As the preliminary trials wind up and the substantive suit begins in the Appeal court case in which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar challenges President Muhammadu Buhari’s election, Erudite constitutional lawyer, professor Ben Nwabueze, announced his appearance for Atiku Abubakar.
Nwabueze, an academic and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria-one of the pioneers from the ivory towers-has been weighed down by age and age related infirmities, and had to appear in court in a wheelchair.
Although he was meant to take over as lead counsel for Atiku, he announced his presence, reeling out names of those who are with him. The task, however was taken from him by the current lead counsel, Livy Uzoukwu.
Nwabueze said he joined the team “to underscore the importance’ of the case to democracy.
He requested to addressed the court seated, and the Tribunal chairman, Muhammed Garba, granted him the honor. He later thanked him as he was wheeled out of the court.
Yunus Usman (SAN) announced appearance as the lead counsel for the Independent National Electoral Commission; Mike Igbokwe (SAN) for President Muhammadu Buhari, while Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), appeared for the All Progressives congress, APC.
Nwabueze later expressed gratitude to the court for granting his first request.
“The determination of the petition will certainly impact on future elections and constitutionalism in the country,” he said , adding that notwithstanding of his age and attendant health challenge, he attended the proceedings to underscore the importance of the case.
The fire that engulfed the sleeping community of Ijegun, Igando area of Lagos may have been contained when the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, appealed to the Nigerian National Petroleum corporation, NNPC, to cut off fuel supply to the pipelines that was carrying the inferno.
Recall that the Ijegun area was engulfed by fire in the early hours of Thursday when there was a pipeline explosion due to the activities of oil bunkerers. Bunkerrs were scooping fuel from the pipeline and carting away in tankers. On their last trip, one of the tankers fell and caused oil spillage on the pipeline area. The oil ignited and caused fire.
It is not clear the number of casualties but this magazine can confirm that many houses were burnt and many families rendered homeless. Though the flames are getting cleared, the loss of properties cannot be quantified as at press time.
If Elisha Abbo, the Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial Zone has any shame, at all, he should quit the Senate, or, temporarily, step aside until the scandalous incident involving him is thoroughly investigated by the Police.
If he is given a clean bill, let him go back to his seat at the Senate. If found culpable, he should be arrested, and made to face the full weight and wrath of the law.
Senator Elisha Abbo
If, however, he refuses to either quit, or step aside, there are, at least, five institutions and groups which must compel him to choose one of the two.
They are the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he is a member. The leadership of the Police. Great Nigerian youths. His constituents. Women groups.
It is an irony of sorts. On June 11, 2019, the day the National Assembly, NASS, was inaugurated, and Abbo sworn-in as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he walked tall, not just because he has become a Senator, but for also, making history.
At 41 years, Abbo is the youngest Senator in Nigeria. On being sworn in, he was celebrated. The youths were happy. We are coming, they chorused. So, Abba was not just representing his zone at the Senate, he was also representing the youths.But just look at this.
A couple of weeks after he was celebrated to high heavens, Abbo has descended to the gutter. And all those who celebrated him are covering their faces in shame. Crucify him, they now chorus.
The question is: how did the young Senator descend to this level?
Dear Readers, you must have read the story, and/or watched the video. Thanks to the Cable News which first broke the story, and released the video, it has gone viral. Yet for the purpose of this write-up, a brief re-cap is necessary.
One evening in May 2019, (The Senator says March), Abbo had gone to an adult shop in Abuja to buy sex toys. He went with three young girls. The younger generation call such company side-kicks. He couldn’t have gone with his wife (or wives?) to buy sex toys. And, definitely, not with his sisters, or nieces, or cousins.
He knew the owner of the shop, or the person who was attending to him. In the video, he kept referring to her as his friend. Meaning: he is a well known customer, a regular.
But I digress.
So, Senator Abbo went there with his girls to buy sex toys. As they were making their purchases, one of the girls allegedly threw up, several times.
The sales girl asked her why she threw-up inside the shop, instead of doing so outside. The question was insensitive of the sales girl. Nobody deliberately throws up, especially in public. Her first concern should have been the health of the young girl, not the mess on the floor.
But if the sale’s girl’s question was stupid, the Senator’s next pronouncement was even more stupid. He accused her of poisoning the air conditioner, which effectively, made his girl sick.
