INTERVIEW: “stop Blaming Awolowo For Starving The Igbos” – Obasanjo

An Exclusive Interview With Obasanjo

INTERVIEW BASIL CHIJI OKAFOR

• Without Employment Opportunities, Youth Revolution Imminent

• What Do You Expect When You Extol A Thief In Your Community?

• Blame The Commanders, Not Awolowo For Civil War Killings, Starvation

• I Didn’t Know Yar’Adua Would Die…

President Olusegun Obasanjo
A sprawling view of Abeokuta lay prostrate from his hilltop mansion, a metaphor for the clout of its owner, a man whose sheer strength of character held an impossible Nigeria in the palm of his hand for eight long years. It is not for nothing that he is called Baba, yet another aphorism for some sort of a hard-to-get-to-know paterfamilias, whose offspring would usually approach with great trepidation, not knowing exactly what to expect.
Long after he had left office, as President of the Federal Republic, General Olusegun Obasanjo’s home is still like a pilgrimage ground, with hordes of visitors, trooping in and out, to hold court for one reason, or the other — Baba’s opinion, influence and wise counsel, still count. The man is, indeed, an enigma. Playful, as a kitten, wise, as an oracle, hard, as a tornado-nail, and wily, as a fox, you have to watch your step — every step of the way — with the general.

When our team of reporter and camera crew stepped into his living room to keep the interview appointment, his face was buried deep in a game of ‘ayo’; he was busy enjoying with a friend, a local, surrounded by visitors, and more visitors, some waiting in an ante-chamber. Without raising his face from the game, and waving his left arm, almost hostilely, his well-known gravel-voice barked out, with all the force of a subaltern marshalling a phalanx of his men into action, as we moved our gear into place: “Where d’you want to set up?”

Yet, the next moment, as he broached questions, he stuck out his hand at some point, to “take five” with the reporter, when he seemed ‘into the session’. He had been asked about the future of the youth of this country, his pet subject. He had also been referred to the rumour from some quarters, that he is a hater of the Igbo.

Well, if, actually, he hates the Igbo, how come his government appointed the most number of Igbo to so-called powerful positions, perhaps more than any other government, since independence? How come his Chief-of-Staff — a young man he has described as “my beloved son, in whom I’m well pleased” — was Igbo?

His face lit up, as he took those questions on the youth, particularly on his closest aide whilst in office, Dr. Andy Uba: “Andy was the first man that saw me in the morning, when I woke up and the last man that saw me at night, before I went to bed…”

Of course, intermittently, flashes of his legendary disdain for the Press came forth through the phrase, “You press people”. No matter. As he took his seat before the camera, on a sculpted perch before his beloved ‘ayo’ board, we were as determined, as General Obasanjo remained his combative, old self. Out-to-see!

YOUR Excellency, recently, the media quoted you to have warned the government against an imminent youth revolution. You were also quoted to have described some of those young people as ‘Area Boys, Yahoo-Yahoo Boys, and ‘Blackberry Boys.’ How do you project the future of this country vis-à-vis this teeming young population that you so described?

Let me first of all put that statement in the context, which I made it. I was in Senegal at the invitation of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the issue for discussion was Youth and Employment.

The Chief of Staff of the President of Senegal, who represented the president, gave stunning statistics. One of the statistics he gave was that 65 per cent of our populations in Africa, on the average, are under 25 years of age and well over 60 per cent of them that are old enough to have jobs, have no jobs. Now, my reaction to that is that we are all sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

If you are a young man, or young woman, between say, 18 to 30 years, you think that the entire world is in front of you, that you can achieve anything you want to achieve. And, what do you do? You struggle; you are young. Your parents sent you to primary school; by the time you leave primary school and go to secondary school, you start having the feeling that things are looking bright.

Then, you go to university and you come out and you look and it becomes a vapour — that hope, that expectation just flies away in front of you; no hope for a job. Then, of course, you become an educated, jobless person. I believe there is no greater frustration than that. And when that frustration turns to desperation, there is danger. So, that’s why I said we are all sitting on a keg of gunpowder.

It is not only in Nigeria, it is all Africa. You can even take it as a global thing because Spain has about 50 per cent (youth unemployment rate) and they’re a little bit better.

And as I said in that conference, I don’t know whether to say we’re in good company, or in bad company, if Spain is like that. But Spain is a different issue because it is a member of the European Union. Spain has an organisation that can write a cheque for her and bail her out and do things that would help her situation. We don’t have anybody that can write a cheque for us.

I then went on to say that if this is a global problem and we are the worst hit, our youth are the greatest victims, we must be seen to be doing something about it. And what should we do? I believe we must find a global solution. I prescribed that now that the international community, the UN, is working on a replacement for the MDGs, the Millennium Development Goals — because the MDGs would come to an end in 2015 and they’re wondering what to replace it with — and I said, whatever it is they come up with that would replace the MDGs must come up with one important element of it as youth employment. That must be the global approach.

