Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State says that contrary to beliefs by many, the All Progressives Congress, APC, had no zoning agreement for the Presidential ticket in 2023.
Rekindling the controversy over the rotational presidency, Governor Bello has declared any such zoning arrangement as a ruse.
His view is contrary to those of Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasiru el-Rufai, and Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), that the 2023 presidency be zoned to the South after the expiration of the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, in compliance with the understanding reached by the partyleaders during the merger talks before 2015 general election.
El-Rufai had said there was an agreement that the presidency should be zoned to the South after the eight-year rule of the North, stressing that although the agreement was not enshrined in the party’s constitution, politicians are aware of it.
“That is why I came out and said that after President Buhari’s eight years, no Northerner should contest for the office. Let the Southerners also have eight years,’’ he had stated.
Fashola too had urged the APC to respect its zoning formula in picking its presidential candidate for 2023 election.
“The truth is that what makes an agreement spectacular is the honour in which it is made, not whether it is written. If it was written, there would be no court cases of breach of contract because it’s a document that is written and signed that goes to court.
“The private agreement you make with your brother and sister should not be breached. It must be honoured,” Fashola had said.
He acknowledged that zoning is not in the party’s constitution, insisting that the party leaders had an agreement on zoning when the party was being formed.
But speaking with journalists in Abuja weekend, Bello, who is nursing a presidential ambition, said there is no zoning arrangement in the APC.
‘’There is nothing like zoning in our party. In 2015, there was no zoning; many aspirants, including former governor Rochas Okorocha contested. In 2019, there was no zoning; people in APC were not courageous enough to contest with President Muhammadu Buhari,” Bello stated.
He added that the challenges facing the country had nothing to do with where the President comes from, as Nigerians are looking for young, vibrant, and responsible leaders, who can tackle the challenges.
Asked if he is interested in the office, the governor said: ‘’Even if I say I’m going to contest for presidency in 2023, my response is this: It is the will of God I became governor today, and I am in my second term going. If it’s the will of God for me to become President in this country at the right time, I will be.’’
The Governor is optimistic he will defeat any challenger if he decides to contest.
‘’I will record a vote that has never been recorded in Nigeria by the grace of God. But that’s not the issue right now; the issue is there must be Nigeria before we talk of 2023,’’ he added.
According to him, Nigeria’s problems, including insecurity, can be solved as there are enough resources to tackle them.
‘’Nobody factor in tomorrow for our children yet-unborn; sometimes there will be burning issues at hand, they call for meetings, you sit down and they are not discussing the main issue that brought us together.
‘’And before the meeting there is communiqué; after the meeting, it’s the communiqué that is read and it has nothing to do with the issue at hand. How can we progress?
‘’This is what we have today as a country. A situation where Mr. President will give approval for things to be done and that approval is kept aside, and there will be no consequences for that. That’s what we have today as a country,’’ he lamented.
He advised his colleagues to take the insecurity in the country seriously, saying they must talk about Nigeria first before the 2023 general election.
The People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), Ekiti State, has accused the State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, of playing politics with the lives of people of the state. He has refused to go against suspected killer Fulani Herdsmen, the party alleges.
The party, while reacting to weekend murder of two farmers by suspected Fulani Herdsmen at Isaba Ekiti, in Ikole local government, decried the incessant killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen in the State.
A statement by the Publicity Secretary of PDP in the state, Mr Raphael Adeyanju, challenged Governor Fayemi, to concentrate more on the governance of the state.
“The killing by herders must stop now and that the Governor Fayemi must act with sincerity of purpose.”
Governor Fayemi had visited families of the deceased farmers to condole with them during which he advised the people of the state to resort to traditional means to defend themselves against the herdsmen attacks.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) has equally flayed the killings which it blamed on infiltration of the state by some miscreants.
The PDP pointed out that the Governor must stop shedding crocodile tears and acting political correctness on the killings in the State.
“Governor Fayemi should learn from his immediate predecessor, Ayodele Fayose and take proactive steps like he did then.
“We are even more worried now that the governor has more or less declared to Ekiti people that they are on their own by telling the people of Isaba Ekiti, that they should use traditional means to defend themselves against killer herdsmen.
