Leaked numbers: Nigerians wage telephone war against senators

Nigerians, who have laid their hands on the telephone numbers of lawmakers representing them at the Senate, have declared a telephone war on their senators by bombarding their lines with unending calls  and text messages.

Those who have called senators representing their senatorial districts accused the lawmakers of poor performance and corruption.

Senate

The constituents, who decried poor representation by their senators, alleged that the lawmakers rebuffed their requests.SUNDAY PUNCH also learnt that some of the senators engaged their constituents in wars of words.

An online news medium, SaharaReporters, had published the telephone numbers of most of the 109 senators in the National Assembly, asking their constituents to express their feelings directly to those representing them in the legislature.

The Senate had attempted to amend the laws establishing the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the Code of Conduct Bureau, a development that drew the ire of the populace, before the upper chamber of the National Assembly dropped the bill after passing the second reading.

Criticisms are also trailing a proposed Grazing Bill seeking to establish ranches across the country to stem criminal activities of nomadic Fulani herdsmen.

The Senate had denied that such a bill exists.

Constituents have however besieged the various social media platforms to express their disappointment over the alleged cold responses they got from their representatives.

For instance, Portia Emilia Anthony, in a post on her Facebook page, accused former Governor of Abia State, Theodor Orji, who is now representing Abia-Central Senatorial District, of shouting at her on the phone.

She said, “I just got off the phone with a senator shouting down the phone that I am insulting him with the text I sent to him; that I have no right to tell him to vote against the Grazing Bill.

“The man is so angry and agitated, saying I should go and contest and become a senator. Can you imagine the attitude of our so-called representatives? I told him I am not interested as I don’t want to be corrupt. The man went berserk on the phone. I dropped the phone on him.

“Asking me if I know who he is, I told him that he’s a Nigerian and nothing else. Yet, another (senator) has replied and politely assured me that it won’t happen.”

“Can you believe that it was Theodore Orji of Abia state that called and shouted at me for asking him not to allow the Grazing Bill to go through? Please, let’s deal with him. He’s on 07082800***, the man is simply pathetic. #ShareAndShout.”

However, Orji also went to his Facebook page, asking Nigerians to disregard the “campaign of calumny” against him.

He posted, “Attention! Please, disregard this campaign of calumny and falsehood manufactured and being shared by one Portia Emilia Anthony, alleging that I am in support of the Grazing Bill.

“I spoke with this lady from Cross River on the phone and even though she was very rude and disrespectful, I made it clear to her that I am not in support of the said Grazing Bill.

“Please, the general public, especially those from Abia Central—Abians, Igbos and other well-meaning Nigerians — should disregard and condemn this malicious campaign of calumny.”

On its Twitter handle, SaharaReporters reported the exchange of words between a constituent and former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi, who is now representing Ekiti South.

The report had a screenshot of a mobile device showing a message from an anonymous sender to Olujimi, which read, “Don’t support amendment to CCT (Code of Conduct Tribunal) and Administration of Criminal Justice Law because of one man.

“Don’t take that car. People are suffering and you guys want to ride jeeps? You represent me in Ekiti and we are watching. Ile ni apoti n joko si de idi o! (An idiom in Yoruba used when patiently waiting for someone’s return).”

Another screenshot showing Olujimi’s response sent via 08033141***, said, “Sit anywhere. If you voted, it was not free. I paid every inch of the way. Get a job and earn a living, so you don’t keep issuing threats that you can’t enforce and you don’t keep invading the privacy of people. Only dirty people do that.”

Another screenshot of a message said to be from an “anonymous senator” had shown how the lawmaker criticised the news medium for publishing the lawmakers’ telephone numbers.

The sender said, “Above are just snippets of the deluge of calls/texts that we’ve been receiving by your ill-considered decision to release our phone numbers to the public. I believe you did not fully evaluate the way Nigerians think and act before you did so.

“My phone rings at least once every minute. Most senators have gone ahead to change their numbers. I don’t intend to do so but your decision is rather having the opposite effect from what you intended.”

The Nigerian Quagmire, who commented on the post in which the contact numbers of the senators were released on the medium’s website, claimed to have sent a message to the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

T

he person said, “Just sent a nicely worded message to Bukola to do the honorable thing and vacate the senate presidency. He’s trying his best to hand over part of the government to his cronies in the PDP. I hope he’ll take my humble advice and do the right thing.”

However, Ralph Adeniyi, said, “They don’t know their job and (they are) very rude on the phone. I have been calling Senate President Bukola Saraki’s mobile #08024544***. He already (switched) off his phone but I will keep trying.”

Babatunde Opeyemi said should the lawmakers change their telephone lines, the new ones should be provided for the public.

He said, “Our senators have activated vexing mode. In case they change their numbers, please get it for us. Dino Melaye, Stella Oduah, (Godswill) Akpabio, (Ajayi) Boroffice, all of you senators should await my call at the right time!

“I don’t know why Nigerian senators should be angry when their people call them! You represent us and can’t talk to us.”

Habeeb Adewale Mustapha, said, “(I) spoke with Senator Kabir Garba Marafa of Zamfara-Central. A man of integrity! He is sticking by common Nigerians and he has given me his words!!!”

Oluyege Paul Ayooluwa, said, “Mr. Common Sense Ben Murray-Bruce. Your number is switched off.” The senator is representing Bayelsa-East at the Senate.

A screenshot, which did not show the identity of the sender and the recipient who is a senator, had read, “Do you support the amendment to the CCB Act? If you support the amendment to the CCB Act, that means you are a total fake. Nigerians are watching, believe me. You guys (senators) are just 109 to over 150 million Nigerians.”

Another commentator, Ayo Faleti, had said, “Please call your representatives. Ask how they have been exercising the mandate you gave them. If the answer is em, em, em…, declare your disappointment and inform (them) that you will be calling back in a couple of months. And when you do, you do not want em, em… as an answer. I know most of them will soon change their numbers.”

Similarly, KennBest said, “How grateful I remain to Sahara Reporters for this list. Now they must hear from Nigerians. If they like, let them go (and) change their numbers; we’ll get an updated list.”

Ayodele Emmanuel, said, “I tell you, they will quickly change the numbers. They are not representing anybody or constituency but themselves and their cronies.”

Joel Edionwe equally said, “Good but they are after themselves. Have they ever consulted with their constituents?”

Rum Sodo said, “You want my vote but you don’t want me to have your number. Who is a fool?”

Also, Jude Wilfred, said, “Please, start calling them now to ensure this Grazing Bill before the National Assembly does not sail through. This bill,  if passed,  will set the country on fire.

Etiemana Ekpo, said, “I believe to hear from the people is the best way not to pass three to four bills in a day, and you can’t hear from people without a phone number.”

SUNDAY PUNCH observed that some members of the public called the senators’ numbers only to frustrate them.

For instance, Hafsah Muhammad Lalo, posted on the news website, “I have N200 (credit) on my Etisalat (line) that I am not using. Let me disturb Jonah Jang.” Jang, a former Governor of Plateau State, is representing Plateau-North at the Senate.

Similarly, Yinka Aina, said, “All you need do to punish your non-performing senator is (to) him forty times daily and don’t forget to share his number with your gateman that doesn’t speak English.”

Investigation by our correspondents showed that some of the numbers tallied with those already in SUNDAY PUNCH’s directory. However, when our correspondents called some of the numbers, those who picked the calls said they were wrong numbers.

Several other numbers called indicated that they had been switched off.

When SUNDAY PUNCH called one of the two numbers listed for former President of the Senate, David Mark, who is representing Benue-South, the voice of a young female answered and, without asking who the caller wanted to speak to, said “wrong number” and immediately hung up.

Also, when one of our correspondents called Barnabas Gemade’s number, a male voice picked the call and said, “He’s in a meeting.” He also hung up before our correspondent could ask when next the senator would be available.

Gilbert Nnaji’s line did not connect. Enyinnaya Abaribe’s line also indicated that it was unreachable, while Bayero Nafada’s failed to connect.

Some senators, whose lines were switched off, include Theodore Orji, Ben Murray-Bruce, Ali Ndume, and Goje Danjuma.

SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the Senators switched off their phones after they were overwhelmd with calls from their constitutents.

A number of senators, including Godswill Akpabio, Shehu Sani and Dino Melaye, cut calls made by SUNDAY PUNCH to their mobile lines shortly after ringing.

Those who did not answer their calls include Andy Uba, Akume George, Sam Egwu, Biodun Olujimi, Ike Ekweremadu, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Adamu Aliero.

