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Supreme Court Upbraids Nigerians On Possible Outcome Of Election Petition Tribunals, Says CJN Had No Conversation With Anybody

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has urged Nigerians to desist from speculations and rumor peddling over the ongoing election petitions assuring that decisions of the Tribunals will be constitutionally based.

A Supreme Court statement  explained that the CJN has never had telephone conversation with anybody including President Ahmed Bola Tinubu about the on-going Presidential Election Petitions on the 2023 election.

The Apex Court said that Justice Ariwoola neither spoke with Tinubu nor the Director General General of the Department of State Service (DSS) with a view to pressurizing the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on the likely judgment to give in respect of the petitions.

The Director of Press and Information, Supreme Court of Nigeria, Dr Akande Festus made the clarification in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

The statement reads in part: “In view of the rumor currently circulating in the social media space that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Olukayode Ariwoola had a telephone conversation with His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS) with a view to pressurizing the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on the likely judgment to give, it is imperative to state clearly that there is no iota of truth in the narrative, as there was no such telephone conversation between the CJN and anyone.

“Nigerians have been following the proceedings at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal with admirable enthusiasm.

“So, it is advisable we all sustain the tempo and follow it up to the end, instead of relapsing into the realm of speculations and rumor peddling that will not do anyone any good.

“If this current trend of falsehood and mudslinging is sustained, our nation may not make the desired progress.

“The Courts are statutorily established to serve the best interest of the masses; and we are ever poised to do that to the best of our ability.

“We wish to plead with everyone to cooperate with the judiciary to serve the country to its full capacity, as no one will ever be favoured against the other in any dispute.

“The rule of law and supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution will always be upheld and applied in every matter that comes before the courts; as the facts presented and the subsisting laws must be applied in determining the merit or otherwise of each matter.

“The public should be rest assured that justice will be done to all matters pending in the various courts across the country, irrespective of who is involved.”

Palliatives: Why Tinubu Adjusted N8,000 Monthly Stipends – Alake; Farmers To Get Grains From Reserve

By
Ayodele Oni
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Bola Ahmed Tinubu

By Ayodele Oni

Following public reactions over N8,000 monthly stipends to some categories of Nigerians as palliatives to cushion the hardship occasioned by the withdrawal of subsidy on petrol, President Bola Tinubu has approved an increment of the amount.

Although, the new rate has not been made public, Special Adviser to the president on communications and strategy, Dele Alake explained that the increment means Tinubu is a listening leader.

In a statement, Alake stated: “You will agree with me that it has become part of the culture of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to constantly dialogue with Nigerians who voted him into office.

“The President covenanted with Nigerians that their welfare and security will be topmost in the Renewed Hope Agenda of his government.

“In the last few days, the conventional and new media platforms have become awash with stories of the government intending to embark on conditional cash transfer to vulnerable households mostly affected by the painful but necessary decision to remove subsidy from petrol.

“The story has been widely reported that the Federal Government is proposing to give 12 million households from the poorest of the poor N8,000 monthly for a period of six months as government palliative to reduce the discomfort being experienced by Nigerians consequent upon subsidy removal.

“A lot of ill-informed imputations have been read into the programme by not a few naysayers. The Administration believes in the maxim that when there is prohibition, there must be provision.

“Since subsidy, the hydra-headed monster threatening to kill the economy, has been stopped, government has emplaced a broad spectrum of reliefs to bring help to Nigerians.

“While it should be noted that cash programme is not the only item in the whole gamut of relief package of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a listening leader who has vowed to always put Nigerians at the heart of his policy and programme, the President has directed as follows:-

“That the N8,000 conditional cash transfer programmed envisaged to bring succour to most vulnerable households be reviewed immediately. This is in deference to the views expressed by Nigerians against it.

“That the whole gamut of palliative package of government be unveiled to Nigerians.

“Immediate release of fertilisers and grains to approximately 50 million farmers and households respectively in all the 36 states and the FCT.

“The President further assures Nigerians that the N500 billion approved by parliament to cushion the pain occasioned by the end of subsidy regime will be judiciously utilized. The beneficiaries of the reliefs shall be Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic, religious or political affiliation.

