A recent judgement by a United States indicted Nigeria by a $6.59 billion arbitral award, plus $2.30 billion interest accruable with time. This translated to a total of N2.7 trillion at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s rate of N306 to one U.S Dollar. In a judgement given in a case that spanned the regime of former president Goodluck Jonathan and the Buhari administration, the case was finally concluded in a U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. recently.
According to Premium Times, an online portal, the country would have paid less than 10 per cent of the $8.9 billion award if the Muhammadu Buhari administration had acted in line with the recommendation passed to it by the preceding Goodluck Jonathan regime.
Process & Industrial Development Limited (P&ID), an American engineering firm, had been fighting Nigeria for breach of contract. Government instituted a negotiation team constituted by President Jonathan which successfully negotiated an out-of-tribunal settlement with the company, P&ID and got the company to accept an $850 million payment, about 9.6 per cent of the $8.9billion award.
When Buhari took over, he ignored that settlement and rather asked its lawyers to return to the tribunal to further contest the engineering firm’s claims.
The tribunal then ruled against Nigeria, awarding $6.6 billion in favor of the British Virgin Islands firm.
The refusal to settle the matter for over five years attracted additional $2.3billion in accumulated interest at seven per cent per annum.
Jonathan had pulled through the negotiation at the sunset of his regime, and left the execution of the payment to his successor who, instead of following through, decided to start the case afresh, ignoring the former brokered deal.
“President Jonathan reasoned that since his administration was already a few days away from its exit on May 29, 2015, it was proper not to approve the payment of $850 million to avoid unnecessary suspicion,” Premium Times quoted an anonymous official as saying.
Nigerian indigenous rappers, Olamide and Phyno, have released a World Cup theme tune to support the Super Eagles at the finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
The song, tittled “Dem Go Hear Am” produced by Pheelz, is powered by Aiteo, a main sponsor of the Super Eagles for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Aiteo Group, founded in February 2008, is an integrated, global-focused Nigerian Energy conglomerate that partnered with the Nigerian Football Federation, to give quality treatment and support to the players and technical crew of the Super Eagles throughout their World Cup campaign.
Phyno announced the release of the tune on his Twitter and Instagram accounts @Phynofino: “Dem go hear am!!!! Out everywhere now Fam”
The official theme song will be launched at an event in Lagos featuring a host of Nigerian Performers, including Phyno, Olamide, Small Doctor, Ay and Bovi.
The Lyrics of the song paid tribute to some ex-Super Eagles players like Sunday Oliseh, Rashidi Yekini and Samuel Okwaraji.
Similarly, leading up to the previous World Cup, Nigeria’s National Telecom Operator and Major Sponsor of the Super Eagles, Globacom, assembled its music ambassadors including MI, Flavour, Wande Coal, and Omawumi to produce three theme songs aimed at firing up support for the team’s success in the 2014 World Cup.
Recently, the Official World Cup song, titled “Live It Up” by Will Smith, was released on different Music streaming platforms. The official song will be performed during the opening ceremony of the competition on June 14.
For the first time in Nigerian history, a President of Nigeria summoned Security Council meeting three times in one week, underlying the tension that has engulfed the polity due to the faceoff between the National Assembly and the Executive arm of government.
In recent times, there have been serious altercations between the executive and the legislature. The Source reported last week how the United states Ambassador to Nigeria was in a closed door meeting with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the impeachment threat that resulted in Buhari summoning Security Council meeting.
The outcome of that meeting was the declaration of June 12, 1993 a public holiday and the National honors bestowed on Late Chief Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of June 12 1993 presidential elections, Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the legal Luminary that doubled as a human rights lawyer, and Babagana Kingigbe, Abiola’s running mate. The awards to Abiola and Fawehinmi were to be done posthumously, while Kingigbe is to receive his own award personally. The magazine was told that this was to kill three birds with one stone following the nose-diving of Buhari’s popularity rating. Recently, the Guardian Newspaper, a pro establishment paper, conducted a mock election between Buhari and the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, and Buhari trailed Atiku in votes. The same trend was found in another poll by another National Newspaper. And the current trend whereby many runoff elections are being won by the rival Peoples Democratic Party is becoming worrisome. And the trend is possibly going to affect the forthcoming Ekiti elections.
The decision to immortalize Abiola was meant to achieve three things: to divert attention from the impeachment saga, to assuage the Southwest, who were the support base in the south for All Progressives Congress, APC, and to take the shine off from IPOB in their May 30 annual sit at home. This year, the sit at home order was fully observed in major cities of the South east. Meanwhile, the Fulani herdsmen continue their activities, which involves there coming to a town, kill a few, the town runs away, they burn their houses and when everything is settled, they will have nowhere to go to, and they will end up in IDP camp, and the herdsmen will take over quietly.
But the distraction boomeranged as it was not well thought out. The Senate took it up and requested that Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC should declare the full result, and Abiola declared winner and all entitlements of a former president paid him-a near impossibility. And the South east, through Ohaneze Ndigbo, has declared him an Igbo hater as he ignored Humphrey Nwosu, the National Electoral Commission boss. Many see the Abiola Saga as a Greek Gift.
