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OPINION: Politics and the Court of Appeal |The Source

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Reuben Abati

By Reuben Abati, Ph.D

It is most unfortunate that the proposed appointment of new judges for Nigeria’s Court of Appeal has been controversial since the announcement of a shortlist in December 2020. The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem has now found herself in an uncomfortable situation where she has to defend the integrity of her Court and the process that led to the emergence of a list of 20 preferred candidates and a list of additional 20 reserved candidates. To have the judiciary dragged into the mud of Nigerian politics and the usual culprits: ethnicity, religion, Federal Character and nepotism playing a prominent role in the matter, is disheartening. Why is it so difficult in Nigeria to have at least one sacred institution, a special symbol, that no one can desecrate? As it is, that seems increasingly impossible.

I asked this question as I read over the weekend, a statement attributed to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Dongban-Mensem in which she had cause to protest that persons who have been complaining about the alleged manipulation of the ongoing process of appointing Judges for her Court are seeking to destabilize and scandalize the judiciary. She argues that the appointment process has so far followed “due and usual process” and that the allegation of “favouritism” is a false campaign of calumny: “A total of 80 nominees were shortlisted and recommended for the appointment of 20 Justices to fill the existing vacancies.

I state on my honour that any of the 80 nominees could be appointed”, she writes. “It is unfortunate that some people have elected to go to the press without hard evidence which are readily available to those who seek to know. I hereby state that the current recommendation pending determination by the National Judicial Council was done without any preference for tribe, creed or association.”

The problem here is that many stakeholders and interested parties do not think so, Mi’Lord. Shortly after the list was made public, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) was one of the first groups to cry out in protest.

The group alleged that the published list favours only Muslims from the North and does not in any way reflect the fact that Nigeria is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

Thirteen out of the 20 preferred judges are from the North, including three Sharia Judges. The SMBLF asked to know if there is no Christian judge at all from the North and the Middle Belt who can be considered good enough to be a Judge of the Appellate Court! Along the same lines, a civil society group, the Global Integrity Crusade Network (GCIN) petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria to ask that the National Judicial Council should not go ahead to approve the “fraudulent” list before it. Stakeholders from the South East of Nigeria also cried foul.

In a petition to the President of Nigeria and the Chief Justice of the Federation, the Alaigbo Development Foundation led by Professor Uzodinnma Nwala pointed out that the proposed list of new Court of Appeal Justices is meant to deny the South East its quota in the Court of Appeal based on the principles of Federal Character as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.

The ADF  puts the matter thus: “…it is very unjust and unfair for only one Justice to be appointed from the South East out of twenty (20) justices that are being appointed from the six geo-political zones, whereas the other zones were allocated as follows: North West (8), North East (3), North Central (2) South West (4), South South (2)”. Before the ADF, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) also found it necessary to express “ïts feelings of sadness, disgust and anger at the insensitivity demonstrated by the FJSC in compiling the list.  It seems undeniable that the recklessness displayed by the FJSC suggests a steady and gradual descend (sic) to a process of Islamising the Judiciary of Nigeria…”

It is possible to dismiss all of these as rather too familiar: the typical Nigerian response to appointments and processes in the public sector but it must be noted that protests such as this speak to a major crisis that Nigeria is now grappling with on a daily basis: the menace of ethnicity, religion and geography. For this reason, nobody believes that the country is fair to anybody. There is a crisis of trust between the government and the people, and among the people themselves.

More than 60 years after independence, Nigerians have reduced every institution of state to the politics of proximity and advantage. There is a prolonged and unending struggle over who gets what, and who controls power. The effect is that this dominant tendency brings out the worst in all of us.

The educated man in the North who is a first-class intellect is likely to defend a bandit who kills and maims just because he thinks that by doing so, he is protecting his kinsman against other Nigerians, of different ethnic and religious extraction, who are insisting that justice must be done.  Similarly, a Southerner of the same pedigree would defend his own kinsman against the Northerner for no reason other than the fact that they both speak the same language or belong to the same region or religion.

This is the ugly drama being played out in Nigeria. It is not new but the melodrama is now tragic. What is disturbing is that the judiciary, the last refuge of the common man, and the expected bastion of the rule of law is now these days, dragged into the crisis of nationhood in a manner previously unseen. Before now, the Nigerian judiciary faced the challenge of military rule and the abbreviation of its Constitutional rights. It survived. Today, the same judiciary is now accused of everything from nepotism, to mediocrity, corruption, incompetence, complicity in the Nigerian mess and if care is not taken, eventual irrelevance. The last point is the main reason caution is advisable.

The judiciary must stay above dirty politics, very far away from it. Its gates must be locked against politicians by all means possible. Nigeria already suffers from too much politics: the politics of ethnicity, religion, difference and mischief. But whereas the involvement of the legislative and executive arms of government in cut-throat, dirty politics may be excused on the grounds that these two arms of government are dominated unavoidably by products of partisan politics, there is cause for worry when the third arm of government, under the doctrine of the separation of powers, becomes a pawn in the hands of politicians, or becomes even so openly mired in politics that its neutrality becomes a subject of analysis, speculation, and even protest. It is worse when the judiciary is accused of partisanship and desperately so.

The court, the work-place of the judiciary, is expected to be a temple of justice and everyone who works therein, an honest, untainted officer.

It is the duty of the judiciary to interpret the law and ensure justice, and provide a refuge for all persons whose rights may have been violated, and at the same time, punish according to the law, those errant characters in society who violate the public order and return society by their conduct to the state of nature as defined by Thomas Hobbes. The law exists therefore, to restrain animal conduct and remind all of us of the need to be human.

The judex are at the apex of the ladder. Given the privileged position that they occupy, they are expected to be above board, unimpeachable in terms of integrity, most deserving of their positions and of such moral and professional competence to be able to deliver justice without prejudice. When the judiciary however, becomes a target, subject, victim of partisan politics, or rank emotionalism, this goal cannot be achieved.

A politicised and compromised judiciary is a threat to the same rule of law that it is required to uphold and enforce.

This re-affirmation is necessary against the background of what looks like the current politicisation of the proposed appointment of additional Justices for Nigeria’s Court of Appeal.

Justice Monica Dongban-Mesem is in order to defend her Court. The Court of Appeal is too important in the hierarchy of courts to become a playground for public prejudice and suspicion. Men and women who sit on the Appeal Court must be seen to merit their positions on the basis of their accomplishments and experience.

