Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Monday 13th June 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 13/06/22
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Nigerian Catholic Priests Deny Church Members Without Permanent Voter Cards Entry Into Sunday Masses
Some Catholic priests in Nigeria have enforced a policy of ‘No Permanent Voter Card (PVC), No Sunday Mass’.
In videos seen by SaharaReporters on Sunday, some church members were denied entry into Sunday masses over their inability to display their permanent voter cards issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
At St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Utugwang, Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State, the assistant parish head was heard instructing those with their PVCs to come into the church and those without to go back home.
In another Catholic parish reportedly to be in one of the states in the North Central, the Reverend Father was heard saying, “From today if you are coming for mass, carry your PVC. If you don’t have your PVC, don’t bother coming.
“Because there is no way you have Christians filling up the church but only a handful of them go to vote during elections.
“So, it means our population and numbers mean nothing. So, we want Christians to take their responsibilities and roles seriously.
“So, today, I am serious about it. As I’m standing here, if you have your PVC— begin to come in. But if you don’t have your PVC, find your way back home. You won’t attend mass here.”
As political processes preceding the 2023 general elections continue to heighten, private, public and religious organisations have intensified campaigns for their staff and members respectively to get their PVCs to enable them to exercise their civic responsibility.
No PVC, no entryThis happened at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Utugwang, Obudu LGA of Cross River State this morning. Dear Nigerian politicians , yâ?all have pushed the people beyond limits . Itâ??s not going to be business as usual comes 2023 . ð??¥ Erunke Kenny-G pic.twitter.com/yrjqrKXzzm— Obaro Tiblaze (@ObaroTiblaze) June 12, 2022
Last Thursday, the Alaba International Market in Lagos was shut down for traders to obtain their PVCs ahead of the 2023 general elections.
A law firm, Antonio Lex Firma, has also threatened to withhold the salaries of its staff members if they do not have voter cards as part of their civic duty ahead of the 2023 elections.
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E2%80%99s-family-lawyers-move-sue-uk-foreign-secretary-force-britain-take-action-over Nnamdi Kanu’s Family Lawyers Move To Sue UK Foreign Secretary, Force Britain To Take Action Over IPOB Leader’s Alleged Torture, Rendition To Nigeria
The family of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, have accused the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Liz Truss of ignoring evidence that the IPOB leader was taken to Nigeria from Kenya in an act of extraordinary rendition.
They also accused Truss of failing to end Kanu’s “unlawful” detention in Nigeria.
Kanu, the leader of the proscribed separatist group, has been detained since his rendition to Nigeria in June 2021. The IPOB leader is a British citizen and his supporters and family have been disappointed that the UK does not appear to be working to get him freed.
The Nigerian government has previously claimed Kanu was extradited to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital with assistance from Interpol but his family say the IPOB leader was seized and tortured in Kenya before being flown to Nigeria.
The Guardian UK reports that in a pre-action legal letter to the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, the family’s lawyers, Bindmans LLP, say there is “overwhelming evidence” that he was subjected to extraordinary rendition.
The letter cites testimony Kanu has given to his lawyers and brother, an expert report, which has identified the flight they believe he was unlawfully transported on, and the Nigerian government’s failure to provide details as to how Kanu – who did not have his British passport with him – came to be there.
Bindmans, which has previously threatened legal action over lack of consular assistance for Kanu, says Truss must take a view on whether there has been a breach of international law or face a court challenge.
“If Mr Kanu has been subject to extraordinary rendition, this is a grave breach of international law which has a significant impact on the discretion which the secretary of state exercises in respect of the steps she should take to assist Mr Kanu under international and domestic law,” wrote Bindmans solicitor Shirin Marker.
“Forming a view as to whether a breach of international law has occurred, and if so the gravity of the breach, is therefore an essential prerequisite to the exercise of discretion on taking further steps at international and domestic law.”
According to the letter, Kanu was tortured and subjected to inhuman treatment in Kenya last year. He was allegedly detained by security agents in Kenya, who took him to a house where he was chained to the floor and beaten for approximately eight days. He was subsequently put on a private jet on June 27 and flown to Abuja, the letter also says.
Kanu’s brother, Kingsley, said: “With every day that passes, I am increasingly concerned for my brother’s welfare in detention and increasingly frustrated by the UK government’s ineffectiveness in assisting him. I hope the court will rule the foreign secretary must recognise the seriousness of my brother’s situation and properly consider what other steps she can take to assist him in light of his extraordinary rendition.”
Kanu was arrested in Nigeria in 2015 and charged with terrorism-related offences. But in 2017 after securing bail, the military invaded his home in Abia State, allegedly killing many IPOB members. Kanu subsequently fled Nigeria.
However, his case has since resumed at a Federal High Court in Abuja following his rendition and detention by Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS).
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Black Sunday: Guerilla Warfare And The Challenges Of A Nation In Distress By Richard Odusanya.
