Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs, says she regrets comments credited to her in a viral video, concerning the sexual harassment scandal at the University of Calabar (UNICAL) in Cross River.
The declaration comes as response to recent public discussions and reactions by concerned Nigerians, regarding the unfolding situation at the institution, involving Prof. Cyril Ndifon, Dean of the Faculty of Law and the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, in a statement issued to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja, reiterated her commitment to justice, safeguarding and advancing the rights and welfare of Nigerian women, including the pursuit of justice whenever their rights were violated.
She emphasised her unwavering dedication to upholding due diligence and the rule of law, recognising that justice and fairness were the fundamental principles upon which equitable societies were built.
“I wish to express my sincere apologies to those who were offended by my comments and actions, regarding the sexual harassment scandal at the University of Calabar.
” This is extremely regrettable, as my intentions were sincere and aligned with my consistent advocacy for the welfare of Nigerian women and the pursuit of justice.
“I stand for all Nigerian women and I stand for justice and it is my hope that we can work together to actualise the dream of a country where women’s rights are respected and protected and where our daughters feel safe in institutions of learning,” she said.
It would be recalled that during a recent appearance on AIT, the minister was unequivocal in her condemnation of sexual harassment and related offences.
She also expressed deep concern over the escalating cases of sexual harassment across campuses and emphasised the need for decisive action, assuring that her ministry would actively seek justice for those affected.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he expects to be arrested in connection with the yearslong investigation into an allegation that he allegedly orchestrated payments to silence women who claimed sexual encounters with him.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the hush money scheme involves adult film actress, Stephanie Clifford, popularly known as Stormy Daniels, as Trump called on his supporters to protest any such move.
In a social media post, Trump, referring to himself, said the “leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week” – though he did not say why he expects to be arrested. His team said after Trump’s post that it had not received any notifications from prosecutors.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) learned on Friday that meetings have been going on throughout the week among city, state and federal law enforcement agencies in New York City about security preparations for a possible indictment of Trump.
In an echo of Trump’s appeals to supporters in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, he called Saturday for action, writing: “Protest, take our nation back.”
The former president has been said to have been agitating for his team to get his base riled up and believes that an indictment would help him politically.
Any indictment of the former president, who is running for reelection in 2024, would mark a historic first and quickly change the political conversation around an already divisive figure.
While Trump has an extensive history of civil litigation both before and after taking office, a criminal charge would represent a dramatic escalation of his legal woes as he works to recapture the White House.
Another witness is expected to testify Monday before the grand jury investigating the hush money payments, according to a source familiar with the investigation. It is not clear whether this would be the final witness before it votes on a possible indictment.
Trump’s legal team has been anticipating that an indictment will happen soon and has been preparing behind the scenes for the next steps.
Joe Tacopina, an attorney for Trump, later said the former president had based his claims on press reports.
“No one tells us anything which is very frustrating. President Trump is basing his response on press reports,” Tacopina said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Trump said earlier Saturday that the former president has not received a notification from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office regarding any potential indictment, but was “rightfully highlighting his innocence” in his post.
Previewing a potential line of defense from Republicans on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, tweeted Saturday that any potential indictment of the former president would represent “an outrageous abuse of power” from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Mike Pence, who served as vice president under Trump, echoed McCarthy’s message on Saturday. “Well, like many Americans, I’m just – I’m taken aback”.
The former vice president claimed the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation “reeks” of “political prosecution.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Saturday.
How the Stormy Daniels Scandal Could Bring Down Trump
The problem is not that he allegedly had an affair with a porn star- it is that the $130,000 payoff could have violated campaign finance law.
Recall that the porn star (Stormy Daniels) had earlier said that she was threatened in 2011 over an interview in which she claimed to have had unprotected s3x with President Trump- and that their relationship was like “a business deal”.
In a widely anticipated sit-down with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Daniels also said she was never physically attracted to Trump, but confirmed a report that she spanked him with a magazine that had his face on the cover.