Trust and confidence in the “due and usual process” of the appointment of judges is relevant to the subsequent level of confidence in their performance in office. But with due respect, Her Lordship’s rebuttal does not go far enough. The “hard evidence” that she talks about in terms of what is available in the public domain and what is known contradicts her own declarations. It provides a strong justification for an interrogation of the queries that have been raised and why the National Judicial Council must review the list of proposed Judges before it takes any action.

A review of all the complaints so far would suggest that the Court of Appeal indeed followed “due and usual process” in the screening of the judges that applied for appointment into the Court of Appeal, but problem arose after the President of the Court forwarded the decision of the Committees to the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC). The key allegation is that the FJSC turned the list upside down and ignored the recommendations of the Court of Appeal.

Is the President of the Court of Appeal defending the FJSC? Would she be willing to publish the original list that she submitted to the Judicial Service Commission to provide greater clarity and allow the public to compare and contrast? And just in case the list that is in circulation is incorrect, no one has said so.

The hard evidence that is currently in circulation is that 13 out of 20 nominated judges are Northerners and Muslims. The 13 Muslim Judges are from Niger, Plateau, Adamawa, Yobe, FCT, Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina, the home state of the incumbent President, which has two nominees.

The entire South East is represented by one Judge from Imo State. The South South has two slots: Bayelsa and Delta State. The entire South West has 4 – Ondo (2) plus Ogun, and Lagos. The reserve list of 20 follows more or less the same pattern! By what criteria on earth did the FJSC arrive at such a list which can only fuel the anger about how under the present dispensation, there is an alleged deliberate attempt to grant undue advantages to a section of the country – from cattle rearing, to public appointments?

It may be argued that ordinary people have no business raising questions about the appointment process in the judiciary.

But that would be a terribly wrong thing to say. Judges are first and foremost human beings. They are part of society. They have rights too. A lawyer who has chosen a career on the Bench expects that he would be promoted according to his ability. If he is denied the opportunity for advancement and self-actualization, just because his kinsman is not in power or he does not know people in high places, he would be disturbed. He or she will be demoralized.

We expect the judiciary to dispense justice, but should such an institution also promote injustice and unfairness within its ranks? However, where are the judges who believe that they are qualified to be on the preferred list? Why are they not the ones writing petitions? Civil society groups may crow as they wish, but their efforts will ultimately raise the question of locus standi? Should judges who push this same principle be seen to be sleeping on their own rights?

There have also been snide remarks about the competence of some of the judges on the FJSC’s proposed list. I have no “hard evidence” in that regard. Elsewhere in the United States for example, there will be open access to the judgments that judges about to be elevated have written, their positions on key judicial matters and their contributions to the development of the law.

Here in Nigeria, there is so much politics and secrecy. Judges who think that they are more deserving are bound to feel discouraged. Last year, there was so much controversy over the appointment of the Federal High Court Judges in Abuja.

This year, we are at the same point with the appointment of Justices of the Court of Appeal. At other times, there have been issues over the appointment of Chief Judges at the state level, and the thorny issues have been more or less the same: merit, ethnicity and religion (re: Kebbi, Adamawa, Cross River). Who will judge the judges? It has also been said that the current list before the National Judicial Council does not include senior members of the Bar and persons from the academia whose inclusion in line with the enabling Guidelines can broaden the scope of the Court of Appeal, and provide needed depth.

Finally, the President of the Court of Appeal is a Christian. Right under her watch, we have this controversial issue of 13 nominee-Justices of the Court of Appeal out of 20 who are Muslims and Northerners? Whatever she says, it will be recorded that the deed is hers. Was she intimidated or influenced? What other “hard evidence” do we need? What else would she be willing to defend on “her honour?” These are issues that the NJC must consider.

Ayade: Celebrating a Philosopher King @ 53 |The Source

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Governor Ben Ayade

By Chidi Onyemaizu

At 53, (Senator) Professor Ben Ayade aptly typifies Robert Goddard’s timeless postulation: “It is difficult to say what is impossible for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and reality of tomorrow”

Graduating with first class at 22, bagging a PhD at 26, becoming a Senator at 43 and Governor at 47, impossibility does not exist in the Ayade lexicon.

And this is why as governor in the last six years, the door which the Ayade key opens leads to great visions and dreams for Cross River, an exhilarating departure from the Cross River of yesterday to Cross River of the future.This can be gleaned from the people- centred policies and programmes of his government.

In 53 years of his existence, Ayade has risen, like a Phoenix almost from ground zero, from his humble beginning in Takum, Obudu, his home town, to surmounted all the roadblocks of life, to become the poster boy of savoury attainments, leaving on his trail, impactful and salutary examples.

His life journey, the philosophies he espouses and the whole gamut of his intellect are case studies in humanism, welfarism and scientific exposé.

His odyssey is a compendium of inspiring firsts and feats.The icing on the cake came on May 29, 2015 when he was sworn-in as the fourth democratically elected governor of Cross River state and the first person from Northern Cross River to attain that exalted position.

And because Ayade’s first term performance touched lives positively and remade Cross River in the image of greatness,  Cross Riverians had no qualms overwhelmingly re-electing him for a second term on March 9, 2019.

His rustic but humble beginning shaped his approach to life and relationship with fellow citizens. Born without any spoon-whether golden, silver, bronze or even wooden-by sheer doggedness, hard work and abiding faith in God, Ayade stubbornly overcame vagaries, obsufucations and vicissitudes of life.He refused to succumb to dream abbreviators hence the crystallization of many of his lofty dreams.

Born in kakum, Obudu, in the then Eastern Region, on March 2, 1968 , amid the ferocity and horrors of the Nigerian civil war, Ayade realised early in life that the only passport he needed to frog-jump from lack to abundance was education and so, with the unwavering support of his dutiful parents and a grit- determination on his part to conquer, he aggressively pursued education and got it and at a young age too. He was a star boy and paragon of academic wizardry in all stages of his educational pursuit.

Ayade earned his B.Sc. (Honours) from the University of Ibadan. He then proceeded to obtain his M.sc in Microbiology, and subsequently his Ph.D in Environmental Microbiology from the same University of Ibadan in 1994, winning the Best Doctoral Dissertation Award in Environmental Microbiology.

The thirst for broader and crossbreed knowledge made Ayade to later venture outside the Sciences for academic laurels.Thus in 2002 he earned Masters in Business Administration, MBA, from the Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma, Edo State.

Ayade is also a lawyer with an  LLB  degree  from Delta State University Abraka. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree programme in the same discipline at the University of Calabar.

