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  • Why those in govt are not comfortable with me – Bishop Kukah

    Why those in govt are not comfortable with me – Bishop Kukah

    The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah has said the role of prophets brings discomfort to those in power when the government is suffering the crisis of legitimacy.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Bishop Kukah stated this in his sermon at the silver jubilee of Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza.

    The silver jubilee of Bishop Mamza was held on Tuesday at St. Theresa’s Cathedral, Yola in Adamawa State.

    Bishop Kukah said friction arises with politicians only when they do not do what they promised to do during their campaigns.

    He said: “Friction arises only when politicians do not do what they promised to do during their campaigns, when they turn public trust into a family tustfund, when they watch the faces of their people scarred by poverty and squalor and look the other way.

    “How do we create a balance between our prophetic role and the discomfort it often brings to those in power? It is significant to note that this conflict often occurs when a government is suffering the crisis of legitimacy.

    “Every honest leader must cross the threshold of prejudice. It is the only way we can build a complicated society like Nigeria. Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping and all the negative things that threaten to drown our country are evidence of how the consequences of our becoming prisoners to prejudice.

    “For us in Nigeria, celebrations are a great part of the tapestry of our lives. In 2011, we entered the new year with a staggering announcement that out of over 150 countries that were surveyed, Nigerians were the happiest people in the world. In 2019, we fell to 85th position and in January this year, we are ranked 116 out of 154 countries. This is why, we must ask the question whether our glory is about to depart.

    “The pain and suffering that Boko Haram has inflicted on our country will scar our society for life. It has taken us to the bottom of the hill”.

    Read Bishop Kukah’s sermon at the silver jubilee of Bishop Mamza below:

    SERMON AT THE SILVER JUBILEE OF THE ORDINATION OF BISHOP STEPHEN DAMI MAMZA BY BISHOP MATTHEW HASSAN KUKAH, BISHOP OF SOKOTO DIOCESE ON APRIL 13th 2021 AT ST. THERESA’S CATHEDRAL, YOLA

    1: This is a normal day for many people but for Stephen Dami Mamza, it is a day of great memories. For us in Nigeria, celebrations are a great part of the tapestry of our lives. In 2011, we entered the new year with a staggering announcement that out of over 150 countries that were surveyed, Nigerians were the happiest people in the world. In 2019, we fell to 85th position and in January this year, we are ranked 116 out of 154 countries. This is why, we must ask the question whether our glory is about to depart.

    2: Notwithstanding all of this, we remain notoriously optimistic against all the most negative internal and external predictions against us. We dance when we are born. We dance when we are alive and when we die, the celebrations still continue. Today however, is special because, priests do not gather to celebrate achievements. We have not like the public officers, who despite using our resources still claim what they have spent out money on, as achievement. A priest cannot line up those he has administered the sacraments to as trophies of his achievements, nor can a bishop on a day like this say, all those whom I have ordained, please stand up for recognition.

    “When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why there is poverty, they say I am a Communist”.

    3: Today is one of those days in which we can only say, ‘Not to us Lord, not to us but to your name must glory be given’ (Ps. 115: 1). It is a day when we must ask, ‘how can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?’ (Ps. 116:12) It is a day for us to be reminded that there is nothing that we have that has not been given to us (1 Cor. 4:7). Indeed, today is a day that with humility, we must bow and acknowledge God our creator who called us. We must acknowledge all those great men and women, from our immediate parents, siblings and extended family, to the larger family of the body of Christ, our teachers. Those great catechists who made tremendous sacrifices, those who formed us in the seminaries, those great Elis in our lives who directly or indirectly, helped us to process the language of God into human form. May God bless them.

    4: For us, it is a day to ask how we heard the voice. It would be unthinkable for Bishop Mamza to have imagined when he started that he would be here to celebrate ten years of his priestly ordination seated on a throne in the cathedral. But this is the Lord’s doing and it is wonderful for us to see. The great thing is that it is the priesthood that is a vocation. The bishopric is not a vocation, nor should it be an aspiration because it is an office. And because it is an office, it can only be given by appointment. The call to be a priest is internal, private, intuitive, often unclear whereas an office is publicly declared. You recall that on his ordination day as bishop, we considered the announcement to be just hear say until that document was read out publicly to us.

    5: Bishop Stephen Mamza is lucky that he came into the priesthood very late in the day. Some of us were not so lucky. In my case, I was the first to be ordained a priest among the Ikulu people, my little ethnic group from Southern Kaduna. Three little incidents still linger whenever I think of my ordination. One was a young man who was so disappointed on the day of my first Mass, so much so that he left the Church in anger because I still had a black skin and nothing had changed even after my ordination. Another was an ECWA cousin who insisted he must receive holy communion because it was his brother who was distributing the communion. He said he was not asking for the one distributed by the white man or a Fulani man. Less than two months ago, he called me to greet me. He said he wanted to say how proud he was of what I had become because he had been at my ordination and that all he still remembers was that it was the first time he drank Fanta in his life! So, on this day, different folks have different strokes.

    6: We now need to pause and ask ourselves what we were called to do. In other words, what is a Catholic priest called to do? It is understandable that for us all, the priesthood is being seen as a sign of achievement: our parents have sobriquets as, Maman Fada or Baban Fada, yan uwan Fada, even abokanin Fada. The struggle for the appropriation of identity is not peculiar to us. After all, imagine the shock of those around when Jesus was told, ‘Your mother and your brothers are outside looking for you.’ It was natural for them to expect attention. It was expected that Jesus would naturally stop everything to attend to family matters. Recall the answer of Jesus: ‘My mother, sisters my brothers are those who do the will of God’ (Mt. 12: 48). This is a measure of the radical turn that a priest is called upon to make. So, when our family members are disappointed by the fact that they are not getting recognition for being related to us, it is understandable.

