Former Women Affairs Minister, Aisha Jummai Alhassan, also called Mama Taraba is Dead, the Leadership has reported.
Jummai Alhassan was a member of the 7th Senate having been elected on the platform of the PDP.
She later dumped the party for APC and was the governorship candidate of the party in the 2015 elections in Taraba State.
She died in a Cairo hospital, Egypt.
Details Later
Several members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have been killed in an encounter with the police in the Orlu area of Imo State.
A confirmed police source told Newspot that members of the proscribed group were on their way to attack Orlu Police Station.
The security sources also confirmed that several stolen vehicles used by IPOB militants in their operation were also recovered. A video of them earlier setting out for the attack has also been released.
The video shows the militants boarding vehicles as they embarked on the twatted operation.
Orlu, the alleged location of the attack is the second-largest city in Southeast Nigeria.
This comes about two weeks after a joint operation comprising the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and Department of State Services killed IPOB’s Number 2 man, Commander Ikonso, and six other members of the group.
Security sources told Newspot that Ikonso was killed in the early hours of April 24 with two other members arrested.
Security sources told Newspot that Ikonso was killed in the early hours of April 24 with two other members arrested.
The late IPOB leader was also said to be the coordinator of all the operations of the group in the South-East, including the attack on the Imo Police Headquarters on April 5 and several other attacks on security and military personnel and facilities.
Security operatives were said to have stormed the IPOB’s operational headquarters in Awomamma village, Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State, where they engaged the gunmen in exchange for fire.
Commander Ikonso, alongside six others of his colleagues, eventually fell to the superior firepower of the security operatives.
Ikonso is said to have carried out series of violent attacks on security personnel and formations in the South-East and South-South of the country.
The operation is part of deliberate efforts by the police and other security forces to quell the activities of insurgents in Imo State and other states of the southeast and South-South region of the country.
Several sophisticated weapons including six AK-47 rifles, hundreds of ammunition of different calibre, and charms meant to ward off bullets were recovered from the gunmen. (newspotng)
Courts across the country will remain closed until at least next week after a meeting between judiciary workers and representatives of the Federal Government ended with no concrete solutions.
The meeting was postponed till next week.
The workers have been on strike since April as they insist on financial autonomy for the judiciary.
The Federal Government has said the appropriate laws for judiciary autonomy have been signed into law and that implementation lies with state governments.
At Thursday’s meeting, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, reiterated that the Federal Government has no problem with the issue of financial autonomy for the judiciary.
He maintained that it was an issue that concerned states and their finances.
The minister added that major progress had been made during the series of meetings the government has held since the strike was declared.
Ngige said 90 percent of all requirements had been met and that the remaining 10 percent needed to be addressed after the reopening of the courts.
He pleaded with the workers to suspend their strike, so that all the procedures could be operationalised.
He also said that the closure of courts was an impediment for security agencies, who could not charge suspects of crimes such as kidnapping and banditry to court.
In his remarks, President of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Marwan Adamu, said the meeting wouldn’t have been necessary if the position of the law and constitution had been adhered to.
He said the workers were not attempting to negotiate the constitution but to ensure compliance with its provisions on financial autonomy for the judiciary. (Theconclaveng)
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has directed Channels TV and Inspiration FM Lagos to pay a fine N5 million each for infractions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, the Acting Director-General of the commission, announced this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
Idachaba explained that NBC on Monday, April 26, served Channels TV a letter indicating the station’s culpability and liability for infractions of the Code in respect to its broadcast of “Politics Today” of Sunday, April 25.
The acting D-G stated that the station violated Sections 3.11.1(b) and 5.4.3 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.
Similarly, Idachaba said that on May 2, in its World Report, Inspiration FM Lagos aired broadcast of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) making secessionist claims in breach of 3.11.1(b) and 5.4.3 of the Code.
He said that the stations broadcast secessionist, divisive, violent and inflammatory comments.
