According to Genevieve magazine publisher, Mrs Betty
Irabor, Pastor Bakare prophesied that the abducted girls will
be returned this year.
Let's wait and see how it goes .....
Sunday, 4 January 2015
11:49 pm
No comments
11:46 pm
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A baby girl and five adults died this evening January 4th in
an accident that occurred along the Koba stretch of the
Abeokuta – Siun expressway. The accident involved a
Space wagon, a Toyota car and a Hilux Van. According to
eye witnesses, the driver of the Toyota car who was
heading into Abeokuta veered off his lane and swerved into
the track of those leaving Abeokuta for either Lagos or
Sagamu and crashed into the Space Wagon headlong. 3
passengers in the Space Wagon, including the little girl died.
11:43 pm
No comments
Of all the fish in the river, Serena Williams chose this
old white guy?
Oh well, the superstar tennis player — Serena Williams,
stepped out with her boyfriend, Patrick Mouratoglou at
Perth Airport in Australia yesterday.
Serena is in Australia for the Hopman Cup tournament.
Serena Williams has been dating her coach Patrick
since September 2012.
Serena, 33 and Patrick 44 posed for selfies at the
Airport, and she showed off her best side in the selfies.
Patrick dumped his ex-wife, Clarrise because of his
affair with Serena Williams.
See photos below....
11:35 pm
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Police has arrested three Indians for allegedly gang
defiling a 22-year-old Japanese research scholar in a
Buddhist pilgrimage center in eastern India, police has
said AP covers the story:
Police were looking for two more suspects
who also allegedly kept the Japanese woman
as a hostage for nearly three weeks in Bodh
Gaya, a town nearly 130 kilometers (80
miles) south of Patna, the capital of Bihar
state, police officer Akhilesh Singh said.
She managed to escape from their captivity
on Dec. 26 and reached Kolkata, once known
as Calcutta, where she was based and filed a
police complaint. She has studying life in
rural India for some time, Singh said.
A Kolkata-based tourist guide had taken the
Japanese woman to Bodh Gaya to show her
the Buddhist pilgrimage center where
Gautam Buddha is said to have obtained
enlightenment under a tree. He was joined by
four others in keeping her in captivity and
defiling her, police officer Singh said.
Two of the arrests were made in Bodh Gaya
on Friday and one earlier this week in
Kolkata, police said. India has a long history
of tolerance of s*xual violence. But a series
of high-profile r*pe cases have triggered a
strong public outrage in recent years, leading
to tough anti-r*pe laws
Source: AP
11:25 pm
No comments
This is a topic that Stella Damasus has been fighting on
for a while and it seems like few women are willing to
discuss the issue.
In a recent interview with Vanguard on January 3, 2015,
Yoruba actress Moji Olaiya revealed why she ran out of
her previous marriage for safety reasons.
She said the reason why she dumped her husband
Bayo Okesola was because he kept assaulting her
physically.
During the interview, Moji revealed that she doesn’t
want to be a victim of domestic violence and also she
wants to protect her daughter’s future.
Moji said she has every intention of re-marrying and
she’s currently dating a new man but cannot reveal his
identity because she’s yet to legally divorce her ex
husband Bayo who she married in 2007.
11:14 pm
No comments
No fewer than 120 persons were killed in road crashes
across the country between December 19-28, 2014, the
Federal Road Safety Corps has said.
The figure, according to the corps translates to 42
percent reduction when compared to 2013 figure of 208,
within the same period.
The Corps Public Education Officer, Imoh Etuk, said this
in a statement on the FRSC yuletide patrol,on Monday
in Abuja.
He said, “The reduction in the crashes figures between
2013 and 2014 is a fall-out of the Corps’ massive
deployment of personnel and logistics along critical
corridors based on intelligence derived from 2013
yuletide operations.”
The corps said it also recorded 48 percent reduction in
the number of road traffic crashes within the period,
which stood at 193, in comparison with 368 road
crashes in 2013 while a 53 percent reduction was also
recorded in injuries in 2014 with 733 injured persons as
against the 2013 figure of 1,564.
Details of the 2014 fatality figures indicate that while 96
males, 17 females and 7 children made up the 120
deaths, the year 2013 posted 208 deaths comprising
155 males, 33 females and 20 children.
In the same vein, the 2014 figure of 193 road traffic
crashes comprise 62 fatal, 115 serious and 15 minor
reported cases while the 2013 figure of 368 comprise of
113 fatal, 225 serious and 30 minor reported cases of
road traffic crashes recorded in December,2014.