This was the state of things when information filtered in that Theophilus Danjuma, a former Minister of Defence and a retired General and one of the most influential triumvirates of Obasanjo, Danjuma and Babangida, is in the United States of America with the Taraba governor, Darius Ishiaku, campaigning against the presidency. They have met with various White House and congressional committees.
“Evidence is there that President Buhari has failed. Corruption continues and ineffective governance does not confront attacks on villages. If chaos continues in Nigeria, refugees will flood over West Africa, then Europe and eventually America – whether you build a wall or not,” he told the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON), in collaboration with Heritage Foundation and 21 Wilberforce, adding that the issue of extremism among some Fulani people has led to horrific attacks on villages that echo Boko-Haram tactics.
They have been providing evidence of Christian killings and collision with security agencies, a very worrisome development in view of the recent visit by Buhari to the White House and his soliciting for support from the White House. He allegedly agreed to many of Trump’s propositions just to get his support towards his second term bid. He even was said to have instructed Nigerian Ambassador to attend American opening of their Embassy in Jerusalem.
This angered the Arab World, and they breathed down his neck, forcing him to disown the action. Now Danjuma is in U.S. Trump, during Buhari’s visit, had vowed that “we will do something” about the killings.
The new trend of things necessitated a second Security meeting, as the senate has allegedly collated about 84 signatures for the impeachment. Indications were that coup is not a ruled out option if the impeachment is carried out to keep the presidency in the North. This Junaid Mohamed, a Buhari henchman, was used to fly the kite, warning the populace of the repercussion of impeachment. The prospect of a Vice President Osinbajo taking over after impeachment seems like a terrible nightmare.
So much inflammatory statements from Buhari supporters have increased in recent times due to the impeachment threat. Attempts to impeach both the president and Vice at the same time will result in their worst nightmare: Bukola Saraki Interim presidency.
Indications are that, torn between the American bullying President and his own preferred constituency, the Arab world, he prefers to damn the consequences and follow his religion. According to the president, he will prefer to act in such a way that he will be able to go to Paradise when he passes on.
Perhaps that was why, after a third meeting to assure himself that nothing will happen in his absence, he jetted out to morocco, a a country that has been struggling to join the ECOWAS group even though it is not a west African country. The idea is to join Nigeria as a strong voice in defense of Islamization in the meetings. It will be recalled that Morocco was on her way to an ECOWAS Meeting when he got wind of the fact that Benjamin Natanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, was already addressing the body. He turned back from the airport and went back home. Nigeria was not represented at that ECOWAS summit.
Hobnobbing with such fringe countries shows how far Buhari can go in pursuing his agenda.
Opinions appear to be divided in over the recognitions of June 12, 1993, presidential election that was annulled by the then Military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida and June 12, as Nigeria newDemocracy Day by President Muhammadu Buhari, of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC.
There were those who believe that the Presidential actions had healed the old wound which had hunted the nation over the years. One of such people was Bolaji Akinyemi, a Professor and former minister of External Affairs.
incidentally, Akinyemi was a member of the defunct National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, which had as one of its founding members, Bola Ahmed Tinubu , a former governor of Lagos state and now , national leader of the APC. Akinyemi had commended Buhari for taking the bold decision to recognise June 12, 1993, Presidential election and Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, popular, MKO , and Babagana Kingibe his running mate in the defunct , Social Democractic Party, SDP, as an lected President and Vice President , thus deserving to be honoured with the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic , GCFR, and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, respectively.
The former, External Affairs minister said the honour bestowed on Abiola, the late politician and business mongul was one in many steps to be taken by any government towards the healing of hurting national wounds. An elated Akinyemi declared , ”I thank Buhari for the Presidential decision to recognise June 12, 1993, as a watershed in Nigeria history.
He said ”I recognise how momentous that decision was” , noting that the Katsina state born President of Nigeria has addressed some of the wounds afflicted on this nation by former Administrations. He was alluding to the regimes of Babangida,a former military President and late General Sani Abacha.
Buhari was said to be an insider of the Abacha Administration as he served as the then Chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, established to execute projects with oil money by the Administration. Akinyemi described the Presidential decison as a ”national rather than a sectional victory”.
Abiola: Honoured by Buhari
Many believe that Buhari who hada great influence on the Abacha Administration ought to have used his position to facilitate the actualisation of June 12, 1993 Presidential election instead of stabbing him and Babangida on the back to win the heart of Nigerians as a” Democrat”.
They argued that he should have at least made his views about the June 12, 1993 Presidential election, known to Abacha, the then Head of State and let it be that he turned it down but he never did, an indication that he was at peace with his actions.
in spite of the fact that Buhari’s government had recognised June 12 and bestowed honour to late , Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the Presidential election, Akinyemi’s major worries, however, was that he ought to have extended the national honour award to other eminent Nigerians who were involved in the struggle to actualise the June 12 stolen mandate by the military instead of limiting it to late Abiola, Kingibe and late Gani Fawhinmi, member of NADECO and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN.
