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Tag: threats

  • NBA writes IGP over ‘threats’ to judiciary’s independence

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has decried what it called threats to the administration of justice and independence of the judiciary through intimidation and harassment.

    In a letter to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris, the association urged him to urgently investigate the May 11 invasion of the Rivers State High Court to identify the perpetrators, no matter how highly placed, and institute appropriate criminal proceedings against them.

    NBA urged the IGP to also probe the security breach at the Court of Appeal Quarters in Calabar, Cross River State capital, and take appropriate disciplinary action against the officers involved.

    Copies of the May 16 letter, signed by the NBA President Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN), were sent to Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen, Court of Appeal President Zainab Bulkachuwa, Attorney-General of the Federation Abubabar Malami (SAN), Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, Chief Judge of Rivers State, Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade, and the Chief Judge of Cross River State.

    The association urged the IGP to issue appropriate directions to police formations on access to suspects or detainees and the need to accord due respect to lawyers who visit stations to carry out their professional duties.

    “These steps will send appropriate messages not only to lawyers and judicial officers, but indeed to all law-abiding citizens and reinforce confidence in the country’s law enforcement agencies and the legal system. Nigeria cannot afford to condone or tolerate such brazen affronts on our courts and the legal profession,” NBA said.

    Mahmoud vowed to ensure that lawyers also conducted themselves well.

    “I want to assure the IGP that, on our part, the NBA will continue to educate and enlighten our members on the need to maintain proper decorum and conduct whenever our members visit police stations across the country. The association expects no less from its members,” he said.

    Mahmoud said he was compelled by recent developments to write the IGP to express “deep concern over events that threaten the rule of law and administration of justice in the country”.

    NBA said on May 11, the High Court of Rivers State in Port Harcourt was invaded and some items destroyed.

    It said reports on the incident suggested that the invasion was masterminded by politicians and executed by political thugs acting on behalf of warring factions of a registered political party.

    The invasion, NBA said, is believed to be an attempt to prevent the court from carrying out its constitutional duty.

    Besides, Mahmoud said there had been several acts of lawyers’ harassment by officers in Onitsha, Ikeja, Abuja, among others.

    “I need not remind the IGP that Nigerian lawyers form an integral part of the stakeholders in the administration of justice and must retain the ability to carry out their duties to their clients and have unhindered access to persons accused of any criminal offence or in the custody of the police anywhere in the country.

    “An independent bar is, therefore, a sacred pillar of any democratic society,” Mahmoud said.

    NBA said it received a report on May 8 from its Calabar Branch concerning a quarrel involving a police officer attached to a consulate and the private security personnel attached to the official residential quarters of Court of Appeal Justices.

    The incident reportedly escalated into assault and unlawful arrest of the private security personnel and domestic workers in the Justices’quarters on the alleged instructions of the Divisional Police Officer of the State Housing Police Station, Calabar.

    “I understand a report of this incident was lodged with the Commissioner of Police for Cross River State and Assistant Inspector-General of Police (Zone 6).

    “The protection of our courts and judges, as well as the provision of unhindered access by lawyers to persons in need of legal representation without intimidation, threats or harassment are fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

    “In addition, Nigeria is a signatory and party to several United Nations Conventions and other international instruments which impose a duty on the country to protect our courts, judicial officers, lawyers and court personnel,” NBA added.

  • Countdown to XXI Commonwealth Games: India, Canada are Nigeria’s threats in wrestling, Akuh admits

    Coach Purity Akuh has admitted that India and Canada remain Nigeria’s greatest threats at the XXI Commonwealth Games holding in Gold Coast, Australia.

    Akuh, however, assured that with the training the Nigerian wrestlers are undergoing in Yenogoa, Bayelsa, the team has the wherewithal to do well at the Games.

    He stated that this year’s Commonwealth Games would be exciting and competitive considering the quality of wrestlers favoured to win gold medals. “We believe and hope that we can do better than our last outing because we have quality wrestlers who are also world class in their various cadres.

    “For now, we have been training very hard in Bayelsa and the athletes are all in high spirit. But I must also acknowledge that wrestlers from India and Canada are not pushovers in the girls’ freestyle event because they are also teams to be reckoned with. We won’t be complacent but continue to work hard while hoping that God will reward our efforts,” Akuh added.