“President Bola Tinubu has promised to always prioritize the wellbeing of Nigerians and he is irrevocably committed to the vow. A number of decisions taken so far by this Administration have buttressed this stance.

“You will recall that the President took a similar decision after listening to complaints from the business community/stakeholders about burdensome taxes, particularly multiplicity of taxes they are made to experience.

“This warranted the signing of four (4) Executive Orders cancelling some classes of taxes, while suspending the implementation dates of others.

“In addition, the President has also set up a Tax Reform/Fiscal Policy Committee to bring up recommendations that will engender a wholesome fiscal environment for the country and remove anti-business barriers.

“I wish to assure Nigerians that President Tinubu will continue to be a listening leader whose ears will not be dull to the views expressed by the citizenry. The President believes government exists to cater for the interest of the people and he has demonstrated this so clearly.

Ekiti: 12,00 Unemployed Graduates Jostle For 500 Vacant Teaching Positions In Secondary Schools

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

More than 12,000 unemployed graduates, including those with physical challenges, have submitted their applications for the recently announced teaching positions in public secondary schools in Ekiti State.

This is coming as majority of those that sat for employment as primary school teachers two months ago are still waiting for their letters of appointment, while those that fall within first batch, have received their letters.

Apart from receiving letters, they have also attended seminar to prepare them for the job, but they may not resume untill the next school session commences in September.

Mr. Michael Omolayo, the Permanent Secretary of the Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission, expressed his contentment with the qualifying examination conducted for the recruitment process.

He further revealed that the government plans to recruit 500 candidates who have successfully passed the examination.

Omolayo disclosed in Ado Ekiti that “the qualifying examination would be followed by two other stages of oral interview and micro teaching for successful candidates for the purpose of promoting merit and ability over mediocrity.

“The commission is poised to engage the best hands for the jobs among the teeming unemployed graduates.

“Teachers who are prepared to offer their best for the development of education in Ekiti State would be engaged for various subjects in the sciences, commercial/vocational, arts and social sciences at the conclusion of the recruitment processes.”

Omolayo also expressed appreciation to Governor Biodun Oyebanji, “for granting approval for the appointment of 500 fresh teachers to fill the consequential vacancies in the state public secondary schools.”

He described the qualifying examination, which held at the Ekiti State University last Saturday, as a great success, saying the examination was conducted in a free, fair and peaceful atmosphere.

Petrol Price Hike: Labour Roars Says Tinubu Is A Dictator, Insensitive

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Bola Tinubu and Joe Ajaero

The Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, has kicked against the fresh increase in the price of petrol, describing  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a dictator who is only interested in impoverishing Nigerians.

Barely two months after President Bola Tinubu ended the fuel subsidy regime, the price of petrol has been jerked up to over N600 per litre from barely N200 per litre in May when he took over reins of government.
Labour protest comes on the heels of Tuesday’s increase from N520 to N700 pere litre, depending on the part of th3 country. In Lagos and Abuja, the product was sold for N620 per litre by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC Limited-owned petrol stations and independent petroleum marketers.
The price hike has imposed serious hardship on many Nigerians who blamed the government for their conditions .

Many commuters have resorted to trekking since yesterday, while sellers of food and other essential commodities have warned of an imminent rise in the prices of their products in line with the current economic situations.

Reacting to the increase, NLC President Joe Ajaero warned that the union will be forced to act if the increase is not reversed immediately.

According to a statement he signed, Ajaero said poor Nigerians are the ones suffering from the removal of subsidy and the attendant hike in the price of petrol, saying that government officials are still living large.

He criticised the unilateral increase by the NNPC Limited, warning that workers in the country may be forced to respond to save their members. He stated that the Tinubu administration has been misled to remove petrol subsidy.

NLC said in the statement “the government of Nigeria seems to have been misled into believing that resorting to impunity and imperiousness in governance in a democracy is a beneficial option as it pursues its stated and unstated objectives.

“It is this belief that we are sure has continued shaping the actions of this government since its inauguration on May 29, 2023, to continue inflicting mindless and heartless pains on the populace one after the other without the decency of embracing the tenets of democracy which requires wide and deep stakeholder consultations on weighty matters of state.”

The NLC stated that Nigerians would remember that the Federal Government had called for dialogue in the aftermath of its disastrous forlorn trajectory in the astronomical increase in petroleum product price “and our subsequent call for a nationwide industrial action.”