The sale’s girl refuted the allegation. If that was true, she reasoned, how come the other two girls were not also sick? Her reasoning made the Senator livid. An altercation ensued. According to the story, the Senator alleged the sale’s girl called him a drunk. Well, perhaps. Considering what followed next, who knows? He may have called the sale’s girl unprintable names before he was called a drunk. Obviously, the girl knew him as a customer that usually came in with side-kicks, not a Senator-elect as he then was.
While they were on that, the Senator’s anger boiled over. And the unbelievable happened. Embarrassed by the situation, a nursing mother intervened, and asked the Senator to calm down. Big mistake.
In the eyes of Abbo, the woman has committed a cardinal sin. So, he mercilessly, and shamelessly rained slaps on the nursing mother. As he did so, he called the policeman who obviously accompanied him and his side-kicks to arrest the woman. The sad thing: the policeman, who was watching the shameful scene, without a care, arrested the woman, instead of asking his ‘boss’ to let go, and move away from that disgraceful scene.
What kind of Policeman is he? What kind of a law enforcement agent? In any case, who attached a policeman to Abbo? At the time, he was not a Senator yet. He was a Senator-elect, and was not entitled to a Police Orderly, unless his life was in danger, and unless it was approved for him by the IGP.
Even then, the Policeman was not attached to him for illegal duties, illegal arrests, or to watch him molest people. This policeman has disgraced the NPF. He is one of those who hardly know their rights. Such policemen, while in their uniform, carry the luggage and bags of their principals, while also carrying their guns. In doing that, they disrespect their uniforms. They hardly know the powers that uniform confers on them.
But it does seem that Abbo is a law into himself. He has always been. One photo-journalist who worked for him in 2015 confirms. For asking for his pay, Abbo beat him blue and black, and locked him up. Now, for winning a Senatorial seat, he has become a tin god. Nobody should talk before him, especially, when he is talking.
When the young sale’s girl, in panic, made to call her father to tell him Abbo had asked the Police to arrest her, one could hear Abbo, like a wild dog, screaming at her, and asking her to drop the phone, not to even talk before the lord and master.
Dear Readers, how can this man be a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? How can he be in the Senate Chambers, making laws for us?
A man who would be that shameless outside, would be worse at home. His display of bad manners confirms he has no respect for women. If he could beat a woman publicly, there is nothing condescending and/or humiliating he wouldn’t do to a woman.
He is one of those who believe they can do anything to women, to young girls, to the girl-child, and get away with it. Such men abound. Isn’t that why we have an epidemic of rape in the country? They degrade women and girls and the girl-child with impunity. And, most times, they get away with it. Nobody cares. It’s all in a day’s job. To them, women are either sex toys, or pieces of furniture with no rights. That is why a number of them, animals, parading as men, rape and assault women with impunity.
Now, beginning with the alleged rape case involving Pastor Biodun Fatayinbo of COZA Church, Nigerians are saying enough is now enough.
The Pastor has stepped aside from the Pulpit. Senator Abbo should do the same. There is no way he would be at the Senate Chambers with this case hanging on his neck. If he does not step aside, he should be pressured to do so. And, that is where the institutions and groups mentioned earlier come in.
First, the Senate should suspend him from plenary. At the time of writing this, it has initiated its own investigation. A good start, but it ought to have followed with a suspension from Plenary.
Two: It is heart-warming that the IGP has ordered an investigation into the sordid incident. He should go the whole hog. If Senator Abbo is found culpable, the law should visit him with its full weight and wrath.
Three: His constituents who reposed confidence in him, and voted for him, should start a recall process. A woman-beater cannot be their representative.
Four: This man has disgraced the Youths. Their they are, impressing it on Nigerians that it is their turn, that they are not too young to run. Now this. They should treat him for what he is: an unfit youth ambassador.
Finally, the women. We should mount pressure on the Senate, on the Police, on Abbo’s constituents, on the Youths. This Senator has crossed the red line. He has humiliated one of us. He should be paid back in kind.
Mount pressure, until he does the needful – step aside.
This is without prejudice to his public apologies for what he did. He says he is deeply sorry. He says he is remorseful. He is asking for forgiveness. Apologies, accepted. But that should not stop his investigation. In more civilized countries, he would have, on his own, stepped aside.
Since he will not, let’s give him a helping hand. A number of groups are asking for signatures, to endorse Abbo’s prosecution. I have signed up. If you are born of a woman, I urge you to do same.
The hope of Governor Yahaya Bello remaining at the Lugard House in Lokoja, Kogi State, for a second term in remains a tall dream.