    Akuh, who was adjudged the best coach at the 2017 Nigeria Sport Award, acknowledged the technical input of the President of Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Daniel Igali, saying, “Igali has been helping out in camp. As an Olympian, Igali has been encouraging the team by watching training sessions and adding his own inputs,” he stated.

    He added: “All the athletes have been given the mandate to make sure they watch videos of their possible opponents and we can all come together to analyse the videos to see areas where they can build on that will give them an edge over their opponents at the Games.”

  • Aregbesola: herdsmen killing threats to national security

    Aregbesola: herdsmen killing threats to national security

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said the killing by herdsmen constitutes veritable threats to national security.

    The governor urged security agencies to end the menace.

    Aregbesola delivered an address, titled: African Knowledges and Alternative Futures, at an event to honour a professor of African History at the University of Texas, Houston, United States of America (USA), Prof Toyin Falola, on his 65th birthday.

    The event, chaired by Prof Jide Owoeye, proprietor of Lead City University in Ibadan, was also attended by scholars from different parts of Nigeria and other countries.

    Some of the dignitaries include the President of Historical Society of Nigeria, Prof Chris Ogbogbo, and Prof. Gloria Emeagwali, a professor of History and African Studies at Central Connecticut State University in USA, who delivered keynote addresses.

    Aregbesola said: “It is condemnable and it is hereby condemned very strongly. The taking of human lives, especially of unarmed innocent people, who are not in any state of war, is unjustifiable, cruel and should not be tolerated in any civilised society.

    “As a people, we need to tread carefully here on the killings by the herdsmen across the country. As bad and reprehensible as they are, they are not as deadly as the Nigerian Civil War we fought between 1967 and 1970.

    “So, I condemn the herdsmen atrocities. We must go beyond that to situate what will be our reaction and response as a people and a nation. However, I am joining other well-meaning people in calling on the security agencies to bring an end to the wittiness of this act.

    “The cardinal duty of the government is the protection of lives and property. Every life is sacred and the government should keep it so. Those who are engaged in this barbarous act should be hunted to the end of the earth, apprehended, tried and made to serve the full deed of the law. That should be our demand.

    “We should demand the apprehension of the criminals who torment the compatriots, and adequate judicial action should be taken against them. That is the only way we can tell Nigerians that their safety is guaranteed by the law and the government.”

    The governor cautioned against actions that could set the nation on fire.

    He noted that no nation or society can progress without peace.

    Aregbesola said: “This calls for all of us to be more reflective on issues… What we see in Syria, Yemen, what we are seeing in Sierra-Leone, and what we are seeing in Nigeria, makes it clear to us that peace is the only way to progress.

    “However, in the interest of black people of the world, Nigeria must not just exist. In the interest of the black race, Nigeria must not just exist but it must be strong and must be able to lead the continent to achieve its manifest, its historic destiny. That is why we must be careful in responding to some of these actions.”

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Olalekan Alli, said his administration believed in knowledge-driven government and governance as upheld by Falola.

    He added that the present Oyo State government would continue to place priority on knowledge-driven governance.

    The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, who was the royal father of the day, stressed the importance of education for Nigeria and African countries in overcoming socio-economic and political challenges.

    He said: “The Nigerian case calls for the intellectual input of the Yoruba to re-define the nature and pattern of relationship among the diverse and seemingly disparate ethnic groups or nations in Nigeria.

    “Scholars should lead other stakeholders and segments of society to provide intellectual response to restructuring the Nigerian federation. The African academia and intelligentsia should not concede leadership in this enterprise to indolent politicians and self-appointed opinion leaders whose stock in trade is soapbox grandstanding and parliamentary rhetoric.

    “Our claim to bring educated will only be meaningful, if we acquire knowledge, internalise its values and appropriate wisdom therefrom for finding solutions to the twin problems of underdevelopment and state collapse.”

    Orangun of Oke-Ila Oba Adedokun Abolarin said the essence of education was to serve others in achieving intellectual development.

