PDP candidate’s allegation on my education funny – Oshiomhole

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole

Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole on Thursday faulted allegations by state Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the July 14 governorship election, Maj.-Gen Charles Airhiavbere (retd), that he lacks the qualifications to vie for the office.

Oshiomhole said his records at the Ruskin College, Oxford, United Kingdom, would vindicate him at the Election Petitions Tribunal.

The governor said this in Benin while speaking with journalists at the Government House.

Airhiavbere had, in his petition challenging Oshiomhole’s re-election, alleged that the elementary school Oshiomhole claimed to have attended was not in existence at the time he claimed to have attended it.

Airhiavbere, through his legal representation, further alleged that the governor did not complete secondary school education, where he claimed to have attended.

Oshiomhole said, “I said the allegations are funny because his military and political career was founded in falsehood. Ironically, the guy, who is saying that I did not go to school does not know the difference between UN and the World Bank. He does not even know the difference between European Union and IMF.

“While he celebrated his being in NIPSS in 2008, I went to NIPSS in 1987. Assuming it is in his powers to destroy my educational qualification, my academic records in Nigeria and Ruskin College, Oxford are there.

“His claims are sad because he does not even know the difference between children and youths when he said he was going to create jobs for children rather than youths.

“So both in terms of intellectual capacity and education, he has shown that he is not in a position to question my competence as regards my qualification.”

Samsung Pays Apple $1 Billion Sending 30 Trucks Full of 5 Cents Coins

This morning more than 30 trucks filled with 5-cent coins arrived at Apple’s headquarters in California. Initially,  the security company that protects the facility said the trucks were in the wrong place, but minutes later, Tim Cook (Apple CEO) received a call from Samsung CEO explaining that  they will pay $1 billion dollars for the fine recently ruled against the South Korean company in this way.
the funny part is that the signed document does not specify a single payment method, so Samsung is entitled to send the creators of the iPhone their billion dollars in the way they deem best. 

This dirty but genius geek troll play is a new headache to Apple executives as they will need to put in long hours counting all that money, to check if it is all there and to try to deposit it crossing fingers to hope a bank will accept all the coins.
Lee Kun-hee, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, told the media that his company is not going to be intimidated by a group of “geeks with style” and that if they want to play dirty, they also know how to do it.

You can use your coins to buy refreshments at the little machine for life or melt the coins to make computers, that’s not my problem, I already paid them and fulfilled the law.
A total of 20 billion coins, delivery hope to finish this week.

Let’s see how Apple will respond to this.


You didn’t think this could be real right? but hey! you loved it 

The Jonathan We Know – A Response To The Antics Of Reuben Abati By Dr. Olusegun Fakoya

These are indeed precarious times for Reuben Abati. And like any sinking man, desperate to hold on to a fast dwindling job, Dr Abati has resorted to desperate measures. The flurry of articles from him in recent times speaks volumes about his desperation. For a man who hid under the “umblellah” (sorry, umbrella) of social activism for many years, the opportunity to partake in the sweetness of power has been a mesmerizing experience which he is in no hurry to willingly relinquish. Dr Abati desperation is such that he has even resorted to abusing and insulting Nigerians. His latest article titled “The Jonathan they don’t know” is just another wasteful enterprise aimed at refurbishing a bad product. It is rather too late in the day to attempt to turn an imbecile into a genius.

Reuben, in his desperate article created a strategic divide based on perceived loyalty or otherwise. A very unfortunate division was created based on activism or passivism. His battle line consists of the “They” and the loyalists. Loyalists, by his definition, being those benefitting from the potpourri. Those in the privileged league of the manipulators and beneficiaries of our commonwealth. Those who persistently deny the nation of deserved economic and material development. The thieves who roam the corridor of power and keeps the lock to same in their bulging pockets. These, to Reuben Abati, are the good Nigerians, those who have left Goodluck Jonathan in peace. The “They” according to Abati “refers to all the cynics, the pestle-wielding critics, the unrelenting, self-appointed activists, the idle and idling, twittering, collective children of anger, the distracted crowd of Facebook addicts, the BBM-pinging soap opera gossips of Nigeria, who seem to be in competition among themselves to pull down President Goodluck Jonathan” 

Obviously, to this exalted company belongs the likes of Sonala Olumhense, Pius Adesanmi, Okey Ndibe and a host of others. I must confess that my humble self also has company in this prestigious group. Reuben, however, belongs to that other group of “good Nigerians” those who sleep and wake up with scandals, those who keep corruption as comfortable bed fellows. We heard of the rumbles of the Abuja plots of land, even when Abati was pretending to be a social critic. This rumble had hardly abated when the opportunity to explore his true identity came by the way of the presidential appointment.

To Reuben, the group of “They” are a “bunch of unintelligent people repeating stupid clichés and too many intelligent persons wasting their talents lending relevance to thoughtless conclusions”. So, our exalted group of “They” consists of either plainly stupid people or naively intelligent people. It is worth restating that Reuben Abati once belonged to this maligned group. Reuben’s insult to the intelligentsia and those Nigerians who have sacrificed so much to ensure that the Nigerian state assumes its true position in the comity of nations is unpardonable. It is bad enough for a hypocrite to denounce his initial constituency, it is criminal to turn around and lambast same for failing to see the sense in your sudden turncoat and imminent disintegration. It is so easy to castigate the same group of “They” who fought to ensure that the Jonathan Presidency becomes a reality. Has Reuben pondered on the causes of the massive evaporation of the uninhibited flow of affection and national support for candidate Jonathan? What turned the almost hysterical Jonathan-mania into rabid Jonathan-phobia? Conscience, they say, is an open wound…. Only truth can heal it.

Reuben’s effort to blow the trumpet of achievement for Goodluck Jonathan sounded very hollow, even on the pages on which they were written. For a previously “shoeless” President (Reuben can never stop us from making reference to this appropriate description) who promised heaven and earth on his campaign trips, the boast of 4,400 MW of electricity in a nation that is still in perpetual darkness went beyond the bounds of pardonable mischief. Reuben’s lukewarm reference to presidential concerns on corruption is nothing but laughable – “That is why he has directed the relevant agencies to get corrupt persons to answer for their misdeeds” Reuben, when the current charade on corruption is over, we hope that genuine convictions would indeed be possible. Farouk Lawan is still a free man, walking and enjoying free sunshine with millions of bribe money yet to be accounted for. Otedola’s cheeks are growing rosier every day while the nation’s Attorney-General is probably the richest Nigerian today courtesy of a lax regime that encourages graft. 

Furthermore, Reuben’s attempt to speak about his master’s inordinate love for the women folk smirks of nothing but jest. True, Jonathan has loads of females in his government compared to his predecessors. However, the concern of majority of Nigerians is with the innate penchant of this man to surround himself with the most corrupt and despicable Nigerians ever created, whether males or females.

Without wasting so many words like Reuben is fond of doing, the truth about Goodluck Jonathan stares at one in the face. It is not for nothing that he is viewed as clueless. This is a simple English expression within the grasp of even the barely literate. Jonathan has so far demonstrated his lack of understanding of the basic mechanism of governance, the constitutional and moral obligation of a government to the people and the fine etiquettes of Presidential approach. He is an opportunist who jumped at the ship of state without adequate preparation. His government is belligerent; an example is the latest crude and rude articles from Reuben Abati and the unpalatable appointment of Doyin Okupe as a frenzied attack dog. Jonathan is manifestly corrupt and he has no qualms in attempting to brush this under the carpet. It is beyond comprehension, that the President of over 150 million people, people who continue to excel in various spheres of human endeavour, would publicly declare on national television that he does not give a damn about declaring his assets. Reuben Abati is yet to address this sore point in his numerous essays.

