Sahara Reporters Latest News Wednesday 19th June 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Wednesday 19th June 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 19/06/19

target=_blank>Yahaya Bello, Kogi House Of Assembly Cannot Remove Chief Judge -High Court

A Kogi High Court has ruled that both the executive and legislature cannot remove Justice Nasir Ajanah, the Chief Justice (CJ) of the state, without the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).
The court made this pronouncement on Tuesday during the hearing of the suit to determine where the other two government arms have the power to remove the chief judge, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, the presiding judge also declared that the chief registrar of the state high court held a statutory position as the accounting officer of the Judiciary and was, therefore, not subject to the control and supervision of either the executive or the legislature.
Justice Ajanah and the Chief Registrar, Alhaji Yahaya Adamu had approached the court to decide if they can be removed from office by the executive or the legislature, over their refusal to be investigated by the state House of Assembly.
Omolaye-Ajileye who granted all the reliefs and declarations sought by the claimants in the suit said, “On the whole, I find merit in this action and it succeeds. All the declarations sought are allowed.
“By item 21 of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as Amended), the National Judicial Council (NJC) is the body empowered to exercise disciplinary control over all Judicial Officers of Nigeria.
“It is also the NJC, established under Section 153(i) of the constitution (as amended), that has the power to recommend to the Governor, the removal of a judicial officer.
“Where a Chief Judge of a state is to be removed, for whatever reason, it is the NJC, not the state House of Assembly that is empowered to make recommendations to the governor of a state under item 21(d) of the Third Schedule to the Constitution.
“To allow only the House of Assembly and the governor of a state to remove a chief judge of a state or any judicial officer for that matter, without the input of the NJC, will be monstrous and outrageous as it is capable of destroying the very substratum of justice and introducing a system of servitude, utterly inconsistent with the constitutional independence of judges,” he said.
The suit named as respondents, Kogi State House of Assembly; Speaker of the House; Bello Hassan Abdullahi, Chairman of the ad hoc committee; the Governor of Kogi and the state attorney-general.
The claimants, in their originating summons, posed four questions for determination which revolved around whether the defendants had the power to remove the chief judge as a “judicial officer” within the meaning of sections 292 and 318 of the 1999 constitution.
They also sought to know among others, whether the 1st defendants (Assembly) or its committee was vested with the power to invite the 1st claimant (Ajanah) to the floor of the house for the purpose of investigation.
They sought declarations that the defendants were not vested with the power to remove the CJ or invite him to the floor of the house for purpose of investigation; that the constitution of the ad hoc committee by the House of Assembly on December 11, 2018, was unconstitutional, ultra vires and therefore, null, void and of no effect.
They equally sought orders of perpetual injunction setting aside the purported resolution and another restraining the defendants, their agents, privies or servants from investigating or exercising any form of disciplinary control or sanctions on the claimants.
Omolaye-Ajileye said that the facts of the matter according to the affidavit supporting the Originating summons deposed to by Shaibu Yakubu, a legal practitioner, revealed that the impasse was ignited by a missive between the heads of the Executive and the Judiciary.
According to him, Mrs. Folashade Ayoade-Arike, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) who had a pending case before the chief judge had addressed a letter to him on the orders of the state governor to release the payroll of Judiciary staff for pay parade of civil servants in the state.
The chief judge had instructed the chief registrar to reply to the letter as it was unethical for him to communicate directly with her while the case was pending.
In the reply, the Jurist said, the claimants declined to yield to the demand for staff payroll on the grounds that the request was contrary to the provisions of Kogi State Public Finance (Judiciary Special Provisions), Edict No. 6 of 1991 and sections 81(3) and 162 (d) of the 1999 Constitution.
The development led to a communication between the SSG and the House of Assembly, alleging financial misappropriation on the leadership of the judiciary.
The House subsequently constituted an ad hoc committee to investigate the chief judge and chief registrar on the matter.
On April 2, 2019, the assembly recommended to the governor and the state judicial council, the removal of the chief judge and sanctions for the chief registrar after it adopted the report and recommendations of the ad hoc committee.