On injuries, the Corps also explained that the 2014
figure of 733 comprise 432 males, 185 females and 116
children while the 2013 figure of 1,564 injured persons
include 1041 males, 384 females and 139 children.
The Corps Public Education Officer stated that the FRSC
arraigned 1,073 traffic offenders out of 9,858 arrested
for contravening 10,876 traffic-related offences.
He also said that 993 were convicted and paid
appropriate fines while one Abubakar Mohammed was
sent to jail by Chief Magistrate Bello Gelangu at
Kaltungo in Gombe State for refusing to stop when the
Corps’ operatives flagged him down while on patrol.
11:07 pm
No comments
Convener of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG), Pastor
Tunde Bakare has called for the postponement of the
2015 general elections by six months.
Bakare, who spoke, yesterday at his church, the Latter
Rain Assembly, Lagos, in his State of the Nation’s
address with the theme, The Gathering Storm and
Avoidable Shipwreck: How to Avoid Catastrophic
Euroclydon, the former vice presidential candidate of
the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC),
warned of impending dangers for the country, if the
warning signals were ignored.
“I must state that the proposal for suspension of
elections is not with a view to giving the president an
avenue for undue tenure elongation but for the purpose
of building a coalition that will bring lasting solutions to
our problems.
“I have clearly painted a picture of where we are, a
disaster is ahead of us. If the northerner emerges as
winner, whether he has won that election fair and
square or not, people will allege rigging. If Jonathan
wins the election, fair and square, they will allege that
he used his power of incumbency to rig the election,”
Bakare noted.
He said, however, that the only way to avert the storm
was to urgently address some fundamental flaws in the
polity.
11:05 pm
No comments
A 25-year-old woman in Ebonyi State, Ugochukwu Otu,
has done the abominable by killing her one-day baby
girl soon after she was discharged from a maternity
home.
Otu did it so that she would be free to live her life as
she pleases and avoid the maternal responsibility of
caring for the baby. The horrific act was committed on
December 22, 2014 in Enohia Nkalu Afikpo North Local
Government Area, Ebonyi State.
Ordinarily, the safe delivery of the innocent baby would
have been considered a welcome Christmas gift from
God in the home of any of the uncountable number of
women, who are eager to experience the joy of
motherhood, but cannot do so either through natural
conception or IVF and are therefore compelled to go to
lengths to adopt babies they lovingly nurture and raise
as their own. But this mother from hell chose the route
of infamy as the devil egged her on and she killed the
baby, put her dead body in a black polyethylene bag
and dumped it in a bush near Ndibe beach road in her
area.
As Sunday Sun learnt from the Ebonyi State Police
Commissioner, Maigari Dikko, nemesis caught up with
her when neighbours began asking her about the baby.
Realising that providence had put the spot light on her
secret, Out confessed her evil deed and took the people
to the where she dumped the baby. Shocked youths in
the community then trooped to a nearby a police station
to report the matter and she was arrested.
At the headquarters of the State Criminal Investigation
Department, Ebonyi State Police Command, where she
is being held, Otu spoke with Sunday Sun.
Showing no remorse, Otu said: “I killed my one-day old
baby girl intentionally because I don’t have N500 for her
medical treatment. I want to be free lady. I didn’t have
any intention to get pregnant. I was impregnated by one
man called Monday, a native of Ozizza Afikpo North
LGA. But later he refused to accept the pregnancy and I
didn’t plan for it. I am not ready to marry; I want to be a
free lady. I had to strangle the baby girl and put the
corpse in a black polythene bag and dumped it along
Ndibe beach road, near the bush. I don’t regret killing
my baby because nobody was responsible for her
upkeep.”
The Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of
SCID, Mrs. Augustina Ogbodo informed Sunday Sun the
police recovered the corpse of the baby, and added that
the suspect would be charged to court soon for the
murder of the baby girl.
11:04 pm
No comments
Nancy Jonathan-Olei, 52, younger sister of Nigerian
President Goodluck Jonathan, passed away earlier
today, Jan. 4, after a bout of illness.
In a press statement released today, the State House
announced the tragic development and detailed that the
deceased was being treated at a hospital in Yenagoa.
STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
PRESIDENT JONATHAN LOSES SISTER
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan announces with deep
sorrow, the passing away of his beloved junior sister, Mrs.
Nancy Jonathan-Olei.
