There is hardly a week that I will not encounter scammers on a couple of occasions, especially those inviting you to one WhatsApp Zoom meeting or the other.  Once they introduce themselves, usually with a first name, and start sounding nice, asking after your work, family and health, be on your guard! They will then ask whether you are aware that there is a Zoom meeting coming up so-so time on this or that platform that you both belong to, according to them. At first, I used to play along with a view to wasting their credit. Either I was driving and they should call back or I was urgently trying to complete a task. They would insist you take time off whatever to quickly check the text message they will soon send to you. Very well, I would say. They would then call back to ask whether you have now checked the text message. Once they realize you are just wasting their time, their reactions usually vary. Some will insult you and hang up. Others will simply quietly carry their nuisance elsewhere. After some time, I decided to begin to rain fire, hail and brimstone on them. Once I confirm that they are the ones, I will open fire: “You will die sudden and untimely death before the set zoom meeting! It shall not be well with you and the entire members of your family…” Many of them will quickly zoom off without saying a word. Others will exchange fire for fire! One of them surprised me recently: after he zoomed off and I had thought that was all, he called me on my mobile land and complained: “But you are a pastor; why should you wish me dead? A pastor is not supposed to do that!” Such effrontery!

I wonder if there are still mugus out there who fall for this Zoom meeting nonsense. There must be; otherwise, they would not have continued playing the trick on people. There was one particular one that, once he said a word, I knew immediately that he was the one on the line. His intonation always gave him out. At one point I had to advise him to go for voice training if he wanted to go far in his criminal venture; that he should learn to disguise his voice! All the same, he still tried me on a few more occasions. Once I reminded him that he had still not trained his voice, he would immediately switch off. For quite some time now, he has given me a break. These criminals learn new tricks every day. It is unfortunate that many unsuspecting members of the public fall for their tricks, with many having tales of woes to tell. Do you wonder why they are left to run riot, without the law enforcement agencies being on their trail? The law enforcing the compulsory registration of sim cards and the advancement in technology should help in this direction, but here in Nigeria, what works elsewhere fails spectacularly here. Rampant corruption negates great ideas here. Those charged with the responsibility of making systems work are either the saboteurs of the system or are the informants and insiders that assist the criminals to beat the system. Ex-bank workers and ex-military men have been found as direct or indirect criminals polluting the system all over the place. Some are so audacious that they sit inside and piss inside! 

We still have a long way to go in the fight against crime and criminals. Where corruption is endemic, crime cannot but fester. Where poverty stalks the landscape, those seeking all manner of means, fair and foul, to make a living will spurn sermons of good behaviour. A materialistic society such as ours, where what matters are riches, however acquired, and not good character, crimes cannot but be the order of the day. Punishments are rare here; or better still, only petty criminals stand the chance of getting caught and punished here while big-time criminals always smile their way to the bank. They soon deodorize and legitimise their loot by running for and winning elections into big political offices to become “Honourables” and “His Excellencies”, thereby acquiring immunity from censure and prosecution. They bag chieftaincy titles and are decorated with national honours. Their tribes have grown over leaps and bounds since the Fourth Republic began in 1999; such that, now, they have a vice-like grip on the leadership of the country: the three tiers as well as the three arms of government. Since we now operate a democracy, crimes and criminal activities have, however, been democratized in a sense, such that even the lumpen elements have joined the big guys, having some sectors of the crime enterprise ceded unto them, such as banditry, kidnapping, etc while the big guys are in charge of budget padding, crude oil theft, forex round-tripping, etc. Where do we go from here?

Last week, there was an uproar when a post began to trend widely and wildly, accusing some alleged officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency of criminal extortion of money from a Nigerian traveller at one of the country’s international airports. The story appeared outlandish to me but, this is Nigeria, where anything can, and does, happen! Here, because of our experience, whenever government officials are accused of any form of abuse of office, the first thing is to deem them guilty as charged until the contrary is proved. In saner climes, the contrary is the case as an accused person is deemed innocent until the contrary is proved by a court of competent jurisdiction after the person so accused must have had his day in court. In the NDLEA case, the emotive story ran thus:  “Around 4.30 to 5 pm at the Muritala Mohammed Airport today, officers of the NDLEA arrested and detained an innocent man for no good reason and demanded a bribe of N5 million. Hear the audio voice and see the picture of the man. His mother was robbed in Calabar yesterday at midnight by armed robbers. His 8-year-old daughter was shot by the armed robbers and the girl is in intensive care (at the hospital). When the victim spoke to the doctor on phone before coming to Nigeria, they told him to visit the pharmacy and buy a normal drug (and bring it) along. He bought it from a pharmacy in the US and took his flight. He works in the US and was granted emergency leave at his place of work to come to Nigeria. Can you believe that the NDLEA called it a contraband drug and that even if it is a single pill, he has no right to buy any drug; that only somebody that is licensed can buy any drug and bring it to Nigeria. Listen to this audio. Please share until it gets the attention of the aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, and the NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa”.