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target=_blank>Reconsider How You Cover Migration Sowore Tells Journalists, Launches Africana.news To Tell African Migration Stories

Omoyele Sowore, AAC presidential candidate, speaking at the ADF event in Akure on Sunday.

Omoyele Sowore, founder of SaharaReporters and human rights activist has called on African journalists to take charge of the story on migration from the continent to other parts of the world especially Europe.
He made the call when he spoke on a panel at the Global Editors Network in Athens, Greece.
Sowore while talking about his recently launched platform Africana.news created to tell stories of African migration said, “Conversations on Africa migration are driven by sentiments some of which are racist.
“You look at it and you see a bunch of people trying to run away from their continent. You are not looking at airplanes; you are looking at boats taking people from Libya to Italy without understanding that the subject of migration has not always been this way.
“As a matter of fact Europeans partitioned Africa in 1884 after the Berlin Confrence in Germany. They did not even go for visas, yet the Portuguese, British and French got on boats and took over Africa.
“The subject of migration and hostility against migrant is not limited to Europe and America alone as South Africans are also known to be hostile to migrants.”
He invited journalists globally to reconsider the angle they use in telling migration stories especially since migration is usually mutually beneficial.

“African migrants in the united states paid $22.2b in taxes in 2015 but beyond that these migrants also help their countries, like in Nigeria the money sent back home exceeds oil remitances.
“Migrants carry weight in their destination countries and pioneer breathoughs in science, arts and other sectors.
Citing his story as an example of the benefits of migration, Sowore said, “I migrated to the US some 20 years ago and founded a news webiste that has almost complety changed the direction of news reporting in Nigeria.
“SaharaReporters was able to do what it did because I had a safe haven in the US and used that place to launch an attack on bad governance and corruption at home. I personally wrote over five thousand stories until I got tired about a year ago and decided to run for office.
Speaking on the purpose of his new platform Africana.news, which won the Mo Ibrahim Editors Lab Hackathon in April, he said, “the aim is to tell African migration stories within the context of global politics and the new world order because when people are moving it is with purpose and that every story covering migration must take into context why people move.

target=_blank>42-year-old Man Defiles Teenager

A 42-year-old man has been arraigned and remanded in prison custody for allegedly defiling a 17-year-old boy in his residence at Ojo.
The man, Godwin Joseph, was charged for child defilement before Mrs. Bola Osunsanmi, the presiding magistrate at the Ikeja Magistrate Court, on Tuesday.
The magistrate ordered that Joseph be kept in prison while the police await legal advice from the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Ezekiel Ayorinde, the prosecutor, told the court that the defendant committed the offence in April in his residence at Ojo.
Ayorinde alleged that the defendant lured the boy into his house after making him believe he wanted to buy the goods he was hawking.
When the charge was read, Osunsanmi did not take the plea of the defendant.
She ordered that he should be kept behind bars pending the legal advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
She adjourned the case until August 26.

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target=_blank>67-year-old Nigerian Woman Hacks First Bank Account, Steals N16.2 Million

A 67-year-old woman has been arraigned before the Lagos State Magistrate Court at Igbosere, Lagos, for allegedly hacking into a First Bank Plc account and stealing N16.2million.
The woman, Wuraola Folashade Oluloye, was arraigned on a five-count charge of fraudulent diversion, was arrested following a complaint from Solomon Akhanolu, Head of the Department of Forensic Auditors of First Bank.
Oluloye pleaded not guilty to the five counts and was granted bail by Folashade Olukoya, the presiding magistrate and the chief magistrate of Igbosere court. She is to raise N500, 000 in bail bond and provide two sureties in like sum.
Oluloye would be remanded in Kirikiri Prison custody until she meets her bail conditions
George Nwosu, the prosecution counsel, said Oluloye committed the alleged offences between last October 16 and December 31, at First Bank’s Agidingbi Branch, Lagos.
He said the 67-year-old woman allegedly hacked the account of a First Bank customer, Emefiele Ogbor, with account No 3014419974, and withdrew N16,200,000 from there and transferred same to her accounts in Stanbic IBTC, Union, Sterling and First banks.
Shortly afterwards Oluloye showed up at the bank to make withdrawals from her account. Unknown to her, the police were waiting and she was arrested.
The alleged offences contravened Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, the court heard.The defendant pleaded not guilty.
The case continues on June 24.