And I said, there must also be the regional solution. The AU, African Union, has something that we — myself, President Thabo Mbeki and President (Abdelaziz) Bouteflika (of Algeria), when we were in government — initiated and worked on, which is called NEPAD (New Partnership for African Development).

I said the time has come when NEPAD must be reviewed, with the issue of youth employment made a major focus of the organisation. I also said that even ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), a sub-regional organisation, should do the same thing.

And at the national level, all our nations should have, in their economic development, this aspect of youth development, so that when you make your budget, whether it is medium-term budget, or annual budget, the content of your budget should be, when you spend this money, you earmark so much, either for agriculture, or for road, or for whatever, the question must be, what is its employment — particularly youth employment — content? You would build a road, yes, but what is its employment content?

I also went ahead to suggest that our states should do the same thing; the local governments should do the same thing. Even communities should be able to ask: what are we doing to ensure that our youth are gainfully employed?

The private sector, too, must be challenged. They should not just come up and say, yeah, we’re doing well. And this so-called growth — oh, we grow by seven per cent GDP — we have growth, yet we have more poor people, more jobless people. How can you talk of growth without job for people, with people getting poorer and poorer? Then, there must be something wrong with that type of indicator for measuring our economic development.

‘Killers Of Youth Corps Members Must Be Dealt With’

THE purpose of the National Youth Service Corps, as a means of engaging our youth, presently, appears completely defeated; and it turns out that young people, after graduating from higher institutions, simply drift around for one precious and critical year of their lives, out of school. Should the NYSC scheme remain, or be scrapped, as many have voiced out?

The NYSC was not designed as a youth employment project. It was designed as a means of inculcating nationalism and patriotism into our youth, to render one year of service and thereby get to know their country. That was what the NYSC was designed for.

If you remember, when it was started, people objected to it and went on strike because at that point in time, things were still reasonably alright, from the youth employment point of view. In 1973, people went on strike and they didn’t like it. But today, some people go into the NYSC even two or three times. There is nothing else they can do even though they don’t get full salaries; they just get a token, but it is still better for them than just sitting down and doing nothing.

Yes, it was meant to give them that sense of being Nigerian. That was the idea. Initially, that objective was achieved. I remember, for instance, one of our traditional rulers whose daughter was getting married. He invited me and I sat with him and he complained: “You see, this NYSC thing that you people have created, my daughter is getting married to somebody across the Niger; what if there’s an emergency, how do I run across the Niger?” I said, “Don’t worry; you don’t have to run across the Niger. Nowadays, you don’t have to run at all. There is telephone; there is Internet; there is email and so on.”

To the extent that it was meant to bring about youth understanding of their country, youth love of their country, youth service for their country, nationalism, patriotism; I believe, at least initially, it achieved that. It also brought about this unity; people knowing themselves; inter-marriage and things like that.

Now, a number of things have crept in. They do community service, but that community service has not been organised the way it used to be and the way it was meant to be organised. In the last election, for instance, 13 Youth Corps members were killed. That doesn’t help the Youth Service scheme. We must all decry that; we must all condemn it. Now, those who killed them, what happened? What have we heard about them?

If I have a child that I have seen through school and into Youth Service and I say, Youth Corps is meant for you to serve and he or she agrees with me and the next thing you know, my child’s body is brought home to me in a bag, how am I supposed to feel about the Service as a means of ministering to the youth and to my children?

So, what is your position; do you want the Service scrapped?

I don’t think it should be scrapped; I think it should be reviewed. Where there are lapses, such shortcomings should be corrected. We should revisit the initial aims and objectives. Are those aims and objectives still relevant today? If they’re relevant, what has gone wrong in the operationalisation and what should we be doing?

It is something that is good for the country; I believe it is good for the country.

‘My Generation Laid Foundation Of Today’s Democratic Dispensation’

LOOKING at the situation on ground, it would seem that your generation accomplished quite a lot. But as the days went by, the situation kept getting worse, and the scale of achievement appearing to diminish by the day. What spurred your generation to its comparatively greater successes, as it were?

Now that you bring it to generation, I will speak generally about generation, but I do not believe that there is any generation that does not have heroic qualities in them. There is no generation that you would just write off. Of course, the situation in every generation varies.

For instance, I have said that whatever we may say about the generation before our own generation, it is the generation that gave us independence. Whatever you may say about them, they gave us independence and that you cannot deny. Well, they did not fight for it; it was given to them on a platter of gold. But whatever you may say, they gave us independence.

(Cuts in) Just like we cannot deny that General Obasanjo dismantled the power cartel that hitherto controlled Nigerian politics so viciously…?

(Smiles, ignores the interjection and continues) You also cannot deny — and I have said this — that my own generation fought for the unity of this country. Obasanjo just happened to be one of the feasible instruments, but my generation must claim credit for that. My generation can also be credited with laying the foundation of today’s democratic dispensation in Nigeria.

Now, about the opportunities the generation before us and our own generation have had, members of the present-day generation have asked me and I have said they equally have the opportunity to build on the foundation that my own generation and the others, have laid: how do you enhance democracy; how do you strengthen and deepen democracy?

