.

Despite his ill-health, he pioneered laudable projects across the country. He initiated the dredging of River Niger, a project that was abandoned for decades. He started the reinvigoration of the abandoned rail system. He brought Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to head the Central Bank, thereby saving the country from a looming financial crisis.

He was bold enough to reverse President Olusegun Obasanjo’s decisions considered to be against the national interest.  He saved the country’s three refineries from being auctioned to businessmen, who could not establish theirs.  The nation’s comatose telecom giant, NITEL was not auctioned at least during his time.

He fought corruption in his own ways. He pioneered the policy of returning unspent funds to the national treasury at the end of the fiscal year even though the policy regrettably died with him. He prosecuted and jailed those believed to be above the law. His party chieftain, Chief Olabode George was convicted during Yar’adua’s adminitration. He did not create political enemies who he needed the anti-graft agencies, notably the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to humiliate as Obasanjo did.

After his assumption, he saved the jobs of over 160, 000 federal workers pencilled for sack under various pretences. Not only that, he released the N10 billion Lagos State local government councils’ funds which Obasanjo sat fat on despite court orders. Yar’adua went ahead and reversed the increment of Value Added Tax (VAT) from 10 percent to five as well as the hike in fuel price from N75 to N65. Read full

There are many more instances of Yar’Adua’s stunning and committed actions in total war against corruption. But as he waged this war he suddenly took seriously ill. Yar’Adua suspected he was poisoned. As relayed in Wikileaks cables, Professor Ukandi G. Damachi, an insider and confidant to Babangida and other Nigerian top elite, claimed that late Yar’Adua suspected he had been poisoned by his kitchen staff who he inherited from the former president, Obasanjo. This belief was grave enough according to Professor Ukandi G. Damachi, that Yar’Adua fired all the kitchen staff and replaced them.
Suspicion of poisoning has been rather common in Nigeria’s story, and Shehu Musa, Yar’Adua’s elder brother, was believed to have been killed by poisoning in jail as also it is believed late president elect MKO Abiola was.
Yar’Adua’s wife, Turai is also reported to have believed her husband was poisoned, and this was done to speed up his death. [Fresh Facts, May 2010: “They Killed Yar’Adua”].
When the Goodluck Jonathan administration took over, during a valedictory session in Yar’Adua’s  honour, a motion to investigate the conditions of Yar’Adua’s death was raised by senators who alleged that the circumstances leading to the death of Yar’Adua were suspicious, but this motion to probe did not pass the floor and so this possibility was never investigated.
With the death of Yar’Adua, his deputy, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took over the presidency and things pretty much went back to how they were in the Obasanjo years… or actually worse. Boko Haram recouped and resumed in full swing, MEND and MEND related terrorists including a revised form as oil bunkerers, high sea pirates and pro-presidency thugs, got reactivated to hold the nation to ransom, with terror reigning supreme from north to south; and fraudulent, non-people beneficial cabal-privatization (cabalization) and corruption were the order of the day. Unlike the Obasanjo administration, recognized for utilizing the EFCC at least for witch hunting the corrupt in bad taste with the president, the EFCC was practically retired to petty cases and authority grand robbery with impunity reigned.
I believe one can admit late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to the fold of late General Murtala Mohammed and Idiagbon/Buhari, whose regimes were marked by total intolerance to corruption and also marked by their assassinations during rule and after (as happened in the case of late general Tunde Idiagbon who was poisoned in Abuja in early 1999, paving the path for the return of Obasanjo by NSA Gusau and Babangida).
Nigeria’s political parties, APC, PDP and the rest can yet find another Murtala, Idiagbon/Buhari or Yar’Adua to restore sanity, decency and global respect to the nation.
Dr. Peregrino Brimah

New sRescue

This National Conference is waste of time – Prof. Nwabueze

*‘How Jonathan got it wrong’

*On 1979 Constitution: We were misguided
*Speaks on the new political order Nigeria needs and Ohanaeze crisis We are in the process of another constitution making.  If you agree, what’s your take on the arrangement?
 By Clifford Ndujihe & Ikenna Asomba
Let me correct the impression that we are in the process of another constitution making. The National Conference, as constituted by the President, lacks the capacity to draft a constitution to be submitted to the people for approval through a referendum. It doesn’t have the capacity, so it does not entail a constitution making at all. That is something we have to realise, arising from the nature and type of the conference as constituted or established by the President.
The reason for this is that the conference is not established by virtue of any law enacted by the National Assembly. The convocation, its composition, its functions, its modus operandi are not catered for by  law. It is established entirely by virtue of the inherent powers of the President under Section 5 of the constitution. With its limited functions, its establishment is within the immediate powers of the President. The conference not established  under a law enacted by the legislative authorities of the country cannot adopt a constitution. It lacks the capacity to draft a constitution that will be binding on everybody as law.
At best,  what do you think would come out of this exercise?
Nothing, it’s just a talk-shop. We must realise that it’s a talk-shop. It’s functions are merely deliberative and advisory. So, there is no harm in talking. If they talk for three months, something good may come out of it but, certainly, not the adoption of a new constitution.
As it is, how can we make the best out of the present arrangement for the good of the country?
We have to decide first: what do you want as a country? What we want is a new, better and united Nigeria. That is what we want. There is no way you can get it from this conference. Even if you talk for one year, there is no way you can get it in this conference, we must all realise this. You can get something, but not a new and united Nigeria. You can’t because of the limitations of this conference. It has no powers, it has only functions.
There is a difference in law between powers and functions. This conference doesn’t have the powers to bind you and me, to affect the legal relations of you and me, or the legal rights of you and me. It doesn’t have the powers, that is what powers entail. It has only functions, deliberations, talking. You can talk for one year but what can come out of the talking is another matter.
You are one of those who convinced President Jonathan to go for National Conference.  But the way you sound, it’s as if you are disappointed with the turn of things…
That is correct. I led the delegation of The Patriots to the President on August 29, 2013, and I think we were able to persuade him. The so-called u-turn made by the President is as a result of that meeting. But the conference we asked him to convene is totally different from what he has now established. There are totally two different things.
We were looking for a conference that will have the power to adopt a new constitution for Nigeria, that will be submitted to the people at a referendum for approval. That was what we were asking for, and we were asking for a conference of ethnic nationalities. I will come to that later.

