The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Rivers community looks beyond oil

    The Bille Community Welfare Association (BCWA), Abuja gathered the people of the community for a one-day sensitisation programme in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State.

    The theme was: “Bille Beyond Oil” . They also launched a book titled “Who’s Who in Bille.”

    In a lead paper delivered by a prominent son of the town and a retired Director from Rivers State Civil Service, Dawari Boisa, he traced the history of the people which he said started in the 9th Century and later became one of the five distinct Eastern Niger Delta Ijo Communities.

    In the paper titled: “Bille Beyond Oil: Strategies for Present and Future Sustainable Economic Development of the Kingdom” Boisa argued that the discovery of crude oil from Bille in 1958 has made his people to drift from fishing to crude oil dependent economy.

    Borisa blamed this drift on the “very heavy polluted rivers and creeks due to oil spills from oil and gas exploration and exploitation activities like oil spillages and gas flaring in the area which made fishing to be unviable economic occupation.”

    The situation, he also said, has been aggravated by the illegal crude oil refining activities.

    He marshalled out six points which the people should latch on to enable them improve their lot and these include  show of love and commitment to Bille Kingdom as well as effective participation in politics.

    Addressing the people, the Chairman of the occasion, Elder Boma Benebo said the event was an outcome of the dialogue the chiefs and stakeholders of Bille had in Abuja in 2014.

    Benebo also said that the theme of the event is an indication that “Bille is well located geographically and possesses enough potential for tourism and large scale fishing.”

    A Cchief of Bille, Barrister Iyalla Igani recalled that town used to be a sanctuary for those who wanted to rest from the hustle and bustle of the cities, lamenting that over the years, the town has lost this tourism status.

    In a goodwill message, the Bille Kingdom Development Committee Chairman, Asatubo Kemuel,  said Bille Beyond Oil requires a sustainable and healthy environment which supports economic activities and wealth creation.

    Kemuel  also called on oil companies operating within their territory to adequately carry out human capital and infrastructure development initiatives by way of corporate social responsibility because globally, this is regarded not as a mere moral obligation “but as legal obligation that arises out of the industry regulatory framework.”

    A Director from the Rivers State Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, Mrs Ine Olumati who represented the ministry, commended the people for  the event.

    The highlight of the occasion was the unveiling of a 166-page book titled: “Who’s Who in Bille” written by another son of the soil, Mr Harvest Emmanuel-Olu in which he profiled prominent sons and daughters of the land who consequently launched it with some millions of naira.

  • Akwa Ibom boy’s mysterious death

    Akwa Ibom boy’s mysterious death

    Happiness has taken a break from the family of Utibeabasi Sampson.The 14-year-old son died mysteriously after an outing with seven children between the ages 14 to 16 at Pinnacle hotels, Edet Akpan Avenue Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

    According to a family source, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition anonymity,  the 14 year old boy was lured to the hotel under the pretext of a get-together party only for him to be left dead in the pool.

    The source said the suspects are all students of a popular secondary school in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital and are children of influential people in the state.

    She explained that the suspects were about leaving the hotel without their victim when the gateman who noticed they were eight when they came in, accosted them and asked them of the eighth person.

    Her words: “The heartless demons mentioned casually that he may still be in the pool and laughed. Even if this boy drowned, why didn’t they raise the alarm and seek for help? Where were the staff? The life guard said he went to ease himself, for how long?”

    The source condemned the police for allegedly  trying to cover up the murder of Sampson, explaining that when the case was transferred to the state police headquarters, Ikot Akpan Abia, the parents of the accused transported the children in their private cars instead of police vans.

    She also accused the police of allowing the hotel to still be open for business instead of being cordoned off and sealed for investigation.

    She said: “In saner climes, the hotel management and staff would be investigated, but they are still going about their normal businesses. The Nigerian police force is trying to play games with the boy’s family.

    “Why didn’t the hotel staff chase away seven underage children dressed all in black? A boy that drowned did not swallow water but had blood and foam spewing from his mouth; there was no alarm raised by his purported friends. The hotel staff claim not to have heard or seen anything.