The former External Affairs minister has his reasons. He stressed that some people had lost their lives in the struggle to actualise June 12, 1993 , Presidential election, as some were imprisoned and detained in various prisons across the country by the Babangida and Abacha Gestapo.
The Ejigbo 2001 incident in Lagos where many people who were running for safety because of a bomb blast at Ikeja Cantonment got drowned in the Creek remain fresh in his mind.
Giving further insight into the pro-Democracy struggle, he said anyany activists were tortured and some forced to flee the country by both the Babangida and Abacha Administrations. The former minister was said to among those that fled the country to the United States, US. Tinubu, who is now a key player in the Buhari Administration was also said to have fled to the US. The duo and other pro-Democracy activists within and outside the country, were said to have used the NADECO platform to sensitize the International Community about June 12, 1993 stolen mandate and the need to force the then Babangida and Abacha Administrations to return the stolen mandate to Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, election.
But the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has called on Nigerians from all walks of life to take Buhari’s declaration of June 12 as Democracy Day and the posthumous award to the late Moshood Abiola and others, with a pinch of salt. Although group had earlier celebrated the Buhari’s government declaration on June 12, and the recognition of Abiola as the acclaimed winner of the Presidential election, the group said there was a need to test the motives and true intentions of the government with the upcoming elections in Ekiti, Osun and 2019 presidential elections.
Yinka Odumakin, Afenifere Spokesman, in a statement, said the group had been in the struggle to get the government to recognise the historic moment of June 12 and the sacrifice of Abiola for two decades.
Odumakin, who was a former Buhari ally, fears that the government might be trying to use the Presidential decision to woo voters ahead of the coming 2019 general elections, even though the gesture was a welcome development.“We are not unaware that we are now in the election season and every attempt will be made to woo voters with issues that are popular,” he said.
“He stopped short at saying that Tinubu may not have been the only person that facilitating the recognition of June 12, by the Buhhari government, noting that tAfenifere had been in the vanguard since the annulment of June 12, 1993, presidential election by the Administration of Babangida and for June 12 to be declared Democracy Day for over two decades now. it is not sursprising that despite the mixed reactions that greeted the government declaration on June 12. Tuesday, June 6, 2018 the still maintained its stand that it accept the declarations and commend Buhari bold initiative.
Barshir Tofa, the Kano state born Presidential Candidate of the National Republican Convention, NRC, in the June 12, 1993, election, is not amused by Buhari’s decision. He may not have come out clearly to express his anger over the Presidential decision to give national honour to Abiola and two others over their contribution in the struggle to actualise the election but his actions speak volume.
Barshir , according to sources had not hidden his opposition to the Presidential decision to give the highest natinoal honours of the country to Abiola and Kingibe, his running mate respectively, for an election that was inclusive. An aggrieved Tofa , queried the rational for giving Late, who, he described as his friend the national honour, noting that the government action was not based on” fair play and justice”. He was said to have made it clear to those that care to listen that if he was given the national honour, he would not accept it.
insiders said the government could not have included his name on the national honours list because he was a loser and never mobilised his supporters for the actulisation of the June 12, Presidential election like Abiola and his supporters did.
The source disclosed that Tofa’s remarks about the national honour to late Abiola was merely to draw the government’s attention that he deserves to be on the national honours list which investure had been fixed on Tuesday , June 12, 2018, being the country’s new Democracy Day.
Battle- hardened Generals are hardly swayed by sentiments or threats.President Muhammadu Buhari, a prominent combatants in the genocidal Nigerian civil war, is one.Once upon a time, the Daura, Kastina state-born Army General and ex-military dictator,was stone-faced and unsmilling.But not anymore.politics has tempered him. He now smiles and crack jokes.
However, if he was smiling or cracking jokes on Tuesday, June 5th, he probably stopped abruptly immediately news of impeachment threats against him by the National Assembly filtered into Aso Rock, Nigeria’s seat of power.
An Aso Rock insider reveals that as soon as the joint sitting of the Senate and the House of Representatives issued the impeachement threat against the President,the mood in the presidency changed from conviviality to desperation.His close aides and key members of his kitchen cabinet comprising wholly of his Northern kins quickly met and many insisted the National Assembly led by Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara drew inspiration from former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s strident campaign to torpedo their principal’s re-election.
Saraki was characterised as unbending and the most powerful Senate President ever to have emerged since the dawn of democracy 19 years ago.The full political implication of the National Assembly’s resolution was then explained to Buhari: Impeachment will be a Herculean task to achieve going by the 1999 constitution and will therefore, not succeed but the joint sitting of the National Assembly and the resultant threat to do him in has not only demystified him but would seriously corrode his re- election bid as the underlining message in the NASS action is that he is has failed and not fit to lead the country.
The Source futher learnt that his kitchen cabinet and key loyalists were worried that unless something drastic and populist was done to change or atleast dilute the narrative, the President will go down in history as the only one whose administration’s actions and inactions attracted a joint sitting of the National Assembly where odium and opprobrium were generously delivered by fellow party men,in active collaboration with the opposition.