Daniels told interviewer Anderson Cooper that she sold her account of having sex with Trump to In Touch Weekly magazine for $15,000, but two former In Touch employees told “60 Minutes” that the story never ran because Trump’s longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, threatened to sue.
Daniels — whose film credits include “Busty Beauties 2” and “Hot Showers 6” — claims she never got paid, but was threatened a few weeks later by a mystery man who approached her in Las Vegas.
“I was in a parking lot, going to a fitness class with my infant daughter. Taking, you know, the seats facing backwards in the back seat, diaper bag, you know, gettin’ all the stuff out,” she said.
“And a guy walked up on me and said to me, ‘Leave Trump alone. Forget the story. And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, ‘That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.’ And then he was gone,” she added.
Daniels said the incident left her so rattled that she feared she might drop her daughter because her hands were shaking so much.
And while she said she would “instantly” recognize the thug if she saw him again, Daniels said she was so scared, she never reported the incident to the cops.
How Stormy Daniels met Trump
In Touch eventually published Daniels’ entire interview in January, and she repeated many of her claims to “60 Minutes,” describing how she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in July 2006, accepted his invitation to dinner and went to his hotel suite.
Daniels — who wore a fuchsia shirt, black, mid-thigh skirt and black, peep-toe pumps with stiletto heels — laughed while recalling how Trump was “just talking about himself” and showed her a copy of Fortune with his photo on the cover.
“And I was like, ‘Someone should take that magazine and spank you with it,’” she said.
After initially being taken aback, Trump “turned around and pulled his pants down a little — you know, had underwear on and stuff, and I just gave him a couple swats.”
She added that “from that moment on, he was a completely different person,” telling her: “You remind me of my daughter. … You’re smart and beautiful, and a woman to be reckoned with, and I like you.”
Daniels said Trump floated the idea of her appearing on his NBC TV show, “The Apprentice,” and said she thought he was both serious about the offer and using it to get involved with her.
She also said she asked about his 2005 marriage to his third wife, first lady Melania Trump, and the recent birth of their child, his youngest son, Barron.
“And he brushed it aside, said, ‘Oh yeah, yeah, you know, don’t worry about that. We don’t even — we have separate rooms and stuff,’” she said.
The two of them had dinner in the hotel room, after which she used the bathroom, which was off the bedroom, and emerged to find Trump perched on the edge of the bed.
“I realized exactly what I had gotten myself into. And I was like, ‘Ugh, here we go,’” she said.
Daniels, who was 27 at the time, told Cooper she was not at all attracted to Trump, then 60, and didn’t want to have sex with him, but that their ensuing romp- during which he didn’t wear a condom-“was entirely consensual.”
“This is not a ‘Me Too.’ I was not a victim. I’ve never said I was a victim,” she said.
They never had s3x again, Daniels said, although Trump phoned her several times, inviting her to “get together” to discuss her appearing on “The Apprentice,” about which she said, “that part I never believed.”
“I mean, I’m not blind. But at the same time, maybe it’ll work out, you know? … I thought of it as a business deal,” she said.
Daniels said they finally met in July 2007 in his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, where Trump “made me watch an entire documentary about shark attacks” that was part of the Discovery Channel’s annual “Shark Week.”
After about four hours, she said, Trump made his move and sat next to her, touched her hair and “referenced back to how great it was the last time.”
But when Daniels asked about “The Apprentice,” she said, Trump told her, “I’m almost there. I’ll have an answer for you next week.”
“And I was like, ‘OK, cool. Well — I guess call me next week.’ And I took my purse and left,” she said.
Trump denies Daniels’ claims
At one point in the interview, Cooper confronted Daniels with a previous statement in which she denied having an affair with Trump and said “it never happened.”
She called that statement a lie, and said she made it because she feared legal fallout and was told, “They can make your life hell in many different ways.”
Former U.S. President, Donald Trump
Daniels agreed to appear on “60 Minutes” despite accepting what she claims was $130,000 in hush money from Cohen 11 days before the election.