It said, “We were also witnesses to the actions of the Federal Government in procuring an unholy injunction from the courts which were served us in Gestapo style by trucks laden with fully armed soldiers and policemen.

“In all of these provocations, we remained committed to the principles of the rule of law, good conscience and democracy so that we can continue to be the moral compass for leaders in the public space. This explained our decision to suspend action on the proposed strike.”

The labour union, however, stated that rather than reciprocate the goodwill of Nigerian workers, the Federal Government insisted on threading the path of dictatorship and seeking to impoverish the people further by taking steps that could only be described as robbing the people of Nigeria to pay and feed the rich.

It said, “It is on this basis that the NLC strongly condemns the decision of the Tinubu-led administration to seek the approval of the National Assembly to obtain another tranche of external loans worth N500bn from the World Bank for the purposes of carrying out a phantom palliative measure to cushion the effect of its poorly thought-out hike in the price of PMS.

“Remember that the $800m which was already proposed before the devaluation of the naira by this government was worth about N400bn then but is now worth about N650bn after devaluation. It is from this, it proposes to bring out N500bn for distribution.

“The proposal to pay N8,000 to each of the so-called 12 million poorest Nigerian households for a period of six months insults our collective intelligence and makes a mockery of our patience and abiding faith in social dialogue which the government may have alluded to albeit pretentiously.”

The NLC pointed out that the “further proposal to pay National Assembly members the sum of N70bn and the Judiciary N36bn is the most insensitive, reckless and brazen diversion of our collective patrimony into the pockets of public officers whose sworn responsibility it is to protect our nation’s treasury.”

The union said this might amount to hush money and outright bribery of the other arms of government to acquiesce the aberration.

“It is unconscionable that a government that has foisted so much hardship on the people within nearly two months of coming into office will make a proposal that clearly rewards the rich in public office to the detriment of the poor.

“What this means all this while is that the government is seeking ways of robbing the very poor Nigerians so that the rich can become richer. There is no other way to explain the proposal to pay a misery sum of N8,000 to each of the mysterious poorest 12 million households for six months which amounts to N48,000 and pay just 469 national legislators N70bn or about N149m each, while the Judiciary that has about 72 Appeal Court Judges, 33 National Industrial Court Judges, 75 Federal High Court Judges and 21 Supreme Court Judges and a total of about 201 Judges receives a total of N35bn or N174m each.

“If these other two arms are projected to receive this, what members of the executive council will receive is better left to the imagination of Nigerians; perhaps, the balance of N150bn will go to them. These proposals are not just unacceptable to Nigerian workers but are also dictatorial thus undemocratic,” the association stated.

It said the union would not want to waste the time of Nigerians especially workers on committees that had already been programmed to fail thus ignored.

“NLC would not want to continue to be part of the usual charade of committees with outcomes that are never implemented. We would not want to waste the time of Nigerians especially workers on committees that have already been programmed to fail thus ignored. We do not want to provide a cover for the government to get away with the hardship it has imposed on the people. We do not want to legitimise impunity,” it stated.

Speaking on the next line of action, the congress said, “As a result, if the government does not want to stop these fortuitous actions that it is pursuing in the name of palliatives, we will be forced to constructively review our engagement with the government on this vexatious issue and take matters in our own hands.”

On its part, TUC, in a statement issued by its vice president, Tommy Etim stated that the Tinubu administration has deviated, describing the current hike as insensitive to the plight of the “commoners and the poorest of the poor”.

He said the administration has rushed to the implementation of the full deregulation of the petroleum sector without the inputs of labour unions in the country, adding that the government is the palliatives measures being proposed cannot solve the problems.

According to TUC, “We are entering one chance. It is unfortunate that the government is insensitive to the plight of the commoners and the poorest of the poor. You can see that fuel which is essential to the movement of goods and services, including the informal businesses, have continued to fluctuate in price.

“For NNPC to wake up and increase the fuel price again, you need to ask what the increase is all about? Since they claimed that subsidy has been removed, why is the NNPC still regulating prices of fuel? The presidential committee that is considering palliatives is still meeting. As I speak to you, the sub-committees have not even met at all, I know this because I am a member of one.