Mrs. Jonathan-Olei passed away earlier today at a hospital
in Yenagoa after a brief illness. She was 52 years old.
Burial arrangements will be announced later by the family.
Source:
Reuben Abati
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
January 4, 2015
11:02 pm
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A middle-aged woman alleged to be a witch in Ughelli
South local government area of Delta (name withheld)
on Friday evening confessed to have been using her
urine to mix the beans with which she prepared moi-
moi which she sold to members of the public as well as
fed family members with.
Reports said the woman, well-known in the community
for her beauty and well-prepared meals especially her
moi-moi that she sold to unsuspecting members of the
public, allegedly confessed when she was almost
lynched by angry mobs over allegation by a young man
in the area that she planned to kill him with her
witchcraft.
It was gathered that the young man was about taking
his bath in the bathroom when a rat almost hit him on
the leg. On seeing the rat, he picked a piece of wood
and hit it, but instead of beating a retreat, the rat
allegedly increased in size, eventually turning into a
human being before disappearing, leaving two slippers
behind.
The young man was said to have gone to town with the
tale, and on getting to the house of the alleged witch,
popularly called MamaT, he was said to have seen the
woman surrounded by an angry crowd who descended
on her.
Eyewitness said some parts of the woman’s body were
swollen, as she was made to put on a pair of slippers,
and realizing the slippers were similar to those left
behind by the rat, the young man screamed, “Madam,
why are you putting on the same slippers, and why is
your body swollen?” And she replied, “I had an accident
yesterday where I sustained some injuries and lost one
of my slippers.”
Suspecting the woman was the rat that turned to a
human being in his bathroom, the young man narated
his story to the crowd, while appealing to them to allow
him get the slippers that the rat left behind in his house.
By the time he returned and showed the people the
single pair of slippers, it was exactly the same with the
one on the woman’s foot.
This left the angry mob with no option than to beat her
to stupor, before she confessed to litany of atrocities
she had committed, while confessing that all through
the years, she had been selling moi-moi she used her
urine from her coven to prepare.
10:46 pm
No comments
Two people have on Sunday been killed in a bomb blast
believed to be from an Improvised Explosive Device
(IED), in Dahlehi Community in the Maiha Local
Government Area of Adamawa, reports have said.
The Chairman of the Local Government, Alhaji
Mohammed Jibrilla, confirmed the development in an
interview in Yola.
“The development was followed by an explosion which
killed one person on the spot while the second died
shortly before admission at the Yola Specialist
Hospital,” he said.
“Two other injured youths are now on admission in the
hospital,” Jibrilla added.
Jibrilla advised the public to be vigilant and to report
any strange object to the authorities.
The Adamawa State Police Public Relations Officer,
DSP. Othman Abubakar, confirmed the incident to
Vanguard, but did not give details.
Maiha Local Government was one of the Local
Governments recently retaken from Boko Haram
insurgents by the military.
5:23 pm
No comments
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State,
has called for the trial of the state governor, Rotimi
Amaechi, alleging that his recent comments tended
toward anarchism and are treasonable.
The Rivers chairman of PDP, Mr Felix Obuah, said this
in a statement issued and made available to journalists
in Port Harcourt on Saturday in reaction to a statement
by his counterpart in the All Progressives Congress
(APC), Dr Davies Ikanya, that the governor was only
expressing his view on the state of the country.
Flaying the Federal Government about the possible
arrest and trial of Amaechi over some of his recent
public statements, Ikanya had, on Friday, said the
position of the government and the security agencies
was an attempt to give the governor a bad image.
“This is nothing but an attempt to give a dog a bad
name in order to hang it. There is nothing inciting,
unguarded or treasonable in Governor Amaechi’s
statements.
“The governor, while expressing his views on the
factors militating against the success of the Federal
Government’s war against Boko Haram insurgents in
the North Eastern part of the country, blamed the
challenges on corruption in the military hierarchy, and
not on inadequate funding as the public is made to
believe”.
Disagreeing with Ikanya, the Rivers PDP chairman
insisted that the arrest and trial of the governor, for his
alleged inciting statements, would protect the peace and
unity of the country, and also put an end to actions
capable of throwing the country into crisis.
“Governor Amaechi’s call to form a parallel
government, if the APC loses the general elections, and
also his call on soldiers to take up arms was an
incitement least expected of the chief security officer of
a state.
“He cannot continue to incite Nigerians, the military and
other security agencies to take up arms against the
country at the twilight of his wasteful regime and we sit
and watch him recklessly undermine the federal
government, and openly provide aid and comfort to
enemies of Nigeria.