    7: This is not the place for us to indulge in definitions or analysis of the role and place of the clerical identity. Our brief attention should focus not so much on people’s expectations but on what we think of ourselves. The priest remains primarily the vessel for the transfer of God’s blessings to His people. To that extent, the priest is a mediator, an intercessor between God and His people. It is expected therefore that the priest must be in constant contact with God through prayer and, as Pope Francis said, ‘have the smell of his sheep.’ In his letter to the priests of the Diocese of Rome, His Holiness noted that: As priests, sons and members of a priestly people, it is up to us to take responsibility for the future and to plan for it as brothers. Let us place in the wounded hands of the Lord, as a holy offering, our own weakness, the weakness of our people and that of all humanity. It is the Lord who transforms us, who treats us like bread, taking our life into his hands, blessing us, breaking and sharing us, and giving us to his people.

    8: The notion of the smell of the sheep raises the question as to the definition of the boundaries of engagement between the social and the spiritual. In other words, does the priest have the luxury of looking at the world from the safety of his sacristy, occassionally merely sprinkling holy water and incense as his congregation trudges on in pursuit of their daily lives? This has been a subject of debate but the good news is that this debate is not new. Jesus was confronted with these challenges in the course of his daily life. He provided answers and directives that shook the foundation of the faith of His listeners. For example, ‘Can a man divorce his wife for any reason whatsoever?’ (Mt. 19:3) ‘Are we to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ (Mt. 22:15). ‘How should we pray?’ (Lk. 11:1). ‘Who is my neighbour?’ (Lk. 10:25).

    9: The most beautiful thing about Christianity is that it is not a religion that solely depends on scriptural texts. We are Christians because of the incarnation, namely, that God became man through Jesus Christ and Jesus taught us how to follow in His footsteps. In the face of uncertainty, He already told us, Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God and trust in me (Jn. 14:1). When some of His followers who focused on the strict application of the Law asked which was the greatest commandment, He told them to their utter shock that there were only two commandments: Love of God and neighbour (MT. 22: 36, Mk. 12:30).

    10: Perhaps, like the curious lawyer we might be curious and ask, and ‘who is my neighbour?’ Jesus answered that question with the story of the good Samaritan. That story challenges us and it is at the heart of Christianity. It summarises the teachings encapsulated in the ten commandments and beatitudes. Jesus restates that in the final judgment, this will be the basis for our entering heaven or hell. Yet, it is in the course of helping society understand and appreciate these teachings that we as priests are often called, controversial.

    11: The late Cardinal Helder Camara of Recife, Brazil, was a man who took the teachings of Jesus to heart and sought to put them into practice as much as he could. He was called, ‘Bishop of the slums’ because of his care for the poor. He was often in conflict with the authorities at the time he was a pastor in Recife. Right wing governments believed that anyone who questioned the system was a Communist agitator. In his most memorable quote, he said: When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why there is poverty, they say I am a Communist. This is the dilemma of every priest today. How do we create a balance between our prophetic role and the discomfort it often brings to those in power? It is significant to note that this conflict often occurs when a government is suffering the crisis of legitimacy.

    12: Yesterday, some of us were lucky to be at the great event that happened at Sangeri-Margi, here in the state capital, Yola. In an unprecedented move, Bishop Mamza embarked on a ground breaking initiative that has seen the provision of 86 housing units for hundreds of families who had been living in his cathedral since 2014. I had the rare honour of visiting him and seeing the internally displaced in the cathedral. I recall speaking to one of the Muslims around the cathedral who said to me to this effect: It is quite ironic, how suffering and persecution has taught me a great lesson about our Christian brothers. I have never had much contact with Christians beyond seeing them, but Boko Haram brought me to the Cathedral where we came to take refuge. No one has asked me about my religion here. It is most strange that I am running away from a fire lit by Boko Haram who say they are Muslims and now being accommodated by Christians who have been presented as our enemies and unbelievers!

    13: The pain and suffering that Boko Haram has inflicted on our country will scar our society for life. It has taken us to be bottom of the hill. When I visited Yola in the course of my work with the American University, I witnessed the resilience of individuals. Someone told me that if you lived in this town and did not have refugees in your home, then it was a sign that you were a wicked man. The people of Adamawa and the entire north-east deserve our commendation. People like Bishop Mamza have made believing in the values of Christianity very easy. It is our hope and our prayers that what Bishop Mamza has done will be emulated by our Muslim brothers. Although the bishop himself said, the housing estate, clinic, bore hole and classrooms were built by different agencies, still, it is a measure of the values that we share as a people that the bishop decided to use the resources of the Diocese of Yola to construct a Mosque for the displaced Muslims. Given that in northern Nigeria, Christians are being openly discriminated against, denied lands for places of worship, their churches destroyed with no compensation, all we can do is hope that our Muslim brothers will light their candles from what Bishop Mamza has done so that indeed, our dialogue will no longer just be photographs and grand speeches, but real, concrete, life changing engagements. I am looking forward to the day a Muslim president, traditional ruler, senator, imam, businessman will lay the foundation for the building of a church for Christians.

    14: Finally, my dear brothers and sisters, let us congratulate our brother who has done and continues to do great things even at a very young age. He is 25 years a priest today and only ten years a bishop. As the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Adamawa State Chapter, he has created a fantastic working relationship with the State without compromising the integrity of his office. When politicians do what they have sworn to do, even in their imperfections, they can count on our support and prayers. Friction arises only when politicians do not do what they promised to do during their campaigns, when they turn public trust into a family tustfund, when they watch the faces of their people scarred by poverty and squalor and look the other way.

    15: By using church funds to build a mosque, Bishop Mamza has acted quite scandalously in the eyes of some of his faithful. But every sincere and honest leader must scandalise his own constituency who, often imprisoned by ignorance, see public office as the turn of their kinsmen and women (whether by faith or ethnicity), to eat. However, Christianity is a ‘scandalous’ religion. Jesus scandalised the people when he befriended and ate with sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors (Mt. 9:10ff, Mk, 2:13ff). It was scandalous for Him to allow himself to be killed in the most humiliating way of the cross. Every honest leader must cross the threshold of prejudice. It is the only way we can build a complicated society like Nigeria. Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping and all the negative things that threaten to drown our country are evidence of how the consequences of our becoming prisoners to prejudice.

