Still on the controversy of Chinua Achebes memoirs........

I encourage more memoirs to be written as long as the writer writes it from truth, personal experiences and observations. Irrespective of the outcome.
Today the politician Alex Ekweme turns 80, now, I would love to read his memoirs!. Someone like MT Mbu, who had a lot to say about the way history has presented itself eg his surprise declaration that Tafawa Balewa died of an asthma attack not a gun shot wound never wrote his memoirs.

Its true when they say ‘Each time an old man dies a library is burnt.’

The Jan 1966 coup was the excuse given for the genocide that proceeded in Nigeria that ultimately led to the civil war.

People will like you to believe the first military coup was an Igbo affair. But how could it have been, when the objective was to free Awolowo and install him as leader? But no doubt that coup became the reason for a chain of events that would change the political culture of our Nation.

I still feel the truth has not fully been told. Maybe its just my suspicious mind and the conspiracy theorist within, but I think that the plotters (and some of the victims) were specifically chosen as part of an elaborate grand plan.

Maybe a memoir would have explained the bewilderment of someone like Nzeogwu, an outstandingly meticulous, young Major, clearly in possession of his senses. But uttered these words when he gave himself up:

“We have pledged allegiance to
General Ironsi on behalf of all men who were for some unknown reasons,
referred to as ‘rebels’. We feel that it is absurd that men who risked their
lives to establish the new regime should be held prisoners. We wanted to
change the government for the benefit of everybody else...” ....This reeked of betrayal.

How else do you explain their treatment?
The assassins of our founding leaders apparently going scott free?. Crazy! Nzeogwu and his colleagues were never court -martialed. Instead, they remained on government payroll and were set free after some time in protective custody. They were allowed to communicate with their families and friends.
Even when Nzeogwu was killed in the East his body was taken to Kaduna and given the honour of a military burial.

I have come to realize these young men, must have done something grossly
appreciating for the successive Juntas and governments!

Its my personal opinion that Nzeogwu was a tool in the hands of superior officers, including those who emerged as major beneficiaries of his action and they used the July counter coup of ridding those that would stand in their way.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK !

Patience Jonathan, President Goodluck Jonathan's wife, dances to the crowd upon her arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, October 17, 2012. Image: Sunday Agbaeze/Associated Press. Via Ambrose Ehirim

Lagos Okadas: What Next?

So the Lagos state government has proposed implementing a heavy restriction on Okadas (commercial bike drivers) and some are saying its an outright ban. What do you think about this? I personally think this is a bad idea which may have terrible consequences.

What are the drivers of these bikes to do? Are you aware of the implications of them being left jobless? It may actually be cheaper in the long run to put a strict training programme in place rather than create a mass of unemployed men who have to survive one way or the other.

A lot of these boys have been sent from their respective communities, often from the North to fend for their families. Yes they drive badly, but so does the average vehicle driver :). I think there needs to be a complete but gradual fool proof overhaul of the way drivers are trained and are issued licences! Or is it too much work trying to figure out how to train these young men so to make them road safe?

Yes there are plenty of accidents involving Okada riders, but I don't think these young men are suicidal, all they need is the necessary training on awareness and road safety.

Shutting down a whole way off eking out a living will only lead to the increase of crime!
I suggest a stringent course for drivers and a fool proof method of getting them to complete it.
Those that have made this decision may not use this form of transport but ultimately they may end up becoming a victim of the unemployed ex drivers they will have created.

What Can We Learn From Aluu ?

What happened to the 4 young men in the Aluu community happens very often in Nigeria, but its rarely caught on camera and the victims personal stories are rarely shared on the social network.

In effect, people think its their duty to take the law into their own hands thus making them judge, jury and executioner.
BUT NOW ! people are asking what sort of human beings are we becoming.... BECOMING? .

..ARE ! We have always been this way....what that community did is no different from the welcomed vigilantes like the Bakassi boys who unleashed their version of justice as they saw fit. They are no different from the executors of suspected thieves on the streets all over Nigeria and their goading spectators, no different from self proclaimed men and women of God who brand children as witches and so on .....and then, the reprisal attacks. WHEN DOES THIS STOP? Why has this not been addressed fully?
We continuously talk about our "democracy", A "democracy built on the rule of law", Isn't it closer to the truth that there is a growing number of Nigerians who have absolutely no regard for the rule of law?
Is it because there is a complete lack of trust in the Judiciary and people have resorted to jungle justice instead of allowing the "available" instruments of law to be applied to each case?

