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Jonathan Commends Malian Progress, Urges More Inclusiveness Ahead Of Elections |The Source

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The Source
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Former President and West Africa Mediator in Mali, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has advised the Malian transition government to ensure more inclusiveness with key socio-political actors ahead of general elections scheduled for early next year.

The former Nigerian President who stated this in a communique issued in Bamako at the end of a mid-term assessment of the Interim Administration of President Bar also commended the Government’s commitment to the 18-month transition period and progress so far made in implementing other measures agreed with the Authority of Heads of Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Speaking after the three-day visit, Dr. Jonathan said: “In the light of the concerns raised by the stakeholders, the Mission encourages the Government to ensure greater inclusivity of the main socio-political actors in the Steering Committee to reach a consensus on the prioritization of the reforms that should lead to a transparent, credible and universally acceptable electoral process within the timeframe set for the transition. It therefore urges the other stakeholders to work with the Government to achieve this inclusiveness by actively participating in the work of the Steering Committee.

“The mission also noted the need to enhance communication between the government and the stakeholders regarding the implementation of the government’s Action Program.”

Expressing the mission’s satisfaction with the progress recorded by the administration, the former President commended such measures as the dissolution of the military ruling body known as CNSP, adoption of the government action plan, publication of the electoral calendar as well as the establishment of the strategic orientation committee on political and institutional reforms.

The communique further said: “The mission also welcomed the judicial process relating to those who have been arrested over the alleged attempt to destabilize and undermine state security, which led to the acquittal of the alleged perpetrators, the restart of dialogue among the stakeholders within the framework of consultation with the Minister of Territorial Administration and the establishment of the Steering Committee under the Prime Minister.

“The mission welcomed all the efforts made by the Government to create the enabling conditions for a successful transition, in particular the field visit led by the Prime Minister to the zones in the Centre, as well as the meetings initiated by the President of the Transition to foster Peace and Reconciliation, the joint military operations initiated by the Government to progressively secure the entire territory, the planned disarmament and conversion of armed self-defence groups and militias, the gradual return of the State to the parts of the territory where terrorist groups are active, etc. Accordingly, the Mission encourages the Government to continue its efforts to strengthen the necessary security for the conduct of peaceful and credible elections.”

Speaking further, the Mediator also urged the Malian authorities to set priorities given the little time left to carry out the transition supposed to bring civilians back to power in early 2022.

“A crucial aspect which should guide a government which has very little time is the management of what is ideal and what is feasible within the allotted time. ”

While in Bamako, the Mediator and his delegation met with the President of the Transition and Head of State, Bah N’Daw, the President of the National Council of the Transition, Colonel Malick Diaw, the Vice-President of the Transition, Colonel Assimi Goita, and the members of the Constitutional Court. It held a working session with the Prime Minister and Head of Government, H.E. Moctar Ouane, and the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization (MATD). The Mission also held consultations with other stakeholders, including members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of the political parties, religious and traditional leaders, and civil society actors.

Irony: Buhari Mourns His Nemesis, Dogonyaro |The Source

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari

By Adesina Soyooye

His voice on that morning of August 27, 1985, was clear and unmistakable. His message, too – clear and unmistakable. Yet, another Military Coup, yet another change of Government,

Nigerians who had become wary of not only Military Coups, but of the then Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, and his  Deputy, Brigadier-General Tunde Idiagbon listened, not sure of what tomorrow will be.

That voice finally died on Thursday, May 14, 2021, never to be heard again.

The men the voice ousted,  Buhari and Idiagbon had unsmiling faces. The day Idiagbon, now late, smiled, it made news. He was in charge of the Regime’s War Against Indiscipline, WAI.  It imposed a level of discipline on Nigerians. But at the same time, humiliated and dehumanised them.

It was not out of place to see soldiers, publicly, flogging grown men and women for one misdemeanor or the other, no matter how minor.

Nigerians lived in fear of the regime. Buhari and Idiagbon  introduced the obscene public execution of drug barons. Using it, the Regime executed three people, including a student, Mr Barthlomew Owoh who committed the offence before it was signed into law. All pleadings and appeals to spare their lives meant nothing.

For not a few Nigerians, therefore, the ousting of that Regime was a welcome development. Things were tough, very tough, just as they are now. The difference : there were no blood-thirsty Boko Haram, Bandits, Herdsmen, Kidnappers, ethnic militias and more. Most important, Nigeria was not as divided as it is now.

The man who announced the Regime’s ouster was then a Brigadier named Joshua Dogonyaro.There was nothing like Brigadier-General then.

But before his retirement, years later, he had risen to the rank of a Major- General, and occupied a couple of strategic positions.

Dogonyaro, was a former Commander of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). He was also, at a point, the Defence Chief.