Now, who will read this kind of story and not go for the NDLEA’s jugular? For another, Marwa and the NDLEA remain few of the remaining oasis of decency, decorum and quality service delivery in the aridity of putrid bad governance that has become the country’s hallmark. And, as they say, if gold rusts, what will iron do? So you can imagine the kind of bashing that Marwa and NDLEA got within hours on social media! But, pray, what is my own? My beef was that the media also did not leave me alone! Remember, I was Marwa’s Director of Media and Publicity when he jostled for the presidential flag of the then ruling party, the PDP, in 2006. So, ever since, some news on Marwa, the media would bounce it off me and I would contact Marwa where I have no ready answer. In this instance, I contacted him and he told me nothing of such happened that involved the NDLEA.

Femi Babafemi, who is the NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, later effectively blew the lid off a scam that the anti-drug czar knew nothing about. His press statement, titled “NDLEA alerts public on new scam”, ran thus: “The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, wishes to alert members of the public, especially those who have loved ones abroad, to a new scheme by scammers who impersonate NDLEA officers and call unsuspecting citizens to inform them of the arrest of their relatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos or at any other international airports in Nigeria, with illicit drugs upon arrival in the country. After throwing the family members into panic, the scammers then make a demand of millions of Naira to facilitate the release of such persons from NDLEA custody. We have thwarted a number of such bids in the past when the family members called the Agency’s official contacts for help or clarification. At the moment, there is one of such scenarios the Agency has just investigated. In this case, the picture of a Nigerian man based in the US is being circulated with an audio of a purported NDLEA officer negotiating the payment of N5 million with a female relative for the release of the US-based Nigerian purportedly arrested at the Lagos airport on Friday, 22nd March upon his arrival with a ‘contraband’ Just like in previous instances, our investigation has also shown that the current incident is the work of scammers. No NDLEA officer is involved in the audio conversation and the person whose photo is attached to the audio recording being circulated is not in our custody at MMIA or at any of our commands either as at yesterday or any other day. The family members involved in this case are advised not to part with their hard-earned money to scammers. Nigerians with loved ones abroad are also urged to keep discussions on travel plans of their relatives to themselves to avoid the hijacking of such by criminal elements for devious schemes”.

Can you beat that? Studies have shown that criminals are usually one or two steps ahead of law enforcement. It is only in cases where the law is smart and efficient that it can quickly close the gap on criminals. Otherwise, criminals will have a field day and crime will fester. The yeoman’s job that Marwa and the NDLEA have done since my erstwhile principal mounted the saddle has been worthwhile and has, appropriately, received the commendation of all. The bashing they got over this scam, for no fault of theirs, is, therefore, unfortunate. Rather than discourage or deter them, it must, however, further energize them to forge ahead to rid the country of the scourge of hard drugs. I shudder to think what the country would have become by now if not for the wonderful job that Marwa and the NDLEA have done in the last few years. This is not the time for them to relent or rest on their oars!

A Senior Nigerian advocate, Itse Sagay, recently spoke on the policies implemented by President Bola Tinubu, which have seen Nigerians experience hardship.

According to Sagay, the decision of the President to remove the oil subsidy without planning for local replacement of petrol or local production of fuel was a wrong step.

Speaking in an interview with Sunday Sun, he noted that President Tinubu should have waited a little for the Dangote refinery and Port Harcourt refinery to be functioning before acting

Sagay, while listing the President’s mistakes, said, “I think this government has good reforms that can transform this country. We have the competence and the manpower that can make life easy for Nigerians and our economy will improve. But as I have always stated the mistake that President Tinubu made was removing oil subsidy without planning for local replacement of petrol or local production of fuel.

“That has always been my advocacy. What is the cause of the high cost of petrol? Transport abroad to and fro, port charges, various taxes at the port etc, those are the things. But if we produce locally, all those things are gone and so the price will remain the same or even go down. My argument has always been; once local production starts, the issue of subsidy removal will be tackled. For me, that is the mistake of this government.