NewsRescue

FEAR: Terrorists May Have Used Chemical Weapons In North Nigeria

For the first time in the history of Nigeria, substances suspected to be chemical weapon is suspected to have been used the ongoing war waged by Fulani herdsmen on the good people of Benue states.
The marauders attacked Shengev community in Gwer West Local Council leaving 15 people dead without any visible wounds, gunshots or otherwise as in the past but were foaming in the mouth, leading to fears that they obviously have been attacked with chemical weapons.
The inhabitants of Shengev community explained that one of the victims was found dead outside his house but after critically observing his body, no cut or wound was seen on him.
The chairman of the local council, Mrs. Eunice Abajwa, confirmed yesterday that part of her domain was attacked in the invasion and 10 bodies had been recovered without wounds and had taken them to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi for autopsy to determine what exactly caused their death.
One of the inhabitants of Shengev community said that one of the victims, his elder brother, was found dead outside his house but after critically observing his body, no cut or wound was seen on him.
Benue state has been in the news recently over incessant attacks by Fulani herdsmen. Just 2 days ago, Makurdi, capital of Benue State came under fire when some Fulani Herdsmen launched attack on unsuspecting residents at about  4 a.m. killing over 60 persons.
Eyewitnesses said that they came in around 4am when the people were enjoying the last lap of their night slumber, hence unprepared for the attack. The barrage of gunfire jolted everyone from their sleep with wailing women and children scampering for safety amidst the commotion.
About two weeks ago, five people died in a similar manner in Guma Local Government Area of the State. The Commissioner for Information, Justin Amase, on Friday told journalists that the victims died after inhaling a chemical substance.
“We suspect that some chemicals were used on the victims. Their bodies were then set on fire to destroy any evidence,” he reportedly said.

NewsRescue

REVEALED: How Reuben Abati And Guardian Retracted Claim That Buhari Was Behind Terror In Nigeria

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Rueben Abati Retracts Libelous Invention Linking Buhari With Terror; Compensates General For Damages

• Presidential spokesman Rueben Abati settled the case Buhari filed against him and “The Guardian newspaper” out of court
• Rueben Abati published a retraction of his libelous claim which accused the ex-president of instigating terror.

Mar. 28, 2014
Buhari Vanguard Replies Olisa Metuh On Libel Against Buhari
We had thought of ignoring Olisa Metus allegation against Muhammadu Buhari since we understand that he is a man without a mind of his own, but a vuvuzela that is used at will by his owner the PDP.
However, in the interest of unsuspecting Nigerians who may be deceived by the gimmicks and deceit of the likes of Olisa Metuh and his party, we wish to put the records straight in this response to the recent libel against the person of Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd).
You recall that on Saturday, the 22nd of March 2014, Olisa Metuh, the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP attempted once again to link Gen Muhammadu Buhari to the insurgence in Nigerian its usual “blame game” and in a bid to defend the incompetence, confused and underperforming government of the Peoples Democratic Party.
In his words, “When we accused the APC of being behind insurgency, we did not speak in vain and when we summarised the manifesto of the party as a product of Janjaweed ideology, we have verifiable reasons”. He went further and argued that it was not a coincidence that an unprecedented violence broke out after Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) allegedly beckoned on his supporters to go on lynching spree if he should lose the 2011 presidential election, adding that the Sheik Lemu committee, which investigated the death of hundreds of people in the post-2011 election violence, established Buhari’s culpability.
We were rattled by this dislocated, irrational and weird thinking that is coming from a man who claims to be a lawyer and we wish to set the records straight for discerning Nigerians. First, It would be recalled that Reuben Abati, an aide to President Goodluck Jonathan had on page 51 of the April 22, 2011, edition of The Guardian newspaper, written an article entitled “For the attention of General Buhari,” where he claimed that Buhari made an unguarded statement which stirred the post-election violence that almost tore the nation apart.
The former Military General however, regarded the publication as libelous, aimed at denting his hard earned name and image. Buhari consequently dragged Abati and The Guardian Newspapers to court via suit no. ID/837/2011, demanding N1billion damages from them. The presidency begged the former Head of States General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) to settle out of court the libel suit he filed against the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati.
In a copy of the Terms of Settlement filed before a Lagos High Court in Ikeja, the ‘warring’ parties have agreed to settle the matter out of court. According to the terms of settlement, dated December 2012 and filed before the administrative judge of Lagos State, Justice Opeyemi Oke, the claimant (Buhari), Mr. Tope Adebayo ( lawyer to Buhari), Abati and Mr. Kunle Sanyaolu (lawyer to The Guardian) signed the terms of settlement.
The terms of settlement reads in part: “The claimant (Buhari) and defendants (Abati and The Guardian) have agreed that the defendants should publish a retraction and an apology to the claimant on the Opinion Page of the newspaper, to be printed in reverse line black (RLB) within seven days of entering the Consent Terms as the judgment of the court in two editions of The Guardian.”
“The claimant and defendants have agreed and resolved that the retraction and apology shall take the following form and contents: ‘Re: For the attention of General Buhari’- On April 22, 2011, The Guardian Newspaper published an article on Page 51 titled ‘For the attention of General Buhari’ where certain allegations were made against General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), GCFR, concerning the 2011 election and General Buhari’s alleged role in the violence emanating from the elections.”
“The publication was based on information which we believed to be reliable at that time. Since the publication, however, we now have reason to believe that certain parts of the story were not verified to be correct before the publication. We assure General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), GCFR, of our highest esteem and regret any distress or embarrassment which the said publication may have caused him.”
“The claimant and defendants agree that on the execution of these Terms of Settlement, the defendants are discharged from all or any liabilities or obligations arising from the said publication.”