So here we are in 2012, where the regard for human life appears to be at its lowest. We risk falling into complete anarchy if we continue in this vein. The government has failed in its duty to maintain law and order, and in a society were there is no law n order people take it into their own hands.
The people need to be convinced that the police and the judiciary have the will and resources to deal with crime and protection of the citizenry.

We need to say NO to Jungle justice, whichever form it presents itself.

R.I.P Llyod Toku, Chiadikobi Biringa, Tekena Elkanah and Ugonna Obuzor

PICTURE OF THE DAY

Barack Obama got a lift in Fort Pierce today.

London 2012 Paralympics comes to an end!

  (images from the 2012 Paralympics GETTY IMAGES)

As the Paralympics comes to an end today. I feel so inspired.  Every event I watched was in awe and an equal amount of admiration!
These individuals came as competitors from different nations but shared a common determination of carrying on with life without seeing any limits.
I personally see disability in a totally different way now. What excuse can I give now when I speak negativity into my life due to a temporary  physical issue? after hearing some of the background stories on how some of the competitors got there and what they have had to contend with daily......I NO FIT TALK !!! These individuals have let no barriers stand in their way!

The London 2012 Paralympics is the first Paralympics I have watched. But these extraordinary people have definitely pushed boundaries and changed perceptions. These superhuman like men and women have gone to amazing lengths and most have overcome great adversity to reach this stage.
I saw things I never ever thought were possible, like blind football, blind archery or, even where the "able" bodied Nigerian team failed to win a medal the very able, "disabled" team gave us our respectable 13 medals( including 6 Gold medals). BRAVO!!!

This Paralympics has definitely changed my attitude and I'm sure the attitudes of many people towards people with disabilities.

"A nation that buys its peace is a nation indebted to war"

There is nothing I won't hear! So Dokubo-Asari,leader of the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force earns $9million (N1.420billion) annually ,guarding pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC),while Tompolo is paid $22.9million (N3.614billion) for a similar contract.
The NNPC ,according to the report,gives $3.8million each annually to Boyloaf and Ateke.

All the Government O! But what happened to the global chant "we don't negotiate with terrorists"?

Has the suffering of the people of the Niger Delta ended? But the acts of terrorism has stopped. SO WHAT HAPPENED? CONTRACTS HAPPENED! Goes to show that the agitation in the Niger Delta is not about the plights of those suffering there, but about who can extort the state effectively through blackmail.

In trying to please the very same people that have held the nation to ransom, they have now set a precedence of dealing and bargaining with terrorists.

Just like giving Al-Qaeda a contract to guard Americas largest single source of revenue. Bonkers !

As Mallam Sani said “A nation that buys its peace is a nation indebted to war".

This administration needs to watch as they play with fire there will always be consequences directly or indirectly.

My prayer remains with the good people of the Niger Delta ...

John Atta Mills R.I.P

John Evans Fifii Atta Mills (21 July 1944 – 24 July 2012)

Tens of thousands of people in the Ghanaian capital Accra have attended the state funeral for President John Atta Mills, who died suddenly in July.

Some 18 African heads of state and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton witnessed the ceremony in Accra's Independence Square.

Government is spending £3million modernising foreign jails

The British Government have announced plans to fund an initiative to make prisons in countries like Jamaica and Nigeria more comfortable, in a desperate bid to persuade foreign criminals to serve their sentences at home.  

The government have decided to take this unprecedented step by establishing a £3million annual pot to make it easier for convicts to serve their sentences back in their home countries, after it emerged that the UK’s own prison system housed  11,127 foreign inmates (from 156 countries, this is up from 10,778 in 2011), costing taxpayers an estimated £420million. .Officials insist it will be cheaper in the long run than the annual £38,000 bill for keeping a single prisoner locked up in the UK.

Currently, money is being spent in Jamaica to ‘assist Jamaican authorities in modernising their prison service and rehabilitation and reintegration activities’.
In Nigeria, one project supports the provision of ‘human rights training for prison officers’. A second project will construct new facilities at a women’s prison in Lagos, to reduce overcrowding.