His death on Thursday, May 14,  at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital, Plateau state, at the age of 80 is an irony of sorts many say.

The Head of State then, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, whose ouster he announced in 1985, is now a Civilian President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

On hearing the news of Dogonyaro’s death, it was Buhari’s lot to mourn him.

In a statement signed on his behalf by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu,  Buhari said that by Dongoyaro’s passing, Nigeria and the Military has lost a patriot.

Of course it is standard protocol, and would have been impolite of President Buhari not to have mourned him. But the irony is not lost on anybody. The man the then Brigadier sacked is, on the Brigadier’s death, still the Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces, not to mention “The Executive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

To mark the passing of Dogonyaro’s death, following is the full text of his most important speech – the speech that ousted Buhari as the Head of State and Commander- in – Chief on August 27, 1985.

“I, Brigadier Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, of the Nigerian Army, hereby make the following declaration on behalf of my colleagues and members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“Fellow country men, the intervention of the military at the end of 1983 was welcomed by the nation with unprecedented enthusiasm. Nigerians were unified in accepting the intervention and looked forward hopefully to progressive changes for the better.

“Almost two years later, it has become clear that the fulfillment of expectations is not forthcoming.

Because this generation of Nigerians and indeed future generations have no other country but Nigeria, we could not stay passive and watch a small group of individuals misuse power to the detriment of our national aspirations and interest.

“No nation can ever achieve meaningful strides in its development where there is an absence of cohesion in the hierarchy of government; where it has become clear that positive action by the policy makers is hindered because as a body it lacks a unity of purpose.

“It is evident that the nation would be endangered with the risk of continuous misdirection. We are presently confronted with that danger. In such a situation, if action can be taken to arrest further damage, it should and must be taken. This is precisely what we have done.

“The Nigerian public has been made to believe that the slow pace of action of the Federal Government headed by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was due to the enormity of the problems left by the last civilian administration.

Although it is true that a lot of problems were left behind by the last civilian government, the real reason, however, for the very slow pace of action is due to lack of unanimity of purpose among the ruling body; subsequently, the business of governance has gradually been subjected to ill-motivated power play considerations.

“The ruling body, the Supreme Military Council, has, therefore, progressively been made redundant by the actions of a select few members charged with the day-to-day implementation of the SMC’s policies and decision.

The concept of collective leadership has been substituted by stubborn and illadvised unilateral actions, thereby destroying the principles upon which the government came to power.

“Any effort made to advise the leadership, met with stubborn resistance and was viewed as a challenge to authority or disloyalty.

Thus, the scene was being set for systematic elimination of what, was termed oppositions. All the energies of the rulership were directed at this imaginary opposition rather than to effective leadership.

“The result of this misdirected effort is now very evident in the country as a whole. The government has started to drift. The economy does not seem to be getting any better as we witness daily increased inflation.

“The nation’s meager resources are once again being wasted on unproductive ventures. Government has distanced itself from the people and the yearnings and aspirations of the people as constantly reflected in the media have been ignored.

“This is because a few people have arrogated to themselves the right to make the decisions for the larger part of the ruling body. All these events have shown that the present composition of our country’s leadership cannot, therefore, justify its continued occupation of that position.

Furthermore, the initial objectives and programmes of action which were meant to have been implemented since the ascension to power of the Buhari Administration in January 1984 have been betrayed and discarded.

“The present state of uncertainty and stagnation cannot be permitted to degenerate into suppression and retrogression.

We feel duty bound to use the resources and means at our disposal to restore hope in the minds of Nigerians and renew aspirations for a better future. We are no prophets of doom for our beloved country, Nigeria.

“We, therefore, count on everyone’s cooperation and assistance.

“I appeal to you, fellow countrymen, particularly my colleagues in arms to refrain from any act that will lead to unnecessary violence and bloodshed among us. Rest assured that our action is in the interest of the nation and the armed forces.

“In order to enable a new order to be introduced, the following bodies are dissolved forthwith pending further announcements: (a) The Supreme Military Council (b) The Federal Executive Council (c) The National Council of States. All seaports and airports are closed, all borders remain closed.

“Finally, a dusk to dawn curfew is hereby imposed in Lagos and all state capitals until further notice. All military commanders will ensure effective maintenance of law and order

“Further announcements will be made in due course. God bless

Ondo Communities Clamour For Autonomy; Govt Downsizes Power Of Akure Monarch |The Source

By
Ayodele Oni
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Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Government has reduced the paramouncy of the Traditional Ruler of Akure, Deji, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, restricting his authority to his domain alone.

Before, the Deji of Akure is regarded as a Paramount Ruler with his power spread across all farmsteads founded by indigenes in Akure South and North areas.