Richard Odusanya
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility, to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military.Furthermore, Guerrilla tactics focus on avoiding head-on confrontations with enemy armies, instead engaging in limited skirmishes with the goal of exhausting adversaries and forcing them to withdraw. Guerrilla groups often depend on the logistical and political support of either the local population or foreign backers who sympathize with the guerrilla group’s efforts.Regardless of terminology, the importance of guerrilla warfare has varied considerably throughout history. Traditionally, it has been a weapon of protest employed to rectify real or imagined wrongs levied on a people either by a ruling government or by a foreign invader. As such, it has scored remarkable successes and has suffered disastrous defeats.
Richard Odusanya
Specifically, the Owo massacre – the barbaric incident has no justification whatsoever; this is a time for sober reflection; a time for solemnity; a time for the electorates and delegates to do a honest appraisal, embark on soul searching and reexamine their conscience and act patriotically – identify and elect competent persons with strength of character and capacity to deal holistically, decisively and deliver on mandate. We sure need decent persons who are mentally alert and capable to earn our trust as a distressed nation.Sadly, the alarming aspect is the security architecture which has broken down irrevocably – imagine the bomb blast and shooting at Catholic Church in Owo on Sunday with numbers of souls gruesomely murdered – this is nothing but a legacy of Terror, Sorrow, Tears and Blood. The unprovoked attacks and killing of several innocent worshippers at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo, is a sad reminder of the dark days of terrorism and sad reality of our beloved country Nigeria.Unfortunately, the country is equally beset by security and political challenges. Boko Haram insurgents still operate in the North-East. In the North-West, bandits are overwhelming the security forces. In North-Central Nigeria, deadly clashes between farmers and herders continue. And separatist and irredentist agitations resonate in the South-East and the South-West of the country. I daresay, that our beloved country Nigeria is under siege, it can only be an act of terrorism – given the same pattern of the last ten to twelve years. It is purely inspired by guerilla warfareOur beloved country Nigeria seems to be in a state of emergency (warfare), we’re going through very difficult situations – issues of terrorism, banditry kidnappings insurgency killings among others are not abating – the Owo massacre happen to be a very clear example of the state of hopelessness and despair. It was a black Sunday, when worshippers at the St Francis Catholic Church were cut in the crossfire. Please, permit me to conclude by identifying with our brothers and sisters the good people of Owo-kingdom, kabiyesi Olowo, oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye, the Asiwaju of Owo-kingdom, my father, Otunba Oyewole Fashawe, and the government of Ondo State under the leadership of His Excellency Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu SAN. I therefore, join millions of our compatriots home and abroad to condemn the sacrilegious, gruesome and dastardly acts of the terrorists.Finally, in the words of Howard Zinn, an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist thinker and World War II veteran: “To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage and kindness. ~ What we choose to emphasize in this history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something.” In summary; God’s best soldiers are trained in the school of adversityRichard Odusanya is a Social Reform Crusader and the convener of AFRICA COVENANT RESCUE INITIATIVE ACRI
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E2%80%99s-police-inspector-general-reacts-shooting-married-man-other-burna-boy%E2%80%99s-escorts Nigeria’s Police Inspector-General Reacts To Shooting Of Married Man, Other By Burna Boy’s Escorts
The Nigeria Police Force has described the shooting incident involving its personnel at Club Cubana in Victoria Island, Lagos on Wednesday night as despicable and condemnable.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that five policemen attached to Nigerian singer, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy had been detained by the Lagos police command for attempted murder after they shot two fun-seekers.
The victims were identified as Irebami Lawrence and Tolu. Burna Boy was said to have been laughing while the incident occurred and immediately left for Spain shortly after.
But a statement on Sunday, by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, titled: “Re: Club Shooting In Lagos”, described the circumstances surrounding the incident as unbelievable.
Adejobi said that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, was alarmed by the despicable action of the personnel and had directed Lagos Police Commissioner to investigate the matter and forward the report for immediate action.
The statement partly read, “The Police personnel alleged and identified in the shooting incident at Club Cubana in Victoria Island, Lagos on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, have been taken into custody and are being investigated for their involvement in the incident.
“The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba NPM, psc(+), fdc, who describes the circumstances surrounding the incident as unbelievable, has however condemned, in the strongest terms, the unfortunate incident.
“Consequently, the IGP has directed the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Abiodun Alabi, to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter and forward his report as urgent as possible for further action.”
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June 12 Anniversary: Yoruba Group Decries Nationwide Killings, Calls For Peace Ahead Of 2023 Elections
The Yoruba Global Council (YGC), a Yoruba diaspora-based socio-cultural organisation has decried the spate of insecurity in Nigeria characterised by incessant killings across the country.
The group, however, appealed to peace-loving Nigerians to continue to advocate for peace ahead of the 2023 general elections and shun any action or behaviour that could trigger violence, conflict and disintegration of the country
YGC stated this in a statement made available to SaharaReporters, titled: “June 12 Anniversary: – Yoruba Global Council Decries Nationwide Killings, Calls For Peace Ahead Of 2023 General Polls,” signed by its Spokesman and General Secretary, Prof. Lere Amusan and Prince Segun Akanni respectively.
It noted that as a socio-cultural group established to advance the course and interest of the Yoruba nation through the promotion of unity, mutual trust, trade liberalisation, co-existence and interactions with other ethnic nationalities in Nigeria and the Diaspora, it regretted the turn of events in the country.
