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OPINION: Kyari and his Hushpuppi

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The Source
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Lasisi Olagunju

By Lasisi Olagunju

The mountain top is a great place to be, but it is very slippery. History is full of cases of very promising heads lost to the sharp edges of indiscretion, of meeting or making bad friends, and of taking wrong bends. The most ‘popular’ names in Nigeria in the last few days are Abba Kyari and Hushpuppi – an alias adopted by a super rich dude who had no shop. Kyari is a policeman, the other man a conman. Social media posts by the two names used to break the Internet. Now, it is posts about their fall that trend. Why Hushpuppi chose that moniker, we do not know yet. But we know that hushpuppies are balls of delicacy – crisp outside, soft inside. As a phrase, hush puppy has a history. Robert Moss, writing on Food History, explored this. He referenced a 1939 article in the Capital Times of Madison, Wisconsin: A Florida cook was tired of hearing dogs around him bark and whine when they smelled frying fish. Then, “in desperation to hush the puppies,” the writer claims, “she stirred up a batch of corn cakes to feed the hounds.” The dogs rushed the cakes and stopped baying. Sampling the food, the cook herself found the ‘hush cakes’ great and delicious and that was how a novel food was born. The phrase soon moved from the surface waters of culinary to the depths of crime and politics. Two centuries ago, hushpuppy became a term for silencing someone or for covering something up.

That is the name chosen by a guy, Abass Ramon who was to become a close pal and nemesis of Nigeria’s super cop, Abba Alhaji Kyari. A super cop is defined as a highly skilled and dedicated member of the police. His job is to sniff crimes and arrest criminals before they strike. So, when a human turns up by the bedside of a super detective, and says he is Hushpuppy (or Hushpuppi), the red flag of the policeman is supposed to be up and flying. But this was not the case with Kyari. The cop curled the con. With charm and cash, Ramon Hushpuppi took Kyari to bed and the romance was sizzling enough to sink Romeo and Juliet’s love. The baby of the union is the tide threatening to wash the police officer away now. Kyari is accused by the United States of colluding with and receiving bribe from Ramon, the international fraudster, to arrest an errant member of his gang. Already, the cop is suspended from work. Two statements were out yesterday (Sunday) against him. The first was from the Police spokesman, Frank Mba, titled, ‘FBI indictment: IGP recommends suspension of DCP Abba Kyari.’ It said the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, had recommended to the Police Service Commission the “immediate suspension” of the Head of the Police Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari, from the Nigeria Police Force. The second statement was from the commission. It suspended the officer.

Abba Kyari and Huspuppi
Abba Kyari and Huspuppi

There is an old joke in the Nigerian Army: Fear God, fear Major. For the ordinary person on the street, the fear of policemen is a million times more recommended than the dread of peddlers of common crimes. And it is not strictly a Nigerian thing. Cops caught with common crimes and criminals are constant updates in police history – even in the developed world. Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito were crack detectives with the New York City Police Department (NYPD). They were later found to have sold their badge for cash and committed grave crimes of various types. The Mafia Cops, prosecutors said at their trial, “earned $4,000 a month on the payroll of Luchese underboss Anthony (Gaspipe) Casso from 1986 to 1990 to orchestrate murders and pass along confidential police information.” Their careers came to a sad end in 2006 when they were found guilty of “extortion, narcotics, illegal gambling, obstruction of justice, eight counts of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.” The cops-turned-contract-killers got life sentences in 2009. And what was their response to the sentence? Caracappa as reported by Daily News of March 6, 2009, said “I am innocent of all these charges. And you’ll never take away my will to prove how innocent I am.” His partner, Eppolito, while also denying the charges said defiantly: “The federal government can take my life. I’m a man. They can’t take my soul. They can’t take my pride. They can’t take my dignity. I was a hardworking cop. I never hurt anybody. I never kidnapped anybody. … I never did any of this.”

Kyari wrote a denial too. But after the initial attempts at dismissing the charge from America, he has kept quiet. He probably realised the reverse wisdom in digging while stuck in a ditch. All eyes are now on his employers and the results of their probe. Only very great optimists would say it is not over for the showy cop. But even he must be seeing a sad end to a whirlwind career. It was his choice.

There are lessons in this fall: I do not think Kyari started his career as a bad cop. Where I come from, there is a term called Ibaje (‘decay’ is its closest translation). Ibaje does not look for what is rotten to destroy. It seeks out the good to make bad. Have you ever asked yourself what makes fruits rot? The unseen beings, the bacteria or archaea or whatever that destroy fruits do so because they are also in search of nutrients for growth and survival. It was survival that led Hushpuppi to Kyari. Character is like fruits – or grains; it needs good storage to remain good and maintain the purity of its properties. That is why the warning has always been out: It is not every outstretched hand that you shake. It is not every visitor that you embrace. Very great careers have been ruined and destinies altered because of wrong persons met and diseased hands shaken.

Illiya Bisalla was a Major General in the Nigerian Army. During the civil war, then Col. Bisalla was a General Officer Commanding (GOC). Some accounts say he did his difficult job with uncommon civility and never condoned abuse of the civilian population. He was quite popular – so much that after the war, a major street was named after him in Enugu. Five years after the war, the Murtala coup that sacked his kinsman, Yakubu Gowon happened to Nigeria and Bisalla became defence minister. Seven months after he became minister, Bisalla was dead, executed on March 12, 1976 because of the Dimka coup that killed Murtala Mohammed a month earlier. Bisalla’s last words were: “I was to be set free yesterday, but for this boy Dimka who implicated me. God knows I didn’t know anything about it. Allah Sariki.”