Bello has exposed the gang up against him by stalwarts and leaders of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
He alleged that there is a ‘Lagos gang-up’ against him, sponsored by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the party’s National Chairman, Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, to stop him from picking the ticket as the candidate of the APC in the Governorship election in Kogi State slated for November.
Governor Bello has been under attack these past months from both Civil Society Groups and APC members in the State, which may mar his chances of getting the party’s ticket.
A group in the APC fold called Change Agent Foundation International, CAFI, based in Lagos, is an offshoot of the Mandate Group in Lagos that was against the re-election of Akinwunmi Ambode, which saw Ambode denied of the APC ticket in Lagos for a second term in office. The CAFI is presently working against Bello’s re-election bid.
The National President of CAFI, Dipo Okeyomi, said the pressure group is ready to mobilize APC members en-masse to vote out Bello during the state’s APC primaries.
Okeyomi added that just the way Ambode was voted out in the Lagos governorship APC primaries, so will be the lot of Bello, because there is nothing developmental he has done in the state. Rather, he has further impoverished the people of the State, he alleges.
He added that, “Bello is no longer sellable. He may jeopardize the chances of the party if he is fielded as the candidate.
“Bello is owing over 36 months salary, there is no developmental strides one can point out, a lot of civil servants, and pensioners have died while some committed suicide due to hunger and impoverishment. Bello is part of the people masterminding the removal of our national leader, Adams Oshiomhole”.
He stressed further that their leaders, Tinubu, Oshiomhole and Rauf Aregbesola, are not in support of Bello. He has overstayed in the Lugard House, and he needs to be removed.
Reacting to the move by CAFI to shatter his re-election ambition, Bello, through his media aide, Kingsley Fanwo, said he is not moved by the plan of CAFI or any Lagos gangs to unseat him, saying that “they are just distractions.”
“They sit in Lagos and believe they can decide what happens in Kogi. This basically shows they don’t have the grasp to determine what happens in the State.
“CAFI as a group doesn’t shake, or move me a bit. These are mere groups of political charlatans and political jobbers who are working for what they are paid for by their godfathers in Lagos. The move is dead on arrival because they will fail.
“This move is for their own selfish ambition, which will definitely fail. They are bent on destroying the State which we own for their inordinate ambition”.
The governorship elections will hold both in Kogi and Bayelsa states in November. Governor Bello is seeking a second term in office.
The Presidency, after due consultations, has decided to suspend Ruga, giving their reason as “lack of consistency”, after he allegedly denied knowledge of what Ruga is all about.
Rural Urban Grazing Area, or Ruga settlements, the attempt by the Federal Government to impose grazing land on each state of the Federation, has been met with an uproar of disapproval by Nigerians, with almost all the zones of the country insisting there is no provision of land for Ruga in their area.
This Magazine was told that some Governors were piqued that they were not carried along-or even consulted- in the decision to impose Ruga in their states, and in anger approached President Buhari for clarifications. He allegedly summoned the former chief of staff, Aba Kyari and others involved in the Ruga propagation, particularly from the Ministry of agriculture, to explains to him what it is all about. He claimed no knowledge of the program. Not convinced with their explanations, he referred them to the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for necessary action.
Former Presidential aid, Garba Shehu, had said that Ruga has already been gazetted in all the states of the federation. Miyetti allah, which is at the forefront of the Ruga propagation, had insisted that the Vice president is the person under whose office Ruga is coordinated. Osinbajo has denied that.
Two governors are expected to brief Journalists on the issue after meeting with Osinbajo: Kayode Fayemi and Dave Umahi of Ekiti and Ebonyi States respectively.
Umahi, Umahi, who is the Chairman of the National Food Security/Herders/Farmers Conflict, nonetheless, gave a hint on the issue.
“(The suspension of Ruga) is owing to lack of consistency with the National Economic Council and FG- approved National Livestock Transformation Plan, which has program for the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons resulting from the crisis and development of ranching in any willing state. The NEC says it is not compulsory and any state willing is required to put up a development plan towards the implementation in line with the NEC program based on the challenges inherent there.”
The National Livestock Transformation Plan is coordinated from the Vice President’s office.
The Super Eagles will meet the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon in the Round of 16 knockout stage of the on- going 2019 African Cup if Nations championship in Egypt.
Having lost its leadership position in Group B to Madagascar, after the embarrassing 2-0 loss last Sunday, the Super Eagles settled for the second spot, pitching them against the five’ time Champions, Cameroon, who also came second behind the Black Stars of Ghana, having recorded five points from three matches.