  • Threats, provocations and politics

    Threats, provocations and politics

    Aside  from the  much   publicised   clean bill of health given the tweet bombastic US President Donald Trump by his doctor this week, the more interesting and  riveting news  on the world scene in my view came  from Nigeria. Three   of them caught my fancy. The  first was from the Emir of Kano who  in defending the killing of Fulani  herdsmen and giving the number killed at 800 in a state,   including the killing of a baby brought out of the mother’s  womb, added fuel to the fire on the issue  of marauding Fulani  herdsmen killing Nigerians with impunity. The  second was the   order as it were from  a group called  the Ohaneze Youth Council – OYC– to  Fulani  herdsmen to quit  the South East   immediately and for the Federal  Government   to create what  it called  ‘Pig Colonies  ‘in the North  as a counterweight to the demand    of the apex cattle rearers  association  Myetti  Allah    for  Cattle  Colonies. And    the OYC  asked     boldly   that  the Federal  Government  should declare the Fulani  herdsmen  as terrorists. The  third was   the  declaration at  the sympathy visit  to the Benue State Governor   on    the state citizens killed by Fulani  herdsmen, by  notable and veteran politician Chief Ayo  Adebanjo, that our president is a tyrant, a dictator   and  an   autocrat  on the  matter  and on  his leadership. Remarkably  Chief  Adebanjo  is going to be 90  this year  and since  not many  Nigerians can  claim  to be older than  him,   or      be  his  father, you have to concede  he  has enough experience   to know what  he has seen  and what he is saying, no matter  how  controversial that  may be.

    Really   if    it was  not the case  that human lives  are involved in all  these  issues  and the   grim  fact   that     life  has no duplicate  as we all  know,  one would find all of  these   issues   humorous  and extremely  laughable.  But really  that would  be coarse, bloody  bad    humour   or at  the very least  tolerance and connivance at dangerous and  disruptive  humour,   which   in   stark     reality,  is what  the issues  boil  down to  anyway. How  that    sad    and   sorry  state has come to be,  is our food for thought today.

    Let  us start  with  the declaration  of Donald  Trump’s  White  House  doctor that   the US president is not only sane  but is expected to be so  for the duration of his tenure and for a second term  if  he so  desires. The  humour is that the joke  now is on those who  branded the US president crazy  just like the N Korean  leader, even  though that of the Korean leader was more  important in terms of human lives because  both him  and the US  president   have nuclear  buttons  at their behest  and in their  offices  to annihilate us all. The  amusing thing  was  the excited  way  the Naval  Admiral  doctor reeled out  his findings  before an  unbelieving   and  disappointed  media that  would have been confortable with an opposite  medical  declaration.  That   was inherent in the loaded question on how a president that does not exercise  and eats junk food  could be declared  medically   fit. But again  the doctor’s answer  was charming and disarming. Genes  he  said  and the answer  is in genetics, he gleefully  answered.  He  went  on to say  Trump’s life long abstinence from alcohol  and tobacco  has stood  him well  in life for someone his age and he can  only  be cautioned to show restraint on his eating habits  and have more exercises. Which   really is a disappointment  to his detractors who  should  be  told  clearly   that in calling him mad  they  committed the fallacy of ad hominem, which is abusing the person  you argue with  and abandoning the substance of your argument  and that is  also   a dishonest  way  to win an argument.

    Let  me  digress a bit  to comment on Trump’s  so called  decscription  of some nations  as ‘shithole  nations’. While   I   agree that the description is repulsive and unethical  in diplomatic discourse I   do  not see  the terminology  as a preserve of poor nations and their immigrants coming to the US for a better  life   or  seeking the golden fleece. It  is a relative term and  the US has been a shit hole nation  for years on drugs and environmental pollution, and  crime. Even before  terrorism  and Islamic Militancy   became the vogue after George  Bush  and  Tony  Blair  conspired  to invade Iraq in 2003  on the false premise  that Saddam  Hussein  had weapons of mass  destruction. Really  I lose  no sleep  over the matter  in  terms  human  dignity. Its  like African  nations saying  that their culture  does not permit   homosexuality  and gay  rights and nations doing and allowing  that are ‘shithole nations’. What is wrong with that?  Certainly  not much,  at least in this   Trump  era.

    We  go back  now  to the three  Nigerian  contents  of the issue of   the day.  We  start  with   the OYC  and  its  call  for the  banning  of Fulani  herdsmen  in the  South  East     and  the call  for Pigs Colony. Both  calls are unrealistic  and smirk  of youthful exuberance   which  is certainly  not a crime.  But  it    also  cannot be ignored because youths  have energy on their side and are prone to violence  and must  either as a consequence be called to  order  firmly  or  be called  and appeased  by the government of the day,  one way or another. They  certainly  cannot  not  be ignored in   the scheme  of things   especially   where  innocent lives  are  being shed in their midst  without let.