“Governor Amaechi had also, at several fora, urged
youths to take up arms against the police. Amaechi is a
security risk in Nigeria and should be made to face the
law to serve as deterrent to others”, he said.
5:13 pm
No comments
The National Identity Management Commission, NIMC,
has advised eligible Nigerians, who enrolled for the
national identity number, to collect their Identity Cards
(ID) at stipulated centres.
Abdul-Hamid Umar, the General Manager, Corporate
Communications of the commission, made the call in
an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos
on Sunday.
According to him, the commission has notified people
who enrolled and whose cards were ready by sending
text messages.
“Many Nigerians have been enrolled in the national
identity data base, though we are far behind the
expectation.
“Nigerians, who have received text messages
personalised to them, giving information that their ID
cards are ready, should come to our centres for
collection”, he said.
He said that the appropriate centres for the collection of
cards had been stipulated in such messages.
Mr. Umar said that there were some Nigerians who had
not come for enrolment in the national identity data-
base.
He said the commission was committed to ensuring
that every eligible Nigerian was enrolled and issued ID
card for identification.
In a separate interview,Titilola Ejiofor, an Assistant
General Manager and Lagos State Coordinator of the
commission, said that the commission had 21
enrolment centres in the state.
According to her, the centres are Lagos State Head
office in Ikeja, Lagos State University, Ikeja Army
Cantonment, Eti-Osa, Ojo, Somolu, Oshodi, Amunwo-
Odofin, Ayobo-Ipaja and Agege Local Government
Secretariat.
Others are FIRS Ikoyi, Lekki Phase I, Bonny Camp,
Nigeria Air-force Base, Ikeja, Lagos State Polytechnic,
Yaba College of Technology and University of Lagos.
Ojo Army Cantonment, NMC Qourra Apapa and Ijele
Campus, Lagos Island are also parts of the centres,
according to her.
Mrs. Ejiofor, who expressed satisfaction over the
turnout of Lagos residents for the exercise, added that
a lot of eligible residents had been captured.
“A lot of people have registered in Lagos and in the
country as a whole. So many people in Lagos have
registered.
“People have been very positive, they come out each
day to be enrolled and we have been given ID cards to
them.
“We are opening more centres in the state, we are not
just going to stop at the current available centres”, she
said.
According to her, a Nigerian of 16 years old and above
can visit any centre with valid means of identification
such as Driver’s Licence, International Passpor,t and
Voter’s Card.
She said documents such as educational certificate,
photo identity from recognised educational institutions,
pension’s photo ID and photo credit cards, among
others, could also be used for enrolment.
Mrs. Ejiofor, therefore, advised Nigerians to come out in
the New Year for enrolment, saying that the registration
would be a continuous exercise.
(NAN)
5:13 pm
No comments
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party, PDP, in Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, has declared
that the State cannot afford another era of disconnect
from the Federal Government, saying the All
Progressives Congress-led government in the state has
led the state into gross under-development because of
the unnecessary bickering between Gov. Rotimi
Amaechi and the Presidency.
Addressing traditional chiefs and titled citizens at
Minimah town in Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area
at the weekend, Wike urged the chiefs and high chiefs
to work relentlessly to ensure victory for President
Goodluck Jonathan, himself and all the PDP candidates
in the forthcoming elections.
He said: “We now see the danger in an era of
disconnect between the Rivers State Government and
the Presidency. Since the outgoing governor led us into
this unfortunate disconnect, we have suffered massive
dose of under-development.
“We cannot afford another era of disconnect. Every
chief, traditional ruler and youth leader should work
round the clock to ensure that Jonathan wins, that I win
and that all PDP candidates win. We have a
responsibility to return Rivers State to the path of
development. Our people are tired of this era of
excuses, false propaganda and the relegation of Rivers
State amongst the comity of states”.
The former Minister of State for Education said no
matter the level of false stories being peddled by the
opposition, Jonathan will be re-elected as president
come February 14, 2015.
5:07 pm
No comments
The Managing Director of Izon-Ibe Security Company,
James Jephthah, said on Sunday that the Bayelsa
Government has reviewed its security policy to check
crude oil theft in the state.
Mr. Jephthah told the News Agency of Nigeria on
Sunday in Yenagoa that the policy review was to check
pipeline vandalism along the creeks and waterways in
the oil producing state.