“We have not concluded that, no template yet for implementation of proposals to be raised; but all that we are seeing is Tinubu going to the National Assembly, talking about distribution of N8,000 to 12 million households. What is the credibility of the social register? Nigeria is undergoing dimensional poverty and with the inflation rate, we are praying that we will not be like Zimbabwe. Look at the naira, this calls for urgent attention.”

He said the wages of workers had remained static, adding that “when Tinubu came in we were optimistic and we felt that he started well but he has started to deviate. He needs to remember the poorest of the poor who voted him into office.

“Look at the prices of food. Garri is now a luxury. People can’t afford garri again. Government has refused to think outside the box. At this point, we are seriously doubting if the proposal of the committee will be implemented.”

Akpabio Justifies Petrol Subsidy Removal; Nigerians Trekking, Hardship Bites

By
James Orji
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0

President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio has hailed the removal of subsidy on petrol, saying the country could not have survived if the multi-billion subsidy regime was allowed to continue.

Akapbio spoke as Nigerians woke up to another increase in the pump price of petrol on Tuesday barely a month after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said his government has ended subsidy payment on the product.

Nigrians are curently facing severe hardship due to the removal which has led to an exponential increase in the pump price of petrol to at least N650 per litre from barely N200 per litre two months ago.

In response to the hike , the prices of foods and other essential commodities have shot up, while the cost of transportation has been more than tripled, and beyond the reach of many Nigerian families . Most Nigerians are now trekking to work as the effects of the removal bite harder.

Labour unions in the country such as the Nigerian Labour Congress,  NLC, and Trade Union Congress,  TUC, has criticised the price jerk up, describing it as insensitive  to the plight of Nigerians.

But speaking when Governor Abiodun Oyebanji paid him a visit in his office in Abuja on Tuesday, Akpabio said the removal saved the country from economic collapse.

According to him, plan is underway by the federal government to increase civil servants’ salary to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy.

“Nigeria as a country would not have survived the next few years if the fuel subsidy had not been removed.

“Salaries and wages of workers would be reviewed in order to ensure that Nigerians have a living wage,” Akpabio said.

Meanwhile, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari said on Tuesday, during a visit to Aso Rock, Presidential Villa, Abuja that yesterday’s hike in petrol price was not as a result of shortage of the product, saying there is enough to last for over a month.

He said the price hike was as a result of market forces, adding also that some independent marketers have started importing petrol.

Politicians Storm Abuja As Senate Unveils Tinubu’s Ministers

By
James Orji
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Bola Tinubu and Godswill Akpabio

There is high anticipation among Nigerians who are planning to become ministers in this dispensation following a letter containing names of ministerial nominees sent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Senate.

President Tinubu, on Tuesday, sent the list to the upper chamber of the legislative body, ending weeks of speculations over the issue.

Recall that Dele Alake, the Special Adviser on Special Duties and Media promised Nigerians last month that the president will unveil his ministers within 30 days in office as commander-in-chief in line with the constitution.

Alake said, “I told you in an earlier interview that it didn’t take Asiwaju more than three weeks to form his cabinet as governor. That was as at that time. I think 60 days is even too much. A month, maximum, is enough for any serious government to form its cabinet and put a structure of government in place after the swearing-in.”

“President Tinubu does not want to do anything in breach of the law and that is why he has sent the list to the Senate for consent. It’s now left to the lawmakers to approve the list or not,” another Presidency source who spoke anonymously also said on Wednesday.

Since the news broke yesterday that the list has been submitted to the Senate expectations have been high among Nigerians who have been lobbying powerful leaders in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to ensure that they are nominated by the president.

To ensure that their names are not missing in the list, politicians and technocrats from different sectors of the nation’s economy have also been speaking to top National assembly members who have the ears of the president and the party, according to those monitoring what is going on.

“Since the report came to the public domain on Tuesday, many politicians have stormed Abuja in anticipation that the senate will red the list today. Some among them already know whether their names are in the list due to their closeness to the-power-that-be.”

The president is expected to nominate at least 36 ministers, each from the states across the country in line with the constitution, though the number of ministers can be as much as 42 depending on the plan of the president.

