Saturday, 14 December 2013
Bizzare! Naked bath in ‘Pool of Bethesda
Friday, 13 December 2013
Obasanjo Is The Corruption Father. - Afenifere Yoruba Group
Political murder highest ever in the history of this nation under the former president Obasanjo's regime.
**wh is OBJ bothered about someone going for 2nd term, while he attempted even a 3rd term.
The Afenifere, a Yoruba socio/cultural group have reacted to the 18.page letter written by Obasanjo to President Jonathan.
The group said that, “if Obasanjo, who happens to be a retired general is now beckoning on fellow retired generals and at the same time inciting Nigerians against a sitting president, something untoward must be going on.
The former president has no moral justification to accuse the president because corruption was at its peak under his (Obasanjo’s) regime. He is laid the foundation of corruption in Nigeria
Political murder was not as bad or rampant ever in the history of this nation like we all witnessed under the former president regime, while as a matter of fact cases of rigging of elections were unprecedented during Obasanjo’s regime.
On the issues of Jonathan body language for second term, I think the former president is also wrong because he did not only spend two terms in the office, he attempted third term of office, which was truncated.”
Okorocha elected Progresive Govs chairman
Sixteen opposition governors under the aegis of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), have unanimously elected the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, as their chairman.
The 16 state governors who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), picked Okorocha to pilot the affairs of the forum at a recent meeting.
A statement by the Director General of the PGF, Salihu Lukman, said Okorocha’s election was in furtherance of the commitment of the 16 Progressive Governors to strengthen democratic governance structures in the country with the overriding goal of rescuing Nigeria and facilitating the emergence of accountable leadership at all levels led by APC.
“Okorocha will provide leadership to PGF to realise the collective vision of the Progressive Governors to engender expeditiously exemplary human development Programmes and policies in all APC states.
The forum urged Nigerians to support the initiatives of the Progressive Governors under the leadership of Okorocha to make Nigeria great again.
VANGUARD
Boko Haram threatens to attack US •Claims responsibility for military base attack
Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Nigerian militant group, Boko Haram, has reiterated the resolve of his group to carry out attacks in the United States of America.
Shekau said this in a 40-minute video made public through Nigerian journalists on Thursday.
The Boko Haram leader, dressed in military camouflage, also claimed that God gave his group “victory” in the attack in the city of Maiduguri, the home base for the shadowy Islamist militant group.
On December 2, militants attacked an air force base and army barracks in the north eastern city.
A defence ministry spokesman said 24 insurgents died in a shootout with soldiers at the base. There was no word on whether there were military or civilian casualties.
A VOA correspondent, who visited the scene after the attack, reported damage at the barracks and a nearby police station.
A journalist who saw the video says Shekau is holding what appears to be a Russian-made rifle and becomes extremely agitated during portions of his 19-minute message.
He alternates between three languages, Hausa, Arabic and Kanuri. The rest of the video shows what appears to be excerpts of the militant attack on the military facilities in Maiduguri.
The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.
Boko Haram’s name roughly translates from the Hausa language as “Western education is a sin.”
The militant group is believed to be fighting for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, and is blamed for thousands of deaths since it began its uprising in 2009.
The violence prompted the Nigerian government to declare a state of emergency in three north eastern states this year and send additional soldiers to fight the group. Human rights groups have accused the military of using indiscriminate and heavy-handed violence in its crackdown.
6 cultists gang rape 16-yr-old girl
AKURE— SIX boys suspected to be members of a cult known as Blue Angel, have allegedly gang raped a 16-year-old secondary school student in Akure, Ondo State capital.
As 24-year-old school dropout, Yusuf Lawal, was yesterday remanded in Kirikiri Prison custody by a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, for allegedly being in possession of a gun, which was later discovered to be a toy gun.
The boys, who reportedly recorded the act with their mobile phone, while taking their turns on the girl, threatened to upload it on the Internet if she dares to report them to her parents or the Police.
However, two of the alleged rapists have been arrested by officials of the state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, while four others are on the run.
The victim (names withheld) said that the six boys blindfolded her and threatened to rip her open with knife if she failed to cooperate.
Those arrested include Banjo Olasehinde, 25, A.K.A. Obanje Babalowo Sherry and Adewale Fadunsi, 28, a fashion designer.
Those on the run include Tope Oluwole; Tope, A.K.A Jigan and Muyideen, a.k.a. Gbem.
Spokesman of NSCDC in the state, Kayode Balogun, said one of the suspects, Banjo Olasehinde, has confessed to the crime and the fact that they belong to a cult group known as Blue Angel.
According to Balogun, the suspect said they saw the girl on her way from school when one of them invited her for a chat and the six of them raped her.
24-yr-old in prison custody over toy gun
LAGOS— A 24-year-old school dropout, Yusuf Lawal, was yesterday remanded in Kirikiri Prison custody by a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, for allegedly being in possession of a gun, which was later discovered to be a toy gun.
The defendant, who is standing trial before Justice Kudirat Jose, is facing a three-count charge bordering on conspiracy, robbery and unlawful possession of firearms, preferred against him.
The prosecuting counsel Adejumo Kester, said that the defendant and others at large on August 14, 2011 at Raji Oba in Alimosho, area of Lagos, conspired among themselves to commit, robbery.
Good Night Madiba (1918-2013)
Monday, 9 December 2013
I will never regret obeying the command of Allah – Michael Adebolajo
Police arrest man, 26, for defiling 2-yr-old girl
ABEOKUTA — The Ogun State Police Command said it has arrested one Kehinde Adejuwon, 26, for allegedly having carnal knowledge of a two-year-old girl at Oja Odan in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Muyiwa Adejobi stated this in a statement in Abeokuta.
According to Adejobi, “the suspect was arrested by a team of detectives attached to Ayetoro Division of the command, led by the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ayetoro, Superintendent of Police Gbola Adigun, when the father of the victim alerted the police
“The suspect, who confessed to the crime, regretted his actions but he will be made to face the wrath of the law as the offence he committed is condemned by the law of our land and Nigerian culture and tradition.
“The Commissioner of Police Ogun State, CP Ikemefuna Okoye, has ordered that the case be transferred to the Anti Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the State CID, Eleweran, Abeokuta for necessary action.”
“The command will always wage war against such terrible individuals who are fond of engaging themselves in ungodly acts.
“We will always work hand in hand with relevant agencies to put and end to this menace. Enough is enough”, he said.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
JNI calls for release of alleged B’Haram ‘recruitment officer’
The Leadership of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad lll, has asked for the immediate release of an alleged Boko Haram recruitment officer, Dr. Mohammed Yunus, a lecturer at the Kogi State University.
The group argued that the don was not a Boko Haram member.
Yunus was by the State Security Service operatives, who claimed that the varsity lecturer was a recruitment officer for the violent Islamic sect.
The SSS had arrested the university teacher and four others, parading them as suspected members of the Boko Haram insurgent, alleging they were planning to unleashed terror on the people of Kogi State.
Yunus was said to be the “spiritual leader and recruitment coordinator” of a terrorist cell in Kogi state.
However, the JNI in a statement by its Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Aliyu, on Tuesday in Kaduna noted that after a thorough investigation by the religious body, it discovered that the said lecturer had no connection with the dreaded Islamic sect.
The JNI believed that “even ordinary members of the Boko Haram hardly deny their connection to their ideology.”
The JNI argued that it would be doubtful that a whole “spiritual leader and recruitment officer” of the group would shed tears publicly while denying any link to the sect.
Monday, 2 December 2013
Boko Haram struck again scores killed.
Suspected Boko Haram terrorists, Monday morning, attacked the Composite Group Air force Base and other places in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
The siege which started at about 3am shook the town as sporadic gunshots and other Rocket Propelled Grenade Launchers fire were heard, with ensuing airstrikes in Maiduguri and Jere metropolis till 8 am.
