The Nation Newspaper

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  • Fulanisation, Islamisation mere blackmail, Group slams Obasanjo

    Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum says land displacements and reprisals account for Fulani related clashes in northern Nigeria, discarding Islamisation or Fulanisation agenda of ex-President Obasanjo.

    Mr. Akin Malaolu, President of the Forum, said this in a statement on Wednesday, in reaction to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s allegation against the Fulani.

    According to him, while the Forum supports government efforts to find lasting solution to the issue, it is totally wrong to give it religious or ethnic colouration.

    “We can say succinctly that former president Obasanjo was deliberately deceitful and in greater dishonesty in his phantom claim.

    ” History which relied on facts and evidences are both missing in his conjectures.

    “Modern generation of our youths and some elders may not understand that the North experienced two eras that shaped their entire land.

    “The system of government before the advent of jihad was a period of prosperity that made it possible for slaves to rise through various tasks including the military,

    ” But with their conquest, the system of administration changed drastically and weakened the slaves and to their offspring.

    “History recorded the events that gave the Fulani people a space in modern day Nigeria and their foothold in the North came through conquest beginning from 1808 [211 years ago]

    Malaolu went further to use history to analyse contemporary developments in Zamfara.

    “Further findings had shown vividly that property [land] is dominant at the centre of all conflicts and not fulanisation and islamisation.

    “The conflict in Zamfara axis which displaced fulanis during the administration of former Governor Sani Yerima from 1999 -2007 disrupted a huge population of fulanis.

    ” That further inflamed anger and combatants were ready to die at both side,” he said.

    On why the Fulani’s were still alleged of violence beyond the northern parts of Nigeria, Yoruba Ronu gave possible causes of such development.

    “Today the magnitude has changed from conflicts to banditry and kidnapping but definitely, not fulanisation or islanisation.

    ” Some of the displaced Fulanis in Zamfara and other places that have lost their cattle during the period then resolve to such criminality as a means of survival.

    “Like in every ethnic group, victims of those dissidents cut across both Fulanis and non-Fulanis, it is therefore, wrong to make blanket statement and endanger the lives of majority peaceful ones among them,” he said.

    Yoruba Ronu said such statement could lead to nationwide crisis because unsuspecting public might belief such erroneous claim for the sitting President, Muhammadu Buhari, is Fulani by tribe.

    The Forum, therefore, urged Nigerians to dissect comments made by leaders with a view to knowing truth from falsehoods.

    “Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping and other vices obviously, constitute menance, we should therefore give quality solutions rather than dwelling on false description of events.

    “No perpetrator of violence should go unpunished but we must not demonise tribes or religions.

    Read Also: Obasanjo to Aisha: draw your husband’s attention to Nigerians’ plights 

    ” Average Fulani lives peacefully with other tribes and contributes positively to the development of the society, hence the need to separate bad ones from the rest.

    “Vigilance against bad elements is, however, important but preemptive attacks on innocent people and fulanis [Herders] must be avoided.

    “Nigeria has a government and lawful agents created by the people and it is their duty to protect lives and properties,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obasanjo alleged sub regional plans to Islamise and Fulanise Nigeria and other parts of Africa while addressing a church congregation in Delta.

    The statement has been generating praises and condemnation to the former President.

  • How man, 26 buried his 5-month-old baby alive

    The Nigeria Police Force, Ebonyi state command has arrested a 26 years old man, Anthony Sunday for allegedly burying his 5 months old daughter alive.

    The suspect was said to have committed the offence at Okwerike village Abaomege in Onicha local government council of the state.

    He was said to have been having constant disagreements and fights with his wife whom he accused of cheating on her and allegedly decided to get back at her alleged unfaithfulness by killing their daughter.

    He allegedly carried their five months old sleeping baby named Roseline to an empty land behind his yam ban and buried her alive in a shallow grave.

    It was gathered that the wife after the day’s quarrel in the morning where she was as usually accused by her husband of keeping late nights, fed and bathed Roseline during which she slept and was left under custody of her father and other siblings, while the mother went out.

    Read Also: Alleged baby theft : Court acquits woman, pastor

    Roseline’s disappearance and death was not noticed by any other person in the vicinity until the mother came back and wanted to breastfeed her but could not find her.