Abati has my sympathy in his attempt to refurbish the morally tainted and structurally deformed presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. True, Jonathan is “nationalistic” in orientation in terms of federal appointments (to use the Nigerian phrase, he is a good disciple of national character), nevertheless, former criminals of the creeks are now handling sensitive national security apparatus. The old Ijaw Generals of the ill-famed creek wars are now multi-billionaires, smiling comfortably to the banks every month, courtesy of a truly national President. The likes of General Tompolo et al. Who cares whether Jonathan eats cassava or whole meal bread or even boiled plantain for that matter? The key thing is that in an austere environ when millions are out of jobs, when crime is blooming like the old Onitsha market and when terrorism is sweeping the land like a raging inferno, our belligerent President spends billions annually on food. This is an undisputable fact that Reuben failed to address. Abati has gone miles in his unfortunate academic odyssey of rationalising a bad product. He has thrown terms around, starting with Corporate Social Responsibility, a la the infamous Otuoke Church building, to the new “Saul Complex” in his latest tirade. Whether corporate responsibility or Saul Complex, a decaying product would always stink, no matter the intensity of the advertisement.

The Jonathan we know? The Jonathan we know is a President who promised so much and yet intent on delivering so little. The Jonathan we know is an opportunist. An over-ambitious man toying with the fate of millions. The Jonathan we know is a man who assumes a position of authority fully beyond his capability and comprehension. The Jonathan we know is a President who is so enwrapped in the loin clothes of his wife such that the country is actually confused as to who is in power. He thus brought nothing but baggage into the act of governance. The Jonathan we know is a president who glorifies corruption and embraces its evil warmth – “if corruption does not kill Nigeria, Nigeria will kill corruption” The Jonathan we know is a non-performing President, a colossal failure. This is the verdict of the people, Reuben.

No Nigerian has any quarrel with any part of the country producing the leadership. What we care about is performance. We care less whether the President is an Itsekiri or Ibibio. We have no qualms with the Ijaws (whether the 4th most populous or 10th most populous) producing the President. All we desire is a leader intent on ridding our body polity of its various nuances. A leader committed to emancipating the fast dwindling lots of poor Nigerians. A leader committed to faithfully fighting the strangulating hold of corruption and the endless evils that have truncated our march to greater glory. We need a leader that can go beyond the pretences of party politics and truly be a leader indeed. Our complaints against the lacklustre performance of Jonathan have nothing to do with his ethnic origin, Reuben and mavericks like him do not need to confuse issues. We simply do not want the man because he is not performing. Period.

Yes, great minds like Abraham Lincoln, Mahtama Ghandi, Martin Luther King and Kwame Nkrumah made the world easier. Yet whatever they achieved was with plainness of approach, honesty and integrity. They were not achieved with the purchase of hundreds of porch cars for a frivolous and egomaniac meeting of wives of discredited heads of governments. They were not achieved on the lavish expenditure of state fortune on state banquets or meals. They were not attained with dourness and stupidity. They came out of a vibrant methodology and pragmatic visions. Jonathan lacks these qualities. Comparing the man Jonathan to these great minds is illusory and vain.

Reuben’s attempt is that of a sinking man desperately trying to catch a lifeline of straw.

US Troops Plotted to Kill Barack Obama

By AP

August 28, 2012 "The Independent" -- Four US soldiers plotted to assassinate Barack Obama and overthrow the government, a court has heard.

One, private Michael Burnett, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and gang charges in the killings last December of former soldier Michael Roark and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Tiffany York.

Burnett said that Roark, who had just left the army, knew of the militia group's plans and was killed because he was "a loose end."

Prosecutor Isabel Pauley said the group bought $87,000 (£55,000) of guns and bomb-making materials and plotted to take over Fort Stewart, bomb targets in Savannah and Washington state, as well as assassinate the president.

Prosecutors: U.S. Soldiers Plotted to Kill President Obama

By John Hudson

August 28, 2012  "The Atlantic Wire" -- - Update (4:51 p.m.): Isaac Aguigui, the alleged leader of the anarchist militia group, bears a striking resemblance to one "Isaac Aguigui" identified as a 2008 Republican National Convention page by Reuters, as Gawker's John Cook points out. View the side-by-side comparison of his current mug shot and 2008 RNC photo here.

Update (3:45 p.m.): Local NBC affiliate WSAV 3 has video footage of the alleged militia members being handcuffed and charged in connection with the killing of Michael Roark and his girlfriend Tiffany York. The local report does not include details of the alleged plot to overthrow the government and assassinate President Obama. For those details, see our previous update:

Update (3:15 p.m.): More details are surfacing about the four soldiers accused of stockpiling assault weapons and bomb components and plotting to assassinate the president. According to the AP's Russ Bynum, the group calls itself F.E.A.R., which stands  for Forever Enduring Always Ready. While authorities don't know how many members are in the group, they did accuse it of plotting some ambitious domestic terrorist plots:

The prosecutor said the militia group had big plans. It plotted to take over Fort Stewart by seizing its ammunition control point and talked of bombing the Forsyth Park fountain in nearby Savannah, she said. In Washington state, she added, the group plotted to bomb a dam and poison the state’s apple crop. Ultimately, prosecutors said, the militia’s goal was to overthrow the government and assassinate the president.

All are charged by state authorities with malice murder, felony murder, criminal gang activity, aggravated assault and using a firearm while committing a felony. A hearing for the three soldiers was scheduled Thursday.

The above photo shows U.S. Army Sgt. Anthony Peden, left, and Pvt. Isaac Aguigui, identified by prosecutors as F.E.A.R.'s leader, after appearing before a magistrate judge at the Long County Sheriffs Office in Ludowici, Georgia. As we noted earlier, the members of the anarchist militia group allegedly bought $87,000 worth of "guns and bomb-making materials" for the plot, which was uncovered following a murder investigation into the deaths of former soldier Michael Roark and his girlfriend Tiffany York. According to prosecutors, Roark was killed after members of F.E.A.R. discovered that he knew of their plot. On Monday, 26-year-old Army Pfc. Michael Burnett plead guilty to manslaughter and illegal gang activity in connection with the murder case. He also gave testimony backing up some of the claims made by prosecutors. Bynum says that Burnett testified against Aguigui, who he said ordered the killings of Roark and his girlfriend. The plots were allegedly financed by a $500,000 insurance settlement Aguigui received from the death of his wife.

Original post: In a disturbing report out of Georgia, prosecutors say four U.S. soldiers plotted to overthrow the government and assassinate President Obama. Details remain slim about the case, but the AP's Russ Bynum says the soldiers allegedly bought $87,000 worth of "guns and bomb-making materials and plotted to take over Fort Stewart, bomb targets in nearby Savannah and Washington state, as well as assassinate the president." The plot was apparently uncovered in relation to a murder case surrounding the killing of former soldier Michael Roark and his girlfriend Tiffany York in December. On Monday, Pfc. Michael Burnett, one of the accused soldiers, plead guilty to manslaughter and gang charges in the murder case. "Burnett told a Long County judge that Roark, who had just left the Army, knew of the militia group's plans and was killed because he was 'a loose end,'" reports Bynum. 

As The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Jay Bookman notes, "Sometimes these things get blown out of proportion, but $87,000 in weaponry suggests otherwise. And when you’re willing to murder two people to keep the plot secret, you’re pretty serious about it." The news follows a controversial report published by Reuters' Daniel Trotta last week that the U.S. Army is battling soldiers within its ranks who enlist in the Army and Marine Corps "to acquire the skills to overthrow what some call the ZOG - the Zionist Occupation Government. Get in, get trained and get out to brace for the coming race war." At the time, Business Insider's Geoffrey Ingersoll pushed back against the report in a piece titled "Don't Believe the Report Going Around About Veterans Flocking to Right Wing Extremist Groups." The AP report doesn't say if the motivations to overthrow the government were racial or anti-semitic in nature in this case but much more details are likely to come

Leader of Army Plot to Assassinate Obama Apparently Attended the 2008 Republican Convention as a Page

By John Cook

Isaac Aguigui, the Army private and alleged ringleader of a plot to assassinate Barack Obama and "take over" Ft. Stewart in Georgia, apparently served as a page at the 2008 Republican National Convention in Minnesota. That's his mug shot after he was arrested for the alleged murder of Pvt. Michael Roark on the left. At right is a 2008 Reuters photo with the caption: "Republican National Convention page Isaac Aguigui watches from the edge of the floor at the start of the first session of the 2008 Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota September 1, 2008."