According to him, Sections 3.11.1(b) and 5.4.3 of the code state the following:
“Section 3.11.1(b), the Broadcaster shall ensure that no programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign state.
“Section 5.4.3, in reporting conflict situations, the broadcaster shall perform the role of a peace agent by adhering to the principle of responsibility, accuracy and neutrality.”
He noted that the violations of the identified sections, being a `Class A’ offence, attracts sanctions in section 15.2.1 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code which provides the following:
“Immediate order of suspension of broadcast services; suspension of licence and immediate shut down and seal up of transmitter, revocation of licence, seizure and forfeiture or transmitting equipment
“(In) 15.5.1: the following penalties shall apply in respect of a breach committed by the broadcaster: light, N200,000 to N500,000; heavy, N500,000 to N4,999,000; severe, N5,000,000.”
Idachaba said that there was no doubt that all over the world, countries had taken measures through regulations and the law to curb excesses.
According to him, such include the destruction of lives, property and the unwanton breakdown of law characterised by negative broadcast of terrorist groups such as the IPOB.
He said that the United Kingdom Government took action against the IRA and banned it from airing inflammatory and divisive rhetoric to its use audiences.
Similarly, he said that France and other developed countries had severally taken action against terrorist groups and their determination to use broadcast materials to inflame the society.
“Following the announcements of liability to the sanctions stated in 15.1.1 and 15.1.2 both stations have accepted culpability for the infractions and earlier offered unreserved apologies for the breaches.
“The NBC has reviewed the appeals and apologies from both stations, and has decided to set aside the option of suspension of licence.
“The Commission has, however, directed both stations to pay N5 million penalty each to serve as deterrent,” Idachaba said.
The acting D-G, therefore, warned broadcasters to desist from giving voice and visibility to terrorist organisations wishing to wreak havoc on the country in the guise of freedom of speech.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal High Court in Abuja declared the Pro-Biafra group, IPOB, as a terrorist and illegal group on Sept. 18, 2017. (NAN)
By Ikechukwu Amaechi
“Ndigbo have a saying that a man adept at chopping off people’s heads is always uncomfortable when anyone wielding a machete stands, menacingly or otherwise, behind.
“Buhari knows about treason. On December 31, 1983, he led a band of coup plotters to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari.
“It is a tragedy that 17 students of the Greenfield University, Kaduna State kidnapped on April 18 are still in captivity after the kidnappers murdered five of them and are threatening to kill the others unless a ransom of N100 million and 10 motor cycles is paid.
“These are the issues. Terrorists are taunting the Nigerian State and the government is helpless. Buhari has failed the people. He has failed the country. He has failed the international community and friends of the country. And he failed because he came to power with an agenda that is anti-Nigeria.
“Buhari thought he could take Nigerians for a ride but the kitchen is getting rather too hot for his liking. Those threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria are the terrorists that his administration is pampering.
“Rather than looking for nonexistent treasonable felons, the questions that should concentrate the minds of Buhari and his co-travellers are: Why is the call for separation becoming so loud and urgent? Why are ordinarily sober and reflective statesmen becoming agitated activists? Why is the drumbeat of war getting louder?
“The joke is on Buhari. His political wounds are self-inflicted. He is haunted by his crass incompetence, nepotism and wilful violation of the Constitution. To resort to coup scaremongering is sheer humdrum. Traumatised Nigerians should be spared these puerile distractions.”
Rabat – A 25-year-old woman from Mali who gave birth to nine babies – known as nonuplets – is doing well despite complications during delivery.
The babies will need medical care for up to three months, a spokesman from the Casablanca clinic where the woman gave birth told dpa late Wednesday.
She had been transferred to the clinic in Morocco at the end of March.
The children are well but there is still a risk for them, spokesman Abdul Kuddus Hafsi said.
There were 35 medical staff present for the birth by caesarian section, he said.
The doctors were able to stop a bleed and save the lives of the mother and all nine children.
