Monday 31 July 2017

Benue and Rivers States disown Biafra


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A former Minister of State for Education, Professor Jerry Agada, said Idoma land should be left out of Nnamdi Kanu’s purported Biafran territory.
He warned agitators of Biafra to stop the inclusion of Idoma people in particular and Benue State as a whole in their map.
According to him, Idoma people had never been connected with Biafra, not even Orokam where he hails from, which shares border with Enugu State.
“Idoma nation can never be part of Biafra. In as much as the Igbos’ have their fundamental human right to agitate, they should be reasonable so as not to coax people that do not have a link with their ideology or believe in their quest for power,” Agada added.
From Rivers State, a former Director-General of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Chief Albert Korubo Horsfall, said Port Harcourt won’t be part of Biafra.
“Gowon declared no victor, no vanquished verdict and that concept is still there. We are living happily with everybody. Port Harcourt is the capital of Rivers State. From time-to-time the issue of Port Harcourt has been an object of agitation. Port Harcourt was one of the issues the so-called Biafra demanded and this matter was discussed in Kampala. I don’t know why people are worried about Biafra and want to resurrect and create tension which is totally unnecessary,” he said.
According to him, “everybody has a right to agitate, but to agitate on somebody else’s territory is wrong.” He pointed out that if anybody wants to cede Port Harcourt, the person is looking for trouble.


Source: Breaking Times

Saturday 29 July 2017

Boko Haram ambush death toll hits 69

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At least 69 people are known to have died in a Boko Haram ambush of an oil exploration team in northeast Nigeria, as three men kidnapped by the jihadists made a video appeal.
Experts said the attack — Boko Haram’s bloodiest this year — underscored the persistent threat it poses, despite government claims the group is a spent force.
“So far the death toll stands at 69,” said an aid agency worker involved in the recovery of bodies after the attack in the Magumeri area of Borno state on Tuesday.
The worker, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said 19 soldiers, 33 civilian militia and 17 civilians were killed.
“The last body was recovered Friday in the bush in the Geidam district of neighbouring Yobe state, which is several kilometres from the scene of the ambush,” he told AFP.
“It shows the victim, who had gunshot wounds, died after trekking a long distance. There could be more such victims in the bush.”
Another source with knowledge of the rescue operation gave the death toll as “70 or more” and also said it was unclear whether all the victims had been accounted for.
The attack hit Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation staff.
“It’s a confirmation of the boldness and reassurance that Boko Haram has managed to gain over the last six weeks,” said Yan St-Pierre, from the Modern Security Consulting Group.
“They have been attacking more and more military outposts and more military convoys. For them to go after NNPC personnel just shows they don’t fear any military reprisal.
“Basically they have managed to gain enough resources, enough material, to plan ambushes targeted towards high value targets.”
– Video appeal –
News of the rising death toll came after Boko Haram published a four-minute video in which three men identified themselves as being from the University of Maiduguri.
The trio were part of a NNPC team on a mission to find commercial quantities of oil in the Lake Chad basin.
“I want to call on the acting president professor Yemi Osinbajo to come to our rescue to meet the demand,” one of the men says in the video, which he said was shot on Friday.
He attributed the attack to the Islamic State-supported Boko Haram faction headed by Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, which has vowed to hit military and government targets.
“They have promised us that if their demands are met they will release us immediately to go back to the work we were caught doing,” the man added.
There was no indication of where the video was shot but Magumeri is some 50 kilometres (31 miles) by road northwest of Maiduguri.
University of Maiduguri spokesman Danjuma Gambo confirmed the identities of the three kidnapped men in the video.
“They are our staff but one more is yet to be accounted for,” he told AFP.
Five members of staff from the university — two lecturers, two technologists and a driver — were killed, vice-chancellor Ibrahim Njodi said on Friday.
He told reporters the university had been hesitant to send staff with the NNPC team but had been assured about security.
Nigeria is searching for oil in the northeast to try to reduce its reliance on supplies from the Niger delta, where militant attacks have slashed production.
– Suicide bombings –
Kidnapping has been a feature of the Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000, displaced more than 2.6 million and left millions of others on the brink of famine.
Thousands of women and girls have been seized, to be married off to fighters, used as sex slaves or suicide bombers, while men and boys have been made to fight in the Islamist ranks.
The al-Barnawi faction differs from fighters loyal to Boko Haram’s long-time leader Abubakar Shekau in that it disagrees with the indiscriminate targeting of civilians.
On Friday, two suicide bombers struck a camp for displaced people in Dikwa, 90 kilometres (56 miles) east of Maiduguri, killing five.
Civilian militia member Babakura Kolo said the men disguised themselves as traders wanting to buy grain.
In Bama, 70 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of Maiduguri, three young female suicide bombers were killed when their explosives detonated prematurely on Thursday, he added.
“A fourth bomber, an 11-year-old girl, was too frightened to pull the trigger. She succeeded in removing her vest and sneaked into town. She was found and taken into custody,” he said.




Source: AFP

Group urges northern youth to direct expulsion notice to Boko Haram

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A group, the Nigerian Youth Dialogue Group, NYDG, has called on the Arewa Consultative Youth Forum, which recently issued a quit notice to the Igbo residing in the Northern part of the country, to redirect the notice to Boko Haram insurgents wreaking havoc in their domain.
Addressing journalists after its meeting in Enugu, the group described the notice to Igbo as completely misplaced and needless.
“The Arewa Youth should set their priority right by directing the quit notice to Boko Haram insurgents ravaging the Northern parts of the country as well as to corruption, unemployment and other vices militating against the socio-political and economic development of Nigeria.
“It is difficult to restructure a building with a faulty foundation, what we need is total reconstruction,” the group said.
The convener of NYDG, Gideon Chidiebere, said the group was poised to mount a national youth dialogue across the country to change the negative narrative of ethnic hatred, religious bigotry, hate speeches and corrupt political system foisted on the Nigerian youth by elderly ones especially the “crooked political class”.
He stated that their advocacy for dialogue was not out of cowardice or fear but because it is a civilized thing to do as dialogue remains the lubricant for national cohesion and development and that there was no substitute to it.
“Our country needs us (youth) now more than ever to stand and defend her from herself and most importantly from her enemies, especially enemies within that are responsible for the unemployment we have today, the insecurity that is threatening our collective existence, poor standard of living, particularly hunger that may wipe us out if we do nothing, poor health care, poor standard of education, etc”.
Also speaking, Humphrey Onyima, a youth activist, pointed out that Nigeria needed to set pretense aside in search of unity, adding that negative tendencies such as injustice, inequality and lopsidedness in the political system must be addressed first.