Of course, golden fish has no hiding place.His Excellency is one. Exiting the employ of the University of Ibadan, it wasn’t difficult for the Delta state University, Abraka, to spot him out and quickly hire him as a lecturer.

He was subsequently appointed Professor by the University. A scientist and inventor of repute, from his work in groundwater remediation in Nigeria, Ayade invented a sewage treatment plant powered by solar energy. This Ayade-made technology is currently being used off-shore by oil companies in Nigeria.

His philanthropic bend has its locale in his humble beginning. He is a giver who asks for nothing in return. His greatest passion is serving God and humanity. His favourite quote better mirrors his predisposition to philanthropy: ” I give not because I have a enough but because I care enough”

A devout Catholic, it was in recognition of his humanist and welfarist orientation that the church in 2019 invested him with St.John International Knighthood.

Ayade is a  humanist with welfarist leaning who believes that one’s life story should be written not with pen but with actions-impactful actions. According to an American philosopher, “the true measure of a person is in his height of ideas, the breadth of his sympathy, the depth of his convictions and the length of his patience.” .Ayade encapsulate all these.

He hardly sacks appointees even in the face of obvious transgressions by such an appointee. Rather than sack, Ayade exhibits qualities of a leader with over-flowing milk of human kindness, only reprimanding and giving necessary corrections to such erring aide.

To take burden off many families- nuclear and extended- he has broaden the size of his government, expanding the frontier. Not that he actually needs such burgeoning number of aides but Ayade is a modulator between two classical economic theorists; Adam Smith and John Keyness.

He believes that expanding the frontiers of government is a way of helping to put food on the table for families. Like Keyness, the governor believes that when an economy shrinks, it is the duty of government to spend in order to reflate the economy by engaging more people and encouraging them to spend; and by so doing the economy makes a rebound.

He does not play to the gallery. His pro-people orientation is ingrained in his character trait. For example as a Senator of the 7th Senate, Ayade set up a “Food Bank” where indigent members of his constituency, that is, Cross River North, came to eat three square meals every day.

An erudite scholar himself, hundreds of students across the state are on Professor Ayade’s personal scholarship. His rise to the governorship of Cross River in 2015 has brought about magical re-invention of the state with the erection of solid signature projects, including industrialization drive –establishing about  34 majorly agro-industries- some already operational and others awaiting commissioning and the rest at advanced stages of completion-in just six years out of his eight year mandate- an uncommon achievement that has firmly established the state as an industry hub.

Expectedly, Ayade is the recipient of many awards on account of his sterling performance in office. He was Vanguard Governor of the Year, Tell Magazine Governor of the Year, Daily Independent Newspaper Governor of the year Award, Leadership Newspaper Governor of the Year Award, Champion Newspaper Governor of the Year Award among the litany of other Awards.

Here is man who has power and wealth but refuses to be magisterial.Rather than do so, he chooses to be unassuming. He has no airs around him and is accessible. Even as governor, Ayade holds his phones; has refused to change his SIM cards and personally answers his calls and replies text messages.

His simplicity and sterling performance in office have cooperated to greatly endear Ayade to the people so much so that wherever he goes the chant of “Digital”,his popular moniker.

This  Professor of Environmental Microbiology, perfectly fits into the kind of personage the Igbo would describe as “Ochinanwata” (he who achieves leadership or greatness at a young age).

Though a young scholar, Ayade carries with him the wisdom of a 90 year old. Every session with him is like going back to the classroom. His fecundity of ideas, academic and scientific prowesses are intimidating.

Of course, on top of Ayade’s neck is a head that thinks out of the box and Cross River is better for it.

“I like the dream of the future better than the history of the past”, so says  Thomas  Jefferson and according to Isaac Newton, “If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

The above immortal lines capture the Ayade mystique as a leader ahead of his time.

Yes, the Cross River state governor is blessed with fecuidity of ideas and stands on the shoulders of superior thinking to see father than others just as the dreams of the future nourish his zeal to unleash innovations as opposed to romanticizing histories of the past.

No, doubt, this icon- this scientist, this lawyer, this business Administrator, this Senator, this governor, this Knight of the Catholic Church, this inventor, this award winning governor deserves 53 beautiful garlands and a defeaning happy birthday chorus!

Happy birthday,Your Excellency, Sir

Chidi Onyemaizu is the Senior Special Assistant on Print Media to Governor

Again Obasanjo Charges Buhari To Address Insecurity |The Source

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Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has, again,  in an open letter, advised President Muhamadu Buhari not to handle the issue of insecurity with a kid’s glove.

Obasanjo said that rather, “the President must be seen to be addressing this issue with utmost seriousness and with maximum dispatch and getting all hands on deck to help.

In the latest open letter,  the former President pointed out that “if there is failure, the principal responsibility will be that of the President and no one else.

“We need cohesion and concentration of effort and maximum force – political, economic, social, psychological and military – to deal successfully with the menace of criminality and terrorism separately and together.

“Blame game among own forces must be avoided.  It is debilitating and only helpful to our adversary. We cannot dither anymore.

“It is time to confront this threat headlong and in a manner that is holistic, inclusive and purposeful.”

The former Nigerian leader maintained that insecurity should not be ignored by any leader as it has become an issue of life and death.

“This issue can no longer be ignored, treated with nonchalance,  swept under the carpet  or treated with cuddling  glove.  The issue is hitting at the foundation of our existence as Nigerians and fast eroding the root of our Nigerian community.

“I am very much worried and afraid that we are on the precipice and dangerously reaching a tipping point where it may no longer be possible to hold danger at bay.

“Without being immodest, as a Nigerian who still bears the scar of the Nigerian civil war on my body and with a son who bears the scar of fighting Boko Haram on his body, you can understand, I hope, why I am so concerned.

Muhammadu Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari

“When people are desperate and feel that they cannot have confidence in the ability of government to provide security for their lives and properties, they will take recourse to anything and everything that can guarantee their security individually and collectively.

“Herdsmen/farmers crises and menace started with government treating the issue with cuddling glove instead of hammer.  It has festered and spread. Today, it has developed into banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and killings all over the country.

“The unfortunate  situation is that the criminality is being perceived as a ‘Fulani’ menace  unleashed  by Fulani  elite in the different parts of the country for a number of reasons  but even more  unfortunately, many Nigerians  and non-Nigerians who are friends of Nigeria attach vicarious  responsibility  to you as a  Fulani elite and the current captain of the Nigeria ship.”

