The Nation Newspaper

Tag: against

  • Residents seek govt’s help against cultists

    Residents of Ijora, Badia have appealed to the Lagos State government to rid their community of cultists.

    The Nation learnt that the cultists are having a field day in the community.

    A resident, Mr Egbeyemi Idris, recalled that some people were killed in a cult war few weeks ago.

    “Last month, there was a case between the Aiye and Eiye cult groups. One of the Eiye members was shot by a member of the Aiye group, which made the two groups go into war. The battle lasted for two days; some people were killed and many injured. The cult members also destroyed the windscreens of cars that were parked nearby,” he said

    A resident, who simply gave his name as Sola, said: “Cultism in our community is a serious case; we live in fear of the cultists and can’t walk around the community freely without being embarrassed by them. They attack young boys and girls and force them to join them in their various cult groups. We need the help of the government for we can’t fight them ourselves.”

    The councillor, representing Ijora Oloye Ward E, Liadi Saheed, said the council would do everything to reduce cultism in the community.

    “The Local Government Chairman, Alhaja Funmilayo Akande-Muhammed, myself and the Ijora monarch have carried out sensitisation programmes to enlighten the people on the dangers of cultism. We have also set an example by charging cultists caught to to court. I can assure you that soon cultism will be a thing of the past in this community as the government is taking every step necessary to stamp it out,” he said.

  • Fresh plot against Magu

    Fresh plot against Magu

    •EFCC ‘not probing Kyari’

    WHO sent some security agents to the home of the President’s Chief of Staff (COS), Mr. Abba Kyari, on January 7?

    That was the poser raised in intelligence circles yesterday amid indication of a fresh plot to remove Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu by implicating him in the alleged “phantom invasion” of Kyari’s residence.

    The EFCC said yesterday that it was not investigating Kyari, adding that it did not deploy its operatives in his Defence House quarters.

    The alleged invasion was said to have been hatched by some forces and targeted at provoking President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Magu.

    The Nation learnt that some security agents were deployed in the highly fortified Defence House in the night to protect Kyari from being arrested.

    It was learnt that soldiers at the sentry did not allow the agents in because there were no EFCC operatives in sight.

    The security men merely acted on “false alert”, it was learnt.

    A source, who pleaded not to be named because of the “sensitivity of the matter”, said: “In the past few weeks, the plot to remove Magu has been heightened by some forces who are still uncomfortable with his continued stay in office. Apart from the attack on his farmhouse, he has been receiving threat messages and representations by some National Assembly members to sack him. It has reached a level that Magu now keeps his itinerary to himself and aborts some official trips.

    “The phantom attempt to arrest the Chief of Staff was a script to create a wedge between the Presidency and Magu because EFCC operatives were not deployed in Defence House penultimate Sunday.

    “The military sentry at the Defence House was shocked to see a deployment of some security agents coming at midnight to protect the Chief of Staff without any signal of a threat to his life or plans to arrest him.

    “The armed soldiers insisted on a directive from above before the security agents could gain access to the Defence House. They turned back the operatives from the House.

    “It was obvious that the security agents acted on a false alert because when calls were placed to Magu, he said he did not order any operation. This development buoyed the determination of the soldiers in Defence House to resist the security agents.”

    The source added: “Some forces were just desperate to take advantage of any situation to get Magu out of EFCC.”

    In a statement last night by its Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Samie Amaddin, the EFCC said it was not probing Kyari and did not make any attempt to arrest him.

    “Ordinarily, we would have ignored the report and allow it to end up in the dustbin of history, for that is where it actually belongs, but for the fact that it is a follow–up to an earlier similar report also titled: EFCC’s attempt to arrest Abba Kyari sparks panic in Aso Rock, which we considered an attempt to silence the commission from carrying on with its constitutional duties of fighting corruption; we have considered it necessary to clarify issues in relation thereof.