GUARDIAN  Re: For the attention of General Buhari

Thursday, 11 July 2013 00:00 Editor

SIR: “On April 22, 2011, The Guardian Newspaper published an article on page 51 titled “For the attention of General Buhari” wherein certain allegations were made against General Muhammadu Buhari’s alleged role in the violence emanating from the elections.

The publication was based on information which we believed to be reliable at that time. Since the publication, however, we now have reason to believe that certain parts of the story were not verified to be correct before the publication.

We assure General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) GCFR of our highest esteem and regret any distress or embarrassment which the said publication may have caused him.”

— Editor  http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=126723%3Are-for-the-attention-of-general-buhari-&catid=77%3Aletters&Itemid=613#.Ud6sCDHgyY4.facebook

In the weird allegation by Olisa Metuh, he erroneously and mischievously quoted the report of the Lemu Panel’s report on the 2011 post election violence and claimed that the panel report indicted Gen Muhammadu Buhari. This is not only wrong and deceitful but mischievous. Metuh forgot that Nigerians are not all illiterates and still have the report of the panel and the exact words of the chairman of the panel.
The Chairman of presidential panel on the pre and post election violence in some parts of the country, Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, said on the 11th of October 2011that the committee did not indict former Head of State Gen Muhammadu Buhari in its report.
Sheikh Lemu told the BBC Hausa service that so many politicians called on their supporters to guard their votes just like Buhari did. When asked whether his committee said Buhari’s comments were responsible for the violence, Sheikh Lemu said: “If you take a look at our report, what we said cleared Buhari of any complicity. Because we showed that he was not the only one who asked the people to protect their votes, there were other prominent politicians, who also asked the people to protect their votes. And we said that statement was misconstrued to mean a call to violence, and they did. It was discovered that the Buhari himself was a victim of the violence and of the destruction of his property, the photographs of which were presented to the panel.
On the cause of the crisis, panel said, “The first and probably most important cause is the failure on the part of the previous successive regimes since the military handover of power in 1999 to implement the recommendations of various committees, commissions and panels that had taken place in our nation. That failure facilitated the wide spread sense of impunity in the culprits and perpetrators of crimes and violence in the Nigerian society”.
It said, “The second major cause of the recent electoral violence was the existing widespread desire for change as a result of frustration and disappointment of many members of the general public regarding the inability of the successive past regimes to solve the problems of electricity power failure nationwide, deplorable state of Federal Government roads throughout the nation, bribery and corruption, which have virtually been legitimised in all affairs of our nation. Obviously, the report indicted the PDP government and till date, they have not been able to implement or act on the report.

• NewsRescue- Reno Omokri alias Wendell Simlin: Boko Haram Sponsor Discovered In The Presidency By Kikiowo Ileowo

It is so amazing that an acclaimed learned fellow like Olisa Metuh does not respect court rulings nor has knowledge of them. We also marvel that the spokesperson of a ruling political party does not know the history of post election violence in Nigeria and their remote causes.
Elections have been a source of violent political, ethnic, religious and communal conflicts in Nigeria since the late 1940s when limited elections were introduced. This problem deteriorated in the elections conducted immediately after independence in the 1960s.
In the Western Region, violent political conflicts, popularly referred to as “operation wetie“, were recorded from 1964 to 1965. The national election conducted in 1983 witnessed massive post-election violence following the declared landslide victory of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in Oyo and Ondo states considered to be stronghold of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
There is substantial similarity between the post-election violence recorded in 1983 and the post-election violence recorded after the presidential election on April 16, 2011 in which hundreds of people were reported killed and property worth billions of naira were destroyed or looted.
We may not have the time to tutor Olisa Metuh, but we urge him to study and improve on his limited knowledge to avoid embarrassing himself again.
Olisa Metuh is a man of questionable and indecent character, a bully that has no respect for others and the law of the land. We have not forgotten that February 19, 2011, Olisa Metuh, a lawyer turned politician, allegedly held Pele by the throat and reportedly ordered an aide to put him in his car boot, saying “No police IG or SSS can secure your release.” The Vice-Principal of British Nigerian Academy, Prince & Princess Estate, Abuja, Mr. Kola Pele, 67, has taught in numerous schools and nurtured many pupils. He was going about his duty at the last BNA visiting day when the National Vice-Chairman (South-East), Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, invaded the school with his wife, policemen as well as aides and allegedly assaulted him and other teachers for confiscating his son’s GSM phone.
The affected teachers had filed a lawsuit seeking N250m for general damages, N10m for punitive damages and N350, 000 for medical bills. The writ was issued by Joseph Dauda (SAN), the Nigeria Bar Association President. Pele told PUNCH METRO on Wednesday that he went to the hostels around 6.30pm to check if the parents had dispersed, when a teacher, Ms. Amuche Igbe, informed him that she saw Metuh’s son, Derrick, a former pupil of the school, giving his GSM phone to pupils to use in violation of the school rules. This is just to mention but a few examples of olisa Metus indecent behaviors and character.
On the other hand, Gen Muhammadu Buhari has held the most juicy and highest offices in Nigeria, but has come out clean and remained the rallying point of discipline and virtues. He has remained the purveyor of anticorruption, anti-materialism and disciple.
His achievement as PTF chairman where he procured free school bused for higher institutions, free drugs for all hospitals, lecture halls and learning materials for students among others is unprecedented. His mild stone as the petroleum Minister where he signed the contracts and supervised the building of the existing Nigerian refineries among others is still enviable.
His restoration of discipline as a head of state and refusal to de-value the naira making it more valuable than the dollar cannot be forgotten, not to mention the fact that he led the army at young age to chase the Chaldeans who intruded into the territory of Nigeria and would have caused what would have been more terrorizing than Boko Harram if allowed to stay, this is not to mention the role he played in the Nigerian civil war to restore peace and defend Nigeria.
We condemn the attempt by men like Olisa Metuh to poke their hands into the mouth of a descent, respected and quintessential gentle man like Muhammadu Buhari who has spent all his life fighting for and defending Nigeria.
Jasper Azuatalam, Chairman Buhari Vanguard