    16: As the Prophet Isaiah said in our first reading: ‘We sing the praise of the Lord’s goodness and his marvelous deeds.’ We join the psalmist in blessing His name forever. We know and we believe that if we knock, the door will be opened and if we ask in faith we shall receive. May the Lord who knows our hearts and our thoughts, who knows what we need to do His will, fulfil His promises of making all things new through us (Rev. 21: 5). Amen.

  • Attempts to sabotage Buhari’s government on the rise – Orji Kalu

    Attempts to sabotage Buhari’s government on the rise – Orji Kalu

    The Senate Minority Leader and senator representing Abia North in the National Assembly, Orji Uzor Kalu, has raised an alarm over an attempt at sabotaging the presidency of Muhammadu Buhari.

    The lawmaker revealed this on Monday on a monitored Channels Television programme.

    Kalu, who was also ex-governor of Abia State, called on the Federal Government to collaborate more with governors in nipping in the bud the various security challenges in the country.

    “Anywhere you have no police to police the society, it means the society is failed because the major job of a government is to protect lives and properties of the citizens. Once that kind of aspect fails, we are in trouble,” he said.

    “I believe there is sabotage to the Presidency of Muhammadu Buhari. A lot of sabotage, things are on duty to sabotage him, the society.

    “The Federal Government should cooperate with the state governments. We have done well as a party in many areas but security is key and we need to address this issue, come together.”

    On the way forward, he asked President Buhari to tackle the numerous security challenges in the country to convey a security summit with the service chiefs, governors, selected ex-governors and former military personnel.

  • Why I publicly criticize my husband’s government – Aisha Buhari

    Why I publicly criticize my husband’s government – Aisha Buhari

    First Lady Aisha Buhari has said her critic of the Buhari administration should not be seen as a disrespect to her husband but something she does because of her passion for good governance.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Aisha had stunned Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike in October 2016 when she said on the Hausa Service of the BBC that she was not sure of supporting a second term bid of her husband except there was a shake-up in government.

    She claimed that the president did not know most of the government officials he had appointed and that many had been nominated due to the influence of a few people.

    “The president does not know 45 out of 50, for example, of the people he appointed and I don’t know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years,” she said.

    Three years later, after Buhari had been elected for a second term, the First Lady said those he called bad people had taken over the government.

    But in her biography ‘Aisha Buhari: Being different,’ which was launched in Abuja on Thursday, the author, Daji Sani, says Aisha does not stand to ‘criticize her husband publicly.

    “In many villages in northern Nigeria, educating a girl is not considered a priority. In fact, early marriage affects every eighth girl. According to UNICEF, one in seven girls is reported to give birth by age seventeen. The easiest justification for this practice is that it serves as a strategy for reducing the burden on the family.

    “It is also viewed as a way of protecting the sanctity of the girl-child. Another report shows that child marriage occurs more frequently among girls who are the least educated and poorest, and who are living in rural areas.

    The above scenario was the kind of social-cultural background that Aisha was born into and raised. Married at an early age, for her, the future seemed unsure.

    “But the hope in her mind is massive. Interestingly, fate shone on her with the splendor of an enlightened gentleman. She married the kind of man any woman would want to associate herself with, a highly placed and responsible man. Even though this automatically placed her on the path of greatness, her family values have been the key influence in her life to this day.

    “In 1989, the young lady, Aisha Halilu, got married to Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Major-General and former Military Head of State of Nigeria. Marriage as an institution moves at an undulating pace, full of uncertainties. The ability to surmount the challenges and move on to an unknown destination is crucial in marriage. Aisha, like any other girl-child married as a teenager, faced the challenges of adapting to womanhood.”

  • Are you the Anointed One? – Hope O’Rukevbe Eghagha

    Let me from the start alert my readers that today, my chosen topic which carries a question mark ‘Are you the Anointed One’? – has nothing to do with notions and practices of religious zealots, true and/or false prophets, how they milk people, how the people love to have it so and how they sell the ‘anointing’ to gullible followers who are ready to sell off their property to sow a seed!

    Nor am I interrogating ‘anointing’ from the viewpoint of a benevolent heretic, which I am sure, can lead to perdition or everlasting destruction, not in hell in the orthodox sense which I fundamentally disagree with, but annihilation just like the Boko Haram in Northeast Nigeria and bandit scoundrels of Zamfara, their supporters and their financiers (in and outside government) will suffer at the end of time! How many innocent lives, families have they destroyed?

    Today, my focus is on ‘anointed’ persons in the political world, the world of politics in Nigeria and perhaps beyond. Of course, I am a firm believer in the Divine, for which I have no apology, especially now that I have crossed sixty, if I may reference the biblical threescore and ten allocation of life chronology and the implications on my tenancy on earth!

    Democracy is all about competition on a level ground. In a federal system it is good to work out an arrangement of power sharing. Yet such an arrangement should place premium on competence

    So, when I interrogated pastors who buy jets in my essay three weeks ago, it was not out of heretic convictions, or a mischievous attempt to ridicule the holy and the sacred order of things. It was following in the tradition of the Master, the Greater and More Perfect Tabernacle who once picked up a whip and lashed at money-doublers who made merchandise of and desecrated the sacred awe of the temple of the holy One!

    As we know, in religious circles, ‘the anointed one’ refers to a ‘special calling from God. In Nigerian politics, it refers to the person whom the powers-that-be have declared should occupy a position, merit or no merit, election or no election! When there is an anointed person, all he needs to do is present himself for election. And pronto! It is done! For the beneficiary, it is sweet. You know, a man who enters a race knowing that all the elements will be mobilized, structured, skewed, manipulated, and deployed in his favour.

    To be sure, there are different levels of anointing, whether at the very low level, middle level or the most strategic level in the polity. Anointing is widespread. It is found in religious groups, in the corporate world and in politics. From chairmanship position of the local governments, through Members of House, House of Representatives, Governorship, Senate and the presidency. In our peculiar circumstances, we zone a position to a region, the region zones it to a district, the district then uses other opaque factors to further zone the zoned and somebody emerges. Often, the beneficiary is the product of a godfather, local or national. In the corporate world, an outgoing chief executive could favour one of two or three deputies by ensuring that the Board accepts his successor. An outgoing governor could also want to produce his successor by anointing someone from a particular constituency. It is not always successful, this business of anointing a successor.