On way forward and how Nigerians can exit the security quagmire, Obasanjo suggested that “government should open up discussion, debate and dialogue as part of consultation at different levels and the outcome of such deliberations should be collated to form inputs into a national conference to come up with the solution that will effectively deal with the issues and lead to rapid development, growth and progress which will give us a wholesome society and enhanced living standard and livelihood in an inclusive and shared society.

“It will be a national programme.  We need unity of purpose and nationally accepted strategic roadmap that will not change with whims and caprices of any government.  It must be owned by the citizens, people’s policy and strategy implemented by the government no matter its colour and leaning.

“Some of the groups that I will suggest to be contacted are: traditional rulers, past heads of service (no matter how competent or incompetent they have been and how much they have contributed to the mess we are in), past heads of para-military organisations, private sector, civil society, community leaders particularly in the most affected areas, present and past governors, present and past local government leaders, religious leaders, past Heads of State, past intelligence chiefs, past Heads of Civil Service and relevant current and retired diplomats, members of opposition and any groups that may be deemed relevant.”

When Will The Sheikh Get His Letter? |The Source

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The Source
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Comfort Obi
Comfort Obi

By Comfort Obi

I was not going to pay any attention to Sheikh Abubakar Gumi until he began his missionary journeys to forests. In our unfortunate state of insecurity, he has become the most important person in our lives; the man  who gorges,  dissects, and relays to us,  the thoughts of our tormentors,  and why they are justified to torment us.

Gumi is not  like one of  your run-off-the-mill Clerics. He is not just a Muslim Cleric, he is an Islamic Scholar.

In Nigeria, there are hundreds of thousands of people, men and women who say they are Clerics. They are of both Religions – Christianity and Islamic Religions. They dot everywhere, just as Worship places do. They carry the Holy books – the Bible and the Koran around. They preach. They proclaim God’s  name. And do all kinds of things in His name. With their numbers, and the number of Worship places, one  just wonders why we are the way we are. Why our country seem so God-forsaken – filled with many bad, cunning, lying, evil-filled, and devil-driven people.

But there are Clerics I pay attention to. Extremely few. When they speak, they speak to my heart and soul.The other multitude? I am so used to theur antics that I just laugh when I read them. Or hear them talk. I dismiss them as court jesters, magicians, businessmen, smart alecs, and more.

Gumi read Medicine. Until I found out, I thought he was one of those Nigerians who prefix their names with Dr., without earning it.

As you know, Nigerians like titles. Give a Nigerian an honorary Doctorate degree, and that’s it. It automatically becomes his/her prized title.  It doesn’t matter how illiterate one is.

But not Gumi. He is a medical doctor. Had a stint in the Military, but threw all that away, and decided to be an Islamic scholar. The pull and conviction must have been very strong.

I picked interest in him the first time he offered himself the dangerous job of entering forests occupied by bandits to talk with them.

You know what the bandits do. You know who they are. They are dangerous. They are killers. Murderers. They carry dangerous guns around – AK 47s. They live in the forests. From there, like Boko Haram insurgents, ( What’s the difference between them by the way?), they raid communities. They make the roads dangerous. They have gradually, graduated to kidnapping people here and there. And have since raised the bar. They now raid  schools, and abduct students in their hundreds. They make plenty of money from ransoms paid. Tell the marines the story that the Government pays not a Kobo to them to secure the release of our students. If not for money, why do they do it? It is a risky venture.

Unlike Boko Haram, however, they have not told us that Education is “haram.” That education is an abomination, a sin. But, they have done their best to scare away  our children from school. From Katsina, Yobe, Kaduna, Sokoto, Taraba, Niger to Zamfara, they reign supreme. In the past three months, they have raised the  bar,  and abducted students in their hundreds in Katsina, Niger and Zamfara. They have killed dozens of people.

They are a combination of everything evil.

So, you wonder why a medical doctor- turned- soldier-turned Islamic Scholar would sacrifice all, including his safety to roam the forests, looking, for bandits.

The forests are no fun. I have not been to any in all my adult life. But in my early years in life, I entered a couple of them. My father was a Headmaster when teachers were very respected and adored by the Communities where they were posted. In one of those communities where we lived, Okwu, Orodo, in the now Mbaitoli Ikeduru LGA, I used to follow  the girls who lived with us, in company with the natives, to my mother’s disapproval,  in the night, to look for, and pick snails, local lamps in hand.  We lived with three girls then, and between us, we usually came back with over 200 snails. The natives don’t eat the cream-shelled snails. “Mbele”, they call it.  For them, it is a taboo. So, all those, they gave to us.

Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi with Bandits
Sheikh Ahmad Abubakar Gumi (second from right).

I remember how terrifying those forests were. Once, we saw a python which had  swallowed a stray goat, and couldn’t move. Three people ran  back to get big boys who killed the python, and  took it as their trophy.  It marked my last night for snail-hunting.

Now, the Orodo forests are a child’s play compared to the forests Sheikh Gumi goes to “in search” of bandits. It is not a pleasure trip. It is dangerous. Large snakes. Wild animals. Harsh weather. Unfriendly (?) company.

So, why does the Sheikh leave his comfort zone for such discomfort?

Why does he make this sacrifice? And free of charge. No strings attached.

The good Sheikh says he is doing it for the love of country. He says he wants to save lives. He is a peace maker When he goes to the forests, a good Muslim, he carries the Holy Koran as his banner, and badge of honour. With that, he tells the bandits to forgo their wayward lives, and embrace peace. Hmmmm.

The first time Gumi embarked on his peace mission, I admired him no end. This man is refreshing, I said. He is not just talking from the comfort of his home, or Mosque, he is in the war front. Fearless.

He is spreading love and peace. And I invoked a Bible passage upon him.”Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God,”  – Matthew Chapter 5, verse 9.

But, now, I don’t know. It is not that I am revoking the peace of God I had invoked upon the Sheikh. No,  it is just a couple of things about him no longer seem right to me. It does not add up.

I have caught myself, a number of times, asking no one in particular, if the Sheikh is  the peace maker he says he is. I have also been wondering what his actual mission is.

The Sheikh has become talkative. And some of the things he has said do not recommend  him as a peacemaker.