“They could have waited a bit. The production from Port Harcourt refinery which I think should be at the end of this month and the Dangote refinery with its millions of crude already stored… if they had waited for this refineries to start production, we will not notice the removal of subsidy because as one goes, the other one automatically replaces it. So, local production is the answer because once we start local production, the price of petrol will come down and all our suffering will reduce and will also come down.”

[NaijaNews]

Have you noticed the wind of progressive fever blowing through Africa? Pause awhile and take note of the inexorable propulsion of fate. Whether we like it or not, the only sure thing in this world is change. If you walk on the streets of Rome today, you may actually be locking steps with great personages of the ancient Roman empire, but of what value are they — or their expired powerful empire— now? 

The Roman civilisation lasted about 1,000 years, from 753 BCE to 476 CE, with its impacts still apparent today. The Roman civilisation began as a monarchy influenced by the Hellenistic Empire.

My favourite quote in these matters belongs to Lord Tennyson: 

“The old order changeth, yielding place to new,/And God fulfils Himself in many ways,/Lest one good custom should corrupt the world…”

Expired Empires

The Mongol Empire of the 13th and 14th centuries was the largest contiguous empire in history. At its height, it stretched from the Sea of Japan to parts of Eastern Europe, and southward into parts of the Indian subcontinent. It conquered the Iranian Plateau; and expanded westward to the Levant and the Carpathian Mountains. Only the history books remind us today that there was once a Mongol Empire. 

The Ottoman Empire, a.k.a. The Turkish Empire was an imperial realm that spanned much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Central Europe between the early 16th and early 18th centuries.

The Ottomans ended the Byzantine Empire with the conquest of Constantinople in 1453 by Mehmed II, which marked the Ottomans’ emergence as a major regional power. Now, it is a faint memory.

The British Empire 1(601 — 1997).was a large group of regions dependent on the British and under the control of the crown of Great Britain. At one point, the British Empire ruled over almost a quarter of the earth and its population. The British Empire’s last region controlled was Hong Kong until 1997, which was then returned to the Chinese authority. Today, the empire does not exist, but the Commonwealth is a group of states, including the United Kingdom, that still recognises the British monarch as a symbolic head of the organisation. The sun has eventually set on the British empire.

The Spanish Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it was the first empire to usher in the European Age of Discovery and achieve a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa, various islands in Asia and Oceania, as well as territory in other parts of Europe. It was one of the most powerful empires of the early modern period, becoming known as “the empire on which the sun never sets”. At its greatest extent in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Spanish Empire covered over 13 million square kilometres (5 million square miles), making it one of the largest empires in history. It has become history with time.

The Russian Empire, also known as Imperial Russia or simply Russia, was a vast realm that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its proclamation in November 1721 until its dissolution in March 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about 22,800,000 square kilometres (8,800,000 sq mi), roughly one-sixth of the world’s landmass, making it the third-largest empire in history, surpassed only by the British and Mongol empires; it also held colonies in North America between 1799 and 1867. The empire’s 1897 census, the only one it conducted, found a population of 125.6 million with considerable ethnic, linguistic, religious, and socioeconomic diversity. Like other empires before it, the Russian Empire is dead.

Nearer home in Africa, we had the Mali Empire, Ethiopian Empire, Oyo Empire, Ghana Empire etc, all of which have joined the list of expired superpowers.

Beyond Ideology

And the cycle is fated to continue. When the Second World War ended in 1945, the world was made to believe that life’s contestations were between a God-fearing, democratic and capitalist west and a godless, autocratic and communist east. Now we know better. Domination is the name of the game. With the passage of time, China has embraced some capitalist practices while the US has adopted some welfarist measures to stem social discontent. 

Could anyone have accurately predicted on September 2, 1945, when the Second World War officially ended, that China would, with the passage of time, produce successful billionaires? Confronted with cold reality, every nation is trying to introduce whatever measures that can achieve set goals, whether such measures are ideologically alluring or not.

Change is the name of the game. In South Africa, the political party in power, the African National Congress (ANC), while assured of the loyalty of the old guard, is unable to keep many of the younger elements within its fold. Julius Sello Malema who had served as the president of the ANC Youth League left the party to establish the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a party that is fast becoming a potent force in South African politics. Malema and his EFF members represent the younger generation. They are determined to remain loyal to the dream of a greater Africa. Indeed, Malema’s well publicised position on black-on-black violence in South Africa was so Nkrumahist that the world took notice that a new pan-African movement was born.

Malema may not have been born in the 70s when Nigerian students put their lives on the line for the liberation of southern Africa, but his sense of history and commitment to a new South Africa and a united Africa have made his influence incredibly pervasive throughout the continent. Young people see him as a role model and a partner for the tomorrow of their dreams.