NewsRescue

Why our bras are our banks, phone store –Market women

 by Jesusegun Alagbe

A little exchange of words broke out between Tayo Adebiyi and a petty trader who sells soft drinks at the Ketu area of Lagos on a hot Friday afternoon sometime in February.

Adebiyi had ordered for a cold bottled water which cost N50 and had also given the trader (a woman) a N200 note. The next action of the woman was what led to exchange of a series of abusive words between both parties.

When the woman wanted to give Adebiyi a balance of N150, she had dipped her hand into her bra to bring out the money. Adebiyi, being a Biochemistry graduate, was irritated and furious by this action to the extent that he returned the bottled water to her and collected his money back.

He told our correspondent he could never collect money kept in the bra and could not also understand why such a habit was still being practised by some market women in this modern age.

Adebiyi said, “I was angry at the woman because of where she brought out the money from to give me the change: her bra! Apart from that, the money she brought out was rumpled and smelling bad, obviously from the sweat it had been subjected to in her bra. I can’t imagine why a woman would keep money in her brassiere in this modern age. For what reason?”

However, for some market women, Saturday PUNCH findings have shown that keeping money in bras is not a new trend as it is a way through which they could secure their money from thieves and pickpockets.

Our correspondent visited some markets at  Mile 12, Ketu, Ojota, and Yaba areas of Lagos to observe this old habit among market women. Observation reveals that apart from a few market women who keep their money in aprons and wallets, others simply keep theirs in their brassieres.

For Rasheedat Ogunwole, a market woman who sells tomatoes and pepper at the Ketu area of Lagos, she told our correspondent that she keeps her money in her bra because, according to her, it is safer there.

Ogunwole narrated two incidents that she experienced that made her decide to keep money in her bra anytime she is in the market.

She said, “It is because of pickpockets. I used to have a purse where I kept my money. But on two different occasions, I lost my purse to those thieves who hang around the market here. I did not even know how it got stolen on each occasion. On the first occasion, I kept the purse in my bag and was selling my goods. The market was so rowdy that day that I didn’t even notice when my purse was taken from my bag. I just saw that the zip of my bag had been opened and torn.

“I cried because apart from the money someone gave me, everything I made from sales that day was in the purse. I think I had about N10,000.”

Ogunwole said that happened in December 2012.

“Apart from that first experience,” she continued, “there was another one that happened sometime in July 2013. I had finished selling for the day and was packing. It was also getting dark and I was preparing to go home. While standing to get a bus to Ikorodu, where I live, my wallet was forcefully snatched away from me by those pickpockets who operate around here.

“My brother, since then, I decided to start keeping my money in the bra. Nobody would dare try dip his hand in my bra to steal my money.”

When asked if she doesn’t feel awkward keeping money in the bra, she said, “There is nothing to be ashamed of as long as my money is safe. It can be frustrating working from morning till evening and letting some bad guys steal my money.”

To another market woman, who gave her name simply as Bose, and who sells soft drinks on-the-go, her bra is her bank: for that is where her money is secure from, according to her, the ‘ugly’ thieves at the Mile 12 market in Lagos.

Bose’s experience does not differ much from Ogunwole’s. In fact, she said buying a wallet was tantamount to wasting money because, “as a market woman, I don’t need it.”

She said, “Wallet is for the corporate people – those who work in offices. It is not for market women like me.”

She also said the process of arranging money in a wallet was time-consuming for a market woman and that her own type of trade did not afford her such amount of time to waste.

But apart from that, there’s another reason why Bose said she wouldn’t keep her money anywhere else apart from her brassiere.

She said, “There are many thieves around here, especially those boys you see idling around (pointing to some shabbily-dressed boys on the pedestrian bridge at the market). Their own job is to look for unsuspecting people to snatch wallets and bags from. If you are not too careful here, they will steal your money.

“They have snatched my purse once. That was why I thought keeping it in my bra would be more secure. Moreso, some other women also keep theirs there. It’s not really a big deal to me as my money is now well-kept there. If you think your money is safe in the bank, go and keep it there; if yours is safe in wallet, good for you. As for me, it’s my bra, and nothing do me.”