After an ultrasound scan, doctors were actually expecting only seven babies, Mali’s Health Ministry said in a statement.
The woman gave birth to five girls and four boys, the ministry said.
Babies from multiple pregnancies often do not all survive as they are frequently born early.
The woman from Mali was in her 30th week of pregnancy when she gave birth, Hafsi said.
An American woman holds the Guinness World Record for the most children delivered at a single birth to survive.
Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies – octuplets – in 2009. (dpa/NAN)
Despite budgeting billions of naira for new housing schemes, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has no record of homes built and sold in six years under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Efforts by The Guardian to obtain the records for over three months proved abortive as the ministry’s Department of Public Buildings and Housing kept dilly-dallying and shying away from its promise to make the documents available.
The Special Adviser on Communications to the Minister of Works and Housing, Hakeem Bello, told The Guardian that the information could only be obtained from the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).
When The Guardian contacted officials of FMBN, they denied been involved in the budget processes and keeping such records. FMBN Group Head, Corporate Communications, Lawal Isah, said: “The houses we handle are funded by the bank. We do not have information on houses built by the ministry. FMBN has access only to the National Housing Fund (NHF) that it manages.”
Sources in FHA also disclosed that the agency has not been under budgetary allocation.
Just last weekend, the Minister of Works and Housing, Raji Fashola, said during an inspection tour of the Federal Government Housing project situated on the Ibadan-Oyo Expressway that the Federal Government was committed and passionate about solving housing deficit in the country. The housing project is made up of 72 units.
Victor Alonge, former director of London-based firm, Wilmont Chartered Surveyors, blamed the failure of policies and government housing agencies for social housing failure in the country. He said the housing sector should be a major catalyst in the development of the economy.
“In the United States, this sector contributes over 60 per cent and in United Kingdom the same, but unfortunately, it contributes barely five per cent to the GDP in Nigeria. And it is due to the myriads of bottlenecks that make investment in the sector unattractive. Take for instance, the issue of land documentation and titling and the challenges associated with the Land Use Act.”
On the housing deficit of about 17 million in the country, Alonge said the housing delivery framework and the procurement process were designed to fail. “Direct delivery of housing by government should be a thing of the past because it has never helped. It is a major avenue for corruption. If government said they invested N10 billion into the housing sector, the real value will be about N5 billion.
“Look at the FHA for instance, after about four decades what has been its impact? l can assure you that they may not have built over 50,000 houses across the federation. In fact, I doubt if they are anywhere near the figure, how will they get it? Does it make good investment sense to invest the kind of money that has been put into FHA since inception with little or nothing to write home about? How many people will they claim to have housed across the nation? If we take a cursory look at the amount that government claimed to have invested in the agency and its achievement over time, it is nothing but a complete waste of resources.”
Currently, stakeholders have been calling for the re-examining of the policy on privatisation of FHA with a view to commercialising the authority to compete with other players in the industry in the provision of mass housing, despite receiving funding support through budgetary allocation.
With its poor record keeping attitude and lack of accountability, the ministry may have fallen back to the old times, giving credence to industry players’ notion that the Federal Government should not engage in direct construction of houses, but provide enabling environment for the private sector to handle low-cost housing projects.
According to the National Housing Policy, a major drawback in past attempts at revamping the housing and urban development sectors to deliver sustainable housing systems and efficient urban development and management in the country, was the absence of clear focus in the pursuit of the mandate of the ministry.
“The multifaceted and multidisciplinary nature of the ministry coupled with the roles in regulation of standards, prescription codes and such other measures put the ministry on collision path with other Federal Government agencies. Also the non-involvement of stakeholders and near exclusion of the private sector investors in housing and service delivery robbed the sector of necessary competition and efficiency needed for stability.
“The inability of governments alone to fund the provision of housing and urban development therefore leaves a big vacuum and massive need, which cannot be met in the sector,” the policy stated.