But following the creation of Ondo State in 1976, and Ekiti State from Ondo in 1996, a new Local Council, Akure North, was carved out of the former Akure Local Government.

Virtually, all farmsteads hitherto under Akure and jurisdiction of Deji now fall under Akure North.

The Paramount Ruler of Akure has been exercising his power over the farmsteads, some of which have become full fledged towns and villages, including installing their Olus and Baales.

However, in their bid to be self independent from the authority of Akure ruler, some of the lesser Chiefs, known as Olus and Baales have been calling on the State Government to upgrade their status to that of an Oba.

A letter dated 19th April, 2021, has now answered the prayers of the lesser Chiefs as the State Government has directed the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi Adetoyinbo, to hands off from installing Olus and Baales in some villages in Akure North Local Government Area.

The letter signed by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Segun Odunsoya, advised Oba Aladetoyinbo to stay away and maintain status quo over the appointment of minor Chiefs in some of the Communities.

The Communities include Ago Sonibare in Ala/Ajagbusi, Eleyewo, Ago-Ajapada in Ofosu Forest, Ago Tedibomi in Ala/Ajagbusi, Agunla I’m Ayede-Ogbese, Ilado/Elemo and Isinigbo, all in Akure North Local Government Area.

The affected Olus and Baales have, through their lawyer, appealed to the State Government to upgrade their status to full fledged Obas to enable them have control over their subjects.

The letter, signed by Mr Femi Emodamori,

emphasised the need to “upgrade the Olus and Baales in the duly recognized communities in Akure North Local Government Area to the status of Obas, even if they are categorized in the least grade of recognized Chiefs, just as the State Government had successfully done in all the Communities now in Ifedore Local Government Area which were formerly part of the old Akure Local Government.

“By so doing, the Community heads to be recognized as Obas would automatically become the Prescribed Authority for the appointment of minor Chiefs in their respective Communities, in line with paragraphs 10 and 11 of the Ondo State Government White Paper on Morgan Chieftaincy Review Commission of July, 1981.

“Fortunately, the Recognized Chiefs or Obas in Akure North Local Government are fully in support of these suggested measures in the overall interest of peace, and their position in that regard was evident during the public hearings of the Ajama Commission of Enquiry (and) The upgrading of some or any of the Recognized Chiefs or Obas in Akure North Local Government to First Class or category “A” Oba(s).”

OPINION: Coup Talk And Echoes Of A Banana Republic |The Source

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The Source
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Azu Ishiekwene

By Azu Ishiekwene

You can choose when to have a military government, but often, you can’t decide when, or even if,  they would leave.

These days, it seems all right to play with fire.

The blaze started like a solitary spark in Mali in August when the streets, the elite and jihadists banded to remove President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

The former President had discarded election results and written a version that tightened his grip on power.

How he thought he could reinvent the Mansa Musa legend in a country riven by violence and poverty only he can tell.

Outside the capital, Bamako, however, it was clear that Keita’s ambition was dead on arrival, awaiting funeral.

And, of course, he didn’t last to tell the story.

President Muhammadu Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari

To this day, efforts by the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to remove the military regime that sacked Keita, or even get a firm handover date commitment, have failed.

You can choose when to have a military government, but often, you can’t decide when, or even if, they would leave.

Before the coup in Mali, West Africa had been coup-free for nearly a decade, with the exception of Guinea Bissau.

Apparently, soldiers in Niger, Mali’s eastern neighbour, had their own plans as well.

On the eve of the swearing-in of President-elect Mohamed Bazoum, they struck, but failed.

A government spokesperson described the attempt as a “cowardly and retrograde” act, but the same ECOWAS which rallied to chase away The Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh four years ago when he wanted to steal an election, barely said a word.

To compound the region’s misery, Chad happened.

The military coup was partly as a result of President Idriss Deby’s misrule and mainly as a result of the destablisation of the Sahel and the Chad Basin by ISWAP elements from Libya.

Like ECOWAS, the African Union (AU), has also been silent. France, weeping more than the bereaved, didn’t mind the hypocrisy of defending Deby’s repressive record and his son’s illegitimate takeover, because clearly, French financial and strategic interests were worth the crocodile tears.

Within nine months a region that had witnessed relative political stability recorded three military coups, two of them successful.

What started as a spark in Mali is slowly growing into a wildfire.

And now, a section of public opinion in Nigeria, a regional powerhouse, is that it might not be a bad idea to light a fire from the neighbourhood to quench the current blaze of domestic problems.

Why is Nigeria playing with fire?How did we become so desperate and so overwhelmed by the bad examples from our neighbours that copying them now appears to be only where salvation lies?