    “I want the whole world to hear of the mysterious death of this bright, promising boy whose life was cut short because he refused to be initiated to a cult by seven heartless spawns of the devil.

    “Their parents are fighting tooth and nail to make sure their children are freed while Utibeabasi is lying cold in the morgue, his family in tears. His mother is inconsolable.

    “The whole circumstances smirk of foul play. May Jehovah the almighty God, the all seeing, fight for us. Rise up in your anger, O Jehovah. Stand up against the fury of our enemies. Awake for us and demand that justice is done.”

    When contacted, the state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Cordelia Nwawe, said the command is on top of the situation.

    Her words: “Police is looking into the matter. Investigation is ongoing.”

     

  • ‘Why Yenagoa remains underdeveloped’

    ‘Why Yenagoa remains underdeveloped’

    A real estate guru based in Bayelsa State and Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, F Global Properties Limited, Emelike Ifeayinchukwu Ossy, in this interview with MIKE ODIEGWU, identified the problems mitigating the development of Yenagoa as a modern capital city.

    How far has it been in the real estate business in Bayelsa?

    The greatest challenge is Yenagoa. It has been a strong challenge. It has been a tough one. But so far we appreciate God for where we are today for his wisdom and prosperity over the company, but it has not been an easy one, we have many challenges starting from the communal, government policies, lack of funds public misinformation and many more. But we are doing our best to change the face of Bayelsa State.

    Do you agree with the claims of past and present administrations which attribute slow pace of infrastructural development in the state to bad terrain?

    When you talk about terrain in real estate, I will agree partially with the past and present government of Bayelsa State. But I blame the government so much. If God gives you a seed he gives you sand. When God gives you a desert, he gives you stone. God always has a soft-landing for all. Bayelsa State is blessed with a lot of mineral resources.

    In Lekki, Eko Atlantic City is doing one of the best development in Africa. The terrain is far worse than Yenagoa but they have transformed that place to a hub, a business hub that will attract investors. I don’t really see the terrain as a challenge. I see the policies and politics as challenging.

    I have come to see lack of continuity in most of the real estate policies. When one government starts one thing, it is difficult for another government to carry on. New government comes, abandons what the previous administration started and begins its own.

    The question the public should be asking is: has the government really sat down to look at the future of Bayelsa State? Have the concern sector in the state asked in 20 years, what kind of Yenagoa do we really want to have. Do we want to have the Yenagoa we are proud of or Yenagoa we will be running away from?

    The government should put their house in order, so the terrain shouldn’t be a problem. They are missing the track. The government I see has human capacity that does not have productive strength to accommodate the level of needs of Bayelsa State in real estate development. They don’t know that Bayelsa terrain is very virgin, natural and fresh. So, in real estate when it is fresh it is easy to handle than when people have erected unwanted structures. The town is still fresh. The government needs to sit up and do effective planning because planning is what government is expected to do now.

    Whatever Abuja is now has been planned 15 to 20 years ago, so government  needs to do planning. How much planning has past and present governments done. Most of them do what I call paper planning. They come on air and say they have done planning. We want to see what’s on the ground. The planning on ground is what you need to work with. The past and present governments have made some mistakes and are still making mistakes.

    How do we correct the problems with town planning  of Yenagoa?

    First, there will be a new city and secondly, the defects could be corrected. The problem with Bayelsa is the government and lack of information to the public. People build on water channels and natural drainage. People build along the expressways beyond the approved lines. Serving politicians are building along the major expressways beyond the approved lines which is a risk to the public and against modern planning.

    Now imagine a city that cannot enforce the laws; some people are above the law. In Bayelsa State, they have to start applying the laws. The government needs to come up with a new city. Let me use this opportunity to call on the government to set up what is called Government Community Initiative Programs; that’s what Bayelsa needs. The program will set free, crisis in land; it will set free Bayelsa communal problems. It will make the communities have spirit of ownership.