Desperate to regain the momentum,a pacification process that will begin from the Southwest was agreed.This magazine was told that a secrete accessment of the president’s rating in the South west that had earlier been carried showed that the people of that region are massively buying into Obasanjo’s argument against Buhari’s re-election hence his dwindling rating there.Thus, the
president’s handlers impressed it upon him to positively touch the raw nerve of the Yoruba by resurrecting the June12, 1993 presidential election and the presumed winner of the election and paint them in elegant colours and watch the resultant enchanting sparks.
It was argued that exhuming June 12 and placing Abiola on an unprecedented national radar are political master strokes that could achieve a number of elegant results for the President and divert attention from National Assembly’s onslaught.As was envisaged by the President’s inner caucus,the projected outcome of pro-Abiola cum Yoruba moves are: He will be endeared to the Southwest in order to reverse his sagging support base in the region, will lead to Yoruba federal lawmakers to break ranks with their colleagues and soft pedal in the anti- Buhari rehtorics in the National Assembly, Obasanjo, a direct beneficiary of the June 12 fiasco, will be cast as anti- Yoruba and sadist who refused to honour his kinsman when he had the opportunity as two- term president and Nigerians, particularly the Yoruba will be reminded that ex- dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida, who like Obasanjo is opposed to Buhari’s re-election, committed unforgivable crime against free choice and democracy by annulling a presidential election adjudged as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.
The sweet scents of the moves and their expected results were over powering.The magazine gathered that President Buhari who critics say was never a June 12 advocate not only immediately granted South west’s 25 years old demand that June 12 be incorporated into the national calendar and designated as Democracy Day, he also posthumously confered on Abiola the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR.Another Yoruba icon and late feiry lawyer and human rights activist,Gani Fawehinmi was also posthumously awarded the second highest national honour, Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON. The late Abiola’s running mate in the ill- fated June 12, 1993 presidential election, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe was also given GCON.
The Source learnt that so excited were the President and his key loyalists by the Abiola/Southwest appeasement project that declaring Abiola as President posthumously on the strength of the unofficial results of the June 12 presidential election which indicated that the late business mogul and philanthropist clearly defeated his challenger, Bashir Tofa, was canvassed
However, constitutional, political and legal snares of such move were pointed out and the idea eventually discarded.For example, the Nigerian constitution has no room for posthumous proclamation of a candidate in a presidential election president when such a candidate was neither officially declared winner of the election nor sworn-in before his demise.
Besides, it was argued that declaring Abiola President in death and Kingibe who is still alive, Vice President-elect could trigger agitations for him (Kingibe) to be declared Abiola’s successor and sworn-in.
It was also feared that there will be agitations for second Republic President, Shehu Shagri who Buhari dethroned on December 31st, 1983 in a military coup, to be brought back to complete his second term in office.
Meanwhile, determined to shore up his popularity ahead next year’s presidential election,The Source has been informed that the South east is the next geo-political zone slated to be placated by Buhari.It has been learnt that a national monument in the South east is likely to be named after the late military governor of the defunct Eastern Region and later Head of State of the short-lived Biafra, General Chukwukwu Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu who is adored and venerated by his people and even in death , still evokes tremendous emotions and sentiments among the people of the zone.
Completion and physical presence at the unveiling of Zik’s mausoleum is also top on the president’s appeasement agenda.The mausoleum was started in 1996 by the late military strongman, General Sani Abacha following Zik’s death but could not be completed by successive administrations of General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Obasanjo, late Umaru Musa Yar Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.Buhari is reportedly eager to deliver the project in order to project himself to the Igbo as the President who eventually provided a final resting place for their son, Zik who was Nigeria’s first President.
Apart from above, the lopsided composition of Nigeria’s security structure in favour of the North, sources told The Source,is likely to be altered to bring on board an Igbo.It is not however, clear which of the service chiefs will give way for the Igbo but the magazine has been emphatically told that “the President has no plans to give command of the Nigerian Army to a non Northerner and non Moslem to head as Chief of Army Staff”.
The Source also gathered that Middle Belt where armed Fulani herdsmen have been unleashing blood-chilling mayhem on innocent people and communities and the South south where environmental degradation,economic deprivation and infrastructural neglect remain thorny issues are also to be pacified with tough measures against the murderous herdsmen and massive environmental, infrastructural, economic facelift respectively.
Meanwhile, there are indications that the National Assembly is not prepared to back down on its confrontation with Buhari and will proceed to pass a vote of no confidence on the Nigerian leader if he fails to act on its ultimatum within a reasonable time frame.
With the 2018 World Cup just three days away from kick-off, Nigerian fans are somewhat less confident on the chances of the Super Eagles making a resounding impact at the Coupe de Mundial; after some lacklustre performances in the recent tune-up matches they played.
Following the back-to-back defeat suffered at the hands of the Three Lions of England and the Narodak of the Czech Republic, and the 1-1 draw with the Simbas of the DR of Congo; many fans have come to the sudden realisation that the team is not in any way ready for the World Cup.
Suddenly the Sterling performances of the Super Eagles during the World Cup qualifiers in which the team qualified for the World Cup with a match to spare, or the morale boosting 4-2 trouncing of the Albiceleste of Argentina in a friendly match in Russia last year; has faded into distant memories.