    Meanwhile, search parties were set up and they sought her to no avail.

    Later, the least expected suspect ( her father) started confessing all that transpired and exhumed the dead body of the innocent child behind his yam ban.

    He attributed the blame to the wife, who according to him always makes him upset.

    Meanwhile, the suspect has been arraigned before an Abakaliki Magistrate court presided over by Magistrate Ruth Okeh in a suit numbered MAB/357c/2019 for on the charge of causing the death of Roseline by burying her alive.

    According to court records, the offence is punishable under section 319 (1) of criminal code cap 33 vol 1 laws of Ebonyi state of Nigeria, 2009.

    However, the Magistrate ordered that the suspect be remanded in Abakaliki prison as the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

    He instructed the police to forward all documents and evidences in the matter to the (DPP) Director of Public Prosecutions(DPP) for further action.

    The matter was adjourned to 29th day of July 2019 for report of compliance at the High court. ENDS

  • APC’s war of words: call warring leaders to order, Nabena tells Buhari

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the ongoing war of words between leaders of the party and address obvious grievances in many states.

    In a statement made available to newsmen, Nabena said the war of words between top leaders of the party, particularly the current National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and immediate-past National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun was unnecessary, a distraction and is weakening the foundation of the party.

    Nabena who is the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party is however worried about the silence of the President to developments in the party, adding that as the party leader, he should take the lead and call all parties to order.

    Some leaders of the APC, especially the former National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and the Deputy National Chairman, Senator Lawal Shuaibu as well as the leadership of the party have been trading accusations and counter-accusations about the misfortunes that has befallen the party in recent times.

    The crisis in the party began with the conduct of party congresses and got to its head during the party primaries as a result of what mode to adopt in the selection of candidates for the 2019 election, leading to the huge loss it suffered, outrightly losing out in Rivers and Zamfara states.

    A worried Nabena said, “The losses the APC suffered during the 2019 General Election in some states which we previously controlled is indeed worrisome. However, we are still the governing party which produced the President; control majority states and have an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly.

    Read Also: Buhari calls residents of FCT ‘necessary evil’

    “Compared to the failed Peoples Democratic (PDP), the APC remains the political party of choice for both Nigerians and politicians. I urge our aggrieved members to remain in the APC fold and settle their differences. In fact, in a few months, we expect a huge influx from members of the rudderless PDP and other political parties into the APC.

    “Elections have been won and lost. High-level meetings such as National Caucus and the National Executive Committee (NEC) are there to address party matters.

    “I call on our respected leaders, particularly the current and immediate-past National Chairmen to end their public hostilities, particularly in the media for the sake of the party and focus on the important task of forming government at the state and federal levels to deliver on our Next Level mandate. We need a united house to ensure the growth and strength of our party.

    “In the immediate, I call on President Muhammadu Buhari as the leader of our party to lead fence-mending efforts and address obvious grievances in many states and among stakeholders in the party.”

  • Outrage over lawmaker’s assault of traffic officer

    Staff of the Edo State Traffic Management Agency (EDSTMA) are threatening a showdown with the Managing Director of the agency, Mr. Dennis Oloriegbe, over the assault of one of them by the lawmaker representing Orhionmwon South constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Roland Asoro.

    The angst of the staff is that their boss stood helpless as the lawmaker beat up their staff identified as Osaretin Osazuwa and still drove the apprehended vehicle away without any fine.

    Also, members of the Edo State Civil Society Organisation (EDOSCO) have demanded arrest and prosecution of the lawmaker and his wife for beating EDSTMA staff after violating traffic rules.

    A viral video showed the lawmaker’s wife being apprehended by traffic officers but she refused to step out of the car and caused heavy vehicular traffic

    She apparently made a call to her husband and gave the phone to the traffic officers at the scene but they refused to answer the call.

    After an argument, she zoomed off with the traffic officer, Osaretin Osazuwa.

    A source at EDSTMA office said they were stunned when Hon Asoro stormed their office and demanded to see the officer that apprehended his wife for violating traffic rules.

    Read Also: Killer of female undergraduate student nabbed in Anambra

    The source said Osazuwa stepped out and in the presence of their boss, the lawmaker slapped him twice and kicked him in his groin.