    Community initiative programmes are done all over the world. They are done in UK and they are using it to establish new cities. You don’t expect to pay compensation every time. I think the government can come up with a city that befits the name of Yenagoa. Yenagoa is the heart of ijawland but how many ijaw people can decide to come and buy land in Yenagoa. I urge the governor to start in a way and manner that people will know that Bayelsa is the heart of ijawland and the Dubia of Africa and that  can only be done by planning.

    I have attended many business summits the government of Bayelsa State hosted in search of investors. I have always said you can’t  bring an investor to a town that is not planned. It is not possible. In a city, the first place to look out for is the town planners; they are the best people to work out a city, a city that can last for hundred years.

     

     

  • This race for Edo Govt House

    This race for Edo Govt House

    It is not for nothing that Lisa Müller outlines the framework of mass media biases or otherwise which rates two separate aspects of media performance: the extent to which they perform a ‘watchdog’ role by providing information, and the degree to which they act as a representative forum for the views of citizens or the corrupting influence it plays in addressing the ill of the society.

    The headline: “Why the people will vote Oshiomhole’s candidate”

    was one of the major interviews in the Sunday edition of a newspaper on April 3. The interview is quite crucial as much  as important because of the interviewee’s credibility in the political live of Edo State and the spiritual reckoning to which the man called the “Oracle of Benin Kingdom”, has been held.

    Chief David Edebiri is the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, and Chairman of the Benin Forum, an umbrella organisation for the Binis at home and in the Diaspora. The interview shows the mastery of the political  terrain by the revered chief and the correspondent except that the headline was cast in the image, spirit and soul of Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his anointed candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki.

    I ignored the interview at first glance until a part of it was twitted on my platform which suggests that the correspondent deliberately or should I say mischievously promoted Governor Oshiomhole’s candidate to the detriment of others who are not Oshiomhole’s anointed candidates.

    Conversely, political, economic and other interests have long tried to influence media coverage of particular topics to affect the public’s understanding and perception, and scientists are now becoming even more aware of the power of the media. Consequently, the intersection of mass media, science and policy is a particularly dynamic arena of communication, in which all sides have high stakes. This is the mileage Governor Oshiomhole has exploited, still exploiting even in his imminent post-governorship.

    The main concern of the electorate and the general citizenry about the role of the mass media in the political process is to understand the contributions of information flows and media institutions to the functioning of democracy and its supportive institutions. For ill or for good, the role of the mass media has become pivotal to the democratic process and citizens’ participation in it. Though the complex nature of democracy cannot be reduced to the issues of the mass media alone, but as Peter Dahlgren once observed, the health of democracy is increasingly being linked to the health of a country’s communication system. According to him, “… the dynamics of democracy are intimately linked to the practices of communication, and societal communication increasingly takes place within the mass media.

    A fearless, unbiased and effective watchdog is critical in fledgling democracies such as ours, where institutions are weak and pummelled by political pressure. When legislatures, judiciaries and other oversight bodies are powerless against the mighty or are themselves corruptible, the media are often left as the only check against the abuse of power.

    This requires that they play a heroic role, exposing the excesses of presidents, prime ministers, governors, legislators and magistrates despite the risks.

    The media  serve as a conduit between governors and the governed and as an arena for public debate that leads to more intelligent policy – and decision – making. Indeed, the Enlightenment tradition of the press as public forum remains strong. The press, wrote U.S. television journalist Bill Moyers in the early 1990s, should draw citizens to the public square and “provide a culture of community conversation by activating inquiry on serious public issues.”

    In new democracies, the expectation is that the media would help build a civic culture and a tradition of discussion and debate which was not possible during the period of authoritarian rule. Not just journalists, but eminent contemporary thinkers like Nobel laureate Amartya Sen ascribe to the press the same cleansing powers that enlightenment philosophers had envisioned. Sen outlined the need for “transparency guarantees” such as a free press and the free flow of information, untainted news reporting, information and critical public discussion, he said, are “an inescapably important requirement of good public policy.” These guarantees, he wrote, “have a clear instrumental role in preventing corruption, financial irresponsibility and underhanded dealings.”