But in spite of the misgivings being expressed by teeming Nigerian football fans… I feel the poor outing by the Super Eagles in the friendly matches played so far, is the best thing to have happened to the team in recent times.
Because if the team had won those matches — the players would have been lulled into a false sense of complacency — and become FOOLISHLY overconfident during the main event.
Friendly matches can be deceptive and fans should not be unduly swayed by results from friendly matches whether good or bad.
It is in such tune-up matches that coaches test-run their strategies and tactics through combination of players; in usual and unusual positions in the field of play, which the untrained-eye would not see.
Now that the “inherent flaws’’ of the Super Eagles have been bared for all to see, I believe the players will knuckle down and work their socks-off in the remaining days to be in tip-top shape for the main event on June 16 against the Vatreni of Croatia at the Kaliningrad Stadium.
As much as I would want the Super Eagles to perform maximally in all their matches, I would rather prefer the team to lose the way they are currently doing in the friendly matches they have played, and perform excellently in the competition they are preparing for.
Therefore, I see the current development as a blessing in disguise, because now that the odds are not in our favour, this is the best time to prove bookmakers wrong with their permutations.
The Super Eagles may not win the World Cup in Russia, but we expect the team to exceed our expectations this time around by playing coherent and purposeful football that would likely take Nigeria to a place it has never ascended to in the World Cup.
It now behooves on Coach Gernot Rohr to lick the team into shape and for Mikel Obi et al… to put up a performance that all Nigerians will be proud of, and prove to sceptics that they are not a flash in the pan.
The demise of Ukeleke Augustine Onwubuya popular as Ras Kimono came as rude shock to many.The Reggae music icon who ruled the airwaves in the mid 80s and 90s with his peculiar Reggae genre died on Sunday, June 10, 2018 at Lagoon Hospital, Lagos. Reggae lovers and Kimono fans are grief-stricken, with some of them describing June 10th as “Black Sunday”
Stakeholders in the entertainment industry agree Kimono contributed immensely to the music industry in Nigeria as his genre of music put Nigeria in the ranks of nations with global Reggae stars.
When The Source interviewed him a few years ago, the late Reggae star disclosed how his love for music started quiet early in life. According to him after his secondary school education in Gbenoba Secondary School, Agbor, he teamed up with the likes of Majek Fashek, Amos McRoy Jegg and Black Rice Osagie to form a musical group called Jastix Reggae Ital. He further stated that his music was greatly influenced by the poverty, inequality and hardship he witnessed in his early life.
Ras Kimono
In 1989, Kimono warmed his way into the heart of the people with a hit album titled ‘Under Pressure’ on the Premiere Music label. He was instantly propelled to the status of a star. The album had hits such as “Under Pressure”, “Natty Get Jail” and the massive hit “Rhumba Stylee”.
Despite his successes, in the early years of his solo music career, Ras Kimono left the shores of the country for America with his family. However in 2010 he returned to the country saying he took the decision because he felt he needed to reconnect with his fans. This he did in the way he knew best: Releasing songs in 2009 and 2011 respectively. Last October, he released a single digitally, titled, “Blessed Africa” which didn’t do badly.
His former band mate, Majek Fashek said they were together two days before his death. He lamented: “Ras Kimono why too soon, kimono my brethren? RIP I am short of words, our last meeting three days ago was for you to meet with my Manager, Uzo in America and death took you away. You will forever be in my heart. I am gonna miss you. Jah love you more till we meet again”.
Fahsek explained that three days ago, he and Ras Kimono spoke preparatory to meeting his Manager in New York.
In his own tribute,Skid Ikemefuna described the late Kimono as “a great musician, a lyrical warrior, fighter of injustice and oppression and a quiet and humble person…”
“Great man,humble and amiable,will miss you greatly”, Daddyfresh Onyebuchi Michael said.
For Myke Pam, another Reggae musician, “Kimono’s passing left me in a “choke mode… Coldchoke Hard fe swallow! Goodnight souljah! Rest in power and love!”.
Senator Ben Murrey-Bruce wrote on Twitter “I feel so sad hearing about the death of reggae legend, Ras Kimono. He redefined the face of music and there will be none like him. He will be dearly missed”.
“Death why! Why! My brother and my friend. Legend Ras Kimono rest in Peace. What a black day! Mourning Kimono, another Senator, Dino Melaye lamented: “What an unceremonious exit. I love you and will miss you. Sad sad sad”.
Tony Okoroji,Chairman of the Copyright society of Nigeria, COSON said he was with the musician by his sick bed a night before his passage.
“He was doing much better. We were talking and the doctor said he would be discharged soon. I was at the airport when a call informed me about his demise. I couldn’t stop shouting. I had to leave the airport and rush to the Lagoon hospital in Ikoyi where I saw my brother looking handsome but lifeless on the bed” he said.