When the telephone numbers of Ajayi Boroffice, representing Ondo North  and George Sekibo, representing Rivers East, were called, the responses received were “wrong number.”

When one of our correspondents called Boroffice on 08088811***, a voice answered, “Please, wrong number.”

In the case of the PDP senator from Rivers, Sekibo, a call earlier made to phone number 08033122*** was not picked. But, someone called our correspondent back with another line (08186651***) to say he saw a missed call on his MTN line. When asked if he was Sekibo, he said, “My name is Bello.”

Efforts by SUNDAY PUNCH to reach Senate President Bukola Saraki (08024544***), Buruji Kashamu (08160883***), Isiaka Adeleke (08033475***), and Babajide Omoworare (08023045***/08034737***) were unsuccessful as their phones were either switched off or not “available”.

The phone numbers allegedly belonging to Senator Joshua Dariye (08075872***, 08058728***) were said to be unallocated by Glo.

Also, all attempts to speak with Senator Remi Tinubu and Abdullahi Adamu (representing APC Nasarawa West) were unsuccessful as the two senators did not pick their calls. Text messages sent to them were not responded to.

Marafa, who replied the text message sent to his phone, said “Not at all! I have been with this number since the inception of GSM in Nigeria. It was on my bill boards during my campaigns in both 2011and 2015. It is the number known to my friends, constituents and business partners. So, to me, it is normal!”

Recall lawmakers who don’t represent you well – Bishops

The Diocesan Bishop, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Diocese of Egba, Ogun State, Rt. Reverend Emmanuel Adekunle, has advised the electorate to be courageous enough to recall any lawmaker in the National Assembly who does anything contrary to their wishes and aspirations.

He said this in Abeokuta at a media briefing on the 2016 diocesan synod of the church, which began on Friday with the theme, ‘The Beatitudes.’

Adekunle equally said events in the Senate in the past few weeks informed the need for Nigerians to be vigilant, as it appeared that some of the lawmakers were in the legislature for selfish interests and not to make life better for the people.

He said, “It is sad that many of our lawmakers in the National Assembly, most especially in the Senate, were there for selfish interests.

“The recent happenings in the Senate are shameful. I think Nigerians should be courageous enough to recall any of their representatives who are not representing them well, either in the Senate or in the House of Representatives.”

The bishop also condemned Nigerian public office holders for wanting to hold on to power at all cost, even when they were on trial for corruption.

He said, “It is only in Nigeria that public officials undergoing trial will clinch to their offices. In sane societies, once any public official is involved in a scam, and he or she is undergoing trial, he or she resigns and gives room for fair trial. By clinching to their offices, they are using that to intimidate those agencies trying them.

“Again, on the move to amend the Acts establishing the Code of Conduct Bureau and (the Code of Conduct) Tribunal, I will describe their action as that of shameless people, trying to cover their tracks. They are not doing it to save only one person but to cover their own tracks as well. It is quite shameful.

“I think the constituencies where these lawmakers emerged from, should begin to think of how to recall them back home.”

Similarly, retired Bishop of Akure Anglican Diocese, Bishop Gbolanle Gbonigi, supported the idea of recalling lawmakers found guilty of corrupt practices.

He however stated that the process of recalling was difficult in Nigerian democratic system.

He said, “I support the idea of recalling corrupt lawmakers from the National Assembly wholeheartedly. But it is one thing to say that they should be recalled, it is another thing for it to be done.

“It is not only these people that are corrupt, they came out from all of us and very many politicians are corrupt in Nigeria. If you say they should be recalled, who will recall them? They bribed the people to get to the House and they give part of the money they steal to some people in their constituencies. So, it is not as easy as one would think.”

• Additional report by Samuel Awoyinfa and Peter Dada

Leaked numbers: Nigerians wage telephone war against senators

Memo to ‘Buharists’ and ‘Jonathanians’

I regret that I finally have to validate the ridiculous “Jonathanian” and “Buharist” mentality today. The truth is, I detest using such tags on people. Since the folly of political polarity gripped our country just before the 2015 elections, I have refrained from lumping people together with labels like “Buharist”, “Jonathanian”, “Hailers or Wailers” and others with which people have been stuck. I do just think that these names are derogatory; they also detract from the essence of democratic citizenship, in my opinion.

Jonathan and Buhari

But then, today’s shift is not without reason. Granted, nationals are bound with the duty of supporting their democratic leaders, but a particular group of Nigerians have elected to take their support for the President Muhammadu Buhari administration beyond the normal demands of citizenship.

With this set of people, it is impossible for the President or his administration to do any wrong. Now, I concede the right to beatify any human being by anyone who so desires, what I find objectionable are the mindless attempts to disrupt contrary arguments without regard to their soundness.

While people are entitled to choose blind loyalty, they trample on the rights of others when they interrupt their positions and attribute every point that disagrees with their own as either sponsored or unpatriotic. You are then forced to ask yourself if these folks have a good grasp of what loyalty to country is.

The piece on this column last week would, for example pass as one of the most constructive pieces of advice a citizen could offer his leader. Titled, “Mr. President, you do not have three more years,” the piece merely drew the President’s attention to how ill-advised it would be for him to imagine that he had three years to impact on Nigerians. I stressed the point that politicians are not in the habit of suspending their ambitions on the score of national service and that from about the end of 2017, the President might find no one but himself willing to till the ground, working single mindedly, for Nigeria.

Some supporters of the President took offence! Describing the intervention as another link in the long chain of anti-Buhari sentiments, most of the responders are wont to dismiss even the most objective assessment of the government.

And so it has become difficult to evaluate the performance of Nigerian leaders without incurring the wrath of some people who fervently hold on to their belief in the infallibility of certain men.

The tendency to suspend reason is not peculiar to those who support the President, although they are more easily irritable given the growing disenchantment of Nigerians with the administration.  Some of them speak more eloquently in defence of the government than those who are even paid to do the job. But the supporters of former President Goodluck Jonathan are no less obstinate and caustic in their reaction to issues that concern the Buhari administration. The arguments on either side being still hot and divisive as it were before the election of March 2015!

There are all sorts of blind accusations and partisan affection in the appraisals of public issues and discourses. If you dare to support a good policy of the Buhari administration no matter how rich, deep and utilitarian that may be, you are a labelled a supporter of  the All Progressives Congress the same  way commentators are considered  looters in the ilk of the Peoples Democratic Party folks if you speak in defence of Jonathan.

The capacity of our people to remain static on these lines of affiliations, not reconsidering at any time, is almost sub-human to be honest. After all, aren’t human beings said to be endowed with the ability to see issues from different points of view? How is it that people make up their mind not to ever see a good point reevaluate no matter what they see?

Twelve months after the last elections and 11 months into the new government, these opinionated political observers find currency in our offices, social media platforms, social events, intellectual communities, market places and even worship centres. There is never an end to the strife.

Unfortunately, for the mass of the people who ignorantly draw blood in furtherance of these divisions and in protection of their own perception, the beneficiaries of these bickering have always been our political and bureaucratic elite, those who feed fat on our divides, who see opportunistic advantage worthy of perpetual exploitation in the way we see ourselves and they do everything to lead us on.

For themselves, the rich and the powerful very often collapse these artificial divisions whose relevance find expression only for the purpose of advancing theirpersonal and political interests. They are at home amongst one another while on first class flights to all corners of the world and when giving their children in marriages across ethnic, social and political divides.

Sadly, it is the same people who are victims and objects of elite political conspiracies, who are unable and, in many instances, incapable of discerning elite motives which have been the basis of our national gloom and underdevelopment.

Yet, these same people are the engine room upon which democratic growth can be built, even if Nigerians, both government and the governed do not seem to understand this. While government still treats citizens like some hirelings who have no say in the matter, the people, possibly due to the deferential values in our culture, largely see government in the image of a father, who should not be criticised or provoked to offence. This is the reason why instead of holding people in government accountable, we treat them with awe and allow them to run riot on us.

Nigerians have for example, suffered, and even been traumatised by a series of deprivations over the last couple of days but we still have people who defend a government which has not found sufficient reasons to explain the problems and what it is doing about them to the people. Some of the hardline supporters of the government insist that it is premature to even blame the government for anything since the immediate past administration is credited with a lot of malfeasance.

We however fail to accept that while politics and political parties may come in different colours and shades, good governance bears no vagueness and most Nigerians who complain, only desire a change in the quality of their lives.  And if government cannot, for any reason deliver that to them at any time, such a government must communicate its limitations to the people, empathise with them, advise them on the fleeting nature of the challenge and then carry them along every step of the resolution of the issues. Any government who fails to do this deserves immediate reprimand from every Nigerian of good conscience.