    Mendaciously, Governor Oshiomhole and his minders in the Godwin Obaseki’s ambitious intrigues are in the belief that Edo people have their memories to forget the episode of godfatherism. Or shall we say as hypnotherapists that they are certain to get away with such blatant erosion of the mass media’s long cherished tradition of truthful, altruistic and balanced reportage. Whichever purpose the Esogban’s interview was meant to serve has been defeated and deflated. The highly respected Benin chief, even though he is in love with governor Oshiomhole – come short at least openly – to endorse the governor’s imposed anointed candidate.

    Succinctly, a portion of the interview gives lies to the headline under which the interview was published. The question goes thus: But what effort are the elders making to get a credible successor for Oshiomhole? The chief’s answer was predictable and swift and characteristic of his vintage self.

    “The process of selecting a successor is first and foremost the work of politicians. They have their own method of producing candidates. At that stage, those of us who are not politicians can only be onlookers.

    When they finish and a winner emerges, we will look at all the candidates, not from the  APC alone, but also any one of them we feel can do more than Oshiomhole, one who will be able to do something for the majority of the people of the state. Then we will advise our people accordingly. .

    In that interview Chief Edebiri truly distinguished himself as a man who refused to be rented and carried away by the ascribed performance of the governor and be railroaded into the endorsement of the governor’s anointed candidate.

    If that has been achieved, those who see the ‘oracle’ as the moral force, role model and unbiased non-state actor and the conscience of the state’s politics would have had a rethink. The state would have permanently go to the dogs, as we know it.

    Ojomon, a social activist writes in from Benin City, Edo State capital.

  • Medical doctor is Osuvie of Ovu

    A medical doctor, industrialist and politician, Dr. Thomas Salubi, has become the traditional ruler of Ovu in Ethiope East Location Area of Delta State.

    Salubi twice served as Commissioner of Work and Health in the old Bendel State.

    The installation ceremony coincided with his 80th birthday celebration which held at Ovu Grammar School and St. Theresa Catholic Church in Ovu inland.

    Until the installation ceremony in Ovu, Salubi was the managing consultant of Salubi Infirmary and Maternity Services in Sapele.

    The traditional ruler said:  “The state which late Chief Edewor assembled UPU leaders to Orerokpe and turned it to political party is wrong. The state of deviating from its original practice of union and dependant on money bags to fund UPU is wrong.”

    Chief Ede Dafinone (the Ede of Okpe Kingdom) , an economist, said he was happy to witness the event.

    Elder Israel Salubi, the eldest man in Salubi Dynasty, said he was happy over Salubi’s installation.

    The gathering was witnessed by many dignitaries, such as the Otota of Okpe kingdom, Chief Justice Uweriawve (Rtd), Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, Chief Joseph Omene, Chief Ede Dafinone, Chief Godwin Oborakponovme, Rev. Uhrukpe and many others.

  • Group cautions against fresh violence in Ekpan

    As part of efforts to find a lasting solution to the crisis in Ekpan community  in Uvwie  Local Government Area of Delta State, a group, Ekpan Integrity Group (EIG), has cautioned against fresh outbreak of violence in the community.

    The group stressed the need for  stakeholders in Ekpan and Uvwie to ensure that those responsible for fanning the embers of crisis face the law.

    EIG President Pastor Innocent Akpotedja-Adjenughure, a lawyer, spoke during the inauguration of the group in Ekpan at the weekend. He decried the loss of lives and properties during crisis, which he said, has led to Ekpan almost becoming a ‘ghost land’ and led to investors leaving in droves.

    He said: “We can’t allow fear, intimidation,  to keep us silent when evil  is going on. We cannot be here and see the rate of arms proliferation, see the rate of crisis, conflicts, violence go on in Ekpan community and keep silent. We cannot fold our arms and see things crumble in our own time and  generation.”

    Akpotedja-Adjenughure was accompanied by Vice President – Terry Moses Aruroje;  Secretary- Ifie Prince;  PRO- Pere Judah, Publicity Secretary and Orumeji Kingsley- Mobiliser.