The award- winning music icon until his death was a board member of COSON. Little wonder he was massively celebrated by the organization on the occasion of his 60th birthday on the 10th of May, a day that coincided with the COSON’s Annual General Meeting held at the Sheraton hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement from COSON, Okoroji said : ” Everyone at COSON is devastated because we all loved Ras Kimono who stood firmly for our cause. From Monday morning, flags begin to fly at half-mast at COSON House in Ikeja. A condolence register will also be opened at COSON House for the many-many lovers of Kimono to personally express their feelings at the loss of the Rub- a- Dub Master. On the many TV screens at COSON House, there will be continuous replay of the many great performances of Ras Kimono including his unforgettable performance at the last COSON Song Awards. I can assure everyone that COSON will ensure that Kimono is buried like the great star that he was and that his memory is never forgotten”.
The superstar artiste also fondly called the Rub-A-Dub master, due to his style of Reggae, is survived by family members, amongst them, five daughters. One of his daughters, Ogechukwu, is following in her dad’s musical footsteps.
With few days to the opening match of the Super Eagles against Croatia at the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia, Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr is optimistic that the national team will do the nation proud by defeating their European opponent in the first match of their group D encounter.
Rohr insists the Super Eagles will be arriving in Russia for the 2018 World Cup to make a bold statement, not as frightened rabbits.
The three-time African champions, who are scheduled to hit Russia on Monday (Today), from their camping ground in Austria, have copped a lot flake for losing their last pre-World Cup friendly match 1-0 against Czech Republic in Austria on Wednesday. The defeat came after they lost 2-1 against England on June 2.
However, Rohr has brushed off the defeats, saying they had made the necessary corrections based on their observations.
“We are okay with the garb of the underdog. But the defeats have done something for us — we have our heads firmly on our shoulders and we are focused,” the German told the Nigeria Football Federation’s official website on Sunday.
“Together, we have reviewed the matches and learnt so many lessons. We will approach the World Cup matches differently.”
The former Gabon manager said the Eagles would be ready for their tournament’s opening fixture against Croatia in Kaliningrad on Saturday, warning the Europeans not to underestimate his team.
The 64-year-old said, “We will take it one match at a time. I love this group because we know how to rise to the occasion together.
“Nigeria will be ready for Croatia.”
Meanwhile, reports on Sunday indicated that Rohr is planning to start versatile Israel-based John Ogu alongside Leicester City star Wilfred Ndidi in the defensive midfield against Croatia.
Turkey-based midfielder Ogenyi Onazi started in the holding positions alongside Ndidi in past matches but his recent below-par performances must be giving Rohr some concern.
Mikel Obi is expected to play in front of the duo with Victor Moses and Alex Iwobi also in line to start. Rohr is said to have since pencilled in new Brighton defender Leon Balogun and William Troost-Ekong for starting roles.
Tyronne Ebuehi is tipped to start ahead of Shehu Abdullahi in the right back, while the left back position is still a doubt as Uwa Elderson Echiejile is still battling for the position with Bryan Idowu.
In most parts of the Lagos metropolis, dirt has taken over. From Alimosho, Shomolu, Badore, Mushin, Ajegunle, Ikorodu et cetera, the situation is same, prompting the belief by Lagosians that Visionscape, the waste disposal company in the state cannot deal with about 13,000 metric tons of waste generated in the state daily, about the highest in sub-Sahara Africa. This is also posing a huge challenge to the state, and with grave health implications for its citizens. The situation has also raised fears that the company will likely mess up Lagos state water system which it has been contracted to improve on.
The Magazine’s findings reveal that with this huge challenge and threatening epidemic, Lagosians have decided to take the bull by the horns to dispose the mounting waste within their communities. This has led to the return of the waste disposing cart pushers, with the alleged downing of tools by the PSPs.
James Ali, resident of Irawo, off Ikorodu Road, Lagos is angry that Visionscape with all the hype by government that it was going to deal with the problem of the state within the shortest possible time, as the area would have become a refuse dump site had the people who have been paying their waste disposal fees not engaged the services of cart waste disposal operators.
“ The situation is worrisome, and if the state does not declare an S.O.S in the waste disposal sector in the state, we will wake up one morning and find out that waste has taken over Lagos state.
“ It was not like this before the coming of Visionscape, when the PSPs and cart pushers were legally allowed to operate. Visionscape has no vision to move the state sanitation forward,” he lamented.
While pleading with the state government to hasten action and deal with this threatening and embarrassing situation, Ali regretted that only the high brow areas seem to be top priority in Visionscape’s operations.
In Oke- Odo, and most areas in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos state, with the absence of Visionscape and PSPs, women are seen filling the gap in the waste disposal business with cart pushers. The women charge between N100 and N500 per waste depending on the size of the waste. This they dispose at Ilepo area.
“ Does the state have any moral justification to stop them? Of course no, because it has failed in its duty. These women and cart pushers have to settle the touts at the dump site before they are allowed to dispose of their waste.
The poor performance by Visionscape had prompted investigations by the Lagos state House of Assembly on the operations of Visionscape. However in spite of the ongoing investigation by Lagos State House of Assembly, Visionscape management has reiterated its commitment to fulfilling its part in the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, CLI. The company also expressed its willingness to work with PSP operators in Lagos. According to the company’s Head, Corporate Communications, Montunrayo Elias, over 100 PSP operators had joined VSS to aid waste collection in the state.