We should all note that the Buhari administration presents another opportunity for Nigeria to take its place in the comity of nations. I am of the opinion that missing this opportunity to set Nigeria on the path of sustainable growth may be a fatal wound to the development of Nigeria and it is only the watchfulness of the citizenry that would get us there.Should we continue with this election hangover as we have carried on in the last one year, citizenship would be greatly hampered, democracy itself would be in danger and good governance would suffer immeasurably?

To promote a representative republic, we need to refine, deepen and elevate the level of national discourse for nothing provides the safeguards and protection for the people other than eternal vigilance and citizens’consciousness against the partisan and opportunistic tendencies of men in power.

Above all, we must realise that all of us are in a race, not against ourselves, but against the rest of the world, most of which goes on advancing the frontiers of development while we are here tearing ourselves apart. Government is not our father, we elected them to serve us and we must all come together to support, support not meaning docile. We should insist that they deliver on their promises to us, no matter what our political sentiments are. That is the way to move Nigeria forward.

Memo to ‘Buharists’ and ‘Jonathanians’

Nigerians slam Buhari over budget delay

A cross-section of Nigerians on Friday flayed President Muhammadu Buhari over the delay in signing the 2016 budget.

President Buhari

They said it was embarrassing that the President could still be delaying the signing of the budget even after the first quarter of the year was over.

According to them, the delay signifies the President’s inefficiency and lack of preparation for serious governance.

A chieftain of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo; the Registrar of the Chartered Institute of Finance and Control, Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Eohoi; the Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, Mr. Eze Onyekwere and the spokesperson for the Ijaw National Congress, Mr. Victor Borubo, expressed concern that the delay could have negative impacts on the economy.

The President had on Thursday in the United States ruled out the possibility of early signing of the 2016 Appropriation Bill passed by the National Assembly last week.

He had said that before he would sign the budget, he would do a ministry-by-ministry review of the document to ensure that what was returned to him was the same with what his administration submitted to the National Assembly for passage.

But the eminent Nigerians said the President’s action could worsen the already decay infrastructure in the country.

Adebanjo said the delay meant that the All Progressives Congress-led government was clueless and was not sure of what to do with governance.

He said, “I have said it before that the APC has no programme. All the party wanted was that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan should go. But since the APC has assumed power, what has it done? It is not in my interest for Buhari to fail, but I want the country to move forward.”

Eohoi said since many investment decisions were tied to the budget, any delay in signing the document might affect investments inflows.

He said, “It is obvious that we are going to have a delay in the implementation of the 2016 budget.

“A lot of plans are dependent on capital releases and if capital budget does not start early, it will affect businesses because most people look at the budget to make informed decisions and those are the effects it will have.”

Onyekwere said, “From the provisions of our laws, the harmonised 2016 Federal Appropriation Bill should have been signed by the President on or before the clock strikes 11.59pm on December 31, 2015.

“This is to pave way for the full commencement of the financial year on January 1, 2016 in accordance with the Financial Year Act.

“But this was not the case as we have lost three months and no one is sure whether the President will not have some misgivings to delay the signing and thereby return the Bill to the National Assembly for further review.

“Nigerians expect the President to immediately sign the bill and move the executive to expeditiously start the implementation of the budget.”  Borubo questioned the reason given by Buhari for delaying the budget signing.

He said, “The delay shows that the issue of padding is not yet over. It also shows that there is absence of transparency in the whole system.

“Secondly, the President himself complained that the budget was padded but up till now, no one in the budget office has been arrested and prosecuted. That tells me that the war against graft is simply a lip service. It is when you prosecute such people that other people can be deterred from doing it again.”

The Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Muda Yusuf, said the budget delay would have negative effects on the country’s infrastructural development plan among other implications.

He said, “It has implications for the economy. First, the interventions we expect from the Federal Government with regards to infrastructural investment may be further delayed. Infrastructural deficiency is one of biggest problems facing the economy and it is adversely affecting productivity in the economy. So, a further delay will affect government intervention on investment in infrastructure. If you look at the budget, you will see it is in favour of infrastructure.”

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party Board of Trustees, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said it was too bad that the national budget had yet to be signed for prompt implementation to address the suffering of the citizens.

Babatope said the delay might be as a result of the alleged dispute between the Presidency and the National Assembly.

He, however, asked the President to quickly go through the document and sign it for implementation.

“Nigerians are suffering. Honestly speaking, the President’s aides should bring the suffering of Nigerians to his knowledge so that he can do something to minimise it.”

The National Coordinator, Rights Monitoring Group, Mr. Femi Aduwo, said the delay in signing the document showed that Buhari’s ministers did not contribute anything to how the “budget of change” was made.

“Delaying the signing of the budget shows that Buhari does not trust the National Assembly whose majority members are members of the President’s party,” Aduwo said, adding, “Before he appointed his ministers, the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said the administration would propose a budget of N7tr, in other words, the ministers did not contribute anything to how the budget was made.”

A rights activist, Mr. Ebun Adegboruwa, said the delay implied that the President did not prepare for serious governance.

According to him, the delay is a deliberate ploy by the President to hold Nigerians to ransom.

Adegboruwa added that the emergence of Buhari as the President was like inviting trouble to the country.

He said, “When Buhari’s government was inaugurated almost a year ago, power generation was about 5,000 megawatts, but it had drastically reduced now and nearly all parts of the country are in one crisis or the other. Militancy is back in the Niger Delta; it is a sad story that it appears that we are now in a war situation than we were before the current government took over power.

“It means Buhari is inefficient; his government is wallowing in confusion and has no direction.

“If the President insists that there is problem with the budget, it shows that the President has failed because his party is the one in charge. The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is a staunch member of the APC and the Speaker, the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, is also a staunch member of the ruling party. So, if the President is still delaying the signing of the budget, it means the ruling party has failed; it means the ruling party is directionless.”

But an economist, Henry Boyo, backed the President’s action. He said previous budgets that were hurriedly signed did not impact the citizens in any form.

He said, “It will be self serving for anyone to call on the President to actualise a defective budget. In any case, if it is passed now, is there any guarantee that it would benefit the people?

Another economist, Bismark Rewane, claimed that it would be wrong for the President to hurriedly sign a budget that could later be found to be defective.

He said, “The President needs to be sure of what he is signing rather than signing it in a hurry and making mistakes.”

The Chief Executive Officer, Economic Associates, Dr. Ayo Teriba, asked Nigerians if it would be proper for the President to sign the budget without reading the document.

“Is that what Nigerians want,” Teriba asked, urging the citizens to shun the idea of making issue out of non-issue.

Nigerians slam Buhari over budget delay

Easter Message: Change will come - Buhari tells Nigerians

President Muham-madu Buhari yesterday told Nigerians that the change agenda of his party, All Progressives Congress (APC), will come faster if citizens imbibe the virtues of Jesus Christ and place national interest above selfish, personal and group interests.

President Buhari

Buhari in his Easter message said the country stood a better chance of achieving a peaceful, united, strong, progressive and prosperous nation if only Nigerians could eschew all divisive, parochial, ethnic and religious sentiments and rivalries, and begin to live more harmoniously with each other like Jesus Christ.

The President, in the message which he personally signed said:”The Gospels also tell us that during his earthly ministry, Jesus Christ repeatedly urged his disciples and followers to ‘love one another as I have loved you’.

“As we celebrate Easter this year, I sincerely believe that it will serve our dear nation very well if we all imbibe this essential message of Jesus Christ and truly learn to love our countrymen and women as we love ourselves.

“Our unfortunate notoriety in recent years as a country where the blood of men, women and children are wantonly and callously shed in frequent orgies of criminal, political, ethnic and religious violence has become very embarrassing and utterly unacceptable.”

He pledged the determination of his administration to “achieve greater peace and security across our nation by ending the avoidable conflicts and crises that hinder our national progress.”

But he asked for ” greater support from all Nigerians in this regard,” saying we must put a stop to politically motivated killings.

“Our communities must be made safe again for all inhabitants to live together in peace and harmony,” he said.

Easter Message: Change will come - Buhari tells Nigerians

The Heroes and Heroines in Nigeria

By Ehi Ekhator

Many Nigerians think less of themselves. Their understanding about living in Nigeria is to survive, but the question is, what does a hero do?

When you look at the mirror, look at your reflection, dress out and look around you, you will realize that no one is a better hero than you.