The emerging movement for change in Africa is not based on narrow ideological definitions. It is rooted in a general subscription to the ideals espoused by Malema. The younger elements in Africa, whether they are in the military, the professions, or in the youth wings of political parties, are in a hurry to take their country back. That is why the world is confronted with the situation in Mali, Chad and Niger. The younger elements in the former French colonies would rather die than watch France continue looting their patrimony. The French bazaar is over.

The New Senegal

It is against that background that the recent election of 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye as President of Senegal must be understood. Inspired or possessed by Malemamania, the young people have resolved to fulfil their destiny as the landlords of tomorrow. Unlike their parents, they will not accept France’s brigandage. This is not the best of times for imperialists and their acolytes. France will do well to look for other sources of livelihood than open thievery. The Western powers who have always backed France’s continued enslavement of Africans are in for a surprise. 

This wave of Malemamania is pan-African in its scope. The spirits of Nkrumah, Olympio, Lumumba, Mandela, and other heroes of Africa are stirring in the young people. The evils planted by Europe in Africa are being uprooted before our very eyes, one country at a time. The French empire is unravelling. Assata Shakur’s admonition has whipped up the consciousness of the continent’s youth:

“The guards say that the grass is unauthorized do not let the grass grow/You can spy on the grass. You can lock up the grass./You can mow it down, temporarily./But you will never keep it from growing.”

I see the clouds of malemamania gathering all over Black Africa. And I say no one can stop the rain!

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday displayed the list of governorship candidates of the 17 political parties contesting the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

The Edo INEC office led by the its resident electoral commissioner (REC), Dr Anugbum Onuoha displayed the list on its notice board and in all INEC offices across the 18 local government areas.

In the displayed list, Mr Uwaifo Osaro is the governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Aner Abdullai Aliu, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Azena Azemhe Friday and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Osifo Isiah.

Others are All Peoples Movement (APM) Ugiagbe Odaro Syvelster, Areleogbe  Amos Osalumese All Peoples Party (APP), Akhime Kingson Afere Action Democratic Party (ADP), African Action Congress (AAC) Udoh Obersifo David and  Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena.

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is Ighodalo Asuerinme, Boot Party (BP) Osirame Edeipo and Accord party (AP) has Iyere Kennedy as its governorship candidate.

African Democratic Congress (ADC) has Obazele Paul Agbone, Labour Party (LP) Olumide Akpata Anthony, All Progressives Congress (APC) Okpebholo Monday, Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Key Patience Ndidi and Young Progressives Party (YPP) Okungbowa Paul Ovbokhan.

Meanwhile, the INEC headquarters had said that the commission shall publish the personal particulars of the governorship candidates and their deputies by displaying copies of Form EC9 along with all academic credentials and other documents submitted by each candidate at the state headquarters and the 18 local government offices across Edo State.

The commission in a statement by the national commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, charged Nigerians to scrutinise the documents.

‘”Any aspirant who participated in his/her party primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination in a Federal High Court as provided in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022,” the commission said.

[Leadership]

The Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, says his administration is unable to pay workers’ salaries because of the huge debts inherited from the government of his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai.

Addressing a town hall meeting in Kaduna Saturday, Sani said his administration inherited a huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities from his predecessor.

The governor said N7 billion out of the N10 billion federal allocation for Kaduna in March was deducted to service the state’s debt.

He said the N3 billion, which the state was left with, was not enough to pay salaries as the state’s monthly salary bill stood at N5.2 billion.

According to him, owing to the rise in exchange rate, the state is now paying back almost triple of what was borrowed by the previous administration.

He, however, noted that despite the debt inherited, his administration had not borrowed a single kobo in the last 9 months.

“Despite the huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities sadly inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development.

“We have conducted a thorough assessment of our situation and are sharpening our focus accordingly.

“It gladdens my heart to inform you that despite the huge inherited debt on the state, till date, we have not borrowed a single kobo,” he said.

Sani listed the key priority areas of his government to include safety and security, housing, education and health care, as well as support for micro, small and medium enterprises.

The governor said his government would also prioritise inclusive development by investing in human capital, stimulating the economy and providing affordable housing.

In his remarks, a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (retd), urged efforts towards addressing the security challenges facing the state, noting that without peace and security, no meaningful development could be achieved.

He commended Governor Sani for cutting the cost of governance, asking residents of the state to support the government in overcoming the debt challenge.

The Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmad Nuhu Bamali, expressed optimism that the state would overcome its challenges. He said the governor had the capability to turn the economy of the state around for effective development.

The emir pledged the support of all the traditional rulers in the state to the government.

You’re trying to cover your incompetence–Ex-gov’s son

In a veiled reference to the governor’s claims, a son of El-Rufai, Bashir, in a post on his X handle yesterday, said the governor was only trying to cover his administration’s incompetence.

He alleged that Governor Sani had “deflected” from his responsibilities and abandoned his duty as governor.

“These guys have realised that they are wholly incompetent and the only way to mask the nonsense is to deflect. From a Governor who is always sleeping in Abuja to a litany of incompetent aides who were only rewarded for foolish political reasons,” he said.

[DailyTrust]

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager, Harry Redknapp has predicted the Premier League matches between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad.

He also predicted Liverpool against Brighton at Anfield.

The two Premier League matches will take place on Sunday afternoon and evening, respectively.

Providing his prediction, Redknapp told BetVictor: “I just don’t know if I’m ready to trust this Arsenal side. City and Pep Guardiola just know how to win these big games, they’ve been doing it for years.

“The crowd will be up for it, the big players will be up for it, and I think they’ll get the win. Who knows though, I can’t wait. Man City 2-1 Arsenal.”

On the Liverpool vs Brighton game, he said, “I can see Brighton scoring, but they have looked shaky at the back for months. Liverpool 3-1 Brighton 1.”

[DailyPost]

• Accuse governor of constitutional breaches •Lambast Secondus, Sekibo, others for attacking Wike, working against Tinubu
• Legislative Assembly leader, SDP candidate back gov

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara is facing a fresh impeachment threat from the majority members of the State House of Assembly who claimed yesterday that the governor has not relented in breaching critical provisions of the constitution.

The 27 lawmakers are supporters of Fubara’s immediate predecessor, Nyesom Wike, and defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the heat of the first round of hostilities between the governor and Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The legislators, in a communique issued in Port Harcourt yesterday, accused Fubara of jettisoning the terms of the agreement he signed with Wike last December following the peace talks brokered by President Bola Tinubu.

This, they said, includes the non re-presentation of the state budget to the assembly for deliberation.

The lawmakers also took a dig at a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, Dr. Abiye Sekibo and others who, under the auspices of the Former Rivers State PDP Presidential Campaign Council, recently attacked Wike.

The lawmakers said it was laughable that the Secondus group, who worked against the victory of President Tinubu and Fubara in the last elections, could now come out to declare support for the two men and tried to despise and lie against Wike who made the victories possible.

 The lawmakers said: “These new arrivals have just landed like hawks. They now want to grab what they spat on but need to be careful of their ranting and utterances against the institution of the legislature and the FCT Minister as they can derail the existing peace in the state.

“The FCT Minister is doing fabulously well in Abuja and should be commended. Rather than looking for advice for Mr. President who we believe knows them very well, should they not be calling on the Governor to learn to abide by the laws of Rivers State and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

“Should these new self-acclaimed advisers also not be advising the Governor to do the needful so that there can be a smooth transition from the current democratically elected Councils in the State to the next democratically elected Councils and avoid the challenges of attempting the opposite?

“What about advising the Governor to heed to the Peace Agreement he begged for, willingly signed, and has chosen not to abide by some of the terms?

“It is worthy of note that the notice of impeachment of the Governor was quickly withdrawn by members of the House in fulfillment of the terms of the agreement and out of immense respect for the person and office of the President of the Federal Republic and believing that there would be a u-turn in terms of unlawful actions of the Governor.

“The reverse is now the case as we see from the day to day activities of the State Governor being conducted outside the laws of Rivers State and the Constitution.

“To this day, Rivers State remains the only state without an Appropriation Law and the Governor recklessly abandons laws of the state. These new hawks in the scene and all those who are quick to refer to the Governor as ‘Mr. Innocent’ will not go and advise him.

“They prefer to hold talk shows, organize rallies, hold press conferences and announce that the House commenced impeachment proceedings against the Governor for no just cause but fail to ask the Governor if he has not been informed of the particulars of gross misconduct leveled against him or at least read them when they were filed in Court in response to his petition.

“They must not forget that the Rivers State House of Assembly has the mandate of the people and that we swore an oath of allegiance to the Constitution to do the needful including the Impeachment of the Governor as a last resort.

“So, if it becomes a last resort, in accordance with the law, we will not hesitate to do so, because no individual is bigger than Rivers State, including the Governor.