    “For the purpose of clarification, the modus operandi of the EFCC does not accommodate the alleged invasion as the modus operandi of the commission has always been to scrutinise petitions upon receipt, look at the petition on the face value, if it has merit and to carry out preliminary investigation to establish a prima facie case.

    “Once all these requirements are satisfied, the suspect(s) is (are) invited for questioning and interrogation and his (their) statement(s) taken under caution.

    “All these are prelude to arraignment in a competent court of jurisdiction and a suspect who is being invited for interrogation is formally sent an invitation letter to that effect.

    “The so-called invasion is entirely alien to the established mode of operations of the EFCC, established over the last one-and-a-half decades in line with international best practices.

    “Firstly, the commission will like to state that it is not investigating Mr. Kyari nor is it aware of any petition against him.

    “Secondly,  EFCC does not ‘invade’ the homes or offices of anyone the commission wishes to interact with in furtherance of the discharge of its mandate.

    “The commission will properly notify and invite any person it wants to assist it in the resolution of any matter under examination.

    “Thirdly, EFCC does not go to carry out invitations or arrests in the middle of the night. As a transparent organisation the commission carries out all its operations in broad daylight.

    “These and other standard operational procedures are what guide the activities of the commission and which have earned it worldwide acclaim over the years.

    “The commission was therefore taken aback when an online medium went public with the story of a purported “impending arrest”. EFCC does not do speculative investigations or arrests. Therefore, the action of those behind the false reports could best be described as shouting wolf where none exists.

    “It must be underscored that EFCC makes it a point of duty and professional responsibility to act within the ambit of the law. The commission cannot be intimated and crying wolf by anyone cannot stop the commission from carrying out its constitutional responsibility.”

  • Against the odds

    •Once regarded as the scum of the earth, an ex-convict and three ex—militants shine in academics

    Although the challenges they confront are different in nature, ex-prison convicts and ex-militants of the restive Niger Delta are two groups whose members are all too readily written off by society and hardly given any chance of leading purposeful and fulfilled lives. The depressing and dehumanising condition of our prisons tend to make inmates much worse than they were before being sentenced, and most times Ill-prepared for useful and productive lives after prison. Matters are often worsened by the stigma that attaches to the ex-convict who is treated with suspicion by society and denied opportunities to earn a decent living and leading a new life. It is thus not surprising that many ex-convicts, desperate to survive, are trapped in a vicious cycle and sucked back into lives of crime.

    No less daunting are the odds that ex-Niger Delta militants face in a bid to reinvent themselves, lead normal lives and play positive roles in society. They continue to be widely perceived as never-do-well brigands incurably addicted to violence and irresponsible lifestyles. This is despite the fact that violent militancy is oftentimes a product of and reaction against pernicious structural violence characterised by pervasive environmental despoliation, debilitating health hazards, chronic underdevelopment and other forms of mass poverty. Many militants are also trapped by destructive habits associated with a vocation of violence as well as the lure of easy money through oil bunkering, kidnapping and sundry other crimes.

    The inspiring stories of those who escape the limitations as well as moral and psychological shackles of such backgrounds to achieve success and become responsible members of society show that there is hope after all even for those whose situations appear most hopeless. A good example is that of Mr Dada Kayode who, through determination, hard work, resilience and the support of understanding and patriotic Nigerians is today an assistant lecturer at Babcock University School of Medicine.

    For 10 years, Mr Kayode was an inmate at Ibara Prison in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Undeterred by his situation, he worked towards, sat for and passed his Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) examinations in 1994. Impressed with  Kayode’s performance, the Legal Aid Council made representations for amnesty on his behalf to the then governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. The governor obliged and the ambitious Kayode was able to gain admission to the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lagos, to study physiology. Although the university authorities were initially reluctant to offer admission to an ex-convict despite being qualified, the intervention of the chairman of the school’s governing council at the time, Chief Afe Babalola, secured admission for him.