    Sometimes, a person could become the anointed owing to prevailing circumstances. In other words, certain powerful persons could decide that the fellow in question would serve their interests in power. Also, there could be a misperception of the character of the anointed one, that he would make a difference in the polity. His political value could also be a myth, as recent developments in Nigeria have shown, not all that glitters is gold, gold could take rust too, and it’s easier to say than to do, especially if the anointed one has a hidden agenda! In the Second Republic the UPN hierarchy wanted all governors anointed to run a second term. There was a rebellion by party stalwarts, and the party was not the same again.

    In the kind of system that we run the best person may be rejected by the kingmakers. In 1979, the kingmakers in both the exiting military government and the NPN decided that Chief Obafemi Awolowo, easily the best of all the candidates would not get the presidency. Did somebody say that the best candidate did not have to win and when Chief Awolowo died, did someone say that he was the ’best president Nigeria never had? A land of jokers!

    We are on the verge of another election and the anointed persons at the national level who have thoroughly messed up the country are preparing to heist power through the ballot box. They have anointed themselves as messiahs. They will anoint governors through the courts, even at appellate levels. They will anoint Senators. They will anoint cows and herds to govern the land. And we shall remain in the dark, except the God who liberated the nation from Abacha’s stranglehold decides to intervene again, for which we pray, and in which we hope. That the real anointing of the next president should come from above, not from men of evil hearts who have a nefarious agenda that has ruined lives!

    Are you the anointed one? You know, when some candidates start the campaign for office, they would be asked whether they have been anointed by the powers-that-be. In that equation, the people do not count. It is not a question of who would be acceptable to the people, because in the real sense, the ballot box does not count. Which is a tragedy. The truth is that the doctrine of anointed candidates has not served Nigeria well. Democracy is all about competition on a level ground. In a federal system it is good to work out an arrangement of power sharing. Yet such an arrangement should place premium on competence. A country which chooses a moron or an unhealthy leader over a bright and astute candidate is only digging itself into the mud. It may take another generation to recover from the blight of incompetence, clannishness, and ineptitude. Are you the anointed one? Let the people anoint you. Not the selfish godfathers whose interests may run counter to the common good!

    Professor Eghagha can be reached on heghagha@yahoo.com or 08023220393.

  • Feyemi’s wife begs government to remove tax on sanitary pads

    Feyemi’s wife begs government to remove tax on sanitary pads

    The wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, has called on government to remove taxation on sanitary pads and engage in its local production to make it less expensive.

    She said this on Thursday at the inauguration of project P4iGC3, Pad for Improved Girl Child Education, by Balm in Gilead Foundation For Sustainable Development, BIGIF in Ado-Ekiti.

    Mrs Fayemi explained that such government’s policy was needed to promote the girl-child upbringing and keep them in school.

    “In rural areas, women do not have access to sanitary products. It is safe to say that one in every three girls in the country cannot afford safe and hygienic sanitary pads for proper menstrual hygiene management” she said.

    She also called for the sensitisation of adolescent girl child on menstrual health management to prevent environmental hazards associated with indiscriminate disposition of used sanitary pads.

    The wife of the governor remarked that relevant authorities should include girl-child education and training in their responsibilities to reduce the risk of getting them impregnated while in school.

    The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Dr Olabimpe Aderiye, said that the initiative would further ensure the encouragement of the girl-child in school.

    Earlier, the Founder of the BIGIF initiative, Mrs Tumininu Akerele, had said that the project aimed at ending period poverty and promoting shared prosperity of health rights toward improved girl-child education in Southwest Nigeria.

    She said that the project aimed at given out free sanitary pads to girl – child in schools, saying that it targeted 3, 000 girls across secondary schools in four states namely: Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo State.

    Dignitaries at the events include: the Head of Service in the state, Mrs Peju Babafemi; the in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Olabimpe Aderiye.

  • Ekiti APC warns indigenes, opposition parties against attacks on Fayemi’s government

    Ekiti APC warns indigenes, opposition parties against attacks on Fayemi’s government

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has advised indigenes and opposition parties in the state to shun the idea of perpetually whipping up negative narratives about the state, but rather to always celebrate the activities and achievements of the state government and people of the state that impact positively on the well being of the people.

    In a statement signed and released on Sunday by Elder Sam Oluwalana, the Director of Media and Publicity for the party in the state, several activities that are worthy of mention and in the international space have happened or are in the offing in the state but are not considered mentioning by certain elements in the state for political reasons which does not bode well for the state.

    “Some people would rather run the state government down rather than celebrate the good things they are doing, because of politics.

    ”Indigenes and residents should know that we are all in this together and that when you urinate in the Commonwealth well, it all affects all of us.

    “Lets all of us have good thoughts and contribute goodwill for the benefit of the generality of the people, like the Bible said;” those who wish good tidings for our Jerusalem would prosper ,” Oluwalana said in the statement.

    Highlighting some of the good moments of the state under Governor Kayode Fayemi, Oluwalana said: “In recent time, Ekiti state has been in the limelight for very good reasons and her name has continued to receive positive mention both nationally and internationally.

    The state is living up to expectations as the “Land of Honour” as it quietly picks its race to the topmost in all aspects of human development indices.

    Ekiti, under the leadership of Dr Kayode Fayemi, who is the fourth civilian governor to preside over the governance of the state, is presently recording many firsts in virtually all aspects of human endeavours.

    Few days ago, Dr Fayemi held meetings with top security advisers to respond to the renewed threat to lives and property in the state as part of his proactive measures to ensure the state remains peaceful as always.

    Similarly, as Chair of Governors Forum, he held a series of strategic meetings across the length and breadth of the country in an effort to find a united and organic solutions to the challenge of insecurity in the country generally. Even within the south west political zone, he has continued to profer creative and collaborative solutions on the best way to curtail the demons of kidnapping and rural insecurity.

    The immediate result of these meetings can be seen in the mobilisation of national consensus around the understanding of the problem and the renewed concerted effort to combat it head long.

