How FG is terrorising Igbo people – Ohanaeze Ndigbo

The President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Nnia Nwodo, has alleged that the Federal Government was creating situations to terrorise people of the South East region. Nwodo made the call while reacting to the continuous detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

Speaking with Vanguard, the President General of the Pan Igbo-political organisation wondered why the Federal Government is refusing to obey court orders to release Kanu while no member of Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram is been made to face trial for their activities.

He said, “On Federal Government’s refusal to release the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu This is a country operated by the rule of law. The whole essence of the rule of law is separation of powers and independence of the judiciary. When the executive does not respect the rulings of the judiciary, we are in a state of anarchy. “The courts have, two times, asked for the release of Nnamdi Kanu. I don’t know why he is still being held. I don’t understand the security threat that Nnamdi Kanu poses that he will continue to be incarcerated.

“I know that Boko Haram is an armed organisation, which has invaded Nigeria with reckless abandon; occupied territories, some of which have been recovered; mounted flags that are not Nigerian flags; and displaced local and traditional authorities. “Some of them who were captured have been released. Some of them escaped from detention. Can you imagine a terrorist escaping from detention? Some of them claimed to have renounced Boko Haram and one  of them came back with a girl he abducted and they were received in Aso Rock. I do not know of anyone of them on trial in any of our courts today.

 

“What has Nnamdi Kanu done in comparison? In the Niger-Delta, there are Avengers, who have blown up oil wells and pipes. Government is going to negotiate with them. There are all kinds of government policies and programmes aimed at addressing their grievances and travails. “But if it concerns the Igbo, they even concoct situations in order to terrorise the Igbo. It took the Amnesty International to shout before everybody began to take it seriously that 177 people were killed summarily without trial just because they were demonstrating.”

Source: Daily Post

Publish your Security Votes, LG funds, Dogara Tells Governors

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has challenged governors to publish how much they get and spend as security votes. Speaking while closing a retreat for management of the National Assembly in Kaduna on Friday, Dogara, also challenged the Governors, to, in the spirit of accountability and transparency publish how they utilise funds allocated to local governments.

The Speaker, while reacting to an earlier speech by  Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir Ahmed El-rufai, who urged the legislature to make its budget public, disclosed that already, the bureaucracy has been directed to publish the National Assembly budget beginning from 2017. “I will like to challenge him (El-rufai) to champion this cause for transparency in the budgetary process from the National Assembly to other arms of government. 

‘The Judiciary first. We want to see clearly how Chief Executives of States… how they are paid. What do they spend monthly as security votes? And if they can publish what happens to local government funds under their jurisdictions. That will help our discussion going forward,” he said. Acknowledging the challenges faced by the management of the federal legislature, Dogara stressed that the National Assembly is the most misunderstood institution and that no parliament in the world can win popularity contest and Nigeria’s National Assembly is not an exception. “When, for instance, public discussions on funding of the legislature are being made, the entire bureaucracy is often completely discountenanced, neither is any consideration given to the fact that this is a special bureaucracy saddled with a multitude of ‘masters’ who must be equally served in addition to service to the nation,” he explained. 

Dogara, said the Nigeria Civil Service will begin to record progress when it breaks away from its usual tradition to new ways of carrying out its functions and administration. He said for there to be productivity in the workforce, there must be innovation, which is borne out of motivation of staff through rewards such as promotions based on merit. “As leaders, you must be prepared to motivate the workforce. Motivation is the key to innovation anywhere. For far too long, the bureaucracy in Nigeria has failed to innovate because it is locked in a tradition that defines boundaries that must not be crossed. ‘A tradition that says we have always done it this way and apportions sanctions for those who dare doing it the other way even if the outcomes are better. ‘These are chains that bind the bureaucracy in Nigeria from within. Although the most difficult chains to break are those within us, we must break them in order to free the bureaucracy and make it competitive and innovative. The key to achieving this is undoubtedly, training and retraining in an environment such as this.

“The necessity for every manager to fully understand the ecology of his organization is not negotiable. The legislature is a distinct organisation with several peculiarities, thereby making strategic management approach an imperative. The management of the National Assembly, whatever their managerial competencies, cannot provide efficient and effective services to the legislature except they fully understand and appreciate the organizational goals, objectives and the attendant challenges. “I need not warn you of the bitter lesson of life, which is that it will never offer you more than who you are. But the good news is that you can become more. To become more, you must change your ideas and you will never change your ideas until you learn something new. New things learned are useless and cannot result in growth until you put them to use. That is why you cannot over spend on training. Tell me the size of your organization’s budget for training and retraining and I’ll predict with absolute certainty, the future of your organization.