But is it true that he didn’t really know anything about it? Or rather, how did he get implicated in the plot? The military government’s official explanation for his guilt was that the ousted and bitter General Gowon had, 54 days before the abortive coup, received Colonel B.S. Dimka in London while the colonel was in Madrid, Spain on an official business. General Gowon was accused of asking Colonel Dimka to meet General Bisalla in Nigeria and discuss the plot. Dimka said truly he met Bisalla. Bisalla denied meeting Dimka. General Gowon denied any knowledge of the abortive coup. He, however, admitted that he received Dimka and those he described as “a mixed group” of Nigerians in his London home in the night of December 21, 1975. He said he was “experienced enough militarily and in the art of government not to engage in serious discussion of planning a coup with a mixed group.” The state was not impressed. The former Head of State lost his rank as a four-star General and was declared wanted by Nigeria which also demanded his extradition from London. He was a fugitive for the next six years. And what about the celebrated war hero, Bisalla? He was executed by firing squad on March 12, 1976 after a guilty verdict. And what is more, at that point, no one remembered any good he had done in the past. The New York Times, while reporting his execution, said that “security men had some difficulty in keeping the thousands of spectators under control.”

The secretary of the tribunal that tried Bisalla was Col. Mamman Vatsa. He rose to become a celebrated General of the Nigerian Army. A poet with 19 published poetry collections, Vatsa wrote for adults and for children. One of his poems that was to play an ironic prank on him has the title ‘Judgement Day.’ A commentator described him as “a facilitator and patron of the arts in Nigeria.” He was quite popular because he was unusual as a General in love with the arts. He was very rich too – and that turned out his nemesis. An army officer, Lt. Col Musa Bitiyong, visited him and, after some discussions, he gave the officer N10,000 – that was a lot of money which only the super rich could give out that time. Bitiyong was later found to be coordinating a coup against the sitting government. On December 17, 1985, Vatsa was arrested at his Ikoyi home. His offence: He funded a coup plot. The N10,000 from Vatsa to Bitiyong came into focus as proof of coup financing. Vatsa said it was a loan for farming. No one listened to him. He got a guilty-as-charged verdict and was executed on March 5, 1986.

The wise gets humbled by how high life takes him; the foolish takes the opposite lane. Marie Antoinette was very popular when she arrived in France as the prince’s bride. She became queen, and made new friends and developed new tastes. History says her life of “complete splendour at the palace of Versailles” alienated her from the people and she became a sinner. She displayed the opulence of her endowments the way Kyari flaunted his exploits on Instagram and Facebook. When eventually Antoinette fell and was being led to her death on October 16, 1793, the love of her beginning was no longer there. “She was jeered on her hour-long journey to the guillotine.”

The world currently has a population of 7.7 billion and that precisely is the number of sinners that live on earth. So, I do not celebrate the fall of anyone. The fall of every leave degrades the forest and its foliage. I pray daily that we all end well. But there is a price to pay for the company we keep – and for every step we take. May our head lead us to what is good; may our legs carry us to do that which is right.

Olagunju, PhD, a Scholar, is a regular commentator on current and national issues in the the Nigerian Tribune

Iheanacho Fires Leicester City To England Charity Cup Shield Triumph

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Kelechi Iheanacho

By Akinwale Kasali

Kelechi Iheanacho’s 89th Minute strike from the penalty spot was all Leicester City Football Club needed to win their first trophy of the season for the 2021/2022 Soccer Season.

The 2013 FIFA Under-17 Winning player couldn’t hold back his joy as he lifted the coveted trophy, scoring against his former Club side, Manchester City Football Club.

Iheanacho came in as an 84th minute substitute for Jamie Vardy against 2020/2021 English Premier League Champion, Manchester City Football Club, winning a penalty kick after being fouled by Nathan Ake in the 18 yard box.

Leicester City, winner of the 2020 England Emirate FA Cup, came into the match after the acquisition of Abobakar Soumare from Lille Metropole Football Club of France, Ryan Bertrand from Southampton Football Club and Patson Daka from Red Bull Salzburg Football Club of Austria to boost their squad ahead of the new season.

Coach Pep Guardiola of Manchester City Football Club came into the match giving youngsters, Edozie and Palmer a chance to make their start-up line, with new acquisition, Jack Grealish making the substitute bench.

The Guardiola team came into the match with flashes, creating chances but failed to convert them.

For Coach Brendan Rodgers of Leicester City team, they only created a major chance in the closing stages of the first half, but couldn’t result to a goal.

The cagey affair never produced any superb goal scoring chances, not until the introduction of Iheanacho that led to the decisive and only goal of the match.

Rodgers started the match with Kasper Schmeichel in goal, with Amartey, Ricardo, Soyuncu, Bertrand in the defense.

Wilfred Ndidi, James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Ayoze Perez in the heart of the midfield with Vardy leading the attack.

Guardiola fielded Steffen in goal, with Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Benjamin Mendy and Joao Cancelo in the defense.

Palmer, Fernandinho, Edozie, Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez were the midfielders fielded with Ferran Torres in the striking role.

Media Group, JODER, Lashes IBB Over Comments, Says He Ought To Be In Prison

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Foremost Nigeria Media Rights Group, Journalists for Democratic Rights, JODER, said it wasn’t surprised with the utterances of former Military President, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida on the State of the Nation.