    In another development, Nigeria’s quest to promote gas utilisation policy as as a substitute to fossile fuel under the National Gas Expansion Programme, received a boost with the launch of the project in Ekiti as the first state in the south west. The project is expected to employ nothing less than 5000 youths in gas related businesses. It will also drive down cost of energy and environmental sustainability

    Within the same time, medical equipment worth N300m was commissioned in an effort to boost health delivery service in the state. The items of the equipment are to be distributed to government hospitals in the state.

    The Ikun Diary Farm which was being managed by Promasidor received a further lift with the arrival of 250 of about 1000 Texas Steered Cows to boost operation of the industry and actualise its delivery of 10000 liters of fresh milk daily.

    All these are aimed at making actualising the program of the APC to turn around the economic fortunes of Ekiti state.

    Though the panel that is hearing grievances from those maltreated by the disbanded police Special Anti Robbery Squad is yet to conclude its sitting and submit its report, Governor Fayemi has approved the immediate release of the sum of N7.2 million as compensation to proven victims of police brutality.

    This was announced by the state Attorney General and commissioner for Justice, Mr Olawale Fapohunda during one of the sittings of the panel.

    It is high time members of the opposition opened their eyes and ears to see and hear these good tidings already delivered and those that are still in the pipeline,” he said.

  • Just in: Imo police arraign 14 aides of Okorocha for breaching state’s security

    Just in: Imo police arraign 14 aides of Okorocha for breaching state’s security

    Fourteen aides of the former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, were on Monday arraigned before her lordship, B. U Adikaibe of Magistrate Court 4, Owerri.

    Some of the aides are Eberendu Chimechefulem, Ebere Nwoke, Basil MBA, Ebuka Samuel, Darlington Ibekewe, Obasi Goodluck, Nwaiwu Ndubuisi, Ekpendu Peace, Steve Anisnuobi, Ebere Nwokeobi.

    They were being arraigned on a seven-count bordering on disturbance to the security of the state and destruction of government seal at Royal Spring Palm Estate, Owerri, on Sunday.

    While Eddy Onyema is the leading counsel for the defendants, E.S Ibechem is the prosecutor.

    After hearing bail applications for and against the defendants, the magistrate went on 15 minutes break to enable her to rule on the bail applications.

  • Niger youths give government 48 hours deadline to rescue Kangara students, others

    Niger youths give government 48 hours deadline to rescue Kangara students, others

    Youths in Niger State on Saturday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the state government to rescue 41 persons abducted from the Government Science Secondary School, Kangara, and 21 commuters abducted along Minna-Zungeru road.

    Briefing journalists at the Abdulsalami Youth Centre in Minna, the youths, under the aegis of the National Youths Council of Nigeria, decried the lack of security in the state and accused the state government of not doing much to tackle the challenge.

    “Today in Niger State, not less than 10 local governments are either facing kidnapping or banditry of various forms,” the youths’ statement said. “This is becoming unbearable and unacceptable.

    They charged the state and the federal government to “sit up” and face the business of securing lives and properties.

    The federal government earlier on Saturday said it will not pay a ransom to secure the release of abducted persons, although it is exploring military and non-military options in securing the freedom of victims.

    Many communities in Niger State, which shares borders with the Federal Capital Territory and is the largest state in the country, have suffered from bandit attacks for years.

    Barely 24 hours after the Kagara school attack, gunmen attacked other communities in the state, killing at least one person.

    The state government has shut down boarding schools in affected areas and has said it is working to secure the release of kidnapped persons.

     

    READ THE YOUTH’S FULL STATEMENT:

    BEING A PRESS CONFERENCE RELEASE ON SATURDAY 20TH FEBRUARY, 2021 BY NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL OF NIGERIA, NIGER STATE CHAPTER AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS IN NIGER STATE ON THE SPATE OF INSECURITY, KIDNAPPING AND BANDITRY: A CALL TO ACTION
    Dear Nigerlites and Nigerians,
    The once acclaimed most peaceful and hospitable state in Nigeria has been thrown into a state of chaos and mundane situations with everyday ushering uncertainties and perilous atmosphere for the peace and loving citizens.
    Over the last few years, many have got reason to discourse and analyze the state of affairs in our darling Niger State, the pulse and the trend has been too ugly despite continuous hope and unflinching optimism and patriotism demonstrated by all to see it positioned for greatness, socioeconomic gains and purposeful stewardship.
    Niger State is becoming a shadow of itself considering the occurring realities of insecurity manifesting in almost 2/3 of its LGAs. It is either we are awoken by kidnapping and banditry by unknown gunmen who have dispersed and made thousands homeless in their ancestral homes.
    The implications of this heinous crimes arel; many inhabitants from this ravaged communities who are known to be peasant farmers have abandoned and lost all their large farmlands and produce due to incessant attacks. Many are now seeking refuge on identified internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp across the state. The future of the young ones is bleak as schools have been shut, commercial activities deserted and healthcare accessibility now a mirage.
    We are aware of many calls before now by citizens and other stakeholders in the state on a renewed strategy to curb the emerging security threat in the state when videos of unknown gunmen were seen having prayers and recorded voice notes of a targeted attacks in the state. Many including the state government took the threat as a mere child’s play to react and nip the bud of the situation before its budding.
    Today in Niger State, not less than 10 LGAs are either facing kidnapping or banditry of various forms. This is becoming unbearable and unacceptable, the reason why we are all out to raise our lofty voices and charge the state government to sit up and face the business of securing lives and properties which it has sworn to protect.
    Need much to say, our representatives from the State and National assemblies have done little or nothing to proffer solutions on the way out of this quagmire. Many of them have forgotten their responsibilities to speak and defend their constituencies in these times of hardship. But we wish to remind them that, we are very aware of their silence and we will pay back with awesome actions in the nearest future.
    It is on the foregoing abysmal and profound perturbations that, we the coalition of youths and civil society organizations in Niger State wish to state clear our stand today.
    OUR RESOLUTIONS
    The policy summersault of Niger State Government in this precarious situation is worrisome. In one breath, the Governor expressed disinclination to negotiate with bandits, in another breath, the Secretary to the State Government was advancing talks with bandits on behalf of the Governor with a view to negotiating Niger State out of security quagmire.
    It is on the foregoing abysmal and profound perturbations that, we the coalition of youths and civil society organizations in Niger State consequently advance the following demands:
    1. The Government should facilitate the release/rescue of all abducted commuters aboard NSTA bus and pupils of Government Science College, Kagara, within 48 hours.
    2. The Governor of Niger State, Alh. Abubakar Sani Bello must identify and personally visit parents/guardians/husbands/wives of all the abducted commuters and pupils of Government Science College Kagara.
    3. Most of the abducted commuters are bread winners of their various families, we demand the Government should provide relief materials to all families of the abductees within 24 hours.
    4. The Government of Niger State should establish within Twenty four (24) hours of this release, a situation room where Nigerlites and the abductees family members could access true situation of the rescue/release efforts.
    5. The Government should provide adequate security to all communities, schools and other soft targets within the shortest period of time.
    6. Local Vigilantes should be inculcated into conventional Military forces with a view of deploying them to provide security for their communities.
    7. The Governor should personally visit all Internally Displaced Persons camps in the State within Seven (7) days.
    8. The Federal Government should without further hesitation declare state of emergency on security.
    9. We demand inclusion of youth representatives in the planned stakeholders meeting which is premise on the state government scheduled for Tuesday 23rd February, 2021. We believe the youthfolk is a major stakeholder in Niger State Project, hence this demand
    10. We therefore request with all Nigerlites to continue to pray for the victims and their families and never use derogatory statements capable of truncating the negotiating process of the abductees. We are perturbed by the rising misconceptions and wish to call for calm and optimism.
    11. The existing Local Vigilantes should be strengthened and adequately supported to enhance Local Security arrangement.
    12. The creation of Ministry for Home Affairs and Internal Security as obtainable in Zamfara and Kaduna States.
    13. We condemn in strongest term the reckless statement credited to minister of defence were he urged Nigerians not to be “COWARDS” but stand and confront bandits Heavily armed with assorted sophisticated weapons. We demand immediate retraction and apologies from the minister.
    As responsible citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we believe and share in the vision of Nigeria’s sovereignty and indivisibility, but same shouldn’t be misconstrue as weakness for criminals to feast on our people and resources.
    We implore Government at all levels to work assiduously toward meeting our demands within the stipulated timeframe. The Youths would explore the option of “GRAND PROTEST” tagged “OCCUPY NIGER” should we notice lackadaisical disposition towards our demands.
    We finally wish to thank all Nigerlites for their unflinching prayers and concerns over the last few days. You all have demonstrated that we are all one in this trying times. We urge you to keep the prayers afloat until normalcy and our once peaceful state of our dream Niger is restored.
    We thank Sheikh Dr Ahmad Gumi and other notable Nigerians for coming to the aid of our abducted citizens. We are not unaware of Niger State Government efforts in this trying time. Our support for them remains resolute in these trying times with hope and prayers things go right for the betterment of all.
    Thank you and God Bless.
    SIGNED:
    National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Niger State Chapter
    Youth Lead Nigeria
    Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG)
    The Blue Resolution Initiative (TBRi)
    Niger State Students in Diaspora
    Concerned Shiroro Youths
    Minna Emirate Youth Association
    National Associations of Nigerian Students

  • For bandits, an end to red carpets -Chidi Amuta

    By Chidi Amuta

    President Buhari’s National Security Adviser, Mr. Babagana Monguno, needs not bother with more seminars and town hall meetings on insecurity.

    The seminars and meetings are holding themselves daily in the nightmare of our daily encounter with terror and armed lawlessness. The very conclusions he seeks have already been drawn.

    They are etched in the new series of kidnappings, abductions, murders and hold ups all over the country. Just as he was kicking off a series of zonal town hall meetings to distil public perspectives on insecurity in the nation, criminal bandits made their own practical presentation. They abducted over 40 students and collateral others in Kagara, Niger State.

    The Kagara incident is yet another in the growing industry of serial school abductions mostly in parts of Nigeria’s Islamic north. State official figures indicate that some 27 school children and about 15 other collateral school officials and their family members are yet unaccounted for after an early morning raid by an armed gang. This is coming barely a few weeks after the massive abduction of over 300 boys of a government school in Kankara, Katsina state. There is currently a hot search for the abductees and their armed captors.

    Hope remains alive as prayer candles burn all over the nation that the Kagara students, like their colleagues in Kankara, will come to no harm and will be released to their parents and loved ones. What is uncertain is that their captors and their sponsors will ever be apprehended, prosecuted or in any way brought to book. After the children may have been rescued or freed, there will be the usual Mickey Mouse back and forth as to whether ransom was paid or the bandits had a sudden rush of good behavior and decided to release the children. There will be footage of the students on their return and the usual televised reception gathering of state officials and the students. There may be photo opportunities of benevolent bandits posing with federal and state officials. There will be claims and counter claims by the various arms of the security apparatus as to which of them actually performed the feat. There may even be a clash of good intent between the military and the police as to whose wondrous work it was. For us as a public, what is important now is the safety and freedom of the innocent children and the other collateral captives being held by these agents of the dark.

    Yet, what will regrettably remain mysterious is why the bandits never get arrested, prosecuted or why they get stronger and more audacious after each release of hostages. In the growing culture of banditry and the ritual of abductions, negotiated releases and short respite, how come the bandits are being accorded a curious legitimacy and recognition as a new feature of our new normal in the northern states especially?

    The war against terrorism and insurgency ought to be about holding people accountable for actions against fellow Nigerians and the state. It ought to be about using security forces to underline the fact that criminal and treasonous actions carry dire consequences. If the massive security dragnet ostensibly laid out all over the country cannot apprehend and bring criminals and insurgents to book, what are they about?

    The rise of a new category of violent criminals aptly christened ‘bandits’ is yet another chapter in the curiosity of evolving terminologies in Nigeria’s language of insecurity. Terrorists, militants and now bandits have joined an elongating catalogue of infamy that started off with ordinary armed robbers and sundry common criminals. As it turns out, bandits are armed outlaws who battle the official security forces, rustle cattle, kidnap people, collect ransom from kidnap victims, collect illegal taxes from farmers to allow them plant or harvest their crops.