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of Migrationwatch, said: ‘To some extent, this is the inevitable legacy of mass immigration of 3.5million people under Labour.
‘The resources necessary to tackle the rising number of foreign prisoners have not been made available.’
Tory MP Priti Patel said: ‘Prison is always the best place for dangerous criminals, but our jails should not be used as hotels for foreigners. Ministers need to take action to deport them to serve their sentences in the countries they come from and then stop them from coming back to Britain.

‘Living in Britain is a privilege and foreigners who come here and flout our laws should be sent packing without delay.’
‘We believe that, wherever possible, foreign national prisoners should serve their sentences in their own country.
‘Not only will it save money for the UK, it will also mean that these prisoners will be closer to family and friends.This helps to support prisoners’ social rehabilitation and reintegration into society.


In the past, the Labour government tried to reduce the number of overseas inmates. Offenders were offered credit cards pre-loaded with more than £450 - funded by the taxpayer - if they agreed to return home.This was part of a package worth up to £5,000. 

Nigeria: Ghana Cancels Policy On $300,000 Base for Nigerian Traders

It appears that the controversial capital base and employment requirements which had angered alot of Nigerian business owners in Ghana has been dealt with.
Apparently the Ghanaian Government has rescinded its policy compelling Nigerian business owners to pay a minimum capital of 300,000 dollars and employ at least five Ghanians or be threatened with their businesses being shut down by authorities.

Nigeria's High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Ademola Onafowokan, made this known to State House correspondents

Onafowokan, said that the controversial capital base and employment requirements had caused a lot of furore for Nigerian businessmen in Ghana before the commission intervened in the matter.
He said that the Federal Government with the Foreign Affairs Ministry had explored possible diplomatic means to stop the discriminatory and unfair trade laws. The envoy said that it was practically impossible for the Ghanaian authority to drive Nigerian businessmen away because of the pivotal role they played in the economy of that country.
He said that Nigerians had contributed immensely to the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flow of the Ghana economy. "We have been able to speak with the Ghanaian authorities to drop the issue of 300,000 dollars and for now they are not disturbing any Nigerian. As the High Commissioner, I can tell you that.
"Right now we have spoken to them and everything is calm. But even if we did not do that Ghana will not try it. If Ghana says the Nigerian businesses should go home, both the big ones and the small ones, the economy of this country will collapse, because maybe only after China, Nigeria is the second biggest investor in terms of FDI in this country.So they will not drive them away but at the same time when you go to somebody's place you have to learn to conform.
"These people a few of them do not have the necessary paper and how can you regularise your stay without the necessary paper, and they know your shops, so, that is the major cause," he said. Onafowokan, however, underscored the need for Nigerians in Ghana to comply with the ECOWAS and Ghana laws on immigrations.
He said that there were many Nigerians resident in Ghana without Nigerian passport and valid resident permit. The envoy explained that the ECOWAS Treaty on Free Movement provides that an immigrant to a member state should obtain relevant resident permit after three months of domicile in the country.

(SOURCE. VANGUARD NEWSPAPER)

Nigeria: Former Militants Storm Office of Nigeria Union of Journalists

Hundreds of former militants invaded the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in Warri, Delta State, in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, threatening to burn down the building.
The former militants, who had been granted amnesty by the Nigerian government, were angered by the fact that there was no reporter available to interview them and cover their protest over the non-payment of their monthly stipend.
The former militants, brandishing various weapons, also arrived with kegs of petrol and were accompanied by 17 women who said they were demonstrating in solidarity with their husbands, who had been trained by the government under the second phase of the Amnesty Programme aimed at disarming and re-integrating them into daily life.
The former militants attempted to lynch Michael Ikeogwu, the chairman of the Correspondents' Chapel of the NUJ. Ikeogwu was saved by the quick intervention of soldiers and police officers, who arrested a handful of the former militants.
Dele Fasan, a Galaxy Television correspondent in Warri who tried to calm the situation, was manhandled for failing to record the protest.
The former militants gave journalists 30 minutes to make arrangements to interview them and started smashing glass doors when it was obvious that most reporters had fled. Gbenga Ahmed, a reporter with the privately-owned Independent Television, based in Benin, also had his car vandalised and was forced to record the protest.
It took the efforts of the Commanding Officer of the Nigerian Army's 3rd Battalion in Effurun, a few kilometers from Warri, to curtail the rampage. Lieutenant Colonel Ifeanyi Otu sent his personnel in response to a distress call from the leadership of the NUJ.