“Also, it is imperative to state that the governor’s visit to Isaba Ekiti, as good as it may be, is more of playing to the gallery for cheap political gains.
“This is because it has become a routine among politicians to go about paying condolence visits to families of victims of avoidable deaths and we are sure that after the visit, the government will pay no attention to those left behind by the victims.
“Rather than condolence visits, what is important to us in PDP is the government putting a permanent stop to the killings and giving life back to those hapless women and children whose bread winners were murdered owing to government negligence and carelessness.
“It is also important that leaders of Fulani herders in the State are summoned by the government and handed a matching order to produce killers of those persons in Isaba Ekiti because they cannot claim not to know the killers among their people.
“The governor must have to engage leaders of the Fulanis as done by Fayose when he was governor so that they can join hands with government to flush out criminal elements among them.
“Most importantly, Governor Fayemi must stop giving consideration to his future political ambition at the expense of the lives and properties of Ekiti people.”
According to a statement by the Supreme Court of Nigeria, The Honourable Justice Sylvester Nwali Ngwuta died at about 2.30am, on Sunday, March 7, 2021. He died at the Intensive Care Unit of the National Hospital, Abuja, after a week of ill-health.
I disagree with the statement.
Ngwuta, a proud son of the South-east, one of the few that got to the peak of the Judiciary from the zone, died since 2015. Ngwuta had, gradually, died four times before his final death this March 7.
For the number of times he died, the Nigerian State was the enabler. Justice Ngwuta was a victim of a country which treats its bests like rags; a country which runs down its own; a country which rejects its own, but turns around to claim the rejected once embraced by other countries which appreciate brilliance, competence, and hard work.
Among other, rejected stones, check-out Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, now of the World Trade Organisation, WTO. Check out Dr Akinwumi Adesina of the African Development Bank, AfDB.
Both were Ministers in their home country, Nigeria. Both were ran down no-end. Both were called names. Okonjo-Iweala was called an IMF-World Bank lackey who has destroyed Nigeria’s economy. Former National Chairman of the ruling APC, Adams Oshiomhole called her incompetent. Adesina was said to know next to nothing in Agriculture. When he introduced cell-phones to rural farmers, he was ridiculed to the moon and back. But look at where they are. Appreciated by the civilised world. But I pause to say this: They are where they are, doing Nigeria proud, partly thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari who turned a deaf ear to bad people, and supported them to the hilt. But I digressed. I was talking about the killing of Ngwuta by the Nigerian State.
Ngwuta first died that day of October, 7, 2015, when the personnel of the Directorate of State Services, DSS, under its former Director General, Lawal Daura, dragged his reputation in the mud. During an inexplicable raid at an uncivilized hour, Ngwuta was woken up by them, in his pyajamas, and made to sit for hours as they ransacked his official residence. Thereafter, they took him away, and kept him with them until daylight. He was accused of money laundering.
He died a second time the day he was hauled before a Federal High Court on the money laundering charges. That was quickly followed by his suspension from office by the National Judicial Council, NJC.
Then, he died the third time the day he was dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, charged with non declaration of some of his assets.
As Ngwuta stood in the dock, he looked at once, lost, far away.
His fourth death came when, even after he was cleared by both the Federal High Court and the CCT in 2018, he was left idle at the Supreme Court. No files, no cases, were passed to him for months. He would go to work, and just sit in the office, doing nothing except, perhaps, to read some books, and Newspapers.
Hon. Justice Sylvester Ngwuta
He resumed sitting only on September 23, 2019.
There are many ways to kill one. Killing the spirit is one of the ways. Ngwuta’s spirit had long been dead, killed by the Nigerian State.
The questions are; Why arrest the Justices in such an embarrassing, humiliating manner? Why at an uncivilized time when they were in their pyajamas, sleeping? Why were they not just invited to the DSS office? A saying where I come from says, “The disgrace given to a man is worse than killing him.”
On the night Justice Ngwuta was arrested, he was stripped of all dignity. He was humiliated. He was in shock. He was traumatised. He never recovered from the indignity and the humiliation he suffered. He was like working corpse. It was unbelievable to him that a country he gave so much to would treat him like a common criminal.