While giving update on the operation s of the company, she said: “Our plan is to service all the residential areas in the streets of Lagos state. We have a lot of black spots or illegal dump sites in the states. We want to clear all the black spots before moving into the residential areas.”
Meanwhile, Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has asked the Lagos State Government to terminate any agreement it may have entered into with Visionscape in the water sector considering its performance in waste management which has shown that it will also throw the water sector into crisis.
The environmental rights group made the emergency call following general outcry that has greeted the alleged poor operations of Visionscape which the Lagos State Government contracted to implement its Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI).
The Lagos government paved the way for the company to take-over waste management under a PPP arrangement after it introduced a bill that merged all waste management agencies in the state into one. The law was passed by the state House of Assembly in April 2017 and the company took over refuse management operations from local operators on September 1, 2017.
Four months into its operations following the takeover from PSPs, ERA/FOEN said the streets of Lagos are replete with uncollected waste littering major roads, fronts of residences in inner streets and the outskirts of the state.
Last year also, the Lagos State government had announced that it has entered into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) agreement with Visionscape for the management of Adiyan II water project which has prompted negative reactions from the people.
ERA/FoEN in a statement by its Deputy Executive Director, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said that the poor outing of Visionscape does not come as a surprise to civil society and grassroots groups who have not relented in their call for the state government to quit its “PPP misadventure which unfortunately also targets the water sector.
“The embarrassing showing of Visionscape despite the publicity blitz about its waste management prowess is a reflection of how PPPs fail to deliver. It is disheartening that the state government has picked the same company along with its consortium partner –Metito to manage Lagos water.”
Oluwafemi pointed out that the speed with which the Lagos House of Assembly signed the bill that opened the door for Visionscape to become a major operator in the waste management sector in Lagos is in itself an anomaly, which has forced the state governor,Akinwunmi Ambode to force the newly elected Local Council Chairmen to take waste disposal in their domains as top priority.
“At the time Lagosians were alarmed that the state government put forward a PPP in the waste management sector as the solution to some observed inefficiencies by the local operators. Now it is clear that the PPP thing is a myth just like we had all along warned”
“Visionscape’s operations have been so embarrassing that at a point the Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode forced newly elected local council chairmen to take clearing of waste within their communities as a major duty.”
Oluwafemi stressed that beyond the existing chaos, the models upon which PPP is based have failed to uphold the human right to water and locked governments into long-term contracts, even as he cautioned that the firms shortlisted under the Adiyan II project, because of their track-records, will also bring the chaos into the Lagos water sector.
The shortlisted firms are AG Gold Trust Nigeria Limited, Vision Scape Water Solutions Limited/Metito, Veolia/Shoreline Group and Abegoa and Naston & Partners.
“Just like we provided details of the violations by the other firms handpicked by the state government, considering Visionscape’s demonstration of unbridled incapacity in management of solid waste in Lagos, the prospects of a Metito-Visionscape consortium to manage Adiyan II are very bleak. Lagos residents will not relent in the use of all legitimate means to demand for the human right to water to be fully upheld as an obligation of the government, representing the people,” he insisted.
President Muhammadu Buhari appears to have warmed himself back into the heart of the people of the south west Geo-political region by upholding the June 12, 1993 Presidential election which was annulled by Ibrahim Badamosi babangida, a retired General and former military President. Buhari’s initial plan was to ignore the south and turn to the south east for support in the 2019 election. But his loopside appointment which did not favour the region may have revealed to him that the region will never support him in his relection bid, forcing him to turn to the south west again by bowing to their demands in his desperate bid to retain power in 2019.
By upholding the June 12, 1993 election, moshhod Kasimawo Abiola, popular, MKO, and Babagana Kingibe of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, who were constitutionally elected t o form a new government in the country were bestowed with posthumous national honours including Gani Fehwehinmi, an activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, for their contribution to the struggle for Democracy in Nigeria.
Abiola was bestowed with a posthumousnational honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR and Kingibe, the best Vice President, Nigeria never had received the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, award meant for the office of the Vice President and others who were Constitutionally qualified to be given the honor like the Chief Justice of the Federation , Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. Also, qualifed for the national honour from the President were people who were said to have distinguished themselves in their businesses or careers . This may have qualified, Gani Faweihinmi, an activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN,to earn the GCON award.
The people of the south east maay have expected Buhari to extend the same national honor given to Abiola, Kingibe and Gani to Humphry Nwosu, the then Chairman, Federal Electoral Commission, FEDECO, , for disobeying Babangida, the then military President in announcing the election results which showed clearly that Abiola of the SDP, was leading and could have won if allowed perform his Constitutional duties by the military. He wa said to have beens forcefully asked to stop further announcement of the election results to create the impression that the election was inclusive inn order to give room for Babangida to continue in office against the wish of Nigerians. The denial of the national honour to Nwosu, the FEDECO, boss may have widened the gulf between Buhari and the Igbos for now.