Robert Clarke, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, swore by his father’s grave, last week, that if things continued the way they were, he could not guarantee that Nigeria would survive another six months.His apocalyptic view may have been exaggerated, but his concern is not.

Kidnapping for ransom has become a deadly game with dozens of school children in and out of dormitories as targets.

A foreign newspaper recently described Nigeria as a bandit country, with little distinction between bandits and negotiators.

Since January, dozens of security men have been killed in violent attacks, while police stations and correctional centres have been set on fire and destroyed with hardly a record of anyone held to account. On top of this, Boko Haram has planted flags in communities less than two hours’ drive from Abuja, the Federal Capital, and is reported to be collecting taxes and even distributing “relief materials” in some communities.

Where Boko Haram is not running amok, ethnic militias have seized the space, issuing ultimatums, imposing curfews and generally behaving like an alternative government.

Kaduna State in the North- west, which has the highest concentration of elite military institutions in the country, has been so badly devastated by the spate of deadly clashes, kidnappings and banditry, that Governor Nasir El-Rufai suggested that schools should relocate close to military bases.

But anyone who has seen the fortification around these bases will know that even the bases are struggling to save themselves.

In the midst of this, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Government appears bereft, divided against itself, weary of issuing condolences, but not ashamed of being condoled with.

The government is lost between hijackers and incompetents. Not a good place to be.That should worry anyone and Clarke is right to fear the worst.

But agreeing, as most members of the elite now do, that Nigeria is in serious trouble, besieged by echoes of what has brought its neighbours to their knees, does not mean the worst would happen. Nor does it suggest that a military coup is desirable or viable.

Not because the military’s knee-jerk promise of loyalty means much, but for two main reasons: one is the enlightened self-interest of the military itself, and two, is that state institutions and civil society have been severely weakened, and ethnic and religious passions dangerously inflamed.

With the proliferation of arms among rogue elements wearing different hats, the military cannot prevail without the country potentially dissolving into fragments.

In pre-1999 Nigeria when soldiers ruled, they held power without being accountable. At first, they didn’t care, hiding behind the vague idea of “national interest and corporate survival” as the main reasons for seizing power.

As time went on and it became clearer that they tolerated criticisms mainly as a small price to pay for the large amounts of money they were stealing, they began to clamp down on civil society and became more hostile and intolerant.

By the end of the Cold War and with increasing internal pressure and demand for change, soldiers had had enough.

But not before Nigeria’s peacetime generals and their acolytes emerged, discreetly below Forbes’ radar, as some of the richest men on the continent.

Democracy has made them even more prosperous, and with less headache that comes from being at the political helm.

Today’s military top brass is speaking in cryptocurrency, fat bank accounts, prime landed assets and foreign stock options Rocking the boat is too high a price.

With chunks of the trillions of Naira set aside for the prosecution of the endless war on insurgency in the last over one decade ending in private military pockets, only mad officers would make a coup. For what?

Also, the country is so broken along ethnic, tribal and religious lines with light arms and ammunition per capita nearly tripling in five years, that militias with secessionist agenda may prove far more difficult to handle than any ambitious officers may reckon.

And that’s not adding Boko Haram and the current wave of banditry to the messy pile.

The hubris of a potential coup is exaggerated.

The chances of Mali or Chad happening in Nigeria are zero.

What should keep the country awake at night is not a threat from the army but the surge of poverty, hopelessness and lawless groups that could supplant both the military and civil society together.

We’re mutually vulnerable.

Former US Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, is right that the Nigerian elite is fed up with Buhari’s government. Those pretending otherwise are mostly hypocrites or folks determined to be misled. Also, calls for Buhari to resign are futile.

Those calling for his resignation know he won’t, and they too, would not resign if they were in his shoes. But it’s foolish to think that a military coup is an option.

The value of the current frustration is that it must not be invested in short-cuts or quick solutions.

Instead, it should make citizens wiser, and perhaps, more painstaking in choosing the next leader in two years’ time.

Ishiekwene is the Publisher of The Interview. He is on sabbatical at the Leadership

Ondo: Akoko Residents Cry Over Kidnappings; Two Abducted Within 24 Hours |The Source

By
Ayodele Oni
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Kidnappers
Kidnappers

By Ayodele Oni

While Muslim faithfuls celebrate Eid-el-Fitr residents of Akoko area of Ondo state are living in fears following abduction of two of them within 24 hours.

The incident, according to one of the residents, happened at Ikaram, Northwest area of Akoko where the two victims  were abducted by unknown gunmen at two separate spots within the last 24 hours.

The Akala of Ikaram and the Chairman,Akoko Northwest Traditional Council, Oba Andrew Momodu, who confirmed the incidents, explained that the people now live in fear and anxiety due to the invasion of the area by hoodlums.

