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Monday, 16 March 2015

PATIENCE JONATHAN REDEFINES CORRUPTION

Patience Jonathan Redefines Corruption

16 Mar 2015

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Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan

Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan, on Friday took to the podium to explain to women in Akwa Ibom State the meaning of ‘corruption’.

While addressing the crowd during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Women Presidential Rally in Uyo, Mrs. Jonathan said the promise by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to fight corruption were “all lies”.

“Akwa Ibom people, judge o. Because we are not here for lies. We are not here for propaganda. Because their own number one campaign is corruption. As if they are not corrupt. They are not corrupt,” Mrs. Jonathan said.

“What do you call corruption? He has a house. You, are you living outside? Are you living in the forest? It’s corruption.

“In abroad, if a young boy works so hard and buys a copter, we praise the boy. But in Nigeria, if a young boy works so hard and buys a copter, we say he’s corrupt. Why?

“Why can’t we encourage the young ones to grow? Why can’t we encourage them to do better? We, our mother born us and train us, why they train us is that we should be better than them. Are we to bring the young ones down? It’s not our portion,” she added.

Mrs. Jonathan urged the women not to vote for the APC because, according to her, they have nothing to offer.

“A bird in hand is worth a million in the bush. Nigerian women, let us shine our eyes. Women of Nigeria, are you ready to go to prison? Are you ready to go and give your father food in the prison? It is not our portion. We reject it.

“Akwa Ibom State is a PDP state. It’s not for expired drugs, because APC cannot heal you, outdated drugs cannot heal you. Let them call it any name. Just like my husband's younger brother (Governor Akpabio) has said, they will continue changing name until they will reach Ebola. And they will call it Ebola.

“You know what Ebola normally does? Although Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has said Nigeria is not Ebola country. So they cannot bring Ebola to Nigeria because Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and PDP government will wipe it out. And they will bury it, because it cannot stay here at all.

“So let them continue changing their name. If they fail this time, because I
know they have failed, you will hear they will change their name again. They will change it and answer another name,” she said.

Helen Mark, wife of Senate President David Mark; Amina Sambo, wife of Vice-President Namadi Sambo; as well as Kema Chikwe took turns to urge the crowd to vote for the party.

Akon Eyakenyi, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, was also in attendance.

Their speeches lasted barely 10 minutes.

When it was time for Mrs. Jonathan to deliver the keynote address, she rose from her seat, danced her way to the podium, and spoke for about one hour.
“A good man borns (sic) a good son. You cannot deliver what you don’t have, and that’s why he has brought somebody that can also deliver you from the APC. The one that will heal you,” Mrs. Jonathan said of Mr. Akpabio and the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the state.

The First Lady also described the PDP as a moving train that is unstoppable.
“Remember I was here in 2011 and I came here, I told you that PDP is a good party and I told you to vote for Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and Sambo. And you know that they will never fail you. And they promised you 35 per cent, and they fulfilled their 35 per cent,” she said.

“So you can see that your deputy governor today is a product of 35 per cent. You can see that the minister today is a product of 35 per cent. So I have come again this time, 2015, to talk to you again,” she said.

Mrs. Jonathan said the PDP would increase the quota of women’s participation in governance if the party wins in the elections.
“We are here to tell you what PDP government has done. We are here to tell you the truth,” she said.

“We are not propagandaly (sic). We are not here to deceive you. We are not here to lie for you. Because whatever we say go and search because you will see it.

“Remember when the men were campaigning, I just follow them quietly because I was waiting for them to give me go-ahead. I was waiting for them to tell me what they have for Nigerian women.

“And they told me that this time, we have given you 35 per cent. Go and tell their women that if they vote us back, that we are going to give them 45 per cent.”

“Ask them, when they were there, what did they do for you? Women of Nigeria, did they do anything for you? This is the time they have come to tell you ‘I will,’ I will what? What you did not do before, is it now that you will come and do it?

“Remember that they were in that Aso Rock before. All the things that they keep there, they did not take it. Now they want to go back there. Ask them a question, what did you forget there?