Sources said during the attacks on the Air force Base and other targets, including the Maiduguri International Airport, several people were killed as the terrorists, numbering over 300 planted explosives in targeted areas in the state capital.
Also attacked are, the newly constructed trailer park, along Damaturu- Maiduguri road, military check points, residential and public buildings, which according to the source led to high casulities among the terrorists and security agencies.
An eye witness who resides in Gomari airport area, just few metres away to the Air force Base said, ” I saw 5 military operational vehicles conveying dead bodies to the hospital at about 6am, the dead bodies were suspected to be security agents killed during the attack”.
It was also gathered that, over a hundred terrorists were killed by military airstrikes in the counter offensive.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/12/scores-killed-boko-haram-attacks-air-force-base-maiduguri/#sthash.tqeTCvlM.7IzAWJbq.dpuf
Oshiomhole reconciles with widow, splashes N2m, scholarship to son
Friday, 22 November 2013
Oh see what Ann Coulter wrote about Nigeria!!
In a weird confluence of the nation's two most pressing issues --
Obamacare and our insane immigration laws -- this week we found out that
the tens of thousands of "navigators" hired by the government to enroll
people in Obamacare will include convicted felons.
Despite some "navigators" having already been
exposed as having arrest warrants against them, the Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS) has no plans to screen out the criminals. (But
rest assured: If your identity is stolen as a result of trying to sign
up for Obamacare, no one will be more upset about it than President
Obama.)
Maybe it's a blessing that the Obamacare website has crashed more often than the Soviet Union's commercial air fleet did.
In addition to convicted felons, navigators are drawn from labor unions, community organizers, former ACORN staffers and front-groups for the Democratic National Committee.
Call right up and give all your private financial and medical information to those guys! What could go wrong? (Before Obamacare was even online, Minnesota's health exchange emailed the Social Security numbers and other identifying information for about 2,400 Americans to a man applying to be a "navigator.")
If you call today, you can sign up for Obamacare plus learn about a Nigerian prince in exile who's willing to share his vast inheritance with you in exchange for your bank account numbers.
Which reminds me, federal health insurance programs have long been a prime target for scammers and con artists.
To much fanfare, in 2006 Medicare announced that only 7 percent of its payments were a result of fraud. Two years later, The New York Times reported that it was actually 31.5 percent -- and that Medicare had aggressively hidden the fraud from outside auditors.
Do you think a privately run insurance company would take three years to notice that one-third of its payouts had been obtained by fraud? But with federal programs, there's a powerful incentive not to look for fraud. That would merely vindicate critics of big government!
In 2012, Medicare's crack investigators noticed that more than a billion dollars in home health care payments for 2008 had gone to one single county in Florida -- more than all such payments made to the rest of the entire country.
Do you think it would take five years for a private insurer to figure out it had been scammed out of $1 billion by a few health care professionals in one county? Anyone else would notice being stolen from, but not the government. It's not their money.
Wherever there's a government program, there's a gigantic opportunity for criminals. A staggering percentage of the health care workers scamming Medicare and Medicaid are foreign-born -- much higher than their numbers in the medical profession generally.
Thus, in the Department of Justice's most recent press releases about criminal convictions for Medicare and Medicaid fraud against the taxpayer -- solely for the four-day period ending Nov. 7 -- we have:
-- Nov. 7, 2013
Mehran Javidan, owner of Acure, a home health care company in Oak Park, Mich., was paid more than $2.2 million from Medicare based on fraudulent physical therapy files he submitted between December 2008 and November 2010.
-- Nov. 7, 2013
Javed Rehman, Tausif Rahman and Muhammad Ahmad -- no relation to the Tsarneav brothers -- fraudulently obtained Medicare beneficiary information to bill Medicare for home health services, swindling approximately $13.8 million from Medicare.
-- Nov. 7, 2013
Eliza Lozano Lumbreras, San Juanita Gallegos Lozano, Manuel Anthony Puig and Romelia Puig used their operation of the Mission Clinic and La Hacienda Family Clinic to submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid, stealing approximately half a million dollars from the taxpayers between 2001 and 2006.
-- Nov. 6, 2013:
Jose Rojo, Antonio Macli, Jorge Macli and Sandra Huarte in Miami paid patient recruiters to refer ineligible Medicare beneficiaries to their clinic for services that were never provided. They were paid more than $11 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
-- Nov. 4, 2013:
Godwin Umotong, Leslie Omagbemi, Munda Massaquoi, Comfort Gates, Ovsanna Agopian and Boghos Babadjanian were convicted of fraudulently billing Medicare of millions of dollars for office visits and diagnostic tests that were never performed, more than $1.3 million of which Medicare paid.
-- Nov. 4, 2013:
Do
you notice anything that stands out about the list of convicts? Would
any of their names have sounded strange to Ben Franklin? Of 22 people
convicted of defrauding American taxpayers by fraudulently billing
Medicare or Medicaid, at least 17 have almost comically foreign names.
None of the scammers should be foreigners! We can't do anything about our native-born crooks, but why are we importing them?
Enormous, unwieldy corrupt government programs run by arrogant bureaucrats would be bad enough in 1950. But after decades of our Third World-only immigration policies, one can't help noticing that Medicare and Medicaid are beckoning Disneylands for foreign-born thieves.
The problem isn't their complexion, it's their culture. In America, we think only dumb people become criminals. That's not true in the Third World!
Nigeria, for example, leads the world in criminal enterprises. Every level of Nigerian society is criminal, with the smart ones running Internet scams, the mid-range ones running car theft rings, and the stupid ones engaging in piracy and kidnapping. At the University of Lagos, you can major in credit card fraud.
Cllck here for the full atticle...
Maybe it's a blessing that the Obamacare website has crashed more often than the Soviet Union's commercial air fleet did.
In addition to convicted felons, navigators are drawn from labor unions, community organizers, former ACORN staffers and front-groups for the Democratic National Committee.
Call right up and give all your private financial and medical information to those guys! What could go wrong? (Before Obamacare was even online, Minnesota's health exchange emailed the Social Security numbers and other identifying information for about 2,400 Americans to a man applying to be a "navigator.")
If you call today, you can sign up for Obamacare plus learn about a Nigerian prince in exile who's willing to share his vast inheritance with you in exchange for your bank account numbers.
Which reminds me, federal health insurance programs have long been a prime target for scammers and con artists.
To much fanfare, in 2006 Medicare announced that only 7 percent of its payments were a result of fraud. Two years later, The New York Times reported that it was actually 31.5 percent -- and that Medicare had aggressively hidden the fraud from outside auditors.
Do you think a privately run insurance company would take three years to notice that one-third of its payouts had been obtained by fraud? But with federal programs, there's a powerful incentive not to look for fraud. That would merely vindicate critics of big government!
In 2012, Medicare's crack investigators noticed that more than a billion dollars in home health care payments for 2008 had gone to one single county in Florida -- more than all such payments made to the rest of the entire country.
Do you think it would take five years for a private insurer to figure out it had been scammed out of $1 billion by a few health care professionals in one county? Anyone else would notice being stolen from, but not the government. It's not their money.
Wherever there's a government program, there's a gigantic opportunity for criminals. A staggering percentage of the health care workers scamming Medicare and Medicaid are foreign-born -- much higher than their numbers in the medical profession generally.
Thus, in the Department of Justice's most recent press releases about criminal convictions for Medicare and Medicaid fraud against the taxpayer -- solely for the four-day period ending Nov. 7 -- we have:
-- Nov. 7, 2013
Mehran Javidan, owner of Acure, a home health care company in Oak Park, Mich., was paid more than $2.2 million from Medicare based on fraudulent physical therapy files he submitted between December 2008 and November 2010.