“We assure the good people of Rivers State that we remain undeterred in our service to our fatherland and no number of threats including those of violence against us just like they attacked the Speaker’s residence will make us abandon our constitutional mandate to make laws for the good governance of our dear State.

“Efforts to utilize misguided individuals and attack dogs to spew lies against the House or misinform the populace with the intention of bringing the House to disrepute has only succeeded in strengthening our resolve to represent our people even better by focusing on our job and ignoring their distractions.”

The lawmakers recalled how they survived sponsored attacks on the House from persons they described as enemies of the people and those who could not withstand the principles of the rule of law “as well as checks and balances in our nascent democracy”.

They said such democratic forces out of their frustration started with the burning and later demolition of the Hallowed Chamber insisting that their plot was to eliminate the legislature for pushing for the independence granted her by the Constitution.

The lawmakers said: “We survived these attacks. Their new strategy is to use another arm of government, lobbyists, attack dogs and the mainstream and social media to bring the House to disrepute and consummate their agenda. In this regard, various individuals, groups, media mercenaries have been recruited to actualize their objectives”

The lawmakers described the Secondus group under the auspices of Former Rivers State Presidential Campaign Council as the latest of the new groups recruited against the 10th Assembly.

They said: “In a press conference on the 26th of March 2024 signed by Dr. Abiye Sekibo, this group inferred that the House is an illegal and unconstitutional Assembly. Others in this group are the likes of Rt. Hon. Austin Opara, Senator Lee Maeba and Prince Uche Secondus. Hon. Tamunosisi Gogo Jaja, Sir Celestine Omehia, amongst others.

“They are among these desperate politicians who left their houses and gathered under a canopy with H.E. Atiku Abubakar and H.E. Ifeanyi Okowa’s pictures on a banner behind them professing their new support for Mr. President and the Rivers State Governor.

“On the other hand, they derided the 10th Assembly who they are unhappy with for joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) which incidentally is the President’s political party. Worse still, they lied against and attacked the FCT Minister who worked tirelessly for the victory of the President and the Governor in Rivers State.

“In other words, they are against those who defeated them and put them to shame by ensuring the victory of the President and Governor in the State, but they now “subscribe” to the President and Governor. What a weak strategy from a group who think they are smart!

“The good people of Rivers State know who they truly are. Our constituents will not forget in a hurry how they fought against the candidature of the current Governor and Mr. President during the elections. We are not surprised that they are no more saying all the unprintable things against the President and the Governor because this is who they are.

“They now want to advise the President and use unprintable words against the former Governor of Rivers State- His Excellency, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike CON. GSSRS. Life Bencher who God used to unite and transform Rivers State to enviable heights.

“Their new game plan is to blackmail Mr. President with “oil production and OPEC Quota”. This is the end game for them. What a shame!

“They said in their statement that they now support the Renewed Hope Agenda and we are not against it. However, can they be trusted going by their past actions? Is it not a ploy to deceive the President, gain rewards and milestones as usual and later fight back after discrediting their old benefactor – the FCT Minister?

“Time will tell, but we must keep in mind that they vowed ‘never to serve master and later boy’ and campaigned that the President was unqualified, not healthy enough and unfit for the job.

“We were inundated by the sad commentaries and speeches of their spokesperson in the media against the President, Governor, and those of us who stood by the President and Governor”.

The lawmakers vowed to make a positive difference in legislation, oversight functions and effective representation.

“Several Bills that are in the interest of the State have succeeded so far and resolutions passed with the objective of making things better. As we push to meet or surpass the yearnings and aspirations of our constituents, we are focused on our avowed goal of legislative oversight for the betterment of the good people of Rivers State”, they said.

They asked the President to ignore the group which they branded as hawks, saying in due time, such individuals would reveal their true intentions.

They said: “We remain very prayerful and ever supportive of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr President’s government. We toiled day and night while these hawks called us names as we canvassed for votes for Mr. President from unit to unit, ward to ward and LGA to LGA.

“Today, we have happily joined our progressive party with the intention of supporting Mr. President and further protecting what we worked for- his mandate.

“No amount of blackmail would derail the resolve of this 10th Assembly to support Mr. President, his government and especially the son of Rivers State that is making us proud as the FCT-Minister- His Excellency, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike.

“We also call on Nigerians to give Mr President’s efforts at economic recovery and improved life all the support that it deserves.

“Finally, we assure the good people of Rivers State of our commitment to stand up for them and urge them to remain prayerful against tyranny and dictatorship in the state because we believe that as agents of positive change, things can be better in the State if the rule of law prevails and there is mutual respect for and from all arms of government and institutions”.

