Sahara Reporters Latest News Friday 12th July 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Friday 12th July 2019

Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 12/07/19

target=_blank>Stop Tampering With Local Government Funds, AAC Tells Governor Sanwo-olu

The Lagos State Chapter of the African Action Congress has told Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos State, to stop taking from funds belonging to the local governments in the state.
It was disclosed that one month after the National Finance Intelligence Unit (NFIU) guidelines barring state governments from accessing local governments’ funds, Sanwo-olu reportedly deducted over N370 million from a council’s allocation for June 2019.
An NFIU source told SaharaReporters that the Sanwo-Olu approached it for a concession but the NFIU did not grant it a waiver to access funds meant for the local governments.
Reacting to the development, Kunle Wizeman Ajayi, Acting State Chairman of AAC bemoaned the action by the governor, asserting that the All Progressives Congress deliberately continue to rig the local government elections in the state to continue to illegally access the fund and cover their deeds.

target=_blank>To Reclaim Political Relevance, Igbo Should Build Bridges, Not Barricades By Churchill Okonkwo

Churchill Okonkwo

Max Lucado’s book, You’ll Get Through This, digs deep into what it means to go through hard times and struggles and still come out triumphant. This book, centered on Joseph, from the Old Testament Bible, is meant for anyone or group that felt stuck or discouraged because of circumstance. There is no doubt that in Nigeria, most Igbos are discouraged and stuck, politically.
In the Bible, Joseph’s pit came in the form of a cistern. In Nigeria, the pit of Igbos came in the form of depression and paranoid after losing the 2015 and the 2019 Presidential elections. In the Bible, Joseph was thrown into a hole and despised. And we? Thrown into the political wilderness, confused and feeling cheated by the Nigerian political system.
In the pit, life is reduced to one quest: to get out and never get hurt again. Interestingly, this is not easily done. The first thing you will realize is that pits have no easy exit. But once in the pit, one thing you don’t want to do is keep digging, especially if you are serious about getting out.
Joseph’s story got worse before it got better. His abandonment led to enslavement, entrapment, and imprisonment. He was sucker-punched; sold out; mistreated. People made promises only to break them; offered gift only to take them. If hurt is a swampland and Joseph a Nigerian, then, he was sentenced to hard labor in the polluted creeks of Niger Delta.
Yet, Joseph never gave up. He never allowed bitterness to poison his thoughts. His anger never metastasized into hatred. His heart never hardened; resolve never vanished. He not only survived; he thrived. By the end of his life, Joseph was the second most powerful man in his generation
Joseph would be the first to tell you that life in the pit stinks. Yet, for all its rottenness, doesn’t the pit do this much? It forces you to build bridges and look upwards. Someone from up there must come down here and give you a hand. God did for Joseph.
Before Igbos can figure out who will do it for us or how we can do it for ourselves, we need to, first, like Joseph, build bridges. Imagine if Joseph had barricaded himself while in prison. Imagine if he had insulated everyone around him and rejoice in their predicament. Imagine if he had accepted his predicament and buried his head in the ground. Pause at this point and reflect.
While it is true that you should fear no fall when you are down, the critical point is; what should you do when your intention is to get up? Ultimately, we are Igbos and as such, we don’t belong to the ground. We should not be proud of being on the ground or in a political pit. That is why we should reject the narrative, the parable, that he who is on the ground fears no fall.
Life turns every person upside down. No one escapes unscathed. The question is how can we emerge triumphant from hard times and struggles? The answer is simple, by building bridges and not barricades.
Poking the eyes of Ijaws or Igbo minorities in the Niger Delta for refusing to join the struggle for Biafran independence is barricading ourselves. Tong-lashing Danjuma and Gowon and the rest of the tribes in the Middle Belt for their role in the Nigerian Civil War is barricading ourselves. Rejoicing over the increasing spate of banditry in the northwest is barricading ourselves.
Picking fights with the Yorubas or calling them names is barricading ourselves. Abusing the Yoruba pastors is barricading ourselves. Concocting lies against Obasanjo for refusing to embrace the lie on Jubril is barricading ourselves. If anything, we should build long and strong bridges to the heart of the Yoruba land who despite also having their “son”, Osinbajo, in the 2019 election massively voted for the party with our “son” Peter Obi.
The only practical way of getting up from the ground is to build bridges. A bitter political reality is that the current shaky bridges across the Niger or the ones that are truncated in the Middle Belt or the Creeks of the Niger Delta are not enough to pull us up. We must, thus, build bridges to the heart of the caliphate and to the banks of Lake Chad. That is a metaphysics of becoming, a pragmatic politics that will help us regain political relevance.
Let me stress that the political platform for Igbos to reclaim and remain politically relevance is immaterial. What is important is that we help heal the division in the country by building bridges. In the process, we will build the pedestal on which to stand and play a leading role once more in the difficult task of building a great Nigeria.
If you make friends with the boatman in the dry season, you will be the first to cross the flooded streets when the rains come and the tide is high. Ohaneze that openly campaigned for Atiku in the dry season should stop lamenting that the faces of Igbos around Buhari are not Igbo enough.
The frowning of a goat does not prevent it from being priced in the market. With or without Igbos in key leadership positions in the National Assembly, the work of the legislators, whatever that is, will keep rolling. With or without the support of Igbo majority, the few that backed Buhari will be fully compensated in his administration. That will never make them less Igbo than Nnia Nwodo.
Igbos are beautiful people, enterprising, caring and trailblazers. But we cannot achieve political greatness on our own in a supper multicultural Nigeria. This is succinctly captured in this word of wisdom – only someone can scratch your back. Just as rising early makes the road short, building bridges make navigation of the shark-infested political rivers in Nigeria safe and sure.
At a time when the familiar and old politics of division is, again, demonstration its incapacity to win the hearts and minds of broader Nigerians, a new politics should rise in its place. That new politics should be focused on aspiration than complaint, on dreams than nightmares, on possibility than limits and on building bridges, not barricades.
Let our greatest trials be the launching pad into our destiny. I am here to encourage us, and shepherd us forward with the confidence that we will get through this; we will regain political relevance and we will eventually overcome, not by barricading ourselves, but by building bridges.
Together, we can.
You can email Churchill at Churchill.okonkwo@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @churchillnnobi