-- Nov. 7, 2013
Javed Rehman, Tausif Rahman and Muhammad Ahmad -- no relation to the Tsarneav brothers -- fraudulently obtained Medicare beneficiary information to bill Medicare for home health services, swindling approximately $13.8 million from Medicare.
-- Nov. 7, 2013
Eliza Lozano Lumbreras, San Juanita Gallegos Lozano, Manuel Anthony Puig and Romelia Puig used their operation of the Mission Clinic and La Hacienda Family Clinic to submit false claims to Medicare and Medicaid, stealing approximately half a million dollars from the taxpayers between 2001 and 2006.
-- Nov. 6, 2013:
Karen
Kallen-Zury, Daisy Miller and Christian Coloma were convicted for
receiving approximately $40 million from Medicare for patients not
eligible for psychiatric treatment because they were not severely
mentally ill.-- Nov. 6, 2013:
Jose Rojo, Antonio Macli, Jorge Macli and Sandra Huarte in Miami paid patient recruiters to refer ineligible Medicare beneficiaries to their clinic for services that were never provided. They were paid more than $11 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
-- Nov. 4, 2013:
Godwin Umotong, Leslie Omagbemi, Munda Massaquoi, Comfort Gates, Ovsanna Agopian and Boghos Babadjanian were convicted of fraudulently billing Medicare of millions of dollars for office visits and diagnostic tests that were never performed, more than $1.3 million of which Medicare paid.
-- Nov. 4, 2013:
William
Dale Sidener was convicted of submitting fraudulent bills to Medicare
and receiving $4,677.00 in payments for services not performed.
These are Eric Holder's press releases, not mine.
None of the scammers should be foreigners! We can't do anything about our native-born crooks, but why are we importing them?
Enormous, unwieldy corrupt government programs run by arrogant bureaucrats would be bad enough in 1950. But after decades of our Third World-only immigration policies, one can't help noticing that Medicare and Medicaid are beckoning Disneylands for foreign-born thieves.
The problem isn't their complexion, it's their culture. In America, we think only dumb people become criminals. That's not true in the Third World!
Nigeria, for example, leads the world in criminal enterprises. Every level of Nigerian society is criminal, with the smart ones running Internet scams, the mid-range ones running car theft rings, and the stupid ones engaging in piracy and kidnapping. At the University of Lagos, you can major in credit card fraud.
Cllck here for the full atticle...
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Justin Bieber Makes Party Guests Sign $3 Million Confidentiality Agreement
Monday, 18 November 2013
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Anambra Governorship Election: Ngige, Nwoye, Ubah reject election
Saturday, 16 November 2013
It makes him feel better now but Okorocha will pay for this soon,Okorocha, Wamakko, Yuguda, Kalu Shower Cash On Igbo Muslim Converts.
Super Eagles soar to reach Brazil
Friday, 15 November 2013
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Controversy trails ransom, release of kidnapped U.S. crew
The captain and chief engineer of the Edison Chouest Offshore-owned platform supply vessel C-Retriever were released unharmed at the weekend and are on their way home, according to reports.
They were kidnapped in the Gulf of Guinea by unknown assailants on October 23, as their supply boat was reportedly on its way to Chevron’s oil-producing deep-water Agbami field off Bayelsa state.
“We welcome the release of the two US citizens,” the State Department said in a statement. “For privacy reasons, we will not provide any additional information.”
The State Department stressed that US policy does not allow the government to pay ransoms, nor does State “encourage the payment of ransom money.”
Private parties are not forbidden to pay ransoms, however.
Attacks by pirates off Nigeria have risen by a third in 2013, with as many as 15 attacks occurring this year alone within a 40 kilometre radius of the Agbami platform.
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday that the U.S. would stride past Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world’s top oil producer in 2015.
The West’s energy agency said this, bringing Washington closer to energy self-sufficiency and reducing the need for OPEC supply.
But by 2020, the oilfields of Texas and North Dakota will be past their prime and the Middle East will regain its dominance – especially as a supplier to Asia.
A boom in shale oil in the United States has reversed a decline in its oil output and the IEA, adviser to industrialised nations, predicted in its 2012 World Energy Outlook the U.S. would surpass Riyadh as top producer in 2017.
Introducing this year’s outlook at a news conference in London on Tuesday, IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol said the agency now expects the re-ordering earlier.
“We expect in 2015 the U.S. to be the largest oil producer in the world,” he said.
“We see two chapters in the oil markets,” he told Reuters in an interview. “Up to 2020, we expect the light, tight oil to increase – I would call it a surge. And due to the increase coming from Brazil, the need for Middle East oil in the next few years will definitely be less.”
Sunday, 10 November 2013
MYANMAR: Ever wonder just how bad things had to get to make peaceful Buddhists take up arms against Muslims in their country?
Buddhist woman beheaded by Muslims, very sad.
65-Year-Old Muslim and youngest wife have sex 6 times a day to reach goal of 100 kids
Daad Murad, the most productive man on earth, revealed that he has sex with his youngest teenage wife six times a day. The one-legged baby producing machine grabbed global media attention, after Emirates Today featured him on the front page.
“The countdown has started with my 93rd baby.Fifteen of my children are already married and have their children. The total family members now number 140. The seven lucky ones will be born this year or next year,” he said.
A retired truck driver turned soldier could not recollect the names of his recent children and promised to return with the correct details.
“My last marriage was to a Baluchi girl, who is just 19-years old. She is very beautiful. ”I enjoyed life with two other Baluchi wives. One is already retired and at 50 years, she is busy bringing up her four children.
“Majida, another wife from Baluchistan, is currently enjoying the warmth of my love. At 25, she is also good, but I spend most of my time with Nadia now days because she is young, newly-married and there is no children to disturb us,” he said.
The six bedroom sessions with his 19 year-old wife stretch from early morning to midnight. He said the best time that he prefers to be with his wife is early morning.
“I have a good time with Nadia, and I take her out to Al Dhaid, Muscat or Dibba and there is no disturbance because she has no children yet. If I take my other wives out, sometimes I need a bus to carry all the children and there will be lot of disturbances,” he said.
“We spend a lot of time together because there is no disturbance from children. When I am with other wives, sometimes children start crying or making noise.
Here I am getting 100 per cent attention on Nadia. She too enjoys it and I have reduced my visit to other two wives,” he added.
Daad takes a natural mix of honey and quail bird meat, dried in sunlight. “I don’t believe in taking any natural sex additives like Viagra and thanks to God, I have the stamina to satisfy all my wives.
“I go to three of my current wives, who are legally allowed under Shariah and I don’t go to other wives, who are retired. Even if I feel like going back to one of them, I cannot do it because I strictly follow the Shariah rules.”
His third wife is an Emarati woman, Arifa, aged 30 years with six children. Daad married her in 2003. “My youngster daughter, nine-month old Moza, is very cute and when I take her to the emigration department or hospital, everybody adores her. She is very cute and resembles me,” Daad said.
“Delivery is an expensive affair for other people, but for my wives, it is a free gift from the UAE Government. I have the Tandook Zawag, Marriage Home Book, which gives free access to the facilities in government hospitals and offices.
I am getting two new houses from the Abu Dhabi Government and Nadia will be accommodated in one of these homes. I also got support from the Abu Dhabhi Government to waive off a loan of Dh600,000 from various banks and now I am free to spend more time with the family,”Daad said, adding that his plans to get married in Jaipur did not materialise.
The Punishment for Reading a Bible in Saudi Arabia
There is a new punishment for reading the Bible in Saudi Arabia. Your right hand is shredded. The four fingers and thumb are cut to the bone forty or fifty times. Muscles and nerves are severed so as to render the hand useless in the future. Also this punishment is carried out in filthy conditions making serious infection almost certain. [the image is an example of the damage].