According to the statement, “given the plethora of security challenges plaguing the polity, YGC observes this year’s June 12 anniversary amidst sober reflection, apprehension and sheer discontent”.
It said, “Today makes it twenty-nine years of that momentous event in which the popular will of the Nigerian people was brutally subverted by the military junta led by General Ibrahim Babangida. It would be vividly recalled that on June 12, 1993, the majority of the Nigerian electorate headed for their respective polling units to exercise their franchise in line with their conscience.
“Unlike what transpires today, hardly was any voter influenced or induced with money before exercising his or her civic duty on that historic day. The process led to the election of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Presidential candidate, late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (popularly known as MKO).
“The emergence of MKO as the winner of that election widely adjudged as the freest, fairest and most credible poll ever conducted in the political history of Nigeria signalled hope and prospect for many Nigerians whose lives had been enmeshed in abject poverty, unemployment and illiteracy orchestrated by the prolonged military hegemony.
“But to the dismay and utter chagrin of many discerning Nigerians and even international observers, the election was annulled.”
Recounting the event of June 12, 1993, and all the attended consequences, they noted that democratic governance is characterised by a well-defined constitution drafted and adopted by the people, rule of law, independent judiciary, free press, social justice, inclusiveness, fundamental human rights, robust civil society and security of lives and property.
“These canons of democracy are essential if any meaningful development or dividends of democracy are expected at the doorsteps of the citizens,” it said but expressed reservation that these things are observed in the breach.
The statement partly read, “Democracy, all over the world, especially in leading democratic milieus, is operationally synonymous with socio-economic growth, progress and development. Abraham Lincoln could not have made a mistake when he defined democracy as a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“It is basically a system hinged on people-orientedness, people-centeredness and cannot functionally succeed without the participation of the masses (electorate). The practice of civil rule or democracy is precipitated on the anticipation of development in all ramifications.”
It added, “Interestingly, Nigeria has recorded for the first time in its chequered history the existence of democratic dispensation for over two decades uninterrupted but are the canons of democracy existent in Nigeria’s context?”
It further noted, “All available development indices present a gloomy picture for the present and even the future. Today, the country is confronted with a myriad of challenges ranging from abject poverty, unemployment, high-level illiteracy to corruption, insecurity, injustice and impunity in every stratum of our national life.
“Many Nigerians live below the poverty line as many families can seldom feed their dependents three square meals a day. The economic woes of impoverished Nigerians are further exacerbated by disturbing news both in the national newspapers and social media of ‘first-class corruption’ perpetrated by members of the political class, killings and kidnapping by Boko Haram insurgents and other criminal elements, especially in the northern fringes of the country.”
It, however, questioned how a government official could embezzle funds meant for development to the tune of N80 billion referring to the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris’ case, while many Nigerians were complaining of hunger, joblessness, and insecurity.
“It is simply crazy and appalling,” it said.
On the recent killings across the country, especially the terrorist attack last Sunday at St Francis Catholic Church Owa-Iuwa Owo in Ondo state, and the killing of Deborah Samuel and likes for alleged blasphemy, the group condemned the massacres and urged the government to take action.
“YGC, in alliance with the spirit of true democracy as canvassed by the symbol of June 12, Chief MKO Abiola, urges the Buhari-led administration to ensure that the will of the Nigerian electorate is upheld and their votes counted during the upcoming general elections across the board.
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Democracy Day: Nigeria Turning Into A Graveyard By Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed
Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed
A marathon of four years has begun with the propagation of hatred and arrogance of a self-acclaimed demigod whose ambition seemingly supersedes the interest of Nigeria.
Democracy in Nigeria is a toxicity of manipulation and a war waged against oppressed people. A brutal life of servitude in the political realm of our lives has been entrapped with indecisions.
We are moving far away from reality. Shamefully, majority of the oppressed have become praise-singers of their oppressors despite the agonies many of them presently undergo. They made politicians who have no idea their demigod.
Democracy in Nigeria is designed as a camouflage. It has never produced good fruits for the citizens. Nigerians have been subjected to hardship and the country has become a war zone where terrorists operate freely and with unprecedented impunity without the intervention of security forces.
Buhari Olanrewaju Ahmed
Many people have become homeless; hundreds of children are orphans as a result of terrorism. The situation has plunged the country into different kinds of atrocities that have dented the image of the country at the international level.
Poverty is on a consistent rise, millions of innocent children have dropped out of school because of the decline in business and hostile economic situation in the country.
Social injustice, intimidation and harassment of innocent citizens by those who are saddled with the responsibility of protecting citizens are rife. Many have been killed over little argument with security operatives that are paid and trained with taxpayers money to maintain sanity in the society.
Religion has been the principal tool used to fuel crisis and divide the oppressed people when politicians choose to accomplish their anti-people missions. A lot of innocent people have been sent to their early graves because of blasphemy. Here is a country that does not care about human lives but fight over religion.
Terrorists and so-called “unknown gunmen” have spread across the length and breath of the country. The Nigerian security architecture has been hijacked by top officials that conspire with terrorists for monetary gains. They allow their selfish interests to override the interest of the country and citizens.