Meanwhile, the magazine learned from competent sources that the list sent to the Senate contained names of some former governors in APC and opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who worked for the emergence of Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

Tobi Amusan Charged With Anti Doping Violation, May Miss World Athletics Championships

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Nigeria’s Athlete and 100 Meters Hurdles World Record Holder, Tobi Amusan, could miss the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary next month if she fails to clear herself of the charges leveled against her by the Anti Doping Body.

Amusan was charged by Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU, for missing three Anti Doping tests within 12 months.

The Athlete who recently broke the 100 meters Hurdle Meet Record at Diamond League in Silesia, Poland, setting a new meeting record of 12.34 Seconds took to her Instagram Page to reveal the Anti Doping Charges against her.

She wrote,  “Today the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has charged me with an alleged rule violation for having 3 missed tests in 12 months,” she posted.

Amusan set a new world record for the women’s 100m hurdles after clocking 12.12 seconds at last year’s World Athletics Championships.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old athlete has vowed to clear herself of the charges before the World Championships next month.

“I intend to fight this charge and will have my case decided by a tribunal of 3 arbitrators before the start of next month’s World Championships,” she said.

“I am a clean athlete, and I am regularly; (maybe more than the usual) tested by the AIU – I was tested within days of my third ‘missed test.’

“I have faith that this will be resolved in my favour and that I will be competing at the World Championships in August.”

Obi @ 62: A Consistency in Charity

By
The Source
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Peter Obi at 62

By Ike Abonyi

Today, Wednesday, July 19, 2023,  the Former Governor of Anambra state and the Presidential Candidate of the LABOUR Party in the February 25, 2023 election, Peter Obi is 62 years old. On Monday he alerted his friends and well-wishers of the date and reminded them how his birthday is usually celebrated devoid of owambe but a time to think about the poor, the less, and the underprivileged in our society.

According to him in his reminder message “Wednesday 19th July 2023, marks my 62nd Birthday. While I remain immensely grateful to God for His infinite mercies, I still maintain my decision of over 20 years, that I will not celebrate my birthdays in today’s Nigeria, with the current deplorable state of the nation.

“However, some friends, members of the Labour Party, and OBIdient Family and supporters have asked how they can join me in celebrating that day, and even present some gifts. Let me humbly and respectfully appeal to all those who desire to celebrate me with any kind of gifts, to look around them, and extend such gifts to the people in need, especially in these difficult times.

“I urge them to visit hospitals, orphanages, and homes for the aged and people with disabilities, and offer them such generous gifts. They can also visit schools of basic studies in remote areas and support them with the basic amenities they need.

‘Those who wish to do more can visit various IDP camps in different parts of the country. I intend to do the same thing. Aside from sharing my time and resources with the less fortunate people around me, I plan to raise money for schools, hospitals, etc.

“I have already said that the sacrifices for a better Nigeria must now start from us, the leaders and the well-placed. The state of our nation must give us cause to pause and ponder. There is far too much insecurity, violence, and bloodshed. This month alone over 200 lives have been lost to sustained violent attacks in Mangu LGA in Plateau State. Similarly, in Benue State, over 100 lives have been lost in recent times, the latest being 27 persons killed in Adogo Ugbaam, Akpuuna, and Diom communities in Ukum LGA.

Peter Obi has over time established one thing that is not commonly identified with Nigerians especially politicians, that is, stealing the slightest opportunity to showcase oneself. Instead for Obi, he turns around those times to pass a strong message about the divinity of our being.

At any available opportunity Obi tries to draw everybody’s attention to what is dear to his heart, the poor in our midst. He brought this sentiment into his politics and it has endeared him to the downtrodden. No wonder every attempt by the selfish elites to diminish him hits the rock because the people see and value his consistency and sincerity in his love for the less privileged.

Politics is not driving his charity and that explains why he has remained consistent in and out of public office.

To show that OBI’S charity is constant and regular and not window dressing or politicking, here are some samples of his birthday activities in the past.

When he was 53 years, Fidelity Bank where he was Chairman gave him N5 million to commemorate his birthday anniversary and he quickly donated the money immediately to Holy Name Secondary School, Umuchu., in Anambra state.