Taxi Driver, Imeh Usuah who returned N18m forgotten in his car

What most Nigerians survived with, laugh with, ignore or even live with are things that make people take their own lives in other countries.

Notwithstanding the tribulations, the agony, the resentment, bundle of disillusionment from our pretend on-screen characters that they have succeeded in entrusting their common wealth to, they have the fearlessness to believe the following one that comes, in the trust that things might show signs of improvement, or rather, this time might be distinctive.

Survivors in Nigeria are enterprising, innovative, insane minded and wild thinking people God made on earth. The general population aren’t simply solid, however they live and survive in a nation such as Nigeria where a typical man ought to call “The Hell’s Kingdom”.

Being a Nigerian send chills to other nations not only because they have a wrong impression about the, but because they are survivors.

Nigeria is a rich country as blessed by God, a country of many talents which have been hijacked by the few opportunists forcing the victims to involve in repulsive things to survive, yet they still find people who returns lost phones, millions or even run to give a helping hands when one is in need.

What makes you a hero? Is it by dressing in costume and saving lives on the street? Is it by making sure by all necessary means you put food on the table of your family?

Many people give up, they question their lives, everything they believe in has been taken away from them but usually for a Nigerian, challenges, frustration, failure are parts of life.

Nigerians home and abroad, particularly the ones at home who live in a country without power, no road, no good education, no better health care, no clean water and no hope, are all heroes and heroines. These people should be story tellers giving motivational discourse in different countries on what it takes to live.

In a country where gun can be found in the hands of a 11yrs old child, where axe are no longer a dangerous weapon, yet people go to work and return home. These people should smile as they are nothing but heroes.

In a country where salaries are not paid for months, pensioners slump and die on the queue during screening after years of gratuities withheld, where kidnappers demand for millions of ransom with the police looking so helpless and no comment from the government, yet the people smile to work the next day with smiles on their faces, glass of wine in their hands, and still dance to skelewu.

For anyone who can survive Nigeria survives everywhere. The main reason Nigerians in Diaspora prosper can be attributed to the hardship they have lived with and survived in their homeland.

Nigerians aren’t just common, they are people with claws, thickness to withstand cold and rain, heart to take heavy punch of disappointment, and plenty of hopes to hold on to after daily tears born out of emptiness.

In the event that you survived, in spite of the hardship and frailty, without harming anybody, you are a Nigerian legend and a leader that the country wants, and it ought to be composed all over you. You are an uncommon pearl and ought to never settle for less

Be rest assured that it is not getting better anytime soon, know that the hawks are not ready to leave even the smallest piece of flesh for you and your family, but you will survive because you always do, plus for the fact that you are a hero.

Though many people call the dead heroes, but Nigerian heroes are the living ones, those living with the rots, the pains and anguish on a daily basis, those that the hospital refused to attend to because they have no penny to pay medical bills, those that spend 6 years to study a course of 4 years due to teachers strike, those who regained freedom from the kidnappers den, those who weep in silence that nobody knows about.

Welcome to Nigeria where almost everyone is a hero.

 

The Heroes and Heroines in Nigeria

Forex Scarcity: Nigerians Call For Use Of Locally Made Goods

IN the face of the scarcity, rising and fluctuating forex rate which is hurting Nigeria’s economy, Nigerians have yesterday expressed optimism of the Naira regaining its strength, while urging government to quickly diversify the economy and unveil its economic agenda.

Speaking to The Guardian on the forex crisis, an economist and Acting Head Enugu-based economic institute, African Heritage,

Mr. Chiwuike Uba lamented that, over the years, no real investment was made to diversify the economy by improving the business environment, and that while investments in social sectors kept declining, security votes were increasing.

He said: “The best approach to work ourselves out from the present situation is to quickly diversify our economy from oil. Government needs to put in place concrete strategies to industrialise the country.”

“Agriculture and solid minerals should be made one of the major exports of the country. In order to develop the solid minerals sector, there is need to remove it from the exclusive list. Agriculture must be treated as a business as well as a right.”

 “To achieve these, government must develop a clear, implementable and sustainable agenda, which ultimately will revolve around a development plan that will deal with the issues around our major development challenges. The development agenda must be shared and well communicated to Nigerians.”

“For transparency purposes, our annual budget must show in clear terms and figures what the annual “subsidies” by way of “waivers” are. Subsidies and waivers are monies that would have accrued to the government if not given as subsidies and waivers.”

On the call for Naira devaluation, the economist said it is important to state that Naira has not been devalued, hence the question of further devaluation does not arise.

“What has happened so far is the depreciation of the Naira. Many people have argued either in favour or against Naira devaluation. However, I do not subscribe to the devaluation of the Naira; rather, I would recommend independent floating of the Naira. The CBN is currently using the managed float exchange rate management system.”

“The question that arises is: what factors determine the managed float rate? My best bet is to encourage market forces (demand and supply) to determine the exchange rate at any given time. This is important given our depleted foreign reserve and declining oil price. Who knows, using the concept “independent float” instead of ‘devaluation’ may be better as it saves us the negative perception attached to currency devaluation.”

Forex Scarcity: Nigerians Call For Use Of Locally Made Goods

Nigerian jailed for human trafficking

A mental health nurse has been struck off for smuggling a Nigerian woman into Britain to work as a sex slave under the threat of a black magic curse.

human trafficker

Florence Obadiaru, 50, and two other traffickers from an international prostitution ring forced their 23-year-old victim to fly into Heathrow with a bogus passport in September 2011, a tribunal heard.

Before leaving Nigeria the victim was raped and subjected to a ‘juju’ death ritual where gang members told her if she did not pay them £40,000 she would die.

She was promised a job in the UK so she could repay the debt, but when she arrived she was kept at Obadiaru’s house, sexually assaulted and told she was destined to work as a sex slave in Italy.

The ‘horrific’ plan was only thwarted when Italian authorities spotted the victim’s forged ID and sent her back to the UK.

Obadiaru was jailed for two years in July 2014 after being convicted of trafficking the woman into the UK for sexual exploitation and arranging for her transfer to Italy.

She has now been struck-off the nursing register after a Nursing and Midwifery Council disciplinary hearing.

Chairman of the panel Robert Barnwell said: “You have been convicted of conspiracy to commit a deplorable and horrific crime in which a young woman was trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation, and your conviction goes to the very core of the principles involved in nursing care.

“The public interest element in this case is high, and it is important to mark this case and send a clear message that a conviction of such a crime is unacceptable.”

He added: “You are a mental health nurse who treats vulnerable individuals, however you failed to help a vulnerable woman who desperately required rescuing.”

Obadiaru, of Brockley, south-east London, had worked as a carer for 10 years and had just finished her degree in nursing at Bedford University in Luton.

Her fellow gang members Olusoji Oluwafemi and Johnson Olayinka were jailed for six-and-a-half years and four-and-a-half years respectively in July 2014.

Oluwafemi orchestrated the British side of the human trafficking operation and ‘dogsbody’ Olayinka collected the victim from Heathrow and helped to acquire her false passport.

Jailing the trio, Judge Rebecca Poulet QC had said: ‘This was a sophisticated and carefully planned operation in Nigeria which must have cost considerable amount of money to the traffickers.

“The expected returns were also considerable.

“She was subjected to a juju ritual with the threat of death.

“She would have been forced into controlled prostitution as she had no possible way in which she could conceivably support herself in Italy.”

The judge added: “While I doubt this was the first trafficking you were involved in, I do sentence you on the basis that this involved just the one victim.”

The woman is just one of many victims of an organised crime group based in Africa which traffics young women through England to work as prostitutes in mainland Europe.

Nigerian jailed for human trafficking

Governors live like emperors while demanding sacrifice from citizens - Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday accused some state governors in the country of living like emperors while demanding sacrifice from the citizens for Nigeria to survive the prevailing hard times.

Jonathan, Obasanjo, Babangida, Buhari

Obasanjo spoke at the inaugural conference of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Ibadan, where he was the chairman on the occasion.

The two-day conference has as theme, ‘‘Getting government to work for development and democracy in Nigeria: Agenda for change’’.

The Chairman, Board of Governors of the ISGPP, who is a former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and a professor of international history and politics, John Evans, also delivered addresses among other speakers.

Obasanjo said when he became President in 1999, he recognised corruption as a major impediment to the development of the Nigerian state.

This, he added, informed his decision to set up the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission to fight the bane.