Won’t you leave Aso Rock for the new generation? Dr. Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan and Governor Godswill Akpabio are the new generation,” she said.
Mrs. Jonathan also stated that President Jonathan is committed to improving the country’s health sector.

“Under SURE-P, Goodluck said that for health sector, that no woman will die again under pregnancy. He said that all Nigerian women you have died enough. Remember before PDP came into power, every 100,000 live births, 840 will die. 840 will die when they were there o.

“When the people were there o, women were afraid to born child. Women were afraid to produce kids. They cannot produce. They are afraid, I should not die.”

•Culled from Premium Times

Tags: News, Nigeria, Featured, Corruption

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As Jonathan Mulls Cabinet Reshuffle… Diezani, Others ‘To Go’

APC Accuses Jonathan Of Paying N9bn To Millitants To Disrupt Elections

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Jonathan administration of sponsoring ethnic militias to foment trouble before, during and after the forthcoming general elections, saying the alleged N9 billion recently paid out to some ex-militants and ethnic militias was aimed at mobilising them to scuttle the polls.

In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the protests by MASSOB last week seeking the sack of INEC chairman Attahiru Jega was orchestrated by the government as part of its continuing efforts to sabotage the elections.

It said the next group that has been mobilised to protest against Jega and the use of card readers is the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), which is also a beneficiary of the N9 billion payout ostensibly for pipeline protection, but in reality to “prepare the ethnic militias for their reprehensible role in scuttling the elections”.

The APC said more ethnic militias would be enlisted by the administration to continue the protest against Jega and the card readers in order to give the impression that Nigerians want Jega sacked and are also against the use of card readers.

The party expressed sadness that a president who inherited a united nation has done everything he could to divide the country along ethnic and religious lines, including patronising ethnic militias who serve no other purpose than to champion sectional interests at the expense of national unity.

It wondered why Jonathan would pay such money to a handful of people at a time of great economic downturn and falling naira, as well as in a situation in which many states cannot even afford to pay their workers because of dwindling allocation from the federation account.

It said: ”A profligate government that has been bribing people with dollars and ferrying huge funds around practically to buy votes has outdone itself by paying out all of 9 billion naira to a few Nigerians, with less than three weeks to the elections.

“Shortly after the payment, some self-serving groups started organising protests that, for all intents and purposes, are being orchestrated to scuttle the polls. This is a shameful show by the federal government.”

In its reaction, however, the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO) has dismissed as false the APC’s claims.
The Director of Media and Publicity of the PDPPCO, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, also justified the employment and compensation given to families of the victims of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) employment tragedy, saying that the APC’s criticism of the gesture was unfortunate.

According to him, “Once again, Lai Mohammed has indulged in lies on behalf of his lying party, the APC. It is not true that the PDP or the federal government is sponsoring ethnic militias. It is also not true that N9 billion has been allocated for that purpose.

“It is rather the APC that has consistently supported and sponsored the Boko Haram both in substance and in their utterances over the last few years.
“This recourse to telling a lie every day by the opposition party will not in any way assist them in achieving their objectives.

“We will remain focused on the issues. We will talk about their weaknesses and we will also talk about the achievements of President Goodluck Jonathan on why it is that it is important that he is re-elected back into power on March 28. That is our focus.

“We have said it before and we will say it again: these people have become prisoners of their own delusions; they have become victims of their own hallucinations and fantasies. They have become paranoid such that they are sleeping and hiding under their beds.

“They are running from their own shadows and what we are witnessing is simply the judgment of God on them. They have lost their peace. They are running when nobody is chasing them and that is why they are saying these things.

“It is really a pity that it has degenerated to this point. But the fact of the matter is that no serious-minded persons will take them seriously when they talk like this.”
On the APC’s claim that the PDP and the federal government were trying to garner cheap political profit from the calamity that befell some young Nigerians with the employment and compensation paid to the families of the affected victims of the NIS employment tragedy, Fani-Kayode said: “It is not the PDP that feeds off the blood of other individuals; it is not the PDP that is a party of ritualists and cultists; it is not the PDP that encourages and supports terrorist organisations that have slaughtered about 35,000 people over the last three years.