He says bandits are no criminals. He says we should not call them criminals. He says calling them criminals aggravates them. He blames Journalists for that, and dared call Journalists criminals for not glamorourising those who abduct innocent citizens, including women and children. He called Journalists criminals for not painting abductors, and murderers and rapists in flattering colours; for calling a spade by no other name but a spade. He said we should  embrace bandits with love, and plant kisses on them for abducting our children in boarding schools, for making our roads dangerous, for killing us, and for raping women.  Everything considered, Gumi says it is better for the bandits to abduct students than raid villages and kill everybody. Perhaps, but as long as the students are safe. In Kagara, they killed a student in the school compound.

Sheikh Gumi calls for a general amnesty for them. He says they should be provided with accommodation, and given monetary gifts, and jobs. He dared equate them with Niger Delta militants, and other “freedom fighters”, whatever that is.

The good Sheikh says bandits have their grievances. That we have hurt them too. That they had been killed as well. That when they come out from the forests they are killed. He wants our security personnel to shake hands with,  and pat on the back, AK 47 totting bandits. Just make them happy, he admonishes. Great.

I don’t know about you, but Gumi makes no sense to me here. What I understand is that he is encouraging them. What I understand is that in the name of making peace, he is worsening the situation. The questions to ask are:

Is this Sheikh with us or against us? Is he not knocking the heads of Christians and Muslims together? Is he not exposing our soldiers to danger?

In a leaked video, Gumi was heard telling the bandits that they were being targeted and killed by Christian soldiers. He has, till now, not denied it. He has not dismissed the video as fake. But thinking about it, we missed the real Gumi from the beginning. We were so eager for peace that it never occurred to us to wonder why it is so easy for him to locate the bandits, all the time, when it has been difficult  for Federal Troops to locate them. It is simple. Gumi knows them. He has their contacts. And discusses with them from time to time.

With the benefit of hindsight,  peacemaking does not sit properly on Sheikh Gumi. There are pointers to that.

In 2004, Gumi infamously said he was after “beer drinkers.” He said they should be killed. For a number of times, around the same time, his preaching in Mosques were very fiery and inciting, and divisive.

A leopard never changes its spots, we are told.

With his recent pronouncements Gumi has not changed. Unfortunately, Nigerians forget easily. Otherwise, how could we have been sold so easily on Gumi’s mission, on his relationship with bandits? How come we took no look at his past utterances?

But that is us all over. That is why, Yahaya Bello, Governor of Kogi State, a man who publicly says there is nothing like COVID-19, who calls it fraudulent, who says it is a conduit pipe for corruption, and discourages his people from taking the vaccine, is seriously considering running for the office of the President in 2023. What will he tell world leaders about COVID-19 at a Round table? That is why Pastors who are divorced from their wives, over scandalous incidents, would look us in the face, and tell us about the sanctity of marriage. That is why Apostle Suleiman, would tell his congregation, many of them, impoverished, that he purchased his THIRD private jet during the pandemic lockdown when people were begging for palliatives.

That is why anybody would look us in the face and, actually, tell us that insecurity was worse years back than now. That is why anybody would say that in 2015, 18 Local Government Areas in Borno State were under Boko Haram, with their flags, hoisted. So, you wonder how the APC won  elections in all the LGAs –  Presidency, National Assembly, Governorship and  State Assembly.

I don’t have anything against the immediate past Service Chiefs. I believe they put in their best. But our attitude is why the Senate would confirm them as Ambassadors, after the same Senate had, on at least two occasions, dismissed them as incompetent, and asked Mr President to fire them as Service Chiefs.

It is why those who supported Boko Haram, encouraged them, and called Military action against them ethnic cleansing, now tell us something else.

But back to Gumi. He really now takes himself, sees himself, as the bridge between the Government and the bandits. He has become an authority on bandits. Government officials listen to him. He negotiates between the Government and the bandits.

But here’s the problem.

The more he negotiates with them, the more people they abduct. They release and abduct.He has reasons for that. “They are not the group I met and discussed with”, he retorts.

How many groups are they?

This charade has become one huge profitable business, a money spinner.

But perhaps, it is because the Sheikh has not been officially appointed as Nigeria’s Ambassador to Bandits in the Forest. Or a Special Adviser on Banditry. He would  command more respect, from them, with an official appointment letter in hand.

So, when will Sheikh (Dr) Abubakar Gumi get his appointment letter as Nigeria’s official Negotiator with bandits?

What a country!

*Obi is the Editor-in-Chief/CEO of The Source (Magazine), https://thesourceng.com.  Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Apostle Suleiman: The Wealthy Preacher and His Women |The Source

By
Bayo Bernard
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Apostle Sulaiman and his woman

By Bayo Bernard

Apostle Johnson Suleiman, the General Overseer of the Omega Fire Ministry, has stirred the hornets’ again despite many controversies trailing him as one of Nigeria’s popular Pentecostal Pastors.

Barely one month after a Pastor in his Church accused him of sleeping with his wife, the Auchi, Edo state born Clergyman put himself into trouble with many Nigerians, after boasting that he acquired another private jet despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Suleiman had, while preaching in his Church, three weeks ago, revealed that “In Covid I bought my third jet,” a statement considered by many Nigerians to be insensitive to the general mood in the country where poverty is very common. To make things worse, Suleiman said he would make more money if the pandemic persisted.

The deadly virus has killed many people, and  still counting as the government struggles to contain the pandemic.

The source of wealth of Suleiman, who was once an Assistant Pastor in the Armor of God Church in Lagos, before he established his own Church in 2004, is still unknown. But a popular magazine recently classified him among the richest Nigerian Pastors with net worth estimated to be over $10 million.

Apart from being a Pastor, Suleiman is said to have made huge fortunes from oil and gas, estate management and stocks. The magazine cannot independently verify these claims.

Responding to Suleiman’s boast, a Nigerian lawyer residing in Japan, Barrister Emeka Akaolisa, blasted him for living in opulence in the midst of poverty in the country, adding that Auchi, his hometown, is one of the poorest places in Nigeria. He said Suleiman is one of the Pastors deceiving the members of the Church when truly they don’t care about their welfare.

Akolisa said, ”My dear Pastor Suleman, you bought first jet, second jet and then the third jet during Coronavirus, when people are dying.Pastor Suleman, you have three private jets while Auchi is one of the dirtiest places in the world while Nigeria is one of the poorest places in the world and you have mind to buy the first jet, second jet and the third jet during Coronavirus pandemic when people are dying.

“What is wrong with Nigerians? When will our mumu do? I am asking this question? These men are just deceiving people. If you talk to a Japanese man about Heaven he will ask you what is heaven? Because these people understood the truth while we are brainwashing our people that they are going to heaven to enjoy what they can enjoy here, that is the most wicked thing I have ever seen.