Apart from money, our correspondent also observed as a woman brought out her mobile phone from her brassiere to pick a call. When she was through with it, our correspondent approached her to find out why she kept her phone in her bra.

Jumoke Adewale, who also sells foodstuffs at the Mile 12 market, told Saturday PUNCH she had lost three mobile phones in time past prior to keeping it in her new-found ‘safe.’ Though she wouldn’t talk for long as she was busy attending to her customers, Adewole said she didn’t see anything bad keeping her money and phone in her bra.

“As long as my things are safe, there is no problem about that,” she said.

As for Iyabo Adesina, she asked Saturday PUNCH if there was anything bad about the habit. She said she was willing to learn if there was any health implication of keeping money in her brassiere.

The 36-year-old seller of soft drinks at the Yaba area of Lagos told our correspondent she had been keeping money in her bra for close to three years since she started the business. She also said it did not really mean anything to her as it was just a way of keeping her money safe.

Adesina said, “I don’t really know if there is anything bad in the habit because to me, this is just a way of ensuring my money is safe from petty thieves and pickpockets in this area. Though my money has not been stolen before, I have friends whose wallets have been snatched.

“You know there is a saying that ‘prevention is better than cure’ and that it is better to learn from what has happened to others rather than what happens to you. To me, it makes sense to put my money in my bra because no thieves would be able to put their hands in there.

“Moreover, that’s the only place I can keep my money because I use my two hands to carry about my goods, so there is no extra hand to hold a purse or wallet. But if there is anything bad in it, tell me so I can change. But majorly, it’s for safety reason.”

However, Shakira Ogunjimi seemed to be different from her other colleagues. She sells provisions at the Idumota area of Lagos Island.

The young woman, who is yet to finish her National Diploma in Science and Laboratory Technology, told Saturday PUNCH she wouldn’t dare put her money in her bra for fear of contracting diseases, especially cancer.

Ogunjimi said, “That habit is not good at all. I even discourage my friends who indulge in this habit you are talking about. To me, health safety is of more concern than financial safety. What if you get cancer in the process?

“It is not even good considering the fact that it is not hygienic. When you sweat, it will make the money to smell bad. I also think it could cause rashes to women’s breasts.”

Any health implications?

A number of arguments have occurred whether the act of keeping money or cell phones in brassieres could cause breast cancer for the women who indulge in the habit.

However, according to Professor Remi Ajekigbe, a professor of Radiotherapy and Oncology and Head of Oncology Unit, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, there has been no scientific proof or link between putting money in bras and cancer.

He said, “There is no scientific proof that it causes cancer. Putting money or cell phones in bra cannot give anybody cancer.”

He also said except for the fact that it was a dirty habit, which was to be discouraged, no woman could contract cancer through such habit.

However, according to an international news site, examiner.com, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a reputable health expert, featured a woman who stored her cell phone in her bra for four years. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she realised that the tumour was located precisely where she had put her cell phone.

Just a coincidence? No, say many experts as well as women who had similar experiences. Although no definitive research exists proving that putting your cell phone in your bra causes breast cancer, Dr. Oz recommends playing it safe.

Breast cancer expert Dr. John West agrees, and he expressed concern about teens in particular. “Store your cell phone in an area far away from your chest, regardless of your age.”

The World Health Organisation agrees that radiation from cell phones can possibly cause cancer. WHO includes cell phone usage in the same “carcinogenic hazard” category as lead, engine exhaust and chloroform.

“One problem is that it can take a while to determine the correlation between cell phones and cancer. The biggest problem we have is that we know most environmental factors take several decades of exposure before we really see the consequences,” said Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, in a recent interview with CNN.

However, in some cases, cancer develops sooner, according to the Environmental Health Trust. The non-profit organisation notes that “most of us have no idea that cell phones are small microwave radios that should not be kept directly on the body.”

And they agree with Dr. Oz, saying that “the ways some people are using their phones today could increase their risk of developing breast cancer and other diseases tomorrow. Cell phone’s microwave radiation seeps directly into soft fatty tissue of the breast.”

Punch

I can’t waste my time on El-Rufai, he’s too small –Oritsejafor

 by Ozioma Ubabukoh

CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor

President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor in this interview with Ozioma Ubabukoh, bares his mind on controversies surrounding churches, the Boko Haram insurgency and sundry issues

Apart from being a general overseer in your church, you head Nigeria’s highest religious organisation, the Christian Association of Nigeria. How do you feel when people criticise you sometimes on all fronts?

Criticism is part of life. Anybody who does not expect criticism should think again because criticism can actually enhance a man’s capacity to do better. Criticism for me is not a problem. The only thing that is a problem, in my own opinion, is when you are not doing what is called constructive criticism. Disrespectful criticism is also wrong. It is a free world and people are free to criticise. I will also say that as a person, I believe that truth must never be mortgaged. That, perhaps, is one of the things that get me into trouble with some people. If you watch events in Nigeria, and if our Nigerian press would give me credit, they would realise that many things I predicted eventually came to pass exactly the way I said them.

Boko Haram has launched an onslaught on the church for some time now. How do you feel about this?

Boko Haram is an organisation of cowards. If you wish, quote me and print it boldly: Every member of Boko Haram is a coward. Cowards shoot people in the back. Cowards kill children, women and harmless people. They are cowards and I want to recommend that when such people are killed, their flesh should be given to pigs because they are not better than pigs. The cowards also include those who finance the activities of Boko Haram; those who give them moral and logistic supports. Anybody involved in Boko Haram is a coward and a nuisance to himself, to the society and to God whom they say they propagate or proclaim. It is difficult for any rational mind to believe that what they are doing is what God professes. I don’t know the God they are talking about. It is a disgrace to humanity.