“It was the APC that did that when Lai Mohammed said that it was unconstitutional and unjust for the federal government to proscribe Boko Haram.
“We do not feed off calamity; they are the ones that do that and they consistently do that and they will continue to do that and that is why we are saying they are not fit to take power in this country.

“Mr. President’s gesture concerning the victims of the calamity that took place last year when all those young people were killed was a noble gesture and was simply an acknowledgment of the fact that these people died under very, very sad circumstances.

“It was simply an attempt to alleviate the suffering and pain of the families of those that were killed and no right-thinking person will read any other meaning to that.”

GEJ And Wife, Patience, Planning To Assassinate Me-Rev. Fr. Mbaka

Fiery Enugu-based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Mbaka has disclosed in a new video sermon uploaded on youtube that President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, are planning to kill him over political disagreements regarding his opposition to President Jonathan's re-election. In a 21-minute sermon given during one of his preachings, Fr. Mbaka stated categorically he was made aware of the plans recently.

The popular Adoration Ministries coordinator said his support for Jonathan in the last six years did not attract death threats or condemnation from opposition politicians. He also used the opportunity to address allegations that he received some money from Mrs. Joanthan last during her visit to his church. Fr. Mbaka disclosed that Mr. Jonathan dropped money for him through Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, but that he left the money with Ekweremadu and his wife, he further stated that the money Mrs. Jonathan gave as offering at the church's offertory was equally returned to her.

Fr. Mbaka caught the ire of President Jonathan when he gave a sermon late last year condemning President Jonathan's re-election, asking his followers to vote for General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK

Why We Dumped Buhari For Jonathan – Gani Adams

ABEOKUTA – The National Cordinator of Oodua Peoples’ Congress, Chief Gani Adams has explained that his group resolved to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan for a second term, because of the promise to implement the report of national confab.

Adams also explained that, the OPC decided to dump former Lagos State governor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tibubu for the People’s Democratic Party candidate because the former governor had lost the focus.

The OPC leader said this, during the Olokun festival and 2015 Lisabi day held in Abeokuta , Weekend, describing the festival as very important to Yoruba race.

While fielding questions with newsmen on the coming elections, Adams disclosed that, most groups have adopted President Jonathan for second term because of the pledge to implement 633 recommendations of the confab.

According to him, If it is the wish of President Jonathan to implement the outcome of the National Conference, let him be the President for a second term. That’s our position. That’s the position of OPC. Gani Adams, Fasehun; that’s the position of Afenifere. That’s the position of the Yoruba Council of Elders, that’s the position of many self-determination groups.

“Yet some civil society groups have kept quiet on these issues. So, we need to move this country forward on the basis of structure and not about saying Buhari will come to perform miracle. When Buhari was in power, it was Buhari/Idiagbon government, not only Buhari. Idiagbon did much of the job in government. Buhari was just the administrator. Idiagbon was the master-strategist of that government”, he said .

While explaining the reason the OPC dumped Tinubu’s party, for Jonathan, Adams said ” and my brother, Tinubu ,was the one that said that it’s a diversionary tactics .Tinubu was one of the people we learnt true Federalism from. I learnt true Federalism from Tinubu. We saw him as a hero 12 years ago, but , a sudden change in his ideology gave me a serious thought. I don’t have any serious issue about them because I’m not a government official but notwithstanding I have the right to defend my own future. I’m leading an organization of millions of people and I will not lead them the wrong way”.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/why-we-dumped-buhari-for-jonathan-gani-adams/?utm_source=&utm_medium=facebook

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AT LAST! Jega Addresses Plan To Resign

With the 2015 elections just around the corner, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has spoken up on his alleged plan to resign.

The INEC boss however, denied the allegations that he is under pressure to resign.

Jega made this known at a town hall meeting organized by REINVENT Media and some stakeholders in Abuja today, March 16, 2015.

Speaking with the newsmen, Jega said the protests and calls for his resignation by some groups would not discourage the commission from delivering a free and fair election to Nigerians.

In his words: “I have heard of the several calls for me to be removed. In fact, am aware that some groups have been protesting. Well, I have a job to do and I will do it. Nobody has asked me to resign and all of us at INEC are focused on ensuring that this election is free and fair”.