    In  the case of the Emir of Kano’s  defence of Fulani  herdsmen, the Emir  should be told firmly  by the  Federal  Government  to  watch  his language  as no  Nigerian  is above the law including traditional leaders  like him.

    The  Emir  should know that two  wrongs do not make a right and as someone who has  a   Master’s  degree in Islamic  studies          from  Sudan , he  should  help  in  making Nigeria not to go the way of  Sudan  on this issue of  water  for cattle which  has  bloodily   polarized and  pauperized Sudan  and  split it into two  nations today . The  graphic  description  of the slain  pregnant  woman and  her  baby  should  not be  in public  space and  Nigerians should  not have such  horror inflicted on  them  even from a traditional  ruler as it is in very  bad  taste  for the peace  and stability of the nation which this issue  is threatening so provocatively .

    Thirdly  Chief  Ayo  Adebanjo’s  condemnation of the president can  only  come from someone  of his pedigree and ilk who  does not care  whose  ox  is gored . But  his utterances on this condolence visit remind  me of the role of  Mark  Anthony in Shakespeare ‘s  tragedy  Julius Caesar . Mark  Anthony historically  lamented   after  Caesar’s   murder –  I come  to bury Caesar , not to praise  him .  Yet  his oratory  over  Caesar’s  body  sparked a civil  war in which all of Caesar’s  assassins  met their  tragic  end  and waterloo . Again  , Caesar  on the day  of his death teased  the soothsayer  who  predicted his death on   the  Ides  of  March , that  ‘the  Ides of March  is come ‘  and he  Caesar  was still alive   and the soothsayer  replied  that though the  Ides  of March  had come , it was  not gone yet . Caesar  was  murdered  in the Senate  a few  moments later  fulfilling the prophecy on the  Ides  of March . I  tremble  to think  that this Fulani  herdsmen  issue  and the attendant solution of cattle  ranch and colonies  may  be the Achilles heel  of our unity as a nation  ,  if care is not taken . I  pray  it does not lead to our Ides  of  March  as we seem  to be saying to our selves confidently  that the Ides of March  has no  bearing on us and our existence. Just    like the great  Caesar  did  so  pompously  ages  ago  before  he met  his tragic  end that same day . Once  again , long  live the Federal  Republic of Nigeria .

  • Investigative journalists get kudos for resisting threats

    Executive Director of Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) David Kaplan has said the ranks of investigative reporters keep growing globally despite growing threats, lawsuits, lack of support and corrupt owners of media outfits.

    Kaplan spoke yesterday at the opening of the 10th Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC).

    One thousand and two hundred investigative journalists from 130 countries have arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the event.

    The five-day conference, which is holding at the University of Witwatersrand, is expected to have 280 speakers and over 100 sessions.

    He added that investigative reporters are determined and courageous in ensuring that even the most powerful individuals and organisations are called to account.

    Kaplan stated that the development should encourage hope.

    “We have more investigative reporters in more places working with better tools and better networks than ever,” he said.

    He said investigative journalism is on the right side of history as they have continually ensured that politicians and autocrats remain accountable to the people.

    Kaplan said the conference, which is the first in Africa, is designed towards encouraging the participants to network, collaborate and learn new things with the emphasis on training and sharing.

    Chief Executive Officer PRIMEDIA Roger Jardine urged philanthropists to support the course of investigations globally.

    Such support, according to him, will go a long way to strengthen journalists in the face of repressive attacks as well as stabilise press freedom.

    “In South Africa, we have seen a lot of shifts. Some societies are defending freedom of press. I want to call on philanthropic foundations that our democracies around the world depend more than ever on the work that you do.

    “It is very encouraging here because often times, when media is under attack and investigative journalists are being hunted and hounded, it is often media owners and journalists showing some interest.

    “I encourage everyone, whether you are a journalist in Mexico or in Switzerland exposing the wrong doing of the bank or in South Africa facing intimidation, this conference is a great platform because investigative journalism will thrive only on global cooperation and influence.”

  • Military battling 14 security threats nationwide, says CDS

    The military has said it is confronting 14 security threats across the country.

    Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin spoke at a reception organised for him by the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations (UN), in New York, United States.

    The defence chief was at the UN headquarters for the Second Chiefs of Defence Conference, with more than 100 chiefs of defence staff all over the world.

    He said: “By my estimation, we have about 14 security threats that we are confronting, ranging from terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, cultism, to issues linked to armed robbery.

    “We are handling operations in all the geo-political zones of the country, but the major one is the one in the Northeast, which is ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’.

    “We have, of course operations down South and taking charge of militancy and oil theft; we also have that in Lagos.

    “But the major one is Operation Lafiya Dole, which of course since we came on board, we have stepped up the scheme.

    “Right now, we have been able to decimate Boko Haram terrorists, but what they are doing right now is hitting soft targets through suicide bombers.

    “We realised that to mitigate this particular menace is not only about the military. So, we need to carry the whole nation along to be able to address that.”

    To mitigate incidences of suicide bombing, Olonisakin said the military high command had met with other stakeholders to encourage the populace to provide them with necessary intelligence.

    He said the command realised that intelligence was vital to handling the menace of suicide bombing.

    The defence chief added that the military has started the process of restoring full civil authority to areas formerly controlled by Boko Haram terrorists.

    “We are working alongside the DSS – Department of State Services -, the Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps.

    “We are also ensuring that the civil authority is put in place; places that the military had taken over, we encourage the Police and Civil Defence to come on so they can provide civil authority for displaced people to move in.”

    Olonisakin noted that last week, many Boko Haram militants surrendered.

    He said: “We have what we call Operation Safe Corridor in Gombe that is to handle this kind of surrendered terrorists.

    “I believe in the next couple of days, repentant Boko Haram terrorists will be moved to that Operation Safe Corridor where they will conduct de-radicalisation and integration procedure for them.

    “Down South, of course we have issues too. But the military is stepping up its game to make sure we address the security challenges back home.”

    On peacekeeping operations, the Chief of Defence Staff said Nigeria had met and exceeded the gender percentage, having 16.2 per cent female peacekeepers as against the 15 per cent benchmark by the UN.

    The Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, hailed Nigeria’s security forces for decimating the Boko Haram as a fighting force.

    Bande said: “Soft targets are being exploited by desperate group but in truth, even beyond Boko Haram, other challenges are also being addressed.

    “What is important is the synergy that has been expressed by Chief of Defence Staff in relation to what all the security agencies are doing together; when we work together, we are secured.”

  • Threats and counter threats

    There are many angles to the threat issued by a coalition of Arewa youths to the Igbo residing in the north to vacate. Interpretation is bound to vary on its overall objective; those behind it and some of the combustible claims. Opinion will also differ on why Arewa youths made the confiscation of Igbo property a priority in their weird agenda.

    It is good a thing however the threat has attracted wide condemnation with calls for the arrest and prosecution of its masterminds. The first of such calls came curiously from Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State in whose domain the action was hatched and executed.

    Perhaps, his quick reaction was to stave off possible criticisms especially given that the Arewa House where the press conference held is under the supervision of that state government. So, he could not have feigned ignorance of it. If his quick reaction was to save face, it is doubtful if that objective was achieved.

    Even then, no right thinking person (except Arewa chieftain Ango Abdullahi) could have identified with the false and incendiary claims bandied by those youths. The same youths also had the temerity to address another press conference with some modifications on their earlier stand. Off course, nobody has been arrested neither is it likely any arrest will be effected.

    That is however besides the major thrust of this write-up. The first issue relates to the objective meant to be served by the threat. Were the youths serious with it and do they possess the powers to drive the Igbo out of the north? And are there no consequences of such an attempt on the corporate existence of the country? My reading of the entire scenario is that they had no intention to make good their threat. They neither have the powers (even as their capacity for crisis cannot be underestimated) nor will they stand to benefit from its wider repercussions. Riots and killing of innocent people which could result from such action (as severally witnessed in the past) will eventually be put down by the nation’s security even as their leadership is in the hands of northerners. If this is so, what did they really set out to achieve? Why did they issue a threat they are incapable of enforcing?

    The reason can be captured within the context of balance of terror-an attempt to checkmate agitations for self-determination by the pro-Biafra groups especially given the success of their sit-at-home order. They even alluded to that. The entire idea is to frighten the Igbo with the relocation threat in anticipation that it will cause division among them and possibly throw spanners into the momentum of the Biafra agitation. This conclusion is further given fillip by the threat to take over their properties in the north.