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E2%80%99s-domestic-debt-grew-n458-billion-3-months-says-debt-management-office target=_blank>Nigeria’s Domestic Debt Grew By N458 Billion In 3 Months, Says Debt Management Office

The Debt Management Office (DMO) says Nigeria’s domestic debt grew by N458.36 billion between December 31, 2018 and March 31 2019.
The DMO has repeatedly stated that it intended to reduce domestic borrowing to 60 percent from previous highs of 80 percent, as locally sourced loans are more expensive to service than foreign obtained funds.
The release, on Wednesday, by the DMO noted that the ratio of local to international debts currently stands at 68.49 percent to 31.51 percent.
“In relation to the debt management strategy, the ratio of domestic to external debt stood at 68.49 percent to 31.51 percent at the end of March. The total public debt to Gross Domestic Product ratio was 19.03 per cent which is within the 25 per cent debt limit imposed by the government,” it stated.
Nigeria pays interests of between 7 to 7.5 percent on its Euro bonds, while domestically sourced treasury bills and FGN bonds are as low as 10 percent and as high as 14 percent.
On the total composition of the country’s debt stock, the debt office says the country’s borrowings soared by 2.3 per cent from N24.39 trillion on December 31, 2018 to N24.95 trillion on March 31, 2019.
Based on DMO’s records, Anambra, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti and Lagos states had not borrowed monies domestically since December, while Rivers State had not sourced funds locally since September 2018.
However, Lagos State still has the highest domestic debt stock, as it owes N542.2 billion.
Four Niger Delta States— Rivers; N225.5 billion, Delta; N223.4 billion, Akwa Ibom; N199.7 billion, Cross River; N167.25 billion, come after Lagos.
Osun and the FCT are the only places not in the Niger Delta region besides Lagos owing above N100 billion.

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target=_blank>Nigerian Governors Tell Kyari: Subsidy Is A Major Drawback To Government Revenues