Apart from their Sharia law, based on the doctrine’s of their ‘prophet’ Mohammed (warlord and pedophile) Saudi Arabia has been short of head-choppers for their 2,500+ executions per year PER executioner and have been advertising to fill these dirty positions for quite sometime.
An executioner is a job done by ‘lower status’ individual and is a
position that is paid per execution by the government under
confidentiality agreements. The government also provides the sword. The
Saudi government has been considering firing squads to fill the shortage of executioners.
Executioners have said they are “proud to do God’s work”. But is it a
god or a man who sentence these people, without a fair trial, tortured
into confessions?
And it doesn’t get better in other Muslim societies. The Iranian government announced new legal punishment tools under Sharia: an electronic saw is now being used to cut off hands, fingers and feet [see picture from government announcement below]. And now a type of shredder is implemented in some places for punishments.
IRAN: It gets no better in other parts of the Muslim world. In January 2013 the Iranian government published pictures of a new tool for cutting fingers and hands off people. The machine, resembling a saw, was used for the public amputation of an adulterer’s fingers on Wednesday. The images were published by on of Iran’s official press agencies. Apparently the machine has been used before, but it’s not clear for how long.
36 feared killed as Fulani herdsmen strike in Benue
No fewer than 36 persons were, yesterday, feared killed while seven villages were overrun by suspected Fulani herdsmen in an outbreak of fighting between the invaders and native farmers in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.
The massacre came barely two days after some assailants struck at Ikpele and Okpopolo communities in the state, killing seven farmers and displacing over 6,000 inhabitants.
Sunday Vanguard gathered, at the time of this report, that heavy fighting was still going on between the warring parties who only recently engaged in bloodletting.
A native of one of the affected communities, who escaped the assault, narrated that "they (Fulani herdsmen) took us unawares this time; they invaded our villages from Loco in Nasarawa State and Omola Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The victim told Sunday Vanguard in Makurdi, Benue State capital, yesterday, "But as I speak to you, well over 36 persons must have been killed on our own side while many are still missing; the situation on ground is horrible because fighting is still going on while women, children and the elderly are fleeing to safety."
When contacted, the Benue State Commissioner for Works and Transport, John Ngbede, who is an indigene of the area, confirmed the massacre.
'Boiling'
Ngbede said, "Heavy fighting is still going on in Agatu. The attackers are burning down houses, farmlands, economic trees and many are also being killed but i cannot confirm the number of deaths. All I can say is that Agatu is boiling".
Member representing Agatu Constituency at the Benue State House of Assembly, Sule Audu, also confirmed that seven villages had been attacked while many were killed and several persons missing.
According to him, the villages under siege include Ello, Okpagabi, Ogwule-Ankpa, Ogbangede, Ekwo, Enogaje and Okpanchenyi.
While lamenting inadequate security presence on ground in the affected communities, the lawmaker said, "As I speak to you, only few soldiers are on ground who don't even have mobility to match the strength of the invaders.
The attackers are over 5,000 spread across all the communities and unleashing terror on my people without resistance.
"They are moving towards Oshugbudu now and I ask, what can less than 40 soldiers on ground do to stop armed invaders numbering up to 5,000?"
'Count us out of attack'
In his reaction, however, the state Secretary of Myetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alh. Garus Gololo, denied that the invaders were Fulani herdsmen .
Gololo said, "I don't know which people are attacking Agatu in recent times. We don't have any Fulani person currently residing in the area and, as I have said earlier, we need peace; so it couldn't have been my people".
When contacted, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Suprentendent, Daniel Ezeala, confirmed the escalating fighting in Agatu.
He said, "Five Agatu villages are currently under heavy attack. We can't confirm the exact number of causalities or deaths for now, but I can assure you that a combined team of the police and army personnel have already been drafted to the affected communities to arrest the situation, and the situation is under control."
Saturday, 9 November 2013
5 suspected terrorists, 2 soldiers killed in JTF operation in Kano
A statement signed by the JTF spokesman, Capt. Ikedichi Iweha, said the incident happened during an operation in two houses at the city’s Hotoro Danmarke and Brigade areas.
The statement also said two soldiers lost their lives too during the early morning operation.
“In the early hours of this morning, at about 3 a.m. to be precise, a combined team of JTF and DSS personnel stormed two residences at Hotoro Dan Marke and Brigade General areas.
“During the operation which resulted in a shootout, five terrorists and two soldiers lost their lives,’’ it said.
The statement added that intelligence reports had indicated that the terrorists were in the process of finalising plans to carry out simultaneous suicide attacks in Abuja and Kano.
It said items recovered during the operation included two AK 47 rifles, 458 rounds of 7.62 special and six AK 47 rifle magazines.
The statement said the security outfit had been achieving positive results from its operations in the state.
“The proactive reactions of the JTF have denied the terrorists freedom of action in Kano and from using the state as a spring board to launch attacks on other parts of the country,” it said.
The statement then urged members of the public to go about their normal businesses without fear as the JTF had increased its patrols to cope with the situation.
It however urged people of the state to desist from renting their properties to persons with questionable identities.
Over missing N10,000, Two Youngmen Face Amputation
A human rights activist in Sokoto State, Malam Kabir Dodo, is currently
battling to save two youngmen from amputation. He is making efforts to
appeal against the verdict of the Upper Shariah Court, Sokoto which
ordered for the amputation of the hands of the convicts that had been
incarcerated for three years for allegedly stealing N10,000, writes
Mohammed Aminu
“I believe in destiny and that all that happened to us was destined by
Allah. We don’t want our hands to be amputated because we were unjustly
incarcerated over an offence we did not commit”.
These were the words of Nasiru Abubakar, a 25 year old commercial
driver, who was incarcerated, with his friend, for allegedly stealing
N10,000 belonging to a passenger who boarded his car three years ago.
The Upper Shariah Court 2 Sokoto, presided over by Qadi Dan Tsafe, had
in 2010 ruled that the right wrists of Nasiru Abubakar and Anas
Mohammed, both commercial drivers, be amputated for allegedly stealing
N10,000 belonging to a passenger while on their way from Shagari local
government area to Tambuwal.
Since 2010, the two convicts had remained in prison custody without
their hands being amputated and did not appeal the judgement because
they were unaware that they could appeal the judgment within 30 days
then.
Speaking with THISDAY in an emotion laden voice, Abubakar disclosed
that as a commercial driver, he usually ferried passengers from Shagari
town in Shagari local government area to Tambuwal. He stated that on
that fateful day, five passengers boarded his vehicle in Shagari town
enroute Tambuwal. Abubakar revealed that while on their way, one of the
passengers, an old man raised alarm that he had lost N10,000 and
immediately reported the matter to the police which was the beginning of
his ordeal.
“I took five passengers from Shagari town heading to Tambuwal but
before we could reach our destination, an old man started shouting that
his N10,000 had been removed from his pocket and on reaching a police
check point, he reported the matter to the police.
“So, we were immediately arrested by the police and taken to the police
headquarters in Sokoto where they detained us for 18 days. Thus, we
were later taken to the Upper Shariah court and incarcerated without any
witness or the complainant appearing in court.
“In fact, since I was imprisoned three years ago, my relatives have not made any effort to bail me or intervene in order to appeal the verdict of the court. I am an orphan as my parents are deceased,”Abubakar said.
“In fact, since I was imprisoned three years ago, my relatives have not made any effort to bail me or intervene in order to appeal the verdict of the court. I am an orphan as my parents are deceased,”Abubakar said.
However, their issue became known when the state Coordinator, Human
Rights, Alhaji Kabiru Dodo, visited the Sokoto Central Prison four weeks
ago to supervise a mosque that was being built for the inmates there.
Dodo told THISDAY that his attention was drawn by one of the prison
officials, who intimited him of the travails of the two young men that
were unjustly incarcerated waiting for amputation.