That is the responsibility of the present generation and they can do it, and they must do it. How do they really make us have an economy? How do they make Nigeria one of the largest economies by the year 2020? That is their challenge and they must do it.

Then, you ask what the ingredients are that make for greater success in one generation? Well, not every member of a particular generation would be outstanding. You have some that would be drivers, while others would be passengers. You may even have some that constitute a setback. But they are all members of the same generation.

Having said that, there are certain qualities in individuals that, if developed, and if the environment and the community help, that individual would become a very important contributor in that generation.

What am I saying? First of all, there must be education. For instance, you are talking to me and we are communicating in the same language because you have education. If we were to go back to our respective mother-tongues, I won’t be able to understand what you’re saying. All I understand in Igbo is, “ogom”. And this is because when we were in Kaduna, whenever I went to my friend, Chukwuma Nzeogwu’s house, Mama (his mother), who never spoke a word of English, would hug me and say, “ogom”. I wouldn’t know what to answer and Chukwuma would just laugh at us and say, “Look at these two people.” (I also understand, “dianyi” and I also understand, “ka chi fonu”)

Now seriously speaking, education is foremost. Then, there are those other qualities such as integrity, honesty, courage, truthfulness, so that when you say something, people can rely on it. If it however turns out that the information you had when you said a particular thing wasn’t adequate, you go back and correct it and say, ‘look, in the light of new information I have, let me correct what I said earlier.’ These qualities must be developed.

Then, values! But what values do we stand for now? When I was growing up, when you saw a man in a new car, you prayed for him because the belief was that he had worked hard, and he had earned the car that he had acquired. You prayed for him and wished you would become like him some day.

But when I was in the Yola prison, each time we heard a siren blow past from behind our walls, all the prisoners would start cursing the man in the car, with the siren. So, one day, I called them and said, “look, what is all this?” They replied and said all those people were thieves. How did we degenerate to the point where we now believe that every car owner is a thief?

So, I told them that I bought my first car, brand-new, in 1961. I wasn’t a thief. I bought it with my money. In 1960, I went to the Congo (war, with the UN contingent) and I was getting UN allowance, Nigerian allowance and my salary was kept, intact. And I came back and bought a car. Was I a thief? They said, “Oh no, no, no; your time was different.”

I think we should backtrack and find out what we have done wrong. How did we lose those values that we cherished so much, those values of integrity and hard work? Now, when you continue to extol a thief in your community, what do you expect?

Whilst I was growing up, the children of those who were known to be of bad character in the village were ostracised, not just the man, but the entire family. But now, a thief, because he has money, would be the first you would want to give your daughter to. What sort of thing is that?

‘Secret Of My Staying Power Is Knowing Nigeria A Little Bit…’

YOU are a very strong personality and you simply held Nigeria in the palm of your hand…

(Cuts in, smiling) I don’t know about that…

How did you do it?

(Still smiling and general laughter) I didn’t hold… You see, that again… that’s not correct; I didn’t hold Nigeria in the palm of my hand…

(Cuts in) No leader has ever held Nigeria like that… a civilian government; what’s the secret?

(Continues smiling) Look, let me tell you; whatever you’re going to do, you must know it; you must understand it. I think without being immodest, I know Nigeria a little bit and that is very important. This country is a complex one and you must know that.

I was in Warri the other day and I was saying to them that when I was going to contest election in 1999, people, including a Bishop of the Anglican Church, were saying to me — and listen to this — that a Yoruba man had never held the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the Centre — and these were well-meaning people.

Now, I know that there is nothing in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, except the Prisons and Immigration. That is reality and the reality, for me, is that there is really nothing important in that ministry. But the perception is different and I must cater to that perception.

So, when we won the election, I said well, if there were some people who felt that there was a particular ministry that the Yoruba were excluded from, then let a Yoruba man go there. I decided that Chief S.M Afolabi (may his soul rest in peace) should go there. Of course, I knew S.M Afolabi; he was my senior in secondary school. So, I said, “Now you have a Yoruba man in the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” and they said: “Yes, yes, yes!” But what does it really come to?

In the same vein, we had an Igbo lady as Minister of Finance. We had an Igbo man (nice man) as Governor of the Central Bank. Yet, some people said the Igbo were still not pleased. Why? They said since the end of the Civil War, an Igbo man had never been Minister of Defence.

I then explained that the Minister of Defence is only an administrative head of the ministry. Those people that really matter are the Service Chiefs, who command their Services. They said nooo. So, I said, “Alright, don’t worry. If that is the perception, we can deal with it.” So, I brought Tom Ironsi, the son of my own oga (JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi) — I went to the Congo in 1960, under the command of General Ironsi. I satisfied the reality, and I also satisfied the perception.

It may not mean anything to other people, but you must know how you carry out the checks and balances. Then also, if things happen, who are the people you can reach? Who are the people you can call? Who are the people that can advice you, genuinely? You must have all of that. For a country like this, you must have that. It is this feeling of knowing what rope, what chain, to pull, that makes a difference.