Many While the Igbos are not happy that one of their own sons who ought to have have benefitted from the national honour award was not given, there was intense pressure on the Gani family to reject the national honor as the activist had done during his life time when similar national honours were given to him by past governments but they got it wrong. Mohammed Fawehinmi. a Lawyer and eldest son of the late legal Icon said the family welcomed the honor bestowed on the activist by the Buhari Administration.
The Lawyer said the association of Abiola, the late winner of the June 12, 1993 election made it difficult for the family to turn the award down like previous ones because it is coming at the same time as the recognition of Abiola as the winner of June 12, 1993 election.. He disclosed that it would have been his father’s happiest moment if he were to be alive.
Besides, giving national honours to Abiola, Kingibe and Gani,Buhari had also upturned Nigeria Democracy Day celebration from May 29 to June 12 yearly. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had proclaimed May 29 as Nigeria Democracy being the day, the military voluntarily relinquished power to a democratically elected government that was formed by him. Many see Many see it asa politicalmaster stroke which is expected to push up the polpularity rating of Buhari that, had had gone down over the months because of the high level of poverty and unemployment in the country , blamed on his inability to fix the economy which was in shambles because of poor management of past Administrations.
Buhari may have gone a step further with his plan to seal the Presidential decision that May 29 is no longer Nigeria Democracy Day but June 12 and the upholding of the June 12, 1993, election, by ordering Abubakar Malami, Attorney General and minister of Justice to quickly gaze the policies that would make become laws. Giving reasons for the reversal of the yearly Democracy Day Celebration from May 29 to June 12, Buhari said, ”it was more symbolic of Democracy because” stressing that” it was a day Nigerians in millions expressed their democratic will” in a free and fair election”. Before now, the June 12” popular democracy Day” , celebration, had been limited to south west and Edo state in the south south geo-political region.
Buhari And Obasanjo:When The Going Was Good
Political analysts see the reversal of the two major policy decisions taken by former military President Babangida and President Obasanjo respectively as a Sspite on the duo. Incidentally, the two political heavyweights had been opposed to Buhari re-election bid because of his alleged poor performance in office.
But not many are surprised at the reversal of theJune 12, 1993 Presidential election annulment and approval of June 12 as the country’s Democracy Day by the Buhari led APC government.
This is because of the involvement of Bola Tinubu, a former NADECO Chieftain , in the Buhari government. Tinubu and other NADECO Chieftains which had link wit the Administration were said too have facilitated the actualisation of the June 12, 1993, election and its recognition as Nigeria Democracy Day to push up Buhari rating in the south west .
A political associate of Tinubu who spoke to the Magazine disclosed that if the former Lagos state governor, popular, jagaban, had not put in words to Bhari to take the political decision in order to win the support of the people of the south west in the 2019 election, the President on his own could not have done it. Tinubu, on his own knew , that is the only political option left for Buhari to take to actualise his re-election given the strong political forces , across the country that are opposed to him. This may have brought back Buhari into contention in the south west geoplitical region despite moves by Obbasajo to mobilise forces against him in the region.
This brings to mind what Akan Ebenezer, a political analysts said recently that the only lifeline Buhari needs to actualise his re-election bid in 2019 ,was Tinubu, regarded in political circles as a” master planner and tactician” and the APC governors.
obasanjo may have, diverted the euphoria that greeted Buhari recognition of Abiola as an elected President in the June 12, 1993 election and the date as Nigeria Democracy Day, instead of May 29 to raise alarm of the government plot to fame him up in order to jail him. The revelation may have forced Okey Nwosu, Chairman, African Democractic Congress, ADC, to threaten fire and brine stone, if the former President was touched by security operatives under any guise. h the former President was said told political associates that he is now on the watch list of the government, stressing that part of the government plot was to seize his international passport and clamp him into detention.
He disclosed that the plot could not have been be overlooked because of the treatment meted out to Bukola Saraki, Senate President and Yakubu Dogara, Spaker of the House by security operatives under the watchful eyes of Buhari. He believes that if the government could framed up Saraki, the Senate President in the Offa, Kwara state, bank robbery last April in which many lives were lost, there is nothing the government cannot do to any other person in the country, no matter how highly placed in the society.
The alarm raised by Obasanjo may have given the opposition, PDP, ammunition to fight back. The party insists that all the plans by Buhari to intimidate political opponents and those ”perceived that could give him problem in the 2019 election will come to naught”.
Kola Ologbodiyan, the party Spokesman in a statement said ”the party was alarmed by Obasanjo’s revelation that the Buhari led government was plotting to arrest him on trumped up charges and detain him indefinitely”.The party said the revelation coming from Obasanjo is terrifying and would heat up the polity, as political forces opposed to his re-election bid in the 2019 general election are determied to unseat him to avoid a return to the Abacha reign of terror in the country.
Obasanjo may have taken advantage of the crisis in the respective APC sttate Congress to reach out to the aggrieved parties including the governors to sway their support to his perceived Candidate from the north. He was said to have met recently with Abiola Ajimobi, governor of Oyo state. The meeting was said to have been held behind close doors. The former President was said to have taken advantage of the crisis in APC in the state between the governor and Adebayo Shittu, the minister of Communication to step. the outcome of the meeting is still a closely guided secreet.