Until his final death, Ngwuta was bottled up. He was an angry man. He was angry at a country that humiliated him before the world. He was angry at a country that stripped him of his dignity. He was angry at his people who never stood by him. All through his ordeal, nobody publicly spoke up for him. All through the time he sat idle in his office, with no case allocated to him, nobody spoke up for him. He bore his pain in silence. Nobody intervened. Not his Governor, Dave Umahi. Not the South-east Governors’ Forum. Not Ohaneze Nd’Igbo. Nobody.
Indeed, the story was that a couple of high profile people from his State, Ebonyi, were working against his full resumption at the Supreme Court. They wanted him retired prematurely, and another, put in his place.
What did Ngwuta do to them?
On the announcement of his death, there was celebration, so to say, by a few people in the South-east, a few who believe Ngwuta was part of a judgement which was unfavourable to them. While I totally understand their anger over the loss, I am outraged at their inhuman reaction to Ngwuta’s death. It is unchristian to mock the dead, and/or rejoice at anybody’s death. For the records, no one Justice influences the judgement of the Court of Appeal, or the Supreme Court. Neither of the Courts is a State High Court, nor a Federal High Court where one person is in charge. That was how some layabouts invaded Justice Mary Peter-Odili’s home over the Supreme Court judgement on the Bayelsa State Governorship election.
I was unaware of Justice Ngwuta’s idleness at the Supreme Court until a senior friend of mine drew my attention to it. I felt bad, and did a column on him, asking questions. Fortunately, a couple of weeks later, he was fully reinstated.
Ngwuta did not quite know me. And so, had no way of knowing my phone number. It was many months later that a friend of mine, from his place, Prince Nwabueze, called me one day, and said Ngwuta would love to speak with me. He gave me the Justice’s phone number. I never called him. I had no reason to initiate the call. He was the one who wanted to speak to me. But a couple of weeks later, he called me, told me how he got my number, referred to my column, and thanked me profusely.
I was a bit taken aback, and humbled by his profuse thanks. At that level, many of them take such things for granted. He said he owed me lunch at my convenience. I never took that offer up. But he began to address me as his sister who fought his battle, any time he called.
And, now, his final death.
Justice Ngwuta’s death saddens me. I believe he was treated in a very condescending manner. I was looking forward to hearing his story from him after his retirement, a retirement he told me he was looking forward to.
In his memory and honour, I hereunder rerun my column on him which he so loved, to the extent that he once told me he re-read it each time he was depressed.
I wonder if you know him. Or even remember him, or his name. If you have forgotten him, don’t blame yourself. It is life.
It comes with all sorts of ironies. And throws all sorts at one. The good. The bad. The ugly. The most embarrassing.
The subject of this write-up has seen all the above. He is Honourable Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, a Justice of the Supreme Court. An enviable position, when one gets to that level, one is made for life.
The respect one commands stretches from mother-earth to high heavens. And even though, at that level, they live a kind of secluded life, but it is worth it. They rarely attend social events.
I don’t know Ngwuta. But, I have ran into him a couple of times. I am not sure we exchanged more than the casual, usual, courtesies.
The first time I met him was at the National Assembly, Abuja. I had accompanied a friend of mine whose close family member was appearing before a Senate Committee to be screened for a high profile office. And, there, was Hon. Justice Sylvester Ngwuta who had also come for screening in order to be elevated to the position of a Supreme court.
I was excited.
I hadn’t met him before, but I was happy that an Igbo brother of mine would soon be a Supreme Court Judge.
From my side of the country, they are not many. It, therefore, gives some joy to see one. So in the spirit of the Igbo, I quickly claimed him as ‘my brother’ and, bent almost double to greet him.
I forget what now happened, but it turned out he was not screened that day. I guess there was a document that had not been received by the screening committee.
A man of average height, let me not say short, he sat there, dignified, a smile plastered on his cherubic face. He was eventually screened a couple of days later. And was sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court.
The day he was sworn-in was my second time of meeting him. I just whispered ‘Congratulations, my lord’ He remembered my face, clutched my hand and smiled broadly.