    After his first degree, Kayode was able, with the support of such good Samaritans as Mrs Arit Igiebor, proprietor of King-Size restaurant and some of his lecturers, to obtain his M.Sc degree in physiology as well as register for his PhD Programme in the same discipline. Even then, it was a Herculean task at this stage for him to get a job. Many prospective employers were simply not interested in hiring an ex- convict. Frustrated, Kayode applied without success for presidential pardon to free him from the ex- convict tag and enhance his chances of being employed. His prayers were however answered when he applied to Babcock University and the authorities offered him employment as an assistant lecturer at the institution’s school of medicine on the basis of his performance at the interview.

    In a similar vein, three of the ex-agitators of the Niger Delta, who are beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, have graduated with first class degrees from Liverpool and Bedfordshire universities in the United Kingdom (UK). While Lucky Azibanagein had a First Class in Mechatronics and Robotic System Engineering from the University of Liverpool, Messrs Torubein Fawei and Nicholas Nathaniel Goodnews made First Class in Telecommunications and Network Engineering and Public Relations, respectively, from the University of Bedforshire. They are part of the 144 beneficiaries of the amnesty programme who successfully graduated in various disciplines from 17 universities in the UK.

    The greatest credit for the achievement of these ex-militants must go to late President Umaru Yar’Adua who initiated the amnesty programme in response to destructive Niger Delta militancy. It is unfortunate that the laudable initiative was later corrupted to mean generous cash bribes to appease criminal elements masquerading as patriotic militants. It is time to return to the earlier ennobling vision.

    These two inspirational stories demonstrate that with determination, the right attitude and societal as well as governmental support, disadvantaged individuals can succeed brilliantly against all odds.

  • Freshers warned against vices

    The Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, has warned freshers against indulging in vices that can truncate their future. The VC spoke at the matriculation held for 3, 989 students admitted for the 2014/2015 session.

    The ceremony, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Multipurpose Hall, was attended by the school principal officers and parents of the students.

    While congratulating the freshers, Prof Ajibefun advised them not to jeopardise their admission by engaging in unlawful acts.

    He said the school, in the last five years, had been running stable academic calendar and improving up its facilities to make learning conducive. He said shortage of lecture theaters, laboratories and offices was becoming history.

    He said: “Our students and alumni have made landmark achievements, which indicate university’s academic excellence. In 2014, Akeem Opeyemi Longe, a First Class law graduate, did not only repeat the same feat at the Nigerian Law School, he also emerged the best graduating student in the 2014 Bar examination. This testifies to the conducive environment of learning provided by the school.”

    “I urge you to choose the narrow but dignifying path of discipline, responsibility and eschew criminality and vices, so that your dreams of becoming responsible youths would be realized.”

    The Registrar, Mr Bamidele Olotu, administered matriculation oath on the freshers.

    Some of the new intakes, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE, promised to obey the rules and regulations of the institution.

     

  • A house against itself

    A house against itself

    ONE of the factors responsible for the shortcomings in the Nigerian entertainment industry is that it is divided along the line of politics within each association that is supposed to unite members. What an irony.

    To a large extent, the associations in the music and film sectors are embedded in crises: from the Performing Musicians and Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) to Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), and Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners (ANTP), among others, there is a clear sense of selfishness among the leaders and their members, and this has continued to defy the purpose for which an association exists.

    One wonders why there are no similar tussles in the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). If the argument is that these associations are bodies of professionals, while the entertainment industry associations are made up of craftsmen, then it is a case of using nomenclature to justify a wrong doing. This is because even journalism has been described as a craft, so is every profession that is an all-comers affair, owing to the fact that they have bias for talent than field of study.

    I have never been impressed with the malicious politics of the Nigerian film industry that has continuously caused dissonance among practitioners. While PMAN has remained in comatose for years and is merely struggling to find its feet again through a caretaker committee that is also experiencing turbulence, members of AGN are scattered like sheep without a shepherd. And although the AGN have two people laying claims to the presidency, the movie producers association has a parallel association in Association of Nollywood Core Producers (ANCOP).

    The last political dispensation witnessed a false sense of unity among members of some of these associations who savoured the Jonathan largesse while it lasted. But there is more to being united along professional interest lines than happenstances  the former, to me, is more enduring.