The state government recently incorporated the security
firm, which it jointly owns with the private sector, to
protect oil installations within the state with a view to
stopping oil theft.
The official said that the activities of oil thieves and
pipeline vandals in the oil-rich state, contributed to the
decline in oil derivation revenue accruing to the state.
He explained that when vandals destroy pipelines, oil
companies were compelled to shut down production,
thereby reducing the volume of oil produced in the state
and by implication, the revenue.
“Izon-Ibe Security Company was set up by the present
administration with the responsibility to provide security
for oil installations and check oil theft”, he said.
“The new company will also carry out surveillance on
critical asset and infrastructure of multinationals,
government and other viable business concerns in
Bayelsa.
“The company has invited all multinational oil
companies and others doing business in and around the
state, to register with it and terminate any existing
security contracts with individuals or companies”.
Mr. Jephthah urged the oil firms operating in the state
to embrace the new initiative which he said was aimed
at reducing the risk of doing business in the state.
He, however, assured existing pipeline surveillance
contractors that their economic interests would be
protected in the new arrangement.
“The management has also invited all pipeline
surveillance contractors and other security contractors
to report to its office with photocopies of their
contractual agreements in this regard”, he added.
(NAN)
5:04 pm
No comments
Founder and General Overseer of Inri Evangelical
Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has said that
God has revealed the winner of next month’s
presidential election to him.
Speaking exclusively with Sunday Tribune , the cleric,
renowned for the accuracy of his prophecies, including
the recent election of Ayo Fayose as the governor of
Ekiti, revealed this in his prophecies for 2015 on issues
that will affect the country and the world at large.
According to Ayodele, “2015 elections will hold but will
be peaceful in some areas and not in other areas. As it
is, from what I see at the moment, PDP will win, amidst
serious criticism”.
Speaking further on popular speculations about the
APC sending the ruling PDP packing from Aso Rock,
Primate Ayodele stated that, “APC and PDP will share
the North; PDP will win a state in the South-West, the
East and the South-South but the core North will be a bit
difficult for the PDP to win. However, when Jonathan
gets a second term, I don’t see peace; except the
president obeys the word of God. I don’t see the APC
winning the presidential election. Even if Buhari wins, he
can’t put an end to insurgency, nor can he fight
corruption. His will be worse than Jonathan”.
4:11 pm
No comments
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of
God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Friday night, reiterated
his call on members to ensure that they get their permanent
voter cards, PVCs, to enable them exercise their civic
responsibility during next month’s general elections.
Speaking on the theme, ‘The Burden Bearer’, during the
church monthly Holy Ghost Service held at the Redemption
Camp, Adeboye said the voter card is the only power the
people have during election.
Clad in white French suit, the man of God, popularly called
Daddy G.O. reminded the congregation that everyone was
expected to collect and bring his/her card to the church on
the first Sunday of January, saying that parish pastors will
request for it.
He, therefore, advised members who have not collected
their PVC to go to the nearest INEC collection centre for it.
Stressing the importance of the PVC, the cleric admonished
those who were unable to find their own to re-register for it,
noting that it is very crucial. “You must get it even if it
means spending the whole day at the local government
because without the card, you cannot vote,” Adeboye said.
“On the first Sunday of the year, come to church with your
voter card as your pastors will ask for it.
“Take thanksgiving service seriously this year. Do not take
it as what the little ones should do. How old are you in the
presence of Almighty God?”, the G.O. said.
Enumerating three types of burden to include physical
burden, material burden and marital burden, Adeboye
described burden as a heavy load that attaches itself to one
and such load goes with the person wherever he or she
goes, saying God, the Burden Bearer, is one that comes
along and help one to carry a burden.
On the conditions to meet the Burden Bearer and what is
expected when such burden is lifted, he said, one must
admit he has a burden, willing to be helped and cry to the
Bearer for help.
Source: Vanguard
4:03 pm
No comments
Former Head of State and Presidential candidate of the
All Progressives Congress in the 2015 general elections,
Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has told the
Independent National Electoral Commission that his
academic qualifications and credentials are with the
military.
This came to light on Monday when journalists visited
the headquarters of INEC in Abuja.
Unlike those of other presidential candidates, whose
academic qualifications were on display including
President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Buhari’s own were
conspicuously missing.
However, the development was better explained in an
affidavit the APC presidential candidate deposed to
before an Abuja High Court.
According to him, all his certificates were with the
Secretary, Military Board. The affidavit was dated
November 24, 2014 and was stamped and received by
INEC on December 18, 2014.