    He said the action of their boss saying he does not want to annoy anybody in power made all of them angry.

    “We would have descended on Asoro and dealt with him and his wife. What he did was beastly. This is not the first time his wife will be violating traffic rules. We used to leave her but on that day our boys said it was enough of her.

    “He gave the guy two slaps and kicked him. He came with a policeman and two other guys. He beat the boy in the presence of our MD and tore his uniform. His wife used her teach to bite the boy on his hand and face.

    Hon Asoro’s wife

    Another staff said they have resolved to protest against the MD for not protecting one of them.

    Spokesman for EDOSCO, Osaze Edigin, said wife of Hon Asoro was not a government official to be driving a vehicle with a government official number plate affixed to it.

    Edigin said the body has a 48-House ultimatum to the MD of EDSTMA, to publicly show to Edo people receipt of payment in government coffers by the offender or they would begin resistance of further apprehension of Edo people who violates traffic rules by officials of EDSTMA.

    He said, “Nobody is above the law, more so, this is coming from the wife of a lawmaker.

    “We want to sound it loud and clear to the MD of EDSTMA that, if he fails to fine and prosecute the duo that broke the traffic law and assauted the agency’s official, he should resign from that position as Edo Civil Society Organisations will be approaching the court to compel the agency to enforce the enabling law.

    Citizens are being taken to EDSTMA offices helplessly and made to pay fines when they flout traffic laws and regulations, we see no reason the wife of a lawmaker whose husband made same law should be allowed to disobey the law and being aided by her husband with impunity.”

    As at press time, Hon Asoro and Oloriegbe could not be reached for comments.

  • Former UEFA President Lennart Johansson dies at 89

    Lennart Johansson, a Swede who presided over European soccer for 17 years as its Champions League turned into a global commercial juggernaut, has died after a short illness aged 89, Sweden’s Football Association said on Wednesday.

    Johansson, president of European football association UEFA from 1990 to 2007, was a driving force behind the formation of the Champions League, giving the continent’s championship a new identity and a huge revenue stream for big clubs.

    “Swedish football is in mourning,” the Swedish FA said in a statement.

    UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said Johansson would be remembered as the architect of the Champions League.

    “World football will always be grateful to him for all he has achieved for the beautiful game,” Ceferin said in a statement.

    Read Also: Ronaldo’s rape suit dropped in Las Vegas

    Johansson ran against Swiss Sepp Blatter to head football’s world governing body FIFA in an acrimonious vote in 1998 but lost. Blatter, who led FIFA for 17 years, is serving a six-year ban from football for unethical conduct.

    The men remained rivals. The Swedish FA quoted Johannson as saying: “It is my 20-year fight with Blatter that people like.”

    Johansson took over the top job in European football at a turbulent time when money from television coverage was flooding into the sport and players gained complete freedom to move between countries and clubs in Europe.

    “It was not a given that UEFA would be successful in meeting all these dramatic changes,” the Swedish FA said.

    “The Champions League became an enormous success, but Lennart Johansson’s other major achievement was finding a fragile balance between the big clubs’ demands and the needs of the broader football family.”

    Johansson was a lifelong supporter and honorary president of Stockholm club AIK.

  • Era of plagiarism, sexual harassment in UNIZIK over – New VC

    The new Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Prof. Charles Esimone has declared zero tolerance to plagiarism, sexual harassment and inducement in his administration.

    Esimone made the assertion while taking the mantle of leadership from his predecessor, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku at the university auditorium.

    He assured that a mechanism would be put in place to identify culprits and punish them accordingly.

    The Vice-Chancellor further pledged to promote highest standard of academic excellence in the institution.

    “I’m coming to this job with a vision primed on promoting the highest standards of academic excellence, productive community service, administrative reforms, discipline and advances in a matrix of human capacity building, infrastructural development, staff/students welfare and internally generated revenue,” he said.

    He also pledged to create non-discriminatory, non-selective and meritorious research conducive environment to ensure excellence in research.

    His words, “We’ll enthrone merit and this will reflect in our promotion assessment criteria as we seek to encourage publications and impact factoral journals in every discipline.

    “Resources will be provided so that lectures are delivered using digital resources in line with transformative higher education pedagogy which positively inculcates transferable skills required in industries to our students”.