    Perhaps now that it seems the tea party is over, we would begin to see leaders focused on growing the industry than on riding on the bandwagon political campaigns. Perhaps now, those who wouldn’t branch into other businesses would sit down to structure how Nollywood can grow and entice investors. Perhaps now, stakeholders in the movie industry might consider a merger in the much anticipated Motion Picture Council of Nigeria (MOPICON) or its like, as a common front for the movie sector.

    It is worrisome when you see brilliant minds in the entertainment sector channeling their energy into endless criticisms and petition writing rather than facing the art, politics and business of filmmaking.

    People who should learn from each other and advance the industry with progressive ideas cannot do so because they have not maintained an open mind.  Colleagues have been at loggerheads with each other on the social media because they get too personal, unduly sentimental and attack themselves over matters that should be discussed objectively. The industry needs to be a brand that is marketable. It has proved or shown great potentials as the second producers of home video in the world. Now that the world has an eye on how Nollywood evolves and how it can become sustainable, is the time to take advantage of its potentials.

  • ‘I have never been against Gbajabiamila’s ambition’

    ‘I have never been against Gbajabiamila’s ambition’

    There were reports that the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Lasun Yussuf, was against the emergence of Femi Gbajabiamila as the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives. In this report, Dele Anofi in Abuja quoted some associates who previously worked with Yussuf as saying it was the Deputy Speaker’s introvert nature that was exploited to give vent to that insinuation

    The misconception about the personality of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Sulaimon Olasunkanmi Yussuf, could be said to be responsible for the erroneous impression that he, as the Deputy Speaker, was against the emergence of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as the Majority Leader. The man Lasun is an epitome of calmness even as he is reserved. His close associates are saying that this aspect of his character was exploited in this case by those bent on creating a wedge between the two.

    According to one of his associates, Bimbo Daramola, a former House member, “One fact that must be established is that there was no basis for Lasun’s antagonism of Gbajabiamila for the fact that as Deputy Speaker, his position was fait accompli since June 9th. He was elected on that day with the Speaker and there was no controversy over the process that puts them up. Equally instructive is the fact that there is no way the emergence of Gbajabiamila can undermine the position of the Deputy Speaker as both offices have clearly defined responsibilities. In other words, there is no basis for antagonism from either sides. Rather, Lasun can only benefit from the experience and depth of Gbajabiamila while not ruling out the fact, since no one is an island of knowledge, Gbajabiamila too can learn from Lasun in the discharge of his legislative responsibilities.”

    Another associate, a serving member of the House said the manipulation of the reserved disposition of the Deputy Speaker contributed hugely to the laid back perception of Lasun by those who are not close to him. This, on its own makes it easy for him to be underrated as an astute politician but to those who know him; he has never been a pushover. It must count for something for the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara to have stuck to him as his Deputy.

    “The drafters of our constitution were not unmindful of the fact that whoever is going to be the Deputy Speaker must be able to earn his worth, otherwise they would have said when the Speaker emerges, let there be no Deputy but they said there must be an election for the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker. Then, there were other conditions which Lasun met before he was voted as Deputy Speaker. More importantly, for 203 of his colleagues to have voted for him as Deputy Speaker meant that they believed he has something worthwhile to offer to the legislature, as an institution and Nigeria’s democracy. In view of that, as some people would want Nigerians to believe, one wonders how Lasun would have been threatened by Gbajabiamila becoming the House Leader. Furthermore, by job description, insinuations that Lasun was against Gbajabiamila can still not hold waters because the responsibilities of the two offices were clearly defined. While the House Leader liaises between the President and the House, bring correspondences and so on, the Deputy Speaker’s scope is wider, deeper and more extensive. He is an alternate Speaker, the rules say so. In situations when the Speaker is not available, the Deputy Speaker presides. Like we saw on the day the Principal officers emerged; if you recall, Speaker Dogara left the plenary to attend to another important state matter, Lasun presided until the Speaker came back to announce the names of the principal officers. So, how could Gbajabiamila have been a threat to Lasun? In other words, there’s no competition because there is no basis for it. He can learn from the experience and depth of Gbajabiamila and vice versa.