The INEC boss also added that the commission had put in place measures to prevent multiple voting in the elections.

Jega said the time lapse between the accreditation and voting exercise was aimed at restricting movement of voters from one polling unit to the other and also ensuring that people would not vote more than once.

“Multiple voting is unfortunately the factor that has bedeviled many voting exercises in Nigeria. This problem is posed by politicians, who pay voters to vote many times or plan to snatch ballot boxes once the voting exercise starts.

“But the time lapse will ensure that voting takes place and ends in the various polling units at the same time and voters, who want to engage in this fraudulent acts will not be able to move around”.

READ ALSO: INEC Launches 24-Hr Help Line

He finally blamed political parties in the country for dodging their responsibility of sensitizing the public on the need for them to collect their PVCs, saying they were also stakeholders in the electoral process.

“Many usually think it’s only INEC that should be sensitizing people that they need to collect their PVCs but this is not correct. Political parties have the mandate and responsibility to sensitise voters to pick their PVCs because, if people collect or do not collect, it will affect their electoral fortunes,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Professor Jega at the INEC Town Hall meeting, entertained questions on INEC’s preparedness for the 2015 general election.

Chibok Girls: FG Response Was Slow- OBJ

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has condemned the federal government over its failure to effectively tackle the recovery of the kidnapped school girls by Boko Haram in Chibok Local Government, Borno state.

Obasanjo who was speaking at the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai said the government’s response was slow, saying, “If that had happened maybe the girls would have been rescued. “The government did not believe that there had been an abduction for some time.”

He said the government could have avoided the situation and saved the girl but didn’t recognise the threat posed by the terrorists.

The former president revealed that it took President Goodluck Jonathan 18 days to contact the governor of Borno state after the abduction.

It will be recalled that the abduction of the over 200 young girls caused a widespread international protest and demand for the girls to be brought back home.

The kidnapping caused worldwide outcry, leading to public interventions by celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Malala Yyousafzai.

He opined that Boko Haram had grown from a local insurgency to a regional issue, spreading to neighbouring African states, and called all the African nations to combat it.

“It has become a regional issue and we have to deal with it regionally,” Obasanjo concluded.

Meanwhile, the media director of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, recently accused the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, for ignoring security reports and the counsel of the Federal Government against holding the 2014 May/June West African Examination Council in Chibok before the school girls abduction.

Deported Nigerian scholars sue Qatar Airways

Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Funmilayo Atilade

Some young Nigerian scholars have taken Qatar Airways Nigeria Limited before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja claiming about N2.9bn in damages.

The students, 13 in number, are blaming their deportation from the Republic of the Philippines sometime in November last year on the airline.

But the airline has vehemently opposed their claims, insisting that it could not be held responsible for the alleged irregularities in their papers, which led to their summary detention and eventually deportation to Nigeria.

The deported students who sued are Opoola Kayode, Ogundana Joshua, Oyeniran Eniola, Ajayi Morenikeji, Falope Opeyemi, Ayanwoye Samuel and Agunbiade Oluwamayowa.

Others are Toki John, Obajide Joshua, Bude Adeitan, Adedoyin Damilola, Banjo Olufemi and Akinola Olamilekan.

In their statement of claim, the young scholars, who had just finished their secondary school education in Nigeria, said they decided to seek admission in the Republic of the Philippines because of the problems associated with gaining admission into Nigerian universities.

They claimed that their quest to study abroad was tied to the sundry challenges, such as prevalent industrial actions and lack of educational facilities, bedeviling the Nigerian tertiary education system.

In order to activate their dream, they approached one education consulting firm, Achievers Global Consulting for Excellence Limited, to process their admission into foreign varsities.

The firm, which is the first claimant in the suit marked ID/ADR/229/2014, claimed that it successfully secured provisional admission for the students in two universities in the Republic of the Philippines, namely: University of Perpetual Help System Data and University of the Cordilleras.

The firm claimed that after obtaining letters of provisional admission from the schools, it applied for visa for the students at the Philippines High Commission in Nigeria and it was granted on merit.