‘Sani Proclaimed Sharia To Make Himself Untouchable’

THERE’S something intriguing about you, and thus, this question. There was the situation in Odi and you cracked down on that community. There was the killing of soldiers in Zaki-Biam and you dealt summarily with the situation. Yet, there was this Sharia declaration in the North, in Zamfara State, precisely, where people suddenly said they were a Sharia State…

(Cuts in) What’s the difference?

You should equally have cracked down on them because this was clearly a rebellion, a total violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Why didn’t you crack down on them?

(Pauses) You see, again, you must be very, very, sensitive. As the Commander-in-Chief, as the man who had responsibility for security in this country, what were my instruments for maintaining law and order and ensuring security? The Police; the Military.

Now, if my police can be sent anywhere and be treated with impunity and my soldiers can be sent anywhere and be treated with impunity, what right, as Commander-in-Chief, do I have to go out there and say, hey, you go there? That is very important.

Odi. We sent policemen; they were killed. We sent soldiers; they were killed. And I said to the governor, “Look, this cannot be allowed to go on. Please, just get me those that killed those policemen and soldiers. I am not going to kill them, but I will make examples of them, because my own policemen and soldiers must trust me, must have confidence in me. When I send them out, I must back them up.”

The governor said, “I don’t know who killed them.” And I said, “Eh-eh. Ok, if you don’t know who killed them, I will do my duty.” And so, I did my duty.

It’s the same thing with Zaki-Biam. That one was even worse. They killed the soldiers and decapitated them. And I said to the governor, “Please, what are you doing about this?” And he said, “It is beyond me; please, come and help me.” And I said, “Ok. Since you’ve called me to help you, I will help you.” And I did.

You see; Sharia is slightly different. The young man (Sani Ahmad), who went into Sharia, I know the circumstances that took him into Sharia. He was a governor and one of my own senior staff, who comes from that state (Zamfara), was really making life unbearable for him, according to him (Sani). And I tried to reconcile them, not once, not twice.

So, one day, the governor came to me and said, “This man is collecting invoices and receipts and is snooping about on me. I will make myself untouchable.” I said, “Eh-eh, make yourself untouchable?”

I didn’t know what he meant by that. So, what he did to make himself untouchable was to proclaim Sharia. And that was why I said at that time, that it was political Sharia.

So, it was more or less the particular governor’s personal survival kit?

Yes. And he was clever enough to go to all the clerics and got them. And I just looked at him and I said, ‘Look, this young man thinks I’m a fool. He wants to lure me into a killing ground. I won’t fall for that.’ And as I said, publicly, “if it is genuine Sharia, well, it will survive, but if it is not genuine, it will fizzle out.” And it fizzled out, without my raising a finger…

(Cuts in) Well, don’t you think that if you had interfered at that point in time, the Boko Haram insurgency, that is ravaging practically the entire North, would have been nipped in the bud?

No, the Sharia that came out at that time was a different issue, altogether… even the man, I told you his story. He came to my residence once — I had a young cousin living with me at the time — and they hugged themselves and I said, “Ah! Oga Governor, Sharia!” He just waved my reaction aside and hissed: “Didn’t you say it would fizzle out?” He wasn’t really into it, as I saw and read it and as it finally proved to be.

But even this Boko Haram (members) that said to me that, when I was in government, I was doing my own thing and they were doing their own thing, I asked them what was their own thing and they said, Sharia. I didn’t worry them and they didn’t worry me and that was true.

Look, I’ve had the experience of Sharia before, as military head-of-state. The Constitution was deadlocked. The Constituent Assembly was trying to ratify it, but it was deadlocked on Sharia. In fact, it nearly divided my own team — the Supreme Military Council — until one day, I wrote a speech and called all my members of the SMC and passed the speech to them. I asked if they endorsed it and they said, yes. And I said, “Oya,” and all of us, we went there. And that was what killed it because my own Supreme Military Council was being divided along lines of pro-Sharia and anti-Sharia and that was not good for me. So, we nipped it in the bud.

This second time, if I had rolled out tanks at Zamfara, I would have set the country on fire and I told him (Sani) so. I said to him, “Governor, you know what you’re doing” and he said, “But you’re there to handle it and you’ve handled it; so, what are you complaining about?” That was that.

THERE were stories of you gunning for a third term whilst in office. May we ask if you honestly support the idea of a strong leader, and for a third term, or longer period in office, for the sake of continuity that some people are talking about, in order to stabilise the country?

Even if you give Nigeria a fourth term, a person, an individual, is an individual. At some point in time, he would surely go away. What Nigeria needs is…

(Cuts in) Surely, an individual can make a difference…

Yes, an individual can make a difference. But if you have, in eight years, laid the foundation — which I did — and somebody comes to undo what you have left behind, such reversal could only be for a short while.