    The group made up of  Ekpan indigenes of like minds, he said,was borne out of the desire to bring about  peace, sustainable development and  sustainable security in Ekpan. He added that they would work with law enforcement agencies  and relevant stakeholders as  well as government to restore peace , sanity, pride and dignity of  the community. He said the era when  evil perpetrators were allowed to go unpunished had passed.

    Pastor Innocent said: “Any human being that takes  the life of any member of Ekpan community must pay dearly  for it. I can assure you that, we would mobilise resources, mobilise whatever it takes against any one that takes up arms against  any one in this community. ..It is a passion for all of us.

    “When good men keep silent when evil is going on, they become part of the evil, so, good men will not keep quiet, they  will talk out .”

    The Secretary of the group, Comrade Ifie Prince,  said the group would collaborate with government and other stakeholders to  solve the problem of incessant crisis in the community.

    The leader of the legislative arm of Uvwie Local Government  , Hon. Glory Utuedor and th Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ekpan Police  Station, Chris Sogara, who was represented by DSP Monday Eghujovwo, promised to collaborate with the group to bring lasting peace to Ekpan.

    Some indigenes of Ekpan community, including Olorogun   Daniel Igedo,  Hon.Eyimofe  Akemu and Comrade Harry Odafe pledged their loyalty to the group.

  • Prof…Mercy on your boy

    Prof…Mercy on your boy

    My column a fortnight ago titled ‘The man who made Jonathan’ did not sit well with Prof Itsejuwa Esanjumi Sagay. In the view of the respected lawyer, I rambled and was not coherent in the piece. Sorry Prof, I will take a refresher course.

    He also said I showed laziness by not getting the spelling of his first name right. I deserve to be given six strokes of the cane for this terrible error and will present myself for the punishment in due course.

    Prof Sagay added in his reaction to the column that I accused him of professional misconduct.  The erudite lawyer made reference to journalists concocting stories and interviews. Not long ago, an interview supposedly conducted with him, which turned out fabricated, appeared in a newspaper. I believe he is still pained by this. I will still be pained if I were in his shoes.

    But for the records, I did not fabricate anything and will never do in order to make my column interesting. It is not my style. The aspect linking him to the British government’s quest for Alamieyeseigha’s extradition was picked from a report in The Punch and Channels. I am not gifted enough to create that. It also featured on The Punch’s verified Twitter handle as ‘Britain right to demand Alamieyeseigha’s extradition – Sagay http _t.co_TQJza9eCKv…’.  According to the newspaper, its reporter said he spoke with Prof and ex-presidential spokesman Dr. Doyin Okupe.

    Here is a portion of Channels’ version of the October 5, 2015 report, which can still be read on their website via http://www.channelstv.com/2015/10/05/uk-wants-alamieyeseigha-extradited/:  “The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay, was quoted as saying that the President Buhari-led government is prepared to assent to the request of the British Government.

    “’The UK is in principle correct to be making such a request based on the fact that the crime was committed on the British soil. However, when there is delay in trial as a result of time, there may be consideration on legal grounds so that the trial is not seen as oppressive,’” he said.

    It is not impossible that Prof later dissociated himself from this report and this escaped me. The part of the article where professional misconduct was mentioned is a quote from a group supporting the late Alamieyeseigha following the report on Channels and The Punch. I do not share the group’s view. I only quoted the group to buttress the extent many were willing to go for the late governor.

    My reading of Prof’s reaction is that contrary to the report quoted above he believes his late client paid enough for whatever sins he committed and extradition would have been an overkill. This negates the impression that he felt Alamieyeseigha allegedly committed a separate crime by laundering money in Britain.

    I hold Prof in high esteem and will not deliberately malign him. I will not even malign anyone deliberately. Who am I to dare the great Itse Sagay who is over-qualified to be my father? As a father, he has the right to tongue-lash me and he did more than that with his reply to my ‘satanic’ intervention. I am still weeping.

    My wife is partly Itsekiri and for this also I dare not offend Prof so that this angel will not be withdrawn from me with our two kids.