    “At this point in time, people should not stoke up embers of discord between the two, it is not necessary. The introvert nature of the Deputy Speaker should not be manipulated and taken for granted by mischief makers to disrupt harmonious flow of legislative work in this Assembly. His being calm does not compromise the fact that he is intelligent; this is a second degree holder in Mechanical Engineering. He didn’t get his Masters 10 year ago, but about 24 years ago,” he said.

    But people are quick to point out that Lasun was little known. We learnt however that the Deputy Speaker belonged to about six standing committees of the House, including Appropriation. He was a member a Selection Committee, constituted immediately the 7th House was inaugurated.

    “As a member of Selection Committee in the 7th House, to put people together, to allocate committees to 350 members and to get it right, that’s a lot or work. And for the fact that neither controversies nor bad feelings followed the selection says a lot about those that put that together. It is instructive to note that it was when the team of Lasun and not Tambuwal, not Ihedioha, not any of the former principal officers, got it right at the level of Selection Committee and turn it over that the leadership could approve what every lawmaker later identified with without rancour. That is serious work that only analytical minds can accomplish. Another member said Lasun is an assertive legislator, who is very difficult to sway once he makes up his mind on an issue. According to him, he takes his time to observe thoroughly before making his conclusion. “Once his mind is made up, it becomes difficult to fault his argument because he will present a superior argument, often times backed with facts and figures. We find ourselves going with his suggestions most of the time during our committee activities. He is well known and feared by most MDAs during oversight duties because his knowledge of the workings of the MDAs was legendary. Once he is in the team, it is not difficult to see how jittery any organisation we are visiting gets because they know that there won’t be room for mediocre session”.

    Apart from carrying out his legislative duties with diligence, Lasun is a man who has no inhibition about discussing his background; he doesn’t hide the fact that he comes from a rustic village of Ilobu. According to Ismail Mustapha, President of the Abuja Chapter of Ilobu Development Association, Lasun endeared himself to the people of Ilobu and Osun State with his humility.

    “You see the pride oozing out of him when he talks about his father, who is a carpenter at every given opportunity. He is never shy of his background. That is something that should count for something,” he said. Lasun’s assertiveness was on display when the group paid him a courtesy call a week ago, where his closeness to the grassroots became apparent.  At the meeting, he showed a glimpse of how assertive and independent-minded he was, he also stressed the need to reward hard work, as a way of encouraging others to follow suit. He made it known that his home town Ilobu paid its dues towards the victory of All Progressives Congress (APC) and should be rightly rewarded.

    At the meeting, he explained that justice should always prevail in all human endeavors, politics apart. He wondered how his resignation as Deputy Speaker would serve any useful purpose, as insinuated in some quarters.

    His stance on justice eventually came to pass with the peaceful resolution of the principal officers’ saga. At the meeting, Lasun noted that having contributed immensely to the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at both local and national levels, it would amount to an injustice to ask an Ilobu man to vacate the seat. He told the gathering that “It is important to state that Ilobu has been a big supporter of our party even beyond Osun. After Osogbo, Ilobu is the only town whose progressive elections have never been rigged. When we had the 2015 elections, every Nigerian knew at that time that it was the election in Osun that will probably dictate whether APC will be in existence or would be strong enough to dislodge PDP. If you recall, everybody moved to Osogbo either as observers or participants. It was reported that about 76,000 security agents were deployed to Osun for that particular election. Statistically, Ilobu as a town was sixth in quality of votes to the emergence of Governor Aregbesola with a staggering difference of 7,000 votes out of 100,000 that APC got over PDP in that election. So, if an Ilobu man is made the Deputy Speaker today, we deserve it because we contributed our quota. So anyone talking about Lasun Yussuf to resign only want to cheat Ilobu people that have toiled day and night to make what APC is today. When I look at that angle alone I laugh, and I want to say this nature itself has a way of regulating things; we cannot want to benefit from where we have not sowed”.