The Speaker commended the visionary leadership approach of the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Ataba Sani-Omolori, for the swift manner in which he was able to undertake a management needs assessment of the institution, which is the basis for the retreat.

Source: Tribune

Enugu Assembly Orders EEDC out of State over Outrageous Bills, Epileptic Power Supply

Irked by what it called the outrageous billing and epileptic power supply, among other inhuman acts against electricity consumers in the state, the Enugu State House of Assembly on Friday asked the management of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) to shut down its operations and vacate the state.

The lawmakers also asked electricity consumers in the state to stop further payment of over-bloated electricity bills, while asking that a state of emergency be declared in the activities of EEDC.

Other states in the South-east including Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Imo were also asked to take drastic action against the company by declaring state of emergency against them. They also ordered the chairman of the company, Emeka Ofor, and the managing director to appear before its six-man ad hoc committee to explain the company’s activites in the state.

This came as hundreds of electricity consumers in Enugu State early on Friday staged a protest to the House of Assembly over incessant power outage, outrageous billing and alarming tariff among other forms of alleged exploitative activities of the EEDC.

More to follow…

Source: This Day

IMO NORTH: Appeal Court Reaffirms Senator Uwajumogu’s Victory

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, has affirmed the judgment of the Justice Kwajafa-led National Election Petition Tribunal for Imo north, which upheld the election of Senator Benjamin Uwajumogu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 22 and 28 2016, Okigwe Senate rerun elections. The five-man Appeal Court panel dismissed all the 7 grounds of appeal sought by the petitioner, who challenged the earlier judgment of the tribunal.

In its ruling on Thursday, the Justice Aboki-led appeal panel, unanimously declared that, all grands of appeal against the election and return of Senator Uwajumogu as Senator representing Imo north, lacked merit. According to the ruling, “it is in bad fate for the petitioner to say that supplementary elections in 22 polling units were void by the reason of non-compliance with the provisions of the electoral act, when all the parties involved in the election, including the petitioner, did not complain before the conduct of the supplementary elections. 

“The petitioner was inconsistent. You cannot ask the court to grant relief on unsubstantiated matters as the court does not rely on hearsay to dispense justice.” “You cannot blow hot and cold at the same time. The petition failed in its entirety and it is hereby dismissed”, the Judge said. In his reaction, Senator Uwajumogu described the judgment as the total reaffirmation of the mandate given to him by the people of Okigwe zone during the last concluded Imo north senatorial re-run election. 

While calling for true reconciliation to move the zone forward, he thanked the people of Imo North for their continued support and prayers to him throughout the legal tussle and pledged his total commitment to superlative legislative performance.

Source: Daily Post

BIG BROTHER NAIJA: 2Face, Tiwa Savage, Runtown to perform at finale

Big Brother Naija, has announced that 2Face Idibia, Tiwa Savage and Runtown will be performing at the grand finale of the reality show. The reality show which started on January 22, 2017, is would officially end on April 9, 2017. The two-hour live show will produce a winner between Bisola, TBoss, Efe, Marvis and Debie-Rise based on viewer’s votes.

Big Brother Naija kicked off with a total of twelve housemates but only five of them made it to the final. The 2017 Big Brother Naija ‘See Gobe’ edition will see the winner take home 25 million Naira and a brand new SUV Jeep. Earlier, Romanian-Nigerian housemate, Tboss sparked reactions from Nigerians after she could not recite the Nigerian National Anthem on Live TV.

Recall that entertainment heavyweights, including Mallam Yankee of The Bank, Uti Nwachukwa of Jara and a host of others have in the last week of the reality show aligned with their favorite housemates and have been campaigning for them

BIAFRA: Court fixes April 25 to rule on Kanu’s application against FG secret trial

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday fixed April 25 to deliver ruling in the application for variation of the order of court on protection of witnesses in the case against the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

Kanu, through his defence counsels led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor, asked the court to set aside the order made on December 13, 2016 for the protection of witnesses. Kanu’s lawyers argued that having been acquitted of the charges of terrorism and importation of weapons, the defendants cannot be tried with the identities of witnesses concealed based on section 36(6) of the 1999 Constitution. 