    Prof’s choice of adjectives made me wonder if I was the one being referred to. Do not mind me; I am used to being described as hardworking and hailed as a good writer—even honoured multiple times for my writings.

    Prof Sagay, I sincerely believe, is an institution. Having in his days in Ife and Benin lectured many of the leaders in this country today, he is a leader of leaders.

    Prof, Prof, have mercy on your boy for getting on your rough side unknowingly. Long may you live. Soon, I will present myself for the six strokes of the cane.

  • What we expect from Buhari, by ex-militant leader

    What we expect from Buhari, by ex-militant leader

    The President of National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A, Israel Akpodoro, in this interview with Dele Anofi, said President Muhammadu Buhari owes it a duty to appoint nominees of the All Progressives Congress (APC) into positions.

    You led a group that endorsed the President leading it to campaign for him in the Niger Delta region, how has the journey into the era of change being especially as it concerns government patronage?

    Yes, the change is here and it has come to stay permanently. Nigerians voted exactly for the services being rendered by the President and we are pleased for the fact that Nigerians are having the values for their votes.

    We in the APC are behind the President’s efforts at the ongoing economic recovery. The economy was grounded by the 16 years misrule of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and revamping an economy that was a victim of reckless looting is not easy to fix.

    So, the President had made some not too good appointments but there is room to make amendments because apologists of the failed PDP have infiltrated the ranks of the broom party.

    Are you saying the President made wrong appointments?

    Not entirely wrong but most of the appointees aren’t loyal members of the party. For instance, an appointee of the APC who appoints a PDP die hard as aide is not loyal and hasn’t the interest of the party at heart. In view of this, the president would have to work with the party to ensure that only loyal party men and women are given appointment.

    In Delta State where you are based, how is the party faring?

    The party is doing well and trying to build a strong structure preparatory to 2019 election. The strength of a party is to build a formidable structure capable of winning election at all levels.

    This is what the Prophet Jones Erue-led APC is doing in the state with Olorogun Otega Emerhor, financially supporting the party structure. Unlike the PDP, APC wins victory at the polls but not capture victory.

    Still on political patronage, would you say appointments into position by the APC-led Federal Government have been satisfactory so far especially in the Niger Delta?

    No, appointments by the Buhari-led FG haven’t met the desires of many. It is lopsided because your appointments concentrated in one ethnic nation at the detriment of others.

    In Delta State for instance, it’s obvious that the Ikas are the major beneficiaries of the appointments here ditto Rivers state and others.

    Does it mean other nationalities in Delta state are being marginalised?

    No, the Urhobo, Itsekiri, Isoko and Ndokwa people aren’t marginalised but are in the waiting to be appointed. We all worked for the emergence of this government and we must be appointed. Urhobo people are APC faithfulls  and must be patronised by this administration.

    Why?

    I, for instance defy all odds to declare and work for Buhari when the heat was high. For the purpose of Buhari’s election I founded the Urhobo Youth Forum for Change, UYFC which like a wild fire spread through Urhobo land and we won a large followership for the broom party.

    In addition, I founded and funded the National Coalition for Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A, a platform used by notable ex-militants to support and campaign the APC and its presidential candidate into power. These actions of mine opened me up for attacks before the presidential elections and the success of the party’s outing attracted envy and subsequent blackmail against those of us who stuck out our necks to work for the APC in criminal grandstanding

    In conspiracy with some greedy members of the ruling party, members of the opposition engage in lies, blackmail and outright campaign of calumny against most of us so as to gain vantage positions in a government they fought tooth and nail to stop it’s emergence. You reap where you sow but in this dispensation that adage holds no meaning because the opposition now stands better chances than those of who brought APC to power.

    Why have you not been appointed?

    The president is only taking his time and I am sure that very soon everyone who worked for Buhari will be appointed. We are all aware that there are many positions that are yet to be filled and loyalists of the party are waiting for the President to appoint those recommended by the party.

    When the time of God comes, I would be appointed but the President should listen to the leadership of our party and appoint only those recommended by the party.

    What’s your take on the fight against corruption by this administration?