It said that it then approached Qatar Airways Nigeria Limited for the contract of conveying the students from Nigeria to the Republic of the Philippines, adding that the students paid the prescribed fees of the airline and were issued with air tickets.

According to the firm, on November 3, 2014, the 13 students were presented with their documents for verification at the desk of Qatar Airways, at the Murtala International Airport.

The firm claimed that the airline did not only certify the students as eligible to travel abroad but also passed them as fit and proper to travel aboard its aircraft from Nigeria to the Republic of the Philippines.

However, on arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Republic of the Philippines on November 4, 2014, the students were apprehended as illegal immigrants.

According to the firm, the reason adduced for their arrest was that they did not have return tickets to Nigeria.

The students were subsequently detained by the Republic of the Philippines immigration authorities for eight days before their eventual deportation.

Qatar airline was also said to have been fined 50,000 Peso for wrongful boarding of the students.

Both the students and the education consulting firm are blaming their ordeal on the alleged negligence of Qatar Airways.

It is their claim that the airline had the responsibility to check and ensure that the students’ documentations were proper before putting them on board. They added that the defendant did not, at any time, directly or indirectly inform them of improper documentation, non-purchase of return ticket or violation of any other immigration rule.

The claimants also blamed their inhuman treatment on the alleged failure of the airline to appropriately liaise with its desk at Ninoy Aquino International Airport as mandated by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Rules.

They are therefore praying the court for an order directing the airline to pay them about N9m, being a refund of their air ticket fees; the sum they used in procuring visa, the cost of five return tickets purchased for five of the students before their eventual deportation and the cost of filing the suit.

Apart from this, the claimants are seeking cost of damages in the sum of N1.5bn to cover for their “economic misfortunes, destruction of educational pursuit, destruction of business reputation and illegal detention of the claimants occasioned by the negligent conduct of the defendant.”

They also want a separate N500m as damages for breach of contract.

But the airline, in its statement of defence, urged the court to not only discountenance and dismiss the claimants’ prayers for lacking in merit and substance but to also award a heavy cost against the claimants.

Qatar Airways, while denying having a direct dealing with the education consulting firm, explained that its air tickets were purchased on behalf of the firm for the students by two travel agents: Blue Diamond Travels Limited and Beloved Travels and Tours.

The airline maintained that its contract with the students was limited to airlifting them to their destination, which it accordingly did, as opposed to the claimants’ claim, that it was the duty of the airline to see to the claimants’ proper documentation.

“The defendant unequivocally states that it neither bears any immigration responsibility nor performs immigration functions of profiling passengers with a view to determining whether they are eligible to travel or not, as such are the exclusive duties of the immigration authorities of any sovereign state and other profiling companies within the airport,” it argued.

The defendant added that there was no evidence that the students had either fulfilled the conditions of the provisional admission granted them or paid the required tuition.

It added, “The defendant will contend that there was no correspondence whatsoever from the University of Cordilleras and the University of Perpetual Help System Data to the Philippines Immigration Authorities indicating an undertaking that the claimants were indeed students of the school and that the claimants will return to Nigeria after their studies in Philippines.”

Denouncing responsibility for the students ordeals, the airline pointed out to the court that all the other passengers who were onboard its flight with the students were allowed entrance into Philippines by the country’s immigration authorities, “upon proper verification or confirmation of their travel documentation, as well as the purpose of their visit to Philippines.”

THE PUNCH

The presiding judge, Justice Kudirat Jose, asked the parties to address her on whether or not she has jurisdiction to adjudicate upon the matter, while she subsequently adjourned till April 15, 2015 for further hearing.

Police arrest Alfa for raping teenager, assaulting mother

Idowu; The area
| credits: Samson Folarin

The police in Lagos State have arrested an Islamic cleric, Abdullahi Omobolaji, a.k.aAlfa, for allegedly having unlawful carnal knowledge of a 17-year-old teenager, Idowu (pseudonym), in the Agege area of the state.

The incident happened on Bakare Lane where the victim lived with her mother and siblings.

PUNCH Metro learnt that although Alfa lived in Abule Egba, he had a room apartment on Bakare Lane where he received clients, who seek him out for spiritual help.