In court papers, Cohen recently said Daniels was already liable for more than $20 million in damages for violating the non-disclosure agreement.
Her lawyer, Michael Avenatti, told “60 Minutes” that was an attempt to intimidate Daniels, saying: “You threaten someone — with a $20 million lawsuit, it’s a thuggish tactic. It’s no different than what happened in the parking lot in Las Vegas.”
The Daniels segment aired just days after former Playboy centerfold model Karen McDougal was interviewed by Cooper on CNN and detailed her own claims of a 10-month affair with Trump during 2006 and 2007.
McDougal, Playboy’s 1998 Playmate of the Year, alleged that Trump tried to give her money following their first romp, and that they went on to have s3x “many dozens of times” — including in his family’s apartment in Manhattan’s Trump Tower.
Trump, who married third wife Melania Trump in 2005, has denied both women’s claims.
Dr. Michael Arimanwa, Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Imo State, has said the Management of the institution will not victimize the student, Ogechi Okoroafor, who claimed she graduated from the institution with the help of God and her private parts.
The student had said in a viral video that she graduated from the institution by the help of her private parts and God.
Speaking on the issue in his office on Tuesday while assessing his achievements for four years, Arimanwa assured that the student would not be victimized under his watch.
“The lady made the unfortunate video that circulated widely across the world because the video was watched by people nearly everywhere. I have received calls and comments from people almost everywhere on earth. So, I know that video had gone quite wide. It is an unfortunate thing,” he said.
Nekede Polytechnic rector stated that a committee has been set up on the matter, adding that, “we don’t want to pre-empt the outcome of the committee because we will interact with her tomorrow from the notice I have seen.”
He added, “But I want you to know that we are not going to in any way victimize her under my watch but we will follow the rules, we will stand by the rule and due process.”
He further said the school had a mechanism to punish both staff and students who had erred in the past.
“Some people have been punished, some people (were) removed as Heads of Departments, some have gone through suspension, some people have been downgraded, and some people have been barred from promotion for some many reasons,” he said.
He added that the school has laws and policies that govern it and “those who go against such policies, whether exam malpractices, sexual harassment or any other infractions,” are duly punished, stating that “some have lost promotion; some have been sacked actually — we have sacked like two people — some have been demoted and a few students have been expelled as well for one thing or another. We have done them dispassionately and laid them to rest.”
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that the student had boasted on social media that she graduated with the help of God and p–sy, but her lawyer argued that she meant popsy.
In the TikTok live video she made which later went viral, Sharon claimed she would have been unable to graduate without the use of her private part to sort her grades and project defense, while thanking God for giving her ‘hot pussy, which has helped her go far in academic.
But the management of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede did not find the claim funny and took steps to unveil the identity of the student and ascertain her claims.
Re: THE CASE OF OKOROAFOR OGECHI SHARON(THE GRADUATING STUDENT OF FED POLYNEK IN A VIRAL VIDEO)
We are solicitors to OKEREAFOR OGECHI SHARON( our Client under our Pro Bono (Free Legal Services) on whose behalf we write this memo to you.
We are aware that she will be facing the school disciplinary panel this morning and we wish to use this medium to express our confidence that the panel will carry out their duties in compliance with the principles of Fair hearing,Good conscience and Natural Justice devoid of harassment, intimidation and threats.
We have met and discussed with our Client and evidence before us shows that she has no intention to defame the character, standard and integrity of the institution. In her words what happened in the said viral video was a slip of tongue as a result of her uncontrollable ecstacy over her graduation.Her intended words were “God and Pupsy” (Not P*ssy) in appreciation of the almighty God and her Dad.It is clear therefore that she had no intention whatsoever to use such a “fowl word” in the said viral video to cajole or blackmail the institution as no lecturer or name of the institution was mentioned or referred in the said viral video.