United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton to meet with President Goodluck in Abuja

United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, will arrive in Abuja on Thursday to meet with President Goodluck Jonathan and other government officials.

Clinton, who is on a 10-day trip to Africa, will also be stoping in Senegal, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, Malawi, South Africa,  in what the State Department has said is meant , "to emphasise US policy commitments outlined in the Presidential Policy Directive - to strengthen democratic institutions, spur economic growth, advance peace and security as well as promote opportunity and development for all citizens."

Due to the death of President John Attah Mills, Clinton will leave Nigeria for Ghana as head of the US delegation to the late President funeral slated for August 10.

NEW MUSIC: AALIYAH – “ENOUGH SAID” (ft. DRAKE)

Drake’s love for Aaliyah is no secret. The Young Money rapper has shown his appreciation for the late singer with a tattoo and sampled her music on his debut Thank Me Later. Now he realizes a dream by collaborating with her on “Enough Said.” The understated record, produced by longtime Drake collaborator Noah “40” Shebib, features bars from Drizzy (“Selling under 150, you ni**as gotta be kidding”) complemented by Aaliyah’s haunting vocals.

It is expected that Drake will executive produce the upcoming posthumous album from Aaliyah.

Picture submitted by nevermind5555 on Fanpop.com

   

Olympics Men's Basketball 2012: USA Beat Nigeria

 Final score a record breaking 73 (NIG ) 156 (USA) .....

"Did they not brief the American team?....We have problems, bad roads, Boko haram, bad leaders ...we even import rice...and gasoline. Why could they not just be the Americans we have known and loved? The compassionate heroes ! , the country that created the likes of Saint Angelina Jolie and Captain America (who saves the day) .....could they not just keep the whole record breaking thing for another country?"

Indian Company Shuts Firm Due To Insecurity

The Gum Arabic factory in Maiduguri, where two Indian workers were gunned down by suspected Boko Haram members, has shut down its operations indefinitely. As a result, over 100 Nigerians working in the firm were told to go home.

The Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Mahesh Sachdev, confirmed this on Saturday during a dinner hosted by the chairperson of Primus Super Speciality Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Achia Dewan.

The envoy urged the Federal Government to tackle insecurity in Nigeria particularly in the North-East.

He said, “The factory where our Indians were killed in Maiduguri has been shut down and it has a staff strength of over 100. The current incident that I mentioned to you in detail is a rude setback for people-to-people ties.

“But I do believe and hope that this will not be an insurmountable problem. Soon, the happy intermingling of Indian and Nigerian people in all parts of India and all parts of Nigeria would resume the way it has always been.

“The menace of insecurity is a Nigerian problem and it is for our Nigerian brothers to resolve these problems themselves. I have full faith in the capacity of our Nigerian brothers to resolve this problem and I will like to wish them well.”

Source. PUNCH

FG evacuates Nigerians from Syria

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Olugbenga Ashiru,  said that about 50 Nigerians had been evacuated from Syria following the ongoing crises in the country.

Ashiru said in Abuja yesterday that the evacuees complied with the government’s directive to leave Syria and he advised others to vacate the Middle East nation.

“We have evacuated quite a lot of Nigerians from Syria. It was not an airlift exercise like we did in the case of Libya because they are very few. From the report I got, those moved so far are less than 50, long before the situation deteriorated we advised them to move.
“Some have decided to stay behind but it is their choice,” he said.

The minister also said that the families of the Charge d’Affairs and officials at the embassy had been relocated to the neighbouring nation of Lebanon “and they are very safe there.”

Sudan confirms that all three missing athletes are expected to seek asylum

Olympics News:
The Sudanese Embassy in London have confirmed that one young athlete has claimed political asylum in Britain and two others are still missing, but none of them are part of the country's Olympic squad.

Spokesman Khalid Mustafa said Monday that the men had hoped to qualify for the Olympics but didn't make the grade.
Mustafa said Al-Nazeer Abdul Gadir has applied for asylum, while Sadam Hussein and Osman Yahya Omar are missing and expected to soon lodge their own claims.