According to the Monarch, the first incident occurred along Okeagbe- Ikaram road involving one Ade Gbodi,a graduate, who was returning from his farm at Eda Ekiti.

Few kilometres away from his Iyoke Ikaram home, gunmen ambushed him and marched him into the forest .

“It was those coming behind that saw his motorbike where it was abandoned by the road side that came to report his abduction.”

 

He disclosed that already, his abductors have demanded for one million Naira ransome money.

In his account of the second  incident, the Royal Father stated that it happened very close to the spot where some construction workers were kidnapped recently along Ikaram /Akunu road.

The two victims were on a motorcycle when yet to be identified gunmen fired a shot which hit one of them who was left in his pool of blood, while the second one was whisked away.

The abductors are yet to make contact with relations, while the wounded person is receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital for gun shot wounds.

Oba Momodu disclosed that the case had been reported to okeagbe Divisional Police Headquarters, while the DPO, Mr Ade Akinwande,  has swung into action in conjunction with local hunters and vigilante groups, combing the forest to rescue the victims.

He appealed to Government for massive recruitment of police and equip them with modern weapons.

The Traditional Ruler, who is a retired Navy Commodore, lamented the spate of kidnapping in the area, which has sent people away from farms saying famine and scarcity of food are imminent.

In a telephone chat, the regent of Akunu, Princess Tolani Orogun, appealed for deployment of motorized joint patrol of police, army,  Civil Defence and vigilante members to reduce the menace of  kidnapping and armed robberies in the area.

Why Uzodimma Fired 20 Commissioners |The Source

By
Adesina Soyooye
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By Adesina Soyooye

In a move that took even his closest aides and associates by surprise, Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma, on Wednesday, stopped short of sacking all members of his 28- member cabinet in a major Cabinet shake-up.

The members themselves were relaxed, as they thought the Governor had laid to rest the idea of the dissolution of his Cabinet.

They had expected the dissolution a few months ago, but in a minor reshuffle at the time, only two Commissioners were affected – the Commissioners for Finance and Health.

But on Wednesday during the weekly State Executive Council meeting, Uzodinma swept 20 of them away, and retained eight. The eight retained are the Commissioners for Information and Strategy, Works, Women Affairs, Technology, Finance, Health, Sports and Tourism.

Speculations have been rife over why he fired the 20. While some people say it was for political exigencies, others say it was for non-performance. However, it is every Governor’s prerogative to either sack or reshuffle his cabinet.

But a source close to the Governor said given the political situation in the State, and political realignments ahead of 2023, the Governor needed to accommodate other interests in the party. With the dissolution, the source said, the Governor can pick political appointees from different  political interests.

Another source said: “I am happy for the Governor because, now, every segment will be on board.

Uzodinma, aside from the strong opposition from the PDP over the way he became the Governor, thanks to the Supreme Court, is also facing opposition from former Governor of the State,  Senator Rochas Okorocha,  for stripping him of some of his alleged looted State assets,  former Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, for not supporting his Senatorial aspiration, and their groups.

It is expected that the Governor will, also, either sack or reshuffle his other Aides – Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants and Special Assistants.

Retraction And Apology For False And Unsubstantiated Report Published Against United Bank For Africa (UBA) |The Source

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The Source
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UBA office

In The Source (Magazine) Online  edition of May 5, 2021, we published a story titled “UBA: Fitch, Vetiva Warn Investors To Shun ‘Africa’s Global Bank’, wherein it was reported that the two organisations issued a negative advisory against the bank, as stressed.

Upon interrogation of the story and its source, we have since discovered the claims in the report to be untrue and, therefore, retract the story in its entirety.

We have, also, since pulled the story.

We, hereby, tender an unreserved apology to the Management of the United Bank for Africa, UBA, an institution we hold in high esteem, and others that may have been misled by the report.

Editor.

Prof. Akintoye Alleges Plot To Invade Yorubaland, Writes South West Governors |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Professor Stephen Banji Akintoye

By Akinwale Kasali

National leader of Yoruba Group, Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof. Banji Akintoye, has raised an alarm over alleged plot by terrorists to attack Yorubaland.

The former Senator of the Second Republic said that terrorists have encircled the South West area, warning that an attack is imminent.

In a letter personally signed by him,  and addressed to South West Governors, Akintoye urged the Governors to be vigilant, and ensure South West is not captured by foreign invaders.

In a statement on Wednesday, Akintoye said the new midnight curfew announced by the Presidential Committee Task Force on Covid-19 and the Nigerian Central Authority under the guise of curtailing Covid-19 spread is suspicious.

He said there are fears the shutdown was an attempt for large-scale importation of illicit weapons to Yorubaland.