Specifically, The Guardian investigation revealed that the ministry has received over N250 billion between 2015 and 2020 from the budget. The six-year breakdown shows that in 2016, of the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing total budget of N433 billion, N268 billion, representing 62 per cent, was allotted to works, N99 billion, an equivalent of 23 per cent, to power, and N66 billion, representing 15 per cent, to housing.
In 2016, the ministry planned the construction of 1,973 blocks of 7,068 housing units in the six geo-political zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at a cost of N44.5 billion. The government also earmarked N2,515,013,517 for the payment of local contractors debt and failed land transactions.
Similarly, the authorities proposed completion of infrastructure such as roads and drains for social housing scheme at Oron, Akwa Ibom State; Keffi in Nassarawa State; and Nkwubor in Enugu State at a cost of N540 million. There was also provision for the completion of prototype housing scheme in Suleja in Niger State with appropriation of N800 million.
About N1.630 billion was earmarked by the ministry for the construction and furnishing of ministerial quarters, comprising four-bedroom semi-detached duplexes with boys quarter and other ancillary building and services.
In 2017, N41 billion was budgeted for federal government National Housing Programme nationwide while a new Social Housing Programme of N100 billion was provided for towards a N1 trillion fund to deepen mortgage system and expand its availability across all states.
Similarly, in 2018, N26.7 billion was allocated for the Federal Government National Housing Programme and another N30.04 billion in 2019 budget under the same programme. The Federal Government also proposed the sum of N60.87 billion for capital projects in the housing sector in 2020. This was an increase from the N35.4 billion that was earmarked for the same purpose in 2019 budget.
The high priority projects in 2020 include the completion of 1,155 blocks of 2,383 units of housing under the National Housing Programme in the 36 states and the FCT, as well as the completion of ongoing Federal Secretariats in six states (Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Osun and Zamfara).
According to some civic society groups and stakeholders in the sector, the government’s lack of accountability has provided avenue for corruption and improper data in the real estate sector as deficit in the housing industry continues to hover between 17 and 22 million houses.
They also called for the establishment of National Housing and Urban Development Regulatory Commission that will be saddled with rendering periodic reports on its activities to the ministry and other appropriate authorities, as well as collect and disseminate data and research findings to stakeholders.
To effectively enhance the implementation of the National Housing Policy, there is need for an institution to effectively coordinate the various efforts of other institutions and regulate the process of providing adequate and affordable housing.
The lead consultant of Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Eze Onyekpere, said the state of accountability in the housing sector reflects the opaque budgeting and governance system the Muhammadu Buhari administration has unleashed on the Nigerian society.
“It is a claim of a right to govern without a concomitant duty to render accounts and stewardship to the people who are the ultimate sovereigns. S.14 (2) (a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is unequivocal when it stated that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through the constitution derives all its powers and authority. This sovereignty is the power to decide who occupies public offices and to demand accountability for performance from elected and appointed public officials.
“Ideally, a yearly budget under the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) should be accompanied by an account of the achievements recorded from previous appropriation. It should not be a hidden account to the legislature but an account available to Nigerians.
“Specifically, by S.19 of the FRA, it should contain a detailed analysis of the performance of the budget for the 18 months up to June of the preceding financial year and evaluation of results of programmes financed with budgetary resources. In the housing sector, this will include an account of new houses built, whom they were allocated to or how they were disposed; sale or disposal of existing houses and the accruing revenue.”
Onyekpere further said: “It is time to recreate a new and separate Federal Ministry of Housing to be led, not just by anyone, but by knowledgeable visionaries who understand the sector and how it can be used as an engine of economic growth, job creation, value addition and reduction of inequality. Such a leader will design a performance and accountability matrix that will be used for accountability, evaluation of performance and reporting to Nigerians,” Onyekere said.
The Chief Executive Officer, Connected Development (CODE), Hamzat Lawal, also told The Guardian that the housing sector needs reform and audit. “It is quite sad and unfortunate that every year money is appropriated by the Ministry of Housing, but till date, we have not seen the houses that have been built, let alone those that have been sold in the past six years.