However, counsel to the Federal Government, Suleiman Labaran in a counter affidavit urged the court to dismiss the application as a ploy to delay the trial. Recall that Kanu was charged alongside Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi on charges of treasonable felony and criminal defamation. The Federal High Court had on March 2nd, struck out six out of the 11-count criminal charges the Federal Government preferred against the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu and three other pro-Biafra agitators, Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi.

The court, in the ruling delivered by Justice Binta Nyako, had also said that the fact that IPOB was not an organisation registered in Nigeria, it however, did not make it an illegal society. The judge said, “It may be true that IPOB is not registered in Nigeria, but does that make it an illegal organisation?” Justice Nyako held that the Federal Government failed to prove that IPOB, allegedly managed by Kanu and his co-defendants — Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, is an unlawful society.

Recall also that Kanu had on February last year, opposed the application by the federal government to conduct his trial in secret. FG had in the application it filed before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, decried that all the witnesses billed to testify against Kanu and two other pro-Biafra agitators, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi, who are facing trial with him, have declined to appear in court. Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, sandwiched between security operaives, leaving the court yesterday in Abuja. It said the witnesses insisted that they would not testify against the defendants unless their safety was guaranteed.

Source: Daily Post

WE’II OCCUPY NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SOON – CHARLYBOY

Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, popularly known as Charlyboy, has lamented what he described as activities of “bunch of irresponsible” lawmakers in the National Assembly. He called on Nigerians to be ready to occupy the National Assembly soon, saying that ‘the day is drawing near when the suffering masses of this country will seek their pound of flesh from those who have kept us poor, frustrated, hungry, angry, useless, hopeless. “Pickin wey say him mama no go sleep, that pickin will know no sleep,” he wrote on his Instagram page. He entitled his post, “The Scourge Of Nigerian Legislooters.” 

In the write up, AreaFada decried the decision of the senate to reject the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, saying that President Muhammadu Buhari had the prerogative to retain Magu or appoint someone else and that there is no law yet that binds the President to abide by any decision from these ‘legislooters’. He wrote, “My people, where I wan hide my face put? “Shey una don take ear dey hear the arrant nonsense and jagbagantis wey dey shelle for National Assembly? “The drama, the blackmail, the clowning around of most of the riffraffs called senators, whose sole aim of representing us is to loot us into oblivion. “Useless people elevated by the corrupt system to a position beyond their capacity. My people, can you see that these bunch of irresponsibles are only down for how much they can acquire, and never about the wellbeing of the people they represent. “God, biko punish bad people no remain. Nonsense.

“The few good ones who are trying to hold on to some goodness in them should hide their face in shame. “Our Mumu don do, no be till we die or till we all craze. Can you imagine? They are halting the screening of the Resident Electoral Commissioners until the President sacks Mr Ibrahim Magu (acting chairman of The EFCC). 

“Legislooters, why must you guys insist on showing ya selves, and showing us how irresponsible most of you are? My fellow frustrated Naijas have come to the conclusion that most of the decisions you guys take are not in the interest of Nigerians but your pockets. “Like it or not, Magu is not going anywhere. It is the President’s prerogative to retain him or appoint someone else. The decision of the senate to reject him or sack him can only be advisory and not compulsory. “There is no law yet that binds the President to abide by any decision from these legislooters. It is their f_ing constitutional duty to screen the Electoral Commissioners “Look at all manner of 419ers, scammers, riffraffs, conmen that we allowed to invade our National Assembly. What a shame. See how we endlessly waste Nigerian revenue on a bunch of certificate forgers, armed robbers and riffraffs. “My people shey una know say, each senator earns a minimum of 30million per month when for some of us, one solid meal a day has become luxury. We must occupy the National Assembly soon and the option to decide whether we need the Senate or not is our right. “The President should hurry and put this to a referendum on if we can still afford to fund such an expensive Senate when Nigerians are poor, hungry, angry and hopeless.