All three had been part of a training squad granted visas to travel to Britain ahead of the Summer Games.

Mustafa said the embassy had received conflicting initial reports about whether the athletes were members of the country's OIympic team.

Three of Arsenals First Team Stars Attend Nigerian Fan Party

Three of Arsenal's first-team stars - Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Bacary Sagna - attended a Nigerian fan party in Lagos on Sunday.

Source. www.arsenal.com

Senator David Mark calls for a check on the use of the social media in the country.

The emergence of the Internet can be viewed as a highly significant leap forward in the communication evolutionary process.

All over the world governments have praised the virtues of social media as a new means to engage or re-engage with citizens. It’s proven to be a way to become more effective and efficient, and a brilliant way of bringing the citizenry and the government closer

But I still see the issues of Internet censorship as a big problem; freedom of speech online continues to be threatened in countries like China, who have censored the usage and in April blocked all Internet access.

I’m also concerned about the comments made in Nigeria, by Senate President David Mark who apparently thinks (the Chinese way) controlling the Internet is quite appealing.

Last week, Mark, said there was a need to check the use of social media as Nigerians were using them to demean their leaders.

The truth is, social media does not demean Nigerian leaders…the penchant for corrupt practices by some in leadership positions has already achieved that.

Stakeholders in corruption will see the Internet as an irritating breeding ground for the disenchanted and if I were in there position I would be well miffed at the prospects of the walls closing in…What they need to understand is that, its not the same type of politics anymore. The status quo is no longer acceptable. Things are no longer easily hidden.

But I have to ask, since the Chinese way is now appealing, why don’t we also adopt the way they deal with corrupt public officials too? …. I thought not!

Mark also said that “We need to change our attitude on how we report things about our country and we should emulate the foreign reporters who never report negative things about their countries.” 

WHO IS HE KIDDING? !!! What foreign reporters is he talking about?  E.g. The British press has had a long history of bringing wrongdoing into the light of public attention. Here are a few examples

·     1890s Liberal Party MP Jabez Balfour was exposed as running several vast fraudulent companies to conceal colossal financial losses. Balfour fled to Argentina, but was eventually arrested and imprisoned.

·     1920s Winston Churchill secretly accepted £5,000—the equivalent of perhaps millions in today's money—from Burmah Oil (now known as BP) to lobby the British government to allow them to monopolise Persian oil resources. (1923

·     1963 the Profumo Affair

·     1990s we saw, Arms to Iraq… The Cash for questions scandal and the Cash for honors scandal

And more recently the Government expenses scandal

The list goes on….

All these were exposed by a vigilant and expressive foreign press,

But of course, Senator David mark would have known this, if he didn’t shy away from the Internet. 

Senator Mark, Google is your friend. Embrace it!

The social networking phenomena did not exist 13 years ago when PDP came to power. The explosive growth of the phenomena will only grow faster. This, I’m sorry, is a fight you will loose…. It’s best for you to embrace Social networking? … the Internet on the whole.

My advise is, if there was nothing to hide and the government is as transparent as it claims the social media should be heralded as the new way for the mass to get information round

Good performance from the leadership is the answer to critics not censorship!

"Richard Branson : We will not consider doing business in Nigeria again

Richard Branson the chairman of Virgin Atlantic alluded to a number of issue bordering on doing business in Nigeria:

“…we have virgin’s ill-fated footsteps by setting up a new airline in Africa in conjunction with Nigerian government…the details of the doomed attempts to crack the Nigerian market in the 2000s is better imagined…we put …together a very good airline-the first airline in West Africa that was ever IOSA/IATA operational safety audit accredited but unfortunately it got tied down to the politics of the country…we led the airlines for 11years…we fought daily battle against government agents who wanted to daily make fortune from us, politicians who saw the government 49% as a meal to seek for all kinds of favour…watchdogs(regulatory body) that didn’t know what to do and persistently asking for bribes at any point…Nigerian people are generally nice but the politicians are very insane…that may be irony because the people make up the politicians…but those politicians are selfish…we did make N3billion for the federal government of Nigeria during the joint venture…realising that the government didn’t bring nothing to the table/partnership except dubious debts by the previous carrier, Nigeria Airways…The joint venture should have been the biggest African carrier by now if the partnership was allowed to grow, but the politicians KILLED it…Nigeria is a country we SHALL NEVER consider to doing business again..’