He urged the younger generation of Yoruba to wake up and be extra-vigilant as no one should be trusted.

Akintoye said that the previous Covid-19 lockdown from March 2019 to May 2020 was used to import terrorists from the North to the Southern parts of Nigeria, especially, to the South-west.

“People must, therefore, be very careful and observant now” he said.

He advised some top Religion centres in South West such as The Redeemed Christians Church of God (RCCG) Redemption Camp, Winners Chapel’s Faith Terbanacle, Deeper Life Bible Church’s Camp, Mountain of Fire’s Camp, Synagogue Church of All Nations’s Headquarters and the prestigious Central Mosque buildings in Lagos and Ibadan, to beef-up security around their premises.

“This is an alert from Ilana Omo Oodua to the Yoruba people at home and in the Diaspora. The situation that has developed in Nigeria in recent days calls for the uttermost vigilance of the Yoruba nation, and every Yoruba man, woman, and child.

“There is danger that if we don’t mount that high level of vigilance today, very serious pains can be inflicted upon us as a nation and on countless numbers of citizens of our nation.

“A few days ago, precisely, Saturday, the 8th of May, I sent a very desperate letter to the six Governors of the Yoruba Southwest. The letter reads as follows:

“Your Excellencies, the Governors of the Yoruba Southwest. This is a very desperate message from me to the State Governors of our Yorubaland in the face of the impending escalation of the ongoing invasion of our homeland. A combination of Fulani terrorists, Boko Haram and ISIS have occupied Niger State which is immediately north of Yorubaland, thereby providing for themselves very easy access into Yorubaland through the Yoruba parts of Kwara and Kogi States.

“Then, recently, the US has issued a statement that ISIS has infiltrated Southern Nigeria from the sea– meaning that the coast of Lagos, Ogun and Ondo States have been infiltrated.

“Our situation has thus become desperate and requires desperate actions from our State Governors. I feel obliged to devote much attention to the study of our Yoruba nation’s vicissitudes in these terrible times, and from such studies, I am hereby raising an informed alarm to the Governors of our States. I humbly and passionately urge our Governors to come together to give the needed response to the danger that threatens to engulf our Yorubaland in, most probably, the next few days.

“It is very well known that the signature action of these foreign terrorist organisations is to first destroy prominent assets of the society that they attack. That could mean that major public and private buildings in Lagos and Ibadan, particularly the hugely symbolic Cocoa House in Ibadan, would be their immediate targets.

“By the grace of God, we will ultimately expel them from our homeland, but by then, very many valuable assets of our nation might have been wrecked. This is something that we can and must prevent by preempting them with our own massivedefensive measures.

“I wish our Governors God’s wisdom and strength as they rise together to do the desperately needful now. I trust you all to make the best decision, but I respectfully urge that you also borrow a leaf from what Governor Ortom has done in his Benue State.”

That letter was last Saturday, he said, and continued;

“Now, in the past 24 hrs, that is, since late Monday, May 10, 2021, more troubling developments have occurred. First, the Secretary to the Nigerian Federal Government, Boss Mustapha, went on air and announced a number of Federal Government measures which were said to be made necessary by COVID 19.

“The measures included Nigerian-wide curfews, a limit of the congregation of persons to 50, closing down of bars and night clubs, among others.

“However, while members of the Nigerian public were still pondering the Federal Government’s announcement, another highly placed official of the same Government, Dr Sani Aliyu, Coordinator of the National Presidential Task Force on COVID 19, came out with a statement that the announcement a night before on lockdown, curfew, and public gathering were fake. He concluded that the public should ignore them.

“We urge the Yoruba people to be aware of what may be happening now. We ask Yoruba people to remember that when the Federal Government announced a lockdown in March 2020, the lockdown was converted to a sinister opportunity to truck countless loads of Fulani terrorists and others to the South, especially to the Yoruba Southwest. We Yoruba people must defend our homeland, our towns, cities, villages, farmlands and our people no matter what anybody else may be doing.

“Happily, most Yoruba people are no longer in doubt about the danger that confronts their nation in Nigeria, but we need now is to mobilize ourselves in defence of our homeland .

“The Yoruba people are grateful to the Yoruba youths for the way they have woken up to resist the invasion of Yorubaland by terrorist bandits.

“The Yoruba youths must take particular cognizance of the following facts:

“That terrorists have taken over Niger State: That Niger State is the immediate Northern neighbour of Yorubaland; that terrorists now command easy access into Yoruba land through the Yoruba parts of Kwara and Kogi States; a powerful nation, the United States of America, has issued an alert informing Nigeria and the world that ISIS, probably in alliance with other terrorist groups, has infiltrated the Southern parts of Nigeria from the sea; That the Nigerian Federal Government has not responded in any way to all these dangerous developments, which means that we must not wait for any Federal Government to defend us.