He, however, said after he left, corruption returned to Nigeria with a vengeance, draining billions of dollars from the nation’s economy that could hardly afford to lose even a million dollars.

He said while Nigerian leaders demanded sacrifice from the citizens, they lived in opulence.

Obasanjo added, “Leaders, who call for sacrifice from the citizenry, cannot be living in obscene opulence. We must address these foundational issues to make the economy work, to strengthen our institutions, build public confidence in government and deal with our peace and security challenges.

“We must address the issue of employment for our teeming population particularly for our youths. Leadership must mentor the young and provide them with hope about their future as part of a process of inter-generational conversation.

“Nigeria is a country where some governors have become sole administrators, acting like emperors. These governors have rendered public institutions irrelevant and useless.

“Is there development work going on in the 774 constitutionally-recognised local government councils, which have been merely appropriated as private estates of some governors?

“Some governors have hijacked the resources of the local governments and this has crippled the development of the local government councils in the country. The National Assembly must also open its budgets to public scrutiny.”

Obasanjo accused the local government chairmen of embezzling the remaining council funds after the governors would have diverted a sizable portion of the funds.

He stated, “Of course, when governors take their money, the chairmen of the councils take the balance of the money, put it on the table and share it out among council members. In some local governments, have the governors not hijacked most of the resources in them and expended them to serve their whims and caprices instead of using the resources to galvanize growth and development?

“Have we embraced the principles and values of the presidential system of government such as to enable us to realise our vision of a great country?

“When are we going to be able to practise federalism in a way that promotes healthy competition among the states for the benefit of the citizens? When are we going to subordinate partisanship to collective goals and deploy the full potential of our diversity in advancing public causes that serve the aspirations of the teeming masses of our people crying under the cringe of poverty, disease, unemployment and neglect? When shall we all unite around the Nigeria dreaming our quest to be the giant, which God has graciously endowed us to be?

“Why is it that every model that has worked elsewhere never seems to work sustainably in Nigeria? I can go on and on.”

The former President said the drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market had exposed the weakness of governance in Nigeria, while also noting that Nigeria was racing towards becoming a nation of debt with its attendant burden on the citizens.

Obasanjo stated, “The Minister of Finance recently announced that the 2016 budget deficit might be increased from the current N2.2tn in the draft document before the National Assembly, to N3tn due to the decline in the price of crude oil.

“If the current fiscal challenge is not creatively addressed, Nigeria may be on its way to another episode of debt overhang which may not be good for the country.

“It will be recalled that a few years ago, we rescued Nigeria from its creditors with the deal in which the Paris Club of sovereign creditors wrote off $18bn of debt, Africa’s largest debt cancellation. Nigeria then used windfall earnings from oil export to pay off another $12bn in debts and arrears.”

On the establishment of ISGPP in Ibadan, Obasanjo said there was clearly a need for schools of its kind that would use research and teaching to implement policies and making the government work well in Africa.

“I hope it will generate ideas that will lead us from thinking to doing. It must not only generate ideas, it must foster a willingness to use those ideas within government and non-government sectors,” he added.

Governors live like emperors while demanding sacrifice from citizens - Obasanjo

Cash crunch: Nigerians to pay more tax

Against the backdrop of the economic crisis plaguing Nigeria amid falling global oil prices, the Federal Government is considering changes to the nation’s tax regime in a bid to shore up dwindling revenue.

President Buhari

There are indications that the government will increase Value Added Tax, as recently suggested by the International Monetary Fund, whose Managing Director, Ms. Christine Lagarde, visited the country early this month.

Economic and financial experts have, however, said the move to increase VAT would put further pressure on Nigerians, as it would cause increase in the prices of goods and services, among other implications.

VAT is a consumption tax payable on the goods and service consumed by any person, whether government agencies, business organisations or individuals. It is currently levied at the rate of five per cent in the country.

The sharp drop in crude oil revenues, which provide 95 per cent of the country’s foreign earnings, has led to significant depletion of the nation’s foreign reserves.

Oil prices have fallen in the last few days to their lowest levels since 2003, trading about $10 lower than the oil price benchmark of $38 proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari for this year’s budget. Oil prices staged a rebound on Friday, trading around $32 per barrel on Saturday.

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has said the Federal Government plans to borrow up to $5bn from multiple sources, including the Eurobond market, to plug its budget deficit.

Buhari had in December presented a total budget size of N6.08tn, with a deficit of N2.22tn to be financed by both domestic and foreign borrowings of N1.84tn.

He put the revenue projection for the year at N3.86tn, adding that over the medium-term, the government expected to increase revenues and reduce overheads, to bring the fiscal deficit down to 1.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product by 2018.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who said changes to taxation were being considered, told CNBC in a television interview, “We are looking at increasing our tax coverage.

He added, “VAT, for instance — we have been doing just about 20 per cent coverage. We think that just by increasing coverage, we could do much more, and so we could earn more in terms of local resources,” he said.

Increasing VAT from 5 per cent, among the world’s lowest VAT rates, and broadening the tax base were among suggestions put forward by the IMF boss during her visit.

During her visit, Lagarde also said the IMF did not support foreign exchange restrictions.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, whose monetary policy committee will meet on Monday and Tuesday, imposed forex restrictions last year aimed at conserving foreign exchange reserves and there have been calls from investors for these to be eased.

“We know that the central bank will just have to do the right thing at this time. The central bank has told us, and it was announced even in the president’s budget speech, that they intend to take a flexible approach and deploy whatever tools are necessary to ensure that we stay competitive,” Osinbajo had said.

A Professor of Financial Economics at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Leo Ukpong, described the move to increase taxes as ill-timed, saying any increase in VAT would lead to declines in consumption and investment in the country.

He said, “It is not that it is bad to increase taxes; what is bad is increasing it at the wrong time. When the economy is going through recession; when we are not producing; when unemployment is high, that is not the time to raise any tax. In fact, the opposite is the case: it is a time you cut taxes so that you can stimulate consumption and investment.

“Increase in VAT is going to destroy the economy more. Consumption of goods and services will drop because you’re taking money away from people, and investment will drop. Overall, it is going to have negative effects on the economy, households and businesses.”

The Head, Investment Research, Afrinvest West Africa Limited, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo, said the government should explore all avenues to ensure compliance as well as improve on its collection mechanism before considering increase in tax rates.

He said, “Raising VAT will lead to increase in the price of goods and services; cost of production will go up as well as cost of goods. It is going to be telling on Nigerians in the interim. However, if this fund is channelled to proper use, the multiplier effects will cushion the impact of VAT on Nigerians

“If we are able to get good roads, rail and power supply, these are some of the things that form the larger part of the cost of production — it is going to be a short-term pain to get a long-term gain.”

Professor Sheriffdeen Tella of the Department of Economics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, said the government might want to consider increasing taxes in some areas and expand the tax net in some other areas to capture more people and organisations.

He said, “There are a lot of people and organisations that are not paying tax, particularly in the informal sector. The government has to work out a way to capture the informal sector taxes.

“It is not as if they want to impose taxes generally. Let us look at VAT, for example; there are some assets that can be regarded as luxury items. They can increase the tax regime on those assets. People hardly pay tax on wealth in this country. They need to capture those people (the wealthy).”

According to Tella, government needs to raise funds to be able to execute projects and tax is a major thing in increasing internal revenue.

“I think it is not tax changes that will further affect the common man. They can also reduce the tax paid by some levels of income-earners,” he added.

A Partner and Head, Tax Regulatory and People Services, KPMG Nigeria, Mr. Victor Onyenkpa, said, “Given that oil is what it is today, tax is crucial in raising money, and the one that they have talked about is VAT, especially so that they want to increase the rate. The problem is that VAT, as we operate it in Nigeria, is a sale tax.

“Increasing VAT, to my mind, is fine, to the extent that it is together with making companies have recoverable input VAT.”

According to Lagarde, the new reality of low oil prices and low oil revenues means that the fiscal challenge facing government is no longer about how to divide the proceeds of Nigeria’s oil wealth, but what needs to be done so that Nigeria can deliver to its people the public services they deserve.

She said, “This means that hard decisions will need to be taken on revenue, expenditure, debt, and investment going forward. My policy refrain is this: Act with resolve — by stepping up revenue mobilisation.”

Cash crunch: Nigerians to pay more tax

Fayose dares Lai Mohammed to list 55 Nigerians that stole N1.34trn

GOVERNOR Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has challenged the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to make public names of the 15 former governors and 55 Nigerians that he claimed stole N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013.