 Richard Branson says

"Nigerian people are generally nice but the politicians are very insane…that may be irony because the people make up the politicians…but those politicians are selfish"

Ok, people do you hear that? we make up the politicians ! our politicians are not from a dynasty they are US....Nigerians!

We say we want change ? WE NEED TO CHANGE FIRST.....So we can produce the right type of leaders.
 
Greed, corruption and selfishness...are being portrayed as inherent characteristics of our people. Lets not get angry at criticism, after all its an observation. This type of criticism SHOULD be taken seriously and dealt with for the sake of our nation .

  

Gunmen Attack Family Home Of VP Sambo.

The family home of the Vice President of Nigeria, Namadi Sambo was attacked by suspected militants. An eyewitness said, that the gun men drove up to the house located in the Tudun Wada area of Zaria, Kaduna state and shot at two policemen guarding the house.

Vou Brown Officially Opens !!

African Retro Inspired Boutique Vou Brown has Officially opened. Here are some picture of the event that was held yesterday.

Liza Goge and Sinni

Designer Koko with  Dennis Goge

Ola Shobowale and South African Model Sinni

Nwanna

Jamie Rose

Leigh, Liza and Client

Sinni

VOU BROWN @74 WILLESDEN LANE KILBURN, LONDON NW6 7AE

TELEPHONE. +44 207 328 8848
                         +44 7527334579

 

So, apparently Al Mustapha is saying that Abacha fell ill the day before he died (Sunday 7th 1998) after he (Abacha) shook the hands of the security operative or personnel who accompanied President Yasser Arafat of Palestine. Is this a coincidence? recently on the news they were discussing the significant traces of Polonium-210 they found on the late Palestinian leaders clothes and other personal effects alluding to the fact that poisoning may have been the cause of his death .......Polonium-210 was also the same substance used to poison the Russian dissident Alexader Litvinenko in London.

Please read this by Alaba Johnson on the Naija Pundit

 Explosive! Al-Mustapha's Prison Notes Expose

"My Boss, General Sani Muhammad Abacha, died at the early hours of Monday, 8th June, 1998. I had prepared him for a workshop organized by the Federal Ministry of Information for that day as he was expected to deliver an address as the Special Guest of Honour. His speech was drafted and fine tuned by the Chief Press Secretary, Chief David Attah who had submitted it to the Aide-De Camp for vetting and necessary amendments by the Commander-in-Chief. When I got to the bedside of the Head of State, he was already gasping. Ordinarily, I could not just touch him. It was not allowed in our job. But under the situation on ground, I knelt close to him and shouted, “General Sani Abacha, Sir, please grant me permission to touch and carry you.”

"Contrary to insinuations, speculations and sad rumours initiated by some sections of the society, I maintain that the sudden collapse of the health system of the late Head of State started previous day (Sunday, 7th June, 1998) right from the Abuja International Airport immediately after one of the white security operatives or personnel who accompanied President Yasser Arafat of Palestine shook hands with him (General Abacha) I had noticed the change in the countenance of the late Commander-in-Chief and informed the Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Col. Abdallah, accordingly. He, however, advised that we keep a close watch on the Head of State. Later in the evening of 8th June, 1998, around 6p.m; his doctor came around, administered an injection to stabilize him. He was advised to have a short rest. Happily, enough, by 9p.m; the Head of State was bouncing and receiving visitors until much later when General Jeremiah Timbut Useni, the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, came calling. He was fond of the Head of State. They were very good friends. They stayed and chatted together till about 3.35a.m. A friend of the house was with me in my office and as he was bidding me farewell, he came back to inform me that the FCT Minister, General Useni was out of the Head of State’s Guest House within the Villa."