    Nigerians gave the President the mandate to uproot corruption from our system as a nation and he’s doing just that. As against the magic expected by the PDP and its apologists, the president has done a lot to win the solidarity and support by the Nigerian people. PDP doesn’t believe in change and it becomes amoral for the forces of retrogressive transformation to question in a nation the same party brought to its knees.

    Therefore, the President through the EFCC should go all out and recover every illicit proceeds of loot from the enemies of the Nigerian people.

  • Yobo, Yobo, Yobo

    Yobo, Yobo, Yobo

    At times like this, questions crowd my mind. Some are rhetorical. Others are not. For my sanity not to take flight, I have chosen to address them one at a time. And I am starting with Rivers-born football star Joseph Yobo.

    He was among the sportsmen who spoke at the campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. The former captain of the Super Eagles urged Nigerians to re-elect Jonathan.

    Aside the Port Harcourt show, he also partook in other campaign runs of the ex-president.  A report even said he shared branded bags of rice to get votes for his candidate. I have no way of confirming this. The former Everton star also led a political group known as PDP Ward 2 Ward Initiative, on a courtesy visit to the ex-President on Saturday, December 19, 2014 at the Presidential Villa.

    Like a man truly convinced of his action, the former Super Eagles captain told State House correspondents: “I am here to endorse Mr. President for his re-election. He has done so well for the youth. I stand here as a youth to say that he deserves a second term to push forward the good work he has started.”

    At a time the rumour mill was rife that Muhammadu Buhari, who was running against Jonathan, was not physically fit, Yobo joined Jonathan and others in trekking from the Villa to Eagle Square. They did some acrobatic moves too— all meant to show Nigerians who was fit to rule them.

    Yobo, whose closeness to Jonathan saw him flying the presidential jet many a time to campaigns, followed up the show of fitness with a March 10, 2015 article, which is still available on 360nobs.com.

    In the piece, Yobo raised posers for the All Progressives Congress (APC), such as: “Why is the opposition shoving in our youthful faces, a grandfather who needs rest, an elder statesman who ought to be chilling in his country home in times like this? Assuming their candidate wins the presidential elections, will he disappear periodically too?”

    He was not done and declared: “We cannot saddle ourselves with a President whose health challenges will affect his output in office. General Buhari was once a gallant soldier but no one can cheat nature.”

    Yobo had other upper cuts aimed at Buhari: “The job of president of a country with over 170 million people is a tasking one and surely it would have been convenient for a man who insists he was on a two-week rest to have at least walked with the people who will vote him for say one-thirds of the march?”

    The article, which was a comparism between the fitness show by Jonathan and the one-million march of the APC, which both held in Abuja and Lagos on March 7, 2015, also saw Yobo painting Jonathan in the best shape available and Buhari in the image Governor Ayo Fayose sold unsuccessfully with front page adverts.

    He wrote: “ As early as 8am, I and several other supporters of the President walked with him from Aso Rock to Eagle Square where we also jogged around. Some of the pictures from the walk have been swarming social media; one in particular stood out. It was that of President Jonathan doing the hop in an aerobics session. Pictures of him working out in the gym have surfaced from time to time and this further proved that the man is mentally and physically fit to rule Nigeria. Immediately after the rally ended at 11am, he went back to the State House, freshened up and flew to pay courtesy visits to the Ooni of Ife and Owa Obokun of Ijesaland and attend rallies in their domain.

    “Enter General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). After he and his party played hide-and-seek with Nigerians over his whereabouts, the man returned to the country and was conspicuously missing from a march that was the perfect opportunity for him and the top party brass to reassure their supporters that he was fit as a fiddle. The job of president of a country with over 170 million people is a  tasking one and surely it would have been convenient for a man who insists he was on a two-week rest to have at least walked with the people who will vote him for say one-thirds of the march? The party chieftains including Bola Tinubu and even its vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Yomi Osinbajo were present at the final stop, so why was the arrowhead of the campaign missing in action?”

    Despite the efforts of the likes of Yobo, Buhari won. Jonathan is back in Otuoke and of less use to the soccer star.