What happened? For instance, take the area of power, the area of transportation. We laid out all that had to be done so that you just keep going. Somebody came and he just halted it and we lost. Not only did we lose about three or four years, but we also lost money because those things would now have to cost two times what they would have cost.

You cannot build the fortunes of a country only on one individual, all the time. A leader comes and a leader matters. If that leader does not perform, it is either the people would do their thing, democratically and vote him out, or God does His own thing in a more dramatic way than democracy.

And that’s it. I personally believe that there is always the hand of God in the fortune, or misfortune of a nation, just as it is in the fortune, or misfortune, of an individual, or any human institution.

Let’s look at one recent misfortune that befell this country — the demise of former President Yar’Adua. People say you knew he was dying, and you merely handed over to him because it was your strategy for returning power to the South. Frankly, did you know he was dying?

I have said this before. When I was looking for a successor, for me, at that time, I believed that we hadn’t reached a stage where, after the completion of a full term, of a president, if he is from the South, he should be succeeded by another southerner, or if he is from the North, he should be succeeded by another northerner — I hope we get to that stage, some day. I believe, at this stage, we are still in transition. You may say it’s a long transition, but we’re still in transition. We have to create confidence and trust, first.

I believed that a northerner should be the one to succeed me. If it’s within my party, another thing that is important is that the primaries would be determined by which way the governors go. So, I took the governors and the leadership of the party along and we settled for that young man (Yar’Adua).

I knew that, that young man had been ill. He had kidney problem and was on dialysis. He told me himself that he had seized to be on dialysis; he told me that even before he was picked for the presidency. Then, I asked for his medical report, which he gave me.

I gave the report to a medical specialist who gave his verdict and said that if someone had been on dialysis and suddenly stopped, it would mean that you’ve had a kidney transplant, which succeeded. And if you’ve had a kidney transplant that succeeded, you’re as good as having not had any problems at all. So, on the basis of that, what do you say is my crime?

But the point is this — and I said that later — if you are given a job to do and you accept to do it and through no fault of yours, something crops up that makes you incapable of doing that job to the satisfaction of those who gave you the job and to your own satisfaction, the most honourable thing to do is to say, sorry.

We all have one ailment, or the other. I have mine, too, but I manage it. So, if, for instance, you give me anything to eat that is likely to jeopardise my health, I would reject it. So, what is your problem? For anybody to say I knew he would die — who knows who will die? Do you know when you will die?

People may say what they like but that doesn’t really bother me. What I do is to satisfy my God and my conscience.

‘1966 Coup Adversely Affected The Fortunes Of Nigeria’

NOW, another case for curiosity, General! During your young officer days, the one close friend you were known to have had was another strong character, in the person of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. What chemistry bonded you together?

I think we had the same aura. Chukwuma was a Nigerian, through and through and that’s what I said when I wrote the book on him. Some people started commenting and I even said he was naïve in the action he took. But one thing you could not accuse Chukwuma of was that he was not a Nigerian. No. He was a committed nationalist; he was a committed patriot.

Was that January 1966 coup a mistake?

I believe so; I believe so. But you see, I knew Chukwuma very well. I have said this before: if I had been in — and Chukwuma knew me, that I was strong enough to try and stop that coup — it probably would have been a different story.

I came in the night before the coup and Chukwuma had said to me that this was the greatest problem that faced him, whether to tell me about the action or not to tell me. And if he had told me about the coup, I probably would have said, ‘nonsense, you can’t do that.’

Now, if he had succeeded in convincing me and I said, ‘good idea, let’s carry on,’ it was already too late in the day because there would have been no role for me to play because they had worked out everything. So, they decided that they must keep the whole exercise away from me. Even when it happened, some of us said, “Look, what is this?” It set democracy back.

Do you believe that coup adversely affected the fortunes of this country?

Yes, it did. Let me take the military, for instance. We were very closely knit. I didn’t even know whether Chukwuma was Igbo, or not. We were in the Congo together, just like two brothers. But that coup did for us what was not necessary, at the time.

The military was already getting weakened, with its gradual politicisation, but the coup actually introduced a very wide gap. I think that it was after Murtala (Muhammed) and I came back that we actually started trying to bridge that gap. And even then, that gap wasn’t fully closed until I came back as an elected president and began to give some concessions to our brothers who fought on the other side.

Knowing Chukwuma very well, I knew he was a man of good intentions and all that, but I think the coup was a mistake, a genuine mistake. It wasn’t a mistake borne out of his personal aggrandisement, but one probably borne out of his understanding of nationalism and patriotism.

Was the rebellion that led to Biafra right?

Look, like I have said, there were actions and there were reactions. And in human interactions, reactions are normally stronger than actions. In the law of physics, action and reaction are equal and opposite but in human interactions, action and reaction are opposite, but they are not normally equal. It is either the reaction — if you have the opportunity — is stronger than the action, or action is stronger than reaction, if you are weak and feeble.