“We Yoruba people must also remember in particular that all past efforts by terrorists in Nigeria have always had special plans for Yorubaland because, as everybody knows, Yorubaland is the home of the richest non-petroleum resources in Nigeria.

“All these call for a new and higher level of response and vigilance by the Yoruba people. Our youths have been holding mega rallies across cities and that is a very welcome development, but our youths must now respond at a much higher level than mega rallies. They must organise themselves urgently to protect our roads, especially the roads that lead into our homeland. They must ensure that the influx of terrorists and arms into our land definitively stops.

“Owners and custodians of significant edifices in Yorubaland are strongly advised now to establish formidable security for their edifices. These include bridges, important public and private buildings, churches and such eminent Church estates as the Redeem, Winners, Deeper Life, Mountain of Fire Church camps and the unique Synagogue building of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, and even our most prestigious Central Mosque buildings in Lagos, Ibadan and our other cities.

“We must remember that when these terrorists broke into Mali Republic some years ago they destroyed the revered mosque of the ancient Sankore University in Timbuktu, the greatest Islamic monument in West Africa. To them, whatever does not qualify as fundamentalist or jihadist deserves to be destroyed.

“The Yoruba people trust their youths because the youths have done a lot of great things in recent times. We know they can do it, and we expect them to do their duty to their nation in these desperate times. Do this for your nation now to secure our nation and carve for yourself an honourable place in history.

“Yoruba youths must also make it clear to the world that NOW is the last and final battle of the Yoruba people against the destructive elements of Nigeria on the Yoruba nation”, the statement concluded.

Reno Omokri Tackles Okeowo, Says South-west Can Bring Down Any Government | |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0
Reno Omokri

By Akinwale Kasali

The Statement by Billionaire realtor, Olu Okeowo, to the effect that the only people the South West of Nigeria has produced are Area boys and fake Pastors, has been strongly criticised by former Presidential Aide, Pastor Reno Omokri.

Okeowo made the statement while addressing a group of the Clergy.

According to him, this is as a result of wickedness shown by the people tracing the source to the 1970s when they started talking ill of each other and destroying each other.

His words; “I have noticed, electricity is no longer in abundant supply because Shiroro has been surrounded. Gerreru has been surrounded. Electricity is being generated in the North. Those who are saying divide don’t know what they are saying. Even if we divide today, the gas that they would use to run any turbine comes from another area.

“Unfortunately, my people here from the Southwest will be the ones to lose out most because what we have produced mostly are area boys and fake pastors. We need to pray for the unity of Nigeria.”

His comments has generated mixed feelings with a section of Nigerians reprimanding him for making such an unwholesome statement.

Reacting, Omokri said it is very myopic for anyone to say that all that the South-west has produced are mostly are area boys and fake pastors. It is  obviously, untrue, he fumed.

Omokri added that the Southwest has  produced the greatest resources on planet Earth in education. The Zone, has the most educated population in Nigeria  not just the most educated, but the most sophisticated, he submitted.

“Japan and Singapore have perhaps the least natural resources in the world. But they are nevertheless some of the most developed Nations on Earth, because what is between the ears is more important than what is beneath the ground.

“If Nigeria had no quota system, and we employed our workforce strictly on merit, people from the Southwest will dominate almost every sector in Nigeria. It is not because they are more intelligent than other Nigerians. It is because, thanks to a man named Obafemi Awolowo, they are the most educated Nigerians, bar none.

“I am from the South-South, and my people resent the fact that the oil industry is dominated by people of Southwest origin, even when the oil is in our land. Shell, Chevron, Mobil, Total, amongst others, are all dominated by people of Southwest origin. The same is true in banking, media, telecommunications, and advertising.

“If the Southwest want to bring down a Government, they have the infrastructure to use propaganda to tear that Administration down. They have done it before, and they can do it again. That is power. That is influence. The Yoruba understand that the pen is mightier than the sword.

“The only sectors that the Yoruba do not dominate are sectors that they do not want to dominate, either because they look down on such sectors, like the Military or Police, or because dominating it will require them to leave Southern Nigeria, and many people of Southwest origin will rather be poor, than move to Northern Nigeria. That, they leave to people of Southeast origin.

“And it is highly ignorant to say that the Southwest depends on other regions for electricity. Not true. The Southwest has Papalanto, Olorunsogo 1 and 2, Egbin Thermal Power station and Omotosho 1 and 2. It seems that Mr. Okeowo still has a 1960s mindset.

“Today’s Nigerian electricity is not solely hydro based (Kainji Dam, Geregu, etc). Those days are long gone.