Source: Premium Times

Mugabe says not going anywhere, not dying

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe. PHOTO: AFP


President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Saturday said he was not stepping down nor dying and that there was no one with his political stature who could immediately take over from him.
The 93-year-old leader has been in charge in the former British colony since independence in 1980.
His health is closely watched by Zimbabweans, who fear the country could face chaos if he dies without anointing a successor.
Mugabe told tens of thousands of supporters at a rally in the town of Chinhoyi, in his home province, that doctors were recently surprised by his “strong bone system.”
He has traveled to Singapore three times this year for what officials say is routine medical treatment.
“There is the issue that the president is going. I am not going,” Mugabe told supporters on the grounds of a local university, 100 km west of the capital Harare.
“The president is dying. I am not dying. I will have an ailment here and there but bodywise, all my internal organs … very firm, very strong,” Mugabe said as he leant on the lectern.
Mugabe had walked onto the stage slowly but without assistance.
The issue of who will succeed Mugabe has deeply divided the ruling party, with two factions supporting Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mugabe’s wife Grace.
On Thursday, Grace challenged Mugabe to name his preferred successor, to end divisions over the future leadership of ZANU-PF.
She repeated the call on Saturday, adding that Mugabe would lead the process to choose his eventual successor.
Mugabe said although some party officials wanted to succeed him, he saw no one among his subordinates with his political clout to keep the party united and fend off a challenge from the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
“A new man will not have the same stature and the same acceptance as I have managed to secure for the party over the years,” said Mugabe.


Source: The Guardian

John Fashanu locked in Abuja prison over alleged scam

John Fashanu


Former England football star, John Fashanu was locked up for two days in an Abuja prison over involvement in a land related scam.
The former Wimbledon player and television personality was arrested and held for two days because he was involved in a scam to sell land that wasn’t for sale.
Police turned up at his home in the nation’s capital, Abuja and got him arrested on suspicion of “criminal conspiracy,” Mirror reported on Friday.
The 54-year-old allegedly pocketed £23,000 after acting for a friend who was looking to buy land.
Fashanu has reportedly agreed to pay back the money but has denied any wrongdoing.
A friend of the former footballer told the Mirror: “This is a business deal between friends that has gone sour and the police were asked to basically mediate.
“It will all be sorted very quickly. It was just a business deal.”
Fashanu was forced to surrender his British passport and pay the money back in instalments ahead of his release.
General Hyacinth Dagala, a Nigerian police Deputy Inspector, said: “John Fashanu was arrested on July 17 in connection with an allegation of criminal conspiracy and obtaining the sum of N9,550,000 [Nigerian Naira] under false pretense.
“He was granted administrative bail on July 18 but because of his inability to produce the requisite surety on that day, he remained in detention until July 19 when he was released.”


Source: Daily Post

Nothing connects us to Igbos – Urhobo Progress Union leader, Taiga





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Moses Taiga



The leader of the Urhobo Progress Union(UPU), Moses Taiga has called on Biafran agitators to stop wasting their time by including Urhobo nation to their map.
Taiga’s reaction is coming after the Indigenous people of Biafra(IPOB) included Urhobo nation and the entire Delta state in their map.


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In an interview with Vanguard, Taiga explained;
“I take the position of the Southern Leaders Forum that some of those statements are for negotiations.We the Urhobo Nation know we are not even neighbours to some of those people who said we are part of them.
We have the Ijaw to the west, we have the Edo to the north, and we have the Anioma to the northeast, so there is nothing that binds us. There is no correlation between us, and we also have the natural River Niger that separates us there is, therefore, no case in that.
The issue is does somebody draw an artificial map and say Edo and Delta are part of his own.The Youngman, Nnamdi Kanu lives in England and makes all sorts of claims. The Southern Leaders Forum said any attack on any party of the South is an attack against the whole South, so we do not intend to select any nation in the whole of the South for special attack.
We are not part of any other kingdom; we are the fourth largest nation in the country, and we’ve not fought hard enough to secure our rightful place, but our job is to try to articulate our position and ensure that we are due for recognition.”