    Given that the Igbo are known to have huge investments in all parts of the country, raising the prospects of property ambush, could divide opinion especially among the propertied and influential segments of that population. This will presumably come with dire consequences for agitations for self-determination. Those were the calculations. It was a careful script written for the so-called youths by their self-serving sponsors.

    There is also the other dimension that such a threat would further heat up the system and elicit some other consequences that could fast-track the vaulting ambition of its sponsors to maintain their stranglehold on power. The dark political cloud hovering over the country is cited in support of this school of thought. After all, some politicians were accused some weeks back of approaching the military for some unconstitutional action.

    But this calculation lost sight of the fact that those in the vanguard of Biafra agitation have little to do with property ownership. Property owners and other parasitic elite from that area could be part of the problems of those canvassing for Biafra. The agitation is not an elite affair. So introducing the prospects of property loss is neither here nor there. Nobody knew about Nnamdi Kanu before he was thrown into prominence by the agitation.

    If the threat was designed to set in motion the dialectics of balance of terror, it turned out counterproductive. If it was just to fly a kite, that kite failed before it could take off. Balance of terror will rather re-awaken the consciousness of the pro-Biafra groups to the stark realities of their grievances. We saw that in the threats and counter threats between the north and people of Niger Delta during the second term presidential ambition of Jonathan. Their net effect further exposed the fault lines of our federal system and hardened positions. That was going to be the outcome in the instant case but for the timely intervention of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.  At any rate, Niger Delta agitators have also added to the threats.

    This country is not entirely new either to threats of excision of parts from the rest or expulsion orders to segments. The Orkar coup attempted to excise some states of the north while the Boko Haram insurgents issued orders to southerners and Christians to leave the north. So the minister of information, Lai Mohammed was right when he averred that the threat by Arewa youths is not new.

    But such dismissive conclusion neither whittled down the inflammatory nature of the action nor its capacity to set in motion a cycle of events whose outcome nobody could predict. Dismissing the threats offhandedly in the face of the invectives, vile and inflammatory allegations hurled by the so-called youths on an ethnic group of over 50 million people, including those older than their grandparents is to say the least, in very bad taste.

    Arewa youths accused the Igbo of funding Boko Haram by selling arms to them. They accused the Igbo of being behind the killings, raping of women and despoliation of communities usually attributed to Fulani herdsmen in various parts of the country.

    They could as well accuse the Igbo of masterminding the kidnap of the Chibok girls; the various religion-induced riots and killings that have been a recurring decimal in that part of the country, for which the Igbo lost gravely in both human and material capital. Perhaps, Igbo people were also among the Fulani herdsmen that demonstrated around the premises of the Taraba State House of Assembly against the anti open-grazing bill with some of them clutching guns. That is how ridiculous the youths went in pushing their heinous ethnic agenda. And they claim they are leaders of tomorrow. A tomorrow led by youths who thrive in bare-faced deceit, falsehood and vile propaganda just to oil ethnic predilections, leaves no hope at all.

    Arewa youths also displayed lack of clarity of thought when they called for a referendum to determine the Biafra agitation. You cannot be expelling them; taking inventory of their property with a view to confiscating them while at the same time calling for a referendum. The former should have preceded the latter if at all the touted expulsion and property confiscation are permissible.

    One is disappointed at the very brash manner the youth reacted to the vexatious issues of our federal order thrown up by the Biafra agitation. I had expected a more frank, realistic and passionate discussion on the issues that have held this nation down and stagnated its progress. A youth of the future should have come up with workable suggestions to move the nation forward if they really appreciated why this federalism has failed to work 57 years after independence.

    Threats and counter threats will not help matters. Neither will the current structural distortions that confer undue advantage to sections against others subsist for a long time further. Those seriously desirous of progress must support the imperative of urgent discussions on the type of federal order that will best approximate the collective desires of the component units. With that, the root of the schism and fission that has been the greatest challenge to nation building would have been largely stymied.

    It is only then the envisaged constitutional spirit of ensuring that loyalty to the nation overrides sectional loyalty can be realized. But the grand norms for genuinely evolving a nation out of the competing centers of loyalty must be laid down by the government. That has been the missing link- a task Buhari/Osinbajo must now confront.