“During Coronavirus when people are dying, no food. I and my family had to send the money that the government of this country gave us, to my village to buy palliatives for them and to buy medicine and you used your own money to buy private jet. Pastor Suleman, shame onto you!”

Pastor Enoch Adeboye
Pastor Enoch Adeboye

A few days ago, at once, ashamed and embarrassed of himself and utterances, following angry reactions from members of the public, he apologised. He said he mis-spoke on Coronavirus, and admitted his choice of words were inappropriate. He said what he said was not what he meant; that he meant to say that the virus brought families together.

However, he was not apologetic over buying a third jet during the lockdown. “On that, I have no regrets”, he said. A couple of days later, though, he went on a charm offensive, handing over envelopes of money to a number of youths in Warri. Not many people were impressed.

His image has, recently, been on what a member of his Church, who pleaded anonymity, described  as “self-inflicted free-fall”

In January, Suleiman was enmeshed in a controversy after Mike David, a former Pastor of his Church, took him to the cleaners, accusing him of having an amorous relationship with his wife of many years. The infidelity allegation against Suleiman includes that he slept with Pastor David’s wife, Ruth, in a hotel room in the presence of her baby.

The matter has become so messy that many are still wondering whether the ‘private jet boast’ by Suleiman was intended to slow down the public angst that has greeted the marriage scandal.

Davids who parted ways with Suleiman in 2019 after their relationship broke down, said his former employer has been threatening him since he revealed the love affair between the latter and his wife.

He did not only accuse Suleiman of breaking his marriage, he said the General Overseer has rented an apartment for Mrs Davids in Abuja where she now lives with their three children and has prevented him from gaining access to his kids.

The estranged Pastor said: “Apostle Suleman has damaged my life. I have not seen my wife and children for two years, and Apostle Suleman says if I ever go near them, he will have me taken out. I have a video where he said he will make me disappear. I don’t want to lose my life.”

David’s wife has, however, dismissed her husband’s allegation, accusing him of abandoning the marriage; a situation she said made her suicidal. She accused her husband of deliberately trying to destroy the reputation of the Clergy man.

On his part, Apostle Suleiman  dismissed the allegation saying his estranged Pastor is a drowning man; that he never had any love affair with his wife and had never slept with her.

The matter took a dangerous dimension after the angry Davids petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to investigate Pastor Suleiman for adultery. The IGP has since directed that the matter be thoroughly investigated so as to get to the root of it.

The IGP’s order was sequel to a petition written by V.C Ezenagu & Associates on behalf of Pastor Davids who accused Apostle Suleman of threat to life and preventing him from seeing his three children.

In a letter titled, ‘Re: Criminal Petition Against Apostle Johnson Suleman for Enticement of a Married Woman; Adultery; Unlawful Criminal Restraint to Access Children and Threat to Life’, the IGP said “I attach herewith a copy of a letter dated December 30, 2020 with its attachments received from V.C Ezenagu & Associates on the above underlined subject. The Inspector-General of Police directs that you treat. Accept the assurances of my esteemed regards please.”

According to the petition to the police boss, Davids said he met Apostle Suleman in 2003 while he was in school, after which they became very close and he was eventually ordained a Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries on June 9, 2006 by Apostle Suleman and served the Church for over 15 years before his exit in 2019. He attached his pastoral certificate with licence number 125 to the petition.

Davids said he introduced his wife-who was  his fiancée at the time, to Apostle Suleman, whom he regarded as his spiritual father in 2008, and she told him that Suleman had been making advances at her and once invited her to Reliance Hotel, Benin, but he never regarded it as anything serious.

The angry Pastor said his marriage started crumbling  when he was posted to Osun State in 2010, shortly after the birth of their daughter, Michelle, in November 2009.

Davids said, “My wife was a staffer with NTA Iruekpen, so Apostle Suleman reached out to her that they will need her to build Celebration TV and Rhema for Living. She would have to shuttle between Osun State and Auchi.

“She came back from Auchi to Osun State and said she wanted to talk to me, that her conscience was pricking her. I asked what it was, and she said that while in Auchi, Apostle Suleman lodged her at Uyi Grand Hotel and he came there and slept with her.

“And the moment she said that, the first thing that came to my mind was my daughter. I asked where was Michelle when this happened and she said Michelle was on the bed, pushed aside and I asked, ‘You mean you slept with a man with my daughter on the bed?’.

“I had to let it go because there was nobody I could tell and I couldn’t fight with Apostle Suleman. I forgave her but the amorous relationship continued. One thing I know is that my wife was hypnotised. This is not the woman I got married to, who I knew for 11 years,” Davids said.

But in a post Monday, January 25, 2021, Suleiman denied the allegation, noting that the report that he’s being investigated by the Police was a joke. Suleiman said “IGP orders probe on me? Where, when? Maybe my ghost. Just reading stories now. Please discard. There is no such thing. Bad press really sells fast.”

This has not deterred the angry pastor who seems poised to fight his former boss with everything he has. Davids has now petitioned the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC to sack Suleiman as the Chief Executive Officer of Omega Fire Ministry for ruining his marriage and corrupting the Church.

In a letter dated February 12 and titled “Petition for the immediate investigation and removal of Apostle Johnson Suleman, a trustee of Incorporated Trustee Of Omega Fire Ministry and for closure of Church and appointment of interim managers to manage the affairs of Church,” Davids said Suleiman should be removed as the General Overseer of the church, because he has lost all moral justifications to remain in the position.

Detailing his allegations to include the adulterous relationship Suleiman is having with his wife, misappropriation of Church funds and others, Davids urged the CAC to “cause an immediate Investigation and Removal and/or Suspension of Apostle Johnson Suleman (Trustee) Of Incorporated Trustee Of Omega Fire Ministry It/No: 21739.”

He said the Commission should “cause an immediate investigation into the improper use of church funds in Omega Fire Ministries with a view to ascertaining deep rooted financial rascality by the very persons who are supposed to be managers of God’s money,” asking the Commission to ensure the “closure of the Church and/or appointment of interim managers to manage the affairs of the Church.”

David’s Unearths Otobo’s Scandal

Pastor Davids has added salt to Suleiman’s injury by, also revealing  that the controversial Pastor used his influence and money to cover up another sex scandal with a Nigerian born Canada based Stephanie Otobo.  She had, in 2016, accused the Pastor of dumping her after a prolonged love affair that lasted for many years.