Our lawyers are already on ground at the institution now to follow up the proceedings at the panel against any form of intimidation or harassment. The integrity and standard of the said institution is not in doubt especially since my Senior brother, Rev Dr Arimanwa took over as the Rector.
Indeed, Justice is for all parties.
Kindly accept the assurances of our warmest regards.
Barr Ikechukwu Nwaopara
Solicitor & Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.”
It was with great incredulity and near hopelessness that patriotic Nigerians watched the greatest and most enduring and successful corruption-fighting President of Nigeria HE Muhammadu Buhari dish out national awards to some distinguished citizens and foreigners last week, as if all was well with the country and the men and women who had made it great needed to be congratulated and rewarded with garlands and words of appreciation in front of klieg lights as a parting gift in the last full year of the reign of the Grand Conqueror of Political Chicanery in Nigeria!
It was a wonderful assembly of the high and mighty in industry, politics, the arts, music, and administration in the ‘annals of our history’. I scanned the list for the small people of society such as Ejiro Otarigho, the man who drove a burning tanker away from Agbarho Delta State to save lives of hundreds of innocent people. Was there a name of a primary or secondary school teacher or nurse who had distinguished themselves on the list? Luckily, I found such names as Josephine Agu the Lagos Airport cleaner who found $12,000 in the toilet and returned it to the authorities. Also on the list was a security guard Mallam Musa Usman from Jigawa State and a bank security guard Muhammed Ibrahim. In my view such names ought to dominate the list!
The gaudy ceremony was too comic to be classified as comedy. Perhaps it was an absurd drama of a degenerate and perfidious type, a rabid denial of truth and objective reality. A nation in the throes of death, gasping for life with all the inherent contradictions, awarding national honours to the persons who have either collectively or individually brought the nation to a sorry pass. No nation which takes its affairs seriously meanders into such dirty waters in the name of recognition of national heroes. US-based Nigerian Chimamanda Adichie did not show up for the award though by any standard she deserved an award. But I could imagine her standing shoulder to shoulder with wreckers of the nation’s sociopolitical life receiving medals of honour? What honour? There is something like conscientious objection!
Where are the heroes of state? Where are the men of honour who have folded up their sleeves to deal with the frightening level of insecurity? Which sector of the economy, which aspect of our national life can we beat our chest and say has done well in the last seven years for managers to given honours? Are the rulers of Nigeria aware of the mass exodus of professionals from the country? Is this government aware of the ennui which has enveloped the nation in the last seven odd years? Has there been any real governance in the country? What has become of education under the current managers of the country both at state and national levels? Which country honours a Minister with a national award when universities under his watch had been on strike for eight months? The farce was complete with the award of a ‘Grand Commander of the Federal Republic! What has been grand about the managers of Nigeria and which Republic? The one that is tottering? Indeed, the national honours exercise ought to be permanently suspended until the nation finds itself!
To be sure, there are millions of people, especially ordinary Nigerians and private citizens who have heroically contributed their quota to national development. Such people have thrived despite government not because of government. Daily, government constitutes an impediment to personal growth. The same occurs at state and national levels. Daily, citizens do battle with government incompetence and ineptitude. Ineptitude in managing the economy. Ineptitude in security management. Ineptitude in managing ethnic relations. Ineptitude in building or maintaining state infrastructure. Ineptitude in the Army, Navy, Airforce, and Police. Yet some officials who represent all these institutions all lined up last week to receive garlands!
This is not an attempt to discredit all persons who showed up in Abuja last week to pick up laurels. Some hard working and sincere officials deserved their awards. So too artistes and businessmen. There are some government officials, elected and appointed, who work with sincerity and commitment. Most of them never come to the limelight. They work behind the scenes. Often, they do not get recognition. There are some exceptional civil servants in protocol, the intelligence services, the Armed forces, and the Police. Insiders know about outstanding Permanent Secretaries or directors and other cadres. Most of the statutory recipients of national awards in Nigeria are rewarded for the privilege of attaining the height either through clannish patronage or by the grace of politics.