The Group through its Executive Director, Adewale Adeoye, said that IBB has an over bloated rating of himself in terms of governance, whereas, he plunged the nation into this deplorable state it presently finds itself.

IBB in an exclusive interview with Arise TV lamented the pathetic state of the economy, the corruption menace bedeviling the nation and the unprecedented insecurity in the country.

JODER said it was  not surprised by the former Military President’s statement,  alleging that he has little intellectual power, barren on economy and statesmanship, yet shot to power through bullets and brute force.

“Does he think we have a short memory? Even if history is not taught in schools, our children should know that for every effect, there is a cause. IBB laid the foundation for most of the problems we have today.

“IBB opened up a dark alley for Nigeria. He dug a blackhole for the country, he buried the grandeur of the country and left it to decay under the rubble of ineptitude and the worst kind of cruelty. He left thousands of landmines for Nigeria making its future growth stunted.

“He spoke about corruption. Has he forgotten that for the eight years he ruled, he and his State Military Administrators accounted to nobody? Accounts were not audited except by auditors he appointed by fiat. Does he think we have forgotten that corruption was a direct principle of his State policy?

“How did Dele Giwa die? IBB closed down Media Houses for months and years. Many of them never recovered as I write.

“IBB introduced violent cultists to Nigerian campuses. His agents kidnapped students. Many students were killed. The emergence of violent cult students can be traced to IBB. He laid the foundation and used them to disrupt progressive students union meetings. IBB brought SAP under which Naira pummeled, factories closed down and left the country with millions losing their jobs.

“He brought down the textile factories. His Government a plus for Yahoo yahoo and 419 boys who began to build empires across the country. IBB is also a tribalist. He wrote a caption posted to all military formations indicating he was of Fulani stock which he claimed migrated from Sullubawa, Bagwatse in Sokoto State. His most trusted cronies were his tribesmen.

“He ruined the Airforce for fear of his personal safety.  He rushed the movement of ministries to Abuja for personal safety. Many civil servants left in a hurry and many broken homes occurred as wives or husbands scurried to keep their jobs in Abuja at the expense of families left behind”.

JODER stressed that IBB is a liar, who came up with deceptive transition programmes tailored to ensure he succeeded himself, through annulment of June 12 election, which was pre-planned.

“Those who believed his excuses for the annulment behave as if they dont know IBB is deceitful and cruel. How can anyone trust the words of a dishonest and corrupt man?”.

JODER, however, added that If the Nation  Was working at its utmost capacity, IBB should have been behind bars, cooling off in prison.

OPINION: Dairo, Igboho, Kanu and those on trial

By
The Source
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Dare Babarinsa

By Dare Babarinsa

When Abayomi Dairo was shot down from the sky on Sunday July 18, it marked a new milestone in Nigeria’s fight against terror. For several years now, the Federal Government has chased the terror gangs ravaging the North-West and the Middle-Belt of Nigeria on land and in the air. When these criminals strike in these zones, they are called bandits. When they operate in the North East, especially in the old Boko Haram theatres of Yobe, Adamawa and Borno States, they are called terrorists. When they strike in the Middle-Belt states of Benue, Plateau of Taraba, they are mostly identified as rogue Fulani herdsmen. It is clear now that they are members of the same terror family. These are not just ordinary kidnapping and robbery gangs. Their target is the state itself.

Many Nigerians, especially those living in the South, seem not to be aware of the new war going on in our country. The Boko Haram sect has been seriously scorched, but not killed, and the North-East, occupied by soldiers, is in fitful ease. Many of the escaped terrorists, have turned into moonlighting. They are the arrow-heads of the banditry in the North-West. Their main operation is mass kidnapping. When their victims could not come up with the expected ransom, they simply kill them. They have stopped all pretenses about Islam and such puritanical preachments. They are in the business for the fast bucks.

President Buhari has sent his troops after them. These are no longer the kind of criminals that the police can handle. Therefore, once their base is identified, the Air Force is called to rain death on them from the sky. Every day, our gallant airmen and women, fly sorties against these criminals and hundreds of them are eliminated. They are not about to disappear however. With the shooting down of Dairo’s plane, they have now announced that they have upped their game. They now have anti-aircraft guns.

Nigerians must brace themselves for a long drawn crisis. When Nigeria attained independence in 1960, its entire military force was less than 20, 000 men. We had the army and the Navy. The Air Force then was just a department of the Nigerian Army until it became an independent force shortly before the Nigerian Civil War. Now we have almost 500,000 men and women under arms and they seem not to be enough.

In the 1960s, in the immediate post-independence era, Africa was under intense watch by the Western powers determined to keep the continent for itself against the ambitions of the Communist East dominated by the defunct Soviet Union and an emerging China. We were at peace with Niger, Cameroun, Chad, and Benin Republic. They all look up to Nigeria as the big brother. When the Nigerian crisis degenerated into a Civil War in 1967, all these countries stood by Nigeria until the war ended in 1970.

But now Nigeria and her neigbours have become victims of events over which they have no control. The Soviet Union collapsed and the dynamics of international politics changed. Economic competition has replaced the era of geopolitical hegemonic contest. Before we know it, large sections of our economic interest have been wiped out by new economic imperialism. Today, Nigeria is perhaps the only major country with a large population that does not clothe itself. All our textile manufacturing concerns have been wiped out by competition from China, India and other places. We have a population of 200 million mostly wearing clothes manufactured in Asia and rags imported from Europe and the Americas. Our youths are especially in love with those European and American rags and they wear them with swagger.