“This is impunity, this also shows you that the 9th National Assembly are dogs that can bark, but cannot bite. Why are we not having a public hearing on how the Ministry of Housing has used its budget allocation with specific breakdown, especially on people who have benefitted from it. (Reubenabati)
An investigation has opened into the alleged rejection of a accident victim by the Maitama General Hospital. A video of the drama, which almost degenerated into fisticuffs, has been trending on social media.
But a commentator on social media saw beauty in the drama, which was resolved by a senior doctor who waded in.
He said, “In these times we live in where we don’t seem to trust ourselves in this country, it was beautiful to me that the accident victim, identified as George Imohimi, as I later learnt, is from Edo State, and he was saved from bleeding to death by a Hausa-speaking woman, who uploaded the video; and other Hausa-speaking young men who were ready to fight for him.
“Curiously, the head of the hospital, who resolved the issue is from Edo State. If he had chosen to remain in the office while the drama played out as a typical Nigerian big man, the blood of his brother would have been on his hands. We really still do love ourselves, our leaders in this country are the poison.”
Acting Secretary, Health and Human Services Secretariat (HHSS) of the FCTA, Dr Muhammed Kawu, who visited the hospital as soon as the video went viral, vowed that anyone found to have been negligent in the drama will be dealt with.
His words: “FCTA is very concerned and the Minister has directed that I come here personally and observe the situation and also ensure that it is brought under control. The investigation is ongoing, we have seen the video and we are investigating further.
“The Administration wants to assure all Nigerians, particularly FCT residents that all public facilities are for the public and every person has the right to go to any of these hospitals and must be attended to.
”This has been the policy and will continue to be so. The policy is that you take in accident victims and treat them before you look for police. We will let the public know what the issue is all about after the investigation. But now the patient is getting adequate attention. Any public servant that is found to have erred will be dealt with according to civil service rules”, Kawu said.
In his own recount, the chief medical director of the Hospital, Dr Imuentinyan Igbinovia, said, “It was on Monday around 8 a.m., about an hour prior then some accident victims were rushed in and staff were seeing them and I joined them. About 30 minutes later another accident victim was rushed in and the staff also went to attend to the second set of victims.
”Unfortunately there was an altercation between those that rushed the victims and the accident emergency staff. I was able to calm down the situation and also spoke to the lady who brought in the accident victim.
“Immediately after that, a stretcher was brought and the victim was taken into the emergency unit. After the victim was admitted and stabilised, I spoke with the Police Divisional Officer who was also around.
“The lady who brought in the victim thought that our responses would have been faster, I explained the situation to her.
”To the best of our knowledge, the matter has been settled. The victim is in the ward now receiving treatment and is getting better. To our surprise, we saw the social media messages which we have taken in good faith. I want to assure the public that Maitama hospital is poised to take care of patients and from what you can see, there is a very large crowd that come here every day”. (Everyday)
The managements of Nigerian Law school and Veritas University, both located in Bwari Local Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have shut down their campuses.
The decision followed separate letters they purportedly received from bandits who threatened to attack the schools and kidnap their students.
Veritas University is a private university, located in Bwari, Abuja. It was founded in March 2002 by the Catholic Church in Nigeria while the Nigerian Law School is an educational institution set up by the Government of Nigeria in 1962 to provide a Nigerian legal education to foreign-trained lawyers, and to provide practical training for aspiring legal practitioners in Nigeria.
Both schools are residential.
Bwari is a district and an area council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria. It shared boundary with Tafa Local Council in Niger State. It is about an hour’s drive to the Abuja City Centre and it is surrounded by a wide expanse of forest.
It is feared that bandits can easily operate from the forest, launch their onslaughts and retreat with their victims.
Already, some of the students have returned home on account of the forced and sudden closure of the schools, both located in Bwari in Bwari Area Council.