Kidnapping and banditry have been commercialised – a hidden agenda that some individuals are desperate to accomplish. Hundreds of people have lost their farmlands which is their only means of livelihood because of the invasion of the Fulani herdsmen.
I could recall the unfortunate incident that happened in Igangan, Oyo State, which claimed several lives and left properties worth millions of Naira destroyed. I wept as a journalist when Afrika Eyes met the victims and families who lost their loved ones and properties to the attack.
People resort to violence because of frustration and the inability of the government to secure lives and properties of the people. Citizens take laws into their hands because of the failure of the government.
After 62 years of this miserable journey, Nigerians are still under the shackles of darkness. There’s absolutely no doubt that the country is on a life support. Dictator Buhari’s regime has been hell on earth.
People are dying on a daily basis, whereas Dictator Muhammadu Buhari is aware of the killings and kidnappings in the country but is totally unconcerned about these calamities.
Obviously, this forceful marriage of 62 years has lost thousands of lives. People are dying of hunger, travellers are being kidnapped, businesses are also being shut down, the cost of living in the country has skyrocketed. Everything has crumbled because of disunity and failed leadership in this hopeless marriage.
Those who know the ills of darkness should not dare to harm the moon. As a country, we’ve moved away from reality and we all pretend as if the country is moving forward. Nigerians have been humiliated, assaulted and molested by those who are in charge of our Commonwealth.
It is an irony that life has become harder to live in a country that is blessed with abundant resources. We have become slaves in our own country and our rights have been violated for decades, and we are now bleeding from the pain and agony meted on us by our cruel oppressors.
As the hackneyed saying goes, an idle man is the devil’s workshop. Almost a year now, schools have been on strike. Students are at home roaming round the streets. Many of them have joined bad gangs because the system failed them.
Meanwhile, politicians’ children are studying abroad while they abandon our education system to be in a moribund condition because they do not want poor people’s children to compete with their own children. So they deliberately pillaged our resources and killed the education sector.
Both religious and political leaders make decisions on our behalf – decisions that have divided the country. The South-West is agitating for Oduduwa Nation whilst South-East wants Biafra as a country. The unity of the country has been broken into tiny pieces.
Owo Church attack is one of the most horrific attacks in recent times by terrorists who claim to be herdsmen. Despite the killings that claimed over 50 lives inside the church, dictator Buhari and his cohorts still went ahead to organise a convention. That’s to tell you that politicians are unmoved and unconcerned about the killings of innocent citizens.
To them, their ambitions are more important than the lives of the people that were killed. Now that the country is heading towards Afghanistan, Nigerians need to wake up and build a strong bridge of connectivity that would retire and uproot bad leadership from the country.
We need to ambush these bad rulers with our Permanent Voter’s Card PVC. We also need to prove to them that money cannot buy our conscience. Over the years we have been enduring, with the level of insecurity in the country. People can’t afford three square meals in a day.
Mothers have become prostitutes just to put food on the table for their children who are dying of hunger. Fathers, on the other hand, have become pickpockets in order to fulfill their obligations as head of the family. It is even worse in most cases.
We cannot continue like this. 2023 election will be a ballot revolution. It is time for us, as patriotic citizens to defend the country with our PVC. We need to use our last weapons which is our PVC to rescue the country and send these people out of power. It is time to vote for competent people into power – people who will represent us well.
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BREAKING: Nigeria Police To Interrogate Grammy Award Winner, Burna Boy Over Shooting Of Two People In Lagos Club By Singer’s Escorts
The Nigeria Police Force will interrogate Grammy Award winner, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy over the shooting of two fun-seekers by his police escorts in a club in Lagos.
SaharaReporters earlier reported that five policemen attached to Burna Boy had been detained by the Lagos police command for the attempted murder of the persons identified as Irebami Lawrence and Tolu.
Burna Boy was said to have been laughing while the incident occurred and immediately left for Spain shortly after.
Earlier on Sunday, Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Baba, was alarmed by the despicable action of the personnel and had directed Lagos Police Commissioner to investigate the matter and forward the report for immediate action.
But later on Sunday while responding to a statement by one Adeshina on Twitter, saying “This has nothing to do with burna boy. The duty of police guard to burna boy is to protect his life so sir forget what some burna haters said about him. Pls carry out ur investigation due diligent sir. God bless Nigeria police force,” Adejobi said the police would have to interrogate the singer to carry out a thorough investigation.
Adejobi tweeted, “Exactly what we will do. But there is no how d police want to have detailed investigation without interrogating BB. No way. So the level of involvement of everyone in the incident will determine his punishment or otherwise. We should not pre-empt what the report will reveal.”
The shooting incident reportedly occurred at Club Cubana on Victoria Island, Lagos, on Wednesday.
Exactly what we will do. But there is no how d police want to have detailed investigation without interrogating BB. No way. So the level of involvement of everyone in the incident will determine his punishment or otherwise. We should not pre-empt what the report will reveal. Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi (@Princemoye1) June 12, 2022
A preliminary report by the Bar Beach Police Division said trouble started when the singer and five police escorts visited the nightclub around 4 am on June 8.
Sunday Punch earlier reported that about four policemen had waited outside while one of the policemen, identified as Inspector Ibrahim, who was in mufti, accompanied the Grammy-Award-winning artiste into the club.