“As I entered the prison last month to supervise a mosque that we are
building for inmates, one of the prison officials drew my attention to
the case of two young men that were incarcerated three years ago for
allegedly stealing N10,000 without any substantial evidence against
them.
“So, it was based on humanitarian ground, that I contacted a human
rights lawyer Barrister Abdulhamid Zubairu to handle the case and make
an appeal for them so that they could escape being amputated. In fact,
we realized that some people currently languishing in jail were unjustly
imprisoned without any help coming from anywhere,” he stated.
Thus, it was against this backdrop and the quest to save the young men
from their hands being amputated in respect to the verdict of the Upper
Shariah Court 2 Sokoto, that the human right office in the state decided
to intervene in the case.
Subsequently, Human rights activist, Dodo, of the Office of the Special
Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor on Human Rights and Donor
Agencies, decided to take up the issue and filed an appeal at the
Shariah Court of Appeal Sokoto, against the ruling passed by the Upper
Shariah Court for the amputation of the convicts.
In his submission in the court recently, the counsel of the two
convicts, Barrister Abdulhamid Zubairu, told the court that the the two
young men had been in prison for the past three years and as such were
not able to appeal the judgment of the Upper Shariah Court. He
maintained that the accused persons had the right to make an appeal
against the ruling of the court for the amputation of their hands, as it
was a constitutional right guaranteed by the 1999 constitution.
“By the dismissal of the appellant’s application to appeal out of time,
the Shariah Court of Appeal is attempting to take away the right
conferred by the constitution,”he said.
He cited the case of Alhaji Agbebu vs Shehu Bawa 1992 sixth Nigeria
weekly law report to buttress his argument and therefore, prayed the
court to grant the application to enable him have more time to enter the
appeal.
However, the prosecuting counsel, Barrister Ibrahim Adamu, did not
object to the application, provided justice would be done to all and
case determined on merit. In his ruling, the presiding judge of the
Shariah Court of Appeal Sokoto, Qadi Tambari, granted the application
and adjourned the case to November 14, 2013 to hear the appeal.
Commenting on the matter, Barrister Abdulhamid Zubairu, told THISDAY
that he was determined to do whatever it takes to save the two convicts
from their hands being amputated. According to him, with the ruling of
the Shariah Court of Appeal, they now have the opportunity to argue the
appeal on November 14, as the court had granted the application that
would enable the appeal against the ruling of the Upper Shariah Court.
National conference will divide Nigeria -Makarfi
Alhaji Ja’afaru Makarfi is the Chairman of the Kaduna State chapter
of the apex Islamic body in northern Nigeria, Jama’atu Nasril Islam
(JNI). In this interview with Saturday Sun, the octogenarian
spoke on a wide range of national issues including the proposed national
conference, corruption, security challenges and the 2015 general
elections.Makarfi, who is also a one-time commissioner for education in
Kaduna State and a delegate to the 2005 National Political Reform
Conference, stated categorically that Nigeria does not require a
national conference to address its challenges, but abolish the present
presidential system of government, which he described as too expensive
for the nation’s quest for development.
According to him, the national conference if allowed will leave
Nigeria more disunited than it is, as delegates will bring forth their
sectional agenda too numerous to be addressed. On the 2015 general
election, the JNI Chairman said Nigerians don’t care about where the
nation’s president comes from, adding that what matters to a common man
is his right and justice. He also said that only God can save the
country ahead of the 2015 polls. He spoke more on this and other
national issues with ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE. Excerpts:
It is already 53 years after Nigeria’s independence, as an elder statesman, what is your assessment of our journey so far?
The major problem of Nigeria is corruption. Nigerians have become followers of the devil; where there is money, people will always go and look for it by all means, that is why it is difficult now to get things right, and as I am talking to you now, you also know that, nothing goes right in Nigeria; whatever you want, you have to bribe or you have to ask for favour. No matter how qualified you are, you don’t get any appointment, you don’t get any job unless you know somebody. That is not the way to do things. Even this politics we are doing now, people spend money to get votes, then everything is wrong in Nigeria. And to get it right, there is no amount of sovereign conference that will solve our problem. Do you know why? The moment you come for a meeting, then there must be diverse opinions. You know, we have more than 400 ethnic tribes in Nigeria; each tribe has its own ways of doing things, has its own culture and so, they will bring about old prejudices and things like that, and that is why I don’t support this sort of conference. It is going to disrupt the present stability we are enjoying right now. Despite all the inconsistencies, we are still enjoying something and that thing is that, every part of Nigeria is proud to belong to Nigeria. And we must maintain that, to make sure that we maintain unity to be one country. The moment you bring people of different groups together, everybody has his own likes and dislikes, his own taste, you will bring something which will disturb the present unity that we are enjoying.
Already, if you are in a state, some people will begin to say, we, we are minority, we are subjugated, we are discriminated, we are this, we are that, we want our own state. Even if you go to the local government, you will see people who will say, oh yes I belong to another tribe, and my people want our own local government, we cannot continue to live like that. If we continue to break up, that means we are weakening the unity of the country, and the moment you bring about this conference, all these problems will come up, and then you will start to regret, why did we call for this conference in the first place? Because you cannot reach any consensus on any issue in Nigeria now. So, we need to first try to maintain the status quo. Number two, you cannot right the wrongs of the present till you wipe out or reduce corruption drastically. Corruption is the bane of our development now: in every aspect of our lives, corruption has eaten deep to the extent that people don’t even know that there is God. We don’t follow the tenets of our religions of Islam and Christianity. All of us are guilty; we are all looking for worldly things and we are all aware of this. For example, I am a pensioner, I have areas of two years of pension not paid. What brought about this? Corruption. Look, if there is no corruption, nobody will care who is the President of Nigeria, nobody will care about who is the governor of a state or the chairman of that local government. If there is no corruption, if there is justice and fair play, everyone will get his own share of what is due to him, and there will be no problem. Apart from corruption, the system of government we are operating now needs to be addressed.
Which system?
The present system, the presidential system we are operating is too costly for the level of our development in this country. If we want to be realistic, we should wipe it off. If you go on record to see how much we are spending with the executive arm, legislature and judiciary, how much we are spending at all levels of our local government, you will find out that, by the time we finish paying all these organs, there will be very little left for any meaningful development. And when we continue to do that, we will never get development, when these people are taking away 90 to 95 per cent of our revenue. I was reading the other day in the paper that, because this minister of aviation has bought two armoured vehicles at N255 million, they said, the American President’s vehicle is only N47 million and that is a President, President of the biggest country in the world, the most economically developed country in the world, with all their resources, yet the President is riding just N47 million car, and now, a minister is to ride cars worth N255 million. And these ones are just for her safety, there are still official cars around, how can you have development? You cannot have development, because these people have eaten deep into our resources and there is nothing left. So, I will plead that we go back to the way we were living before. We should go back to the way we were governing ourselves before, leaving presidential system of government, it is too expensive and go back to parliamentary system of government, where you elect people and among them, they elect a prime minister, then there will be no chaos.
Look at the way people scramble now to become governor or president, it is because it is too expensive, it is because they enjoy the positions, that is why it has become a do-or-die affair. Leave that. And then, why do we have to pay people if they are the servants of the people? We pay legislators to go and make laws, they should be paid allowances and not salaries, but now, they are paying them salaries, they are paying them retirement benefits; it is wrong, we are squandering our riches for nothing, nothing is left for development, so we should change. And that is why I condemn this meeting. In 2005, we were appointed to go and discuss National Political Reform during the time of Obasanjo. We were there for four months; they wasted a lot of money, we wasted a lot of time, we wasted a lot of papers, we wasted a lot of everything. When it finished, then it went to the National Assembly, they did not even look at our report. It means, we wasted time, we wasted everything. But, it was later we learnt that the whole essence of that meeting was that, they wanted third term. So, this is what national conference will bring about. There is a hidden agenda; there is something that is hidden, that is why I don’t support it.