A national honour is the highest form of honour which a country bestows on a citizen for their services to the country. It could also be awarded to foreigners who have distinguished themselves while residing in the awarding country. National honours are awarded for excellence, for patriotism, selfless and meritorious service, to reward hard work and to encourage people to work hard for the development of the country. The National Honours Awards was established by Act No 6 in 1964 and took retroactive effect from October 1, 1963. So far, 5341 persons have received Nigerian honours since its inception according to the Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
The honours in Nigeria are Member of the Order of the Niger, (MON), Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, (MFR), Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR), Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), and Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR). Let is be said that it is not only people who are appointed or elected to political positions that deserve national honours. The rulers and leaders of this country have not discharged themselves in a fit and proper manner to the people of this country. Achebe states it clearly when he argued that the problem of this country is leadership. So, we are awarding National Honours to the problem makers of this country! What a contradiction!
If the country has so many excellent persons in office, why are we groping in the dark and groveling in the mud? It is my view that all national awards, especially the ones that are attached to offices, should be suspended for now. I am almost sure that a time will come when a radical government would emerge in Nigeria and would not only reform the National Honours criteria but may also annul some of the previously awarded ones. The future of Nigeria is uncertain.
Let honours return to the National Table of Nigeria. The National Awards should be suspended for now until we allow honour to return to the National Awards. The National Awards should not be tied to positions. They should be determined by merit and outstanding contribution. Buba Galadima, erstwhile close ally to President Buhari went the extreme when he released this thunderbolt on Arise TV The Morning Show: “Let me tell you, of the 447 people that were given these national awards, I think 440 of them need to be in prisons rather than parading themselves as people who deserved an honour. It is a reward for the boys!
Indeed, the last national award was a national scandal!
Former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun has said she cried every day for three months over the issue of her alleged fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Adeosun made this known while speaking during the 2022 edition of Uncommon Woman Conference (UWC) organized by Jesus House Church, United Kingdom.
Speaking at the conference, the former Minister of Finance gave an account of how she survived the trauma that accompanied her resignation from office in 2018.
Adeosun said she never felt better until she received counselling and therapy, even though she was vindicated by a court ruling.
“I was so ashamed at that time because I was into teenagers’ mentoring and all of that.
“So, the experience negated the lessons I had taught my teenagers. I cried every day for three months; I didn’t do anything for anyone or myself for those months. I just cried, cried, and cried.
“I thought I would feel better when I got vindicated by the court but I still wasn’t happy. The court cleared my name three years later but it took another time of counselling and therapy before I felt better,” she said.
Controversies ranging from a leaked intimate tape, legal battles and an unsolicited remark have the capacity to derail a celebrity’s career. If not checked, these scandals can plunge the star into an abyss of irrelevance.
Despite the millions of album streams, endorsement deals, the carefully orchestrated PR campaigns, at the heart of the mega-brand Tiwa Savage has been steadily building for the better part of her career is one damsel who has thrived in her career, but who also needs to weather the heartache of dealing with a leaked intimacy tape. Tiwa Savage is currently in the eye of the storm.
Drama started for the celebrated Nigerian queen of Afrobeats when she revealed an attempt to blackmail her with a leaked sex tape she had made with someone she claimed to be dating right now.
Savage, who spoke in a Power 105.1, New York radio interview, then talked about her determination not to indulge the blackmailer. “No part of me wants to pay the person. That is what is getting me angry. If you want to put it out, put it out. I am that crazy that I can put it out myself. You are not making any money from me. This was an intimate moment with someone I am dating…”
Recently, the alleged sex tape leaked online. Amazingly, while the face of the man involved in it did not show, the lady in the video bears a close semblance with Tiwa Savage. As the video went viral, social media users on several platforms have taken to their accounts to express their diverse opinions on the controversial issue.