Of course, there could be two Isaac Aguiguis who look startlingly alike. Aguigui, according to Georgia prosecutors, financed a plot to kill the president, take over Ft. Stewart and poison apple orchards in Washington state with a $500,000 insurance settlement he got last year after his wife's death. The group—its numbers are unknown—called itself F.E.A.R., for Forever Enduring, Always Ready.

Aguigui is one of four soldiers charged in Roark's death, allegedly because he was a "loose end" who threatened to foil their plans. According to the AP, Aguigui and his compatriots bore "distinctive tattoos that resemble an anarchy symbol," but that's the extent of the reporting thus far on their political motives.

[Image via Reuters] - gawker.com

Desmond Tutu quits seminar in protest over presence of Tony Blair

 

Archbishop pulls out of South African event over former prime minister's support of Iraq war

 

 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, pictured in 2011, has pulled out of the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit. Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Nobel laureate and icon of the anti-apartheid struggle, has withdrawn from a seminar in South Africa in protest at the presence of Tony Blair and the former prime minister's support for the 2003 Iraq war.

"The archbishop is of the view that Mr Blair's decision to support the United States' military invasion of Iraq, on the basis of unproven allegations of the existence in Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, was morally indefensible," said Roger Friedman, a spokesman for the cleric, who won the Nobel peace prize in 1984.

"Morality and leadership are indivisible. In this context, it would be inappropriate and untenable for the archbishop to share a platform with Mr Blair," he added.

Blair's office said he was "sorry" that Tutu had decided to pull out of the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit, which is due to take place in Johannesburg on Thursday, adding in a statement that the two were not due to be sharing a platform at the event.

"As far as Iraq is concerned they have always disagreed about removing Saddam by force – such disagreement is part of a healthy democracy," it said.

"As for the morality of that decision we have recently had both the memorial of the Halabja massacre, where thousands of people were murdered in one day by Saddam's use of chemical weapons; and that of the Iran-Iraq war, where casualties numbered up to a million, including many killed by chemical weapons.
"So these decisions are never easy morally or politically."

The seminar's website says that other speakers at the event will include the chess grandmaster and Russian opposition figure Garry Kasparov, and the former Tesco chief executive, Sir Terry Leahy.
Muslim groups in South Africa had called for Blair to be arrested for war crimes when he arrived in South Africa.

Mustafa Darsot, a member of the South African Muslim Network executive committee, told the Mail & Guardian newspaper: "Mr Blair is complicit in the murder of thousands of people in Iraq and should be tried for war crimes."

Supporters pointed to the arrestblair.org website, which describes itself as a site that "offers a reward to people attempting a peaceful citizen's arrest of the former British prime minister".
Such protests have become an increasingly common feature of Blair's life since he left office.

In June, a speech by him in Hong Kong on faith and globalisation was interrupted by an activist seeking to make a citizen's arrest.

In May, his testimony to the Leveson inquiry into the media was interrupted by an activist who shouted that the former prime minister should be arrested for war crimes.

Culled; guardian.co.uk

Hope Party sues Jonathan over N160bn subsidy ‘campaign’ funds

The Hope Democratic Party (HDP) has filed a motion in an Abuja Federal High Court seeking to invalidate President Goodluck Jonathan’s election after it was revealed he allegedly funded his campaign with N160 billion fuel subsidy funds.

In an originating summons brought in court on Friday, Chief Ambrose Owuru, the party’s presidential candidate urged the court to hold that the use of the “slush funds” to prosecute the president’s 2011 election was illegal and contravened the electoral laws and guidelines.

The suit, which joins the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Senate President, David Mark as defendants, also claimed that the President’s assumption of office without declaring his assets is a violation of section 140 of the 1999 constitution.

Following street protests and public outcry over federal government’s removal of fuel subsidy in January, it was revealed that over N1.3 trillion were siphoned from the treasury for purported fuel importations.

A National Assembly probe however indicted 17 oil firms in the fraud, some of which are owned by children of highly placed government officials. Subsequently the EFCC in July commenced phased prosecution of the suspects in a Lagos Federal High Court.

But the HDP claims the prosecution is not transparent, adding that the withdrawal of charges against select suspects who allegedly contributed to the 2011 campaign fund is a “seeming complicity to the oil subsidy scandal” by the executive.

The party further claims the superior financial muscle of the PDP during the presidential elections, put it in a disadvantage.

“The Presidential election was completely bought over and became bereft of any campaign of ideas or programmes of candidates as it became obvious illicit money was just thrown at the people to sway them to ignore real issues and vote the 1st defendant”, Owuru averred.

He further claimed illegal campaign funds totaling about $300 million were funneled through some serving ministers including the Minister of Petroleum Diezani Allison-Madueke; Aviation, Stella Oduah and Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe by some oil dealers during the election campaign in 2011.

The Managing Director of Ontario Oil and Gas Ltd, Adaoha Ugo-Ngadi, who is standing trial along with 20 others over the alleged fraud, was said to have made moves to halt the on-going prosecutions otherwise they will expose the President.

The oil dealers, who were alleged to have written the President to halt the charges, also informed him about how they bought a mansion valued at N600 million for Orubebe in Abuja ahead of the elections.

Owuru links these threats of exposing the president to the Attorney General’s withdrawing of charges against Durosola Omogbemigun, Peter Mba, Integrated Resources Ltd and Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd in July. No date has been fixed for hearing.

Babangida threatens to expose Buhari

 

A few hours after President Goodluck Jonathan and ex-Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari took a swipe at former  leaders, ex-Military President Ibrahim Babangida fired back.

He asked Dr. Jonathan to learn to accept criticisms and threatened to expose the “holier-than thou-attitude” of Gen. Buhari.

Gen. Babangida, who spoke through Prince Kassim Afegbua, his media adviser, reminded Gen. Buhari that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

He also advised Dr. Jonathan to look elsewhere, not him, if he is blaming past leaders that are criticising him.

Kassim said: “On President Jonathan, there is nothing wrong in criticism if it is constructive and in the interest of the country. Gen. Babangida is one unique former President who does not criticise a sitting President as a matter of courtesy.

“If President Jonathan is blaming past leaders, he should look elsewhere, certainly not IBB.

“On Gen. Buhari, it is not in IBB’s tradition to take up issues with his colleague former President. But for the purpose of record, we are conversant with Gen. Buhari’s so-called holier-than-thou attitude.

“He is a one-time Minister of Petroleum and we have good records of his tenure as minister.

“Secondly, he also presided over the Petroleum Trust Fund ( PTF) which records we also have.

“We challenge him to come out with clean hands in those two portfolios he headed. Or, we will help him to expose his. “records of performance during those periods.”

“Those who live in glass houses do not throw stones. Gen. Buhari should be properly guided.”

Culled: The Nation

Robbers write Ipaja, Ijaiye, residents, Demand N2.5Million

***No cause for alarm—Police

Police authority in Lagos, South west Nigeria on Monday told a gang of armed robbers, who recently dispatched visitation letters to Ipaja, and Ijaiye residents of the state, that the Force was ready for them.

The Police also assured residents of the affected areas that there was no cause for alarm. “There is no cause for alarm, we are aware of their threat and have been monitoring them and soon they would be rounded up, I can assure you,” said a top Police officer.

President Agbado/Ijaiye Residents Association Joseph Aramide, on Monday told Daily Independent in an interview that, just last wednesday, he woke up to get a letter from his night guard, allegedly delivered to the entire residents of Ijaiye through him. “The writers said they are armed robbers, and that they were planning end of the year operation and would want land lords associations’ cooperation.”

The association Chairman , said that the writers also wants residents of the affected areas to keep money for them. “According to them, they would not want to make it in their usual ways, that is attacking residents at night or such odds hours but they just wants affected residents to quietly keep cash for them.”

He added that the letter warned the recipients against bringing in the Police, pointing out that the consequences of doing that could be disastrous. “May we warned here that, if by any means you invite the Police into this, we would turn this peaceful move we are making into violence. There would be bloodbath and waste of human lives, so be warned.”

Pa Aramide who stated that his fellow landlords in other places like Ipaja, Iju, Gbagada, Ikotun, Ayobo, Alakuko also written, by the same group of criminals, have met with him and share thoughts on how to handle the situation.