Were you a delegate to the National Political Conference in 2005?
Yes, I was a delegate and in my maiden speech, I said, I hope there is no hidden agenda, but later on, it turned out that there was a hidden agenda. Everybody was shouting. In fact, they were accusing us of shouting about third term when Obasanjo had not declared interest in running for a third term.
And the moment you come and sit down now, everybody will bring his own problems and say he wants solution and there will be no solution. We will just waste our money, time and everything, and after all, under the present system, under the present constitution of Nigeria, nobody can change anything except the National Assembly. Even to create a state now, it is impossible under the present dispensation, because you must have 2/3 of the whole states of Nigeria agreeing to any proposal. Tell me how can you get that? Twenty-four states must agree to the creation of one state.
So, are you saying we need the military to do this for us?
No! It is possible, we don’t have to call on the military to come back, but if we fail to agree between ourselves, you continue argument, then you are paving the way for the military to come back and do something. But personally, I am not saying I am in support of the military to come back, we can still do it, you know how? If the political parties come together, depending on the type of government we elect, you can bring about the government that has the majority, 2/3 and so on, they pass the vote, and then it would be done. So, we can change from the present presidential system to parliamentary system under the political system we are operating now.
Back on the issue of corruption, this has always been described as the bane of our development. What role are the religious leaders like you playing in wiping out corruption in Nigeria?
Very little. You know why I said very little? Do you know that, even the religious leaders, there are so many of them that are corrupt?
No, sir.
If you don’t know, but I do, because I am a religious leader and I am dealing with religious leaders. There are so many corrupt ones among them. I said everybody is corrupt. Out of a hundred, you can hardly get three per cent that are honest, straightforward and committed; the rest are corrupt, they are just looking for opportunity, once they get the opportunity, they will seize it, and that is corruption. Corruption is in every facet. Look at what is happening now, right from childhood, you find students bribing their teachers to give them pass mark, and these are the youths we call the leaders of tomorrow. That is why I said sometime when people asked me, I said, look the corruption has gone so deep, the country is so rotten, it is very difficult for even the military to come and correct the ills of our country. Only God can help us, because God can do anything, He can teleguide all the people to think the same way and do this. So, it is only God that can bring about this change. But, for human beings, it is what they will benefit that matters. Go and mention it that I said that even religious leaders, even traditional rulers and political leaders are all corrupt. There is no institution that is immune from this corruption. Then, how do we bring about correction when the majority of the people are corrupt. They think corruption, they wear corruption, they eat corruption and daily, they wake up in corruption. That is what is happening. Even you the press, if you don’t get brown envelope, then you don’t go and give out news. Recently, in China, a journalist was arrested and jailed, he admitted in court that he published false news, because he was given money. So, you see, it is corruption all round, then how can we have development? It is very difficult.
Don’t you think these anti-corruption agencies like EFCC and ICPC have helped in getting rid of corruption?
They have not and they cannot. I am still telling you that they can’t, because there are sacred cows, they are very aware of people who amassed illegally the wealth of this country, they were jailed and then they were pardoned. Are you not aware? Then, how can EFCC fight corruption? They are aware, EFCC arraigned so many people- governors, senators and other top government officials and they sent them to court, and that is all they can do. When they send them to court and they are given bail, after they are given bail, you never hear about it. In fact, some of those who have been charged are now walking proudly on the corridors of power, they are the people recognised. You see, in Nigeria today, if you are an armed robber, you are a crook, then you become well respected. The way you dress, the way you eat, the way you marry the most beautiful wives, you build a mansion in three months, nobody queries you on how you get your riches, how do you correct that? Which EFCC and ICPC? There is nothing they can do, nothing.
Some have also linked the high rate of corruption in the country to the security problems experienced in Nigeria. In your own opinion, do you see any link between the two?
Even in the management of that security problem, there is corruption. You know, the armed forces have the highest provision in the budget. They have a lot of money and then they have something to rest upon. Let me give you one example, for how long are we going to be living with road blocks? It is now becoming a permanent feature, something that is supposed to be for a temporary period like two weeks, and then it is off, but now it is permanent, that is due to corruption.
Secondly, you see, you have introduced crisis in three states, have we solved the problem now? It is about six months now that they have been appointed, now what do you hear, you hear from the security forces, we came across this Boko Haram, we killed 200, we killed 95, but if you go to the local people, they said, it is a lie, we saw the dead bodies, they were not more than 15, but they will tell you this. That is corruption, because they cannot tell us the real truth, if we know the real truth, the whole country will rise against them, don’t you know? And again, when they go back to the barracks, what would they have? They will lose all these benefits which they are enjoying now. So, they will want this thing to continue permanently, yes. It is supposed to be for six months highest. Now, we have reached six months, the thing has not abated at all, even few days ago, there was an attack; the capital of Yobe State was attacked. We are not talking of villages, the capital, and then, you will tell me you are fighting Boko Haram, you are fighting terrorism, there is no progress, there is no progress at all. And now, the next thing now, they will go and arrest innocent people, lock them up. That is what is happening and that is corruption. Are you not aware of the Apo killing in Abuja? What has happened? Nothing. They said they are Boko Haram.
So, are you saying that, government should withdraw the military from the crisis areas?
Oh yes! Look, for many years, people in Borno where this Boko Haram started have been asking Federal Government to withdraw the military and allow the people to take care of themselves, they refused. You see, you cannot fight this thing through the barrel of the gun. The local people know themselves, they know who are the Boko Haram and who are not. Gradually if you allow them, they will come to terms with each other and stop. But now, there are extra judicial killings. People will go and open fire, nobody will challenge them.
Look at the Baga case, nobody will challenge them, because they have the licence to kill without being asked. Everyday, they are creating more enemies, because everyday you wake up, you kill this, you kill that, and they have relatives, you think those relations will forgive them? No! The more you kill, the more that will come out. So, that is the situation and even the whole world is watching now. You cannot subjugate people through the barrel of the gun. George Bush said, with the United Nation’s permission or not, they were going to bring down the government of Sadam in Iraq. He went to Iraq in 2001, killed Sadam, brought down the government, installed another government, but do we have peace in Iraq now? Everyday they have bombs and bombs and bombs. Only yesterday, they said the Prime Minister went to America, because they paid for some jet fighters to be given to them. They want to buy fighters; that is not the solution.
How do we now get out of this security challenge?
Well, security affects everybody, so it is the business of everybody. So, everybody must wake up, we must clean ourselves. It is not just the police and the army and the civil authority that are security forces, everybody must be security concious. And the number one thing is to wipe out corruption. If you go within the police and even the armed forces, there are so many rotten eggs among them. I am not saying all of them, there are very good ones among them. So, unless we think more of God than money, we are going to have a lot of problems
Away from that sir, 2015 is fast approaching and there has been this agitation for power to return to the North, as an elder statesman of Northern extraction, do you think Northern Presidency or Southern Presidency is the problem of Nigeria?
It is not. I have said it earlier that a common man in Nigeria doesn’t care who is the President, as long as his own interest is not suppressed, as long as he gets justice when he goes to court, he doesn’t bother. Now, we have struggled in Kaduna State, who is going to be the governor, the common man doesn’t care, he doesn’t know the intricacies of the workings of government. If you have somebody who will work for the people, give them their fair share of everything; development, then there will be no problem of any kind. So, this idea of tying it to the North or the South is not the issue, the issue is, who is there? What has he done? That is the question to ask. If he has performed wonderfully well, then he deserves to be re-elected. If he hasn’t, he deserves to be pushed away and then a new hand be given a chance to come and do it, yes. But you see, even in the North here, are we united? Supposing we say, alright, the North should produce the next President, are we that united? How many people have been contesting from the North? I can count about four or five people who contested the last Presidential election who are northerners, yes. That is another bone of contention, to get leadership by hook or by crook and that is why it is going to be a problem. But let us hope.