I cannot confirm his lifestyle, but I hear he is a recluse, almost. Like most of his colleagues, he has a zero social life. But his, I understand, borders on the extreme.
On the day he was sworn-in as a Justice of the Supreme Court, he held no reception to celebrate it. He, instead, went to the reception held in honour of a colleague of his. I now don’t know whether he went with his guests, but that’s the Ngwuta his colleagues know. And that was where I met him for the third time.
With his high profile, dignified, respectable job, Ngwuta should be happy. Not a few would struggle to be his friend. His state and zone would look out for him. They would celebrate and protect him with their skin. And so would his professional colleagues, and the associations he belongs to.
But this man has no such luck. He seems rejected. Forgotten. Nobody seems to care about him, his state of mind , or what he is going through. He is lonely. And has become an orphan.
He walks a lonely path.
Even in his office at the Supreme Court, he is lonely. He stays on his own. Probably reads some books and newspapers and magazines. No case file, or anything that members of the public know about, is passed to him. No case is assigned to him. He is not on any Supreme Court panel.
Every morning, Monday through Friday, he wakes up, takes his bath, is chauffeur-driven to his office, and that’s it. He just sits down, and leaves at the end of the day. Month end, he gets an alert for his salary.
Some people will chorus: lucky fellow. At least, he gets his salary and allowances every month, something which is no longer taken for granted in our clime, they would say. But for a brilliant mind, used to being busy, nothing can be more frustrating.
And Justice Ngwuta is a brilliant mind. Deep. And, good at his job, those who know him say. But, he has been reduced to a pitiable state. He is frustrated.
Ngwuta, from Ebonyi state, is the fourth in the hierarchy at the Supreme Court. Well regarded, His Lordship’s journey in the wilderness started in October, 2016.
Ngwuta was one of the two Supreme Court Justices, whose residences, operatives of the Department of the State Security Services, DSS, raided in the uncivilized hours of October 7 and 8.
His other colleague is Justice John Okoro. But that’s where their fate is separated.
While Okoro resumed work after the raid, Ngwuta was arraigned at the Federal High Court, Abuja, by the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF. His offence: Alleged corruption. He was also dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT.
His offence: Alleged failure to declare a number of his assets. Ngwuta challenged the charges. And, on March, 23, 2018, Hon. Justice Tosho of the Federal High Court set him free.
Again, on May 15, 2018, the CCT set him free.
Both the Court and the CCT insisted Ngwuta ought to have been hauled before the National Judicial Commission, NJC, first, a body, constitutionally empowered to discipline Judicial officers.
So, hurray for Ngwuta?
Not at all. If anything, his situation worsened. He is neither sitting, nor standing.
The NJC has said not a word on him, or the case. He has not been invited by the body. Nobody has said anything to him. He is not retired. He is not suspended. And, one cannot say he is serving. He is just there.
Nobody is saying anything to him. No case files are passed to him. Nothing. Worse: Nobody is asking questions. And nobody is making a case for him.
Please, excuse this, but, Justice Ngwuta is an unlucky man. He comes from the wrong part of the country. His people don’t care. They shout persecution, but that’s where it ends. They just shout.
How come the Igbo are not asking questions on the fate of one of their most accomplished sons? Where is the Nnia Nwodo-led Ohanaeze Ndigbo?
Ngwuta comes from Ebonyi state where Governor Dave Umahi is the lord, and stands like a colossus. I have neither heard, nor read Umahi ask questions about his high profile subject. I have never heard the South-east Governors’ Forum raise questions on Ngwuta’s fate. Umahi is the Chairman of the Forum.
They seem not to care. Or they don’t think it is important. They are unlike their South-South counterparts.
A clear example:
When Walter Onnoghen, the immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria, got into trouble, the South-south Governors’ Forum, which Chairman Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state is, rose in anger. They all rushed to Abuja, met at Dickson’s, and issued a strongly worded communique, alleging persecution of their son on the part of the Federal Government and, asking it to thread with care.