Presenting the cheque to the owner of the school, the Catholic Diocese of Awka led by the Bishop, Most Rev. Dr. Paulinus Ezeokafor on the premises of the school at Umuchu, Obi said that part of his mission since leaving office was to solicit funds from organizations and his friends to assist missionary-owned schools and the poor through support to Churches in the State to start faith-based revolving micro-credit scheme.

Obi thanked Fidelity Bank Plc for the gift and for respecting his wish that rather than place adverts for him, organizations and friends should use the money to assist the poor or give to him to donate to schools and the poor.

Two years ago when he celebrated his 60th birthday when many of his friends wanted to showcase him, he dodged all the fanfare and decided to be with the disabled.

He donated to the Disabled, Tramps, equipped school computer lab and the sum of N5 million to the Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled, Old, and Tramps (RECDOT) Ozubulu, in Anambra state. He also equipped the computer laboratory of RECDOT Comprehensive Secondary School, Ozubulu.

Obi, who visited RECDOT Family and RECDOT Secondary School on that day explained that it was more fulfilling for him to celebrate his birthday with the downtrodden and the poor people in the society. He said it would do neither him nor society any good if he lavished huge amounts of money on exotic celebrations when people were hungry on the streets.

“Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t do parties. How can I be drinking expensive champagnes in Abuja when millions of Nigerian youths are roaming the streets hungry and unemployed? I would rather invest whatever money I have into making our society better by building schools, upgrading hospitals, and lifting people out of poverty. That to me, is more rewarding and fulfilling”, Obi explained.

Handing over the cheque of N5 million to RECDOT Centre and 10 laptop computers, 2 printers, and a generator set to Recdot Comprehensive Secondary School, Obi encouraged their founder, Mrs Rosemary Odunukwe, to keep up her good work.

Addressing the students, Obi encouraged them to take their education seriously, for it remains a pathway to greatness. Obi reiterated that education remains the greatest contributor to national development and urged the students not to take it lightly.

In her words of appreciation, Mrs. Odunukwe said that Obi has always come to their aid and always contributed to their welfare. She prayed to God to bless Obi always.

So for Peter Obi, his charity job did not start today and may not stop today because he believes that sharing with the people gladdens his and their hearts and may also be pleasing to heaven. Obi strongly believes in the words of English writer and Puritan preacher, John Bunyan that “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you” Happy birthday to Okwute Ndigbo, the phenomenal figure of contemporary Nigeria. God bless.

Abonyi, Journalist, Columnist, Political Commentator, sent this from Abuja

Obi and Endless Possibilities: Tribute To Obi @ 62

By
The Source
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0

By Valentine Obienyem

Nigeria is crying for liberation. A lot of things go wrong in the country. Anambra was once like that but underwent a profound transformation from 2006 to 2014. In those years, the state witnessed an interregnum of peace and progress. At the end, the state was left with over N75 Billion and other surpluses amidst recording the highest development among all the states. Unfortunately, his successor ended up destroying everything that he built; proving that from civilization to barbarism only take years provided a barbarian lurking around the gate is offered a little inroad. To whom, more than any other one man, do we owe that precious and epochal liberation? To Mr. Peter Obi

As Obi turns 62 today, how do we rate him? How shall we, who fret at the pinpricks of private tribulations, understand a man who came far ahead of his time? I am perhaps among the most privileged to talk about him. The fact is that if we should subpoena even his most virulent critics to the judgment box of truth they will speak eloquently of him when hatred and subjectivity are cast aside.

Born on the 19th of July, 1961, he started early in life and at every age engaged in what ordinarily his mates were considered as too young to do. With a little modification, we can say of him as Achebe said of Chimamada, “he came fully mature.” As a pupil of primary school he was already a successful trader. In secondary school, his trading craft further blossomed and as an undergraduate was already bearing fruits.

With the same commitment with which he conquered every challenge he had faced, he entered politics and at once made his marks. If one cares to  study his life as a model of growth and development, one would be  happy to include unusual political achievements that really introduced new order to the country. This will be our focus today as we celebrate his 62nd year on earth – the boundless possibilities of man’s contributions to his society.