“I am the above-named person and deponent to this
affidavit therein. All my academic qualifications
documents as filled in my presidential form, President
APC/001/2015, are currently with the Secretary, Military
Board as of the time of presenting this affidavit. The
affidavit is made in good faith and for record purpose”,
Buhari stated.
4:01 pm
No comments
GENERAL Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles
Ministries (MFM), Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, has assured
that Nigeria will not disintegrate this year, arguing that God
has an agenda for the country.
Despite such assurances, the Archbishop of Ondo Province
of Anglican Diocese, Bishop Latunji Lasebikan, has called
for fervent prayers for the country, just as the God’s
Kingdom Society warned that the end of wicked people on
earth and the evil reputation they now have should serve as
warnings to those living today about the certainty of the
judgment of God.
The Anglican clergyman expressed fears about the
continued existence of the country after the 2015 general
elections, but Olukoya, in his 2015 predictions at the
church’s Prayer City, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,
said: “Nobody can destroy Nigeria, because it is a country
of destiny. No matter what happens, one way or the other,
the prophetic agenda and prayers will bail it (Nigeria) out of
whatever quagmire it gets into.”
“The Lord will not mind to kill or maim anyone who may
want to destroy Nigeria,” he said, noting that Nigeria is
strategically located in the continent and its shape in the
continent is like the trigger of a gun, meaning the country is
the most dangerous or most volatile part of Africa, which
must not be toyed with.
Describing the year as one of ‘Multiple Restoration and
Unparalleled Favour’ as well as a year of ‘Vigorous
Evangelism’ for MFM members, the church’s general
overseer also gave 15 Ds to stand against in the year, as
follows: deceit, delay, defilement, despair, disobedience,
disbelief and distraction.
Other Ds are dishonesty, disappointment, discouragement,
discord, doubt, double mindedness, deadness and dullness,
as he also gave 41 prayer points he described as “machine
gun prayers” to help believers across the world survive in
the new year.
Addressing newsmen in Ilara-Mokin after the conferment of
Church of Nigeria benevolent award on Chief Michael Ade-
Ojo by the Primate of the church, Nicholas Okoh, Bishop
Lasebikan said: “Nigeria needs God in order to escape the
impending doom.”
Asked to expatiate on the uncertainty in the polity, the
clergyman said: “It is not about painting gloomy pictures,
but it is looking around and seeing gloomy pictures. Politics
is not played in Nigeria alone, it is played in different parts
of the world. But when it takes along indiscipline, anarchy,
discourteous attitude, then we know there is problem.
“In some states they are not following the constitution and
government is going on, that is anarchy.
On the way forward the clergyman said “Our leaders must
learn righteousness, doing correct things, that is why the
constitution is there and people flout the constitution to do
what they like.”
Addressing worshippers at the Last and Great Day
convocation of the Christian Feast of Tabernacles of the
GKS, Brother Godwin Ifeacho outlined the atrocities of
wicked men in history and asserted that the wicked would
be punished not only in this present world but in the world to
come.
Source: Vanguard
3:58 pm
No comments
Mr Peter Obi, the immediate past governor of Anambra
State, is a honorary adviser to President Goodluck
Jonathan. Obi shares his perspective on the 2015 polls in
this interview.
We overheard the Vice President introduce you as the
Deputy Director General (South), comprising the South West,
South East and South South of the presidential campaign
organisation, which is why you are here as part of the
reconciliation team of the PDP for Lagos.
Are you satisfied with the outcome of the reconciliation
meeting?
Yes I am. I thank Vice President Namadi Sambo, who led
the peace talks and also thank and congratulate the people
of the state for their maturity. Mr Vice Vice President spoke
to the party members like a father, and everybody in the
PDP family agreed with him on the need to close ranks and
work together.
What is your reaction to the the statement of Governor
Rotimi Amaechi, the Director General of Gen Buhari’s
campaign, that the APC supports mutiny?
The statement, if it is true, is unfortunate and least expected
of a public officer of his status. I have always maintained
that leaders in corporate and public life should strive to
maintain exemplary character and behaviour that is worthy
of emulation. Their pronouncements and disposition must
be responsible, devoid of abusive, or inciting words that
could undermine the moral fabric of the society.
On this same issue of security in particular, lives have been
lost by the civilian populace and military personnel. That is
why public figures must be sensitive to these things and
show signs of serious social responsibility at all times. We
are expected to speak with restraint and decorum, knowing
that we can make or mar society. At all times and in all
climes, issues of security are left in the hands of security
agents and we must show utmost understanding of the
dynamics of security.