His state Governor, Prof. (Sir) Ben Ayade, dragged the FG to court on behalf of the Government of Cross River state. He got a split judgement. And even though Onnoghen was still retired, his people gave him a sense of belonging. Perhaps, but for his people, it could have been worse.
Poor Ngwuta. He doesn’t have such luck. Or, such support. He has been abandoned to his fate. He is an orphan, abandoned by everybody, including his people.
The questions are: Why has he been left in the lurch? Is there something Nigerians don’t know? Is there a hidden agenda behind his situation? Is he deliberately being kept out of the way? Not a few Nigerians are beginning to think so. Only the NJC can stop these speculations by quickly bringing Ngwuta’s case to the table. The old saying, justice delayed, is justice denied, still holds true.
The Political Empire of the former Deputy Governor of Ondo state, Mr Agboola Ajayi, has suffered a depletion following the resolve by his loyalists among members of the State House of Assembly to ditch him.
The Lawmakers, numbering nine, stood their ground against his impeachment when he dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC) for the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), but refused to resign as the Deputy Governor.
The anti-impeachment lawmakers, were maltreated, suspended and removed from their parliamentary positions, yet they stood their ground, which made the impeachment to be inconclusive.
Their colleagues who backed the impeachment were compensated with brand new cars, as well as front seats at every Government functions.
This other day, during the second term inauguration of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, the anti-impeachment lawmakers were barred from entering.
However, there seems to be a twist in their resolve as indications emerged on Sunday that the nine lawmakers are set to dump Mr Ajayi, who seems to be irrelevant now in the politics of the state.
The nine anti impeachment lawmakers were sited in Owo, country home of Governor Akeredolu, apparently itching for a meeting with the Governor, in order to apologise to him for their dissident behaviour.
It was gathered that despite the opposition of the former Deputy Governor to a reconciliatory meeting with the Governor, the lawmakers are said to be anxious for a truce with Governor Akeredolu.
They are expected to be joined at the Owo meeting by their colleagues to appeal to the Governor to receive them like prodigal children.
What this magazine cannot confirm is if this move comes from the heart, or because of what they know they stand to lose, if they don’t apologise to the Governor, for the remaining period of their tenure.
Most important, they are not likely, they know, to get return tickets in 2023 if they don’t make up with the Governor.
For, former Deputy Governor Ajayi, his journey to political wilderness seems to be ahead. It is a lonely path.
Men of the Cross River State Police command were, last week, held spell bound by the chilling confession of a Calabar-based Pastor identified as Obo- Ekpenyong, who was arrested alongside six of his accomplices for killing a baby for ritual purposes.
Obo-Ekpenyong, who is the General Overseer of Royal God’s Commandment Ministry, Calabar, told the Police how he uses human sacrifice- of babies- to renew his power and wealth.
Parading the suspects at the Police Command Headquarters in Calabar, the spokesperson of the Command, ASP Irene Ugbo, said that the suspect was arrested alongside six others based on intelligence reports made avilable to the police.
The Police PRO said that the suspects were nabbed when the parents of a baby raised alarm that their child had been abducted by some masked men who stormed their house in the night.
“Some Policemen were immediately deployed to search the Church and its surroundings. They found some incriminating items and arrested the Pastor and six others”, the Police spokesperson said.
It was during the interrogation, that Obo- Ekpenyong admitted his heinous crime, and went ahead to confess to the numerous crimes he has been committing, hiding under the pretence of a Pastor.
He confessed to the Police how he kills children and uses them for rituals. He said he has been killing babies every end of the month just to renew his powers and wealth.
The state Commissioner of Police, Sikiru Kayode Akande applauded his men for the painstaking investigation and quick intervention leading to Obo- Ekpenyong’s arrest.
He pledged the Command’s commitment to ensuring that crime is reduced to the barest minimum in Cross river state.
Nigeria’s Ultimate Fight Championship sensation, Israel Adesanya, has recorded his first ever defeat. He was beaten by Jtan Blachowicz who secured a unanimous decision victory to retain his light heavyweight title at UFC 259 on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Blachowicz was caught in a high-octane kickboxing chess match early but decided to commit to taking down Adesanya in the final two rounds to earn scores of 49-45, 49-45 and 49-46. It prevented Adesanya from becoming a two-division champion and proved that the Polish fighter is the king of the 205-pound division.