He added that, the criminals had also put amount each of the affected areas are expected to keep for the robbery gang during their visits. “For instance, the robbers want Ijaiye/Agbado residents to keep the sum N2.5Million for them. While, Iju residents are to keep N3Million for them.” But we are ready for them, we would handle them in our own way,” Pa Aramide stated.

However, the Police in Lagos has advised residents to remain calm, noting that officers and men of the State Police command are more than ever ready to contain crime and criminalitis in Lagos State.

The State Police boss, Umar Manko, in a chat said there was no cause for panic. According to him, “armed robbers will soon be a thing of the past in Lagos. I came here (Lagos) to fight crime and that i remain committed to. No amount of threat or otherwise by the criminals would divert my attention from the course.

Culled: Daily Independent

First Bank Seeks Shareholders’ Approval For HoldCo Structure

First Bank has said it would seek shareholders’ approval to transfer its subsidiaries to a new holding company,  (HoldCo) in order to meet regulation that risky capital market business be kept separate from retail and regular banking business.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) two years ago directed lenders to either sell their stakes in subsidiaries involved in activities including insurance, asset management, capital market and investment banking or adopt a holding company structure, where those activities are separate from the holding of retail deposits.

In doing so, it aimed to prevent depositors’ funds from being used to speculate in the capital market, to avoid a repeat of the near collapse of several overleveraged banks in the 2009 financial crisis.

The bank said it would ask shareholders on Sept. 24 to approve the transfer of the assets of its subsidiaries into a holding company called FBN Holdings Plc, including its capital market and asset management units.

It will subsequently delist the bank from the Nigerian Stock Exchange, it said in a notice to shareholders, who will get stakes in the new entity equivalent to their existing holdings.

Successive Govts Killed Oil Industry – Buhari

Former Head of State and 2011 Presidential Candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari, has said that the administrations that followed his are responsible for the high level of corruption and destruction in the petroleum industry.

This is just as he averred that the lack of sincerity on the part of leaders particularly those in positions of governance were responsible for the security challenges bedevilling the country.

General Buhari stated this in Kaduna, yesterday, when he received leaders and members of CPC, led by the House of Representatives member from Funtua/Dandume Federal Constituency of Katsina State, Dr. Mansur Abdulkadir who paid him a courtesy visit ahead of the forthcoming Local Government elections in the State.

Buhari said that for Nigeria to move forward in its quest for development, people must elect trusted leaders to steer the affairs of the nation, stressed that, “there is no country in the whole world where impunity strives like Nigeria.”

He said, “The biggest challenge of Nigeria is for adequate security to be in place so that we can protect the riches of this country and provide job opportunities for the youths in the country, so that we can build more industries as it was before.

“Inability of these industries to work has brought mistrust and corruption to Nigeria. Therefore, our leaders have to be sincere and lead with the fear of God and carry all along for Nigeria to be a better place.

“All leaders should stand and keep promises of the people. We cannot move forward if things that are supposed to be put in place are not done. Like the money which was siphoned in the recent pension scam and the petroleum industry scam must all be brought back into the government’s coffer for good leadership.”

Buhari stated that all those who want to vote and be voted for should go to the masses and get their mandate and added that the era of using money to bribe the masses or use force to get political office were gone.

He further stressed that a leader that wanted to be a good leader must look at what the needs of the people were, their sufferings, and the humiliation they suffer, and proffer solution to those problems as a means of achieving greatness.

According to him, the legacies of the late Sardauna have been left to collapse, while describing it as an unfortunate situation.

Earlier in his address, the leader of the delegation, Hon Mansur Abdulkadir said that the purpose of their visit was to wish General Buhari, Happy Eid-l-Fitr celebration though in arrears and seek his blessing ahead of the forthcoming local government election in Katsina State.

A Must Read:- How my 53 Years Old Dad dru*ged me and S*x Me, laments 18 years old Girl

A 53-year-old trader, Nzewi Donatus is currently facing a two-count charge at the Ojo Magistrate court, Lagos, for having canal knowledge of his daughter, Oluchi Nzewi , 18, without her consent which is an offense under section 258 of the criminal laws of Lagos state .

He is also being charged for threatening to kill one Ngozi Emeka, for reporting him to the police which is punishable under section 56 of the criminal laws of Lagos state Nigeria.

Donatus, a tenant at No. 11, Akoberu street by Cele bustop, Ojo was reported to the police by Ngozi Emeka who is a friend to the deceased wife of Donatus after he, (Donatus) chased his daughter out of the house because she accused him of having sex with her.

Oluchi, who appeared before the court narrated her shocking side of the story. She alleged that the father has been having canal knowledge of her for five years after the death of her mother.

“My father has been having sex with me whenever I am asleep and there is this drink he always forced me to drink before I sleep and when I wake up, I do noticed sperm all over my body. When I asked him, he will deny it and warn me never to ask him such question.

On the 15th day of August when I woke up, I noticed such on my body again and this time, I was bold enough to ask him but when I did, he beat me up and sent me out of the house. So, I went to one Ngozi for shelter and when I narrated my pains to her, she quickly ran to the police to file a report,” she lamented.

Crime Guard gathered from a reliable source that ever since his wife died,the suspect has been maltreating his daughter by even sitting with her at a bar taking alcoholic drinks.

He also allegedly chases away any male friend that comes visiting his daughter. Some people who never knew his reasons for doing such thought he was preventing them from the corrupt society little did they know that he was doing so for his own selfish interest.

Crime Guard also learnt that when he was invited to the police station, he never showed any remorse but instead he was disturbing and causing nuisance at the station. He also allegedly threatened to kill Ngozi Emeka for reporting “a case that did not concern her” to the police.

Another witness who pleaded anonymity also disclosed that he saw Donatus beating his daughter but when he tried interfering, he got the worst insult of his life. “When I heard Oluchi screaming for help, I ran to see if I could talk to his father. But when I tried doing so, he gave me the worst insult of my life accusing me of having a secret affair with his daughter. I got pissed off and had to leave so as to mind my business”.

When the charges were read to him by the prosecutor, Supol Eze, he pleaded not guilty but the presiding Magistrate, Mrs J.O.E Akhanamaya, rejected his bail and he was remanded at kirikiri prison custody for further hearing of his case.

I will be Nigeria’s most praised leader – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan (L) with the outgoing NBA president, Joseph Daudu (R)

President Goodluck Jonathan has told the opposition and all the people that criticise his administration for non-performance, saying that he will be the most praised president of the country at the end of his tenure in office.

Mr Jonathan said this while speaking at the opening of the 52nd annual general conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) holding in the Federal Capital Territory on Monday.

The president wondered why the first 12 months of his administration has been awashed with criticisms over problems and challenges that he did not create, and reiterated his resolve to transform the country.

He pointed at the reforms taking place in the power sector, and other infrastructure, reminding the critics that transformation does not come with a wave of the hand.

The theme for this year’s NBA’s conference is “Nigeria as Emerging Market: Redefining our law’s and politics for growth”.

Emerging after 50 years 

Matthew Kukah delivered the keynote address on Nigeria as an emerging democracy at the NBA conference.
The clergy in his speech wondered why after 50 years of independence, Nigerians are still talking about the emergence of the nation.

He said that things are not walking because Nigerians have refused to understand where they are coming from and he called on all Nigerians to overcome ethnic colouration in all they do.

The outgoing president of the NBA, Joseph Daudu decried the state of the nation especially insecurity in the land and the NBA’s position on the call for state police.

There was a mild protest at the entrance of the International Conference Center, venue for the 52nd lawyers’ conference, by lawyers, who could not gain entry into the venue.

The lawyers protested what they called the high fees charged by the authorities of the NBA leadership.

Usher wins sole custody of kids

Los Angeles - An Atlanta judge on Friday awarded R&B singer Usher primary custody of his two sons with ex-wife Tameka Foster Raymond, according to a person with knowledge of the ruling.

Usher had been seeking sole custody of Usher V, 4, and Naviyd, 3, while his ex-wife wanted to maintain joint custody and receive an increase in child support payments.

The long custody battle had been marred with public mud-slinging on both sides as each party alleged the other was an unfit parent.

Tragedy also struck in July when Foster Raymond's 11-year-old son Kile Glover - Usher's stepson - died after suffering a brain injury during a jet-ski accident.