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target=_blank>Cholera Outbreak In Adamawa, One Dead, 76 Hospitalized

Adamawa State Government says it has recorded 76 cases since the outbreak of cholera in three Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
Abubakar Mohammed, the Information Officer of the State Ministry of Health, said this on Tuesday in a statement released in Yola, the capital of Adamawa.
According to the statement, the state has recorded one death following the outbreak in Yola North, Yola South and Girei LGAs.
The statement reads in part: “The Epidemiological unit of the ministry received the report on acute watery diarrhoea and vomiting on 12th May 2019, samples collected and tested using both Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) and cultured results from reference laboratory yielded positive.
“As of today Tuesday the 18th of June 2019, a total of 76 cases were recorded with one death, giving a case fatality rate (CFR) of 1.3%.
“Yola North reported 44 cases with 1 death (CFR= 2.3%); Yola South has 1 case with no death (CFR = 0%); and Girei recorded 31 cases with no death (CFR=0%).
”A 24-hour ambulance services and toll-free lines were made operational to ease the movement of suspected cases from the communities to the health facilities. Mass media campaigns in radio and TV will commence sensitizing the general public on cholera prevention and control measures and good hygiene promotion practices.
“General public is hereby encouraged to report any suspected case immediately to the nearest health facility or Call the following toll free lines 08031230359, 07080601139 for a prompt response. All calls made to the lines are free of charge.”

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target=_blank>Petrol Sells At Average Of N145 Across Nigeria -NBS

Nigerians bought a litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol, at the exact government regulated price of N145.0 nationwide data released Monday by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics shows.
According to the statistical authority in the country, Ebonyi State was the most expensive place to fuel your car in Nigeria with a liter of gasoline going for N146.25.
The data Bureau said the average price for diesel around the country was N228.02 in May, while a liter of kerosene was sold for N315.91, a gallon was bought at the cost of N1,210.56.
In the same period, a 5kg refill liquefied Petrol Gas (LPG cylinder cost N2,028.04 while a 12.5kg cooking gas was sold for N4,220.44. Generally, all the data sets released by the NBS shows a decrease in the prices of the commodities measured.
For petrol, there was a 3.4 percent decrease in the price of the product year-on-year. There was also a 0.6% decrease from N145.9 in April to N145.0 in May 2019. Kwara- N146.14 and Niger- N146.11, were the second and third most expensive places to buy petrol.
The cheapest places to operate a car-guzzling engine are Enugu- N143.55, Katsina- N142.50 and Gombe N141.08. There was also a decrease in the price of diesel nationwide between April and May.
In April, a liter of diesel was sold for N230.67 which is 1.15% more than the price of N228.02 for May 2019.
However, there was a 10.87 percent increase when the price in May 2018 is compared with the corresponding month in 2019.
The most expensive places to operate a high diesel consuming generator or bus, in May, were the Boko Haram ravaged states of Borno- N266.67, Adamawa- N245.63 as well as Cross River- N245.28.
The cheapest states to fire your industrial generators and commuter-sized buses in May were, Nasarawa- N206.91, Ekiti- 206.65 and the epicenter of herder/farmer clashes, Benue- N203.33. There was an increase in the price of a gallon of kerosene year-on-year, just as there was in the price of diesel.
Between May 2018 and May 2019, there was a 23.07 percent surge in the price of a gallon of kerosene.
In April however, the price of the cooking fuel was N1211.99 in April- making a 0.12 percent decrease to N1,210.56 in the month under view. Gombe- N1,415.38, Taraba, N1,397.00 and Jigawa- N1,378.57, are the most expensive states where you can re-fill your gallon of kerosene. The product was cheapest in Bayelsa- N1,040.90, Akwa Ibom- N1,031.25 and Abuja- N1,012.50. The price of a 12.5kg LPG decreased in both month-on-month and year-on-year comparisons- a similarity it shares with PMS. There was a 0.79 percent drop from 4,253.91 in April to N4,220.44 in May.
When May 2019 is juxtaposed with the preceding May, there is a 1.82 percent in the price of a 12.5kg cooking gas. The states where it was most expensive to cook with a 12.5kg gas cylinder in Nigeria were, the hydrocarbon producing states of Bayelsa- N4,690.00, Akwa Ibom- (N4,611.67) as well as Enugu (N4,608.33).
The cheapest places to cook meals that require much heat in may with a 12.5kg cylinder were Katsina- N3,842.86, Kano- N3,825.00 and Ekiti- N3,806.25. The price of a 5kg cooking gas reduced by 0.90 percent month-on=month and 2.13 percent year-on-year.
While the federal government keeps the price of petrol at N145 through subsidies it intends to put in the budget for the first time since the 2015 appropriation document, Nigerians pay for that prince to be uniform across the country.
Through payment mechanisms such as the Marine Transport average, the National Transport Allowance/average, Bridging fund and interdistrict scheme which are embedded into the cost of a liter of petrol, Nigerians ensure that their kin in far-flung parts of the country get the product at the same cost as those near functioning ports and depots.
Since the price of the product is arbitrarily fixed at N145, the federal government invariably subsidizes the actual price of PMS which is above N145 while factoring in the equalization cost as well.