Source: Politicsngr.com

False assets declaration: Why Saraki’s acquittal cannot stand —FG

Bukola Saraki

The Federal Government has argued that the acquittal granted Senate President, Bukola Saraki, in his trial for false assets declaration before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) cannot stand because the tribunal erred in law in reaching its decision.
The FG therefore, urged the Court of Appeal in Abuja to remedy the error committed by the CCT headed by Danladi Umar, by reversing its decision and ordering the continuation of the trial.
The FG’s position is contained in a brief of argument filed yesterday at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, for the office of the Attorney General of the Federation by a team of lawyers led by Rotimi Jacobs (SAN).
The CCT, in its judgment on June 14, 2017, upheld the no-case submission by Saraki, and acquitted him of the 13 counts of false assets declaration brought against him by the state.
The FG described the CCT judgment as “unconstitutional and without jurisdiction.” It added that the CCT erred in law by upholding Saraki’s no-case submission “when the onus of proof” was on him to show “that there was no infraction in the Code of Conduct Forms.
“By the provisions of paragraphs 11 (2), (3) and (13) of Part 1, 5th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), once the Code of Conduct form filled by the public officer is investigated and found to be false or that some assets are beyond the legitimate income of the public officer or that the assets were acquired by means of corrupt practices, the public officer concerned is deemed to have breached the Code of Conduct and it is for him to show to the tribunal that there is no infraction in the form.
“The honourable tribunal wrongly placed the onus of proof on the prosecution contrary to paragraphs 11 (2), (3) and (13) of Part 1, 5th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
“The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) clearly excluded the presumption of innocence on the allegation of infraction of the Code of Conduct by public officers and the Tribunal wrongly applied the presumption of innocence contrary to the constitutional requirement. The tribunal’s decision is unconstitutional and without jurisdiction.
The tribunal’s decision is against its earlier ruling delivered on March 24, 2016 and the decision of the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/A/172C/2016 where it was decided that the defendant need not to be invited. The tribunal wrongly overruled the decisions of the Court of Appeal and itself,” it said.
It said: “PWIII is an investigator with the Code of Conduct Bureau who gave evidence of the role he played, what he saw and the outcome of his investigation.
“The Tribunal failed to consider paragraphs 11 (2), (3) and (13) of Part 1, 5th Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which imposed the onus of proof on the respondent to justify his declaration. The evidence of PWIII is not hearsay evidence.”
The FG also faulted the decision of the co-member of the CCT, William Agwaza, who held that the joint investigative team, comprising operatives of the EFCC, the Department of State Services and the CCB was unknown to law.
It said:”The respondent, by his own application dated 1st March, 2016, had raised the same issue that it is only the Code of Conduct Bureau that could investigate him and that the power of investigation cannot be delegated to the EFCC or any other body or agency.
“The tribunal, by its ruling delivered on 24th March, 2016, ruled and dismissed the application of the respondent and he appealed to the Court of Appeal in Appeal No: CA/A/172C/2016.
“The Court of Appeal in the judgment delivered 27th October, 2016, by Aboki, PJCA, dismissed the appeal and held that “there is nothing in any law preventing the Code of Conduct Bureau, an agent of the FG, from collaborating or acting in concert with any other organs of the FG, which are also engaged in investigations and prosecution of criminal matters in order to achieve its mandate under the constitution and the law.
“By the ruling of Hon. Agwadza, he has unwittingly sat on appeal and overruled the earlier decision of the Tribunal and the decision of the Court of Appeal. The decision of Hon. Agwadza borders on judicial rascality and impertinence.”
The FG equally faulted the CCT pronouncement that the prosecution did not tender the original asset declaration forms of the respondent and his statement when they were available.
It said: “Exhibits 1 to 6, 26 and 45 qualify as public documents under Section 102 of the Evidence Act, 2011, and there is no law that makes only the original of public documents admissible in law.
“The Tribunal failed to consider the provisions of Sections 102, 104, 105 and 146 of the Evidence Act, 2011 to the effect that a certified true copy of a public document or part thereof may be produced in proof of the contents of the public document or a part thereof.
“The Tribunal effectively overruled the decisions of the Supreme Court in Odubeko v. Fowler (1993) 7 NWLR (Pt. 308) 637 and the Court of Appeal in Tumo v. Muwana (2000) 12 NWLR (Pt. 681) 370 that courts must presume certified true copies of public document as genuine and act on it unless there is a contrary evidence.
“The Tribunal completely closed its eyes to the fact that the prosecution produced the original of the assets declaration forms before the Tribunal and requested the Tribunal and the defendant to compare the original with the certified true copies without any objection from the defendant.
“The Code of Conduct Tribunal erred in law in upholding the no-case submission raised by the respondent at the close of prosecution’s case and in discharging the respondent.
“By the authorities cited, the prosecution only has a duty to show that there are some infractions of the Code of Conduct prescribed for public officers under the Constitution and the prosecution had established those infractions through his witnesses.”

Source: The Nation

Friday 28 July 2017

Ijaw youths lashes out at Senate over constitution amendment



The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide, has lashed out at the Nigerian Senate over its recent refusal to amend the constitution to actualize the need to decentralize or devolve powers from the Federal Government to the State Governments.
In a statement made available to newsmen and signed by the National Spokesman of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Henry Iyalla, the apex Ijaw youth body condemned the action of the National Assembly.
Iyalla added that the action has exposed the level of indifference and lack of interest by majority of the Senators towards the unity of the country; especially at a time when majority of the people are strongly resolved towards restructuring.
The IYC further noted, that it would be in the best interest of the Senate to reconsider their position on the issue of devolution of powers to the State as their refusal to accept it does not serve the general purpose or interest of the Niger Delta people and Nigerians.
The statement reads in part: “It’s quite unfortunate that the Senate who has the Opportunity to restructure this country in line with the tenets and principles of True Fiscal Federalism has failed to do so. We must however continue to agitate for the decentralization of powers as against the quasi- military or unitary system of Government we operate; anything to the contrary would be against our age-long agitation for Resource Control and Self-Determination.
The Ijaw Youth Council in its statement has therefore challenged the Senate to convoke a Constituent Assembly where all ethnic groups would sit to determine the veracity of rejecting the operation of true federalism in Nigeria.
“Let it be said unequivocally, that the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) and the Niger Delta people as a whole would reject any move aimed at perpetually subjecting our people to a life of penury in plenty.
“We call on the President of the Senate and all distinguished Senators to review their stand in other to help a country that is in dire need of mental and physical restructuring.”


Source: Daily Post

Thursday 27 July 2017

Quincy Jones Awarded $9.4 Million in Michael Jackson Royalty Trial

Chris Walter/WireImage
Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones photographed at the 1994 Grammy awards. 