Apostle Sulaiman with his jet
Apostle Johnson Suleiman

That year, Apostle Suleiman became an object of a sex scandal after Otobo also known as Kimora, released a set of damaging snap chat shots on the internet allegedly of herself and the Pastor, whom, she claimed, impregnated and dumped her.

The dancer said Suleiman started an affair with her in 2015 after telling her that he was divorced and wanted more male children. Their affair came to a sour end when Stephanie discovered she was pregnant in September 2016, and informed the Pastor. She said she lost the pregnancy after she was allegedly given a concoction to drink by Suleiman.

To prove her point of the  affair she had with Apostle Suleiman, Otobo disclosed her bank account details, where the man of God had allegedly been sending money, even though the Pastor has been denying the affair. As a further proof the dancer also uploaded a video clip online, detailing a series of huge deposits allegedly made by the Cleric into her account.

Otobo initially retracted the allegation, saying some top officials in Government forced her to make the gory allegations against her lover for being critical of the administration of President Muhamamdu Buhari. She later claimed that she was forced to do so.

But speaking on the Otobo saga, Davids said he was part of a team of PR Managers assembled by Suleiman to help him clear the dust raised by the  scandal , adding that they bribed Otobo, and some members of her family in Nigeria, including her mother, to prevail on their daughter to eat her words that the Clergy man had anything to do with her.

If Suleiman managed to have his way in the Otobo saga, not so with many Nigerians, including Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, who is now avoiding him like a leper. Adeboye recently refused to attend a Church programme organized by Suleiman.

The magazine learnt that the RCCG Pastor refused to honour the invitation to attend the programme in Benin, even though he had been informed months earlier.

When asked why he failed to show up at the event, a very close associate of Pastor Adeboye said “the respected man of God is not a controversial person and will not want anything to dent his God-given image. We hope the organizers of that programme will understand that Pastor Adeboye is a man loved by many, and as a father, he must take some hard decisions he believes are good for the body of Christ.”

Many Nigerians said they no longer take Suleiman seriously after the scandals involving women. They are demanding accountability from the controversial Pastor, who is also known for his controversial and careless political comments.

Suleiman became a butt of jokes, four years ago after he predicted that Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state will die following the passage of a law that Suleiman considered inimical to religious freedom in the state.

Four years later, El Rufai is still alive, and has been taunting Suleiman to tell him the day he will die.

The questions people are asking are: Will Pastor Suleiman ever change? Or will he finally self-destruct?

The ball, as they say, is in his court.

PDP Thrashes Adeyemi, Demands Apology to Governor Ikpeazu |The Source

By
Adesina Soyooye
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0
Smart Adeyemi
Smart Adeyemi: Another shot at the Senate

By Adesina Soyooye

Senator Smart Adeyemi, the Kogi Senator who inexplicably called Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, a drunkard, on the Senate floor, a few days ago, is still coming under the slammer from shocked members of the public.

Adeyemi had, while making contributions to an unrelated  subject on the floor, surprisingly, veered off course, insulted almost all the leaders in the State, and called Ikpeazu “a champagne  drinking Governor.”

The irony is that Ikpeazu, a Seven Day Adventist, does not drink alcohol. Reactions to Adeyemi’s unparliamentary outburst have been coming like claps of thunder.

Governor Ikpeazu, a former mrmber of the House of Representative, called him a mad man, while the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, decried Adeyemi’s indecent language. And so have many other people.

Monday, was the turn of the South-east Zone of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. At an emergency meeting, the Zone, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Augustine Elochukwu Okeke, took an exception to Senator Adeyemi’s unprovoked outburst  against Governor Ikpeazu.

It said it frowns, and condemns it, and gave the Kogi Senator a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to the Governor.

The statement reads in part:

“… the ZWC, reviewed the recent unprovoked and misguided verbal attack on the Governor of Abia State, His Excellency, Okezie Ikpeazu (PhD), by Senator Smart Adeyemi.

“For clarity, below are the exact words of ‘Distinguished’ Senator ‘Smart’ Adeyemi:

Gov Okezie Ikpeazu
Gov Okezie Ikpeazu

“Mr President, in some states of Nigeria today, where you have ‘highly intelligent’ people, ‘highly educated’ people, ‘highly enterprising people’ like Abia, they are governed by drunkards. The governor of Abia is a champagne drinking man. He has done nothing for his people; roads are not constructed in Abia. Mr President. Abia people are impoverished more than ever before. Abia people are unfortunate to have him as their governor…Abia is governed by a man who is a drunkard…He is a champagne drinking man..”

“South East PDP wonders why Senator Smart Adeyemi, a non-indigene, non-resident, who arguably owns no property or investment in any part or territory of Abia state could resort to such untoward and derogatory language to qualify a citizen of Nigeria, not less a Governor of a state elected not once but twice by the indigenes and residents of Abia state.

“For someone whose name is Smart; for someone whose status is (supposedly) preceded with the appendage ‘distinguished’, such hollow utterances from the congress man from Kogi – full of hatred, dereliction, opprobrium, contempt, bile – which has nothing smart or distinguished about it, is an unconscionable desecration of the hallowed red chambers of the National Assembly, which if left unchecked may lead to the misconstruing of the senate chambers as a breeding ground for the use of gutter language.

“It would have been understandable, albeit inexcusable, if there were any iota of truth in the allegations that Senator Adeyemi leveled against the person of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu as the incumbent governor of Abia State.

“South East PDP considers Senator Smart Adeyemi’s outbursts as an unbridled defamation of the character of His Excellency, Okezie Ikpeazu (PhD), a highly placed member of PDP of South East extraction, and by consequence a slight and an affront to the people of PDP in South East.

“South East PDP, unequivocally frowns at and frontally condemns this unprovoked disrespect of the person of His excellency, Okezie Ikpeazu (PhD), the government and people of Abia state and the entire members of PDP in South East zone.

“Consequent upon this, the Zonal Working Committee of PDP, South East Zone hereby demands that Senator Smart Adeyemi should publicly apologize to Governor Ikpeazu – within seven (7) days – for this unprovoked defamation of character.

“Failure of Senator Smart Adeyemi to do this, would leave the ZWC of PDP, South East zone with no other option than taking every necessary measure to seek redress, including but not limited to instituting a libel suit against Senator Adeyemi.

Unfortunately there is nothing much they can do since the Senator’s pronouncement on the floor of the Senate is not subject to legal actions.