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target=_blank>Breach Of Contract: How MasterCard Used Dishonest Tactics To Edge Out Chams In Million-dollars Nigeria’s ID Card Project

Sequel to the concession made by the federal government of Nigeria, ChamsConsortium Ltd was commissioned to issue out 100 million identity cards alongside MasterCard but the latter had breached the contract by getting involved in an unlawful agreement with NIMC and thereby producing only a negligible number of issued cards paid for by Nigerians.
According to Demola Aladekomo, Chairman of ChamsConsortium Ltd, MasterCard Asia/Pacific Pte Ltd (MasterCard) had entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Chams PLC, and agreed to work together to facilitate the issuance of identity cards to Nigerians.
Likewise, CCL also entered into a Customer Business Agreement (CBA) with MasterCard setting out obligations of both parties.
The CBA contained several clauses including non-disclosure and non-compete clauses.
In the context of the MasterCard/Chams Agreements, MasterCard was provided with a copy of the exclusive and confidential concession agreement granted to CCL. Over a period of many months, MasterCard worked closely with Chams on the architecture of the National ID project designed by Chams.

MasterCard breach of confidence VP Prof Osinbajo.docx

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Chams exposed the entire architecture to MasterCard while working jointly to integrate MasterCard’s payment functionalities into the architecture of the National ID project.
In the course of these developments, MasterCard received confidential information from Chams as contemplated under the CBA. CCL also formally introduced MasterCard to NIMC as its technical partner. Prior to this introduction, MasterCard and NIMC had no business relationship but each had existing relationships with CCL.
CCL granted MasterCard access to NIMC as a signed-on partner under the concession agreement.
Thereafter, MasterCard started having secret meetings with NIMC without informing, inviting, involving or updating Chams that brought it in as partners. As a product of these meetings, MasterCard eventually entered into an agreement with NIMC to the exclusion of ChamsConsortium, Chams Plc and Nextzon.
This agreement was a direct breach of MasterCard’s CBA obligation not to compete with CCL or use any information disclosed under the CBA for purposes other than the CBA’s implementation. Following failed attempts to reason with MasterCard, Demola stated that they had no other choice than to instruct their Nigerian lawyers, Olaniwun Ajayi LP and UK lawyers, Allen & Overy LLP in June 2013 to take legal action, seek redress against the clear breach of confidence and infidelity exhibited by MasterCard against Chams Plc. and CCL. The situation, however, did not turn out well for Chams as it was persuaded to explore amicable settlement of the issue because MasterCard had deep pockets and had threatened to outspend them in UK courts. Their lawyers sent preliminary letters to MasterCard in this regard.
Between April 2014 and until recently, they had met with and wrote to the CEO of MasterCard Worldwide on MasterCard’s breaches of obligation under their agreements with Chams. As was reported, MasterCard always responded with the indifference of a huge multinational that believes it cannot be sued by a small local Nigerian company and had arrogantly told Chams that its lawyers in South Africa, Singapore and America will outclass those of Chams in court resource-wise.
When the issues of MasterCard’s underhand and sharp practices in cheating Nigeria and Chams were exposed, they threatened CCL again with court cases and assured them that they would not survive it.
All these were in disregard of public admissions made by MasterCard’s Country Representative, Omokehinde, who claimed that Chams brought MasterCard into a deal MasterCard snatched.
This assertion was also corroborated by Chris Onyemenam of NIMC who publicly acknowledged that MasterCard/Daniel Monehin did not disclose to NIMC that MasterCard had an agreement with Chams before NIMC signed its illegal agreement with MasterCard.
Based on that, they held a meeting with the then-Director General of NIMC, Chris Onyemenam, and a concerned CBN Director, Walter Ahrey and the representative of MasterCard, Daniel Monehin in September 2013 at Hilton Abuja. Onyemenam at that meeting asserted and confronted Monehin that MasterCard failed to disclose to NIMC the existence of the MasterCard/Chams agreements.
Chris specifically asked Monehin and MasterCard to go and resolve the betrayal issues with Chams, accusing MasterCard of subverting Nigeria and Chams.
In a show of remorse following Onyemenam’s accusation of MasterCard, an onerous draft Technical Support Agreement (TSA) was sent by Monehin of MasterCard to Chams Plc for execution in December 2013 offering a paltry sum of US$500,000 against the more than US$100m CCL had invested on the National ID project.
Knowing the company s limited financial resources, MasterCard called CCL’s bluff and used its might and resources to cheat it.
ChamsConsortium Ltd and Chams Plc are, however, seeking for an intervention to persuade Mastercard to accept their wrongdoing, apologise for the breach and pay compensation for their accumulated losses.
When SaharaReporters reached out to MasterCard’s Senior Vice President and head of Government Affairs, Tucker Foote, his phone rang out multiple times without an answer. Emails sent to one of the company’s representative Ajay Banga also remain unreplied at the time of filing this report.

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target=_blank>Kebbi Gov Denies Refusing To Confirm Acting Chief Justice For ‘Being Christian’