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), has told Mele Kyari, the new Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that a new deal might be needed to curb the drawback subsidy payment is having on funds available to the different tiers of government.
Kayode Fayemi, Chairman of the forum and Ekiti State’s governor, observed that increases in the price of the cost of a barrel of oil will always drive up the amount of money spent on subsidizing the cost of the product.
Fayemi informed the GMD that accountability measures had been discussed on how to equitably distribute revenues.
“It is important to highlight that subsidy remains a major drawback to government revenues. We may need to consider a new deal on how the government will absorb the cost of subsidy,” Fayemi is quoted to have said in a statement issued by Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, the NGF’s head of media.
“This has become necessary, given the new reality of low oil revenues and rising government commitments. We believe that at the current course, subsidy costs will continue to offset any recovery in the oil market. Fayemi supported this assertion with figures spent on keeping the cost of gasoline at N145 by the NNPC in 2017 and half year 2018.
“The country recorded one of its lowest costs of subsidy in 2016 when oil traded at an average of $48.11bn. Total subsidy that year was around N28.6bn; but the amount rose to N219bn in 2017 and N345.5bn by mid-2018, as the price of oil and domestic PMS— Premium Motor Spirit, consumption rebounded.
“These are important considerations for us, with direct implications for energy security and economic stability in the country.”
Reiterating the dire dependence of states on petroleum revenue, Fayemi said, “Over the last few years, the forum has built a working relationship with the corporation on matters related to the size and distribution of oil revenues in the country.
“Both organisations have held a series of engagement meetings to discuss ways to address the challenges bedevilling the oil industry. This partnership remains critical to us because it is integral to the fiscal stability of both the federal and sub-national governments, given the central role oil revenues play in funding our budgets.”

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target=_blank>Kaduna Lawmakers Kick Against El-Rufai’s Nominee, Refuse To Confirm Him As Commissioner

The Kaduna state house of assembly has rejected the nomination of Aliyu Abubakar as commissioner for agriculture.
Abubakar was said to be a critic of the Nasir El-rufai-led administration.
He had reportedly criticised some policies of the Kaduna governor on social media, especially on Facebook.
For that reason, the Kaduna lawmakers refused to confirm Abubakar’s nomination on Thursday.
Instead of confirming his nomination like other nominees, the speaker, Aminu Shagali, asked Abubakar why he wanted to serve in a government that he constantly attacks its policies.
“You criticized the same administration that is about to employ you now in one of your posts on Facebook. You said there’s nothing good about the education policy and attacked the governor,” he said.
”The governor still chose you based on merit. Your CV was chosen among 10 CVs presented to the governor. Do you think it’s honourable to accept this nomination? To work for an administration whom you think is a bad one?”
The speaker said since 2017, Abubakar has been criticising the education policy of the governor, which according to Shagali, is “one of the best”.
“In your Facebook account, you said there is nothing like making Kaduna state great again, it is a deceptive cliche used by politicians to deceive the masses, we will make Kaduna great at appropriate time,” the speaker said.
“You said it is a responsibility for those who are truly sincere not for those who are inherently sarcastic. You also said el-Rufai must learn to tackle issues with human face. You said you are an advocate of change that goes to the root and cause (of a problem) not only the symptoms.
“You also said in the same post: stop comparing me with el-Rufai who thinks he is more intelligent than intelligence itself. You however said you are a humble human being that believes that all that glitters is not gold there is nothing authoritarian in insisting on the truth and never speak truth.
“You also said that you detest insincerity as there are better ways of genuinely solving problems.”
However, despite being asked a barrage of questions, a perplexed Abubakar was not given time to defend himself.
In an interview with journalists shortly after the plenary session, chairman house committee on media and public affairs, Tanimu Musa, said the Abubakar’s nomination was rejected because he criticised the el-Rufai administration.
“The evil that men do lives even after them, Jaafaru has been a critic of this administration on social media. Why did he want to work with the government you have been criticising before,” Musa said.

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target=_blank>Nigeria’s Anti-corruption Agency Recovers N90 Million, Secures 55 Convictions In Gombe

The Head of Operations in the North East Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in Gombe State, Mr Michael Wetkas has said that the commission has recovered over N90 million and secured 55 convictions in six months.
He disclosed this on Thursday in Gombe State during a community road walk against corruption in commemoration of the 2019 African Anti-Corruption Day, themed, “Assets Recovery”.
Wetkas claimed that the commission also secured the forfeiture of two houses to the Federal Government.
According to him, corruption has been the cause of underdevelopment, decayed infrastructure, and insecurity in Nigeria.
“Today, we are commemorating the African Day to have a common position with other countries on the continent against corruption.”
“Statistics has shown that in Africa, we lose $50 billion yearly. Meanwhile, in Nigeria, we have lost over $400 billion between 1960 and 2012.
“We must take ownership of the anti-corruption fight. When you see something, let’s say something. We are always ready to do our job whenever we are called in that regard,” he said.
He added that the commission, acting on information from the public, was able to recover diverted items meant for internally-displaced persons {IDPs} in Gombe.
Wetkas stressed that the commission had intervened, following useful information, in the allegations of corruption in the Anchor Borrowers’ Scheme of the Federal Government and that some of the cases were already in court.
He also claimed that the commission has secured 1,207 convictions and recovered over N790 billion under Ibrahim Magu’s leadership.