“Most of our yeye legislooters have demonstrated that they are a devilish cult group whose sole aim is to keep enriching themselves never minding if my people are jumping off the third mainland out of hopelessness and a stolen future. God no go punish una remain. “My fellow frustrated Nigerians, time don reach to teach these legislooters say na we get the land. I know for a fact, that because of our docility, these enemies of the Nigerian state feel they can do anyhow. “I know that sooner than later, dem go see anyhow. If dem no take time na their blood we go take wash the land. The battle for the heart and soul of Nigeria has begun. “We no go gree this time, because our Mumu don reach final bus stop. We dey prepare because we dey come in all our glory. “How many of us una go fit kill because, for most of us, the fear of death is no longer a problem because this is no life. You gang-stars have proven say nationalism no concern una.

“Corruption has for long empowered the criminal minority to terrorise the silent majority. The end has come. “The day is drawing near when the suffering masses of this country will seek their pound of flesh from those who have kept us poor, frustrated, hungry, angry, useless, hopeless. Pickin wey say him mama no go sleep, that pickin will know no sleep. “My people are about to metamorphose from becoming a victim to becoming The Fear.

If our yeye leaders no fear us, change no go come.

We are coming.”

Source: News Track

EXPOSE LOOTERS OF NIGERIA, YOU KNOW THEM - ORJI KALU DARES US, UK, GERMANY

Former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has urged the Governments of the United States, United Kingdom and Germany to expose the real treasury looters in Nigeria. Kalu also called on the Federal Government to institute a process where famous auditing firms will audit all public office holders to ascertain their sources of wealth. 

He made the remarks on Friday in the United States while delivering a speech on: “Democratic Process in African Countries,” at the War College, Washington DC. According to him: “US, UK, Germany know those who have stashed millions of dollars, transferred directly from Nigeria to western countries, without working for it.” The former governor said the looters acquired the wealth with no trace of evidence of business transactions, services or contracts. He also said Nigeria needed three basic things he listed as justice, obeisance to the rule of law and accountability to move forward.

According to Kalu: “People see no good in other people’s job. The leaders and the governed have become so greedy that they forget the ethics of a nation. “A nation is supposed to be a committed area that must have the interest of the citizens as priority. It is only in Nigeria that a form is clearly specified to identify tribe, state, local government and religion. “That means that the government of Nigeria since 1960 have been in support of tribalism. There is no country in Nigeria that wants to move forward and still have such specifications in a form.

“Corruption is the greatest problem in Nigeria. Those past leaders who claimed to be fighting corruption were only accumulating wealth. “Most of them came to be leaders of our community with only N20,000 and below, and they make no pretense in showing their wealth and affluence in their different communities. “I was governor for eight years. And in that eight years, I never knew somebody can take public fund as his own. I never knew somebody aside security vote can take away people’s money. “People who had nothing came into office and turned to multi billionaires and nobody asks questions about how the money was made. 

“I call on the government to restore a process whereby the KPMG, PWC, Deloitte and others be given opportunity to audit all our past leaders. “You can not just make someone a Governor today and next, he buys a house in Victoria Island without stating how he got the money. “Likewise a minister and he is already buying houses in Maitama or Asokoro. Sometimes, possibly someone you know before.”

Kalu also spoke on what has become of those of them who supported the political movement in Nigeria prior to the military leaving the political stage. He said: “Among the people who supported political movement in Nigeria in 1998, few of us are being tried. I had mentioned this in most forums I have been. “The former President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote to your President, George Bush Jnr, requesting that I should be arrested in the United States. But your President after investigation said no. “They equally wrote to the British prime minister, but he disagreed after investigation. But I am being tried in Nigeria for a law I do not know where it comes from. But I cannot dwell on this since it’s in the Court of competent jurisdiction. 

“Last time I spoke in Washington DC during a dinner, I repeated the same thing. Nigeria is a beautiful country where given the appropriate rule of law. “If everyone is made to obey the rule of the land and respect the law; If all our people are made to subject themselves to the laws of the land, Nigeria will be a beautiful place to live.” Speaking on the Nigerian economy and the orientation of the leaders and the led, the former governor said: “We need people who will see Nigeria as Nigeria. ‘People who will not attach any religious or tribal sentiments about the country. We need people that will call a spade a spade. Last week, I urged President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the economy the way he tackled Boko Haram.

“In all honesty and being factual, I still suggest that President Buhari as a matter of urgency should declare economic emergency. The economy is in very bad shape and the citizens are not happy.

“What we also need Nigerians to do is to come out and support civil democracy. Civil democracy is the only way interests of others can be protected. People blame politicians and everybody but themselves.”

Source: Daily Post