Do you think government is doing enough to tackle this problem?

Members of the security agencies are Nigerians, like you and I. That’s the first thing I want to say and because of that, we must understand that the battle they are fighting, they are fighting on our behalf. But they have their constraints. First, they don’t have enough troops. They have said that they are overstretched. There must be a deliberate effort to recruit new people into the army and into the State Security Service and other intelligence agencies. While this is being done, the people being recruited must be properly screened. The second constraint they have and I think this is very serious, if not even more serious, is the constraint of sabotage within the different formations. I have been saying this for more than two years now. But I think eventually, a lot of people who used to criticise me are beginning to say the same thing. There is sabotage within. There are people within the security agencies who are sympathetic to Boko Haram. It is strange, but it is true. There are also those who think that Boko Haram is defending their religion and so would do anything possible to sabotage the effort of the military. There are people in the military who are more loyal to their religion than to Nigeria. I can’t imagine how a religion would encourage the madness that we see in our society today. We have these two sets of people within the military and within all the intelligence agencies. I believe the Nigerian military is capable.  It has the capacity to win the war. I believe our security men can do it. I believe they would do it. But what I am saying now has to be looked into critically. The third thing, I will not call it so much of a constraint as such. I would rather suggest that the military should continue to upgrade its equipment. It has to be continuous because you are dealing with desperate, crazy cowards. To deal with this kind of people who are constantly looking for ways to get new equipment, the soldiers must also upgrade their own equipment. Then number four, I will say that the Nigerian government should start now to ensure proper policing of our very porous borders. It is a major problem. Where are all these military hardware coming from? They didn’t fall from heaven and we don’t manufacture them in Nigeria. They come from the porous borders and seaports. Emphasis is on the seaports because we have had more than two or three occasions when a lot of arms and ammunition were seized at our seaports. The land borders should be patrolled by  people who are passionate about Nigeria, not people who are more interested and more committed to religion. These borders should not just be manned by people who really care about Nigeria, but by people who will not succumb to bribes. The fight against Boko Haram must never be left to the military and to the government. Every Nigerian, especially Nigerians who presently live in the affected areas, must tackle the Boko Haram problem. Muslim political leaders and Muslim religious leaders must help us; they should go beyond condemning the acts of Boko Haram.  They must not allow themselves to be used or destroyed. They must help us begin to develop the structure of loyalty to this nation and among those in the local communities because if that is done, gradually we would begin to find people who will take the risk to come out and give information about Boko Haram activities. One of the reasons many local people do not give information is because they are afraid that if they do, they would be killed. There are also those who don’t give information because they think erroneously again that Boko Haram is protecting their religion. These people should be re-oriented. They need a re-education. I say all these with a high sense of love and responsibility and with the belief that my Muslim brothers are my fellow brothers and I have nothing against them.

I will now tell you a little story to show that I have nothing against them. About nine years ago, there was a religious crisis somewhere in the North. Many people were killed and majority of the people killed were from the South-East zone. When they brought the corpses back home, there was a reaction. People were sad. They were angry and went after some of our Muslim brothers in Onitsha. Many of them ran across the bridge. They passed through the Niger Bridge and crossed over to Asaba. I heard of it here in Warri. I bought relief materials and drove to Asaba. I located them and gave them relief materials. I apologised to them. I told them that they should understand it was the pain of seeing corpses of their people that made our people to react the way they did. I also added money to the relief materials. A man who hates Muslims would not do that. Nobody tells that part of my story. I have still not seen any Muslim leader that has done what I did and just said. If there is any, please I would like to know them. I hope they have seen the number of structures being bombed and destroyed. A Catholic seminary was just destroyed in Maiduguri. The businesses of Christians are being destroyed everyday. Schools and children of Christians are being killed and maimed. Many widows and orphans are killed almost every hour. I am still waiting to see when some of our well-to-do Muslim clerics, political leaders, and religious leaders would have a change of attitude to all these. I am waiting to see when traditional leaders would come out and approach these Christians who have been displaced and say let us do these to help out.  I was reading in the papers that the men that killed a religious leader in Zaria had been apprehended. Within the last nine months, many Christian clerics have been killed and I don’t say this to take away from the fact that what those men did by killing that Muslim cleric in Zaria was bad. They killed him, killed his son and even killed his wife. It is a terrible thing for anybody to do. I pray that God would continue to comfort their family members that are still alive. But what I am trying to say is that in the last nine months, many Christian clerics in the North have been butchered and slaughtered. We know it is Boko Haram, but nobody has been apprehended. One of the victims was the secretary of CAN in Borno State. They went to his house, in the presence of his daughter, and slaughtered him. They sliced his throat despite pleas from his daughter. This was just barely a year ago. Just about a month ago now, the chairman of CAN in Kastina Local Government Area, Katsina State, was killed. They said they saw the corpse of a child close to his house. They went into his house, beat him until he became unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital, yet they mobilised and went after him in the hospital where he was eventually killed. The police keep telling us they are on top of the situation. I cannot hate Muslims. They are my brothers. We are all Nigerians. What I am asking for is justice. Everyone should be treated equally in a nation that belongs to all of us. That’s all I am saying.

Do you think the declaration of state of emergency by the Federal Government is working?