Fayose vows to lead opposition against APC

Fayose said, “The reality is that the All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government has destroyed the economy within eight months in power and rather than look for solutions to the problems facing Nigeria, Lai Mohammed and his cohorts are branding bogus figures about stolen money just to cover up their lack of solution to the country’s economic problems.”

Recall that Lai Mohammed had disclosed that former governors, ministers, businessmen, public servants and bankers stole approximately N1.34 trillion between 2006 and 2013 in the country.

The governor, who also described as disgraceful, bringing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh to court in handcuff, argued that “even the masterminds of Madala and Nyanya bomb blasts, Kabiru Sokoto and Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche were not handcuffed when they were arraigned in court.”

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said it was funny that close to one year after it won the presidential election, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government was still operating as if it was campaigning for votes.

The governor argued that “they are turning governance to Nollywood, such that when one movie is about to end, they release another one. As it appears that the $2.1 billion arms deal movie is getting to an end, Lai Mohammed introduced another movie titled; N1.34 trillion loot.

“Unfortunately for them this time around, Nigerians have become tired of watching the Federal Government movies, they now want reality. Nigerians are now aware of the scam in the $2.1 billion arms deal movie, having seen that the amount those already charged to court were charged with is not more than N10 billion and $2.1 billion is over N600 billion.

“Therefore, Lai Mohammed must either tell Nigerians details of the 15 former governors and 55 people that he claimed stole N1.34 trillion, where the stolen money is kept and bring back the money or apologise to Nigerians for lying.”

While describing the persistent claim by the Federal Government that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) destroyed Nigeria for 16 years as hypocritical, Governor Fayose said Nigerians must begin to ask which party majority of those presently ruling the country under the APC government were between 1999 and 2014.

“Majority of those who ran the Federal Government between 1999 and 2003 under the PDP are in the APC government today. President, vice president, ministers, governors, senators and House of Reps members who were part of the PDP government are now in APC. Yet, APC keeps telling Nigerians that PDP ruined the country. This hypocrisy must stop,” he said.

The governor, who insisted that due process of the law must be followed in fighting corruption, noted that disobedience to court orders itself is a criminal offence that is more grievous than corruption.

He said no amount of harassment and intimidation will silence opposition in the country, saying President Buhari and his men should rather get used to the reality that opposition must exist in a democracy.

Fayose dares Lai Mohammed to list 55 Nigerians that stole N1.34trn

FG warns foreign airlines over ill-treatment on Nigerians

The Federal Government on Monday warned international airlines to stop treating in-bound and out-bound Nigerian passengers with disdain.

It also announced that the international terminal of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport would be completed before the end of this year.

The Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said there would be dire consequences for airline operators who treat Nigerians shabbily, especially on international operations.

Sirika gave the warning when a delegation from the Emirates Group paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

A statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Affairs in the ministry quoted Sirika as telling his guests that the government would not condone the practice of subjecting Nigerians to all forms of suffering like making them to walk across long distances before boarding or using small aircraft that lack the capacity to carry the travellers along with their luggage to their destinations.

The warning was prompted by the recent action of Turkish Airlines, after it brought in passengers from Istanbul to Abuja on two occasions without their luggage.

Some of the angry passengers on one of the flights invaded the tarmac of the NAIA in protest against the airline, resulting into a serious security breach.

The statement noted that Sirika informed the visiting group that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority had been directed to invoke all relevant laws to protect the interest and rights of Nigerians and others from being flagrantly abused by airlines.

He, however, assured the operators of the Federal Government’s commitment to the complete overhaul and upgrading of the nation’s airport facilities to make the use of Nigeria’s airspace a delightful experience.

On the ongoing construction of the second terminal at the NAIA, the minister gave an assurance that the facility would be ready before the end of the year, stating that its completion would improve the comfort and convenience of both the airline operators and the flying public.

The Vice President, Aeropolitical and Industry Affairs, Emirate Group, Mr. David Broz, pledged the group’s commitment to serve Nigeria better, describing the country as the airline’s second biggest market in Africa.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Air Transport Employees has threatened to ground the operations of Aero Contractors Airline and prevent it from flying any of its aircraft out of the Lagos airport from today (Tuesday).

The Secretary General, NUATE, Mr. Olayinka Abioye, made the threat on Monday after leading a workers’ protest to the office of the airline in Lagos.

The protest was to register the workers’ displeasure over the airline management’s decision to sack some of its employees who are union leaders, describing the action as “insensitive and anti-labour.”

NUATE urged the management to re-instate the union leaders without delay, stating that it was firmly behind the sacked leaders and their co-workers.

It also urged the Federal Government to probe activities of the airline, alleging that the firm had mismanaged funds granted it by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria to reposition it.

However, the management of the airline has reported the association to the Ministry of Labour and Productivity Ministry, Aviation ministry, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the Department of State Services, asking them to look into the matter.

The Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive, Aero Contractors, Iyene Amapakabo, called on the authorities to check the unwholesome practice of the union because of its serious safety implications on the airline’s operations.

FG warns foreign airlines over ill-treatment on Nigerians

New Year message: I know Nigerians are in pains - Buhari

Says 2016 is year of change

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor & Joseph Erunke

ABUJA — Taking note of the hard times in the land, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said  becoming president had not removed him from the pains of the people, promising that 2016 would be the beginning of the change in the country.

General Buhari

While noting what he claimed as unforeseen circumstances and distractions since his inauguration, President Buhari reassured Nigerians that the difficulties were temporary, saying he was determined to fulfil the promises he made prior to the election.

In his 500-word New Year message, the president said he remained committed to his promises, saying he has in the last seven months laid the foundations for the change as promised.

He said: “Welcome to the beginning of a New Year of the continuation of change in our beloved nation. I am aware that Nigerians have experienced a number of significant hardships over the past months. Living in the State House has not alienated me from your daily sufferings. I am aware of the lengthy queues at fuel stations and of the difficulties businesses have faced in acquiring foreign exchange. These challenges are only temporary; we are working to make things better.

“When I presented myself to you as a presidential candidate and asked you to vote for me, I wanted to be a leader who keeps his promises.  I wanted to be a leader who restores the people’s hope in those elected to serve them. I wanted to be a leader who initiates positive and enduring change.

“I am still totally committed to being that kind of leader. Unforeseen circumstances and other distractions notwithstanding, I shall still do my utmost best to keep every promise I made to Nigerians during my election campaign.

“In the past seven months since our  inauguration on May 29, 2015, my administration has focused on laying the right foundation for the change you voted for during our historic presidential election.

“Nigerians will in due course begin to enjoy the fruits of all our ongoing work. The effective and efficient implementation of our 2016 budget proposals will address many of the socio-economic issues that are of current concern to our people.

War on terror

“One area in which Nigerians, especially those in the northeast, have already begun to experience major change is in the war on terror.

“I commend our Armed Forces for significantly  curtailing the insurgency which has ravaged the northeast of Nigeria over the past few years.

“However, there is still a lot of work to be done in the area of security.  Our Armed Forces  will maintain, consolidate and build on their successes in the war against Boko Haram and violent extremism.

“This government will not consider the matter concluded until the terrorists have been completely routed and normalcy restored to all parts of the country that have been adversely affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

On corruption

“Our crackdown on corruption will continue to be vigorously undertaken. I urge the courts to support our efforts and help in the recovery of stolen funds by speedily concluding trials and showing  that impunity no longer has a place in our country.

“There is much work to do in other areas as well and I have charged all my ministers and other  appointees to ensure that Nigerians experience positive changes in their lives in 2016.

“We must reduce our country’s reliance on oil. We must diversify our economy. And we must do all we can to promote job creation.

“Our challenges are many but our determination to succeed is strong and unshaken.

“So too is our confidence in God.”

New Year message: I know Nigerians are in pains - Buhari

How Nigerians can help Buhari to recover stolen funds - Femi Falana

Lagos lawyer, Mr Femi Falana, in this interview, speaks on the efforts to recover the nation’s funds looted under the previous administration, saying Nigerians must own the ongoing war against corruption to make it effective.

The war against corruption, can it be described as  cosmetic?

Femi Falana

The war against corruption that is on-going deserves the encouragement of Nigerians, particularly the victims of corruption – soldiers who were deprived of arms to fight Boko Haram, the people seeking medical attention and could not get, the unemployed masses. Nigerians should  own the war because if you simply leave it to government, of course, you cannot remove allegations of prosecutorial selectivity and the rest of them, but  Nigerians should insist that there has to be restitution from those who have stolen from our commonwealth, and reduce our people to a poverty stricken lot. Nigerians must be prepared to wage the war much more than the government.