One source who was not authorised to speak on the record confirmed the judge's ruling and said "it's been a long and difficult process for everyone".

Representatives for the "Yeah!" singer declined to comment on the ruling or the court proceeding.

Usher filed for divorce from Foster in 2009 after less than two years of marriage.

- Reuters

Ex-CBN director shot dead in Owerri

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•Assassins threaten Rev. Father

A former Director with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chief Charles Nwosu, was yesterday shot dead by gunmen in Owerri, Imo State.

Chief Nwosu, who hailed from Emeabia in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, was reportedly killed at the Ekeukwu Owerri Central Market, along Douglas Road, Owerri.
His body has been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.

When Daily Sun visited the emergency/causality ward, scores of armed riot policemen and relations of the deceased were seen discussing the incident, while the hospital officials declined comments.
The police spokesman Mr. Vitalis Onugu, confirmed the incident.

Meanwhile, the Principal of the Holy Ghost College, Owerri, Rev. (Fr). Cyprian Ogu, narrowly escaped assassination from suspected cultists at his college residence in Owerri.

According to the Catholic weekly tabloid, The Leader, the suspected cultists shot several times through Fr. Ogu’s window, shattering all the pillows and bedsheets in the room.

The attack came barely two days after a cult group, the Black Axe Confraternity (Aiye), wrote the reverend father, threatening to kill him if he failed to quit the college before the end of the year.

The letter, dated August 16, 2012 with motto: “Forgiveness is a sin,” reads: “By this letter, you have been warned again to leave Holy Ghost College Owerri before the end of this year.

“You have continued to expel our members from the school hence, we have been mandated to capture Holy Ghost College, Owerri, so you either leave dead or alive because we will stop at nothing to make sure you leave. This is not a mere threat as more attacks will come your way if you ignore this notice and it seemed you have not learnt from our previous attacks. You have been warned again.”

The letter, it was gathered, was dropped at the principal’s doorstep.

Narrating his ordeal, the priest disclosed that dogs at the college rectory barked continuously for about two hours before the cultists struck, adding that it was the barking of the dogs that woke the residents of the school, sensing that danger was lurking around.

According to him, it was like a dream initially but when he heard the repeated gunshots very close to him, it became clear that the hoodlums were after him.

Senate directs CBN to suspend introduction of N5000 note

Abuja - The Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions on Monday directed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend the introduction of  N5,000 note until the Senate was properly briefed.

 The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. Bassey Otu  (PDP- Cross River) issued the directive while speaking to newsmen in Abuja.

 Otu noted that the re-denomination of currency required the approval of the National Assembly, warning that the CBN must avoid sending the wrong signals to stakeholders in the economy.

He said it was vital for the CBN to discuss the implications of the currency re-denomination with the Senate before it was implemented.

 `` I believe that a project of this nature requires parliamentary approval because there are numerous fiscal implications on the entire economy.

 ``The CBN must be very careful in order not to send the wrong signal to the domestic sector and external partners that the Nigerian currency is valueless.

 ``So, we are sending a letter to them (CBN) to stop all further actions on this until the Senate of the Federal Republic is properly briefed,'' he said.

 He warned that the conversion of some denominations into coins would lead to a waste of public funds as the previous exercise did not yield the desired result.

 ``In 2005, the CBN undertook a major currency restructuring to re-coin some denominations which ran into billions of Naira.

 ``It did not work at all because both the goldsmiths and the blacksmiths converted the coins to moulding bangles, earrings and so on,'' he added.

 The Committee chairman said there were other mechanisms available to the apex bank to tackle the problem of inflation other than the re-nomination of the nation’s currency.

NAN

My grandmum would have rejected her face on new N5000 note – Seun Kuti

Seun Kuti, grandson of Funmilayo Kuti, one of the women whose picture has been approved to appear on the proposed N5,000 notes, on Monday said that his grandmother would not approve of the image if she were still alive.

Seun Kuti disclosed this at a question and answer session on the Channels Television’s Google+ Hangout.
“I do not have the power to stop the FG from printing the note but I would want the FG to remove my grandma’s face from the so-called note,” he said.

According to him, the Federal Government did not officially inform the Kuti family of the intended action “It was through the radio that we got to know that her face would be used…we were not officially contacted.”

The Afro-beat musician talked about his grandmother, Funmilayo Ransome –Kuti, his legendary father Fela Anikulapo Kuti, his own music with Egypt 80 band and life.

Speaking on the alleged money to be spent in printing out the N5000 note, Seun Kuti said “If I had N40b I will rebuild the federal government primary and secondary schools, rather than waste it on printing the N5000 note. That note cannot solve Nigeria’s problems, the govt should learn to invest in people…the Kuti family is more concerned about the development of the country not the naira. If I were the FG, I would establish more schools, improve on the educational system rather than come up with N5000 note idea.

He further said “the FG’s plans to crush down the social media cannot work because it is the one way through which we curb down the FG’s excesses’.

How we’re talking to Boko Haram, by Presidency

NSA Dasuki

 

Govt states its stand as sect dismisses peace moves as false

The Presidency is insisting that it is in talks with the fundamentalist extremist sect Boko Haram, contrary to the reports of the group’s denial of such moves.

Besides, the Presidency argued yesterday that the refutal might be coming from one of the goup’s factions. 
Abu Muhammad, who claimed to be the second in-command to the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, alerted Nigerians to ongoing talks between the government and the sect.

But, Boko Haram spokesman Abu Qaqa, in an e-mail statement last week, denied that the group had been meeting with government officials as widely reported in the media.

“We believe that the purported Abu Mohammed - who was quoted to have blown the lid over the alleged talks from Saudi Arabia - is the creation of the Nigerian government in order to mislead Nigerians on the crusade we are waging and that by the grace of Allah, they will not succeed.”

Qaqa added: “The media should know that as far as we are concerned, there is no difference between those that are fighting us with weapons (security forces) and those that are fighting us with their tongues and pens.”

However, the Presidency said there is nothing to worry about over the issue. 

Reacting to the controversy, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Dr. Reuben Abati, assured that President Goodluck Jonathan is tackling the matter through multi-faceted levels.

The presidential spokesman revealed that the said dialogue is not the conventional talks.
 He noted that the government has adopted the back room channels to reach the  Boko Haram sect.

“When government says it is already talking to Boko Haram, the form of that dialogue must be properly understood. I think a lot of people are under the impression that the dialogue involves a situation whereby government officials are sitting on one side, Boko Haram persons are sitting on the other side in an air-conditioned room and there are negotiations across the table. 

“That is not the form of the dialogue. The form of the dialogue is that back room channels are being used to reach across with the sole objective of understanding what exactly the grievances of these persons are, what exactly can be done to resolve the crises, in the overall best interest of ensuring peace and stability in Nigeria and the security of life and property. 

“And all of this is consistent with the position of Mr. President. So what is called dialogue is at many levels: through back room channels and through multi-level, constructive interventions to address a difficult issue that is multifarious.”

Abati added: “One thing that is noteworthy is that the Boko Haram spokesperson made it clear that they were prepared to go a step further to ensure that persons who are using the name of Boko Haram for political and criminal purposes are identified and checked. 

“What that original statement indicated was that indeed Boko Haram has many faces. It confirms that this thing called Boko Haram is such a multifaceted phenomenon. 

“The true situation has already been stated by the Minister of Information on two different occasions. 

First in an interview, second through a press release, namely that the Federal Government is involved in dialogue with Boko Haram. 
“You will recall that what led to this is that a spokesperson for Boko Haram issued a statement confirming that government and some leaders of Boko Haram were already discussing; in that particular statement the issues being looked at were clearly identified. 

“You will recall that in one instance, during a Presidential Media Chat, President Jonathan had made it clear that the Boko Haram phenomenon, the terror phenomenon in Nigeria, is quite a novel phenomenon and that many of the persons involved in the low level insurgency are not known, they have not come forward. However if such persons should come forward, government will grant them a listening ear to know what it is that they are after. Again the President is on record, as having made it clear that government’s approach to checking the Boko Haram insurgency is at many levels. 

“The available option, according to Mr President, is not solely one of military action or police action and it is on the basis of this that he had reached out to leaders of political thoughts in the parts of the country that are affected. 