Although there is another private institution operating as Dorben Polytechnic located in between Veritas University and the Nigerian Law School, News On The Go learnt that the polytechnic is yet to shut down but that both students and lecturers are living in fears.
A security expert working in the area confirmed the incident but said “no brief have been received by the police yet” on the development
He said: “As we all know, Sabon wuse has a shortcut that links to Bwari where there is a recent threat on Law school and Veritas.
I don’t think this is in isolation of ransom paid by the govt. (My take).
“The whimper of these guys has now been fueled and they are moving fearlessly for fatter targets.
“Based on these, we will experience sharp increase in abduction/kidnapping mainly VIPs children and family members on route in and out to school or office. Abduction of Various sector and organizations staff members. Attack on popular government facilities, top private schools and universities in FCT.
“My Advice: the situation in the country is deteriorating which requires extra conscious to deal with the current threat’s.
“Going forward.
Meanwhile a leaked audio conversation between Ordinary Ahmed Isah and the Inspector General of Police, Ahmed Alkali reportedly confirmed the possibility of many bandits finding their way into the Federal capital territory.
There were feelers that security men would be deployed in Bwari to ward off and rein in the bandits. (Newsonthegong)
By Sonnie Ekwowusi
Amid the grounding of Nigeria by clash of arms, bloodletting, Jihadist ambush and violence, spate of kidnaps, orgy of arson and banditry, drum beats of war and secession threats, the questions which both Nigerians and non-Nigerians are asking at the moment include: Quo Vadis, Nigeria ?. Where are you going Nigeria?. To Golgotha? To Somalia?. To Southern Sudan? Last week was the bloodiest and most fatal week in recent times in Nigeria. About 240 people were murdered and more than four dozen were kidnapped. Six persons were killed in Ekiti on April 20th; 40 students of Greenfield University, Kaduna were kidnapped on April 21st out of which five or six had been killed; 18 kidnapped in Oyo State on April 22nd; 45 people killed in Zamfara on April 22nd; Another 83 person murdered in Zamfara on April 23rd. Is time out for Nigeria? Niger State Governor Abubakar Bello alerts the country that radical Jihadists had overrun about 50 Communities in Kaure and Shiroro local government, Niger State and hoisted their flag as evidence of conquest and occupation of the area. Gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen attacked the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Camp in Abagena, Makurdi, Benue State killing and injuring several IDPs. Benue State Governor Ortom is in tears. In another development last week, the Ministry of Interior raised an alarm of a looming threat to blow up the country’s Airports. Also last week the Chandler Good Governance Index (CGGI) ranked Nigeria the 3rd worst country in the world after Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Nigeria scored 0.319 points to sit at number 102 out of 104 countries trailing behind Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
Consequently Nigerians are worried. The House of Representatives, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum and others call on President Buhari to declare a state of emergence on security. Even savvy-veteran Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who before now would have dismissed any talk of civil war in Nigeria as a reveling in doom-saying obscurantism, is now raising an alarm and saying that in the event of another civil war in Nigeria all Nigerians (without exception) would suffer the drastic and terrible consequences of the war. On their part, the U.S sympathizes with Nigeria. Last week, the U.S. Congress organized a Virtual Session on the escalating ethno-religious killings, religious conquest and occupation in Nigeria in recent times. The theme of the Session was: Human Rights in Nigeria and the Role of Congress. The Session was attended by Congressman Frank Worlf, Congressman Chris Smith, Tom Suozzi and a Nigerian called Dr. Ikiebe. Dr. Ikiebe regretted the arrogance of the Nigerian political elite to admit that religious persecution and human rights abuse in Nigeria amount to nothing but genocide. He wondered why the Western press is reluctant to report the genocide happening in Nigeria. To him, the hoisting of the Islamic flag in the aforesaid area of Niger State is an indication that Nigeria is finished. Congressman Smith stated that President Buhari has failed and should be held accountable for the killings in Nigeria. He wondered why Boko Haram has been killing those who refused to convert to Islam. He regretted that more Christians have been killed in Nigeria than the whole of the Middle East. It pained him that Nigeria is a member of Country of Particular Concern (CPC), that is, countries adjudged guilty of severe violation of religious freedom under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. You will recall that in March 2015 American ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell warned Nigeria not to elect Buhari because, according to him, Buhari would make a disaster President. In his article published in Washington Times in the same March 2015, Grenell writes that electing Buhari as President would be a disaster for Africa and would trigger off Islamic terrorist attacks to capture Nigeria because Buhari has often spoken sympathetically about members of Boko Haram and had cautioned against the rush to pass judgment on Boko Haram and had personally been selected by Boko Haram to lead negotiations with the Nigerian government.