    For disturbing the peace and challenging the Nigerian state and its presiding officialdom, bandits are treated to red carpet meetings and negotiation sessions with state officials including governors and military and police commanders in some northern states. After these meetings, they pose for photo opportunities with state officials and security commanders with their unique battle gear and full arsenal of military grade weaponry. These negotiations are reportedly cemented with troves of cash payouts to the bandits with a tacit understanding that they can keep their weapons, maintain their distance from other citizens and allow the state governments and their official security details carry on with business as usual. As it were, the shortest route to official recognition and unearned compensation by some states is to rent or buy some old AK 47s, use them to harass some farmers or abduct some travelers in order to earn an invitation to the state house. In these states, there are now two recognized realms of armed authority: government and bandits!

    There would seem to have been some progress in the evolution of this dubious diarchy. Some traditional rulers and religious leaders have now joined the wagon of negotiating, meeting with and even pleading the cause of the bandits. Still trending is the recent meeting of Sheikh Gumi with bandit squads and their leaders in Zamfara state. The respected Sheikh came out of the meetings almost as a convert to the cause of banditry, pleading for the appeasement of the bandits for the sake of peace. A useful aspect of the Gumi intervention was the recognition that banditry is indeed a consequence of socio economic alienation. No one knows what demographics the bandit leaders represent or the extent to which a random appeasement of these armed miscreants will address let alone end the scandalous inequality that may have driven many of our citizens into desperate criminality.

    For those who awaited the action of the president on the Kagara abduction, President Buhari has done and said the obvious. He should be getting bored ordering security forces to ensure the safe release of the abducted children and the others. Significantly, the emphasis in this and previous episodes has been on the safe release of the abductees. A presidential order on a matter as grevious as this ought however to contain a stern and unambiguous directive to fish out the criminals and ensure that they are brought to book as a way of ending this scourge.

    It is noteworthy that since the abduction of the Chibok girls, the Dapchi girls and up to the Kankara boys, there have been any number of abductions perhaps on smaller scales. I am not aware that any culprits have been arrested or arraigned in any court in Nigeria for responsibility for these abductions. There have not been any reported incidents of a breakthrough in smashing the cells of these abductors and industrial scale kidnappers. Instead, there is an abundance of claims and counter claims of ransom payments sometimes in millions of dollars to secure the release of those abducted. Sometimes, state officials or paid commission agents have served as conduits for ransom negotiations and actual payments.

    Once some captives are released, the focus shifts from criminal liability to official triumphalism. We close our eyes to the necessity to hold people to account, to apprehend criminals and extract consequences for acts of terror against the Nigerian state and for crimes against our common national humanity. Soon enough, the empowered and emboldened criminal gangs reassemble and reorganize, plan future operations and apply the proceeds of their ransom to yet more operations with even better weapons and superior communications.

    The unstated conclusion would seem to be that these ransoms and appeasements are being applied to capitalize further exploits and fund new groups in an increasingly lucrative business of human trafficking. I am not aware that our security forces have made any breakthroughs in cracking the cells of these bandit gangs let alone unearthing information that could lead to their liquidation and disbandment.

    In the more recent iterations of the armed bandit squads, something interesting seems to have happened. We no longer know the difference between the random criminal bandit gangs and the fanatical zealot terrorists that began as Boko Haram and the other Al Queda affiliates. The franchise of terrorists seems to have expanded and the demarcation lines have become hazy. They all target schools, kidnap priests and clerics, kill many people in public places and ambush state and military officials. The targeting of schools is quite significant as it fits into the doctrinal plank of the original Boko Haram as haters of books and western education. But the original theocratic motivation may have been overwhelmed by the profit motive of ransom hauls and huge negotiated cash settlements.

    The wider strategic impact of these school abductions should nonetheless trouble us all. As in the case of the earlier Kankara boys of Katsina state, governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State has ordered the closure of schools in vulnerable districts of the state. Adjoining states may follow suit. In the process, a major strategic victory is being scored by the criminal gangs and their political supporters. Setting education back by even a few weeks means setting the development of northern Nigeria back by years if not decades. And yet, we have major state officials and leaders of the region openly pleading the cause of bandits and armed criminals.

    Admittedly, terror and banditry could strike even in the best of places. But what is worrisome about today’s Nigeria is a palpable collapse of leadership consensus across the spectrum of governance. Nothing illustrates this than the cacophony of voices and stampede of perspectives among our leaders especially in the northern half of the country.

    The governor of Zamfara State, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, went to Aso Rock earlier this week to plead the case of the bandits. He reportedly told President Buhari that the bandits tormenting his state only took to armed criminality out of desperate deprivation. In other words, please give us some money for their welfare! Similarly, the Bauchi state governor, Bala Mohammed, recently justified herdsmen carrying AK-47 rifles, insisting they need the guns to protect their flock and themselves from rustlers and fellow bandits. Governor, Ahmed Fintri of Adamawa state, has reportedly armed some 3000 local hunters to aid the anti insurgency fight in his state, a rather comic indictment of the official security forces. Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has advocated the right of every Nigerian to bear arms for self defense. A more Nigerian governor in matters spiritual, Darius Ishaku of Taraba state, has asked Nigerians to pray for an end to the scourge of insecurity around the country.

    On the other hand, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state, a more secular and constitution minded leader, has stoutly opposed meetings and dialogues with bandits. He has also disagreed with his colleague governors in the north on security strategies, insisting that governors should not dialogue with bandits as it emboldens and confers on them a legitimacy that is strange to law. On his part, the Minister of Defence, Mr. Bashir Magashi, has added a Hobbesian dimension to the national security headache. He admits that the matter of general insecurity has gotten so out of hand that ‘self help’ may now be an inevitable option for the general public. He has thrown open citizen security to a public free for all. The minister has asked every Nigerian to defend themselves from bandits and armed criminals the best way they deem fit! Everyman to himself; forget the state!

    At best, the official Nigerian position on the cascading insecurity in the country remains one of armed confrontation and neutralization. In extreme cases of insurgency, Nigeria’s approach remains one of counter terrorism and anti insurgency. In moderate criminal cases, the Nigerian state hopes that a combined force of the police and the military will outgun dangerous people and restore law, order and security.