The legendary producer had originally requested $30 million he claimed he was cheated out of since the King of Pop's death in 2009.
Iconic composer and music mogul Quincy Jones who produced Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad was calm and cool on Wednesday (July 26) as a Los Angeles courtroom jury awarded him $9.4 million in the trial against Michael Jackson's estate, claiming he was cheated out of royalties after the King of Pop died in 2009.
The award is not the $30 million the legendary producer was hoping for, but the amount reflects more than what the Jackson estate believed they should pay him. Jones, dressed in a gray suit and wearing a lavender dress shirt, looked at a verdict form and paid close attention during the verdict reading Wednesday afternoon.
“As an artist, maintaining the vision and integrity of one’s creation is of paramount importance. I, along with the team I assembled with Michael, took great care and purpose in creating these albums, and it has always given me a great sense of pride and comfort that three decades after they were originally recorded, these songs are still being played in every corner of the world," Jones said in a statement.
"This lawsuit was never about Michael, it was about protecting the integrity of the work we all did in the recording studio and the legacy of what we created. Although this judgement is not the full amount that I was seeking, I am very grateful that the jury decided in our favor in this matter. I view it not only as a victory for myself personally, but for artists’ rights overall,” Jones said.
The deliberations, which began Monday afternoon after the closing arguments ended, cap off the three-week trial after Jones' years-long fight to prove that he was denied at least $30 million in royalties. Jones sued MJJ Productions in 2013, claiming that he was owed significant money and that he was wrongfully excluded from having the option to remix works he created with Jackson.
Following the verdict, Howard Weitzman and Zia Modabber, attorneys for the estate of Michael Jackson, said Jones should not have received the sum. "While the jury denied Quincy Jones $21 million – or more than two-thirds of what he demanded -- from The Estate of Michael Jackson, we still believe that giving him millions of dollars that he has no right to receive under his contracts is wrong," the pair said in a statement issued to Billboard.
"This would reinterpret the legal language in, and effectively rewrite, contracts that Mr. Jones  lived under for more than three decades, admitted he never read, referred to as 'contract, montract,' and told the jurors he didn't 'give a damn' about. Any amount above and beyond what is called for in his contracts is too much and unfair to Michael’s heirs. Although Mr. Jones is portraying this is a victory for artists’ rights, the real artist is Michael Jackson and it is his money Mr. Jones is seeking," their statement said.
Plaintiff attorney Mike McKool said that he was disappointed that Jones didn't receive more money.
"The jury found that Mr. Jones was right in his allegations of underpayment on virtually all items," McKool said. "We were pleased about that. There's good and bad, but overall we are pleased."
Prior to the verdict, the estate had already conceded Jones was owed royalties of less than $400,000 due to accounting errors, but argued that the producer was not entitled to $30 million. Since Jackson's death, Jones has received about $18 million in royalties, according to court testimony given during the trial.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony from accounting experts, attorneys, music specialists, royalties specialists and the 84-year-old Jones, who took the stand last week to tell his story. Charming in demeanor, yet bold in his assertions that he was cheated out of millions, Jones spoke in court about his significant contributions to Jackson's musical catalog, which includes the ownership of the masters that are now managed by the estate.
Regardless of what the contracts said, Jones declared, the right thing has always been to pay him for his work, which has been exploited since Jackson's death. "Contract, montract," said Jones during his first day on the stand fast week. "If we made the record, we deserve to get paid." The albums in question were Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad and the This Is It soundtrack, in addition to two Cirque du Soleil shows.
Two contracts from 1978 and 1985 were at the center of the dispute between Jones and Jackson, with specific wording that at times seemed to have a variety of interpretations. The deals indicate that Jones is entitled to a share of record royalties from Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. However, the dispute intensified because Jones believes that he should have always received shares from the profits of Jackson's 1991 joint venture with Sony. Additionally, Jones said he was also entitled to net profits from movies instead of licensing fees from the songs used in those projects.
Jones argued that the This Is It documentary concert film, which opened in theaters four months after Jackson's death, counted as a "video show" under his contract, which would have entitled him to a share of the net receipts. The Jackson legal team argued that the term is standard for music and irrelevant in Jones' appeal.
The jury had to closely examine Jones' contract, which indicates that the producer has the right of first refusal to remix any of the works he produced with Jackson, but the Jackson attorneys maintained that Jones' right was limited to remixes ordered by Sony at the time the albums were being produced.
Before deliberations began, Stern instructed the jury to consider the actions of the parties from the time that the contract was signed until the time when the dispute was initiated as a way to interpret what the words of the contract meant during that period. That directive played a key factor in the jury's final decisions as they looked at Jones, Jackson and MJJ and how they treated the business relationship from 1985 to 2013.
First time juror Duy Ngyen, 28, said that having Jones in the courtroom had impact on him and the other jurors when asked if he felt like if he was leaning on a particular side.
Having “one of the names in the case makes a difference,” said Ngyen, who was interviewed immediately following the verdict in the hallway, but added that many of the jurors were Jackson fans.
What was most shocking to the Jackson estate attorneys was that the jury believed Jones should be considered part of the joint agreement between Jackson and Sony.
"Quincy Jones is not Michael's partner and he’s not our partner," Weitzman said after the trial. "Even though he was awarded $20 million less than what he asked for it’s still a large amount of money and it’s kind of unfortunate. This jury was put into the position of interpreting and kind of rewriting the agreements, which is very unusual and normally they are not given that kind of responsibility."


Source: Billboard.com

Italian police arrest seven persons for forcing Nigerian women into prostitution

Italian police said on Thursday that seven people who lured Nigerian women to Italy “with voodoo rituals” and then forced them into prostitution have been arrested in Nuoro, Sardinia.
In a statement, police said the traffickers allegedly performed voodoo rituals on the women to make them swear to repay the cost of the trip to Europe and warn them that their relatives would die if they did not.
“Once in Italy, criminals would help the women escape from migrant centres and take them to the north-western city of Turin, where they would be told that prostitution was the only way in which they could repay their debt.
Some women were asked to pay as much as 30,000 euros (35,200 dollars),’’ the police said.
On July 22, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) had issued a report saying that three-quarters of the roughly 11,000 Nigerian women who landed in Italy in 2016 may have been taken there by sex traffickers.
The IOM, a UN agency, said it was difficult to make precise estimates because most victims of the sex trade are afraid to speak up and seek assistance because of shame, submission to traffickers accompanying them on migrant boat, or fear of retaliation against their relatives.
In a separate incident in the Nuoro area, a local migrant centre was attacked overnight by a powerful makeshift bomb that destroyed one of its side entrances.
Two of the 64 migrants hosted there reported light injuries to their legs.


Source: The Guardian

Boko Haram: NNPC not sure insurgents have released kidnapped staff

‎Ibe Kachikwu,


The Minister of State for Petroleum resources, ‎Ibe Kachikwu, on Thursday said he cannot confirm if any of the oil workers kidnapped by Boko Haram has been rescued.
Kachikwu made the claim while addressing journalists at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, headquarters in Abuja.
“We only heard, but can’t confirm if anyone has been rescued,” he said.
Recall that Boko Haram insurgents had laid ambush for the oil workers in Magumeri local government area of Borno state on Tuesday.
Nine soldiers and some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) who were providing security for the oil workers were killed during the ambush.
Their abduction was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Cooperation, Ndu Ughamadu on Wednesday.
“They were kidnapped around Jibi village in Borno state after a gun duel between the security agents accompanying them and suspected Boko Haram fighters,” Ughamadu said.
Ughamadu confirmed that the NNPC had contracted the team to carry out research work on oil exploration activities taking place in the Lake Chad basin.