  • Futility of threats

    Just as well, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, showed leadership when it mattered most; telling the so-called “Northern youths” to shove it, in their audacious ultimatum to all the Igbo, living in the North, to vacate that region, sans their property.

    But give it to those “youths” —  their sense of symbolism is as devastating as their audacious demand!

    For starters, they picked Arewa House, Kaduna, for their controversial press conference, at which they belted out their riot act.  Arewa House symbolizes the panoply of the northern establishment, in its full glory.

    So, it is likely to lend itself to rich conspiracy theories, like mushroom on wet wood, in Nigeria’s every vibrant rumour mill.  Well, many would have been winking to themselves now: voice of Jacob, hand of Esau!

    Then, their ultimatum date of October 1!  On the Nigerian National Day, their very own North, hurt and injured, would have called everyone’s bluff, and walked out in full drama.  What bravura!

    But Governor El-Rufai’s timely warning turned that into some damp squib.  Some hours later, the 19 northern governors, speaking through their chair, Kashim Shettima, reinforced El-Rufai’s message: the so-called threat is a no-brainer, with no basis in law or common sense.

    The Kaduna governor had earlier asked the security agencies to arrest those behind the threat, while the Federal Government itself had told the Igbo in the North to ignore the ultimatum.   That is how it should be, for no government, founded on law, should aid or abet such brazen blackmail.

    But the flip side: why wasn’t there an El-Rufai equivalent in all of the South East, all this time Nnamdi Kanu has been unleashing his explosive message of hate, threat, abuse and curses, on other Nigerians, on his neo-Biafra cause?

    Perhaps if there had been one, there wouldn’t have been any “Arewa youths” reaction, thus pushing the polity close to the Araba violence of 1966?  Remember that Operation Araba, code-name for the 29 July 1966 counter-coup, was not only to avenge the death of northern leaders in the 15 January 1966 coup, but also to take the North from Nigeria?

    Just imagine: 50 years ago, Araba was a reaction to a so-called Igbo coup, and the threat, after so much shedding of blood, was Arewa secession.  The ultimate result was the Civil War  (1967-1970), in which no less than two million perished.

    Today, it is another Arewa threat, in reaction to Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB’s torrential hate messages.  Who knows where this would lead?

    In a season of unbridled youth rascality like this, it behoves the elders to take charge, and rein the dangerous emotions of these callow youths, whose no-brainers could unleash callous, self-imposed tragedy.

    El-Rufai and the northern governors have taken a good lead.  It is time South East elders too followed that path of sanity.

    Threats and counter-threats just measure futility of violence.  They solve nothing.  They skew and screw everything.

    Those who refuse to learn from history must brace up for its inevitable dire consequences.

  • How to combat threats, by Alaafin

    Alaafin of Oyo Oba Lamidi Adeyemi has urged security operatives to brainstorm to ensure enhanced intelligence-gathering and management towards effective combat of emerging security threats.

    The monarch said this yesterday when the Assistant Commandant-General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for Zone A, comprising Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo,  and Ekiti states, Abdul-Waheed Bamidele Popoola visited him.

    Alaafin said: “We should not allow western education destroy our native intelligence. There must be holistic synergies among our security agencies on intelligence gathering.

    “Obtained raw data or information must be evaluated to provide the best possible answers to questions initially asked. The processed information must be passed on to the authority, which should apply them purposefully to national ends.”

    Popoola said he was in the palace to appreciate the monarch’s contributions towards the Corps’ effective operations.

     

  • Frustrated MMM participants resort to curses, threats

    Frustrated MMM participants resort to curses, threats

    Nigerian participants in the ponzi scheme, MMM, are losing patience with it, a week after resumption of service and promise to begin payment.

    Although there was evidence yesterday that some participants had been paid ,thousands of others whose applications were yet to be attended have been  venting their anger on the brains behind the scheme for the frustration in accessing their funds.

    They rage,curse and threaten unrestrained  on the MMM Help platform after unsuccessful attempts to get response to their many inquiries on the status of their investment.

    Typical of the threat message is this seen yesterday on the MMM website: “Hello Mavrodi. You can’t eat my money and go like that.See, let me tell you Mavrodi:my father is a native doctor.I give you two weeks to pay my money or my father will kill you in that Russia.I’m ready to kill anybody including my guider and referral.Make una  no play with me ooo…If you like joke with me.”