“It is on this basis that President Jonathan held a lot of meetings with politicians from the Northern states. Because his position is that look, this people, yes they may not come forward but they are not ghosts, they live in communities. They are members of the Nigerian community, there would be persons who know them. There would be leaders in these communities, in these villages, in these towns who may have an idea and such persons needed to be carried along to assist in addressing the Boko Haram issue. When government adopts this approach, it does not mean government is abdicating its responsibility to ensure that persons who go against the law are sanctioned. 

“There is even a third level of intervention, the economic and social level of intervention. In this regard, President Jonathan has made it clear that many of the efforts being directed towards the affected parts of the country are meant, in fact, to redirect the energies of the youths and this is the whole point of using the agricultural sector to transform lives, to create wealth, to create a value chain, the end of which is to create jobs and to engage young people more effectively. This government has a robust agricultural transformation programme that has been justly praised by IFAD and the World Bank.”
Abati also said: “The Jonathan administration has been providing wider opportunities for many of the youths in the affected parts of the country to be able to go to school. No other government before now has done as much. Get them off the streets, engage them meaningfully and then, of course, you know that the government introduced the You Win programme, and several other pro-people initiatives and policies. 

“So, this is the issue at this stage, but one thing you should also note is that the Boko Haram, as has been admitted, even by its spokespersons, is a phenomenon that has mutated. So it is not unusual that you will find a situation whereby a variant of the mutation may express a view that sounds like it’s contradicting the other. What is certain is that government is considering all of this, government is taking on the issue frontally and through back room channels, with the assistance of a number of persons who have an understanding of the sociology and the character of the problem.

“You must admit of course that a lot is being achieved. Within the last one year and more, you can see that a lot has changed in terms of the knowledge that has been gained about the nature and character of the problem. A lot has been done, and a lot has been achieved in terms of the capacity of the state to deal with the problem. What President Jonathan is asking for as his government tackles this issue from the various dimensions that we have identified, the political, the economic, the social and also, law enforcement, what he calls for, what he demands from Nigerians is support.”

Tension Brewing In Kaduna As Some Muslim Youths Reportedly Protest Appointment of Christian Police Commissioner

A copy of the purported letter written by a JNI "youth wing"

By SaharaReporters, New York

Tension is reported to be brewing in Kaduna State as some Muslim youths protest the deployment of Mr. Olufemi Adenaike, a Christian, as State Police Commissioner.

They accuse the State Governor, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) as conspiring against Muslims in view of the tense security situation of Kaduna State.

A senior security officer told SaharaReporters that the youths, who coined for themselves the name of ‘Youth Wing’ of Jama’atu Nasril Islam, wrote a letter to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, alleging that all key security personnel in the state are Christians and that it is a grand design to cage Muslims in the state.

The source noted however, that apart from boldly using the JNI name in the complaint, the letter did not have the JNI symbol or its Arabic inscriptions.

The letter to the Sultan, which is dated 23rd August 2012, was signed by the duo of Uztaz Suleiman Abubakar and Mohammed Sani Zaria, as president and secretary.

A copy of the letter is also said to have been sent to the Supreme Council for Sharia, but the Sultanate is disclaiming having ever heard of any Youth Wing of the JNI.

The source concluded that the security agencies are working round the clock as a means of containing the situation in order to forestall break down of law and order in the state.

Culled: Sahara Reporters

Hilary Clinton advises Jonathan on how to fight terrorism

The United States had yesterday promised to assist Nigeria towards fighting the bring the Boko Haram insurgence to a halt.  The US had said that  Nigeria cannot rely on military might alone.  A US official in company of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton disclosed this after holding a closed-door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential villa couple of weeks ago.

Clinton who was accompanied by officials of the U. S. Embassy in Nigeria was welcome into the country   by the Foreign Minister, Amb. Olugbenga Ashiru.in another security meeting,  Clinton met with Security Chiefs including all the Service Chiefs, the National Security Adviser, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki and the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar.

According to a senior US official in company of Clinton, Boko Haram  had inflicted much pain on Nigeria, that the United States feels concern about the state of things in the country and had offered to help Nigeria out its present challenge of the Boko Haram insurgence. The US official spoke on the best strategies thus;
 .
“Northern Nigeria also borders Chad, Cameroon, Niger and we are concerned this radicalism could undermine the security of neighbouring states. A security strategy is not enough. We know all too well from our own experiences in both Iraq and Afghanistan what can happen if soldiers and police are not operating under appropriate authorities”, the senior U.S. official said.

“We will encourage them not to use excessive force and to look at this as a law enforcement operation designed to catch perpetrators and bring them to justice,” he added.

Clinton’s visit to Nigeria is part her  11-day, nine-nation African tour. She had urged President Goodluck Jonathan to boost the country’s intelligence capabilities to better combat growing terrorists.

She had advised that Nigeria should form  an intelligence body to include  the military, spy services, police and other federal, state and local agencies. The cell would also coordinate counter-terrorism activities and serve as a contact for foreign intelligence services, confirms the State’s Department official.

The officials had confirmed that the US was ready to offer any kind of assistance to the Nigerian security formation,  through the supply of training and equipment, including computers, and would present some of the supports  to President Jonathan and his new National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, believing that they will deliver  Nigeria and African from terrorism

My daughter’s death will warn youths about social media relationships – Major General Osokogu (Rtd)

The late Cynthia Osokogu’s father, Major General Frank Osokogu (rtd), said yesterday that the death of his daughter has not been in vain but serves as a caution to youths who get to know friends on social media and venture to meet them.

The retired general, who addressed reporters in Jos, the state capital of Plateau State, said “this was what Cynthia did and has had to pay for it”

It would be recalled that Cynthia was reportedly lured to Lagos by friends she met on Facebook, only for them to drug and beat her to death.

Describing the daughter’s action as an adventure which became too costly, Osokwu asked youths to be watchful over what they do on social media.

Also speaking at their ECWA Staff new GRA home at Farin-Gada area of Jos, Cynthia’s mother, Chief (Mrs.) Joyrita Osokogu disclosed that she had some worry because the daughter was too fast in life and accomplished so much in her young age that she had to caution her on the need to settle down in marriage.
“My daughter had been very wonderful, intelligent and daring,” Mrs Osokogu said.

She said Cynthia’s death was devastating, illogical and incomprehensible; adding that though vengeance belongs to God, those responsible for her death should be punished.

She said Cynthia was a very intelligent girl who was not playing pranks but was full of life and had a promising future.
The late Cynthia attended Command Secondary School, Jos where she won many laurels and she graduated from Nassarawa State University at the age of 21. She read English Education.
She was Miss NYSC Batch ‘B’ 2010. She was a runner-up in Miss Nigeria 2010.

She was doing Public Administration in her Master’s programme and just finished her exam before she met her death.
She was working with the MTN call centre in Jos before the office was declared closed down earlier this month.

Both parents confirmed they did not know about their daughter’s death on time as her killers took her phone and kept telling them that she was in a hospital which turned out to be a lie.
Her killers eventually told the family of Cynthia’s death and the MTN assisted the family in tracking the call to Festac town in Lagos

Abati : The Jonathan They Don’t Know

“THEY” in this piece refers to all the cynics, the pestle-wielding critics, the unrelenting, self-appointed activists, the idle and idling, twittering, collective children of anger, the distracted crowd of Facebook addicts, the BBM-pinging soap opera gossips of Nigeria, who seem to be in competition among themselves to pull down President Goodluck Jonathan.

This army of sponsored and self-appointed anarchists is so diverse; many of them don’t even know why or how they should attack the President.

The clear danger to public affairs commentary is that we have a lot of unintelligent people repeating stupid clichés and too many intelligent persons wasting their talents lending relevance to thoughtless conclusions.

 Hold on. I don’t want to be misunderstood. I am not saying nobody should criticize the Nigerian President. I spent some time learning that legal maxim: “volenti non fit injuria”. Public position comes with its own share of risks and exposure. But the twittering, pinging, Facebook crowd of the new age must be guided by facts.