Source: Daily Post

Wednesday 26 July 2017

Drug abuse in Plateau State scary, alarming – NDLEA



Plateau State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has described the rate of drug abuse among youths in the state as alarming.
Mrs Ene Akuh, officer in charge of Operations at the agency, spoke during a sensitisation training, organised by Nigeria Youth Network on Countering Violent Extremism (NYNCVE) for youth leaders in Jos.
Akuh, who urged youths to desist from taking illicit drugs, called on community and religious leaders to support government in ensuring that the menace of drug abuse in the general society, was brought to an end.
In his remarks, State Focal Person of NYNCVE, Mr Jacob Pwakim, said the aim of the training was to build capacity of young people who would take action against violent extremism in the communities.
He said youths were usually the most hit when violence erupted, hence the need to educate them in ensuring an end to violence in the society.
“Over time, we have experienced incessant violent protests where young people were used to take the lives of people in the society.
“We can’t fold our arms and see the population of young people who ought to be leaders of tomorrow depleting. This is why the network decided to organise this sensitisation.
“Our target is to build structure of young people who will take action against violent extremism at the community level,” Pwakim noted.
The training supported by Search for Common Ground and Youth Initiative Against Violence and Human Right Abuse (YIAVHA), drew participants from Jenta Adamu and Rikkos communities in Jos North LGA.
A ten-man committee was set up to curb violence, extremism in the communities.
The network was formed from a youth summit against violence extremism held in Maiduguri, the Borno State Capital in 2016.
Plateau had witnessed various forms of violence that left scores killed or displaced.


Source: Daily Post

Tuesday 25 July 2017

“I am making good progress,” Buhari writes Guinean President Conde


President Muhammadu Buhari
Buhari


President Muhammadu Buhari has written to thank the President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, for the nationwide prayers held last week by Guineans for his recovery and good health.
In a letter dated July 24, Mr. Buhari, who had earlier made a phone call to Mr. Conde, who is the current Chairman of the Assemblies of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, stated:
“I thank you for your kind and thoughtful action in organizing nationwide prayers for my good health. It is a gesture that I will forever cherish and treasure.
“Your Excellency will be pleased to hear that I am making good progress, and as soon as doctors advise, I shall return to my duties and continue serving the Nigerian people who elected me and are daily praying for my recovery.”
A statement by Mr. Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina, on Tuesday stated that Mr. Buhari had in an earlier letter, accepted his nomination as leader of the “2018 AU Theme on the Fight Against Corruption”, which came from African leaders at the 29th Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 4.
“While thanking you for the kind words and for the nomination,” the president wrote to Mr. Conde, “I wish to express my readiness to accept this new important role and to reiterate my commitment to contribute towards our collective efforts to strengthen good governance and development on the continent. I, therefore, look forward to working closely with you in the realization of this objective.”


Source: Premium Times

Buhari, Obasanjo are colonial masters who ruled without Accountability – Bakare

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Tunde Bakare, senior pastor of Latter Rain Assembly (LRA), says President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessors are colonial masters, who ruled Nigeria without accountability.
The fiery preacher said this while speaking to members of his church on Sunday.
He said many Africans travel abroad and complain they are being mistreated by colonial masters, while they have their colonial masters back home.
“Stop complaining about their countries, because many many Africans abroad today bought their own tickets into slavery. You couldn’t fix your own country, you are looking for where they have fixed,” he said.
“You are ready to lie, to declare refugee status just to hold a common passport where you are still treated like a common criminal. Slavery is God’s punishments for idolatry, for envy, that’s all.
“Joseph went through slavery, Israel went through slavery for 400 years, your own did not last 100 years you are still complaining colonial masters, colonial masters, where are they?
“Obasanjo ruled this country for eight years, no electricity, they spent money, who is asking him to account for the money he invested, where did he put it? We have no candle from that investment. He is a colonial master, Jonathan is a colonial master, Muhammadu Buhari is a colonial master.”
Bakare, who ran on the same ticket with Buhari in 2011, said Babatunde Fashola, minister of power, works and housing, has not also been able to deliver with the current structure.
“My dearest brother oloyemeta ; housing, works and power, is doing his best, but my generator is still supplying my electricity. Works, we can’t see, housing, we can’t see. Is it their fault? They say there’s no money to do it but they are earning salary.
“Should any of them take one penny for job not done? If it is not working, while not tell the whole world it’s not working, I cant work under these circumstances. Until you restructure, you can’t do nothing. You are a clean man that has jumped into a sewage tank; you can’t come out smelling like roses.
“That you had a free hand to run Lagos between you and your brother does not mean you should be doing what you like… Restructure.”
IN 2015, I GAVE BUHARI A 42-PAGED DOCUMENT TO RESTRUCTURE NIGERIA
The revered lawyer added that long before restructuring became a common word in the political space, he had given the president a 42-page document on how to restructure Nigeria.
“Those in government and leadership position who truly love this nation know within themselves that we must restructure as soon as possible in order not to further impede the growth and development of our nation,” he said.
“At the long last, APC has now formed a committee to define restructuring — the question is who can bring about the rebirth and the transformation of our nation? I will answer with two answers: I will tell you those who cannot and those who can.
“One, the jackals and the tigers cannot do it, whether they are in the senate or the executive arm of our government.
Apologies to those who recently used animal metaphors to describe our polity.
But the reality of animals is that they are always what they are and will always be so.
“Answer number two, those who can; only humans posses the abilities to transform themselves by the renewing of their minds, animals can’t do it. And those who call themselves lions and jackals and those who responded are birds of the same feather.
“You want to turn the whole nation into George Orwell’s animal farm so that a boxer will always be saying comrade Napoleon is always right?You want a kingdom where some animals are equal and others are more equal?
“Two months into this administration, we prepared a 42-page document for the restructuring of Nigeria and gave it to the president; this is the way to go, now they are forming a committee to define restructuring.
“You are putting in charge those who say they don’t believe in it; what are you going to get? Committees are always long in minutes and short in hours. They will write minutes upon minutes and nothing will happen and then they will put it in KIV(Keep in view).”
OSINBAJO IS DOING WELL IN THE MIDST OF JACKALS AND TIGERS
The pastor said the acting president has been doing well “in the midst of jackals and tigers”.
“If you look at the situation in Nigeria today, you will say hopeless. Our president is sick, the acting president told us he’s recovering fast and he will soon be back. And his wife said all the tigers, and the hyenas, God is going to answer the prayers of weaker animals and bring the lion back so he can deal with the hyenas and the jackals.
“Now, which language is much more coarse? I used Adonijahs and Absaloms, you asked for my neck. Now, you are all hyenas and jackals and tigers. Oh yes, somebody provoked her to say such, but listen to me brothers and sisters, whether you are jackals or lions, it doesnt bother me.
“One thing I know is that God’s purpose for this country will stand. His counsel concerning this nation will stand. Nigeria will fulfil her destiny.”