    One Hayat Mohammed  said: “I really need help. I provided help of 50,000, now I made a request to get help. The request was processed, but I’ve not being matched with another participant who will pay me. They won’t even pick my calls. So my money is lost, isn’t it? Last time I checked, this was supposed to be a platform where we would be able to tender our problems for solutions. I guess they don’t care anymore since participants have grown in population.”

     Harrison Ita Etim posted: “I am still in the same shit too till today!”

    Owhotemu Maryjane said: “What is really going on with MMM? If it’s gone you should let us the participants know. And why is that when someone wants to GH it will show or create error? You guys had a month to sort this out during the so-called break! So what then is this so called withdrawal limit that you are now talking about?”

    From Santos Maemi came this: “To all Nigerians, please wake up. This is totally a scam. Don’t be blind!!!” while Christopher Chinedu said: “If I knew that this would  happen, I shouldn’t have become a participant. Let’s admit we have lost our money. That is business I guess, lose or gain. Somebody has been matched with different people, four, to be precise and they have not paid him now, many days and months after. Hmmm so who is going to pay who? I think I have cried enough, it’s time for me to clean my eyes now and forget my N700,000. This is not my end.”

    A cross section of participants interviewed in Ado Ekiti fear that their money is gone.

    Tope Aladeniyi, who said he was to be paid a day before the scheme was shut down in December, said  he learnt some people received little payments, but he was yet to be matched for payment.

    “At the moment, I have not been matched, and last year we were told that once  the scheme resumed on January 14, they would  be the ones to release those who were ready to be matched, even if you were due for payment,” Aladeniyi said.

    Another participant, Sola Abidakun, who provided help in November and asked for help on January 13, said he was matched with four persons but only two paid.

    “I was only paid N4000 and N10,000, leaving two failed transactions waiting to be rematched,” he said.

    A top guider of the scheme, Bode Wilson, while explaining the reason for delayed payment, said that the number of people requesting for payment was higher than the number providing help.

    “They have started matching people, but there will be delay in payment, especially for those that pledged huge amount of money. There should be enough money in the system before everybody can get paid. However, I’m sure we will all get paid”, Wilson said.

    A lawyer, Femi Oyeniyi, warned that participants in the scheme may not be able to recover any money lost in the scheme because of the anonymity the business is shrouded with.

    Oyeniyi said: “I doubt who do you sue, you don’t see the person you are doing business with, you can only sue the person you see and it is only the person you see physically that you can do business with.”

    A broadcaster,Carol Oladeinde, said: “I have a relation who did the MMM thing and was benefitting from it before they went off. I do not think that we should condemn the financial scheme (MMM) because a lot of people have benefited from it. I am into another networking stuff. I am a member of another one and it is working.

    “Yes, I will continue with mine because I know what I am benefiting from it. I can’t go anywhere to borrow money so if I am involved in a financial scheme where I see someone give me indirect loan and even increase my opportunity to get more, why won’t I continue?

     Martins Okafor, a participant  investor in Awka still believes in the scheme.

    He told The Nation that those who have not received any payment were those who have not been matched  for payments, especially those invested shortly before the break.

    Another investor, Miss Blessing Nwankwo, was also optimistic that her investment would not be lost

    She said she was willing to forfeit  N10,000 of  the N20,000 she invested, adding that she had no regrets whatsoever.

     Mrs. Chiamaka Udu, a participant in Port Harcourt, said: “ We thank God that we are able to be alive to see today.

    “The  last time when you came to my house to talk to me, I told you I was going to die, but I think there is hope. What is happening now is that those of us with big funds are not being paid now. They told us that we should wait; that after providing help for those with small amount they will consider us.”

     Mr. Geoffrey Nnamdi said: “My brother, I ‘m yet to understand these people. Though they are paying some, when I clicked help they rejected my request, saying I should wait but I need this money.

     Another customer, Mr. Davies Onyema reacted this way, “Please, I don’t want to say anything, I almost committed suicide last time. I was very happy when I heard the news of their coming back. I have entered forty days of praying and fasting over my condition with MMM. How can they return and tell me that they are not going to provide help to me, so when are they going to provide help?”