There were actions and reactions, but at the end of the day, we have to backtrack. We have said that the coup was a mistake of some naïve, may be, nationalistic officers. So, the other reaction must be taken from that context. As a result of that, there were reactions. Then, there were reactions, to reactions and more reactions to other reactions. I cannot really justify anything. All I would say is that we came out of it. The way we came out of it, we thank God for it.

Nigeria could have been divided by that and I remember that in 1999, when I was going round and people were advising me, suggesting to me what to say, or not to say, I went to Kano, to one distinguished Kano man and he said that his position was that he didn’t want to have to carry a visa, to go to Lagos, or to Enugu, or to Port Harcourt. And I also said to him, yes, I am considering contesting because I, too, do not want to have to carry a visa to come to Kano, or to go to Kaduna, or Calabar, or Port Harcourt.

I don’t think it is a question of what is right, or who is right; I think that what we should say is that, that period was an unfortunate period for Nigeria. We thank God we put it behind us.

‘The Youth Must Be Part Of Today, Not Just Tomorrow’

YOU were chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP before you suddenly resigned; was it that the party was doing certain underhand things that you didn’t like, or what?

Well, I told people that I want to face four things. One, I’m building a presidential library. In fact, I want to pay more attention to it. This opportunity that has opened for Africa, with the situations in 2008, in America and Eurozone crises, has opened a window of opportunity for investment in Africa. I want to go around, getting investments for Africa, generally and for Nigeria, in particular.

Then, there are those young men and women in Africa, who believe that they need to be mentored and I make myself available to them. That was one of the things I went to do in Senegal, recently. This group of Africans — they call themselves ‘Africa 2.0’, — I talk to them and mentor them. And then, the international arena is making more demand on my time.

So far, you have been the only Nigerian leader to ever talk of a presidential library; what are we to expect of this current, pet project of yours?

It should be a repository of all that happened in my life and what impact Nigeria has made on it and vice-versa. It would be a museum and an archive and a place of education, for those who want to be educated; a place of research, for those who want to research and a place of tourism, for those who just want to look and enjoy themselves.

What advice have you for the youth of this country, particularly, the restive ones?

The advice would not be for the restive youth alone. What I want to say to the youth is that I don’t accept this idea of tomorrow for the youth. No. You must be part of today. If you are not part of today, your tomorrow might be spoilt, marred, or totally destroyed for you by those who are in-charge of today. So, the youth must fix themselves into today, so that tomorrow would be available to them.

As for those of us who believe that we have the God-given right to do things, as we like, let us remember that we would give account here. But the account-giving is not only here; we would give account yonder.

You truly appear to love young people from all over and mentoring them. In this particular regard, we refer to your chief-of-staff, Dr. Andy Uba, who is not even Yoruba, but was your closest aide whilst you were in office. What can you say about your relationship with him?

Andy was the first person that saw me in the morning and the last person that saw me at night.

Awolowo Didn’t Kill Igbo With Starvation, Blame The Commanders..

WHAT would you say about the controversy stirred up by Chinua Achebe’s book, in which he pointedly accused Chief Obafemi Awolowo of masterminding the starvation that killed off millions of Igbo during the war?

I don’t comment on that type of thing… I don’t comment on that type of thing. Look, I was a participant. Awolowo was given a task to manage the finances of the country, to fight a war. He was not given control of killing anybody. If you would accuse anybody, it should be those of us who were commanders in the field.

And if you cannot accuse us of that (and you cannot), how could you accuse anybody else? Because, as I was fighting in the field, I was feeding and as young men were coming out of the Igbo enclave, I was sending them for training. And when they finished their training, I gave them guns, to face where they were coming from.

That was how I fought the war. When I was going to take Owerri, for instance, I didn’t bombard the town. I could jolly well have bombarded Owerri…

(Cuts in) Can you describe that action, sir?

(Waves it off) I won’t… (Laughter) I have said it several times and publicly, too, that a civil war is one experience that is harrowing — when you are fighting, to unite. If you are fighting to destroy, that’s a different thing altogether. How do I fight people that I want, and see as brothers?

The day the war ended in the field, I got David Ogunewe. We were going round. Poor man! He didn’t have shoes and I said, take my shoes, because we were together in 5th Battalion. Even Emeka (Odumegwu-Ojukwu) himself — Emeka used to call me ‘Omoba’. We were all colleagues — Ogbugo Kalu, Mike Ivenso and others, including Patrick Amadi, with whom I joined the army the same day. So, how do I see them as enemy?

I believe, on both sides, mistakes were made. We put those mistakes behind us, to move on.

Another controversy concerning you directly was that Chief Awolowo won the 1979 presidential election, but you favoured the North and handed over power to Alhaji Shehu Shagari…

Did Awolowo win; did Awolowo win?

That was what the Unity Party of Nigeria, in particular, claimed…

UPN said so, but did Awolowo win? If Awolowo didn’t win, why should I hand over to him? If Awolowo didn’t win, on what ground would I hand over to him, because I’m a Yoruba and Awolowo was Yoruba? If I did that, God will not forgive me.