“In terms of commodities, the Southwest is Nigeria’s cocoa and cassava heartland, and competes with Benue as the yam centre of Nigeria.

“And last, but not the least, the Southwest has one of the most viable assets in Nigeria – ports. Tin Can Island port, and the Lagos Port Complex, are the gateways to Nigeria’s commerce.

“When you add the fact that the Southwest has the most developed infrastructure in Nigeria, and that her industrial capacity is more than the industrial capacity of the rest of Nigeria combined (it will shock you to note that Ikeja Local Government Area and Agbara Industrial estate alone, consume more electricity than the entire Northwest, or that Alaba International Market generates almost $7 billion annually), you begin to understand that that statement by Mr. Okeowo is fallacious.

“Lagos state has a bigger internal economy than Kenya or Ghana. If Lagos state were a country on its own, she would have the 7th largest economy in Africa with a GDP of over $100 billion (compared to $95 billion for Kenya and $67 billion for Ghana).

“And funny enough, most people do not even know that the Southwest has oil in commercial quantity in both Ondo and Lagos.

“So, it was very flippant and ignorant for Mr. Olu Okeowo to have bad-mouthed his own region so badly. Whose script is he acting? I do not know.

“I am not agitating for the division of Nigeria. However, to say that if Nigeria divides, the Southwest will suffer is utter nonsense. I had previously thought Olu Okeowo was vacuous. But now, I am sure of it.

“But why would a man of Southwest origin misrepresent his own region and people so badly?

“I am a researcher, and one thing I know is that it is more likely to get a person of South’western origin to betray their region’s group interests, than it is to get a Northerner, or an Igbo to do so.

“You see it on social media platforms and the online comment sections of Nigerian newspapers.

“People with Yoruba names will attack their own leaders and undermine them, and others with Southeastern and Northern names would join them.

“However, you will hardly ever see a Northerner attacking a fellow Northerner, and if a person from another region does it, they will forget about their internal differences and unite against the interloper. Why? Why is the Southwest like this?

“Some people say it has to do with the curse of Alaafin Aole, or Epe Alaafin Aole.

“According to the late Reverend Samuel Johnson’s book ‘The History of the Yorubas: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate’, the Yoruba Nation, or more specifically, the Oyo Empire, prodded on by Aare Ona Kakanfo Afonja, betrayed their king, Alaafin Aole, and killed him.

“However, before he was killed, Alaafin Aole placed a curse on his people by firing mystical arrows in three directions, and said that just as those arrows went in various directions, that the Yoruba, (or Olukunmi people, or Edekiri speakers) would never be united.

“The Yoruba are a very ancient and mystical people, and this enchantment by Alaafin Aole is very credible, because a similar incident happened in Scripture in 2 Kings 13:15-19.

“But I do not know if this curse can still be said to hold water, because the Yoruba nation united, more or less, under the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, particularly after the death of Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola.

“Whether true or not, it may be a good idea for leaders of the Yoruba nation to call Mr. Okeowo to order, lest he becomes yet another modern day Afonja. The Yoruba already have Bola Tinubu. They may not need another quisling”, Omokri stated.

Ramadan, Window For National Healing’ – Dr. Nwankwo

By
Bayo Bernard
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0

By Orji Daniels

A leading gubernatorial aspirant in the Anambra governorship election, Dr. Chidozie Nwankwo, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on the disparate groups threatening the Nigerian federation to have a re-think by imbibing the spiritual lessons offered by Ramadan season.

In a Ramadan message, the gubernatorial hopeful felicitated with the country’s Muslim community for faithfully going through the fasting period, in spite of the harsh times.

Nwankwo, who is the Chairman/CEO of Wichtech Group, with over 200 offices and locations across Nigeria, expressed hopes that the country would yet again surmount the current challenges confronting it.

“Given the virtuous acts of piety imbibed during the Ramadan, I urge our kith and kin – currently led astray and operating as either Boko Haram, bandits, kidnappers and the likes – to return to the path of rectitude.

Dr Nwankwo
Dr Nwankwo Calls for National Reconciliation

” Every disagreement, be it in the family unit, business environment, community or country, is better resolved through dialogue. We must, therefore, use the opportunity offered by the Ramadan season to promote national healing, by forgiving ourselves.

” In deed, Allah’s desire for humanity is peaceful and communal living, devoid of undue bickering. As true and faithful followers of God, we must all join hands to ensure a restoration of peace in our land.”

Reflecting on the current challenges confronting the country, Nwankwo prayed for leaders across the land, as they navigate through the tortuous demands of governance, as according to him a peaceful Nigeria will be in the interest of all, as no meaningful development will take place should the insecurity remain unchecked.

 

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