The Kebbi state government has denied a petition put forward by the acting chief justice in the state, Elizabeth Asabe Karatu that she was refused confirmation because of her Christian faith.
Abubakar Mu’azu Dakingari, chief press secretary, Kebbi state said on Friday that the accusations were “laughable” and dangerous for Nigeria’s unity.
The statement reads in full:
It would have been laughable, if not for the danger it portends for the harmonious coexistence of Nigeria, how almost every public official who finds himself or herself in hot waters as a result of their actions or inactions will instantaneously grab unto a made-up religious or ethnic rationale or clutch unto the bombastic timeless easy to adopt claim of “witch-hunt.” It was therefore not surprising that the former Acting Chief Judge of Kebbi State, Honourable Justice Elizabeth Asabe Karatu chose a similar path.
What is surprising is the speed with which the Honourable Judge could forget the meticulous process followed by the Kebbi State Executive, the Kebbi State Legislature as well as the National Judicial Council (NJC) in her appointment in acting capacity and in the consideration of her proposed confirmation. Perhaps the former Acting Chief Judge had forgotten the transparent manner in which the process played out or the insurmountable conundrum created by the circumstances caused by her own actions.
It is public record that, following the impending retirement of Honourable Justice Bala Ibrahim Mairiga on 30 October 2017, Honourable Justice Karatu was appointed as the Acting Chief Judge Kebbi State on 26 October 2017. The appointment was made pursuant to Section 271(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended. The Subsection provides that –
“If the office of the Chief Judge of a State is vacant or if the person holding the office is for any reason unable to perform the functions of the office, then, until a person has been appointed to and has assumed the functions of that office, or until the person holding the office has resumed those functions, the Governor shall appoint the most senior Judge of the High Court to perform those functions.“
The acting appointment of Justice Karatu under Section 271(4) of the Constitution lapsed on the 30th of January and was renewed for another three months by Governor Bagudu, without prompting, with effect from 31st January 2018; and for yet another three months.
Honourable Justice Karatu was first presented to the Kebbi State House of Assembly for confirmation as Chief Judge by the Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu on 2 June 2018 sequel to the recommendation of the NJC. She was invited to the House of Assembly and appeared for the confirmation hearing on 1 August 2018. Following several alterations of dates observed on her Primary School Leaving Certificate, which she admitted.
It is equally public record that after the rejection of Justice Karatu by the House, Governor Bagudu actually wrote back to the House requesting for consideration of appeal for his intervention by the Judge, which request was refused by the House vide a letter dated 12 October 2018. The letter detailed the identified alterations to the Judge’s Primary School Leaving Certificate necessitating the earlier rejection. These are:
1. Alteration of date of birth from 9 May 1952 to 9 May 1954;
2. Alteration of date of issue of the Certificate from 12 January 1966 to 12 January 1967; and
3. Alteration of the year of completion of primary school from 1966 to 1967.
In addition to the above alterations, the House also found that the Declaration of Age presented to the House by Justice Karatu contained a different date from the conflicting dates contained on the Primary School Leaving Certificate. The date of birth on the Declaration was 5 July 1954.
Furthermore, the former acting Chief Judge, in her 17 August 2018 letter of appeal to the Governor, forwarded another copy of the Primary School Leaving Certificate she purportedly obtained from the Government of “Northern Nigeria” as a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the earlier presented Certificate. The said CTC contains 6 August 2018 as the date of issue. Also, on the CTC, the date of birth of Justice Karatu was indicated as 9 May 1954 and the previously observed alteration of the year of completion of primary school from 1966 to 1967 had miraculously disappeared.