One of the steps Tiwa Savage should take immediately is to maintain silence on the issue .Going silent is not a bad thing when dealing with a crisis situation. Before now she made a subtle reference to the situation saying: “Charge that sh*t to the game and never speak on it again”.
Tiwa Savage had acknowledged the problem in her interview, but continued to fan the flames of the fire by making unnecessary comments .The ‘Somebody’s son’ songstress need to redirect the focus of her fans by lending her voice to the plights of women in her shoes who are being blackmailed. She needs to connect this occurrence to a worthy societal cause. How she handles the issues would determine if her brand would be critically damaged, temporarily tarnished or may be strengthened.
American actor, John Hamm once said: “It’s not a weak move to say ‘I need help.’” Tiwa Savage has been condemned and knocked on social media over the leaked sex tape episode. This is the time for her to see a therapist. Her self-esteem would have perhaps been affected. Working with a therapist would give her a safe space to explore her thoughts, feelings, and concerns.
Lastly, Tiwa Savage needs to engage a strong PR team that will help her change the narrative and refocus people’s attention on her positive deeds. Crisis management is one of the best known roles of a PR team. It is not easy, but not impossible. A strong PR team will help her regain her original reputation. A PR team would need to set up interviews and initiatives that will take the majority of the public attention away from the leaked tape incident. I hope she salvages the situation.
The authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have dismissed a senior lecturer at the Department of English, Adebayo Mosobalaje, for allegedly sexually harassing a former student of the institution.
The university announced the lecturer’s dismissal through a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon by its public relations officer, Abiodun Olarewaju.
The statement reads in part: “In its avowed determination to rid the university of any form of sexual intimidation, harassment and, or coercion, the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, has dismissed another lecturer who was found guilty of sexual demeanor against a female student.”
The statement added that the “decision to dismiss Dr Adebayo Mosobalaje of the Department of English Language in the Faculty of Arts, was taken by the University Council at its last sitting that was held on Monday and Tuesday, September 6 and 7, 2021.”
“Having exhaustively deliberated on the report of the Joint Committee of Council and Senate, which investigated the case of sexual harassment against Dr Mosobalaje, the University Council, unambiguously declared its zero tolerance for sexual harassment in any form or guise and, accordingly, applied the appropriate university sanctions for such an offence as contained in the university regulation,” the statement added.
The lecturer was specifically accused of breaching the provisions of the university’s Code of Conduct “in the manner he related with a student of the department, Rachel Momoh.”
A verdict passed by the university’s joint committee of council and senate noted that “in the process of its deliberations, the Committee found Dr Mosobalaje culpable and was deserving of the highest punishment of dismissal.”
It has been a pain on my heart for a while now seeing all over social media the story of the Bank Executive that begot kids from a woman married to another man while the woman was still living with her husband. To add salt to the injury the picture of the innocent children are being flashed all over the internet. It is absolutely wrong and an abuse of these children’s right to their privacy, and to their dignity.
Most importantly, these children deserve not to have their emotional health tampered with. One can only wonder on what goes on in the minds of those two kids by now. Particular attention must be paid to those children with particular reference to their mental, emotional and psychological wellbeing. The worrisome aspect is that anywhere they find themselves, be it in church or at school they are bound to be taunted at. They may start dreading going out and associating with people.
The price children pay for the misconduct of the adults!
Their mother has a great job at hand to do in ensuring their mental good health. Those children must not lose their sanity. They must not.
This particular paternity scandal reminds me of that of Musa. I had to revisit the story to reassure myself that I am right when I say that it is the children that suffer the sin of paternity scandal. It destroys them, to put it simply. Parents must always consider their decisions and actions bearing in mind that their decisions and actions have consequences; most times long lasting and irreversible bad consequences on the children.
We must learn a lesson from the story of Musa. Musa is a survivor of a paternity battle. He is the product of a love affair between a one-time Nigeria’s Head of State who was at civil war, and at the same time uncontrollably in love with a pretty lady from the enemy camp. Sensing the danger as the affair was being turned into national problem, the young lady escaped and went beyond the shores of Nigeria only to discover that she was pregnant. As if being at war makes a man celibate even while cohabiting with a lover, the paternity of the child became an issue.