According to multiple witness statements, the singer was in the VIP section with three women when he spotted another woman.
He was reported to have told Ibrahim to invite the woman to join him.
However, the lady’s husband was said to have lambasted the singer, insisting that it was disrespectful for any man to make advances on his wife.
After some minutes, Burna Boy reportedly made fresh advances at the woman.
This infuriated her husband further and his friends who had gathered at the club.
“As things were getting heated, Ibrahim brought out his service pistol and shot multiple times while Burna Boy was laughing,” a senior policeman had been quoted as saying.
In the process, 27-year-old Lawrence was shot in the thigh while his friend, Tolu, was hit in the head by a bullet. This caused a commotion in the club.
It was learnt that Burna Boy and his crew then drove off to one of his properties at the Elegushi end of the Lekki-Epe Expressway before leaving for Lekki Phase 1.
“Aware of what he had done, Burna Boy took the next flight out without even informing the policemen. He only made a video call to them to inform them that he had travelled to Spain. All his police escorts have been arrested and are currently at the Command headquarters,” a top source at the office of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police had also said.
Sources close to the victims said the police were trying to protect the Grammy Award winner because of his status while the victims were treating their wounds at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
A brother of Irebami, one of the victims, Jide, said his brother had undergone surgery to remove the bullet lodged in his thigh.
Jide said Irebami is based in the US, and only came to Nigeria a week ago for a wedding.
According to him, the management of Club Cubana was also complicit for not doing enough to forestall the situation.
He said the club management had not even reached out to the family since the incident occurred.
The spokesman for the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, had said the focus of the investigation was the policemen.
Hundeyin claimed that the police had not received any complaint from any victim.
Burna Boy’s Scandals
Burna Boy is not strange to scandals and controversies.
In 2017, the singer was declared wanted by the Lagos police command in connection with the robbery attack on another popular musician, Mr. 2kay.
The alleged robbery incident occurred at Eko Hotel and Suites in October 2017.
Tunmise Omotore, the gang leader of the suspected robbers, had said they acted on the instruction of Burna Boy’s road manager at the time, Joel Kantiock.
Also in May 2020, Burna Boy’s neighbours called the police to arrest him and his father over an altercation.
His neighbours were said to have complained about noises coming from his house, leading to the altercation.
In November 2021, Burna Boy and his manager mum, Bose Ogulu were accused of extortion by a US-based show promoter, Emmanuel Chinyere Uzoh, who is the CEO of Gold Moola Entertainment.
Uzoh accused the singer in an Instagram post of refusing to perform at a show despite being paid in full.
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If Ethnic Balance Counts Then Religious Balance Counts By Adeola Soetan
Adeola Soetan
Ordinarily, ethnicity and religion should play no role in determining good leadership & government. But if unprincipled power-mongering politicians promote ethnic balance for “fairness”, why not same with religion for the same fairness and delicate balance in a country torn apart between the two dangerous weapons of mass destruction under the attack of some crazy Islamic fundamentalists, Boko Haram and the Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Salafi jihadist militant group.
ISWAP just attacked a catholic church where over 40 congregants were killed and several others severely wounded. Despite attacking citizens of other religions and ethnicity at random also, the criminals have not changed their names or abandoned their core objective in spite of dissociating them from Islam and condemnation by credible Islamic leaders and citizens.
Adeola Soetan
Fear people who change thoughts and principles like baby diapers to achieve a selfish end, by all means necessary, are ready to damn the consequences, and regret later and do costly damage control later. They are very dangerous people and constitute a real threat to the peace and stability of the nation because they profit from the crisis.
We have over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria but there are just three major religions in the country. Ask yourself why is it that at any private or public function including government functions attended by more than one ethnic group, opening and closing prayers are always said in either of the two religions (Christianity and Islam) and discussion is never done in the languages of all ethnic groups present but in English?
The answer is simple; it is because the dichotomy of religion is sharper than ethnicity and everybody recognizes this. Even in labour and civil society programmes, the moment you agree to pray, you must pray in the two foreign religions. Some of the duplicitous human rights and pro-democracy activists now turned political entrepreneurs, to many rogue politicians put Islamic and Christian prayers on their program agenda to balance the religious equation.
The media is not left out. All newspapers, radio and television houses have Islamic and Christian programnes for religious balance. No thought is given much to the other 250 or more ethnic nationalities. Government and the ruling class appreciate the threat of what they have promoted, that’s the reason we have pilgrim boards for the two “major” religions. It’s a monster they created, it is a monster they must tame in spite of Nigeria being a “secular nation” which should have no official religion.
Why is it that we have public holidays for Muslim and Christian festivals – Easter, Christmas, Eid el Fitri, Eid el Kabir, and not too long ago we now have Eid el Maulud public holiday? It’s in recognition of the need for sensitive balance yet no national public holiday for the traditional religion adherents despite commanding the highest secret followership by birth, origination, association or consultation.
This means religion divides the nation sharper, more than ethnicity hence there is always a need to balance the sensitive equilibrium. In the university system, the same thing applies, to every university chapel there must be a central mosque and vice versa. Some lawyers now saying religion doesn’t count had cause at one point or the other to complain about the religious imbalance in the appointment of judges in their states. Government secretariats and lodges now have central mosques and central chapels. As scandalous as it sounds, that’s the sad reality.