I was there to be an impartial adjudicator. And Chief Michael Ani, who was the (electoral) umpire, didn’t tell me that Awolowo won. If he had told me that, Awolowo would have won (be declared).

You see, that is another thing we must kill in this country. I must look at you for what you are worth, not because you are ‘dianyi’, or ‘mgbati-mgbati’, or ‘malam’. No. What is the quality of this man? How do you do justice, show fairness? How do you now build a nation?

We have to build a nation, whether we like it or not. Some people still believe they can secede. I think it is fantasy. Well, good luck to them.

I’ve got a big arse…no big deal! Halima Abubakar

The story of Kogi indigene but born and raised in Kano, Northern Nigeria, Halima Abubakar, comes in several folds-some of which many would expect her to regret-but alas, the daring make-believe star, who decided to shave her hair to support the battle against cancer, has little or no regrets. Trying to get to her to respond to some of the questions asked was harder than getting a thread through the needle’s eye. However, she spoke to Movie Moments on her recent endeavours, relationship and her family’s acceptance of her movie career.

 

Who really is Halima Abubakar?

I’m Halima Abubakar and I am from Kogi state, Nigeria. I act as well as farm for a living! I’m cool, I am a down to earth girl and well grounded too.

 

What has been going on in your career and life in recent time?

Regular things, work, stress, life! Same thing my brother as usual but we thank God almighty for His mercies and grace.

 

You seem to be having a good share of prominence in Nollywood, how do you feel and did you envisage this when you began?

It’s only natural after 10years, haba (laughs). No, seriously, I’m kidding, (shrugs) I would say it’s patience, endurance and faith that has been leading me that is all. I would also say it was time and when it is time my brother then, it is time.

How did you break through?

Breaking through Nollywood was like passing through a needle! It was very difficult and stressful, but I knew where I was heading. I just kept telling myself to be focused and push harder. I met a lot of distractions along the way but I called them lessons and hopefully will be able to differentiate what is real and what is not.

 

Any regrets so far for Halima?

No more regrets. I’ve passed that level of regret now. I don’t regret nothing anymore, because the experiences are the normal stress we all go through to get better in what we do. Life is too short for regrets.

 

Why the decision to shave your hair?

I am supporting the courageous and laudable fight against cancer and I’ve joined forces with the fight cancer movement. Like I said, I’m just contributing the little that I can, it’s a selfless deed.

It is believed in some quarters that it’s just a move to shine and follow the precedence set by some of your colleagues for a movie role. How true is this?

This is not for a movie my dear, this huge subject is funny though but yes people must talk, so I won’t fight it, I am learning and growing everyday and with every experience. Like I said, I’m trying to give back in a different form.

 

The town is agog with the tale of your battle with cancer, can you share the details with us?

No, there isn’t anything to share but I would state categorically here that I don’t have any kind of disease. This for me is just a charitable initiative that I’m supporting. But come to think of it, people are funny (laughs).

 

Would it be correct to say you have added few more pounds and are you looking at shedding it soon?

Wow, so you noticed? Yes, I have but it’s not like I was slim before now. I don’t get it, I’ve got big ass and I’m small, not a big deal. I love my curves, I have to anyways and I’m healthy and happy. The extra fat will go biko(please).

 

How supportive are your parents of your high flying career knowing fully well that you grew up in the North?

My family love what I do now, they trust me so I’m grateful. I was hiding before because I know they won’t support me but the years of begging them to let me do what I love doing and seeing me doing well paid off (chuckles) No mind me..I really wanted their blessings, so I am grateful they eventually did.

You have been romantically linked with several men, who is the man that is currently occupying your heart?

I have had this same man for 2years now, so any other one that you must have concocted or read about is cooked up. I have no desire for such lifestyle, no disrespect! I know you will soon ask about marriage now, I’m used to these questions.

 

 You keep looking good and ravishing daily, who is the man behind the smiles and joy?

I look good simply because I’m at peace and content with what the good Lord has done and been doing in my life. For me, I can’t buy that.

 

When are you looking at tying the nuptial knot?

(laughs) I said it and knew it, you must ask questions bothering on marriage please change your ways, kai, change biko! I’ve got to run now, God bless you.

Actress, Toyin Aimakhu And Tinsel Actor Adeniyi Johnson Engaged

After dating for just five months, Yoruba actress Toyin Aimakhu and Tinsel actor Adeniyi Johnson are now engaged.

It was gathered that Johnson proposed to Aimakhu on December 31, 2012 (last night) at a dinner date.

Sources say the couple intend to wed sometime in 2013.

Nigeria owes UN N600 billion

NIGERIA is owing the United Nations (UN) a grand total assessed contribution of $3, 847,723 (about N600 billion).

Seen as debts by the UN system accounting apparatus, mere irregularity of payments are enough to threaten Nigeria’s status as well as influence within the global body at a time efforts are being intensified for the country to take a permanent seat at the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Already, Nigeria has consistently been missing in the UN yearly roll of honour, a clear embarrassment considering the nation’s commanding height vis-à-vis some countries that are on the roll of honour.