    Esimone also threatened to declare non-performing staff redundant and might be shown the way out if they refused to turn a new leaf.

    “We will introduce digital attendance register which will require biometric fingerprints for clocking in and out of work for staff, as well as those for students to clock into the lecture hall,” he stressed.

    Read Also: Killer of female undergraduate student nabbed in Anambra

    He, however, solicited the cooperation of the institution’s staff, students and well-wishers to enable him accomplish the enormous tasks ahead of him.

    “I urge all hands to be on deck to enable us catapult this university from 4,047 position to the top 200 universities in the world in the next five years,” Esimone pleaded.

    Earlier, the outgoing VC, Prof. Ahaneku appealed to all stakeholders to extend the cooperation given to him to his successor, expressing confidence that he would consolidate on his achievements.

  • Six surefire ways to deal with a jealous partner

    Six surefire ways to deal with a jealous partner

    Typically jealousy can be quite flattering especially when it’s from a partner, but the reality is that, after a while, dealing with a jealous person can get quite difficult and frustrating. Learning ways to deal with a jealous person can help you to eventually establish a healthy relationship with the person. Here are  6 ways to deal with a jealous person.

    Try To Understand the Reason for Their Jealousy

    This largely involves trying to understand the specific triggers, reasons or roots for feelings of jealousy in the person that will help you effectively deal with the situation. Basically what you should eventually understand is that the jealousy of a friend or partner isn’t particularly motivated by who you are but by something you possess that they either wish was theirs or they could keep all to themselves (i.e. unwilling to share with any other).

    Try To Avoid Pampering Them

    You should be understanding to the person quite alright, but try to avoid responding to and validating the feelings of jealousy your friend or partner has. This doesn’t mean you should ignore the person or ignore the fact that they are jealous, but more like you should not let the fact that they are jealous dictate and control your actions and reactions towards them.

    Avoid Their Jealousy Triggers

    In trying to understand the reason for their jealousy, once you have been able to identify certain things you do or certain situations that trigger or incite feelings of jealousy in a friend or partner, as much as you can, try to avoid doing those things amidst them or being in those kinds of situations with them.

    Read Also; Court remands housewife charged with kidnaping husband for N5m

     

    Talk to the Person

    Talk to the person and be open about your feelings (however, be careful with your words and don’t be insulting or caustic with your words in the name of being truthful). Communicate to the person about certain behaviours they exhibit when jealous that bothers you, how you feel about them, how they affect you as an individual and how they affect your relationship with the person. Sometimes a jealous person is unaware of their irrational behaviours, so you have to gently and patiently communicate this.

    Distinguish Between Relationship Abuse and Jealousy

    There is quite a thin line between these two so you have to be careful and meticulous with this one. Be vigilant and sure that the jealousy of this person has not escalated to some kind of emotional abuse to you. Once physical abuse has begun that’s all the sign you need and will ever need to leave immediately.

    Try to Address the Person’s Insecurities and Trust Issues

    The only thing that can truly help a jealous person get better is when he/she is able to effectively deal with their insecurities or trust issues. This is because insecurities and trust issues are the underlying causes of feelings of jealousy. For trust issues, both of you can try to take active roles in building trust in the relationship by simply deciding to trust one another no matter what. Insecurities require a bit more effort but once the triggers of the insecurities are identified, it’s possible to effectively deal with and overcome the insecurities.

     

  • Killer of female undergraduate student nabbed in Anambra

    Police in Anambra State said they have arrested the suspected murderer of Chinasa Pauline Agbata, a female student of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.

    The police spokesperson, Haruna Mohammed, who confirmed this in a statement in Awka, said the suspect, Onudili Sontochukwu, was apprehended following discreet investigation.

    He said, “It would be recalled that on the 20/3/2019, one Chinasa Pauline Agbata ‘f’, student of UNIZIK, was murdered and dumped at the school gate same date at about 7:30pm.

    “Following the incident, Police detectives attached to the Command Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) launched aggressive manhunt of perpetrators and arrested one Onudili Sontochukwu ‘m’ aged 25years on the 2/6/2019.”

    He said the suspect was assisting the Police with useful information that could help in unravelling circumstances surrounding the incident.