The Nigeria we all used to know was a place nobody had ever taken post-election litigation seriously. At the end of each election, those that were obviously cheated would threaten to bring down heavens only to later chicken out. They do this either out of promise by the crooked “winners” to carry them along or because they had been paid off using the resources of the state. However, when Obi felt cheated, he went to court and defied all odds and became the first Governor to ascend the throne through the arbitrament of the tribunals. Soon after Obi succeeded, he proved to Nigerians the infinite possibilities of our courts when approached with sense of duty, commitment and godliness.

His initial governance of Anambra State was perilous. Coming into Government with an entirely different orientation unknown to the “ekperima’s” of politics, he started by trying to upturn the old, entrenched system. It did not go well with the old, they ended up impeaching him. Undaunted, he fought the impeachment vigorously, trusting in the judicial process. Eventually he was returned. Again, he set the record that impeachment is not a death sentence, especially when you mess with the wrong person. I recall that momentous period in the history of Anambra State, when impunity was the order of the day and decency took a flight.

Added to his very nature, his peculiar experience in the state and the unusual challenges imposed on him the task of changing the psyche of the people to see politics for what it is supposed to be and not the congregation of gangsters. He succeeded because, under him, Anambra moved many notches up in the scale of human and infrastructural developments and became an exemplary state. As the Governor, he displayed abilities rarely combined: rugged zeal and administrative skill. He showed us the infinite possibilities of the state once it is rightly governed. Even at times he was drawn into controversies; he attacked ideas, not characters.

In 2009, when the time for election was approaching, Obi wrote to INEC informing them that constitutionally he was supposed to serve out his tenure, excluding the period Sen. Chris Ngige served wrongly.  INEC not only refused, but went ahead to conduct an election. Again, Obi returned to court and successfully won, because the court agreed that he was constitutionally bound to complete his tenure. This was the reason Sen. Andy Ubah, the interrex King, lasted just seventeen days. This is the reason Anambra holds gubernatorial election on a different day. Soon, other States followed his footsteps, regained their states from usurpers and today hold elections on different days. This remains a precedent by Obi, showing the nation the infinite possibilities of one man to change a corrupt system.

Many years after he left office, he goes about like the Sophist of Socrates time, dishing out in full scale, words of political and economic wisdom that if imbibed by our leaders would restore the glory of the country. However, the president we had at that time, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari was impervious to good governance and reason which was why many people regarded him as a disaster. He is one of the many men of his time of whom it might be said that it would have been better for the country and humanity if they had never been born. His years were unmitigated disaster such that for once, noting the danger, Nigerians became united in the clamour for Obi to come on a rescue mission.

His involvement has exposed to us the true nature of man and has made some of us lose faith in humanity. One particular person and a class mate I had considered as a genuine activist was the most surprising. The election exposed him and his ilks as fake. It also exposed us to the antics of many Nigerians for what they really are. In some of the fora I belong to, it was distressing seeing human beings turning truth and our values topsy-turvy in the name of politics. What lessons are we teaching the young ones when we have failed at our ages to follow the example of the reasoner who is seeking truth, and not of the eristic who is contradicting for the sake of what Nigerians call “stomach infrastructure”? We can now speak or write vividly about some characters we encountered during electioneering for the simple reason of using them to teach Nigerians what to embrace and what to run away from. This is in line with actions associated with Obi always being didactic by their very nature.

Who remembers the group whose two members were shamefully named in the recent EU report on the 2023 election? They think that politics is about eloquence aimed at hair-splitting and quibbles of words. I once describe their tribe as that of the depraved who carry paunches of poison under their tongues; when they speak this venom mingle with their words and pollute all the surrounding air. Clearly they speak with their hopes and wishes rather than with their brains. The unfortunate sequel is that they usually end up overwhelming little minds without illuminating any mind. What of our Anambra brother? He is like an orange in their hand; one squeezes the orange, and throws away the peel. During the election, they all made themselves targets for public contumely where they will remain for the reminder of their years.

On the contrary, we also witnessed men, amidst the political decay, who preferred edifying ethics to those of their time. We are not ashamed to mention their names. We have our own Chimamanda Adichie, whose voice came when it was needed most; Prof. Okey IKechukwu, who knows how to make thoughts shine through words; Mr.  Atedo Peterside, a worthy representative of ennobling expectations from elders; Prof. Pat Utomi, who always teaches us that to give life a meaning and chart a new course for a country like Nigeria, that Nigerians should strive to have a purpose larger than selves; Aisha Yesuf, is always ardent at escalating unjust instances on a bravely broadening scale; the young Ndi Kato reminds us of the ancient “Cato the Younger”, admired for his integrity and insistence that dictatorship must be resisted; Kenneth Okonkwo deliberately made himself seem fierce by his actions accentuated by a full jaw ready to masticate stupidity. Their speeches and releases are warm with love of freedom, democratic ideals, toleration, justice and reason.