    So, he vowed to do everything within his capacity to assist his town’s socio-economic development. He assured the group that, if it is going to be the only thing he could do, with the assistance and support of his colleagues in the House, a dilapidated bridge built in 1954, liking the town with other parts of the South-West would be rehabilitated. He said it was painful and frustrating that successive governments have ignored the bridge that now takes over two hours instead of minutes for motorists to access due to unending traffic hold ups.

    A devout Muslim, Lasun was born on October 4th 1960. Though, an alumnus of University of Ibadan, he started his education from home at the Local Authority Primary School Ilobu. He has Bachelor and Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering. This background was responsible for his being made the chairman of Osun State Capital Territory Development Authority and those conversant with Osogbo would know that a lot must have been accomplished by those saddled with the responsibility of turning the capital around. Lasun was one of them.

    As stated by one of his Chief of Staff, Hon Bimbo Daramola, who was a former legislator and a contemporary of Lasun in the 7th Assembly, the Deputy Speaker is a man that should be given the opportunity to showcase his potentials. According to him, Lasun is roaring to go, to correct the misgivings about him in the last House.

  • We’re winning against Boko Haram, says Buhari

    We’re winning against Boko Haram, says Buhari

    Despite the Tuesday and Wednesday attacks that claimed 148 lives in Borno villages, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, said Nigeria is progressively winning the war against Boko Haram under the auspices of multinational force involving neighbouring countries.

    The President said the multinational force is progressively winning the fight against Boko Haram.

    President Buhari, who stated this in his address as the Special Guest of Honour at the graduation of 174 military officers of Senior Course 37 of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Nigeria, pointed out the importance of harnessing the strengths of multiple security actors as demonstrated in the fight against terrorism.

    Represented by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Buhari expressed confidence in the quality of training received by officers in the institution which, according to him, has adequately prepared the military to confront current threats to national and global security.

    He however, cautioned the officers to be mindful of the “distracting and diversionary” nature of today’s highly sensitive media environment.

    “Some of you will be deployed in crisis-prone areas for either internal security or peace support operations outside your country. Given that we live in a common global environment, you must be conscious of your actions,” he warned the graduates.

    On the global scene, Buhari said Nigeria remains firmly committed to the maintenance of international peace and security, adding that the country will continue to collaborate with other governments to promote peace, stability and development on the African continent and around the world.

    He therefore charged the military to live up to expectations at all times and to uphold the nation’s enduring legacy in global peacekeeping operations.

    “As members of the armed forces, you have a principal role to play in protecting the lives and property of our citizens.

    “While maintaining internal peace and security remains primarily the responsibility of the civil police, the scale of the current security challenges facing our nation requires the military to play a more decisive role in support of civil power.

    “Always remember that ethnicity and religious intolerance are the greatest threats to our collective security as a people and as a nation. I urge you all to guard against these negative sentiments in the discharge of your noble duties,” he said.

    Earlier in his welcome address, Commandant of the College, AVM John Chris Ifemeje, said the course assembled on 30th June, 2014 and is made up of 174 students comprising 70 Nigerian Army officers, 43 Nigerian Navy officers, 31 Nigerian Air Force officers and 9 civilians from the Defence Intelligence Agency, DSS, Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Prison Service, Nigerian Immigration Service, NYSC and FRSC.

    He noted that among the graduating students were also 21 international military officers comprising five from Mali, four from Ghana, and two each from Benin Republic, Burkina Faýso, Sierra Leone and Togo, and one each from Cameroun, Chad, the Gambia and Senegal.

    “It has been 49 weeks of intense operational military training and academic activities and the course is designed to equip the officers with the appropriate skills to function as middle level commanders and Grade 1 Staff Officers,” he said.