But you can see that there is already problem in the Kaduna State chapter of APC. I heard somebody shouting that they have not selected the right people, and that is problem. With APC as a merger of many political parties, it is going to be headache to select who should be the candidate for this and that. So, they have to work hard to ensure that they reach consensus, otherwise, it would be very bad.
Another fear I have due to insecurity and the corruption we are into in Nigeria, a lot of arms have flooded the country and people are preparing for 2015. It is most unfortunate.
People who are very rich have bought a lot of arms and brought into the country. Where is the security? With all these arms, there are people who said it is going to be do-or-die affair. A lot of arms have been brought into the country illegally, it is only God that can save us, because they brought these arms to subdue people. It means they will be killing people who are opposed to them, and only those who follow them or their own party will survive.
But, let us hope there will be a change of heart and change of attitude. Look, those in power have tasted it and they know how they are enjoying. Those outside are also eyeing that power, that is why it becomes do-or-die affair. That is why I was advocating parliamentary system, where you come, we pay you allowance, then we pay you and you go.
Out of 360 days in a year, National Assembly members are supposed to act for only 181 days, yet they are paid salaries, they are paid allowances, they are paid oversight this, oversight that and all the money is finished, nothing is left for development. Then how will someone not fight to maintain that position? Look at what they amassed within the past few years they came into power, and you think they easily agree for that power to slip bye? No! It is not easy, so they will try all means to return to power. Also those outside will do all that is within their power to get people vote those ones out.
It is already 53 years after Nigeria’s independence, as an elder statesman, what is your assessment of our journey so far?
The major problem of Nigeria is corruption. Nigerians have become followers of the devil; where there is money, people will always go and look for it by all means, that is why it is difficult now to get things right, and as I am talking to you now, you also know that, nothing goes right in Nigeria; whatever you want, you have to bribe or you have to ask for favour. No matter how qualified you are, you don’t get any appointment, you don’t get any job unless you know somebody. That is not the way to do things. Even this politics we are doing now, people spend money to get votes, then everything is wrong in Nigeria. And to get it right, there is no amount of sovereign conference that will solve our problem. Do you know why? The moment you come for a meeting, then there must be diverse opinions. You know, we have more than 400 ethnic tribes in Nigeria; each tribe has its own ways of doing things, has its own culture and so, they will bring about old prejudices and things like that, and that is why I don’t support this sort of conference. It is going to disrupt the present stability we are enjoying right now. Despite all the inconsistencies, we are still enjoying something and that thing is that, every part of Nigeria is proud to belong to Nigeria. And we must maintain that, to make sure that we maintain unity to be one country. The moment you bring people of different groups together, everybody has his own likes and dislikes, his own taste, you will bring something which will disturb the present unity that we are enjoying.
Already, if you are in a state, some people will begin to say, we, we are minority, we are subjugated, we are discriminated, we are this, we are that, we want our own state. Even if you go to the local government, you will see people who will say, oh yes I belong to another tribe, and my people want our own local government, we cannot continue to live like that. If we continue to break up, that means we are weakening the unity of the country, and the moment you bring about this conference, all these problems will come up, and then you will start to regret, why did we call for this conference in the first place? Because you cannot reach any consensus on any issue in Nigeria now. So, we need to first try to maintain the status quo. Number two, you cannot right the wrongs of the present till you wipe out or reduce corruption drastically. Corruption is the bane of our development now: in every aspect of our lives, corruption has eaten deep to the extent that people don’t even know that there is God. We don’t follow the tenets of our religions of Islam and Christianity. All of us are guilty; we are all looking for worldly things and we are all aware of this. For example, I am a pensioner, I have areas of two years of pension not paid. What brought about this? Corruption. Look, if there is no corruption, nobody will care who is the President of Nigeria, nobody will care about who is the governor of a state or the chairman of that local government. If there is no corruption, if there is justice and fair play, everyone will get his own share of what is due to him, and there will be no problem. Apart from corruption, the system of government we are operating now needs to be addressed.
Which system?
The present system, the presidential system we are operating is too costly for the level of our development in this country. If we want to be realistic, we should wipe it off. If you go on record to see how much we are spending with the executive arm, legislature and judiciary, how much we are spending at all levels of our local government, you will find out that, by the time we finish paying all these organs, there will be very little left for any meaningful development. And when we continue to do that, we will never get development, when these people are taking away 90 to 95 per cent of our revenue. I was reading the other day in the paper that, because this minister of aviation has bought two armoured vehicles at N255 million, they said, the American President’s vehicle is only N47 million and that is a President, President of the biggest country in the world, the most economically developed country in the world, with all their resources, yet the President is riding just N47 million car, and now, a minister is to ride cars worth N255 million. And these ones are just for her safety, there are still official cars around, how can you have development? You cannot have development, because these people have eaten deep into our resources and there is nothing left. So, I will plead that we go back to the way we were living before. We should go back to the way we were governing ourselves before, leaving presidential system of government, it is too expensive and go back to parliamentary system of government, where you elect people and among them, they elect a prime minister, then there will be no chaos.
Look at the way people scramble now to become governor or president, it is because it is too expensive, it is because they enjoy the positions, that is why it has become a do-or-die affair. Leave that. And then, why do we have to pay people if they are the servants of the people? We pay legislators to go and make laws, they should be paid allowances and not salaries, but now, they are paying them salaries, they are paying them retirement benefits; it is wrong, we are squandering our riches for nothing, nothing is left for development, so we should change. And that is why I condemn this meeting. In 2005, we were appointed to go and discuss National Political Reform during the time of Obasanjo. We were there for four months; they wasted a lot of money, we wasted a lot of time, we wasted a lot of papers, we wasted a lot of everything. When it finished, then it went to the National Assembly, they did not even look at our report. It means, we wasted time, we wasted everything. But, it was later we learnt that the whole essence of that meeting was that, they wanted third term. So, this is what national conference will bring about. There is a hidden agenda; there is something that is hidden, that is why I don’t support it.
Were you a delegate to the National Political Conference in 2005?
Yes, I was a delegate and in my maiden speech, I said, I hope there is no hidden agenda, but later on, it turned out that there was a hidden agenda. Everybody was shouting. In fact, they were accusing us of shouting about third term when Obasanjo had not declared interest in running for a third term.
And the moment you come and sit down now, everybody will bring his own problems and say he wants solution and there will be no solution. We will just waste our money, time and everything, and after all, under the present system, under the present constitution of Nigeria, nobody can change anything except the National Assembly. Even to create a state now, it is impossible under the present dispensation, because you must have 2/3 of the whole states of Nigeria agreeing to any proposal. Tell me how can you get that? Twenty-four states must agree to the creation of one state.
So, are you saying we need the military to do this for us?
No! It is possible, we don’t have to call on the military to come back, but if we fail to agree between ourselves, you continue argument, then you are paving the way for the military to come back and do something. But personally, I am not saying I am in support of the military to come back, we can still do it, you know how? If the political parties come together, depending on the type of government we elect, you can bring about the government that has the majority, 2/3 and so on, they pass the vote, and then it would be done. So, we can change from the present presidential system to parliamentary system under the political system we are operating now.
Back on the issue of corruption, this has always been described as the bane of our development. What role are the religious leaders like you playing in wiping out corruption in Nigeria?
Very little. You know why I said very little? Do you know that, even the religious leaders, there are so many of them that are corrupt?
No, sir.