What specifically are you asking of Nigerians?

When there was no EFCC and ICPC,  in the 1970s, official corruption was fought by the media.   It was a case of  ‘if you Tarka  me I will  Dabor you’.   It was a story of a very powerful minister under the Yakubu Gowon regime, the late  J.S. Tarka and a  business  man, Mr. Godwin Dabor, who went to a Lagos High Court to swear to an affidavit that the minister was corrupt and, from there, the press feasted on it and would not let go until Takar resigned from that government.

But the situation is totally different now.

And because the media is not doing the same thing it did then, it is also being accused of aiding the untoward act.

Now, religious leaders, traditional rulers, and other forces of influence in the country are being accused of corruption and, therefore, Nigerians must own the fight against corruption or we will not get anywhere.

The issue today is that if anybody is accused of corruption, you don’t just leave it to the  EFCC or the ICPC.   We must restore ethical values.   If a man has been found guilty of rigging an election, you do not celebrate him.   Even some of those whose elections have been nullified are still referred to as former governors, as if they were elected.   That is wrong.

I’m not blaming the press.   I belong to a profession that, perhaps, contributes more to the culture of impunity than the media.   All of us have to agree that we have a serious crisis, much more serious than terrorism, kidnapping which are sometimes manifestations of corruption.

This arms  scandal is spreading like wild fire and we have a President who goes out to tell the who world how corrupt we are…

Corruption in Nigeria is more than what  I can tell you. It has reached a dangerous level. In most parts of the world, it is narco-terrorists, drug barons that are associated with moving humongous sums of money round, but what we have in Nigeria is a situation where officials of a modern state, officials of government will invade the central bank of the nation, like armed robbers, and allegedly order that huge sums of money, on one occasion, $37million, in 11 Ghana-Must-Go bags, be taken out of the central bank or you order people to go to the central bank as if you’re operating an ATM machine, to move out huge sums.

We have never witnessed this primitive level of corruption.

But are we so sure of this?   Abacha was accused of same.

In that instance, again very interesting, it was the office of the National Security Adviser that was also used and at a go they didn’t go beyond $100million.   I have the records.

The Accountant General of the Federation reportedly claimed that they had only recovered $2billion from the Abacha loot.

But I have documented evidence that the money recovered from  Abacha  is about $4billion.

$4billion?

Yes, $4billion.

What are the details?

The Abdulsalami Abubakar junta  set up a panel of inquiry and the panel came up with a report that the late General Sani Abacha  stole about $5billion from the CBN, but identified about $1billion, largely removed in cash and that government recovered  and gazetted it. It is Decree 53 of 1999. President Obasanjo continued with the recovery effort.

In the second volume of his book, My Watch, Obasanjo stated, in black and white, that by the time he was leaving  office in May 2007, he had recovered $2billion, 100million pounds sterling and, N10billion.

Now, when the N446billion theft case was going to be withdrawn against Mr. Mohammed Abacha, the Federal Ministry of Justice  issued a statement to justify the withdrawal that this was meant to facilitate the repatriation of looted funds from abroad under the Jonathan administration and we were told that $930million had been recovered and that excluded the $458m that had been seized by the US government.

Even now, Madam Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, following  a  publication, had now said that in one fell swoop she released $322m to the then NSA and that $700m was expected for development.

When does  this  issue of collecting money from the CBN become an offence?   Is it when it is made public or when someone else takes over power and exposes them or when   court of law adjudicates?

Once those who collected  the money come out  to admit that they collected the money, then it can be used in evidence.

Most of what we are seeing now, we’ve seen before and we are not justifying it?   What raises your hope that this is real?

This one we are seeing now is extremely primitive.

The only hope is that on the part of the government, there appears to be a political will to fight corruption.

You cannot be certain?   You said Jonathan fought corruption.

Whether he meant it or not can be based on the forces against him.

The difference now is that you have a President who says ‘I will not cover up for anybody’, there is a difference between that and another who tries to rationalise the difference between corruption and stealing.   You allow people have a field day in terms of mismanaging the nation’s resources.   Or a President who says he was in Kenya for a week and a number of private jets accompanied him so much so that Kenyans were debating the level of prosperity of Nigerians. In that situation, you are likely going to have a problem with fighting corruption.

In 2008, the Yar’Adua regime simply tried to  decapitate the EFCC.

It was so bad that I know of a governor who was on trial who sent  an  aide to head a  division of the EFCC. It was that bad.

What about the Halliburton case?

Good.   An Attorney General once told the British  people that ‘you cannot cry more than the bereaved and that the so called money stolen is Nigeria’s money’.   And other countries simply said ‘these guys are not serious’.

What about the people involved in the Halliburton case?

The Halliburton case went to court.   A  former NBA  President prosecuted the matter and because the last administration did not mean to prosecute, after about a year, the court struck out the matter for want of diligent prosecution.

A  former American Vice President, Dick Cheney, who was head of Halliburton, was charged here but the case was never mentioned and  the case was struck out.

The US government made about $1.3billion from fines imposed on those who bribed the officials.   In Nigeria, I think we made just about $120million.

In the US, all the suspects were prosecuted but here, because there was no political will, the case was bungled.

Nigerians must insist.

Some  people don’t believe this government has the will to handle the Halliburton case because it is seen as untouchable.

The Halliburton case is bigger than this administration, I must tell you.

President Buhari went to the US and told Obama that over $150billion had been stolen from Nigeria and the country would need the help of Western countries to get the money back for development.   And the heads of those governments have said ‘we will collaborate’ and Halliburton case is one of the cases that have  to be re-opened.

Why is it beyond this government?

You are asking for assistance from foreign countries, all those cases in which they have prosecuted people in their countries and you say you will not re-open the cases here.

It is like asking for assistance from people in the recovery of your looted wealth while you are turning blind eyes to the same cases.

This country can make over $2billion from the Halliburton case and, apart from the fines, the banks involved can also be fined for warehousing looted funds or funds from bribery.

What is the role of  banks in all of this?

I have often challenged Transparency International and Western countries that accuse us of corruption because it takes two to tango.   If you make it impossible for the financial institutions to warehouse the funds from corrupt practices, it would not be this high because the monies will not leave the country, then you can domesticate it.

But where banks abroad – and in this instance – some of the funds removed from the CBN have been located in foreign banks and you must pursue them and charge them to court for violating money laundering laws in your countries and you cannot just say you are returning money that was warehoused in your bank and, therefore, we must clap for you.   What about the interests?   What about the costs and damages suffered in the process?

There has to be a dedicated account for all the funds that are recovered so that, at the end of the day, it will not be like the Abacha loot that has been re-looted.

What roles will the court play

There is no doubt that the courts are the theatre of this war.   No matter what EFCC and ICPC do, the courts must be prepared to change because a new attitude is needed.

Why do you say so?

Between 2003 and 2007, nobody standing trial for serious case of fraud  was granted bail. None.   Go and check.

Was it because the cases were not bailable cases or what?

No.   The courts looked at the gravity of the offences but with Ibori’s case, in December 2007, the policy changed and so, today, it has become automatic that people get bail easily.

For instance, since 1970, no armed robbery suspect has been admitted to bail in this country.   The same policy can be applied to terrorism cases because of the dangerous implications of such offences.

We must look at the effect of corruption on the society and have a new thinking.

The Supreme Court has given leadership on the cases of corruption.   There were cases attempting to nullify the laws setting up the ICPC and the EFCC, but the Supreme Court refused. But when you have High Courts now granting perpetual injunctions.

So what is the place of the NASS in terms of oversight function?

In all fairness, Senate President Bukola Saraki said something last week to the effect that if the NASS had carried out genuine oversight function, this scandal may have been avoided.   I agree with him.

Military/Shiite killings.

When the killings in France occurred, our President was one of those who condemned it.

I also expected this time around that our President would have condemned the mindless killings in Zaria.   It was uncalled for.

There must be a civilised way of controlling crowd since we are agreed that people have a right to protest; you must learn to respect that  right.

Unless  government comes out to insist that any member of the armed forces or security agencies that causes embarrassment to government or  violates peoples rights and the cases go to court and damages are awarded against  government, that the officers have to bear part of the responsibility, our armed forces will not respect anything.

In three cases, Odi, Zaki Biam and Gbaramatu, the Federal High Court  a warded damages of over N200b against the government.

They still have the colonial training as set up pre-independence. We still call ours our police force whereas other nations call theirs police service.