How I Lost Faith In Nigeria |The Source

By
The Source
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0
Chidozie Ojobor

By Chidozie Ojobor

In 2014, I and several other Nigerian University graduates had been shortlisted to write the Presidential Special Scholarship (PRESSID) designed exclusively for First Class Nigerian graduates who wanted to pursue both Masters and PhD in any top 25 Universities in the world.

President Goodluck Jonathan had set the scheme up, and the idea was to build a strong team of brilliant Nigerians who will come back to serve the country years later.

There were a little above one thousand of us who wrote the exam at CHAMS, Abuja.

At the time, I was already lecturing in UNN, so most of my friends (who were also my colleagues) enrolled.

16 of us in total.

It was a computer-based test, so we knew our fate instantly.

I had scored 94% in the exam. In fact, 15 of us from UNN scored between 80 and 97%. Man! We came out of the exam hall completely joyous. We were so sure we had got the scholarship. And we were right.

Sometime in February 2015, the list of 101 successful candidates was shortlisted in the National Dailies.

Fifteen of us were on that list. I had applied to Princeton University, Imperial College London and University of Toronto already. That phase of our lives was glorious.

Fast forward to March 2015, Goodluck lost the elections to Mr. (Muhammadu) Buhari. That was where things started to take a new turn.

Shortly after Mr Buhari was sworn in, he had(allegedly) recalled the list and complained, (allegedly), that there was no single Northerner on it. He believed it was an agenda of the South.

Right before our eyes, meritocracy was short-changed for Federal character. It was first like a joke, but we all lost that huge scholarship.

It was worth about $250,000 per person (tuition and living expenses inclusive across 5 years).

Before then, I had little faith in the country. But when this happened, I became weary of the country.

Thankfully, later that year, I got a full scholarship from University of Toronto for my Masters and PhD (6 years in total). Of those other 14 friends of mine, 13 of them have also moved since then – US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, Japan etc.

Obviously, we moved on, but truth is, the life we have now was afforded to us by the Government of another country, many of which will seduce you with permanent residency, and citizenship afterwards.

Any nation that shortchanges merit for anything else will fall.

Nigeria has the brightest people, yet, we are where we are (in Osibanjo’s voice).

These people will corroborate my story as they were also winners of the PRESSID scholarship:

*Odoeze Jideofor Okagu *Ogadimma Olikagu Sylvia *Chisom Hyacinth Ali David *Chukwuma Izuogu Samuel *Olisa Chima Eke and others.

Sad!

INEC To Create More Polling Units |The Source

By
Ayodele Oni
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INEC Logo
INEC Logo

By Ayodele Oni

The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), has raised the hope of agitators of more polling Units as it announced creation of additional voting centres ahead of future elections.

According to the Commission, wide consultations have been made with various stakeholders on the need to create more polling units.

Director of Voter Education and Publicity of the Commission, Mr Nick Dazang disclosed on Monday in Akure, at the opening ceremony of the INEC/IFES Voter Education Manual Review/Validation and Training of Trainers Workshop.

The INEC official stated that “the inadequacy of polling units was one of the problem of Nigeria voting system, saying since 1996, the number of polling units in Nigeria had not increased while the population has increased.

“The Commission is intending to expand voters access to polling units. This is because the existing polling units were created in 1996, many of the voters today were not born at that time and what it means is that some of them won’t have access to where they can vote now.

“Also many towns and villages have come up while some have expanded.

“So many existing polling units cannot serve all the people now, that is why on election day, you see a lot of congestion at the polling units and some people would be pissed off and with that voter, apathy would occur.

”So the only way to ameliorate the problem is to create additional voting points.

“So we have started consulting the stakeholders, so far we have consulted with the leadership of political parties, CSOs, PWDLs, the media, Afenifere, ACF, Middle Belt Forum, Ohaneze among others to make them see the need for the creation of the additional polling units.”

The Commission, also, said there was a need for the voters’ education for the people of the country so as to give room for free, fair and credible future elections in Nigeria.

In his remarks, the Resident Electoral Commission in Ondo State, Dr Rufus Akeju, said the Commission at present, was making concerted efforts to engage with stakeholders to buy into the intention of the commission to make polling units more accessible to voters nationwide.

“It is believed that this task would have been completed before the commencement of the Continuous Voters Registration.”

Akeju said that the fact that voters in Nigeria are still culpable in various electoral offences indicate that our voter education drive is yet to achieve the desired result.

Ondo Govt Bans NURTW, RTEAN From Motor Parks, Takes Over Ticketing |The Source

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

In a move to curb excesses of touts at motor parks and reduce transport fares in Ondo state, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on Monday ordered National Union of Road transport workers, (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria, (RTEAN) officials to vacate motor parks in the state.

Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr Doyin Odebowale, who made the announcement, said the suspension was with immediate effect.

According to the Governor’s aide, the suspension was as a result of the recent crisis within the Unions over leadership tussles.

The SSA directed the leadership of both NURTW and RTEAN to vacate motor parks across the 18 local government areas of the state and to stop collecting money from taxi drivers and other motorists.

Dr Odebowale, who also directed Taxi drivers to revert to the old price of fifty naira, explained that new tickets would be purchased directly from Government.

He pointed out that every attempt to make life difficult for the masses would be restricted, adding that security agencies had been notified to effect timely arrest and prosecution of the defaulters.

Fare for intra-city shuttle was recently increased by 100 per cent by the leadership of NURTW in the state.

The NURTW leadership, under the Chairmanship of Mr Jacob Adebo, also hiked prices of tickets for commercial vehicles in the state, which has led to astronomical increase in prices of foodstuffs.

“Senator Smart Adeyemi Is A Mad Man” – Governor Ikpeazu |The Source

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, Governor, Abia state

By Akinwale Kasali

For the records, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has described Senator Smart Adeyemi, representing Kogi West Senatorial District, as a mad man.

Governor Ikpeazu made this statements at the unveiling of a book written by the Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, titled: “Made in Aba”, where he was the Special Guest of Honour. He noted that there was no need to begrudge a mad man.

The Abia State Governor was responding, personally, for the first time, to Senator Adeyemi who called him a “drunkard” on the floor of the Senate last week.

The Governor quoted the evergreen words of Professor Chinua Achebe who famously admonished that “if a mad man picks the clothes of a man taking his bath and runs away, if the man runs after the mad man, nobody will know who is mad.”

Ikpeazu told the audience that he does not drink nor does he begrudge those who drink.

Adeyemi had come under the hammer by many people  because of his unguarded statement on the floor of the Senate, which had nothing to do with the subject under discussion.

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