Justice Karatu is the one who presented all these documents. It is in her documents that three different dates of birth were ascribed to her: 9 May 1952, 9 May 1954 and 5 July 1954.
Going by the first date of birth on the Judge’s Primary School Leaving Certificate (9 May 1952), the Judge ought to have retired from the Bench of the Kebbi State Judiciary by 9 May 2017 pursuant to the provisions of Section 291(2) of the Constitution, which fixed 65 years as the compulsory retirement age for Judges other than those on the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
Again Governor Bagudu reached out to the NJC with the response of the House of Assembly. The response of the NJC was that Justice Karatu should be re-presented for confirmation by the House of Assembly, which guidance the Government followed albeit with no different result from the House. The House vide its letter to the Governor dated 28 March 2019 maintained its ground not to confirm Justice Karatu as the Chief Judge of Kebbi State.
The Governor communicated the response of the House to the NJC, whereafter the NJC constituted a 4-man committee to visit the State and seek a resolution to the impasse. The Committee was made up of Honourable Justice Ishaq Usman Bello, Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory as the Chairman with Honourable Justice Pascal Obinna Nnadi, Chief Judge Imo State; Honourable Justice Idris Abdullahi Haroon, Grand Khadi Kwara State; and Hajiya Rakiya Sarki Ibrahim, Member NJC as members.
The NJC Committee visited Kebbi State on 5 May 2019, during which visit the Committee interacted with the Governor, the former Acting Chief Judge and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, from whom the Committee established that the Kebbi State House of Assembly had never confirmed the appointment of Justice Karatu as Chief Judge of Kebbi State.
Following the visit of the NJC Committee, Governor Bagudu again wrote the State House of Assembly on 7 May 2019 requesting another review of the decision of the House. The response of the House dated 15 May 2019 was to reaffirm its earlier position of rejection of Justice Karatu.
Justice Karatu’s third acting appointment expired on 30 August 2018 necessitating another revert by the Kebbi State Government to the NJC for guidance on the resolution of the stalemate. In this instance, the NJC vide a letter dated 11 June 2019 approved the appointment of the next most senior Judge of the High Court to act in the capacity of Chief Judge of Kebbi State.
It is therefore interesting to see that the petition of the former Acting Chief Judge, as reported in the media, had conveniently omitted to mention any of the facts as uncovered by the Kebbi State House of Assembly resulting in her rejection. Rather, the learned jurist had resorted to the age-long “religious persecution”, “witch-hunt” emotional blackmail argument popularised by the malefactors.
It is also appalling that, in an attempt to garner public attention, the former acting Chief Judge had opted for the use of the name of the Vice President in the most mischievous and reckless manner. We know as a fact that no relation of the Vice President had ever had any matter, civil or criminal, before Justice Karatu or any other court in Kebbi State. Why a person who once occupied the most exalted position of State Judiciary and who should know the legal implication of such false claims would still resort to calumny is baffling.
As repulsive as this approach is, it is extremely and palpably poignant and will continue to be a “weapon” of choice for those without any viable explanation when caught with their hands in the cookie jar. It is of utmost importance that relevant authorities pay attention to the way and manner facts are misrepresented in the media and religion, a very sensitive and emotive subject to Nigerians, is insidiously being employed as a tool to cause disharmony among the peace-loving people of Kebbi State.