“I won the fight and that’s it, but it was a tough fight,” Blachowicz said of his first title defense after defeating Dominick Reyes for the vacant title last September. “Thank you, Izzy, for this fight. It was a pleasure for me to fight against someone like you, but ‘and still’. I’m happy. I’m happy that I can be the first to beat him, one of the best in the world.
“I’m a true champion, I deserve what I got. It was a hard job for me tonight, but I do my best. We did almost everything, what we prepared for him in the gym we did in the fight. I’m happy. I won the fight and what we do works in the fight.”
In another development, Amanda Nunes once again proved that she is arguably the greatest mixed martial artist on the planet — male or female — with an utter wipeout of Megan Anderson. After hurting her early with a right hand, Nunes swiftly went in for the kill and sunk in an armbar to get the easy first-round submission.
“I like the challenge,” Nunes said. “In my life, I was always like that, challenging myself every time. If you don’t want a challenge, you’re in the wrong sport. I picked MMA for a reason. I’m here, I’m a champion and I’m defending these belts. I’m going to be here for a long time.”
In the third title fight on the card, Aljamain Sterling became the UFC bantamweight champion in disappointing fashion when Petr Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee in the fourth round of their title showdown. Yan was ahead on the scorecards before he made the inexplicable mistake of firing a knee on a downed Sterling. With Sterling unable to continue, the fight was called off and the #1 contender ended up being crowned the champion.
“Everything I worked for to this point and to have the fight go like that… I thought the fight was very close, I thought I was down two rounds,” Sterling said. “That’s not the way I wanted to win. That’s not the way I envisioned this.
“I just took the belt off. I was trying to continue even being like that, I was in a bad shape and it would just have been ego taking over and just to get further punishment.
“The ref told me I was down. I don’t know. I understand that there is some heat, some bad blood a little bit, but it’s all rivalry”, Blachowicz said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is currently investigating a ‘Ghost seminar’ which was supposedly attended by some members of the Ondo state House of Assembly in 2019.
Already, the anti graft agency has invited the Speaker of the House, Mr Bamidele Oleyelogun, to shed light on the Seminar, and other undercover frauds rocking the legislative house.
Also being invited are some civil servants, Chairman, House Committee on Tertiary Education, Mr Felemu Gudu Bankole, and the Clerk, Mr Bode Adeyelu.
Already, the EFCC has quizzed the Deputy Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Babatunde Amos Olowogorioye, over the alleged fraud.
Investigations revealed that two civil servants attached to the Assembly, Olusegun Kayode Oyadeji and O.J. Afolabi, were detained over the weekend in connection with some funny expenses in the assembly.
The Seminar was said to have been organized and held in 2019 for two days by the National Productivity Centre, Lagos.
Assembly sources disclosed that the lawmakers requested for fund to be released. Four people who were members of the Committee on Tertiary Education were to attend the seminar that was slated for Wednesday, 11 and Thursday 12, December 2019.
Those to attend the ‘Seminar’ included the Clerk, the Deputy Speaker, the Chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education and two members of the committee.
According to the documents requesting for fund, “the ‘seminar’ was aimed at institutional productivity, consciousness and excellence in service among workers and organisations in both public and private sectors, to accord workers and organizations the platform in achieving high productivity, as well as giving impetus in charting the pathway in revitalizing the Educational Sector.”
It was, however, discovered that there was no such seminar organised, thereby the money released by the state Ministry of finance amounting to N2.4million, allegedly, was diverted to private pockets.
The Director of Information Service (DIS) to the Assembly, Mr. Seinde Falokun denied knowledge of the arrest of the lawmakers.
He said as a civil servant, he was not authorised to speak on the matter.
With less than three weeks to his attainment of the 70 years mandatory retirement age, Supreme Court Justice, Sylvester Nwali Ngwuta died. He was billed to retire on March 30, 2021.
Justice Ngwuta took ill about a week ago, and died by 2.30am, Sunday, March 7, at the ICU section of the National Hospital, Abuja, where he was transferred to on Friday.