Source: Breaking Times

Monday 24 July 2017

The Unmasking Of Diezani Alison-Madueke By Sonala Olumhense

Former Nigerian Minister of Petroleum Resources


His name: Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s President-Elect.  The man who, in one week, would take control of the Africa’s most bewildering country.  He was a much-feared man, with a certain reputation for character, a man who had fought for the presidency for years claiming he would rid Nigeria of corruption.
He was swiftly checked in, accompanied by just one person.  He took First Class Seat 3K.
And then British Airways received another surprise VIP to the same flight: Diezani Alison-Madueke, Nigeria’s powerful Minister of Petroleum Resources, accompanied by two aides also in First Class.  She sat behind the President-Elect.
Reports said the Minister, her tenure down to seven days, had booked her flight only after discovering Mr. Buhari would be on it.  Widely-alleged to be the most corrupt Minister in a government of great corruption, she hoped to soften him up in conversation during the flight, commentators suggested.
The omens were not good for the outgoing Minister.  After taking office, Buhari on almost a daily basis promised hell on earth for every corrupt former official.
Mrs. Alison-Madueke had reason to be afraid.  As Buhari prepared to take office, there were further pressures.  As it turned out, on that late May 2015 trip to the United Kingdom, Buhari was received at 10 Downing Street by Prime Minister David Cameron, who pledged “technical assistance” to the Buhari administration to combat terrorism and corruption.
And then there was the United States, also offering help,and President Barack Obama reportedly giving him details of extensive corruption within the Goodluck Jonathan government, including of a certain Minister who had looted up to $6billion.
That Minister was widely-speculated to be Alison-Madueke. On the local front throughout her tenure, there had been incessant and detailed media investigations which painted images of a freewheeling, out-of-control Minister who was trading in influence and disbursing favours and contracts. Some of the more exhaustive reports, notably by The Punch and the defunct 234NEXT newspapers, suggested she held accountability in contempt.
Which is partly why many people thought it was only a matter of days before Alison-Madueke was consumed in the fire Buhari was bringing.
That was two years ago.  Despite loud sabre-rattling, the Nigerian government has not questioned the former Minister, let alone indicted her.
On the contrary, it was Alison-Madueke who called the government out.  In an interview with OVATION Publisher Dele Momodu in November 2015, she denied every insinuation and allegation against her.  She said she never stole from Nigeria and had done no dubious deals as Minister.
She said the rumours about her came from the imagination and wickedness of people who were merely envious of her success and power.  She did not have billions of dollars anywhere, she affirmed.
And contrary to the rumours, one of which was alluded to by Mr. Momodu, she did not own choice real estate abroad.  “I live with my husband in the same house we’ve lived since we married in 1999,” she declared.  “Our [only] house in Abuja was bought in 2007…Anyone who tells you I have houses anywhere should feel free to publish them…”
Last week, the United States called that bluff when it filed an assets forfeiture case.  But it is essential to point out that the US was not principally after Alison-Madueke.  The country has stringent money-laundering laws, and the story has emerged from the effort to recover several properties belonging to the former Minister’s close associates and beneficiaries whose activities have benefited her.
The law also frowns on the bribing of a foreign government official, in this case Alison-Madueke. Two of those associates of hers, who are widely-known in Nigeria, are Kola Aluko and Jide Omokore, men who blossomed in the oil sector under her watch.  There are three other co-conspirators, identified only by numbers, presumably because they have a significant role to play in the forthcoming criminal processes. Thanks to ‘Madam D,’ their companies received over $1.5 billion in revenues selling Nigerian crude oil.
Awash with cash, in March 2012 and January 2015, Aluko purchased over  $87 million dollars’ worth of real estate in New York and California for himself, as well as a luxury yacht for $82 million.
Which brings us to Alison-Madueke’s bluff.  In painstaking detail, US lawyers allege that the Minister made Aluko and Omokore wealthy, and how in return the men and others purchased for the Minister and her family a new luxury lifestyle, particularly in England.
“Anyone who tells you I have houses anywhere should feel free to publish them…?” Well then, how about these:
· 96 Camp Road, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 7PB (“the Falls,” purchased in January 2011 for £3,250,000);
· 39 Chester Close North, London NW1 4JE, purchased in March 2011 for £1,730,000;
· 58 Harley House, Marylebone Road, London NW1 5HL, purchased in March 2011 for £2,800,000;
· Flat 5 Park View, 83-86 Prince Albert Road, London NW8 7RU, purchased in March 2011 for £3,750,000.
It is important to note that following each purchase, Alison-Madueke led the extensive re-modeling and decoration efforts.  And then,by her own account she acquired a lot of equally expensive Houston furniture: four million dollars’ worth.
“At least one of the items purchased in Omokore’s name, and paid for by Co-Conspirator #1, has been matched by vendor number, item number, and store-issued control number to furniture discovered in Alison-Madueke’s residence in Abuja, Nigeria,” US documentation shows.
Speaking of greed, there is more: Between August 2011 and January 2014, these men paid rents of £537,922 for two additional central London residences at 22 St. Edmunds Terrace, London NW8 7QQ. Flat 19 was occupied by Alison-Madueke and Flat 6 by her mother.  She must have been one proud mother.
In her Momodu interview, Alison-Madueke had claimed she was being treated for breast cancer, a report that was received with derision among Nigerians.   There were good grounds for the skepticism: her education in the US, her age, her NYSC service, her work record in Nigeria and her two Ministerial chairs had all been riddled with credibility questions. In 2014, at the height of her powers, the story also emerged that she squandered N10 billion to charter a luxury jet for her use.
At the 2015 interview, and for someone said to be undergoing chemotherapy, she went to great trouble to meet her interviewer in various places in London, none-as it turns out-being any of at least six places she owns.  While she looked sick in the pictures, there was really nothing a make-up artiste could not achieve.  But even if she were sick, that would not detract from the issues that surround her.
Since then, however, details have leaked of a bribery ring she ran in Nigeria to try to guarantee Mr. Jonathan’s re-election in 2015.  And just days ago, a court in Lagos ordered the confiscation of a massive $37.5m Banana Island property she bought in 2013.
In the end, this story is not really about Alison-Madueke, but about the poverty of Buhari’s anti-corruption rhetoric.
· sonala.olumhense@gmail.com
· Twitter: @SonalaOlumhense