He was said to have taken advantage of the minor and slept with her many times, from November 2014 until the act was uncovered by the victim’s mother in March, 2015.

When she confronted him, Alfa was said to have beaten up Idowu’s mother. While the scuffle was on, the matter was reported at the Isokoko Police Division by Idowu.

The 40-year-old Ilorin, Kwara State indigene was subsequently arrested on Wednesday.

Speaking with PUNCH Metro on Friday, Idowu said she could not muster the courage to tell anyone about her experience because Alfa had threatened that she would die if she did.

She said, “It started in November, 2014 when Alfa Abdullahi called me and said I should always come to meet him if I needed anything since my dad was dead and my mum was unable to cater to all my needs.

“Later, he told me that he had seen a vision, adding that a man had placed an evil mark on me.

“He asked me to rinse my hand with cold water which he the put on the fire. When the water finally boiled and I brought it down, I saw two cowries and a ring in the water.

“Alfa said that was what the man put inside my body and he (Alfa) was the only man that could remove the evil mark from me. He said he must sleep with me three times, and that was how he slept with me.

“He said I must never tell anyone what happened between us and if I did, I would die just like my father did a few years back.”

Idowu said a few days afterwards, the suspect called her and asked her to buy an egg.

He was alleged to have instructed the victim to rub her body with the egg.

“Then he said I should break it. I found seven needles in the egg. Alfa then said he would have to sleep with me seven times. I pleaded with him not to since he only recently slept with me three times, but he insisted on doing it, “she added.

The teenager said he slept with her for seven more times, and continued to pressure her for more sex.

She said she could not open up to anyone because Alfa always scared her with tales of his powerful exploits.

Her mother, a fashion designer, told PUNCH Metro that she got wind of what had been happening between the duo from a customer.

The mother of four said when she confronted Alfa, he denied the allegation.

She said, “After a lot of pressure, my daughter opened up, telling me that Alfa had told her if she told anyone she would die.

“That was when I went to meet him the second time, but he beat me up.”

Idowu was said to have gone to the Isokoko Police Station to report the matter, and policemen arrested the suspect.

Our correspondent learnt that the victim had been taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for a medical test.

A family friend, Prophet Samuel Odusanwo, said, “The police and indeed the government should not allow him (Alfa) to go unpunished. His case should be used to serve as a lesson to people like him.”

However, a relative of the suspect, who did not reveal his name, said there was no truth in the allegation, adding that Alfa and the victim were dating.

He said, “The girl framed up the cleric.

“They have been sleeping with each other since last year.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident.

He said, “The matter is going to court tomorrow (Monday).”

TH PUNCH

My Encounter With Captain Buhari

The Nigerian Civil War ended on January 15, 1970. Naturally, Nigerian soldiers occupied every part of Igbo land and used school premises as their make-shift barracks. Less malnourished young men were suspected to be defunct Biafran soldiers and some ladies suffered at the hands of the rampaging soldiers.

My village, Umueleke, in Ehime Mbano of Imo State, was one of the communities occupied by the Nigerian soldiers with their natural provocative utterances. The village shares a common boundary with Mbaise in Imo State, where we assumed to be the operational headquarters of the Nigerian soldiers within our area during that period.

On a certain day in March 1970, one of our brothers that fled Lagos to Biafra with his new car, but could not use same during the war for fear of being confiscated by Biafran Soldiers, perfectly concealed same throughout the period of the Civil War. He brought out the car in March of the same year and drove same to our market square where the soldiers were stationed.

Unfortunately, the soldiers harassed him out of the car and confiscated same, luckily for him there was a divine intervention as the crowd of onlookers saw a convoy coming from the Mbaise axis of our community and suddenly a young and slim officer alighted from the military jeep. He enquired why the crowd gathered and why the man was weeping; the man informed him of how the soldiers had beaten him up and confiscated his car.

The slim officer was a captain with his name-tag Buhari. The officer reminded the people that the war had ended and such thing should not happen. He quickly ordered for the release of the car and also reprimanded the soldiers and as a result, our community enjoyed the usual freedom.

When he became the Head of State, I discovered from his facial appearance that it was the same Buhari that showed human concern to our brother.