Do you agree that Buhari has the capacity to stop Boko
Haram if elected?
Gen. Buhari, as a respected, retired general and as an elder
statesman, does not need an invitation, an appointment or
an elective office to intervene on any national issue,
especially issues of national security like the one facing the
country at the moment. Elder statesmen all over the world
do not wait to be invited before they step forward on
matters of grave concern to their fatherland.
President Jonathan is running round sleeplessly and
working with security agencies, in addition to forging
bilateral ties to solve these problems. He will certainly be
very glad to receive any suggestions from Buhari and I can
assure you that Nigerians will be glad if he helps solve the
problem as an elder statesman. He has said that he will
summon a meeting of serving and retired generals to help
solve the problem if elected, but he does not need to be
elected to do so.
But some people are saying that he can deal with Boko
Haram, the way he dealt with the Maitatsine unrest decades
ago.
I have read in some places where the APC said that because
Buhari stopped Maitaitsine in the 80s, he will also stop Boko
today. I disagree entirely with this claim, because the stable
global environment of the 80s cannot be compared with the
volatile and terror-enveloped global environment of today.
The socio-religious realities that threw up the Maitaisine
group are different from the realities that threw up Boko
Haram.
In the 80s, most countries were stable, but today the global
instability, cutting across nations like Iraq, Syria and the
Middle East, has created a labyrinth of terror. This is in
addition to our African neighbours, , like Libya, Egypt,
Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Tunisia and others, which are all
facing various forms of instability and terrorist activities.
The level of sophistication in technology and military
hardware is also totally different today. No one would have
ever imagined in the 80s that terrorists would go into the US
and bomb the World Trade Centre, or attack the Pentagon.
But we all saw it happen.
These are realities that need to shape our understanding of
the world of today. What is happening has a global
coloration, because the ISIS flag is the flag you see with
Alshaba in Somalia and Boko Haram in Nigeria. You can
now see why we cannot compare yesterday with what we
are seeing today. Who would have thought that Nigerians
would turn into suicide bombers?
What do you say about the fate of the Naira?
Most comments about the condition of the Naira are made
out of ignorance. It needs the understanding of macro-
economic realities to understand what is happening in the
world today. The depreciation in the exchange rate is a
worldwide phenomenon, fueled by the fall in oil prices and
other elements of the increasing global economic and
security challenges. Hardest hit are countries that export
petroleum products.
Talking about the fall in the value of the Naira, look at what
is happening in Russia and other places. In just a year, the
Russian rouble lost 40% of its value. The Venezuelan
currency even lost more than that. The interesting thing
about these countries is that they are not calling for the
crucifixion of their leaders, rather, they are supporting them
with an understanding that the problem will pass away.
The APC has said that Buhari is the best Nigerian leader
ever, that he did it once and can do it again. What do you
say about this?
At the age of 41, which was 31 years ago, Buhari staged a
coup d’état and removed the democratically elected
government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari and tried visibly to instil
discipline and order in our society. This was both
commendable and his greatest achievement. But the
economic policies and actions of that government were
disastrous, as Nigeria nearly turned into a pariah nation that
no one wanted to deal with globally.
At the time, under the Buhari’s government, confirmed
Letters of Credit were rejected, because no one wanted to
deal with Nigeria. Though I disagree that he was one of the
best Nigerian leaders, even if we assume that he was the
best 31 years ago, that is not the reason we should clone
him back today at 72. The Singaporeans are not asking Lee
Kwuan Yu to come back. Malaysians are not asking
Mohamad to come back.
The Americans are also not asking Bill Clinton, who came to
office ten years after Buhari’s first outing and who had the
best economic performance in the 21st century, to come
back. Are we saying that Nigeria has not produced anyone
who can do the job today?
What exactly are you saying?
All I am saying is that no progressive country of the world,
especially those we are trying to emulate, like the US, the
UK, etc, have ever elected anybody above 70 years of age
since the inception of democracy in their countries.
The oldest person ever elected in the US was President
Reagan, who became president at 68. At that time,
Americans were particular about his age. This is a nation
with a life expectancy of over 100 years, as against Nigeria,
with a life expectancy of about 60 years.