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target=_blank>Life Count: Analysis Of The Deaths And Continuous Deaths Of Nigerians In A Non-War Zone

Death caused by Boko Haram from 2011 to June 2012
Deaths caused by Herdsmen Crisis from 2014 -2018
Death as a result of Election Violence
Death caused by Road Accidents

Currently, the genocide in the English speaking regions of Cameroon has led to the death of about 10,000 people, according to an activist from one of the haunted areas. The Cameroonian president, Paul Biya, has ordered war on Southern Cameroonian secessionist and its people.
Since the 3-year impasse between Anglophone leaders and the Biya government, reports say over 200 villages have been burnt down, homes sacked and many forced into exile. This is one instance where many international agencies and western countries have turned their back to pleas for intervention. Contrast the Southern Cameroonian situation to neighbouring Nigeria. There is no full-blown war but somehow, tens of thousands have been killed in the last eight years.
As sad as it is to admit, death is becoming normalized in Nigeria. We would have expected a stronger sense of responsibility on the part of the government. We would have hoped that they hugely condemn the killings of thousands of Nigerians but the war against insurgency has been politicized too often. Government statements on decimating the insurgents, have been brutally replied with daring attacks. In saner climes, we have seen decisive government actions on the death of just one or two persons. When it gets to hundreds and thousands like it has in Nigeria, it is just another time to cash out he undeclared war landscape in Nigeria.
Since the Boko Haram insurgency was ignited in 2009, killings have been a regular feature in Nigeria. This deadly group has killed thousands of people, maimed many and displaced families. Till date, there has been no full audit of these deaths and the corresponding socio-economic effect it has had on the country.
According to the Institute of Security Studies, headed by veteran African Security analyst, Jakkie Cilliers, 37% of the 39,286 violence-related fatalities recorded in Africa in 2014 occurred in Nigeria, mainly as a result of attacks by Boko Haram. This is followed closely by the percentage of such fatalities related to attacks by Al-Shabaab in Somalia. That same year, Boko Haram were responsible for the deaths of 6,664 people, 561 more than deaths attributed to ISIS.
According to the Global Index Terrorism Report 2018, although Nigeria has the least increase in terrorism deaths from 2015-2016, it still remains the 3rd highest impacted country with terrorism in the world.
As we have also observed, Boko Haram is not the only agent of death that Nigerians have had to grapple with in recent years. Another monster has been unleashed into the arena, the herdsmen. According to the Department for State Security (DSS), a large number of these herdsmen are not Nigerians, they are people from other countries who armed themselves from the stockpile of ammunition built-up during the unseating of Muammar Gadaffi in Libya in 2011. In the last three years, herdsmen have unleashed terror on Nigerian communities with Benue, Plateau, Kaduna, Adamawa and Taraba states the worst hit. There is also the little matter of deaths as a result of accidents, banditry and election violence.
This analysis attempts to bring to the fore the number of lives that have been lost in Nigeria to the inefficiency in our security systems from 2011 to 2019 using available data.
BOKO HARAM, DEATH UPON DEATHS
Boko Haram is the third most deadly terrorist group on the map after ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and Al-Qaeda. The murderous militants who reign supreme in the Northeastern region of the country, have pushed the Taliban that once governed all of Afghanistan into fourth position, according to the Global terrorism Index 2017 report.
Data gathered by CFR, an independent, nonpartisan membership organization and think tank based in the United States, Boko Haram has been responsible for the death of 16,533 civilians between 2011 and June 2019. Within this period, 2,877 state actors including soldiers, Policemen, Civil Defense Corps and Vigilante groups have lost their lives as well. On the other hand, 15,915 Insurgents have been killed within this time frame. This brings the number of lives they have caused to be wiped-out to 35,325 in Nigeria as at June 2019.
These deaths are predominantly in the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, and Taraba. There were also deaths recorded in Niger, Abuja, Kaduna and Bauchi at several points within the years in view.
A breakdown of the deaths in years reveals that there are more deaths under the previous administration than in President Muhammadu Buhari’s first tenure.
The documentation of killings started in May 2011 and in that year alone, 597 people were killed. Out of this number, 379 were civilians, 123 State actors and 95 were terrorists. The number of deaths increased to 1,673; 1,102 Civilians, 340 state actors and 231 insurgents in 2012.
In 2013, the death toll continued to rise with 1,784 civilians losing their lives as well as 298 State Actors and 584 Boko Haram members. Boko Haram killings reached a crescendo in 2014, as Nigeria was building up towards the 2015 General Elections. At list 5,500 civilians lost their lives. While 6,308 insurgents were killed in return— the highest number so far. No fewer than 450 state actors are recorded to have lost their lives too.
Despite the change in leadership in 2015, 5,260 civilians died, 450 security officials were killed, while 4,751 Boko Haram members were vanquished.
In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Civilian deaths numbered 690, 827 and 587 respectively, while state actors deaths were 231, 202 and 459 in that order. For the insurgents, 1,354, 947 and 872 were killed in the three years.
As at June 2019, Nigeria has already recorded 404 Civilian deaths; 773 Boko Haram members have been killed and 491 state actors murdered as well.