But since Buhari indicated interest in ruling the country once again, I have read many commentaries on the pages of newspapers and electronic media that are very uncomplimentary about his life and I wonder whether it is the same Buhari I met in 1970 who was full of passion for people.

However, from my encounter with GMB then, I came to the conclusion that he is not only humane, but a stickler for justice as demonstrated by his insistence that my brother’s car is returned immediately and which the soldiers did. That he ordered that the car be returned and the soldiers involved in such act be detained for stepping beyond their bounds depicted Buhari as a compassionate man and a disciplinarian who abhors maltreating innocent civilians. After all, Buhari could have joined forces with his men to confiscate the car, but he did not because he believed that the war had ended and people should be set free form bondage and discrimination. But he said “mbanau ooo!”

Of course, the lessons learnt from the above are: that a leader must stand for justice at all times; that a leader must take a decision when necessary; that a leader must instil discipline in his lieutenants; that not all Northern soldiers were wicked after the war and that GMB is misrepresented by many Nigerians who see him as evil and tribalistic.

Indeed, from the lessons, one can deduce that GMB is far better than our South-South brothers who confiscated our property immediately after the war and nicknamed it ‘abondoned property’ particularly in Rivers and Bayelsa. Many Igbos died while in pursuit of their legitimate rights over their property. My family members were victims and I nearly lost my life.. Again, I think some Igbos are still at war with Buhari, 45 years after the war ended. So, if by divine act, Buhari wins, what will be the fate of Igbos.?

.Barrister Onyebueke is the former Vice-Chairman,

http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=109383

Police Ban Buhari's One-million Man March

A one-million man march which was supposed to be held on the streets of Kano in support of General Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant was over the weekend banned by the police.

According to Daily Trust, the march, which was organised by the Buhari Youth Organisation (BYO) for supporters to march across the city in solidarity with Buhari, was stopped few hours before the event was scheduled to be held.

The event had received approval by the commissioner of police for a political summit and a road march from the Sani Abacha Stadium to the Buhari campaign office along Maiduguri Road.

But hours before the event, the approval was withdrawn following a directive from the deputy inspector general of police at the Department of Operations, Force Headquarters, Abuja, who said he was following orders from above.

The directive from the police command read in part: “You can only hold the summit within the Sani Abacha Indoor Stadium on same date. The command regrets the inconveniences this might cause

Engr Garba Umar, the BYO northwest zonal coordinator, said: “To our surprise they told us that we should not march out so we decided to march into this venue (Sani Abacha Stadium). Initially, they asked us to shift the march to Monday and we told them no because we wanted to hold it on Saturday but they said we had to shift it today (Sunday). They said it was a directive from above”.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Arewa leaders have alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan offered them huge sums of money in foreign currency two weeks ago. The leaders who received Kano state governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, in Lagos yesterday, said they rejected hundreds of thousands of dollars which was offered to them by President Jonathan.

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/402997-jonathan-bans-buhari-s-one-million-man-match.html

Former Speaker Of The House Dumps PDP

Ghali Na’Abba, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, has dumped the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr. Na’Abba sent his resignation letter titled “Notification of Resignation from PDP, each organs and committees”, to the chairman of the PDP Sharada Ward in Kano Municipal Local Government Area, Premium Times reports.

In the letter dated March 15, the former lawmaker accused President Goodluck Jonathan of reducing governance to a ridiculous level and splitting the country along ethnic and religious lines.

He also blamed other previous leaders of the PDP, which has ruled Nigeria since 1999, of putting the country in in a bad situation.

Mr. Na’Abba led legislative chamber during Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure as President.

His resignation letter reads in part:

“You are no doubt aware of the abysmal level to which the leadership of our great Country under President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party have reduced governance to, as a result of which our great Party has been losing its sons and daughters including so many of its founding fathers and members by the day.

“All efforts of critical members and fathers of the Party to offer advice remain always unheeded. It pains most of us that majority of the founding fathers that had died like Chief S. M. Afolabi, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar Rimi, Chief Solomon Lar, Professor Osammor, Chief S. B. Awoniyi etc all died as a result of their frustration by and with the Party.