    He advised the graduating students ýto strive to improve themselves and always keep abreast developments, not only in their immediate environment but also in the ever dynamic global environment.

  • APC warns against fake election results

    APC warns against fake election results

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned against any attempt to tamper with the results of Saturday’s elections.

    It said Nigerians have voted peacefully and massively and they know who they have voted for.

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it has the authentic results from every polling unit where voting took place on Saturday, and will not accept anything contrary to those signed results.

    It decried the dangerous kite being flown by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through some of its paid media channels, seeking to appropriate unearned victories across the nation.

    ‘’We have always said we will accept the result of any free, fair and transparent elections.

    “We stand by that avowal. However, what we will not accept – and which we are sure Nigerians themselves will reject – is any move to rewrite the results and thwart the will of the people under any guise. We will not accept that.

    ‘’We have heard of the desperate moves to cancel the results in areas where the APC has beaten the PDP embarrassingly. Nigerians will definitely not accept that,’’ APC said.

    The party said it is aware of the ongoing efforts to force Electoral Officers and Presiding Officers in Imo State, some of whom are being picked up by the military as we write, to rewrite the results of the elections in the state.

    ‘’We have the results from every polling unit in Imo State and we know that we have won in over 80 per cent in the presidential election. So there must be no shenanigans,’’ it warned.

    APC also said the same attempts are being made in Sokoto, Enugu, Ekiti, Ondo, Lagos and other states, wondering why anyone will be seeking to reverse the results that are settled.

    ‘’In Nsukka Local Government Area, Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC) officials, instead of collating results, handed over the exercise to PDP Nsukka zone to write.

    “They holed up inside ADADA HOUSE (a local government guest house) to write results and change figures, and were provided with security by the police. APC candidates and agents were chased away.

    “In collaboration with INEC, they refused to let the Card Readers function and no result sheets came to most polling booths.

    “In Lagos, they have yet to announce the result of Apapa Local Government, which has been ready since Saturday, apparently in a move to manipulate the outcome. Those who voted will not agree with any attempt to steal their votes,’’ the party warned.

  • Khune may return against Eagles

    Khune may return against Eagles

    Bafana Bafana  welcomed back injured goal keeper and Captain, Itumeleng Khune for the first time since January last year when he played against Mali in the CAF Championship of African Nations (CHAN) tournament played in Cape Town and he says the team is charged towards the Nigeria friendly.

    The 27-year-old has been recovering from an injury and started the Swaziland friendly before he was replaced in the second half.

    Shakes Mashaba might decide to start the Kaizer Chiefs first choice against the Super Eagles.

    Khune spoke after the 3-1 win over Swaziland and believed it was a good preparation for the Nigeria fixture.

    “It was great for me to come back and play the first half, it really feels good to be back. In that stanza, Swaziland came very hard at us but we managed to contain them and we were disciplined.

    ”So, it was a great performance overall. It was a great preparation for the Nigeria clash. It is always great before you play another big match, you get such a result as it builds confidence,” said Khune.

  • Jonathan and tomorrow’s war against Nigerians

    Jonathan and tomorrow’s war against Nigerians

    The thought of tomorrow is as sweet as it is dreadful. Sweet because of people’s determination for CHANGE; and dreadful because of status quo ante’s devilish plot to have its way-by whatever means. So, tomorrow is presidential and federal legislative elections day when Nigerians with Permanent Voter Card (PVC), are expected to troop out enmasse and vote for the candidate of their choice, principally between incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and General Mohammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    For the first time in memorable history of this country, majority of the people are fiercely focused on the presidential contest, particularly on a certain opposition candidate against an incumbent, without blinking an eye over the other elections coming up tomorrow. From all indications, ab initio, the apex contest looks like the incumbent is already out of office. The jitters in official circles has led to the question: Will the president and his hatchet men allow tomorrow to be truly for elections, or will it be a war of persecution and intimidation disguised as necessary security provisions for an election? This column has seen the signal of fruitless militarization of Lagos since last week.