So, why are the same people now pretending that religious balance doesn’t matter but ethnic North-South balance matters?
Those who are making reference to June 12 Abiola – Kingigbe Muslim – Muslim ticket don’t really understand the dynamics of June 12 presidential election. First, religion played almost no debilitating sharp divisible role then like now and the eagerness to get the notorious Babangida and his deadly military off our neck was a more unifying factor. Then there was no ISWAP or Boko Haram threatening to Islamise the country. And Babangida was never accused or suspected to be outwardly ethnically provincial or of being a religious bigot. He was a common power-mongering evil genius who united almost all interests against him and must be done away with.
MKO Abiola’s towering figure, credibility, and charity across ethnic and religious boards for decades was another great point. For many years, he was donating and helping to develop churches and mosques. I covered some of Abiola’s charity to Christians and churches where he would sing Christian songs and dance, tell tales of himself and his family background which had a mix of three religions. MKO was a very distinct genial figure on his own with high acceptability across the religious divide.
Hell Rufai rightly said he bothers less about the religion of the pilot when he boards a plane, but he conveniently forgot to tell his gullible audience if he ever bothers about the ethnic identity of the same pilot. If not, then why did he bother about the ethnic identity of his party’s presidential flag bearer before the primaries and in the years past? Part of the reasons his state has become a large easy killing field and vast crematorium of corpses of citizens is because he undermined religious balance in his dying Kaduna state now under ethnic & religious terrorism which he has no solution than lamentation after each successful attack and mass killing and kidnapping by the criminals. Again, beware of people who change principles like baby diapers, what they want to eat or what they are eating makes them foolish.
As I earlier mentioned, ordinarily, religious and ethnic considerations should not be a consideration for choosing leadership for good governance, after all, Jonathan and Buhari are alleged to be pious Christian and Muslim respectively, and we, as victims of their bad governance, can attest to their “religious piety”. But religion in politics has become a monster created by the ruling class in their desperate power game. The monster has now outgrown its creators, and like its twin monster, ethnicity, it has to be tamed for now by maintaining a delicate balance so as not to further escalate the already deadly situation.
The twin monsters can only be tamed finally when the leadership of labour, radical organisations, and left ideological movements properly arrive at the arena of power politics, and are ready to mobilise the rank and file workers, the masses, youths and students around unifying pro-workers/masses, anti-capitalist economic and social programnes to win power on their own strengths with clear-cut working-class socialist ideology.
It’s an achievable historical duty and responsibility. Until then, ethnicity and religion would, unfortunately, continue to play a major role and be deployed opportunistically by the rogue ruling class to get power or maintain power. Balance must be maintained to avoid a foreseen journey to Afghanistan.
Soetan is an activist and pro-democracy campaigner.
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Adeola Soetan
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E2%80%99t-be-celebrating-democracy-day-when-nigerians-are-slaves-their-country-afraid We Can’t Be Celebrating Democracy Day When Nigerians Are Slaves In Their Country, Afraid To Worship, Travel By Road Or Train – Governor Ortom
Governor Samuel Ortom
The Benue State Governor, Mr Samuel Ortom has decried the worsening security situation in the country.
The governor lamented that armed terrorists threaten Nigeria’s sovereignty and the country’s hard-earned democracy.
Governor Samuel Ortom
Ortom, who raised the concern in his goodwill message to Nigerians in commemoration of the June 12 celebration, regretted that Nigeria should not be celebrating democracy day when our citizens are slaves.
According to the Benue governor, Nigerians are not free in their homes, schools, worship centres, or workplaces and cannot go to their farms or travel freely by road or train.
He insisted that for Nigerians to practise democracy freely, “we must tackle the issue of insecurity courageously”.
Ortom advised Nigerians to fight against anti-democratic forces and strengthen institutions.
Paying tribute to the martyr of June 12, Chief M.K.O. Abiola, Ortom said, “Never again shall we allow undemocratic forces take control of our collective destiny. We must guard our democracy jealously.
“The practice of democracy should not be at the dictates or the whims and caprices of a few individuals who think they will lord it over the general public.
“Democracy should be our way of life. It is the freedom to exercise our franchise in an uninterrupted environment. But insecurity has forced the majority of our people away from their ancestral lands and made their living conditions less than humans because they are now forced to live in shanties is a major challenge.
“This is why the federal government must wake up to their responsibility and tackle the menace headlong.”
“We cannot be celebrating democracy day when our citizens are now slaves and not free in their homes, schools, worship centres, workplaces and cannot go to their farms or even travel freely on our roads or by train. We must tackle the issue of insecurity courageously if we are to practice democracy freely,” he added.