If you don’t know, but I do, because I am a religious leader and I am dealing with religious leaders. There are so many corrupt ones among them. I said everybody is corrupt. Out of a hundred, you can hardly get three per cent that are honest, straightforward and committed; the rest are corrupt, they are just looking for opportunity, once they get the opportunity, they will seize it, and that is corruption. Corruption is in every facet. Look at what is happening now, right from childhood, you find students bribing their teachers to give them pass mark, and these are the youths we call the leaders of tomorrow. That is why I said sometime when people asked me, I said, look the corruption has gone so deep, the country is so rotten, it is very difficult for even the military to come and correct the ills of our country. Only God can help us, because God can do anything, He can teleguide all the people to think the same way and do this. So, it is only God that can bring about this change. But, for human beings, it is what they will benefit that matters. Go and mention it that I said that even religious leaders, even traditional rulers and political leaders are all corrupt. There is no institution that is immune from this corruption. Then, how do we bring about correction when the majority of the people are corrupt. They think corruption, they wear corruption, they eat corruption and daily, they wake up in corruption. That is what is happening. Even you the press, if you don’t get brown envelope, then you don’t go and give out news. Recently, in China, a journalist was arrested and jailed, he admitted in court that he published false news, because he was given money. So, you see, it is corruption all round, then how can we have development? It is very difficult.
Don’t you think these anti-corruption agencies like EFCC and ICPC have helped in getting rid of corruption?
They have not and they cannot. I am still telling you that they can’t, because there are sacred cows, they are very aware of people who amassed illegally the wealth of this country, they were jailed and then they were pardoned. Are you not aware? Then, how can EFCC fight corruption? They are aware, EFCC arraigned so many people- governors, senators and other top government officials and they sent them to court, and that is all they can do. When they send them to court and they are given bail, after they are given bail, you never hear about it. In fact, some of those who have been charged are now walking proudly on the corridors of power, they are the people recognised. You see, in Nigeria today, if you are an armed robber, you are a crook, then you become well respected. The way you dress, the way you eat, the way you marry the most beautiful wives, you build a mansion in three months, nobody queries you on how you get your riches, how do you correct that? Which EFCC and ICPC? There is nothing they can do, nothing.
Some have also linked the high rate of corruption in the country to the security problems experienced in Nigeria. In your own opinion, do you see any link between the two?
Even in the management of that security problem, there is corruption. You know, the armed forces have the highest provision in the budget. They have a lot of money and then they have something to rest upon. Let me give you one example, for how long are we going to be living with road blocks? It is now becoming a permanent feature, something that is supposed to be for a temporary period like two weeks, and then it is off, but now it is permanent, that is due to corruption.
Secondly, you see, you have introduced crisis in three states, have we solved the problem now? It is about six months now that they have been appointed, now what do you hear, you hear from the security forces, we came across this Boko Haram, we killed 200, we killed 95, but if you go to the local people, they said, it is a lie, we saw the dead bodies, they were not more than 15, but they will tell you this. That is corruption, because they cannot tell us the real truth, if we know the real truth, the whole country will rise against them, don’t you know? And again, when they go back to the barracks, what would they have? They will lose all these benefits which they are enjoying now. So, they will want this thing to continue permanently, yes. It is supposed to be for six months highest. Now, we have reached six months, the thing has not abated at all, even few days ago, there was an attack; the capital of Yobe State was attacked. We are not talking of villages, the capital, and then, you will tell me you are fighting Boko Haram, you are fighting terrorism, there is no progress, there is no progress at all. And now, the next thing now, they will go and arrest innocent people, lock them up. That is what is happening and that is corruption. Are you not aware of the Apo killing in Abuja? What has happened? Nothing. They said they are Boko Haram.
So, are you saying that, government should withdraw the military from the crisis areas?
Oh yes! Look, for many years, people in Borno where this Boko Haram started have been asking Federal Government to withdraw the military and allow the people to take care of themselves, they refused. You see, you cannot fight this thing through the barrel of the gun. The local people know themselves, they know who are the Boko Haram and who are not. Gradually if you allow them, they will come to terms with each other and stop. But now, there are extra judicial killings. People will go and open fire, nobody will challenge them.
Look at the Baga case, nobody will challenge them, because they have the licence to kill without being asked. Everyday, they are creating more enemies, because everyday you wake up, you kill this, you kill that, and they have relatives, you think those relations will forgive them? No! The more you kill, the more that will come out. So, that is the situation and even the whole world is watching now. You cannot subjugate people through the barrel of the gun. George Bush said, with the United Nation’s permission or not, they were going to bring down the government of Sadam in Iraq. He went to Iraq in 2001, killed Sadam, brought down the government, installed another government, but do we have peace in Iraq now? Everyday they have bombs and bombs and bombs. Only yesterday, they said the Prime Minister went to America, because they paid for some jet fighters to be given to them. They want to buy fighters; that is not the solution.
How do we now get out of this security challenge?
Well, security affects everybody, so it is the business of everybody. So, everybody must wake up, we must clean ourselves. It is not just the police and the army and the civil authority that are security forces, everybody must be security concious. And the number one thing is to wipe out corruption. If you go within the police and even the armed forces, there are so many rotten eggs among them. I am not saying all of them, there are very good ones among them. So, unless we think more of God than money, we are going to have a lot of problems
Away from that sir, 2015 is fast approaching and there has been this agitation for power to return to the North, as an elder statesman of Northern extraction, do you think Northern Presidency or Southern Presidency is the problem of Nigeria?
It is not. I have said it earlier that a common man in Nigeria doesn’t care who is the President, as long as his own interest is not suppressed, as long as he gets justice when he goes to court, he doesn’t bother. Now, we have struggled in Kaduna State, who is going to be the governor, the common man doesn’t care, he doesn’t know the intricacies of the workings of government. If you have somebody who will work for the people, give them their fair share of everything; development, then there will be no problem of any kind. So, this idea of tying it to the North or the South is not the issue, the issue is, who is there? What has he done? That is the question to ask. If he has performed wonderfully well, then he deserves to be re-elected. If he hasn’t, he deserves to be pushed away and then a new hand be given a chance to come and do it, yes. But you see, even in the North here, are we united? Supposing we say, alright, the North should produce the next President, are we that united? How many people have been contesting from the North? I can count about four or five people who contested the last Presidential election who are northerners, yes. That is another bone of contention, to get leadership by hook or by crook and that is why it is going to be a problem. But let us hope.
But you can see that there is already problem in the Kaduna State chapter of APC. I heard somebody shouting that they have not selected the right people, and that is problem. With APC as a merger of many political parties, it is going to be headache to select who should be the candidate for this and that. So, they have to work hard to ensure that they reach consensus, otherwise, it would be very bad.
Another fear I have due to insecurity and the corruption we are into in Nigeria, a lot of arms have flooded the country and people are preparing for 2015. It is most unfortunate.
People who are very rich have bought a lot of arms and brought into the country. Where is the security? With all these arms, there are people who said it is going to be do-or-die affair. A lot of arms have been brought into the country illegally, it is only God that can save us, because they brought these arms to subdue people. It means they will be killing people who are opposed to them, and only those who follow them or their own party will survive.
But, let us hope there will be a change of heart and change of attitude. Look, those in power have tasted it and they know how they are enjoying. Those outside are also eyeing that power, that is why it becomes do-or-die affair. That is why I was advocating parliamentary system, where you come, we pay you allowance, then we pay you and you go.
Out of 360 days in a year, National Assembly members are supposed to act for only 181 days, yet they are paid salaries, they are paid allowances, they are paid oversight this, oversight that and all the money is finished, nothing is left for development. Then how will someone not fight to maintain that position? Look at what they amassed within the past few years they came into power, and you think they easily agree for that power to slip bye? No! It is not easy, so they will try all means to return to power. Also those outside will do all that is within their power to get people vote those ones out.
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