The Indomitable Lions’ only victory in the competition came against Guinea-Bissau, which it defeated 2-0, before playing a goalless draw against Ghana and Benin Republic respectively.
The Cameroonians are seeking revenge against the Super Eagles which stopped it from qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Super Eagles defeated Cameroon 4-0 at the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo, Nigeria, and recorded a 1-1 draw at Yaounde to shatter the dreams of the President Paul Biya’s country dream of getting to the world cup.
Now, under the tutelage of coach Clarence Seedorf, after parting ways with coach Paul Put who won the 2017 AFCON trophy for Cameroon, the Seedorf team are battle-ready to face the Super Eagles.
Coach Gernot Rohr have remained optimistic despite the abysmal performance of his team against Madagascar that his team will go far in the competition, that the defeat wasn’t a distraction, but a litmus test for his team.
“We are a bit disappointed that we failed to top the group, but the most important thing is that we qualified for the knockout stages.
“We will continue from there and make sure we get back to winning ways. There is no cause for alarm”, Rohr stated.
The last time the Super Eagles faced Cameroon at the AFCON Championship was in 2004 in Tunisia. The Super Eagles recorded a 2-1 victory courtesy of goals from Austin Okocha with a sublime freekick, and a solo run from John Utaka.
It will be recalled that the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon have stopped Nigeria from lifting the AFCON trophy thrice, with the last one coming on Nigeria’s home soil, at the National Stadium in Lagos, during the 2000 AFCON tournament co-hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.
Cameroon defeated Nigeria 4-3 on penalties to lift the trophy in front of the Nigeria fans.
Captain of the side in 2000, Sunday Oliseh, wept profusely, likewise other members of the team. Nigeria was denied lifting the trophy for the third time then, and it could have seen Nigeria winning the AFCON trophy for the second time on home soil, having won its maiden AFCON trophy in 1980 on home soil, but was denied by the Cameroonians.
Come Saturday 6th July, 2019 at the Alexandria Stadium in Egypt, the two top gladiators in African football will trade tackles.
The appointment of Olubamiwo Adeosun as the Secretary to the Oyo state Government, SSG by Governor Seyi Makinde has put a wedge in his coalition with other strong politicians in the state.
A staunch politician in the state has told the magazine “all the members of the Ladoja political family are not happy with the governor’s appointment of a non-politician to the sensitive position of SSG.”
Rashidi Ladoja, a former governor of the state brokered the alliance that led to the tripartite agreement among three major political parties that gave Makinde the landslide victory in the governorship election.
Adeosun the first woman SSG in the state was until her appointment the Country Implementation Lead of the Shell Business Operations (SBO), Nigeria.
Her appointment has not gone down well with some politicians in the state who are also interested in the position, sources said.
A member of the coalition, Chief Lanleyin yesterday announced that he has pulled out of the coalition over what he described as the decision of Governor Makinde to appoint political office holders without consulting other groups that formed the coalition which gave him victory in the last governorship election.
In a statement released on Tuesday Senator Lanleyin disclosed that the governor has breached all the terms entered to by the parties before the election.
According to him “Senator Olufemi Lanlehin (Solan), Oyo State Leader of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) hereby announces forthwith, his personal withdrawal from the coalition he has with Engr. Seyi Makinde, the Oyo State governor.
Recall that Senator Lanlehin, former Oyo State gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) joined forces with other opposition parties’ governorship candidates to back Makinde, and the gubernatorial victory was thereupon resounding.”
Senator Lanlehin said further that ”his decision to quit the coalition” was due to “Governor Makinde’s non-compliance with the spirit and letters of the terms of the gubernatorial pre-election agreement reached, however maintains that his party, the ADC is at liberty to remain in the coalition, and believes it should, in fact, remain.
The ADC candidate said he has withdrawn his support for Governor Makinde’s government and that going forward “he would adopt a ‘siddon look’ posture in the governance of Oyo State and allied matters.”
Lanleyin quit the coalition barely a day after Governor Makinde announced that he will present the list of his commissioners to the state house of assembly in 10 days.
Makinde and his party, PDP had entered into an agreement with some political parties such as the SDP, ADP and others before the governorship election in March this year.
The coalition went ahead to defeat the All Progressives Congress, APC candidate in the election, Adebayo Adelabu who was favored by then incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi.