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2023 Elections & Democracy: A Little Fear, A Little Anger And A Weak Faith By Samuel Olomu
A Little Fear
We have come to the red line; a point of no return – the height of making a decision. We are waiting to cross this Rubicon, this “igi agbon” – the very apex of comfort. Right before our eyes, we watch our democracy hanging-dangling on the tree of hopelessness with no light nor life. David Runciman in his work “How Democracy Ends” was of the view that “democracy is a civil war without the fighting, failure comes when proxy battles turn into real ones” this is the irony of the 2023 elections. It is yet another time to ask if this upcoming election won’t stop the match of democracy; what the iconic Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the prophet once called “dem don crazy,” “demonstration of craze “in this country of anything-is-possible.
As we approach the 2023 elections, this is indeed a time to tell the truth not only to power but also to ourselves – that the majesty of democracy is again being defiled and so we the people have to be vigilant lest democracy and indeed the country may come to a dead end. So, can we just come together as concerned citizens and as a people who have not been carried away by the only dividend that democracy in Nigeria has delivered to us but by safeguarding the rule of law (the main strength of our democracy) which has become the rule of man? In its (rule of law) absence, there will be no progress before the end of time for the supposed giant of Africa, Nigeria. And particularly, in the absence of the rule of law; our society will be back to the solitary state of nature which is null, void, nasty, brutish and very short.
The majesty of democracy has been defiled not because it houses life and death in the same Sabbath, not because power is entrusted in the hands of hunters. Democracy is falling not because a man from Katsina occupies the seat of the president. The majesty of democracy is falling not because we have too many untrustworthy and corrupt politicians, democracy is falling not because the Boko Haram insurgent is disrupting the nation. Democracy is falling not only because there have been too many “hunters of power, fame, opulence and splendour”.
Glaringly, what should be held responsible for the collapse of democracy is called, “complacency!” And in reality, complacency is the man, we the people of Nigeria. When we start to see abnormalities as normal, when we begin to see disloyalty as loyalty when we begin to see unaccountability as a virtue, when we start to see falsehood as truth. When we hate persons who dare challenge falsehood and yearn for the truth. When we start to build a generation of idiots and liars.
The moment we no longer remember we have rights, when we start to be afraid of ruthless political cliques and cabals who don’t tolerate the rule of law in their enclave. We become complacent when we no longer care about things that matter to our well-being. When we worship and pay homage to mediocrity. When we are satisfied with our suffering, poverty and abjection in the middle of plenty.
A Little Anger
Yes! We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change. There are many abnormalities veiled in normalcy in our nation. On this occasion of democracy day, June 12, 2022, this is another time to tell some home truth to the people of Nigeria; to the aged (men and women) and particularly to the Youths that quality leadership is expediently needed in Nigeria now. Today, as Chinua Achebe noted in 1983, the trouble with Nigeria is still squarely and simply a failure of leadership that has institutionalised corruption as a fundamental objective and directive principle of state policy. Oh yes, the corruption that has given birth to mediocrity and hopelessness in the country has paralysed democracy to an alarming extent. Any action that jeopardises this must be resisted by all. We should not continue to be gullible by allowing the political class to play ‘ludo’ with our future. This is the time to get engaged actively with the political process. Failure to do this might leave us with another decade of wasted hopes, unprofitable democracy, a disservice to our generation and dreams in the hands of charlatans, and political jobbers bent on holding our future and that of the next generation to ransom. In a democracy, the people are the last hope for good governance. And therefore, the people must choose the right leaders to make the change they want. Getting this wrong will undermine everything good about our collective existence.
The field of presidential aspirants prior to the intraparty screenings was crowded and congested with the good, the bad, and the ugly throwing their hats into the ring as more and more masquerades have taken the dance floor in the country’s politics. This is supposed to be the beauty of our democracy but unfortunately, it is a symptom of too many negatives the reality of which may be more sinister and a bad omen for our democracy. Let us grant that democracy entitles every citizen to aspire to any position. Let us also concede that democracy cannot put a bar on how many citizens aspire for elective offices. We can even further concede that the sheer volume of aspirants to various elective positions could indicate a deepening of the popularity of democracy in our country. Yet, the sheer number, nature and character of most of the said aspirants give us a cause for concern. Also, the outrageous fees of N40 million and N100 million for the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms are yet another area of interest.
The trading of political offices in Nigeria is one of the issues fueling the rush for the presidential nomination form. The holy grail of our democracy starts from the participation of people in the business of power, legitimised by the representation of elected leaders. Politics is a big business in the Nigerian perspective, and everyone knows that. For the majority, the most accessible means to inexplicable wealth and power in Nigeria today is the holding of a political office. Before taking a political office, people with no known means of wealth suddenly become so rich beyond the imagination of many, with no one asking why and how? Businessmen and political jobbers are now “investing in politics”, just as everyone invests in Bitcoin – intending to reap significant profits, albeit at the expense of the people. Related to this is the total preoccupation of the elite in politics for economic survival is the engine room for rampant corruption today. May I make it clear that “no money in politics, if you are making money then you are a thief”.
Also, the positioning to profit from political consensus is another issue. It is now the new normal for political parties to resort to consensus in choosing candidates. Therefore, negotiations, deals, and rewards – given to the majority of candidates at the table in the forging room of a goldsmith in order to arrive at a consensus which in turn results in the mismold and misform of our national future. The two major political parties in Nigeria lack a deep culture of internal democracy, cohesion and unity, and this anomaly is because they are not ideologically driven, and there are intraparty frictions among party members. There are party godfathers’ (who parade themselves with swagger as though they are God) ethnic and regional factions, and others making the party politics more interesting with the proliferation of aspirants not involved in a strategy by an underground clique of serious aspirants who weakens the delegates base of their co-competitors and the manipulation of the internal processes of the parties to enable them to achieve a predetermined outcome.