Hold your stone. Don’t haul it yet.  Shhh. Wait, Mr. Alaseju! I have spent the last 14 months working with President Jonathan. I have followed him everywhere. I can write a whole book on his Presidency so far, but you won’t get to read that until much later.  I have heard that some people are protesting that they will not buy the book if it gets written. Well, your choice. What I can report, for now is that he is a grossly misunderstood President. Too many people are unfair to him. They criticize him out of ignorance. They abuse him out of mischief. And the opposition doesn’t make things easy at all. Can we look at a number of issues?

You say he is a clueless President. You are wrong. He is not clueless.  Nobody is more committed to the Nigerian Project than President Jonathan. In spite of unforeseen challenges, which his administration has had to contend with, President Jonathan is doing his utmost best to positively transform Nigeria. Ordinary Nigerians know and appreciate this. Those parading themselves as leaders of the opposition, who claim that the President has lost the support of Nigerians, represent only themselves and their selfish interests.

President Jonathan is a clever, methodical and intelligent man, who is very adept at wrong footing all the persons who make an effort to second-guess or under-estimate him. He understands the complexity of Nigeria. He is acutely conscious of the historicity of his emergence as Nigeria’s No. 1. He knows that he is here as the leader of all Nigerians. He knows that he is a representative of all common persons, particularly the children of all blue collar workers who never wore shoes or got a chance to eat three-square meals, and whose mothers and aunties could never be part of policy-making processes.

When he spoke about not wearing shoes as a child, he meant that as a metaphor for the disparities in the Nigerian system, and the urgent need to redress inequalities. But I have heard some persons responding literally that Nigerians should never vote for a man who never wore shoes. How simplistic. Attention needs to be drawn to the fact that a rooted, people-sourced President, who seeks to transform Nigeria, and who campaigns on a platform of transformation, will necessarily be opposed by those who consider themselves the children of Empire builders, those who think that their ancestors built Nigeria. Wrong.

The Ijaws, the fourth largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria, have as much right to have their son as President as every other Nigerian group. But Jonathan doesn’t even dwell on this. I have never heard him utter an ethnic statement. He sees himself as the President of all Nigerians. He is at home with every group. He is focused on the challenges of nation-building. He wants to transform Nigeria. He wants to unite the country. He is determined to promote the country. And he is doing so already. He knows Nigerians want regular power supply. He is working at it. That is why we have crossed 4,400 MW.

He knows Nigerians want infrastructure. That is why he is telling Bi-Courtney to fix Lagos-Ibadan Expressway or get out. That is why he is telling a particular Minister to fix the East-West road and get it fixed quickly. That is why he has directed the relevant agencies to get corrupt persons to answer for their misdeeds. That is why he is strengthening Nigeria’s foreign relations. That is why he is transforming the agriculture sector, from a contract-awarding, fertilizer distribution enterprise into big business. And more…

The reason President Jonathan does not go into a song and dance routine is because he knows that true rebranding of a nation is a projection of positive things that are already happening.

They say he is “tribalistic”. Not true. How many Ijaws are in President Jonathan’s inner circle? Very few, I can tell you. There are, of course, all kinds of persons who go about telling people that they have the President’s ears and eyes. They would even tell you that they think for the President! I used to have nightmares whenever I heard that, but it no longer bothers me. I have since learnt that some Nigerians consider it fashionable to wear false garments.

The Presidency qua Presidency is staffed by key officials from all parts of the country. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation is from Ebonyi State. The Chief of Staff and the Head of the President’s Secretariat are both from Edo; the Protocol Liaison Officer and Principal Private Secretary are from Adamawa; the Chief Detail is from Borno; the Aide De Camp (ADC) is from Kogi; the Perm Sec, State House is from Benue; the State Chief of Protocol is from Kwara; the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity is from Ogun; the Chief Physician to the President is from Rivers. Only the Chief Security Officer, the Special Assistant, Domestic and the Special Adviser, Research and Strategy are from Bayelsa.

When he is in the office, and he gets there early every day, and works till very late, he is exposed to all categories of Nigerians.  He runs a modern and open Presidency. He is on Facebook, Twitter, email, SMS, BB, and he reads. And he writes. This is not a provincial President. The intelligentsia, his immediate community, should support him to do his work.

President Jonathan was the first Nigerian leader to appoint a woman as his Chief Economic Adviser as well as the Nigerian leader who opened up the Nigerian Defence Academy to women. And he took affirmative action in political appointments to a higher level by reserving 35 per cent of all appointive positions in government for our women folk.

The facts in this regard are incontrovertible. Under President Jonathan, women occupy very strategic positions (Petroleum Resources, Education, Co-ordinating Minister/Minister of Finance, Water Resources, Minister of State, FCT, Minister of State, Defence, Minister of State, Foreign Affairs 1, Minister of State, Niger Delta, and the headship of many of the MDAs. The President’s  commitment to Nigeria is total. All his children school in Nigeria. Even his dress code promotes Nigeria.

They say Mr. President drinks. My friend and colleague, Etim Etim, called the other day to say that whatever may be the challenges on this job, he could affirm that I am at least enjoying. “What with all the choice drinks on every trip,” he said. I told him, “No, we don’t drink.” He protested. He thought I was lying. He had heard that kain-kain is a staple fare on presidential flights. I told him No. We are not allowed to touch alcohol.

Alcohol is not served during official duties. Yes, when there is an international function, wine is served, but nobody gets drunk around here. That will amount to an act of indiscipline. The President himself does not allow alcohol to be served at his table. But when you go to social media, they tell you something else. Lies. Lies. Lies.

I have even heard that the President spends billions on feeding. Well, I have enjoyed the privilege of eating at the President’s table. What does he eat? Fish pepper soup. Cassava Bread. Slices of yam. Rice. Boiled plantain. Fruits and vegetables. He fasts when he chooses, and fasts all month during Ramadan and Lent. And because he takes his exercises and keep fit regime seriously, he eats very little. Okay, he drinks coffee. 

And yet there are people out there who keep claiming that there is a feast in the Villa every day. They say at every meal, the table is decorated with roasted turkey, and every delicacy under the sun. Lies. Lies.  This President is not a glutton. We have a disciplined, hardworking President who enjoys his privacy, and the company of intelligent people.

Here is a man who is an epitome of loyalty and simplicity. The thing about the President’s critics is that they just cannot accept that someone with his simplicity can be their President. This is the Saul Complex. Saul could not accept the fact that somebody as simple as David could be favoured by God. And just like Saul threw the spear at David out of uncontrollable jealousy, these critics are out to throw any kind of spear to see which hits the target, hence all their lies about the President.

Let me end by saying that the President is a simple man but simplicity is not naivety. If simplicity were to be naivety, then the world would not be where it is today because it is simple men like Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Kwame Nkrumah, who have shaped the world that we live in by simplifying what others have complicated.

Dr. Abati is Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to President Jonathan

Nigerian pastor of Europe’s biggest church, in N15 billion scandal

THREE years after some members of his church  reported him to authorities for an alleged involvement in a failed “wonder bank”, Ukraine-based Nigerian cleric, Sunday Adelaja is still locked in a battle of wits with the Police in his host country.

The members of his church who subscribed to the alleged Wonder Bank scheme lost about N15 billion ($100 million).

Adelaja has been summoned by the Ukrainian Police for another round of questioning on Tuesday, Empowered Newswire reported yesterday.

 Some members of the church, “The Embassy of the Blessed Kingdom of God for All Nations, Kiev,” have been in detention since the last two years over the fraud allegation, also called a Ponzi scheme by which depositors are paid huge interests upfront while the bank holds onto the principal for business.

 Adelaja pastors Ukraine’s biggest church and one of Europe’s largest.

He told Empowered Newswire that the fresh Police invitation may be a prelude to an arrest and detention and another flank of racial discrimination and religious victimization in the former Soviet country.

He has been having a see-saw battle with Ukrainian Police authorities since 2009.

When the story first broke in 2009, a news medium, modernghana.com reported that the Ukrainian Interior Ministry accused Adelaja of defrauding citizens of money, quoting the ministry’s Department for Media Liaison and International Activity.

The charges were brought under Part 4, Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (the embezzlement of funds in very large amounts via fraud),” it quoted the ministry as saying.

Several members of the church were reported to have gone to the Ukrainian authorities to complain that they were unable to recover the money they invested, which left many of them bankrupt.