All our neigbours, though they remain friendly, have become a problem to us. For many years, Libya under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi had been a stabilizing force in North Africa, helping to shield the Sahel Region as long it suited his ambition and large ego. Then after four decades in power, his regime collapsed into chaos, his military disintegrated and his impressive armoury looted. During his years in power, Gadhafi had encouraged other Africans, especially youths from Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Burkina-Faso and Cameroun, to join his army. When he fell, many of these well-trained men returned home to become free agents of terror. They found a good launching base in the emerging Boko-Haram terror group, which was originally the creation of the Nigerian political class. Now terror has mutated and Pilot Dairo was shot down from the sky.

By the time Boko Haram happened on the scene, Nigeria had become the international headquarters of the poor. The preaching of Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram, resonated with the poor of Maiduguri and other places. If you are deprived of the goods of this world, prepare yourselves for the goods of the hereafter, he told them. Eighty percent of the people living in the North-East live below poverty line. All social statistics were pointing to a crisis waiting to happen. Many of them have lost hope about life on earth. They are placing their hope on the hereafter.

The crisis is here now and Air Force sorties alone cannot solve it. It requires scientific sociological approach and political courage. Reacting to the crisis in the North, many northern youths moved south in unprecedented numbers, many of them serving in different trades as farmers, okada riders, odd-jobbers and petty criminals. Many of them, often in collaboration with locals, also took on the lucrative crime of kidnapping, especially the rogue Fulani herdsmen (different and distinct from the normal herdsmen who till today are still well occupied in their traditional vocation).

In the wake of the crisis, we have the rise of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its unorthodox tactics and the Yoruba Nation Movement almost gestating to follow the same path. Both campaigners apparently were responding to the spill-over effect of the terror and mayhem in the North, but they also embraced the same theology of intolerance and bellicosity.

Today, both Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Adeyemo, alias Igboho, are facing the consequences of their leadership style, the other side of what Thomas Gray called “the pomp of power, the boast of heraldry.” Our country waits on the outcome of these new soap operas. What an interesting time to be alive!

The people who are really on trial however are members of the Nigerian political class; their excellences and those stumping paladins in the corridors of power. All these crises are simply the symptoms of a mass army of disillusioned youths; able, ready, willing to work, but not gainfully employed.

There have been reports that the Federal Government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria and other agencies, has released hundreds of billions of naira to support start-up companies and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Unless the list of beneficiary companies is published in the newspapers, Nigerians would continue to be skeptical about this programme. Indeed, it is the general belief that a substantial part of this enormous sum may have been kidnapped by the corrupt, the powerful and the mighty. Let the government publish and be damned!

The leaders must create jobs and more jobs and still more jobs until the restless energy of the Nigerian youths have creative outlets. This cannot be done by Abuja alone. We need regional response to this crisis because power and responsibilities must devolve to the regions as the new federating units. If we fail to find jobs for our youths, the devil will employ them.

Babarinsa, a veteran Journalist, is a prolific commentator on current and  national issues.

Olu Of Warri Stool: Itsekiri Youths Back Prince Tsola Emiko, Says They Are Yorubas

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Omo'Oba Tsola Emiko - Olu of Warri

By Akinwale Kasali

…Declare Oyowoli Persona Non Grata

By Akinwale Kasali

The Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC has, for the first time, endorsed the Olu of Warri designate, Prince Tsola Emiko.

The Influential INYC also declares that the Itsekiri are children of Oduduwa and represent one of the Yoruba sub-groups.

The youths affirm that the Itsekiri are of Yoruba ancestry, warning dissenting views not to bring politics into a purely traditional matter.

The youths affirmed that the five Aboriginal communities of Ureju, Omadino, big Warri, Ode Ugborodo and Inorin  that multiplied and metamorphosed into all the Itsekiri communities of today are all of Yoruba ancestry.

The INYC which is the apex youth coalition of  Warri Kingdom said the INYC support for the Olu was an historical responsibility needed to protect the heritage and civilisations of the ancient kingdom.

The INYC stated: “For the past three months we have watched developments in Warri Kingdom. The full, unconditional support for Prince Tsola Emiko as the Olu designate came after extensive consultations with the five Itsekiri communities of Omadino, Igborodo, Ureju, Inorin and Ode Itsekiri. We have also consulted with some 70 traditional chiefs spread across Warri Kingdom. Our blood, our flesh, our spirit, our land fully endorse the Olu designate, Prince Tsola Emiko. Any attempt to subvert the will of the people is an attack on the entire Itsekiri people all over the World”.

A statement signed by the National President, Agbateyinmiwo Weyimi and  said the Youths of Warri form 70 percent of the human population adding that the Youths are impressed that over 90 percent of the older generation of Itsekiri people all over the world support the new Olu designate.

The Council said Itsekiri are part of the 29 Yoruba dialects and that the Edict automatically covered the Yoruba ancestry the Itsekiri being like ilaje, Ijesha, Okun,Ekiti, Ijebu, Igbomina etc that are amongst the 29 dialects in Yoruba.

The Council warned those it described as renegade to desist from fuelling tension by promoting an alternative Olu on social media.

“It is an ancient proverb in Itsekiriland that two kings do not occupy the same throne. The Itsekiri people are aware of only one Olu designate, Prince Tsola Emiko. It is on this note that we hereby declare Prince Oyowoli Emiko who is parading himself on social media as alternative to the throne, persona non grata in the entire Warri Kingdom. He will be isolated and ostracized for breaching a history that has survived over six generations.”