Regretfully, the democratisation of aspirants should be good for the various parties and society because it gives us broader options to choose from various options of candidates. However, in the Nigerian context, it is evident, based on our political context and antecedents, that the ongoing muster parade of aspirants is a signal of an invasion of political locusts and opportunists whose ultimate impact would be to sack the national treasury and ground Nigeria. This has broader implications for development as a nation and a people. Though these people might parade themselves as true lovers of democracy but in the real sense, they are well-grounded in the business of twisting facts, manipulating truths; ignoring failings; and taking credit for what they know nothing about. These people put our democracy at great risk. They have no personal values; they are self-centred, they lack deep critical thinking, they do not see good in other people; they lack character and integrity; they are arrogant. Realistically, some of these aspirants lack instinct, clear vision, discretion, and wisdom, putting the country under enormous pressure.
These people are charlatans and opportunists who come in various forms and colours. They can be likened to the Yoruba saying in which one meets a dead buffalo and advances it with a knife when one has no idea about how the buffalo got to the place and what led to its death. Kene Obiezu described them as “consummate liars whose ageless ability to describe white as black have retained their relevance in the corridors of power”. He postulated that “there are the career sycophants whose lack of revulsion at licking any kind of boot as long as a power broker wears it keeps them gainfully employed. There are the perennial underachievers who though inept at everything else are adept at manipulating the levers of power to perpetuate themselves in office. There are the serial opportunists for whom survival is the name of the game, no matter who has what baggage. Then there are the heinous hypocrites.”
The young ones should note that above all, democracy is advanced by the success of the political movements whose goal is to improve the lives of the majority of the population in a number of ways. And so, to the young ones, let’s organise. Yes, let’s unite and take records on how Nigeria’s politicians, power elites and morons called business barons have demonised democracy as a government of the corrupt few for their families and their in-laws. That is why the paralysed man called complacency should be banished for democracy to be a boon and not a bane.
Ahead of the 2023 Presidential election, never in Nigerian history have the people been so confronted with an intriguing nightmare as this. These happenings have grave consequences for our democracy and the 2023 general elections in particular.
A Weak Faith
I ask you where? Where is the ray of hope where ‘legislooters,’ ‘executhieves’ and ‘judi-sharing’ so-called by people today, collaborate to protect and defend the interest of their “afobajes” (kings makers) and that of their accused members in an enclave nurtured by complacency, with no concern for the plight of the entire citizenry. As I write, the bet is not yet settled. But the odds still don’t look favourable for the survival of our democracy.
Let’s focus on the way forward. Our nation is gone for the Burton. The economy is in shambles. For the over 200 million people in the 36 states of the nation, electricity has always been around 4,000 megawatts which is relatively not sufficient to effectively power a state of the whole federation. Is it not painful to behold that the national grid is deteriorating while the national greed is rising? Prosperity is rising, though it remains very unequally distributed. Interestingly, after 22 years of Nigeria’s democracy, there are no good link roads from state to state even air transport fares have become unbearable. Our roads are death traps; some in need of serious repair while some roads are red clay earth that has never smelt an inch of coal tar. But one thing I’m surprised by is the fact that our politicians have come on many occasions for campaigns to hoodwink us with their sugar-coated mouths by promising us everything under the sun – ‘vote for me and my great party,’ ‘vote for progress and democracy,’ ‘vote for accountability’. You will see different slogans as the election rages.
Painfully, democracy has only delivered private jets to the very prominent power elite who daily fly over bad roads that the people ply, suffering and smiling. As the roads have been left to God in heaven to fix, even the schools – from primary to university levels – are not institutions where innovations can be delivered to the citizens in the 21st century. They send their children to schools in big countries and leave our children with a bad educational system which they had failed to restructure. They subject our children to months of ASUU strike and the only thing they think/speak about is the coming elections when current political, social and economic problems have not been fixed. As for healthcare delivery, I keep on wondering why the sickly presidents have not considered it expedient to fund even a few university teaching hospitals to world-class standards where they can get medical services. This begs the question, “WHERE IS THE HOPE FOR OUR DEMOCRACY?”
And so, in 2023, Nigerians (young and old) should not allow the greedy kingmakers and opportunists to cast a pearl called democratic leadership before a swine, lest they continue to mess our country up. Nigeria belongs to all of us and we shouldn’t allow it to fail. If we allow this trend of rising and falling to continue then I bet you that one day our nation will crumble, and as a result of this, we doubt whether the socio-political enclave known as Nigeria today might still continue to operate as a democracy. This will be near a holy grail. This is one of the reasons why I have a weak faith concerning Nigeria’s transformation because the solutions to our nation lie in our hands.
Samuel Olomu is an undergraduate of the Faculty of Law, Lagos State University and also a member of Take It Back Movement, Lagos State
samueldewright@gmail.com/09049920975
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