"I then decided to inform the ADC and other security boys that I would be on my way home to prepare for the early morning event at the International Conference Centre. At about 5a.m; the security guards ran to my quarters to inform me that the Head of State was very unstable. At first, I thought it was a coup attempt. Immediately, I prepared myself fully for any eventuality. As an intelligence officer and the Chief Security Officer to the Head of State for that matter, I devised a means of diverting the attention of the security boys from my escape route by asking my wife to continue chatting with them at the door – she was in the house while the boys were outside. From there, I got to the Guest House of the Head of State before them. When I got to the bedside of the Head of State, he was already gasping. Ordinarily, I could not just touch him. It was not allowed in our job. But under the situation on ground, I knelt close to him and shouted, “General Sani Abacha, Sir, please grant me permission to touch and carry you.” I again knocked at the stool beside the bed and shouted in the same manner, yet he did not respond. I then realized there was a serious danger. I immediately called the Head of State’s personal physician, Dr. Wali, who arrived the place under eight minutes from his house. He immediately gave Oga – General Abacha – two doses of injection, one at the heart and another close to his neck."

"This did not work apparently as the Head of State had turned very cold. He then told me that the Head of State was dead and nothing could be done after all. I there and then asked the personal physician to remain with the dead body while I dashed home to be fully prepared for the problems that might arise from the incident. As soon as I informed my wife, she collapsed and burst into tears. I secured my house and then ran back. At that point, the Aide-de-Camp had been contacted by me and we decided that great caution must be taken in handling the grave situation. Again, I must reiterate that the issue of my Boss dying on top of women was a great lie just as the insinuation that General Sani Abacha ate and died of poisoned apples was equally a wicked lie. My question is: did Chief M.K.O Abiola die of poisoned apples or did he die on top of women? As I had stated at the Oputa Panel, their deaths were organized. Pure and simple! It was at this point that I used our special communication gadgets to diplomatically invite the Service Chiefs, Military Governors and some few elements purportedly to a meeting with the Head of State by 9a.m. at the Council Chamber. That completed, I also decided to talk to some former leaders of the nation to inform them that General Sani Abacha would like to meet them by 9a.m. Situation became charged however, when one of the Service Chiefs, Lieutenant General Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi, who pretended to be with us, suggested he be made the new Head of State after we had quietly informed him of the death of General Sani Abacha. He even suggested we should allow him access to Chief Abiola. We smelt a rat and other heads of security agencies, on hearing this, advised I move Chief Abiola to a safer destination."

"I managed to do this in spite of the fact that I had been terribly overwhelmed with the crisis at hand. But then, when some junior officers over-heard the suggestion of one of the Service Chiefs earlier mentioned, it was suggested to me that we should finish all the members of the Provisional Ruling Council and give the general public an excuse that there was a meeting of the PRC during which a shoot-out occurred between some members of the Provisional Ruling Council and the Body Guards to the Head of State When I sensed that we would be contending with far more delicate issues than the one on ground, I talked to Generals Buba Marwa and Ibrahim Sabo who both promptly advised us – the junior officers – against any bloodshed. They advised we contact General Ibrahim Babangida (former Military President) who equally advised against any bloodshed but that we should support the most senior officer in the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC) to be the new Head of State. Since the words of our elders are words of wisdom, we agreed to support General Jeremiah Useni. Along the line, General Bamaiyi lampooned me saying, “Can’t you put two and two together to be four? Has it not occurred to you that General Useni who was the last man with the Head of State might have poisoned him, knowing full well that he was the most senior officer in the PRC?”

"Naturally, I became furious with General Useni since General Abacha’s family had earlier on complained severally about the closeness of the two Generals; at that, a decision was taken to storm General Useni’s house with almost a battalion of soldiers to effect his arrest. Again, some heads of security units and agencies, including my wife, advised against the move. The next most senior person and officer in government was General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was then the Chief of Defence Staff. We rejected the other Service Chief, who, we believed, was too ambitious and destructive. We settled for General Abubakar and about six of us called him inside a room in the Head of State’s residence to break the news of the death of General Abacha to him. As a General with vast experience, Abdulsalami Abubakar, humbly requested to see and pray for the soul of General Abacha which we allowed. Do we consider this a mistake? Because right there, he – Abubakar – went and sat on the seat of the late Head of State. Again, I was very furious. Like I said at the Oputa Panel, if caution was not applied, I would have gunned him down. The revolution the boys were yearning for would have started right there. The assumption that we could not have succeeded in the revolution was a blatant lie. We were in full control of the State House and the Brigade of Guards. We had loyal troops in Keffi and in some other areas surrounding the seat of government – Abuja. But I allowed peace to reign because we believed it would create further crises in the country."