    You may wonder why I am recalling these acts of Yobo.  My answer: With the sort of passion Yobo pursued the Jonathan-must-get-second-term project, he is the last person I expect around the First Family.

    When Aisha Buhari launched a book on beauty last week, Yobo was there. And I ask:  Is the opposition now right to have shoved in his youthful face a grandfather who needed rest, an elder statesman who ought to be chilling in his country home? What happens to his love for the man he said could stand and last? Does he now have answer to his poser: “Assuming their candidate wins the presidential elections, will he disappear periodically too?”

    My final take:  If I were the Buharis, I will not push Yobo away but I will have it at the back of my mind that his association with us is because of the influence we wield and not an act of love. And they should watch out for more Yobos as the time goes.

  • Family of abducted ex-Mobil employee petitions IGP

    For more than two months after her abduction, the whereabouts of Ms. Eunice Udo have remained a mystery, causing anxiety that she may have been killed.

    Ms. Udoh, a former contract employee with Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPN), hails from Atibe community, Afaha Eket in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

    The victim, 34, according to the family, was allegedly seized and taken to an unknown destination on February 4 by a business associate.

    The suspect, who has since been arrested, it was gathered, is undergoing interrogation at the Zone 6 Headquarters in Calabar, Cross River State, where the case had been transferred.

    Worried by the slow pace of the investigation, the family has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase.

    The two-paragraph petition entitled: “Re-Case of Abduction of Eunice Eno Udo”, stated that the suspect abducted her in the process of transacting a business.

    The elder brother to the victim, Akpan Udo, said her sister may have been killed. He urged the IGP to use his good offices to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the woman, whom he said “was our bread winner”.

    He recalled that when her sister was dropped as a contract staff of Mobil, she took some of her vehicles, including a bus to the car stands in Uyo, for sale, but ran into the suspect, who offered to buy the vehicle.

    The suspect, who hails from Omuogba in Onyigbo Local Government Area of River State, was said to have been connected to the business by another suspect who is still at large.

    According to Udo, the suspect was taken to Ikot Ekpene Road to see the vehicle before the transaction.

    The sister was said to have driven to the place with her car from her residence at Nnung Obio Enang on IdoroRoad, Uyo, for negotiation.

    “After the agreement to sell the bus had been reached by both parties, my sister parked her car at the stand and was driven in the bus by the suspect to pick the vehicle documents in her house. After fetching the particulars, the suspect drove my sister with the bus to an unknown destination,” he said.

    The following day, the suspect, according to him, disguised in Navy kits, went to the stand, picked his sister’s car and drove to the house, where he ransacked and carted away other vital documents of lands and vehicles.

    The Hausa man at the gate to the victim’s house, it was gathered, had revealed that the suspect  made phone call in Hausa language to alert some people that he was bringing the person.

    “When he (the suspect) made the conversation on phone to intimate his accomplice that he was bringing somebody to them, he did not know the gateman was a Hausa man, who also understood the language. This revelation forced us to report the matter at Itam Police Station.

    “The case was later moved to the State Headquarters before we made effort for the matter to be transferred to Zone 6, Calabar, because of shoddy handling of the case”, Mr. Udo explained.

    Her father, Chief EnoUdo Unanaowo, lamented that her daughter was the major bread winner in the family and urged the Police to expedite action in the matter.

    “Her seven-year-old daughter has been in tears since her mother was abducted,” he said, adding that only her rescue would safe the child from the trauma.”

    Part of the petition reads: “Due to the shoddy investigation process at the Akwa Ibom State Police Command, IkotAkpanabia, Uyo, we wrote a petition for the case to be transferred to Zone 6, Calabar, for proper investigation and prosecution of the culprit.

    “We therefore appeal to you sir, to use your good offices and prevail on the AIG Zone 6, to carry out a thorough investigation that can lead to discovering the whereabouts Ms Eunice Udo, as the whole family is in turmoil since her abduction. We sincerely believe that with your zero tolerance for criminals of this kind, justice will surely prevail.”