Death caused by Boko Haram from 2011 to June 2012

While the death toll seems to have reduced, this cannot be attributed to a superior military might from the Nigerian army and allied forces. Last year, videos abound on social media of several misdemeanors within the ranks of the military which led to avoidable deaths.
Boko Haram has since split into Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP), a resultant effect of the tapering war in Syria and the unwillingness of the African Union to police the human, arms and organ smuggling roots in the Sahara Desert. Add the lack of a coordinated effort at finding peace in both regional and continental African blocs, to the drying up of water bodies like the Lake Chad, the continued suppression of the girl-child and an overall absence of governance, and you would have brewed the potent cocktail of destruction that is fueling killings in the country. Maybe African leaders will take note when holocaust status is attained.
FROM HERDSMEN TO DEATH MEN
Before 2016, herdsmen were not known to be killers but riding on the crest of the Libyan crisis which led to proliferation of arms, a new breed of herdsmen entered into Nigeria and unleashed terror on its people killing farmers and destroy communities where their herd have been denied access to fresh grass, this was the narration sold to the people by the Nigerian government.
A report by Global index revealed that the herdsmen crisis, which went up another notch in the last three years has led to a 300% increase in deaths. Between 2010 and 2013, there were just 80 deaths as a result of herdsmen-farmer but it has been on the rise since then. Deaths rose to 1,229 in 2014 and then reduced to 525 in 2015.
By 2016, Nigerians have woken up to the new reality, tales of woes of herdsmen attacking villages and communities in several parts of the country, from Southern Kaduna down to the South Eastern state of Enugu. That year alone, 4,940 people lost their lives. The gory tales continued in 2017 with a total of 1,832 deaths and 1700 in 2018.
In 2019, there has been no specified number of deaths recorded as a result of the herdsmen, as many have observed, the herder-farmer heat simmered in the build up to the 2019 general elections. The Nigerian government has since been toiling with ideas to find a permanent end to the clashes, like the RUGA policy which was met with stiff resistance from Nigerians (especially southerners) and has since been suspended.

Deaths caused by Herdsmen Crisis from 2014 -2018

OTHER AVOIDABLE DEATHS
While Nigerians were still dealing with the new form of violence in herdsmen crisis, another form of doom ensued within the northern spaces, banditry. This, as described by victims are a group of blood-thirsty armed bandits who unleash terror on people, these bandits are involved in kidnapping, cattle rustling and gruesome murder of people in any community they set on. This was a dominant feature in the Nigerian media in 2018 as states like Zamfara, were said to be under siege.
Death, as a result of banditry shot to the roof from below 20 in 2013 to well over 200 in 2019. According to CFR, the total death as a result of banditry in Zamfara was 27 as at June 2012 but then in 2013, it increased to 62 people. 258 died in 2014 while no death was recorded in 2015. In 2016, the violence continued with 75 people losing their lives, this increased to 121 in 2017 and then 41 in 2018.

Death as a result of Election Violence

Another death trap for Nigerians is Election Violence. Election time is always a tense period in Nigeria, every four years the polity is heated with a lot of division among Nigerians, friction always arises among politicians which has led to several incidences of election violence in the country. According to Policy and Legal advocacy Centre (PLAC) an independent CSO in Nigeria, 800 people lost their lives in the 2011 elections, this can be attributed to the uproar after Goodluck Jonathan was declared winner over then serial candidate, Muhammadu Buhari at the polls. Violence erupted in states like Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano leading to these deaths.
During the 2015 polls, there were about 105 lives lost, a far cry from the number in 2011 despite the major opposition being declared winner over the incumbent. In 2019, only 39 deaths were recorded.