The 27 lawmakers, who signed the document are Martin Amaewhule, Dumle Mail, Jack Major, Somiari-Stewart Linda, Franklin Nwabochi, Ofiks, Kabang Christopher, Azeru Okpara, Opuende Isaiah, Tekenari Granville, Adoki Smart, Wami Solomon, Enemi Alabo, Igwe Aforji, Prince Nyeche, Emilia Amadi and Enyinna Sylvanus.

Others are Ezekwe Ijeoma, Abbey Peter, Arnold Davis, Barile Nwakoh, Onwuka Obenachi, Arnold Davids, Gerald Oforji, Ngbar Bernard, Emeji Mgbechukwu, John Iderema, Tony-Wiliams Uwuma and Chimezie Nwankwo.

Councillor, SDP candidate declare support for Fubara in Rivers

The Leader of Ahoada East Legislative Assembly, Bernard ThankGod Unwhe, has declared support for Governor Fubara in the face off with Wike.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in the 2023 election for Ahoada East Constituency in the State House of Assembly,  MacSunday Ugwu, has also dumped his party to identify with the governor.

Unwhe and Ugwu revealed their new camps during a meeting presided over by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr Edison Ehie, at Government House, Port Harcourt.

The two leaders in the area were accompanied to the meeting by the former councillor representing Ahoada East Ward 11, Daniel Igbudu.

A statement signed by Fubara’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, said the Managing Director, Rivers State Signage and Advertising Agency (RISAA), Aye Pepple, was also present at the meeting.

Pepple was also a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly between 2007 and 2015 and represented Bonny State Constituency.

Fubara, in a broadcast last December had pledged his commitment to implementing the eight -point peace agreement.

He said the implementation would be done without compromising the collective interest of the people and democratic values.

He said as a principal participant in the saga, he had taken some time to study the terms of the proclamation and had come to the conclusion that the peace pact was not as bad as it might be portrayed by those opposed to it.

Fubara said the peace accord “is not a death sentence”, but an opportunity to achieve the needed stability in the state, adding that both sides of the divide have so far demonstrated some goodwill towards the implementation of the agreement.

He said while the Martin Amaewhule led Assembly which is loyal to Wike had withdrawn the impeachment notice, his government had also released the withheld allowance of the State House of Assembly.

However, signs that renewed hostilities might break out between the governor’s camp and that of Wike reared their heads recently when the State Assembly passed into law the repealed House of Assembly Service Commission Bill, overriding the power of the governor

The law as repealed took away the power to appoint the chairman and members of the State House of Assembly Service Commission from the governor and vested it in the Assembly.

Fubara’s Chief of Staff, Edison Ehie, criticized the assembly for the  action and said it lacked power to do what it did.

[TheNation]

​​​​Exactly 20 years ago, I had the privilege of delivering the 18th Convocation Lecture of the University of Maiduguri. The assigned topic was: ‘The place of Nigeria in the global village.’ Big pity, I was unable to point at the exact location of Nigeria in international politics because of my finding that the country’s political class was “behaving like a child born drunk.”

To many people in government at the time, it was almost a criminal offence for me to have couched such a ‘damning’ finding while in office as the Director General of the federal government owned public broadcaster- the Nigerian Television Authority NTA. Indeed, the lecture was transmitted LIVE by the NTA. Should such an official remain in office for speaking truth to power? Apart from the relevance of the relationship between drunkenness and Nigeria’s type of politics to today’s article, it no doubt makes ample sense to reserve details of the Maiduguri subject for my memoirs.

But then, the lecture has remained memorable to me for the simple reason that my finding has also remained impeccable. Nothing has changed or about to change the posture of the typical Nigerian politician who seeks

office for personal gains without passing through a credible process. For 16 years, the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party PDP ran the federal government using unwholesome electioneering campaigns, rancorous party primaries, grabbing votes in several polling centres where elections did not even hold and at the end corrupting service delivery while leaving society worse than before. By the time the PDP left office in 2015, everybody including many of its members were frustrated enough to warmly embrace the party’s defeat. Interestingly, almost everything the party did wrong from 1999 to 2015 has become worse since the coming-in of the successor All Progressives Congress APC. In fairness to the latter, many of its members came from the PDP making it easy for the sub- sisting political vices to be further compounded.