He tested negative to COVID-19.
The deceased was born in 1951 in Amofia-Ukawu, Onicha Local Government Area, Ebonyi State.
Ngwuta read Law at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, in 1977, and was called to the Bar in 1978.
He was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court on April 11, 201l.
He was third in rank at the Apex Court, after the CJN, Tanko Muhammad and Bode Rhodes- Vivour.
Ngwuta was followed by Mary Peter-Odili, who now becomes number three in the order of hierarchy.
In bringing the call for a Yoruba Nation into existence and reality, National Yoruba leader, Prof. Banji Akintoye, has said only the pursuit and attainment of self-determination will save the Yoruba from being continually dragged down by Nigeria and ultimately from being destroyed by the persistent onslaught of Fulani herdsmen and militia terrorists, their promoters and backers.
In a statement released on Saturday after a meeting of the Ilana Omo Oodua, o which President he is Akintoye welcomed the convergence of views among Yoruba groups around self-determination as the only viable option available to the Yoruba in the present perilous circumstances.
In his words: “I wholeheartedly welcome the growing realization by more and more of our people and our Yoruba leaders that restructuring of Nigeria or Constitutional reforms for Nigeria is no longer appropriate for the real needs of the Yoruba Nation today, and that we Yoruba must now join hands to seek self-determination for our Yoruba nation out of Nigeria.
He implored the Yoruba nation not to rejoice now that its leaders have come to the realisation that restructuring is a distraction and deceit. It is a road to nowhere.
“Now that most of us have come to the decision to seek Yoruba self-determination, we must quickly design ways to establish effective collaboration of all of us in this struggle. We are a civilized and civilization building nation, and an educated and sophisticated people. We must now show to our people that we command the education, the cultural sophistication, and the intellectual and professional capabilities to set our nation free and to make our free nation prosperous and powerful in the world.
“No Yoruba person must now be in doubt that war has been declared against the Yoruba nation, and that we, the Yoruba nation, must be ready to use all our capabilities to defend our nation.
It added that it is vivid and no longer surreptitious but glaring and open declaration of war on the Yoruba people by certain Group which has the backing of the Government of the day.
“War by starvation is the most vicious facet of war. Death by starvation is the most terrible death imaginable. For them to consider starving us at all, the hostility in their spirit against our people must have been terrible.
“Saying now that the attempt to starve us to death has failed, we must thoroughly investigate the persistent suspicions of massive food poisoning from the North” he said.
He, howeve,r challenged the Southwest leaders across board, but especially the State governors, to see the food blockade as an eye-opener and wake-up call to go back to agriculture to ensure food security for our people.
“Obviously, the objective of the Fulani herders and militias for destroying our farms, farmers and farming villages in the past five years has been to force us to become totally dependent on the North for all our food supply so that they may suddenly stop food supplies from the North and thereby plunge us into total starvation and ruin.
“Now, we have seen how these people will turn any thing in which we may depend on them to become weapons against us. And this is the real reason why the Yoruba must chart an independent course for themselves. We again welcome every Yoruba group to the realization that Yoruba self-determination is the road forward”.
Akintoye was elected leader of the Yoruba in 2019 at Ibadan by about 40 Yoruba Self-determination Groups, defeating the likes of All Progresssives Congress, APC, National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu among others to emerge the leader of the Yoruba race.
He has worked assidously, first within the Yoruba World Congress and now with Ilana Omo Oodua, to defend, advance, and promote the goal of a Yoruba nation.
“We have contributed very significantly to the mobilization of the Yoruba Diaspora across the world in order to ensure international support for the Yoruba struggle. We have secured the admission of the Yoruba nation into the UNPO. We have also joined hands with our freedom-seeking compatriots from the Middle Belt, the Southeast and Southsouth to form an alliance, the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self Determination (NINAS).
“This alliance has declared a constitutional dispute with the Nigerian State as represented by the Nigerian Federal Government. We have filed the proclamation of the dispute with the Nigerian Federal Government, the United Nations, and significant governments around the world.
“We issued the proclamation on December 16, 2020, and gave the Nigerian State 90 days to respond. As of this moment, we and the world are still waiting for the response.