Ailing President Buhari Met With APC Governors In London

Pres Buhari in meeting with APC Governors in London


Ailing Nigerian Preisdent Muhamadu Buhari met with some All Progressives Congress party governors and leaders today in London ina n elaborately designed setting to portray Buhari as in improved health condition. However, no video of Mr. Buhari was provided, only a still photo from Presidental photographers.

In a telephone conversation following the meeting of All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and leaders with President Muhammadu Buhari in LondonSunday, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, said the President was very cheerful and has not lost any bit of his sense of humour.
The governor said the party delegation spent more than an hour with President Buhari over lunch, and it was very clear from the discussions that he followed developments at home very closely.
He said the President was delighted to receive the delegation and asked each governor about affairs in his state. He also asked the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, about the state of the railways.
When asked to react to all the negative things being said about him, the President just laughed, describing such negative reports as lies. Governor Okorocha said President Buhari was completely unperturbed by the cocktail of lies. He, instead, sent his best wishes to Nigerians.
According to the governor, Nigerians don’t have to worry at all, adding that President Buhari will be back as soon as the doctors give him the green light.
“By our visit to London today, the merchants of lies have been put out of business and Nigerians will not buy the garbage they have been selling. All those who look up to fake news can find better use for their time,” Governor Okorocha noted.
Governors Umaru Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa; Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna; Yahaya Bello of Kogi; and APC National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, were also in the delegation.
                                                                                      FEMI ADESINA
Special Adviser to the President

VC says Edo University not for the poor

Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Monday, in Iyamho-Uzairue, in the Estako-West local government area of Edo.


The Management of the state-owned Edo University, Iyamho,(EUI) says the institution was established to essentially cater for academically-endowed students and the wealthy in the society.
The Vice Chancellor(VC) of the institution, Prof. Emmanuel Aluyor, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) on Monday, in Iyamho-Uzairue, in the Estako-West local government area of Edo.
He said: “the idea behind the establishment of Edo University by the founding fathers is neither to replace nor compete with the existing Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

“But rather, to complement it in terms of providing world-class education with the best of infrastructure to academically-gifted students and the rich, who can afford the fees.
“People have questioned why former Gov. Adams Oshiomhole did not upgrade AAU, then establishing a new university altogether.
“Apart from its being capital-intensive to either renovate or bring in the needed infrastructure, the idea was to provide a different brand of education to the people.
“We are offering world-class infrastructure and state-of-the art facilities at EUI; that is why our fees are high. According to him, the fees range from between N400, 000 and N450, 000 a session. “And that depends from which perspective you are looking at it.
“If it is from the perspective of a private university, our fees are very low indeed, because there is no private university that charges anything lower than what we offer.
“And only one or two public universities charge the same fees as us and that also depends on the quality of infrastructure and programmes on offer.
“The idea of the founding fathers is for anyone to have an ambiance of everything he desires abroad in any university environment here,’’ Aluyor said.
According to him, the university authority has also assembled first class academic and non-academic staff to complement the infrastructure and facilities, to ensure that the students are well groomed in character and in learning.
The VC added that management had introduced an entrepreneurship programme for its students to prepare them to “become employers of labour rather than those seeking for labour.
“We have, therefore, set up facilities for entrepreneurship training for all our students, irrespective of their course of study, to make them become independent on graduation.
“We are proposing a grant of between N5 million and N10 million for any graduating student with the best entrepreneurship proposal. “The University Council is still trying to fine-tune the modalities,’’ he said.
Aluyor disclosed that management abhors indiscipline among staff and students, hence the withdrawal of some pioneer undergraduates and erring staff. “I am proud to mention that we have a dress code among our students, while all our lectures are multi-media assisted.
“We may not be proud of this information that in our first year, we had less than 80 students admitted. But I can tell you that we had cause to expel four of them.
“We may be young, but it does not mean we will accept every Dick and Harry as students. “I think what we did was showing the capacity to instil discipline.
“We have also had cause to sanction three members of staff. We are not happy to have sent them into the unemployment market. “But we are saying that if you can not measure up with the standard we have set down, you certainly can’t be part of the vision of the founding fathers of this university,’’ he said.

Source: The Guardian

Sunday 23 July 2017

A dedicated Councillor would have done better than Uduaghan- Utomi

Pat Utomi

Professor Patrick Utomi has berated former Delta state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, for allegedly wasting countless opportunities the state had to develop, saying a good elected Councillor  would have done better.
In response to Dr Uduaghan’s recent negative shot at him in the media, Professor Utomi, who is also a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), narrated how he contributed to make the Uduaghan administration take certain open advantages of available opportunities to develop the state, which he state the former governor wasted.
Utomi said he had thought that the former governor would have been sorry and sober for wasting several opportunities the state had under his watch, adding that his (Uduaghan’s) attempt at spinning the story of how the state was misruled around would not sell as the people of the state had not forgotten what his era looked like.
He, however, added that he had been at the vanguard of a new leadership focus for the state because he believed that the people deserve better than what the past and current leadership had given to them.
 “A good Councillor would have done much better for the people than Uduaghan did as Governor. There is extreme misuse of the opportunities available to Delta State. It will take a serious and truly capable government to vigorously tap its potentials and create jobs for our teeming youths.
“This is one of the many reasons why I believe Delta State needs new political leadership in 2019. Deltans are not meant to suffer from the jeopardy of a clueless administration, especially at this critical phase of our existence.
“I would have imagined that Uduaghan will be very sober and saddened by his legacy of mismanagement and gross wastage that he left behind in Delta State. Trying to spin his poor record in the hope that Deltans would have forgotten so soon is a failed attempt to rewrite history. Undoubtedly, he knows that only few Deltans speak well of him and it is his pain to struggle with that reality.
“As he grapples with history, what is more important to Deltans today is how we can rectify the wrong policies, decisions and actions of the past, so that we can create a government that would not only meet the needs of our people today but guarantee a better life for successive generations.
“This is the task that I have offered to commit myself to between now and 2023. We are looking forward to 2019 with hope and renewed zeal for the beginning of a ‘New Delta’ teeming with opportunities and alive with possibilities,” Utomi said.