Towards the end of Reagan’s presidency, there were
serious issues of stress and his ability to continue with the
job. Few months after he left office, he could no longer
recognise his wife. Let us cite examples of presidents of
these countries I mentioned, all of whom came to power at
least ten years after Buhari’s leadership of the country as
Head of State. President Barack Obama was 47 when he
took over, while George W. Bush was 54 and Bill Clinton 46.
It is almost the same for the UK where the current Prime
Minister was 43 when he took over, while Gordon Brown
was 56, Tony Blair 43 and John Major 47. To bring this
closer home, our neighbouring Ghana has President John
Mahama who started at 53. One can understand if he is in
his 60s today. To further elucidate this, why do we have to
retire our top military personnel and civil servants at 60,
university lecturers at 65 and Supreme Court judges at 75.
Even the religious bodies now retire their leaders at the age
of 70. Which is why the highly celebrated primate of the
Church of Nigeria, Sunday Mbang, and Ola Makinde of the
Methodist Church, as well as Cardinal Okojie of the Catholic
Church, are now retired. These are people who are
managing smaller segments of civil society.
In a world where a life-changing protest for democratic
change, demanding for free and fair democracy without
Chinese interference, was led by a 17-year-old boy in Hong
Kong, APC is threatening to inflict a 72-year-old grandfather
on Nigeria as president. Do you realise that the major
companies of the world like doogle (1998), Yahoo (1994),
Ebay (1995), Facebook (2004) and Alibaba (1999), were all
founded by people under 40 years of age. Most of the
captains of industry in Nigeria today are led by men and
women who were in not yet in primary school 31 years ago,
when Buhari’s was Head of State.
Gov. Amaechi also complained about Jonathan being
responsible for the depreciation of the Naira
Again, this is case of people speaking either out of mischief
or ignorance, or both. I speak of mischief here because even
those with no knowledge of macroeconomics know why the
Naira is depreciating. Currencies depreciate for a number of
fundamental reasons, other than the actions of
governments. The recent depreciation of major currencies of
the world was more pronounced in countries with heavy
dependence on oil.
The Russian rouble, for instance, lost over 45% of its value
in four months and no one is blaming Putin for it, or asking
that he should leave. Ours would have been much worse,
but for President Jonathan’s diversification of the economy,
especially in the area of agriculture which has saved a lot of
savings in food importation.
Furthermore, the currencies of better or similar similar
economies, like the Brazilian real, Argentina’s peso, Soth
African rand and more have all depreciated by over 12 and
15% in the last one year. This is similar to what we have
witnessed here and the people are not calling for the heads
of their leaders. Coming nearer home, the Ghanaian cedi has
equally depreciated by over 35%and no one has called for
an end to the incumbent government.
The opposition also said Jonathan is incapable of fighting
corruption and I need to hear your views on that allegation.
Well, everyone in Nigeria claims to be a saint and accuses
others of being corrupt. We all read and also heard from
those who were there what transpired at the APC
presidential primary in Lagos. That is not corruption, right?
While I agree that there is the need to strengthen institutions
like the ICPC and EFCC, to fight the physical and more
tangible forms of administrative corruption, there is also the
far more fundamental need to fight corruption from its very
roots.
What I mean here is the distortion of societal values, as
can be seen for example where those who are role models
are mostly some of worst among us. Honours and titles are
often given to persons whose conduct and obscene
exhibition of wealth set a bad example for the leaders of
tomorrow. The best way to fight corruption realistically is to
institutionalize the processes of governance.
You only need to look at how the reforms in the
procurement and distribution of fertiliser have totally
transformed everything, making fertiliser directly available
to farmers and disbanding the cartel that held the system
hostage before the Jonathan administration. It is the same
with the pension reforms and the Sovereign Wealth Fund
which have, respectively, created a more sustainable
financial fall back position and blocked leakages in pension
fund administration.
What is you take on who Nigerians should vote for in 2015?
The answer to that question is fairly obvious: Jonathan,
Jonathan, and Jonathan. He has put the right policies in
place and set the right processes in motion. He needs to
continue and finish the good work he is doing now and that
is why he should be voted in.
The reason you are asking this question is simply because
his performance is under reported and even sometimes
distorted by mischief makers. He will be a stronger and
better candidate, when re-elected, as he follows through
what he has started. Whatever challenges are on the ground
today are being progressively overcome and will soon
become things of the past.
Source: Vanguard
FILE PHOTO BELOW: Nigeria’s president Goodluck Jonathan (L) and
vice president Namadi Sambo wave to supporters during a
presidential primary in Abuja, on December 10, 2014.
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