Death caused by Road Accidents

Also worthy of mention is death caused by road accidents, while this may not be tagged to major security breach, it shows how government has been nonchalant towards lives of its people.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, deaths as a result of road accidents was 5,539 in 2013. 4430 people lost their lives in 2014, 5400 in 2015 while 5,053 died in 2016.
5049 people died as a result of road accidents in 2017 while there was a major reduction with 2, 623 people losing their lives in 2018. This reduction may be attributed to the improvement on road construction under this present administration.
THE NEXT LEVEL
On the whole, over 60, 000 Nigerians have lost their lives in the last 8 years to a major breach in security, without the country being in a war. This number does not however include Q
undocumented deaths, the maimed, incapacitated, impoverished and displaced people who lives have been altered within this period.
We have watched our beloved country degenerate into a terrorist state and western countries giving travel advice to their citizens to avoid Nigeria. While we may not be able to put a figure to the economic loss, we can at least talk about precious lives.
It is worthy to note, that had there been a strong political will and lack of corruption, most of these deaths would have been avoided. For instance, several promises by the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari, has seen the country invest billions of dollars and dedicated more troops to fight Boko Haram insurgents, with the support of neighbouring countries like Cameroon, Niger and Chad. These efforts have largely reduced the powers of the terrorist group but a lot still needs to be done.
Also, internal security is key as the country now has a whole lot of other insurgents to battle, we hope the country and its citizens will enjoy a better lease of life in the second term of the President.

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target=_blank>BREAKING NEWS: Buhari Nominates Tanko As Substantive CJN, Urges Senate To Treat Confirmation As Urgent

President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria Justice, Tanko Muhammadu, as substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The National Judicial Council (NJC) had on Wednesday recommended Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad to Buhari for confirmation as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, read Tanko’s name on the floor of the Senate.

E2%80%A6imma-need-you-take-seat-hannatu-musawa target=_blank>SPOKEN WORD: Senator Elisha Abbo, Sir…Imma Need You To Take A Seat By Hannatu Musawa