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target=_blank>Group B: AFCON 2019 Group Review

The 32nd edition of the Total African Cup of Nations, which will kick-off on the 21st of June has a total of six groups; A, B, C, D, E, and F. The SaharaReporters Sport team brings you group review and what to expect from each team.
Previously on AFCON group review, we discussed group A which has Egypt, Zimbabwe, DR Congo and Uganda.

Corruption: Dear Buhari, To Get To Mountain Top, Climb Down By Churchill Okonkwo

Dear President Buhari, just in case you have forgotten, the chameleon changes its color to match the earth; the earth does not change colors to match the chameleon. But two weeks ago, you, the earth, changed colors, again, to match the chameleon, corrupt senator Goje. After you tactically back Lawan and “forced” Goje to rescind his bid for the Senate President, his multi-billion corruption charges were transferred to the sinkhole ofAttorney GeneralMalami, where the corruption cases of protected politician are buried.
Mr. President, I am worried about your legacy as a corruption crusader. A couple of years from now, the story of your anti-corruption crusade will be summarized thus; “while President Buhari, the rhinoceros, was dancing with the corrupt monkeys, Tinubu, Ganduje, Orji Uzor Kalu, Gbajabiamila, Goje, and chasing the big corrupt sharks Dasuki, Saraki, Metuh, Diezani Alison-Madueke, the poor masses were crippled by endemic corruption in the polity”.
Mr. President, from the crude and corrupt Nigerian police that can kill over 50 Naira “egunje” through the civil servants that demand “lubrication of their palms” before they can move a file to the customs officials at our borders that escort banned goods into the country, the endemic corruption in the Nigerian system keeps hurting and slowly bankrupting the poor.
Mr. President, a bird that flies off the ground and lands on an anthill is still on the ground. Despite all the gra-gra in the fight against corruption by your administration, you are still on the ground. All the high-profile corruption cases your administration has been chasing only succeed in leaving the ground only to land on an anthill of corrupt elements in APC.
Mr. President, for you to get to the mountain top in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, therefore, you must climb down. You must climb down from the artificial mountain of only chasing political opponents that embezzled billions, to the real valley where poor Nigerians are crippled by corruption. You must climb down from the anthill of EFCC-induced prosecution to the level ground of crippling-everyday-corruption.
Mr. President, if you truly understand the meaning of corruption, you should be taking radical steps to address the everyday corruption that is bringing pains and sorrows to Nigerians. How do you feel, Mr. President, when you hear stories of members of the Nigerian Police Force, extorting money from motorists on illegal roadblock across Nigeria? How do you feel when you hear that our borders are still as porous as NNPC’s account?
It is true Mr. President that your administration recovered properties worth billions of Naira; it is true that several courts have ordered for the final forfeiture of billions of unexplained deposits in several banks and that a lot of the corrupt politicians returned billions. I commend your administration for that. But, Mr. President, that is not enough.