But since Governor Makinde took power in the Pacesetters’ state, his relationship with the other groups seems to have collapsed as a result of some appointments made by the state helmsman.
The magazine learned that ADC and SDP are not particularly happy with the manner the governor had gone ahead with key appointments without their inputs.
“We all agreed before the election that positions will be shared by the three major partners in the coalition: PDP, ADC and SDP on 50, 30 and 15 percent basis, while the other partners take the remaining five percent,” a source in ADC told the magazine, few minutes after Chief Lanleyin, announced he has abandoned the coalition.
Other sources in the state told the magazine that the other two major political parties expected that the positions of the SSG and Chief of staff will be ceded to them.
Both Adeosun and Ilaka are not members of SDP or ADP.
“It’s not fair that the governor appropriated all the key positions to his party PDP. The governor and his deputy are PDP members. Now add that to the chief of staff and SSG, what’s now left for the other parties,” an official of SDP who did not want his name mentioned, told the magazine few minutes ago.
There are also indications that other members of the coalition will soon follow the line of Lanleyin.
The magazine learned that Sarafadeen Ali a staunch member of the coalition and governorship candidate of SDP is also not happy with the governor, after his effort to be appointed SSG failed.
Ali had recently failed to attend the inauguration of the Governor Advisory Council, GAC by Governor Makinde.
GAC is made up of some elders in the state, a body formed by the state’s helmsman to advise his administration.
There are palpable fears that the Islamic State for West African Province, ISWAP, which makes no secrete of their target of Nigeria for their activities, may infiltrate the Ruga settlements to carry out their activities.
ISWAP, has been growing stronger since their parent body, Islamic State, IS, are currently being smoked out and squeezed to ineffectiveness by a coalition of hostile forces led by the US.
Last October, it overran a Nigerian military base in Metele, Borno state, killing about a hundred soldiers. From its base in Nigerian it struck in Chad and killed about 23 soldiers. But indications are that they are rebranding and changing their tactics to amorphous infiltration using the Alqaeda template.
A breakaway from the dreaded Boko Haram, they are said to be exploring other ways of base expansionism, which, analysts say, tilts towards the Al qaeda amoebaic arrangements that see a diffuse and clandestine infiltration option more appealing to them. “That is why the idea of Ruga excites them”, this magazine was told. “They have already found informants within the security forces. And these forces are at the forefront of Ruga entrenchment”.
Recall that in the recent virile case of confrontation between herdsmen and indigens of Nenwe in Enugu state, it was the Military command from 82 division of the Nigerian Army that intervened even before the coming of the Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Ugwuanyi later allegedly compensated the natives, via the traditional ruler, with N2 million, but gave the Miyetti Allah militia N3 million. These allegations have not been independently confirmed.
Their new method of co-option instead of coercing the natives makes it easy for ISWAP to integrate with security forces and finally take over the country through Ruga. Indications are that they may have been integrating and coalescing with politicians and civil rights groups through infiltration. “They may have been part of the kidnapping gangs, as part of their internal fund generation”, this magazine was told.
Besides this, the Fulani militia in West Africa, generally called the Godogodo in local parlance, are said to have become partly merged with the ISWAP. These were the hit squads that are given free reign with AK 47 and other dangerous weapons. They first tested blood during the Nigerian civil war, where they were said to have been recruited by General Gowon as a mop up team after the major battle. They were alleged to have carried out the Onitsha and Asaba Massacre during the war using Nigerian Army uniform. After the war, they became entrenched.
They were said to be used for the massacre at Nimbo, in Enugu state during herdsmen attacks.
Recall that the traditional herdsmen disappeared with their cattle two days before the herdsmen attack.
The traditional herdsmen are afraid of them.
“The fears of Fulanization is real”, this magazine was told. “But there may be a major conflict after: whether Nigeria will be an enclave of Fulanis or ISWAP. That will be the day”.
The position of South east governors on the controversial Ruga policy is not going down well with the Northern political establishment. The presidency says Ruga is the panacea for the incessant farmers-herders’ clashes. Apart from the South east, South south and some states in the South west and North Central have also rejected Ruga.
However, an irresistible bait to sway the zone (South east) from opposition to the Ruga to acceptance of it is in the offing, our sources inform.
Herdsmen: Will Ruga tame them?
It has been gathered that the North sees South east’s emphatic rejection of Ruga as an unpardonable affront on President Muhammadu Buhari and has, therefore, resolved to throw 2023 presidency as a bait to the zone.