The INYC said “Becoming the Olu designate is a long process. It involves a lot of physical and spiritual imput. It takes a very long time. It is strange that someone will parade himself on the social media as the Olu designate without even encountering any of the laid down time- honored traditions”, the youths said in the statement.

The Council asked Oyowoli to stop playing the ostrich by coming out clean and provide the details of the critical information required from any Olu designate including but not limited to the current address of his Idaniken (seclusion) rite as no one does this in secrecy without the knowledge of those he wants to rule over, the venue of his Itsekiri National Assembly, a gathering of all Itsekiri people where he was introduced to the entire Itsekiri as their sucessor to the throne, the details of the composition of the Olu Advisory Council /Ojoye Ojo Isan,  the venue where the Ojoye Ojo Isan presented him before the Oraclists and the outcome of the divination. The council said the Olu designate passes through all the steps stated above and had been presented to the Itsekiri National Assembly which adopted him before going for other necessary  spiritual and intellectual steps already taken.

The Council also tasked the Prince to provide the Royal Cemetery where he did his Iken rite and was proclaimed Ogiame

The Council wondered why he did a round about turn and  resulted to self help on social media even after he has gone to court to seek redress indicating he knew he was pursuing a grand illusion.

The Council said no Olu designate can emerge without the details of the composition of his Ginuwa 1  ruling house which Prince Oyowili lack apart from not having a venue  where he was presented  by the Emiko royal family.

The Council wanted him to present to the public the names of the Palace Chiefs and the entire Chiefs in the palace that supported him

The youths said in the statement  “These demands were made today that from the five aboriginal Itsekiri communities with the leadership of INYC to do some clarifications on the on going misconception in some quarters about the emergence of Omoba Tsola Emiko as the 21st Olu of Warri Designate.”

The Council said ‘The position of hundreds of thousands of Itsekiri youths we represent is that no one can disqualify Omobo Tsola Emiko from being the Olu of Warri, a throne occupied by his father about 5yrs ago because his mother is Yoruba . Doing this will amount to a serious breach ,infringement and infraction on his fundamental human rights as contained in all the legal instruments cited above.

The youths said if the declaration pursuant to the 1979 edict of the defunct Bendel state now applicable to Delta State is juxtaposed with Chapter 4 and  subsection 1 and 3 of section 1 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the relevant provisions of the 1999 constitution will have their way and any part of the declaration will to that extent be a deviation in this case,wanting to prevent Omoba Tsola Emiko from ascending the throne occupied by his father because his mother is Yoruba will be null and void.

He said disqualification on that basis would not be appropriate to reason since all the sub ethnic groups can be used with Yoruba interchangeably.

The Council said the throne of the Olu of Warri is from Bini Royalty and that of Bini is from Ile Ife in Yorubaland meaning the Edict did not mention the exclusion of Yoruba maternal link.

The youths stated that the position of Itsekiri youths is backed by various traditional, local national and laws.

“From the position of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly and domesticated in all continents and countries of the world in the likes of the Banjul charter otherwise known as the African Charter” the position of a few elements opposed to the Olu designate is baseless. The congress also cited   Chapter 4 of Nigerian 1999 constitution (as ammended) which states that the Nigerian constitution superceds any other edict that is assuming their holding on to the 1979 Edict is right in the first place.

That on the issue of the emergence of Omoba Tsola Emiko as the 21st Olu of Warri, the Itsekiris have crossed the rubicon. By crossing the rubicon, we mean the process is irreversible.  No one can  force a willing employee on an unwilling employer of labour, the choice of the Oracle and the good people of Warri kingdom as their King is Omoba Tsola Emiko”

The Council said that the installation of the Olu designate is a like the Philosophy of a moving train

“In a moving train philosophy, if u are inside the train and you don’t hold firmly onto your space and you fall off, the train will not stop and wait for you . But if you are outside and desirous of being in the train and you are able to pursue the train and and catch up with the train, it will accommodate you. What is not allowed in a moving train philosophy is to want to stand as obstacle in the front of the moving knowing the consequences is that the person will be a shameful minority.”

The youth leaders said the “IYNC wish to proclaim by the power confer on the Congress and we the elected officials as the leaders of  Itsekiri National Youths Council worldwide that the date for the coronation of omoba Tsola Emiko as the 21st Olu of Warri kingdom as fixed by the Olu Advisory Council is sacrosanct and it is a date with history . Therefore all invited guests and dignitaries are encouraged to be in attendance.”

Ekiti PDP Factional Chairman, Kolawole, Says Crisis In Party A Family Affair

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Otunba Bisi Kolawole

By Ayodele Oni

Factional Chairman of Ekiti State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Bisi Kolawole, has assured people of the state that the winner of the party’s gubernatorial primary will be supported by all stakeholders to win the general election.

Otunba Kolawole, who is also a Governorship aspirant of the party, said being an aspirant has in no way hampered his performance as the Chairman of the party in the state as he has been relating effectively with all for the purpose of unity, peace and progress of the party.

He added that at the appropriate time as stipulated by the constitution, he would resign his chairmanship and concentrate fully on his gubernatorial aspiration.

He made these assertions while responding to questions on a radio programme Saturday morning.

The Chairman, who described wranglings within the party as nothing strange in politics, expressed optimism that the storm would be over in no distant time.