Musa, the product of this love affair, became devastated over the paternity denial. One can guess right that his childhood must have been that filled with emotional trauma. There he was fatherless yet with a powerful father alive. As expected, emotionally drained and broken Musa sought and got solace with bad company. He was later to bag 40 years in jail for drug related offence.
At the prison, Musa was exemplary in good conduct. He obtained law degree from the prison. After spending 20 years in jail with excellent conduct , Musa got a parole from former President Barack Obama.
On getting out of prison, Musa went straight for a court order mandating DNA test. With the court order, the former Head of State had to submit to DNA test, and the result showed that our dear former Head of State is actually Musa’s father thereby vindicating the mother who is now late. That is, of course, after 48 years of emotional agony for Musa.
The public statement from General Gown (Rtd) in 2016 that he had finally accepted Musa’s paternity, 48 years after, serves only to vindicate late Edith Ike-Okongwu, and nothing more. The effect of the paternity warfare on Musa is irreversible.
What would compensate for his wasted and traumatized childhood? What would compensate for all the taunts, all the scorn, and all the abuses he received for no fault of his? Musa would have been greater if he was not left to bear the brunt of adult’s misconduct. One who could discipline himself to read and obtain a degree in law behind bars despite all odds is a man meant for greatness!
No child has ever asked to be born. No child has ever dictated the circumstance under which he should be born. No child has ever requested for who his father or mother should be.
Adults, parents! Watch your decisions, actions and inactions as they are bound to rob off on the children.
Apostle Johnson Suleman has found himself in another sex scandal barely four years after he was accused by Stephanie Otobo and a lady identified as Queen Esther.
This time, the accusation is coming from Pastor Mike Davids, who has left his church but claimed that the General Overseer of Omega Fire Ministries International slept with his wife Pastor Faith Edeko, who heads the Abuja branch of the church in Utako.
Pastor Davids also accused Apostle Suleman of threatening his life and denying him access to his three children. (READ FULL STORY…PETITION TO POLICE IG)
In the nearly two weeks of lockdown so far in most Nigerian cities, we have seen great acts of charity by individuals, groups and institutions. Many have gone the extra mile to share what little they have with friends, neighbours, and even strangers, who have little or nothing.
And in one inspiring example, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, a US-based Nigerian author and creative writer, entered a challenge only to share the entire prize money of N330,000 she won from it among her followers and needy strangers she never met.
In the midst of the heartening news of extraordinary sharing, however, a few concerning videos have gone viral.
One particularly striking one showed the hand of a young man holding a small plastic bag of what looked like steamed white rice, which the Alfa who made the video said his family had received from an unnamed government.
In the two-minute-seven-seconds video, the Alfa rained curses on government in stinging sarcasm, yet without the slightest hint of bitterness or anger in his tone. It’s an uncommon gift, mostly endowed in the South west.
He told the story of how the same government that had asked everyone to stay at home with a promise to provide essential supplies had left citizens with the short end of the stick, with only a few grains of rice to survive on.
According to him, that same day, he had seen large trucks carrying bags of rice and other staples in the neighbourhood, only for each family head to be invited and handed packets of rice that could hardly fill a N500 bread nylon.
It was for this singular act of extraordinary charity that he decided to make this special video to thank the government on behalf of himself and his entire family, for the great, incredible act of kindness in this time of desperate need. He then prayed that the suppliers and their children would receive just this kind of help in their hour of need.
It was invitation to hell delivered with an affection that will make those responsible for that supply stew in quiet rage at how their kindness had stuck in their own craw.
Elsewhere, the strategy was different, far less nuanced, but with the same catastrophic effect. A prominent politician in Lagos had his name branded on bread loaves and distributed randomly.