    Read Also: Ihedioha not serious, has no plan for governance, says Nwosu

    Mohammed also confirmed the arrest of two persons for allegedly abducting two undergraduate students in the state.

    He said the victims, students of Anambra State university Igbariam and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, respectively were later released by the suspects after collecting ransom.

    He said, “On the 3/6/2019 at about 5:15 pm, Police detectives attached to the Command Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) arrested at Osisioma Aba in Abia State, one Kingsley Ugorji ‘m’ aged 33 years and Joseph Darlington ‘m’ aged 25 years following discrete investigation.

    “Suspects who specialize in abducting university students using various tricks allegedly conspired and kidnapped one Obinna favour ‘m’ aged 18 years on 27/5/2019 and equally kidnapped one Amakaeze Luke ‘m’ aged 22 years on the 31/5/2019.”

    The police spokesperson hinted that exhibits recovered from the suspects included three handsets belonging to the victims, adding that the case was being investigated.

  • Ihedioha not serious, has no plan for governance, says Nwosu

    The Imo State governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in the 2019 election, Uche Nwosu, has challenged the state governor, Emeka Ihedioha to unfold the programmes he has for the people of the state instead of embarking on a “wild goose chase”.

    Nwosu who was reacting to the claim by the governor that his predecessor, Rochas Okorocha did not properly hand over to him and as a result is finding it difficult to take off, urged him to jettison the excuses and focus on his campaign promises of rebuilding Imo State, adding that the people are not interested in endless streak of excuses.

    He maintained that the actions of the governor since he assumed office, “showed that he is not serious and does not seem to have any cutout plan or blueprint for governance, except the desperation to grab power”.

    According to Nwosu,  “For the time he will stay as the governor, he should unfold his plans and programme for the people. No one is interested in excuses, what the people want is performance and nothing less. The people want concrete statement on what the programmes of the government are, what the government intends to do and how it would deliver dividends of democracy to them and not embarking on a mission to pull down Rochas Okorocha”.

    Read Also: Ihedioha to review Imo laws

    He continued that, “suspension of Local Government Chairmen and their Councilors, dissolving the recently-inaugurated members of boards of government agencies and parastatals and scrapping of recently established tertiary institutions, is definitely a wrong way to start for a government that wants to make headway. One would have expected that by now, the governor should have engaged the civil servants and tell them what he has for the workers, as well as taken up from where his predecessor stopped”.

    In his words, “the acrimonies that could arise from these actions are hardly what Ihedioha needed at this time, he should rather consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor and that is was what Imolites want to see. He should concentrate on the business of governance If I were the governor today, I will definitely hit the ground running, knowing that there is job to do”.

  • Eid-el-Fitri: 2 die, 8 injured in Ogun crash

    Two persons were confirmed dead in separate accidents on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Ogun on Eid-el- Fitri day.

    Mr Clement Oladele, the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Ogun, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta on Wednesday.

    Oladele said that the first crash occurred around 4:52 am on the Lagos – Ibadan expressway at AP petrol station at Sagamu.

    He said that the accident, which involved an Iveco truck marked KTU 565 XW, was as a result of excessive speeding which led to loss of control.

    Oladele said that the accident involved three male adults, adding that two persons sustained injuries while one person died.

    The FRSC boss explained that the injured and the dead were taken to Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu.

    Oladele stated that the second crash occurred at about 3:54pm on the same expressway at Ogumankin and it involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number LND 626 XR .

    He said that the accident was caused by reckless driving and wrongful overtaking, adding that the bus hit the barrier and somersaulted.

    Read Also: NSCDC nabs suspected Boko Haram IED logistics supplier in Borno

    Oladele explained that the crash involved 17 persons, six males, eight females and three children.

    Six persons, he said, were injured while one female adult died in the accident.

    He said that the injured victims were taken to Idera Hospital, Sagamu, while the corpse of the dead victim was deposited at FOS Morgue, Ipara.

    Oladele advised motorists to drive cautiously, especially on the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway, which is currently undergoing rehabilitation.

    “Motorists should, therefore, expect traffic to build upon the Lagos – Ibadan expressway and other corridors following the celebration of the Eid-el-Fitri and with several motorists returning back to resume work,” he said.