How best can the nation reduce the strangle-hold of the PDP/APC which were clearly two sides of the same coin? Whereas the PDP tried to pre tend that some of the things it did wrong were inadvertent, the APC was brazen. The latter went beyond picking up votes from locations where voting did not hold to scoring more votes than the number of voters available. It was

against this backdrop that some patriots looked forward to a neutral third force from wherever in 2023 to rescue the nation. The Labour Party LP was able to present the picture of a redeeming new team. But apart from its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, many of its members were virtually unknown just as it was unable to point to any visible structure anywhere. In place of structure, it had people, many young and frustrated. In the end, the party performed well in many locations and till today many of its adherents firmly believe it was simply rigged out by incumbents.

From its emergence in 2023 till today, intra-party squabbles have rendered the party impotent. If the operations of the Lamidi Apapa led faction which appeared sponsored threw the party off-balance, more worrisome was the unexpected posture of the few elected members of the party. Perhaps the public had mistakenly assumed that leaders of a workers’ party would lead by example and openly reject convoluted arrangements by opportunists to further exploit the public. That has not been so. LP legislators neither spoke against the anti-people policy of purchasing exceedingly expensive luxury vehicles for lawmakers/other elite groups nor did any of them even betray the inclination to at least pretend to reject the vehicles. The argument in certain circles that the hawks in the system would have just confiscated the vehicles of those reluctant to accept theirs is puerile because it is such sacrifices that underline the traits of men.

Of course in looking for- ward to egalitarianism from Labour leaders, people were not asking for too much be- cause everywhere, they are known for a number of qualities- empathy, pro-activity, altruism and people-oriented. It is therefore obvious that today’s office holders spon- sored by the LP have nothing to do with the philosophy of the party. In fact, many of them did not become flag- bearers by virtue of being workers or long time members of the party, instead they became flagbearers of the party by accident. It is thus quite possible that like most other politicians, many LP office holders were probably born drunk which seems to explain the prevalence of their delinquent and irrational behaviours. Just as the APC assimilated many PDP dissidents, many aspirants strolled into the LP from other groups in search of an alternative platform to qualify to contest elections.

In my part of Nigeria, our people say if a man is mad, his entire family ought not to also be mad at the same time, so there will be one family member who is sane enough to restrain his unstable relation from damaging the image of the family. Why have the few respected members of the LP particularly, their subsisting presidential candidate stayed aloof? The party probably got it right when it ignored the tantrums of the self-acclaimed factional leader, Lamidi Apapa that was struggling to pull down his own house during the election petition era. But does it also make sense to ignore the national treasurer of the party, Oluchi Oparah who at a press conference asked Julius Abure in his capacity as chairman to account for billions of naira raised from the sale of nomination forms etc. Is a call for accountability a crime? Bearing in mind that the person raising the allegation was the official custodian of party funds, can the public perception of the party remain positive without an official probe?

At other levels, it is quite difficult to see any official that is truly committed to the survival of the party. Only last week, 6 legislators of the Enugu State House of Assembly reportedly decamped from the party to the PDP without telling the nation the role they ever played as leaders to resolve the crisis they are supposedly escaping from. Knowing how materialistic Nigerian politicians are, it will not be irrational to imagine that the 6 legislators merely decamped to the ruling party of their state to maximize gains as ruling party legislators. Otherwise, is the crisis in the LP from which they are running greater than that of the PDP where many anti-party activities have become entrenched? How does one explain the involvement of the government of Abia State in the transparently indiscrete national convention of the LP in Nnewi? It is true that Governor Alex Otti was himself absent, but did his deputy and entire executive go there without his consent to guide the convention that even INEC saw to be fishy?

History has always made it easy to identify those who teleguide events. Many years ago a former governor of Edo State, announced at the eve of an election that some criminals were using his name to buy voter’s cards. In the twinkle of an eye, some vigilant police personnel arrested no less than 5 such buyers but they never arrested any seller. At Nnewi last week, the police reportedly arrested 5 persons who were distributing pamphlets at the venue of the contentious national convention. What was the content of the pamphlets and why was it the distributors that deserved arrest and not those who were too drunk to listen to persistent wise counsel from some of their leaders against the hurried national convention? It is in fact clear that only the drunk would organize a national convention whose delegates at the ward, local government and state delegates that were to vote at the convention had not been elected.

We hear the BOT of the LP has at last taken over the running of the party until everyone becomes sane. While wishing them luck, the point must be made that Nigerians have relied on political parties for too long. It is time to focus on outstanding individuals irrespective of their political parties. Put differently, we should from now on give our mandate to persons of integrity with a track record of excellent performance instead of looking up to persons rooted in transactional politics.