Recipients who were not particularly pleased with the amount of loaves they got and who couldn’t muster faith to multiply the loaves as in biblical times, went mad. Incensed that apartment buildings with scores of people had been forced to share four loaves each, they tossed the bread on the road and kicked the thing around like football.
The rage against backhanded charity was not on the streets alone. Inside sources said the week before the lockdown, the Central Bank of Nigeria had to save the banks from killing themselves with charity.
After one bank chairman announced millions of dollars to match the status of his bank as a global African bank, others joined the bandwagon, announcing billions of naira donation in the fight against Coronavirus as well.
The problem was not only that the CBN was concerned that most of it (apart from the one directly tied to the construction of an isolation centre) would eventually turn out to be 419 donations, there was also genuine concern about the adverse knock-on effect.
Banks that were making pledges to hotspot states could soon find themselves under pressure to extend the same gesture to other states where they also have branches or risk losing goodwill! How far would they go?
In any case, where else in the world – even in the global epicentres of this virus – are banks directly and publicly involved in announcing donations of billions to fight COVID-19?
Deploying help of any kind was always going to be problematic for predatory reasons, poor planning and weak control. More than once in recent times, we have given charity a bloody nose.
In a scandal that the world is yet to recover from, 200 tonnes of dates donated to Nigeria by Saudi Arabia three years ago, were diverted and sold in the open market.
The dates, valued at nearly N20million, were supplied to help millions of poor people who had been internally displaced by Boko Haram to break their fast during the Ramadan. But the dates vanished and that was that.
To be sure, such scandals occur even in better organised systems: the difference – which is fundamentally important – is that the chances of getting caught and punished are much higher in a number of these other places.
In our present circumstances, I’m not even sure that the millions at the receiving end of predatory charity are ever going to ask for retribution.
They know they are being taken advantage of. They have met the politicians among these folks before. They have met them on voting lines before elections when the politicians put a few crumpled naira notes inside slices of bread. They have been swindled in different ways before but too weak and too poor to say no, they have grown to accept their fate, and laugh them off in skits.
What is the point pursuing retribution anyway? The IDPs cheated of their dates have since moved on. Who will ask the banks if they redeemed their dubious pledges? The folks who got only miserable loaves of bread have kicked the loaves down the road. And the Alfa with only a few grains of rice for himself and his family has buried his discontent in a two-minute video. That is that.
Can we put the experience this time to good use? I know how difficult it can be for politicians to resist the urge of playing politics with everything, as some of them are already doing with COVID-19. Even when they try to do right, godfathers up the food chain can sometimes make it hard. And predatory poverty makes it even harder for ordinary folks to ask questions even where public funds are involved.
I know, too, that ego and PR would often not let some individuals and corporates do the right thing, even when it beats them over the head. But if the few angry videos have taught us anything about charity this season, it’s that we need not just do it, but to do it in ways that make both the giver and the receiver feel valued.
Charity tends to be more effective when impact is measurable and giving is narrow and targeted. The scale of the despair may suggest otherwise and the urge would always be to do more than we can chew. But the improving science of charity, which depends heavily on data, can help us do a better job.
Why stir up anger – and even potentially cause a stampede – by distributing a few packets of rice when government can simply decide to make direct, one-off cash transfers to a certain category of civil servants through their bank accounts and leave them to decide what they want to do with the money?
And if the plan is to reach a wider target outside white collar, why not use resources by the World Food Programme or other established charities, online and off?
As for banks falling over each other to announce phantom donations, why can’t they simply use their data bases to credit a pre-determined number/class of customers and perhaps, also, work with the major IT companies and agents to reach the e-wallets of customers in remote areas?
The point is not to try to reach 190million Nigerians, but to choose your charity with clear thinking, respect and openness, especially when other people’s money is involved.
There’s no need for a rat race. Just one bad video can do a lot of damage to the most well-intentioned effort. Charity and scandal need not go hand-in-hand.
Ishiekwene is the MD/Editor-In-Chief The Interview
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