"We followed the advice of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and the wise counsel of some loyal senior officers and jointly agreed that General Abdulsalami Abubakar be installed Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces immediately after the burial of General Sani Abacha in Kano. It is an irony of history that the same Service Chief who wanted to be Head of State through bloodshed, later instigated the new members of the Provisional Ruling Council against us and branded us killers, termites and all sorts of hopeless names. They planned, arranged our arrest, intimidation and subsequent jungle trial in 1998 and 1999. These, of course, led to our terrible condition in several prisons and places of confinement."

Ghanian President, John Atta Mills has died

Prof. John Evans Fifii Atta Mills (born 21 July 1944 - 24 July 2012)

May He Rest In Perfect Peace.

Policemen At Makoko Demolition Were On Illegal Duty

                                                                             Picture. SaharaReporters

So it appears that the policeman who shot chief, Timothy Hunpoyanwa on the day of the Makoko demolition process was not meant to be on duty. Infact, the Lagos police command spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, said she could not put a figure, of those who were on illegal duty.

The visibly angry CP Umar Manko during a condolence visit to the Makoko Community, appealed for calm, he explained that the procedure for the policemen to accompany taskforce officials were not met.

He said there ought to have been a written application to the command requesting for the services of the policemen, after which the command would detail the Marine Police to deploy some of its men.

He, therefore, assured that the command would not leave any stone unturned in ensuring that justice was done, informing that the corporal who allegedly fired the fatal shot was already in detention, stressing that the command would not condone any act of indiscriminate killing from its men.

"We condone with you concerning the death of the chief. We will ensure that justice takes place. The Nigerian Police is undergoing transformation. The era where people shoot anyhow has ended. Therefore, anybody who does such will face the consequences."

Responding, one of the traditional chiefs, Balee Jeje Ayinde, lamented what he described as untold pains fishermen in the area faced in the hands of policemen, appealing to the CP to ensure that such stopped.

He also appealed to the CP to plead with the Lagos State Government on their behalf, to allow them remain in Makoko, adding that they had no other place to go to.

The President of the Fishermen Association, Mr. Emmanuel Agbe, described the area as their ancestral home, adding, "our forefathers came here in 1890 about 120 years ago. This is the only place we have come to recognize as home. Please, beg Fashola to leave us alone."

I have questions regarding this officer on" illegal duty". At what point did the Police come together to be briefed regarding their mission? Was there not a head count (or something)? Who supervised this? Is it normal for an overworked police officer to tag along because he has nothing better to do on a Monday? With this statement claiming the officer was off duty or on illegal duty, is the Government still vicariously liable for the actions of the policeman?

I think so! Although the policeman was off duty. The moment he set foot in that community, in uniform, working alongside his colleges, the officer invoked his official authority. Vicarious liability has been established, because he was purporting to act in his official capacity at the time.

People Of Makoko Protest Outside Gov. Fashola’s Office

                                                   All Pictures from Sahara Reporters

After the Lagos State Government gave residents of Makoko, 72 hours notice to quit their homes amidst much public criticism, The Egun Community decided to show Governor Fashola just how displeased they were, by holding a protest today, outside his office at Alausa.

Addressing the protesting community, Governor Babatunde Fashola said that some individuals, whom he did not identify, are benefiting from the sufferings of the residents as they live on the water, and are receiving grants from international charities and funding bodies.

He told the residents that occupants of the demolished areas, were largely people from Cameroun, Republic of Benin and Togo.
 
In the course of forcefully evicting the residents on Monday, the Baale of Makokos assistant was shot and killed by a policeman during a peaceful protest by residents and supporters.

The Governor, after condoling with the Baale, Steven Ajih, over the killing of his Assistant Timothy Azinpono, did not say what his administration would do to bring the killer to book, but he opened his doors to a conversation with the Baale on the boundaries of the demolition exercise on the waterfront.
 
Well known lawyer, Femi Falana, reacted to the news of the eviction by lashing out at the Fashola administration saying it is “promoting murder, orchestrating a massive internal displacement of citizens through forceful eviction, and waging a war of impunity against poor people”..... “Lagos State Government should be held vicariously liable in the circumstance” which he described as a “willful destruction of properties… that is illegal and unconstitutional.”