Source: The Nation

Saturday 22 July 2017

Quit notice: Yerima Shettima makes u-turn, says Igbos should not leave North

The leader of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, AYCF, Yerima Shettima, has said the Igbos are now safe in the North.
Shettima, who led the coalition of Arewa youths that issued quit notice on Igbos living in the region, has assure that the Igbos are safe.
Fielding questions from Sun, the youth leader said, “They [Igbos] are safe. You can rest assured they are safe. You can quote me; they are safe in the North.”
Asked if nothing bad will happen to them on the expiration of the period they were given to vacate the 19 states in the region, Shettima added, “They are safe. Events and time have changed the mindset of the northerner, not even me who represents their interest.
“No, they shouldn’t go. They should relax. Officially, we will make an announcement to that effect because it is a collective thing. So they can rest assured of their safety and security God willing.
“We have no problems with the Igbo living in the North, but there are certain things we need to put in place so that officially at the level of the coalition we can make that statement.”


Source: Daily Post

Buhari, reformed democrat, not on revenge mission, says Adesina


Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari
Buhari
Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, has described President Muhammadu Buhari as “a reformed democrat, a pious man’’ who will never move against those calling him all sorts of names in the past two years.
Mr. Adesina, in a feature titled, “President Muhammadu Buhari and the descendants of Shimei’’, on Saturday, described such people who were bent on tarnishing the image of President Buhari as “descendants of Shimei’’.
According to the presidential aide, the descendants of Shimei are the evil wishers, the hate monger, and those who spend their days conjecturing tragedy for leadership.
“President Buhari has tolerated people who have called him all sorts of names in the past two years. If he didn’t move against them directly, he could have allowed many Abishais to move against them, “and take off their heads.”
“But not our President, a reformed democrat, a pious man, who has resolved to leave the people suffused by hatred unto God.’’
Mr. Adesina attributed the “devilish’’ activities of the Nigerian Shimei to the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.
He maintained that, “the All Progressives Congress (APC), inspired by Muhammadu Buhari, halted the 60-year pipe dream of PDP at the polls in 2015. Has the latter forgotten? No, they won’t forget till forever.
“But so much is the animus, the antipathy towards the President that they wish him dead. While millions of Nigerians are praying, some elements are rejoicing, and imagining evil.
“But they forget: man is not God, and Jehovah always has the final say. The descendants of Shimei need to learn vital lessons from their forebear.’’
The presidential aide further narrated a historical but spiritual episode to further buttress his points.
“You don’t kick a man that is down, goes a saying, but Shimei not only cursed David, he also threw dust and stones at him. It was a show of shame.
“David had succeeded Saul as king of Israel. And Shimei was from the family of Saul (read, People’s Democratic Party, PDP). Shimei hadn’t forgotten the bloody nose the family of Saul got, when the kingship was taken away from them, and given to David.
“So when the latter got into a time of travail, no pity at all from people still smarting from bloody noses.
“And will they get their just desserts one day? As night follows the day, they will. If not from man, they will get it from God. Their forefather, Shimei did. He reaped what he sowed,’’ he said.
He further narrated: “After some time, the rebellion led by Absalom was crushed by loyal troops, and David regained the throne. As he headed back into the city, who came to meet the king, with one thousand of his relatives, pleading for mercy? Shimei.
“The Yorubas say the same mouth that the snail used to abuse the gods, is what it uses to lick the dusts of the earth. Shimei had suddenly become gentle.
“And humble, too. He fell down before David, and said:”I have sinned. Have mercy on me. Don’t remember what I did against you on the day you went out of Jerusalem.”
“Heh, on a certain day, some people would come to prostrate, begging for mercy, asking President Buhari to forgive and forget. What will the President do? What did David do? Abishai said again to King David:”Let me bring down the head of this man, who cursed, and threw stones at you?”
“But David said to Shimei:”Thou shall not surely die.” And the king swore unto him.
“But did Shimei live happily ever after? Old sins, they say, have long shadows. Before David died, he instructed Solomon his son, who succeeded him, not to forget to deal with Shimei.
“At least, David had kept his part of the bargain not to kill Shimei.
“What did Solomon do? He restricted Shimei to Jerusalem, adding that any day he went out of the city would be his last on earth. Days, weeks, and months went by. Shimei remained gentle.
“But on a certain day, two servants belonging to him ran away to Gath, another city.
“Shimei saddled his horses, and led his men to bring back the servants. He had received mercy from David, but he couldn’t show mercy to the servants. Mercy begets mercy.
“The story was told to Solomon. Shimei has left Jerusalem. He went to Gath, contrary to your instructions. It was time for judgment.
“Solomon commanded that what Abishai had long wanted to do should be done to Shimei. And his head was brought down,” he wrote.
Mr. Adesina concluded his article with satirical questions, saying that, “Will the descendants of Shimei repent, turn a new leaf, and become human? Will they recognize their own mortality?
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still. He that is overtaken by hate, let him remain hateful still. Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be.
“Let the descendants of Shimei who have ears to hear please hear. There is recompense for evil, and there is also recompense for good.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said on Friday the Guinean President, Alpha Condé, ordered a 24-hour prayers for President Buhari, who is currently on medical vacation in London.
Mr. Condé gave the order while addressing the country’s Council of Ministers in a meeting.
Guinean President expressed concern for President Buhari’s health and declared prayers for his quick recovery.


Source: Premium Times