“Like any other situation,  what is happening in Ekiti PDP is not strange.  Gradually, we’ll overcome all these problems, our people on the other side have approached the supreme court and whatever the outcome is, we’ll still come together and be a stronger force at the end of the day.

“When you are in a contest, issues like these are bound to come up but of course once a winner emerges, others will back him or her up to ensure success for all.

“There is a body set up by the National Working Committee of our party, it is saddled with the responsibility of resolving the problem in Ekiti and other States. This committee is working earnestly and making progress.

“As an individual, I relate with all the tendencies in the party on daily basis trying to convince them on why we should work together.

“I want to assure you that I am in constant touch with Senator Duro Faseyi,  Hon. Tunji Odeyemi, Lati Ajijola, Senator Abiodun Olujimi amongst other gladiators in the party and if we have not reached a compromise, it’s just a matter of time,  at a point we’ll get there.”

Otunba Kolawole, is an aspirant being sponsored by the former Governor of the state, Mr Ayodele Fayose, after he dumped his former deputy, Prof Eleka.

On the chances of the PDP winning the general election in case he does not emerge candidate of the party, Kolawole said he is not desperate.

“For Christ’s sake, it’s not a desperate beat. PDP remains PDP,  we are a united family,  we are only having misunderstanding because of our interests.

“By the time a candidate comes up, we will all give our support.  I am not desperate about anything, everybody is working hard to get the ticket, whoever gets it will be supported.”

The Chairman also described as fake news, a report alleging  that former Governor Fayose threatened to support Governor Fayemi’s candidate if he (Kolawole) did not emerge winner of the PDP primary.

“That was a fake news by the detractors of former governor Ayodele Fayose. For God’s sake, there are trivial issues you don’t get involved in, we all know former governor  Fayose as an individual who doesn’t hide behind a finger.

“What is the source of this cheap lie? We should not talk about fake issue here, it’s a non issue  and I am telling you categorically that former governor Fayose never said that. Whoever emerges candidate, we are going to support, PDP remains PDP!”

The PDP Chairman took a swipe on the Kayode Fayemi led APC government in Ekiti State over the increasing wave of insecurity in the land, warning that what has become of security at the centre should not be replicated in Ekiti.

“I leave Governor Kayode Fayemi for the people of Ekiti to judge, what I am concerned about at the immediate is the level of insecurity in our state, just yesterday, one person was killed and about five others kidnapped by unknown gunmen, we demand he does something about insecurity in our land immediately.

“He has a year to vacate office, he should do more to secure the lives of Ekiti people, what we have presently is grossly unacceptable, moving from one village to the other in Ekiti has become unsafe and I call on him to buckle up.”

Ekiti PDP Says Gov Fayemi And Bandits Are Relations, Bemoans Insecurity

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has reiterated its call on the State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to pay attention to the invasion of the State by armed bandits.

The party noted that “it appears that the governor has an accord with the bandits who are daily, killing and kidnapping the people, especially in roads leading to his hometown, Isan Ekiti.”

The party, in its reaction to the killing of one person and abduction of five people along Ewu and Aiyetoro Ekiti on Friday, said it was disturbing that in a State being governed by a supposed holder of PhD in War Studies, bandits have taken over everywhere.

A statement on Saturday by the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Raphael Adeyanju, the party said “time  has come for stakeholders in the State to confront Governor Fayemi and ask him whether or not he has understanding with these marauding bandits not to touch them.”

The PDP described as unexplainable, a situation where a particular road has become like a permanent operational base for kidnappers and nothing has been done by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governments both in Abuja and Ado Ekiti.

“It was on that same road that a Commissioner in Governor Fayemi’s government, Olabode Folorunso and a woman were abducted and a councillor in Ilejemeje Local Government killed in April, last year.

“On this same road, the traditional ruler of Ewu-Ekiti, Oba Adetutu Ajayi, was shot by bandits on April 10, 2021.

“Also on June 10, 2021, two hotel workers in Ayetoro-Ekiti were kidnapped while the hotel’s security guard was inflicted with machete cuts.

“This week too, a former Chairman of the National Union of Roads Transport Workers, Clement Adekola was attacked by Fulani kidnappers along Ikere Ekiti – Igbara-Odo road. He escaped narrowly, with his vehicle riddled with bullets.”

The PDP lamented that it was worrisome that Ekiti State, that was adjudged as the most peaceful State in the Southwest when the party was in power, has now turned to haven of bandits and political thugs.

The PDP spokesman said; “Rather than jumping from one State to the other to commission projects executed by his fellow governors, why can’t Governor Fayemi face governance in Ekiti and make the State safe for residents and visitors?

“Is the governor waiting for Ekiti State to become another Kaduna or Katsina State before he will perform his major function as a governor by seeing to the safety of the people?

“Or is his 2023 presidential ambition more important than the lives of Ekiti people?”

OPINION: Kanu is Technically Still in Kenya

By
The Source
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0
Aloy Ejimakor

By Aloy Ejimakor

Yes, that’s right: In the purest interpretations of foreign relations law, as applied to Britain and Kenya, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is technically speaking, still in Kenya. How? Dual national or not, Kanu departed Britain and travelled to Kenya as a British citizen and Kenya admitted him as such. That’s the starting point.

So, after his admission to Kenya, it happens that Kanu must be expelled from Kenyan soil (with or without due process), the next natural and legal thing to do is for Kenya to expel him to Britain, not Nigeria. Choosing to expel him to Nigeria means that he could’ve also been expelled to any other country than Nigeria.