Look, I know that this mess created by Senator Elisha Abbbo where he was seen on a video behaving like a ‘Neanderthal Subspecies of Archaic Human’ inside an iniquitous carnal outlet is a dead horse beaten to a pulp, but I’m going to have to resurrect the Stallion, for every time I see the footage my blood literally boils. It has become imperative to serve this ‘Numpty’ a roasting and his very own special Prescription. So, here we go…
On May 11th 2019 at around 6pm, it is alleged that this ‘Constipated Clown’ went to look for some debauched excitement with three young women to buy all sorts of nonsense. One of the women he went with was reported to have regurgitated some matter of solid presence. God knows what she must have ingested prior to coming to the shop but this was said to have irritated the shop owner, and rightly so. Already with vexation in the atmosphere, once they added some allegation of a poisoned air conditioner, accusations of intoxication and an argument between both parties into the mix, it was a perfect storm that drastically aggravated an already tense situation.
The events unfolded under the unrelenting eye of Closed Circuit TV, which captured this ‘Douchebag’ inside a disgusting environment making calls and was soon joined by a police officer whom he asked to arrest the shop owner. Like the ‘Cowardly Lion’ who traipsed the Land of Oz with Dorothy not having a slither of courage, this ‘Trifling Bully’ shamelessly told the police officer that the lady in the shop had “insulted him and called him a drunk, stupid and mad.” To be fair, with the behavior that ‘Yours Truly’ exhibited, the lady sounds like she was right on the money. He ‘did’ behave like a drunk and stupid mad man.
As the shop owner was placing a call to her father to explain the situation, this ‘Legislative Nincompoop’ became angry and demanded for her to disconnect the call. Like the prodigious neck of a giraffe with all seven vertebrae intact, he reached out and made an attempt to snatch the phone and, in response, the victim tried to intervene and asked him to calm down. That was the beginning of how the victim in this case got manhandled by this ‘Lecherous Brute.’
Angered, ‘Mr. I-Am-Going-To-Abuse-People-Because-I-Am-A-Senator’ proceeded to rain abuses at her, push and punch her in the head, after which he slapped her severally. He obviously was not thinking that this civilian woman was someone else’s child, sibling, wife, mother or friend. He continued to strike at her. He then commanded the indefensible police that escorted him to arrest both women, stating that he would make an example of them. An example of what exactly? An example of how people in position of leadership are intoxicated by their power and above the law, while ordinary civilians are constantly being intimidated and subjugated? Was that the example you wanted to set, Lord Mr. Senator?
Well, as it happens, he wasn’t too far off the mark because although the assault was reported at the Maitama Area Command Headquarters on May the 14th, the authorities failed to act against ‘Duke Not-Too-Young-To-Be-A-Moron.’ However, once the video of the assault had gone viral, the outrage expressed by the public forced this ‘Unassuming Aggressor’ to publicly apologize.
Sometime after the pressure forced him to publicly address the situation, ‘Sniffles’ gave a tearful apology. Together with the rest of the nation, I watched the press conference. But Folks, I’m sorry to say that… I am yet to drink the cool aid.
You see, when someone voluntarily and unilaterally makes the choice of confessing his wrongs, it most likely means that they have a conscience and core sets of moral values. As people, we make mistakes everyday and the ability to admit to those mistakes says a lot about a person’s character. However, making mistakes is different to making poor choices. Behaving like a violent, monstrous savage, reminiscent of a wild animal who goes into a nefarious setting and proceeds to wallop Nursing mothers is actually not a mistake but a deliberate choice. Forget about this ‘Overzealous Chump,’ when any man gets caught abusing a woman, we must appreciate that he made a choice to commit that abuse.
So was the chi-chi response that ‘Swipper’ gave meaningful and genuine? In order to determine that, one must carefully observe what he did before the condemnatory footage came to light and his apology during his press conference. As he sat and exerted pressure on his lacrimal gland in order to stimulate the emotions necessary to produce fluid from his blinkers, ‘Dude’ tried to apologize. And just like a Crocodile that generates tears not linked to emotion, the fluid from this ‘Intimidator’s’ tear ducts proceeded to clean and lubricate his eyes.
When he said he was sorry, it would have generally implied that he felt remorse or regret for having caused pain and distress. With true regret, people genuinely feel shame for their actions. But one must distinguish this from the possibility of him simply feeling guilty because he was caught. There’s a possibility that he felt momentarily bad that he did something wrong, but not completely regret it. The guilt comes from recognizing that what he did was wrong but not from actually feeling sorry that it happened. Guilt or recognition of wrong-doing in and of itself is not enough when one hurts another person. It is necessary for the abuser to feel sorry for the action and wish that they hadn’t committed it.
But there was no sense that he was sorry for his actions and wished he hadn’t committed it until he was caught. Guilt often arises only because someone gets caught. That is most likely what happened in this case. If this man truly had remorse or regret for the act in the first place, in the absence of the public outcry, he would have reached out to the victim way before he was forced to do so.
Regretting something is personal and internal, while apologizing is a social function. What this ‘Sack of Filth’ did during his press conference was a social function ignited from necessity because he was caught, not because he internally felt guilty for his actions. This can be further buttressed by the reports of the actions he took in the aftermath of the incident where it was alleged that he went back to the scene of the crime and warned of dire consequences should there be video evidence of the assault. In addition, he also tried to cover his tracks by arrogantly telling a story filled with fibs.