    At the international level, however, there is now a new thinking. It is now being realized that the insecurity in the Sahel region of Africa, which Nigeria shares, is not just about insurgency and fundamentalist terrorism. Rather, it is a product of increasing poverty affecting a population of over 12 million in countries as far afield as Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger. Chad and Cameroun.

    Similarly, climate change has driven millions in the region into hunger and poverty. All this has made the region a fertile ground for the ripple effects of the southward push of a dying Islamic fundamentalist terrorism now threatened in Europe and parts of the Middle East. In countries where governance failure has led to a weakened internal security situation, criminal elements have found a soft operating ground. Nigeria may have to look hard at the latter imperative and seek the necessary international cooperation and assistance.

    The new US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, has in tis new light found time to address instability and terrorism in the Sahel. US and European interest in the area is not new. Emmanuel Macron has promised not to withdraw French forces from the region. As a matter of fact, both the US and France in particular have expressed their security concerns about the area through active military presence. In addition to contingents of French forces stationed in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, the US has a drone base in Niger. Both the United Kingdom and the United States have, to varying degrees, been collaborating with Nigeria in intelligence sharing , training and humanitarian efforts to engage the increasing instability and terrorism in the area.

    The new thrust of the international concern on insecurity in the Sahel has been underlined by Mr. Blinken. It is the realization that military effort and counter terrorism operations alone cannot put an end to insecurity in the region. The area is home to worsening poverty, serious environmental and climate change threats and various forms of deprivation that have combined to drive millions of people into armed extremism and fanatical indulgences. Economic intervention and urgent massive humanitarian assistance must be thrown in in addition to insistence on accountable governance.

    The United Nations Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Mr. Mark Lowcock, recently broke down the strategic threats in the Sahel to factors like: population pressures, conflicts, climate change, poverty and poor governance which pays scant attention to the real needs of people. These have been deepened by militarization of armed groups and the activities of criminal gangs mostly for financial gains. Sometimes the raids and abductions as we have seen in Nigeria are recruitment drives to expand the membership of the roving armies.

    The optimism that the Kagara students will be released is our legitimate entitlement. But it should not blind us to the stark failure of strategy and doctrine in official Nigerian security thinking. The strategy of laying out red carpets for criminal bandits will worsen a bad situation. Hugging armed bandits with sacks of cash can only breed more abductions and a viral spread of the menace by making banditry attractive and rewarding. Similarly, the thinking that appeasement of armed criminals through amnesty programmes and selective re-habilitation can only make the cult of armed criminality more enticing. It is already sending out signals of double standards to the rest of the Nigerian society.

    What the situation urgently calls for is a strategy that uses the security forces to smash the networks of terror and criminality in order to exact consequences through the force of law. Criminals should be discouraged through strict enforcement of existing laws and further stiff penalties. We probably need new laws. How about the death sentence for armed banditry as with kidnapping now in Lagos State?

    In tandem, the federal and various state administrations in the most affected areas must quickly come up with a comprehensive and sustainable social investment scheme (not tokenism) to systematically reduce the inequality that has made parts of our country the festering hotbeds of armed criminality.

  • Edwin Clark reveals three greatest enemies within Buhari’s government

    Edwin Clark reveals three greatest enemies within Buhari’s government

    Elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark on Wednesday said while popular Kaduna based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi’s recent peace meeting efforts with some bandits in Zamfara forests is commendable, however his (Gumi’s) statement comparing them (bandits) with the Niger Delta agitators is inhumane and condemnable.

    The former Federal Commissioner for Information also said President Muhammadu Buhari is a ‘first-class gentleman’ surrounded by detractors.

    Clark said this in a virtual press briefing attended by TheNewsGuru.com, TNG on Wednesday.

    The nonagenarian while explaining reasons for the agitation by the Niger Delta militants and the subsequent amnesty granted by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2009 said:

    “The case of the Niger Delta agitators, is quite different from the case of these murderous, blood thirsty villains, who have taken up arms against the state, using different names, whether as Boko Haram, bandits, killer herdsmen, kidnappers, etc. What is it they are demanding? Initially we were told that as Boko Haram, they were against western education, they started killing, maiming, and destroying properties. Then they changed and we were told that some of them have changed to answer bandits, and all sorts of names. We are even told by the Government, including Mr. President himself, that they are not Nigerians.

    On the other hand, it was the dehumanization,environmental pollution, destruction of natural source of income generation, which include fishing, farming, timber work etc., exclusion from job which under natural circumstances they are qualified for, but the same Oil Companies will rather go hinterland to recruit people that are not qualified, to do jobs such as diving, underwater welding, and boat driving. Instead of employing the community people who are naturally savvy in these fields/areas.

    Therefore, the grievances of these Niger Delta youths was and still is, against the government, as against the exploiting Oil Companies which have remained adamant by refusing to develop their areas of operation, but have continued to fly their people from Lagos to perform their job at the rigs in the creek, and flown back to Lagos at the end of each working day. These companies have not deemed it fit to put up buildings and offices to accommodate and quarter their workers. In rare cases when it is necessitated, these oil companies will rather use houseboat which they hire at very high cost, and which they will dismantle at the end of the operation, and then move to another location at the end of their exploration”.

    On how the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and the two presidential spokesmen; Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu are detractors to the president whom he referred as a ‘first-class gentleman’, the outspoken South South leader said:

    “Infact, the greatest enemy or detractors of the Buhari Government, who I regarded as first-class gentleman, is this propagandists Lai Mohammed, who is presently serving as Minister of Information,a job some of us had done earlier, Femi Adesina, who behaved as a gentle man when he was Managing Director and Editor in Chief of the Sun Newspaper, who gave me an Award on behalf of the Sun Newspaper, but who now today regard me as very unpatriotic and anti-Buhari; a man who does not think that well-meaning Nigerians who have attained certain ages do not deserve Presidential Congratulatory Message, and the devilish, tribalistic and most dangerous propagandist, Garba Shehu. I can understand why the First Lady demanded for his sack because he is one of those who is misleading her husband.”