I think it is working because all we have to do is look back to when the state of emergency had not been declared. We were all aware that Boko Haram had taken more than half of all the local government areas in Borno State, literally. In fact, it had brought down the Nigerian flag and hoisted its own flag in those local government areas. The governor of Borno State was governing less than half of the state before the state of emergency. But today, at least you can say he is the governor of the whole state. I just showed you about six or seven constraints confronting the military as at today. If those problems were not looked into, solving them would be almost impossible. Mainly, many of the people who are active in Boko Haram today are from the Republic of Chad. There are some from Niger and Cameroon. How are they entering Nigeria? These are the questions. They are recruiting some local people as well. The point is that a lot of these people are coming from outside.

Does CAN have any programme in place for orphans, widows and widowers from Boko Haram onslaught?

It is very shameful that the umbrella organisation of Christians in Nigeria has no money. I run CAN generally with my own money. It may shock you and some religious leaders, but it is the truth. CAN doesn’t even pay my hotel bills when I go to Abuja. CAN has no place for me to stay. I had to furnish my own office in CAN with personal funds. I do most of the things I do by myself without help from anywhere. Some of the richest people in Nigeria today are Christians, but they refuse to finance their own religion. It is a shame. But let me tell you that on my own, I have tried to reach out. For example, I told you just now of the CAN secretary in Borno State that was killed. Right now, as we speak, we are in the process of relocating his wife somewhere else that I can’t mention now. The first Christian cleric that was slaughtered was a gentleman by the name  Oje. He was from Benue State. The Muslims talk about the founder of Boko Haram, Yusuf, who the police killed, but nobody talks about the people he (Yusuf) killed. I single-handedly relocated Oje’s family from Maiduguri to somewhere else – his wife and three children. I paid house rent for them for two years, bought her a car, a generator and established a little business for her. I also helped with the children’s school fees. As we speak, I still send them money constantly, especially during festive seasons. There are churches that are doing the same thing. It is not just me. But the point is, as an organisation, we have not started doing that directly. CAN consists of different denominations and some of these denominations are also making their contributions. If you look at it from that angle, you could say CAN is doing something. But as a body, we still do not have that means.

People claim churches milk the poor and live big on them. What’s your take on this?

It is cheap to criticise; even to criticise what you don’t understand. Let me put it this way, in every good thing, you would always find some bad people. The church is the greatest institution that has made the country today. If you look back, you would find out that the church brought education to Nigeria. The church brought hospital to Nigeria. I think the church should be given credit for that. People don’t understand what they say about the church milking the poor. Can a poor man have money to pay tithe? A man who has no job, can he pay tithe? No, he won’t be able to pay. So how do you milk a man who has no milk? In a church, you have both the poor and the rich. It is generally not the poor that finance the church. It is those with the means. A man, for example, who earns N10,000, how much is his tithe? His tithe is N1,000. A man who earns N500,000, how much is his tithe? His tithe is 10 per cent which is N50,000. How much would you milk from a man who pays a tithe of N1000? We won’t say things like this usually because the church is a level-playing ground. Whether you are poor or you are rich, God sees everybody as equal. It is because of a question like this that sometimes, we have to take time to analyse things. I even hear people say that the poor give money to start schools, but their children cannot go to the schools. How will they give this money when they are poor? The truth is that, the people who actually give this money are those who have the means to do so. Those people make it possible for churches to start schools. Now again, why do churches charge high fees in school? You didn’t ask me that, but I’m just throwing that in free. People must understand that there is a standard. The church wants to maintain the standard. In those days, some people will say that when missionaries started school, it was free. Don’t forget that those missionaries were being financed from different places. Who is financing us today? We are financing ourselves. If I got free financing, why won’t we make education free? You must also understand that at the time, the cost of living was not the way it is today. The educational system of Nigeria is in serious trouble, so we need to up the standards. And to do that, you should be able to hire the best hands. If you hire the best, how do you pay them? Where do you get the money to pay them? How do you put the right infrastructure in place? How do you do many of the things that need to be done? How do you run the generators?

Why do you think we have so many poor people in the church and many rich pastors?

Remember that the pastors are pasturing both the poor and the rich. They are all in the same assembly. Both the poor and the rich, those who have the means in the church take time to be kind to their pastors. That is something most people don’t realise. They give their pastors money, food and different things. For example, a member of the church goes to his pastor and says, ‘I feel led to give you a car. Take this car.’ Now the pastor has a car. Did he steal it? As I sit here talking to you now, I can tell you that I am training almost 100 people in institutions of higher learning. Nobody is going to broadcast that. On every 26th of December, I organise what I call poverty alleviation. I have been doing it now for about eight years.

Your children in the ministry bought aircraft for you recently, but Mallam Nasir el-Rufai claimed it was a gift from the President. How do you feel about this?

I am glad that there are people who challenged him. I would only be dignifying him if a person at my level starts exchanging words with a small person like el-Rufai. He is too small. I will not dignify him with a response. People responded. They told him that since he knew who gave the gift, he should provide the proof, which he hasn’t done till today. Obviously, he didn’t have any proof. That is the problem with Nigeria. We continue to celebrate people like el-Rufai. He is too small for me.

Are you considering legal actions against him?

If I did that, I would be giving him publicity. el-Rufai is too small for that. I shouldn’t have anything to do with him. If there are other Nigerians who will want to take him to court, they are free, but not for me. Going to court with who? el-Rufai? el-Rufai is too small. I won’t waste my time on him.

How do you feel when people accuse you of fraternising with the President?