Police later arrested one of King’s Capital leaders, Aleksandr Bandurchenko, on suspicion of fraud.

Speculation about Adelaja’s involvement with King’s Capital grew after reports surfaced that he was part of a bank in Nigeria known as GS Microfinance Bank Limited.

Adelaja, however, said those accusations are unfounded. He said he had never been involved with King’s Capital but denied that it is a Ponzi scheme, which uses later investments to pay dividends to earlier investors.

He said that King’s Capital was a legitimate business that failed under the pressure of the global financial crisis. He said because the company poured most of the investment capital into real estate, which decreased in value, it had been unable to pay investors.

“When the economic crisis came, all the real estate is no more selling. The land is enough to pay back the money owed. ... The problem is ... everything is stopped in the country—nothing is selling now in Ukraine,’’ he said.

Adelaja said Interior Affairs Minister Yurii Lutsenko accused the church of involvement because he wants to undermine the evangelical movement in Ukraine. With several thousand members across the nation, God’s Embassy is one of the most influential congregations in Ukraine.

“(Lutsenko) is in a very bad situation,” Adelaja said. “He’s got to prove now that (King’s Capital) is a pyramid scheme, but he cannot.”

Adelaja said he never encouraged his church members to invest in the company and cautioned them to invest in businesses that offer insurance. “Of course ... if you invest with insurance you get less percentage,” he said. “What happened was many people said they didn’t need insurance because the (King’s Capital leaders) were Christians.”

He was reported to have acknowledged being affiliated with GS Microfinance, but said he invested his name and influence in the bank, not millions of dollars. He was quoted to have said that GS Microfinance was formed to give small loans to poor Nigerians as a way of lifting them out of poverty.

“It’s not about what you can get, but the vision of the programme is to elevate and get as many people out of poverty as possible,” Adelaja was quoted as saying. “That is one of my lifetime passions ... because I grew up in poverty.”

Although Adelaja has repeatedly denied any involvement in King’s Capital, which has not officially been deemed a fraudulent business, Pentecostal and charismatic leaders across Ukraine are calling on him to repent, saying they heard him encourage church members to invest in the company on several occasions.

“He was not a president of this company, but he was the No. 1 spiritual leader, and he told them what they have to do,” said Bishop M. S.Panochko, leader of the All-Ukrainian Union of Pentecostal Churches of Evangelical Faith, which comprises 1,500 churches across the nation.

“He can do everything to tell them that he is not involved, but all the leaders have a lot of facts, and we have a lot of video of when he was pushing people, and he encouraged people to invest in this business.”

Panochko was one of 10 leaders who met with Adelaja in 2009 to confront him about his alleged support of King’s Capital and the negative impact some of his actions have had on the evangelical church in Ukraine.

The Pentecostal bishops, who together represent more than 2,500 congregations, listed seven items of concern and said Adelaja had a pattern of making exaggerated statements. They pointed particularly to his alleged claim that he led the 2004 Orange Revolution and his reports that God’s Embassy has 100,000 members across the nation.

The bishops say those and other statements are untrue.

After the meeting, Adelaja issued a statement saying he did not organize the Orange Revolution, though his congregation participated in the demonstrations. He also asked forgiveness for the negative impact the King’s Capital scandal has had on Ukrainian churches, but he added that he did not personally have any involvement in the company.

Despite the statement, Panochko said the bishops would continue waiting for Adelaja to apologize for allegedly endorsing King’s Capital. If he does not repent, Panochko said the bishops would issue a statement to Christians in Ukraine and abroad, and to the Ukrainian government, denouncing Adelaja and claiming no affiliation with him.

Moscow-based pastor Rick Renner, founder of the Good News Association of Churches and Ministries for Russia, Latvia and Ukraine, said Adelaja’s claims are hurting Christians in the former Soviet Union.

If convicted, Adelaja may spend up to 12 years in imprisonment, according to Part 4, Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Confirming the invitation by Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry, Adelaja told Empowered Newswire that the case for which he is being summoned is about the collapse of King’s Capital.

The Nigerian born cleric was described last year by the New York Times as one of Ukraine’s “best known public figures”

Another Nigerian young man was recently charged with attempted murder after he reportedly fought to defend himself from the assault of 4 Ukrainian attackers.

  Dismissing the allegation as mere political charges that bears no resemblance to fact, Adelaja said “in Ukraine you don’t have to commit a crime before you are accused, you only have to be targetted.”

 A well-known Ukrainian lawyer, Andrey Fedur, argues that as far as the law is concerned Adelaja “cannot be punished, for he does not have anything to do with this case. The charges are absolutely made up and have no foundation.”

According to a New York Times report last year, “Adelaja has built a vast religious organization under the banner of his church, Embassy of God. He has become one of Ukraine’s best known public figures,” making him by far a significant leader in the country whose favour politicians have curried in the past causing them to win victories to high public positions.

While Adelaja’s political battle has been on since 2009, the invitation to the state police on Tuesday is seen as a heightening of the case, after some members of the church have been detained for over two years.

Besides the Pastor himself is under constant police surveillance and not allowed to travel out of the country.

A media commentator and Washington DC publisher, Dr. Segun Olanipekun writing on the summoning said alongside Adelaja, five people have been accused in the church and those have been arrested by the police ahead of the new invitation.

According to Olanipekun, “the church fears that this invitation and the deliberate change of the charge to a criminal one are part of the plot to jail the innocent pastor as he is seen to be a threat to the present government.”

The King’s Capital was formed by some members of Adelaja’s church, but amidst the global economic crisis, the investment company failed and many investors lost a big chunk of money. The Ukrainian police is said to be insisting on linking Adelaja to the failure of the company and alleging criminal acts against the company. 

In previous interviews with the police, Adelaja said his questioners were always asking if he knew the church members who owned the business and he always answered in the affirmative, explaining that he was the target of the whole investigation.

 It is in the same country of Ukraine that a Nigerian student Olaolu Sunkanmi Femi has been detained since last November on charges of attempted murder after he fought to defend himself against white attackers.

Media reports said last November “eyewitness accounts say Olaolu and his friend who were hurled to the ground and racially abused was able to get up and grab hold of a piece of glass from a broken bottle to use in self-defence.”

Quoting Nigerian Embassy officials in Ukraine, reports stated that “it was while he was defending himself that police arrived at the scene and the Nigerian was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder of five people,” who were the original assailants.

Commenting on that case, Adelaja said, “tales like that were not uncommon in Ukraine, saying “they used to kill Africans like that in the past.”

Nigerian Embassy staff are said to be involved in the students case, while Adelaja’s travail is also drawing wider international ripples, with many petition drives online fighting the pastor’s cause. In one of such,  ipetition.com, and entitled: “Racial and Religious Persecution Against Sunday Adelaja,” the petitioners noted that “this is a textbook case of xenophobia and discrimination on religious ground.”

That petition also noted that the heightening of the offensive against Adelaja may not be unconnected to the forthcoming elections in the country. According to the petition, the current persecution “is a systemic effort to discredit, persecute and incriminate Pastor Sunday Adelaja from his work as the spiritual leader...in order to dissuade votes in favor of the opposition.”

Adelaja, in a telephone conversation with Empowered Newswire acknowledged that there were currently political moves in place trying to negotiate with him.

He said: “They are trying to solve the problem politically, but we can’t go public as yet on the terms, they are afraid the people may back the opposition.”

Since the country’s Orange revolution that spurred it effectively out of communism, Adelaja and his church have become a very critical force in the emergent political landscape of Ukraine. In Kiev, the local Mayor and the city are known to be very friendly with him, while  the country’s Attorney-General Mykola Onischyk has been known to speak up for him, defending his rights to innocent presumption until proven guilty.

It is well known in Ukraine that in 2004, members of the church took an active part in the events of the orange revolution, which resulted in  Adelaja being declared a persona non-grata to Russia by then President Vladimir Putin, who accused the Nigerian “of being a voice and a herald of western value systems,” in the old USSR, Communist state.

Also in 2007, Victor Yushchenko, the former President of Ukraine reportedly said that Adelaja’s church in Ukraine, “is the biggest threat to its political dominance that it held over the country.”

Culled: Compass