You see, Mr. President, you cannot tell a hungry child that you gave him food yesterday. All these billions do not change the fact that the clerk is still demanding five thousand Naira from a poor teacher that is trying to obtain an affidavit at the Magistrate’s Court in Kabba.
Mr. President, for your presumed success in the anti-corruption crusade to make sense for me and my Okada colleagues at Upper Iweka, Onitsha, we should be free to engage in our legitimate business without fear of the gun-wielding policemen.
Mr. President, for us to rejoice at the news of the temporal forfeiture of millions of Dollars belonging to Patience Jonathan and her phony companies, we need to take that hard earned 200 Naira home to our families instead of being forced to hand it to the police or lose our lives.
Dear President Buhari, as a tree cannot stand without roots, your fight against corruption is rootless and meaningless if bus drivers and motorists are constantly being harassed for fifty Naira by the police.Mr. President, if you do not see these acts of illegal extorting from motorist as a form of corruption and corrupt practice, then, he needs a re-orientation on the meaning of corruption.
Mr. President, remember the Ugandan Proverb; the one nearest to the enemy is the real leader. To be the real leader of the masses when it comes to corruption, you must take your fight to every police check-point, every border crossing, every passport office, every local government office, every tax office, etc. That’s how you can bring yourself closer to our corrupt enemies of poor Nigerians.
Mr. President, corruption is an incubator of banditry, terrorism, human trafficking, kidnappings, and other issues far beyond corruption itself. Has it ever crossed your mind, Mr. President that the banditry we are currently witnessing from your home state Katsina to Kaduna through Zamfara is a by-product of corruption?
Mr. President, there is no limit to the extent to which corruption, once it is unleashed, can undermine the stability of a nation and organized society. In Nigeria, corruption is intertwined with survival in all spheres of life. Unable to survive in the face of endemic corruption, separate centers of power are emerging to rival the power of the government.
Mr. President, here is a message to you, from us, as you start your second term, no matter how many arrests you made, no matter how many you charge to court, no matter how many millions of Dollars you recover from Patience Jonathan, a conviction is what counts. The Failure of your administration in prosecuting Dasuki, Uzor Kalu, Olisa Metuh, Sule Lamido, Nyako and the rest have emboldened current governors and corrupt government officials.
Mr. President, one foot isn’t enough to walk with. Your fight against corruption can best be described as hopping around on one broken foot. Mr. President, you need to purge the system and stop making a mockery of your promise to fight corruption. It is beginning to sound like a cunning contexture of dark arts and faithless promises.
Finally, Mr. President, Nigerians are waiting for you at the valley, the dark-deep valley where corrupt public servants are dealing with us. Climb down from the artificial mountain top of anticorruption, Mr. President, and meet us there. That’s the only way you can get to the top.
You can email Churchill at Churchill.okonkwo@gmail.comor follow him on Twitter @churchillnnobi

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Corruption: Dear Buhari, To Get To Mountain Top, Climb Down By Churchill Okonkwo