 This interview was first aired on Channels TV

How Nigerians can help Buhari to recover stolen funds - Femi Falana

Union condemns killing of Nigerian housewife in South Africa

Nigeria Union in South Africa has condemned the killing of a 34 year old housewife, Mrs Christiana Onyeka, by unknown gunmen on Dec. 3.

Onyeka, a mother of four and native of Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra, was killed in her husband`s office in Midrand, near Johannesburg.

Mr Ikechukwu Ayene, the President of the union, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Midrand, South Africa, on Saturday that it had reported the incident to the South African police and Nigerian mission.

“The unjust killing of Nigerians in South Africa is becoming alarming.

“We are worried that after reporting such killings to the police, we do not get the desired results. Most cases of Nigerian victims of murder are either abandoned or inconclusive,“ he said.

Anyene said that the situation had become so bad because more women were getting killed.

“ Nigerian communities in South Africa are devastated by this gruesome murder. Mrs Oyeka was a hard working housewife, dedicated to the success of her husband`s business and welfare of Nigerians in South Africa,“ he said.

Mrs Uzor Ekesi, the President, Nigerian Women Association, South Africa, decried the killing of Onyeka by unknown gunmen.

“ The killing came to us as a big shock. We are scared and confused because women are now being killed.

“ Nigerians, especially women, condemn this act and call for urgent action to stop further killings,“ she said.

She said that Onyeka was an active and dedicated member of the association.

A patron of the association, Mrs Grace Aniegboka said that Nigerian women had embarked on a seven day fasting and prayer session to seek divine intervention on the incident.

“ Our reaction has been that of shock and disbelief. We pray God not to allow this incident or killing of Nigerians happen again,“ she said.

Christiana`s husband, Chief Onyekachi Onyeka, also the President of Anambra State Associations in South Africa, said he was still in shock and could not speak

Union condemns killing of Nigerian housewife in South Africa

Nigerians are lamenting - Dele Momodu writes Buhari

Dele Momodu has written a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari asking him to as a matter of urgency fix Nigeria saying that Nigerians are lamenting that the change he promised is fast becoming a mirage and that Buhari’s style and methodology appear too slow.

Dele Momodu

He also went further to say that many mostly the oppotions want the government to fail saying that they were ‘skillfully setting the president up for failure in order to be able to taunt his supporters.’

Read the full memo bellow .

By Dele Momodu

Your Excellency, it’s been months since I wrote my desperate memo to you. I wish to thank you once more for reacting promptly and swiftly at that time and for giving me the honour and privilege of meeting you in your office. I remember presenting you a special compilation of my articles, especially the many admonitions to your immediate predecessor, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

After handing over the book to you, Sir, I promised to continue acting in my self-appointed capacity as Special Adviser because of the need to tell you what those very close to you might not be able to say. They might be afraid of you and your reaction.

The truth is you are a plain and simple man imbued with a mission and a passion to save this great country but you cannot do it on your own. You can only do it if people close to you, who should be advising you, tell you as it is so that you can do that which you were elected to do.

Sir, it is on the above basis that I’m back today for reasons some of which you probably know already from your own personal observations and readings. But before I go further, kindly permit me to set some records straight before some conspiracy specialists step forward to ascribe other people’s opinion to me. I shall clearly expose my personal views and state where I belong or stand for any avoidance of doubt. Everywhere I go people refer to me as Buhari’s man and ask “what’s your Baba doing ooo?”. I seriously have no problem with that. I’m proud that I joined so many other Nigerians as well as foreign friends in supporting a man of impeccable pedigree and solid integrity. No matter your view of President Muhammadu Buhari, one thing his bitterest enemies give to him is the fact that he is way above the level of most mortals in matters of uprightness.

This is why many of us volunteered to scream your name to high heavens and we were ready to follow you to Golgotha. Many of your opponents have not gotten over the thrashing you gave them and would forever seek everything and anything to smear you with. It is therefore not surprising that there has been so much noise about what you’ve done or left undone. Whether they are right or wrong in their assessment, I feel it is right and proper to let you know what people are saying about you including your most ardent fans and supporters. Sir, please, let’s not dismiss them as mere rabble-rousers. A groundswell of public opinion can easily metamorphose into an ocean of disenchantment and cataclysmic confusion. In short, I believe your enemies are skilfully setting you up for failure in order to be able to taunt your supporters later by saying we “we told you so!” In this regard it is pertinent to always bear in mind the Yoruba saying ‘ehin kunle l’ota wa, ile ni a se ni ngbe’! Loosely translated it means “the enemy lurk outside in the backyard but your foe resides inside your house.”

What is the matter this time? Many Nigerians are lamenting that the change you promised them is fast becoming a mirage. It is certainly not what they are seeing right now. They insist that your style and methodology appear too slow for a nation in dire straits and in need of urgent and miraculous deliverance. They are not happy that you are no longer the prudent man they used to know. They think you’ve already capitulated by frolicking with members of the bourgeois class and junketing around the world while Nigeria burns like Dante’s inferno. They are miffed that you are still keeping the Presidential fleet when you are supposed to have sold most of them off, if not all. They are worried that the mandate of four years they gave you is being unwittingly frittered away and before you know it all the goodwill you garnered would have evaporated and vamoosed. Time, they say, waits for no man!

The economy and the free fall of the Naira have become worrisome. There are all manner of rumours that may make matters worse, if true, about the current state and status of our banks. Though the Central Bank of Nigeria has come out forcefully to dispel the dangerous rumours, they want you to unleash your economic master-plan as soon as possible, so that what was once a baseless rumour does not somehow become harsh reality. They are expecting a blue-print that would guarantee a farewell to poverty. On this I agree with the opinion that something drastic has to be conjured up to arrest this drift to perdition. Nothing amplifies this monumental tragedy than the debit card fiasco which stipulates that Nigerians cannot live in a civilised world by walking into any international hotel or shop of their choice and paying with their cards. This is terribly depressing.

What this means in plain terms is that Nigerians must patronise the black market and run the risk of carrying cash recklessly whenever they travel abroad. It makes a mockery of the cashless society that the CBN has fought so hard to put in place and jeopardises your fight against corruption because government officials who travel abroad must of necessity carry large sums of cash if they are not to be embarrassed or even disgraced. Sir, the most important thing is that this is not healthy at all. The last thing your Government should be telling the world is that we are so broke that we are on our knees. The world laughs at us and treats us with derision because we have resources other than crude oil which should make us one of the richest in the world if we properly harness them. We must stop giving the impression that we are so impoverished when it is leadership, brigandage and a lack of focus that has failed us.

The other matter that continues to embarrass Nigerians is the issue of Boko Haram. The matter is made worse by the fact that you are a retired army General who should know and have what it takes to drastically reduce if not exterminate the cankerworm. But rather the menace has exacerbated. It has snowballed into a seemingly unquenchable conflagration. I had argued repeatedly that the military alone cannot achieve this result. Intelligence seems to be the key word here. Also identifying and locating some of the cells and prominent sympathisers is crucial. Those who arrogantly and naively say that no form of negotiation should take place are very far from the theatre of war. They have probably not heard of a group called IRA, the Irish Republican Army, that terrorised Great Britain for God knows how many years. I and my directors at Ovation International were lucky to escape a massive explosion that shattered the peace and tranquillity of London Docklands when a bomb went off inside the South Quay light rail station which was next to our office at Beaufort Court. The battle of wits and the war of attrition had to be fought using the carrot and the stick approach. It was the carrot approach that eventually succeeded and the United Kingdom has now been rid of that hitherto interminable scourge for many years!

The Boko Haram issue has defied every effort made so far and it is time to expand the options for the sake of our fellow citizens in the heart of this conundrum. When over 200 girls vanished into thin air, we were so sure they would return very soon but that has remained an illusion. This should tell us that this issue is not a joke and that we need to keep all windows open. Sir, Nigerians want to see government show a different approach and better compassion than what we had in the past. They are waiting to see how you will do this with minimum collateral damage.

Sir, you have a herculean task ahead but it is not a mission impossible. Other nations are experiencing almost similar challenges and they are forging ahead. The first indicator to exhibit our seriousness is when we stop the business as usual syndrome and tighten the belts of government officials and politicians. If the idea is to continue along the path of profligacy then Nigeria is contagiously jinxed. The Republic of Tanzania has already taken the lead. I will publish a report that has already gone viral below this letter as a veritable example of what is possible.

I wish you well as always Sir.

Nigerians are lamenting - Dele Momodu writes Buhari