The dynamics of the election also exposed us to the hypocrisy of some Nigerians. Here, I had a personal encounter. I have a good friend who I usually send my broadcast messages to. Recently, when I shared a particular message, he replied in words as shocking as they were revealing. Why must our people see things from ethnic prisms? Why must our people prefer their tribesmen for the governance of the state when it is clear to them that the man is wholly incapable of governance on account of age and infirmities? The “gragra” of strength we are witnessing is a case of a man using the last burst of his dwindling energy to deceive Nigerians and himself – it will not last.

Today Obi is at the Tribunal trying to regain the mandate, which, by popular acclaim, Nigerians gave to him. We hear side talks of the impossibility of removing a sitting president through the courts. Those saying this may have forgotten that he did it at the State level and could do it again. Today all eyes are on him and on the judiciary.

Showing the interest as they never did in the past, Nigerians have been following his case and are astonished at the sheer weight of evidence he brought to the table. It was clear that the All Progressives Congress (APC) deliberately rigged him out of the first position to the third position so that he would not go to court. You could even see the disappointment of his followers by incessant lamentations that a person that got third position went to court rather than resting in his house.

All hands must be a deck to stop the grand buffoonery that is the present Government founded on rigging. As the case at the Court of Appeal is gradually coming to the end, may I once again remind the Lord Justices to go beyond legalism and do the right things. Besides ennobling the judiciary, they would have written their names for ever in the hearts of Nigerians. Because they also live in the society, they are as aware of the nonsense that INEC did like the man next door. They should understand that continued acquaintance with the pervasive pertinacity of nonsense will destroy the society their children are part of. Buhari was very bad, we wanted him out and voted for a better man, Mr. Peter Obi. To allow the thieves of election to succeed is to ignore how Nigerians successfully delivered themselves from the foxes only for the judiciary to deliver us to the wolves.

As Obi turns 62, he offers us the opportunity to reflect about our lives and that of our country Nigeria. Things are really very bad and history beckons on him to salvage the country. May no institution be an obstacle towards this great re-birth. Having seen how far men could go for the sake of power and to thwart this re-birth, we must advise ourselves to continue to love and cherish our country, but must at all times keep our gunpowder dry within the laws of the land.

Obienyem, a Lawyer, sent this tribute from Awka, Anambra State

In A Bloody Encounter, Troops Neutralize Alleged ESN/IPOB Fighters

By
Adesina Soyooye
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0

By Adesina Soyooye

The Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police and Operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS,  have in a combined operation, neutralized alleged two IPOB/ESN fighters. The troops, also, arrested five others after a deadly encounter on Monday 17 July 2023. The battle ground was Fuji Junction general area in Asaba, Delta state.

It started when distressed calls were received to the effect that the community was under attack by the terrorists. The combined troops quickly responded. The result was the routing of  the terrorists by the  fire power of the troops. The troops overwhelmed them.

Two terrorists were neutralised, while others fled to their hideout located around the Okpanam river. But the troops did not give up.

They  pursued the fleeing terrorists and trailed them to their hideout in a house around Okpanam river and arrested them.

In a statement signed by Brigadier General Onyema Ugochukwu, Director Army Public Relations, the Army said “the gallant troops ecovered one AK 47 Rifle, one Pump Action Semi Automatic Rifle, 15 Live Cartridges, one AK 47 Rifle Magazine and a Baofeng Radio Receiver.”

The statement, also, called for cooperation from members of the public in the efforts to rout the criminals.

It said: “We implore members of the public to continue to cooperate with the security agencies by providing actionable information to support their operations to tackle security challenges.”

It also expressed the appreciation of the Chief of Army Staff to the troops for the successful operation.

“The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja has lauded the combined troops for their effort and urged them to sustain the synergy, as they restore peace and tranquility in the region.”

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