    The current Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sulaiman Abba, set the tone of intolerance, through his flippant statement on what to expect from the federal police when he publicly declared that Nigerians should not wait at polling centres after exercising their franchise. Meaning that the police is coercively planning to shield them from protecting their votes. What he forgot to realise is that an election, being a process, is not completed until the votes, under close surveillance by the people, are duly counted and properly recorded in the prescribed sheets by law through INEC personnel at polling centres. No wonder, Thomas Jefferson, the great apostle of human rights, once stated that ‘eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.’ And since liberty only makes true sense under democratic governance, it would not be totally out of place by the people to keep vigil over their ballot so as to ensure that the candidate that they truly voted for is declared as winner in polling centres across the country.

    But the IGP is now threatening that the people should leave their votes to the protection of mostly compromised security personnel that the experience of last year August’s Gubernatorial election in Osun state taught us were acting the scripts of Jonathan and the ruling party. But for the eternal vigilance of Osun people and their endurance, there is no doubt that the winner of that election would have been shortchanged of his hard earned victory. Also, the revelations that came out of a video on how the state’s instrument of coercion in tandem with the ruling party’s top notch, plotted and actually intimidated and harassed indigenes of Ekiti state last years election is still roiling in the polity.

    How can anybody in his right senses believe what the IGP had said? After all, Jefferson also said somewhere that “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.” The statement of the IGP smells of odious injustice and the citizenry have the right to rebel against such ranting, in a lawful manner because, Jonathan, through the IGP wants to use raw police/military power on voting day to steal majority of votes for the benefit of himself and few opportunity seeking cronies. The duty of the police at election centres, on Election Day, is to maintain peace and be neutral and not to take side as experience has shown in past elections. How can this IGP that unilaterally and illegally withdrew the security details of Rt.Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, simply because he defected from the ruling party because of its in-house crisis, just to please Jonathan-his benefactor. Such IGP cannot be entrusted with the votes of Nigerians that are ready to endure any form of official frustration at polling centres, come rain or sun shine, tomorrow.

    Again, the thought of tomorrow is as sweet as it is dreadful. Sweet because the people will have the opportunity of electing a more virile president to replace the inept Jonathan: And dreadful because of the barbarity that the Jonathan administration has put in place to circumvent and probably upturn the wishes of millions of Nigerians that would cast their votes against him tomorrow.

    From all over the country, this column is enjoining all to say no to electoral tyranny. Nigerians from all spheres of human endeavours witnessed the bad and ineptly corrupt governance under Jonathan and the beauty of democracy is that it offers opportunity for periodic elections. That opportunity comes up tomorrow and all must struggle to say No to intimidation and continuation of naira devaluation, insecurity, crude oil theft, insecurity of all shades, illegal arming and empowerment of ruthless militias for selfish reasons, degeneration of values in churches through wanton bribing of pastors and also corruption of traditional institution through pecuniary inducement, persistent fuel scarcity and price increment, land grabbing, astronomical unemployment and commercialization of employment that have all become the hallmark of the Jonathan presidency. Nigerians must stand up and be decisive in voting against these societal vices that Jonathan stands for in six years of his rulership over this country.

    After losing tomorrow, it is obvious that more devilish plots might still come from Jonathan/ruling PDP tables. Whatever post election evil plan might be in the offing, the reality is that the world is watching and despite the evil plots of reactionaries, Nigerians, who truly want this country to move forward, are working tirelessly to ensure that the decision of Nigerians at tomorrow’s poll prevails. Permit me to end this piece with the inimitable quote from Abraham Lincoln’s November 19, 1863 Gettysburg address to wit: “That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” Whatever maneuverings Jonathan, his men and mostly compromised security leadership put up tomorrow, let them have it in their minds that, like the the prophetic Lincoln said, democracy will outlive their evil machinations in power. That in the end shows the vanity of the incumbent’s lust for power and lack of respect for democratic values. This Jonathan, like other power mongers before him has simply refused to learn from history. What a pity for a man that once had no shoes!