The South east is being told that acceptance of Ruga will endear the zone to the Northern power brokers in the two main parties – Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and All Progressives Congress, APC- for the 2023 presidency.
“They are offering the South east the 2023 presidency in exchange for land for Ruga across the zone”, one of our sources informs.
“But, of course, this is an empty bait. The North is not even ready to let go of power in 2023 much less yielding it to the South east. I’m sure the South east leaders will not fall for this deceit”, he further stated.
The Magazine was told that some critical political egg heads in the North were taken aback by the Chairman of South east Governors’ Forum, Engineer Dave Umahi’s announcement stating the zone’s rejection of Ruga. Reason? They have allegedly assured the Ebonyi governor he was the North’s choice for 2023 presidency and, therefore, expected that he would not allow anything capable of hurting the interest the of region in the South east to sail through.
Governor Umahi: South east has no land for Ruga.
“They promised him APC presidential ticket for 2023 and depend on him for the protection of North’s interest in the South east. It was, therefore, a huge disappointment on their part to see him announcing Ruga’s rejection in the zone”, another source said.
This magazine has, however, been told of the possibility of Governor Umahi breaking ranks with fellow South east governors to accept Ruga.
“The man may not want to offend his friends. So, don’t be surprised if he later goes solo in the Ruga thing. After all, he only announced South east’s rejection of Ruga on behalf of South east Governors as the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, and not as Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state”, the magazine was told.
Meanwhile, impeccable sources have told this magazine that powerful elements in the North who also pull the levers of power in the presidential villa are determined to ensure that Ruga is established in the South east willy nilly if efforts to lure the zone into accepting the Fulani resettlement policy peacefully fails.
The power brokers are reportedly piqued that the South east, for four years running, has stubbornly remained opposed to the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, hence the mood among the Ruga proponents, The Source has learnt, favours ramming the policy down the throat of the zone by presidential fiat.
Governor Umahi had last Sunday declared that the South east will not permit Ruga (Fulani Herdsmen settlement) in any part of the zone saying there was no land for such settlement.
Rather than Ruga, the South east governors said they have struck a deal with herdsmen to supply grasses to them so that they can rear their cattle in the North in exchange for meat.
Indications are that some Southern governors and leaders are already implementing the Rural Grazing Area, RUGA, program because of personal interest, with some investing in the Cattle business and inviting Fulani herdsmen to man them. These in turn are being infiltrated by the “Godogodo”, the AK47 wielding herdsmen who are on Fulanisation mission.
This magazine was told that the Fulanis that has been cohabiting with natives are different from the ones that the Federal Government wants to occupy the Ruga settlements.
“Cattle business has suddenly become one of the most sought after business in the south. Prominent southerners, including but not limited to governors, invest in the cattle business, hitherto the exclusive preserves of Retired generals and northern politicians. They are seeing a future in the investments based on current government push for Ruga. That is why southern governors are paying lip service to the Ruga war”, this magazine was told over the weekend.
There has been allegations that Ruga is a vehicle for Fulanization agenda of the government, otherwise it is difficult to explain government obsession with what is regarded as private business.
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, had recently lamented that his efforts to get the South west governors to key in to the fight against kidnapping and Fulanization has met with brick wall of silence, a position he attributed to their being diplomatic over the issue.
This seems to have been confirmed by the activities of the herdsmen in Nenwe, in Aninri local government area of Enugu state.
Aninri is the constituency of the immediate past Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
The town has taken to the social media to lament the inversion of their land by Fulani herdsmen, who now dictate when they should harvest their crops, also threatening them with death.
“Once, an indigene was driving back home in his car when the herdsmen opened fire on his car, mortally wounding him. It turned out that the herdsmen were merely testing their marksmanship”, this magazine was told.
The Man is said to be currently recovering in a hospital.
With the activities of the herdsmen going viral, the governor of Enugu state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, immediately went to Nenwe community, where he allegedly pleaded with them to allow the herdsmen to live in peace with them, allegedly giving the community sum of N2 million to cushion the effect of damages.
This was the first time Ugwuanyi will be visiting Nenwe in his four years as governor.
Recall that, despite uproars, the Federal government had insisted on going ahead with the Ruga program as their only solution to the herdsmen menace. Government has already got it gazetted, and has started trial in some states. They, however, has not officially mentioned the states that is being used as pilot scheme, though there has been speculation in the media.
South east, South south and south west governors have officially rejected Ruga.