Why? Because Kanu presented himself to Kenya as a British citizen, not a Nigerian citizen or even a dual citizen. In international law, it was clearly a three-way immigration contract between Kanu, Britain and Kenya. Nigeria was not a party to it; and Nigeria was never in reckoning at the Kenyan port of entry when Kanu presented himself for admission. Lawyers call it privity of contract.

Further, counting from the time of Kanu’s abduction to the infamous rendition, Kenya sighted no other travel document that could’ve, in addition to Britain, attributed another nationality to Kanu, including that of Nigeria. Or, was Kanu admitted to Kenya on a Nigerian birth certificate?

So, it’s dubious that Kenya attributed Nigerian citizenship to Kanu merely because those that sponsored the abduction and rendition presumably told Kenya that Kanu was borne in Nigeria. What about the credible claims (in public domain) that Kanu had renounced his Nigerian citizenship? If place of birth should count, then renunciation should count for more.

Put another way, unless Kenya was shown Kanu’s Nigerian birth certificate, it is expected to presume Kanu as a British citizen only. After all, beyond a birth certificate, a passport is the next best proof of citizenship. Verbal assertions of place of birth is, as a matter of immigration and nationality law, an insufficient proof of citizenship.

Nonetheless, if Kenya was in any doubt as to where Kanu should be expelled, it should have resorted to the competent international laws on point.

The most obvious of such laws is codified at Article 5 of the Hague Convention on Certain Questions Relating to the Conflict of Nationality Law, which states that: “Within a third State, a person having more than one nationality shall be treated as if he had only one. A third State shall, of the nationalities which any such person possesses, recognise exclusively in its territory either the nationality of the country in which he is habitually and principally resident, or the nationality of the country with which in the circumstances he appears to be in fact most closely connected”.

As can be seen from above, Kanu was required to meet one of two conditions in order to be treated by Kenya ‘exclusively’ as either a citizen of Nigeria or Britain.

So, let’s put Kanu into what the Hague Convention says and see how he comes out.

Nnamdi Kanu
Nnamdi Kanu

Fact: Kanu is 53 years old. Out of this, he has spent some 30 years in Britain and 23 years in Nigeria. His wife and children are domiciled in Britain and they are British citizens, either by birth or naturalization. Kanu has his home in Britain and pays his taxes there.

Another fact: Kanu’s main occupations – Radio Biafra and IPOB – are corporate citizens of Britain in good standing, both having been duly registered in Britain. And Kanu runs both of them from British soil.

Conversely, the last time Kanu visited Nigeria, he was arbitrarily arrested, persecuted and detained for eighteen months. In time, he was nearly killed under circumstances that would be considered State-sponsored murder, which is a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.

So, as you can easily see from above, Britain is where Kanu is ‘habitually and principally resident, as well as the country with which, in the circumstances, he appears to be in fact most closely connected’. If, like Kenya, you think Nigeria qualifies by a stretch, then you must be thinking that being in jail for nearly two years and surviving extrajudicial murder are good attributes of citizenship.

Thus, Kenya (being the third country) should have treated Kanu exclusively as a British citizen because, even as the Hague Convention required Kanu to meet one of two conditions, he actually over-qualified by meeting both conditions.

Therefore, as a strict matter of foreign relations law, as applied to Britain and Kenya (minus Nigeria), Kanu is technically still in Kenya. How? Because Kenya was the last country in which Kanu – a bonafide British citizen was lawfully admitted.

In other words, subsequent to his admission to Kenya, Kanu desired to depart from Kenya, the only country he could have legally departed to was Britain, not Nigeria. Why? Kenyan immigration would not have allowed Kanu to depart to Nigeria without him presenting either a Nigerian passport or a Nigerian visa.

In view of the foregoing, the next best steps for Britain to take, especially in the face of Nigeria’s intransigence, is to ask Kenya to account for the whereabouts of her citizen, Nnamdi Kanu, last seen in Kenya as of June 19th, 2021 as her Majesty’s subject and a free citizen of Britain, not a criminal suspect.

Once Britain sits up, Kenya – whether complicit or not – would begin to appreciate the true legal and diplomatic implications of failing to protect a bonafide British citizen who made his last lawful immigration stop on Kenyan soil. And Nigeria too will begin to realize that Kanu’s presence in Nigeria is unlawful and unsustainable.

Ejimakor is a Special Counsel to Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

Lagos:Right Group, HEDA, Says 50% Pension Slash For Ex-Governors Hypocritical

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0

By Akinwale Kasali

Human Rights Group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA, has described the 50 per cent Pension reduction for Ex-Governors by the Lagos State House of Assembly as hypocritical.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has, therefore, been asked by HEDA to immediately withhold his assent to the Bill by the Assembly.

It would be recalled that the Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa led Lagos State House of Assembly had, over the week, announced that former Governors of the State would now receive half of what the State used to give them as pension after leaving office.

Part of the pension benefits include, but not limited to cash in millions of naira, a fleet of cars to be changed every three years and a retirement house to be built for them all at public expense.

HEDA, however, said that the decision of the Lagos State Assembly and the State Government to reduce the pension of former Governors by 50 percent is a breach of the earlier public commitment and original Bill submitted to the Assembly by the State Governor, Sanwo-Olu, to entirely abolish the privilege.

When Governor Sanwo Olu got to the saddle as the Executive Governor of the State, he had earlier said that the State was going to stop the reckless and insensitive package.

HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, in a statement said the reduction to 50 percent betrays the earlier public commitment of the state governor to abolish the practice and falls short of the remarkable revocation of similar laws by Kwara and Zamfara States.

“We are shocked by the hypocritical and selfish decision of the State House of Assembly to reduce the package for the former State Governors rather than approving the proposal as sent by the State’s executive. The truth of the matter is that, having served the state for between four to eight years, with their salaries and emoluments paid apart from a string of pecks and privileges including unquestionable security votes, it is ridiculous that the public will continue to shoulder their personal needs after they have left the office” Suraju said.

HEDA said the former governors are not career workers like civil servants who often put in up to 35 years into public service. He said the 50 percent slash fails to address the fundamental issue which is that the former governors do not deserve to live on public funds after they have left to continue their mostly profit driven private businesses.

“The decision of the Lagos State House of Assembly is unilateral and even amounts to crying more than the bereaved. There were no consultations with the public. The elected members did not hold any discussion with the electorate. There was a kangaroo public hearing on the floor of the house. This is not a popular decision but a step taken to please their political godfathers” Suraju said.

He argued that payment to former Governors is a decision that has to be taken in consultation with the tax payers and not an imposition by 40 members of the State House of Assembly.

“The country is facing declining economic glory. Hunger and starvation are ravaging the land. It is ridiculous that what the elected officials are thinking of is the special economic protection for former governors” HEDA said. The anti-graft group said the attitude of the lawmakers is like pouring water in an ocean adding that the ex-governors are already more than comfortable and do not need pampering at public expense. He urged the Lagos State Government to concentrate on providing stimulus packages that can create more jobs and address the growing youth unemployment in the state which threatens the livelihood of millions of people in the State.

Under the new package the ex-governors will now receive three new cars to be changed every four years and huge financial supports. There were speculations that office of Speaker of the Assembly was also smuggled into the list of beneficiaries of the largesse.

National President of Pensioners laud Uzodimma for regular payment of pensions

By
The Source
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Hope Uzodimma on Penson Payment

The National President of Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), Chief Godwin Ikechukwu Abumisi, has commended  Governor Hope Uzodimma for regular and prompt payment of pensioners in Imo State.

 He said “pensioners are now happy and rejoicing because His Excellency has removed the anomalies of past administration of Rochas Okorocha.”

 The President of NUP gave the commendation at the New Executive Council Chambers, Government House Owerri, when he led the National as well as State Executives on a courtesy visit to the Governor.

 Receiving them, Governor Uzodimma assured them of his commitment to the welfare of their members and readiness to support and cooperate with the leadership of the NUP even as he  challenged them to see government as partners in progress.

 Governor Uzodimma who was excited that for the first time NUP has a President of South East extraction commended the body for living up to their bidding of ensuring that their laid down rules were followed which resulted to the emergence of a president of South East extraction.

 He commended the officers from the South East and other Union Executives from other parts of the country for exhibiting patrotism, trust and confidence on their members no matter where they come from.

 The Governor challenged the new President of NUP to see his emergence “as a call to national duty which carries a lot of expectations” with the reasoning that under his administration the Union will be better than it is today. 

 He challenged his members, both the National and State, who accompanied the President on the visit to rally round him to ensure that Abumisi’s “administration will be remembered for good even by those that will come after him.”

 The Governor, on behalf of the Government and people of Imo State,  promised to continue to partner and support the Executive and members of the Union by ensuring prompt payment of pensions in Imo State.

On the other issues of welfare of pensioners in Imo State like  check-off dues, arrears of pensions and gratuity, the Governor promised to direct the immediate release of check-off dues. 

 On arrears of pensions,  he informed that his administration has done a lot in trying to recover from all the damages caused by Okorocha’s administration in Imo State,  emphasizing, “it is your entitlement, so Government has the responsibility to give you what belongs to you.”

 He enjoined them to assist him in correcting all the problems surrounding pensions in Imo State to make life more meaningful for all of them. 

 The Governor appealed to the National President and his members to advise those who have refused to appear for automation to do so and stop blackmailing the government. 

 Concerning gratuity of pensions which is in arrears of many years, Governor Uzodimma told the NUP that “gratuity will be very difficult for the government to pay arrears now unless the economy improves.”

 Concluding,  the Governor also commended the State Chairman, Chief Josiah U Ugochukwu for cooperating with the Government in solving most of the problems surrounding pension issues of the State.

 In an address read earlier by the President of NUP, Chief Godwin Abumisi informed the Governor that he had come to present himself and the new officials that will work with him. 

 Chief Abumisi appealed to the governor  to “use his good offices to reach out to other State Governors who owe pensioners to please pay them their pensions and gratuity.”

 He also appealed to the Governor to consider their plight and release to them their check-off dues which he said, “they use in maintenance of their secretariat and payment of allowances to their Executives and other workers.”

 The National President solicited continued partnership with his colleagues in Imo and the Governor’s fatherly support in improving their welfare.

 He lauded Governor Uzodimma for always choosing the path of dialogue in resolving contentious issues between the State and NUP. 

 He frowned on those causing problems for government in the name of pensions, noting that most of them are not genuine pensioners rather saboteurs of government.

 Introducing the visitors earlier, the State Chairman of NUP and South East Zonal Chairman of NUP,  Chief Ugochukwu told the governor that they have come with all happiness to inform him that “for the first time in many years of NUP existence South East has produced a President of the Union in the person of Chief Godwin Abumisi.”

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