I am ashamed of people who say that. I am a Nigerian and Mr. President is a Nigerian. I wonder why no one has ever made a comment on Muslim presidents who are close to Muslim clerics. So, why is it an issue with President Goodluck Jonathan? Why is it an issue with Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor? President Jonathan goes to every church now and people are criticising him for doing that. Sometimes, when I have a reason to give a report, I don’t get the opportunity to meet with President Jonathan. Mr. President goes to the churches of other clerics, so why aren’t they criticised for it? Some even said that I don’t criticise Jonathan. I was not called to the altar to criticise. I was called to preach the gospel. There are things the Federal Government has done that I criticised. Last year, at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, I made a statement and no newspaper carried it. I said I was appealing to all elected and appointed leaders in this country to donate half of their salaries for one year and that it should be put into a joint account. I said credible Nigerians should be allowed to manage the account for people to start small and medium scale businesses. If that statement had been highlighted in newspaper editorials and opinion articles, all these people would have accepted it by now. There are certain people who own the press and they use that to create certain perception about people like us who the press don’t like. These same people attacked the President last year for going to pray in Israel. What is so bad about the President going to the origin of his faith to pray?

People wonder why Nigerian pastors fraternise with politicians believed to be corrupt…

There might be pastors who do that, but there are also others who don’t do that. A church is an open house. Jesus said a church is supposed to be a house for sinners. Church is not just meant for people who have repented, but also for those who need redemption. Giving a corrupt person a position in church is wrong. It must never be accepted. As for anybody coming to church, whether corrupt or not, you can’t stop the person.

What is your assessment of Jonathan’s government?

You asked me if I were a politician and I said ‘No’. Now you are asking me my assessment of President Jonathan’s administration. If I say something here now, you would use it against me tomorrow. But I would say this: President Goodluck Jonathan is the President of Nigeria and Nigerians. In my opinion, given the circumstances surrounding him since he became the President of Nigeria, I will say he has done well. From the day he was announced President, violence broke out and it has remained so. Apart from the religious colouration, it is also political. In the midst of the challenges, he has been able to function. That does not mean it can’t be better. I think he has tried, but things could be better.

Former chief security officer to the late General Sanni Abacha, Al Mustapha, was here with you days back, what was his mission?

He said he came to partner with me and the church to build bridges of peace, love and unity among Nigerians. We had a very fruitful time and discussion. Ensuring justice in the country was also part of our discussion because that is the bridge between peace and unity. I appreciated his coming. We are with him as far as working for the peace and unity of Nigeria is concerned.

How will you react to the decision of Osun State governor to merge Christian schools with Muslim schools in line with the state’s new policy on education?

First of all, Osun is a very important state in the country, so we can’t take events there lightly. There have been governors in Osun but there was never a time we had religious tension in that state, why now? The activities of the present governor are very worrisome. I am not a politician, but one cannot but be concerned when a state that used to be peaceful is now full of religious tension. What does the governor mean by re-classification of schools? I am aware that when the state government handed over mission schools to their owners, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with schools; part of the agreement is that the names of the schools should be left intact. That is why the names of the schools have not been changed. It was agreed that the heritage of the schools should remain intact-whether it is Muslim or Christian heritage. Is the solution to dilapidation of schools in moving Muslims to Christian schools? That’s confusion. Government should either rebuild dilapidated schools or build new ones. This is high level confusion. I believe the governor has an ulterior motive. Students now trek four kilometres to get to school.  I learnt a document was signed in 2011 by both Muslims and Christians in Osun State, where it was agreed that Muslims can’t wear hijab to a Christian school. Now if it is true that this document was signed by both Muslims and Christians, is the governor not aware of it. I appeal to the governor to reverse himself  which is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign of strength. It will be a great mistake to think the tension in Osun is over. There are undercurrents still going on. The way to solve the problem is for the governor to reverse himself. If he doesn’t want to do that, then he should say categorically that Muslims can’t wear hijab to school. There is a case on this in court. These are avoidable problems, things that don’t  have  to happen. For the sake of peace, the governor should reverse himself.

For some time,  there have been reports of Fulani herdsmen  killing hundreds of people in Benue and  other parts of the country, some people think this is another Boko Haram in the offing,  what do you think?

If government at all levels especially the Federal Government do not critically look at the issue of Fulani  herdsmen,  we may be having a problem bigger than Boko Haram on our hands. They may be a link to Boko Haram. They are everywhere, not only in Benue. It is happening everywhere all over Nigeria-Delta, Plateau, Akwa Ibom, Enugu, Bayelsa. Who are these Fulanis? When I was growing up, Fulanis carried sticks and knives but today they carry AK 47. Where did they get guns from? Who taught them how to use guns, why is it that they are not being arrested in huge number and prosecuted? Who are the leaders of the Fulani community in Nigeria? We need to  ask them what they are doing  about this, you can’t forcibly take over another man’s land and expect them to keep quiet. That is unacceptable in any civilised community.  What are they doing to tackle the problem? People in London eat meat, they eat meat in Indonesia, Turkey which are Muslim countries, they eat cow but cattle don’t roam the streets. We are aware that modern ranches have been built for these people. These people came from somewhere, why not take them back to where they came from? There are huge hectares of land where they could stay, even schools can be built for them, another business can come out of it. People can own trailers that would be carrying frozen meat to the south, it’s happening all over Europe. Frozen meat is packaged. We don’t need to be leading cows in the 21st century, it is outdated. We will have a worst situation on our hands than Boko Haram if we don’t move fast. This must be tackled immediately. Government must sincerely look at it, government should not be interested in being politically correct.

Punch