“We have created all of these tools for the struggle, not for our own organization (Ilana) alone, but for all Yoruba leaders, organizations and people.
“It now remains for all the Yoruba groups that have come along with us to the imperatives of self-determination to band together, work together, speak with one voice and act together to achieve our sovereign Yorubaland”.
Akintoye then reiterated the need for focus and refusal to be distracted by anybody or anything, adding that “those who may choose to continue to disrespect and denigrate other Yoruba persons in this struggle, and will soon see Yoruba unity marching forward to victory, hopefully will turn around and embrace the unity too.
“Those who chose to play the role of surreptitious traitors against the Yoruba struggle will soon hit the rock of failure. The path to Yoruba victory is clear and unassailable”, he added.
For former Governor of Imo State, and Senator Imo West, Rochas Okorocha, it is not just raining, it is pouring.
The heat is piling on him from left, right, and centre.
The serious altercation a couple of weeks ago between him and the Imo State Government for which the Police arrested and detained him is far from over.
Recall that the State Government had sealed, and seized the multi-million Naira Royal Palm Apartments and Hotel belonging to his wife, Nkechi, based on a White paper from the recommendations of a Judicial Panel on Land and Other Related Matters set up by the Government. The Panel was set up by former Governor, the Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, but was inherited by current Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma.
One of recommendations of the Panel, among others, after the White paper had been gazzetted and accepted by the Executive Council of the State, was the seizure of the Royal Palm Hotel and Apartments.
The Government went ahead to seize and seal it. But Okorocha stormed the place, along with his aides and supporters, broke the key to the gate, and unsealed it. He was picked-up by the Police, along with 14 others.
They were charged to Court, but even though others appeared in court, Okorocha did not. The 14 that appeared were given bail to the tune of N5million each, and one Surety, who must be a Traditional Ruler.
Governor Hope Uzodimma
However, since then, Okorocha’s problems have been multiplying, all, consequences of the various Judicial Panels and Commissions which looked into his eight-year tenure in office.
Last week, an Owerri High Court ordered an interim forfeiture of a number of landed properties belonging to the Okorochas. He was asked to give reasons why the forfeiture should not be final. At the time of writing this, it was not clear whether the former Governor has filed anything in Court or not.
But the Imo State Government has given him till April 21, 2021, to present a proof of ownership of a large expanse of land in Orji, Owerri North LGA. The land was meant for the staff quarters of the old Imo Broadcasting Corporation, IBC but Okorocha, as Governor, allegedly appropriated the land to himself, and converted it to his school, under the Rochas Okorocha Foundation.
Addressing the issue, the Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba said: “Government has given Okorocha till April 21, 2021, to come and show proof of ownership of the said property, or it will be finally forfeited to the State Government.”
While that is on, Okorocha will, also, very soon, face the problems which will emanate from the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry On Contracts.
According to the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Cyprain Akaolisa, the findings of this Commission is more scandalous than that of the Panel on Lands. Its implementation, the Commissioner said, will soon begin.
He said there were too many sharp practices in Contracts. While some were inflated, others were given, and not executed at all, after money had been collected.
Akaolisa: “I am privy, and I can tell imo people that Okorocha removed from this State nothing less than N100billion of its resources, through contracts and other means.
“As the Attorney General of Imo State, I do not think that any sensible person, or any authority in Nigeria, will tell us to drop our actions, as it relates to Okorocha in the recovery of properties illegally acquired, which belong to the State but are in the hands of private citizens associated with Okorocha.”
Already two groups, Imo Elders Forum, and Imo stakeholders, cut across board, have given Uzodinma the go ahead to recover all the properties and every kobo allegedly taken from the State by Okorocha, his family and cronies.
In his zone, Orlu, he is facing a recall from the Senate. At a recent meeting of Stake holders, the people resolved to recall him from the Senate, and have gradually started the process.
Earlier, they had given him a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to the State Government for invading and unsealing a legally sealed property, failing which a recall process would begin.
He called their bluff, just as he called the bluff of all the Judicial Commissions and Panels of Inquiries. He refused to appear, all the invitations extended to him notwithstanding.