Now, there are a couple of things that need to be done to resolve this matter to the satisfaction of the victim, women who get abused daily and Nigerians who feel contempt at his atrocious act.First up, The Senator’s political party should suspend him. In a statement released on Wednesday, July 3rd, after the incriminating video surfaced, the lawmakers party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), condemned his “act of lawlessness and callousness.” While the party announced that it has commenced investigation into the matter and summoned Abbo in line with the provisions of its constitution, he should have also been suspended pending the investigation.
Next, he should have been suspended by the Senate. As a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this ‘Biped’ is supposed to make and support laws that protect the citizens of this great country, not act like an ‘Aggressive Alligator’ at the peak of mating season. During its plenary on Wednesday, July 3rd, the Nigerian Senate set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the case against one of its own. The committee was directed to give fair hearing to all sides and submit its report in two weeks. While we await the report, this ‘Mug’ should have been suspended till the outcome of the investigation seeing that he admitted to committing the heinous act between snivels during his lame apology.
Following that, his constituency should begin the conversation on the recall process for the “gross Misconduct” he displayed. A recall is a constitutional instrument voters can use to unseat a serving lawmaker before the end of their tenure. The process should be followed according to the Electoral Act in a manner that allows INEC to send a Certificate of Recall to the Senate President to effect the recall and declare the ‘Undistinguished Senators’ seat vacant. With that, INEC would then conduct a by-election to elect his replacement, who hopefully wont mooch into sleazy situations and proceed to assault women.This ‘Anti Genius’ should also be sued by the victim in a civil suit that will force him to pay damages to the lady who was at the receiving end of his wrath on that fateful day.
Moreover, this young Senator should do another press conference in which he apologizes to the victim and the Nigerian public for telling porkies when the video initially became public. Immediately after the clip surfaced, the lawmaker was defiant and alleged that the video was compressed and edited in a certain way to make him look guilty because he was a politician. He persistently noted that the incident happened a long time ago, before he became a Senator and claimed that his younger sister was beaten to a pulp in the shop and that he was retaliating to this. (So his younger sister goes to that kind of shop as well?) However, the incident reportedly happened on May 11th, 2019 exactly one month before the 41-year-old lawmaker was sworn into the 9th Senate. The lawmaker was ‘already’ Senator-elect in March because the National Assembly elections took place on February 23rd 2019. So together with being a woman beater, he is also a fibber.
Additionally, in line with the Nigerian Constitution and The Penal Code, he must be prosecuted before the competent court of law without any reservation till the matter reaches its legal conclusion. The matter is now ‘Sub-Judice’ and before the court. He has pleaded ‘Not Guilty in court despite the fact that he alluded to committing the crime in his press conference.
Furthermore, since this ‘Shining Beacon of the Nigerian Senate’ seems partial to a bit of combat theatrics, perhaps Nigeria should sponsor a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight between him and Andy Ruiz Jr. in a locked cage where striking and grappling from various combat sports and martial arts would be allowed. “How about that, Distinguished Senator? Let us see if you are as good at battling your fellow man as you are a woman. How would you like that; ehhh?
Finally, Senator Elisha Abbo should do the noble thing by offering his resignation and use his time productively by heading off to seek counseling and anger management. His voluntary resignation from office would restore his integrity and the public would offer him a clean slate to start again. At 41 years, he is still young enough to press the reset button on his political career.
Since this case has become public, a Smorgasbord of other abuses Nigeria’s youngest Senator is alleged to have committed has come to light. Now, if these emerging reports of his wrath are legitimate, we may not just be dealing with a power drunk legislature, this may be a person with issues that repeatedly treats others with cruelty or violence. Only time will tell how this element will factor into his case.
If nothing else, this man has reminded this nation of the importance of holding our leaders accountable. He has proved to be a huge disappointment for the youths and the ‘not too young to run movement.’ Hanging out in a shop of the nature that he was in, threatening women and thumping nursing mothers is just not a good example for any generation. But he must take responsibility for his actions. It has no connotations on those in his demographic, his political party, constituency, religion, region, family or any other person. He alone committed his crime. He alone must face the music. But just think, if he was so comfortable assaulting women in the way he did publicly, Lord only knows what he is capable of behind closed doors.
-Yes, roasting and prescription have been served!
Tongue-in-Cheek name calling aside, I still am not too sure why I have had such a strong reaction to this 9 minute 59 second video clip of this ‘National Embarrassment’ as he tried to beat up a woman. In my professional career, I have seen much worse, but for some reason, this incident cuts deep.
So together with the rest of the nation, as we watch the latest drama unfold, I no longer want the disgraceful Senator to take a seat. Instead, “Imma need Senator Elisha Abbo to take… Several Seats!”
Written By Hannatu Musawahannatumusawaspokenword@gmail.com

Hannatu Musawa

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Gunmen Kidnap 9 People, Including Four Corps Members In Rivers

Gunmen have abducted nine travellers allegedly including four serving corp members on board a commercial bus in Rivers state.
The mini bus with registration number BWR 362 XC was on Tuesday ambushed around Egele axis on the linking Bayelsa and Rivers states.
But four passengers managed to escape before they were abducted.

Confirming the incident, the police spokesman in the state, Nnamdi Omoni, said those freed were rescued by cops.
“Yes, I can confirm the incident. Our men were prompt to action to rescue the passengers but no corps member was among those in the vehicle,“ he told SaharaReporters.

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Gunmen Kidnap 9 People, Including Four Corps Members In Rivers