In any case, we don’t even need the U.S. or outsiders to tell us what we already know about religious terrorism in our country Nigeria. The Nigerian people are well informed that the fight against Islamic terrorism in Nigeria has been compromised by the government. For example, our own Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Dr. Isa Pantami is allegedly involved in Islamic terrorism within Nigeria yet the Buhari government, without embarking on investigation to verify the allegation, has been holding brief for Pantami. What beats the imagination is how the Buhari Presidency swiftly rushed to start defending Pantami. Here is a man accused of calling Boko Haram terrorists “fellow Muslims”; a man accused of praising the Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden to high heavens. Here is a man accused of plotting to procure arms during the administration of Mr. Patrick Yakowa to wage a Jihad war in order to deliver Kaduna to Muslim extremists. As profoundly weighty as the aforesaid accusations are, the Buhari government has not deemed it fit to temporarily relieve Pantami of his Ministerial job pending the outcome of the investigation of the allegations levelled against him. Instead of doing that the government has swiftly rallied to the man’s protection. Were Pantami from another part of the country or a member of another religion the Buhari government probably would not have been protecting him. By refusing to take the weighty allegations levelled against Pantami seriously, the Buhari government gives the impression that it is colluding with Islamic terrorists and bandits to wipe away the so-called infidels from Nigeria.
In corroboration of this is Dr. Obadiah Mailafia. Said he:“They are already in the South; in the rainforests of the South. They are everywhere. They told us that when they finish this rural killings, they will move to phase two.The phase two is that they will go into the urban cities, going from house to house killing prominent people. I can tell you that this is their game plan. By 2022 they want to start a civil war in Nigeria. The body language of this administration shows clearly that they have a hand in the killings, no doubt about it”. In an online video which has been watched by most Nigerians Gen. T. Y Danjuma (rtd) said: “Every one of us must rise up, the Army forces are not neutral, they collude with the armed bandits that kill people, that kill Nigerians, they facilitate their movements, they cover them. If you are depending on the Armed Forces to stop the killings you will all die one by one”.
I am persuaded by T.Y Danjuma’s logic. The Nigerian army, from now till eternity, cannot stop terrorism in Nigeria. Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai said much of that. He said that terrorism may persist in Nigeria for another 20 years. You see, a government with saboteurs sabotaging the war against terrorism cannot defeat terrorism. In the same vein, an army rendered ineffective by the very power that set it up cannot defeat terrorism. Therefore the people should take back their power. Power belongs to the people. Our representatives in government are only the repository of the people’s power. So let the people take back their power. President Buhari will never resign. The parasites surrounding him are poised to continue telling lies on his behalf. The National Assembly is an extension of the Presidency. It will never impeach President Buhari. Therefore the people should take back their mandate from President Buhari. Unfortunately while the country sickens for failed political leadership, the followership is not faring better either. Disunity, mutual suspicion, mutual mistrust, pent-up stereotype, greed, jealousy, instinct to dominate others, narcissism and unforgiving spirit are the bundle of vices destroying political followership in Nigeria. Our political opportunists know this and capitalize on it to continue to ceaselessly wield political power.
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