The worry by diplomatic watchers is that a debt carried over to this year (2013) may not augur well for a smooth running of the machinery put in place by Nigeria’s otherwise brilliant team. Interestingly, the total amount of money being owed excludes outstanding $30,000 being arrears of the $5,000 fixed annual contribution to the G77 + China Group for the period 2007-2012 (six years).

The outstanding contributions are broken down into: Regular Budget ($1,843,269), Peacekeeping Operations ($1, 869,971) and International Tribunals ($104,483). But the country managed since 2009 to pay the fourth tier remittance known as the Capital Master Plan. Voluntary contributions to the tune of $250,000 has been recommended for Nigeria for 2013, even as deliberations on the methodology for determining scale of assessment on contributions were ongoing.

Owing to the perceived sensitive nature of the Nigeria’s financial remittance status, it is an issue nobody at both her Permanent Mission to the UN and Nigeria House bureaucracy wishes to speak on. But documents obtained by The Guardian at the UN relevant departments put the country’s “effective participation” and strategic functioning in jeopardy.

According to a key source at the UN, “the continued delay by Nigeria, and this is amazing, to settle her assessed contributions to the UN is a big slur on the image and status of the country, especially when compared to some countries of lesser standing in the UN that have since paid theirs.

“Now, this situation places the country in a very disadvantageous position when it comes to taking key decisions as well as participating in some vital activities of the organisation.”

The Guardian investigations reveal that contrary to what obtains at the UN, Nigeria is up to date with her financial commitment to multilateral organs on the continent – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU). At the continental level, Nigeria, alongside South Africa, Egypt, Libya and Algeria, are the biggest contributors (60 per cent) to the AU finances.

However, there is a slight departure at ECOWAS, where the assessed due provision has been abolished and replaced with the community levy. Nevertheless, Nigeria has withheld 40 per cent of the community levy as a way of protesting the expenditure pattern of the sub-regional community, which was dubbed “funny” by the Nigerian ECOWAS desk during the closing days of the administration Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Nigeria still picks about 65 per cent of all ECOWAS budgets. The community levy brings about a situation where 0.5 per cent taxes on goods imported into the ECOWAS area from without are paid into a dedicated account. ECOWAS would be running on a deficit in 2013 if Nigeria continues to withhold its due on the community levy.

Jonathan urges all to serve in 2013

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan on Monday unfolded a vision of a new Nigeria where everyone would be involved in the task of nation building.

Indeed, Jonathan told the citizens in a New Year message that every Nigerian should brace for the task of rebuilding the country. He stressed that the duty of developing the country was not that of only the government but that of all the citizens.

The President pledged the commitment of the government towards re-building the country’s infrastructure, creating employment and guaranteeing the security of lives and property.

In his New Year message to the nation, the President said: “I join you all in giving thanks to God Almighty for bringing us and our beloved nation safely through the past year to the beginning of 2013 which, by His Grace, will be a much better year for us and our country.

“In keeping with tradition, it is usual for individuals, institutions and organisations to make resolutions and set agenda as a new year begins, to guide their actions in the coming months.”

Recalling his earlier commitment to quality life for Nigerians as enunciated in the Federal Government’s agenda for 2013, the President said: “Our objective for the year is to ensure by all possible means that more of the programmes and projects envisioned by this administration, and which are already being embarked upon are further brought on stream within the next 12 months to meet the yearnings of our people, and raise the quality of life.

“We have in the last year achieved a lot in terms of the positive transformation of vital sectors of our national life such as public infrastructure, power supply, oil and gas, transportation, education, health and agricultural development. We will continue to work diligently in 2013 to ensure that our efforts in these areas are carried forward to full fruition in fulfilment of our promise of better public services and improved living conditions for all Nigerians.

“We will give priority attention in the coming year to flood and erosion control, the rehabilitation and expansion of existing federal roads, improved power supply, as well as the continued rehabilitation, upgrading and reactivation of the national rail network.

“Employment generation and wealth creation will also remain a primary objective of our socio-economic agenda for 2013. Creating more employment opportunities for our youth and graduates of our universities is an imperative that will continue to underpin our drive for massive economic growth, the rapid expansion of our manufacturing and industrial base, and the productive diversification of our national economy. In this regard, we will continue to provide the necessary enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.

“As peace and security remain pre-requisite conditions for the full realization of our objectives, we will also do more in 2013 to further empower our security agencies who are working in collaborative partnerships with our friends in the international community to stem the scourge of terrorism in our country and enhance the security of lives and property in all parts of Nigeria.”

The President appealed to Nigerians not to be discouraged by those who have taken it upon themselves to pick on every initiative and effort of this administration, saying: “We remain resolutely committed to the rule of law, due process and fair play in all circumstances. Our democracy continues to grow, and the scope for human freedom continues to expand. It is an achievement that we will continue to build upon.

“For your part, dear compatriots, I urge that you all include in your New Year resolutions a commitment to do more this year to support the implementation of the Federal Government’s Agenda for National Transformation in every possible way.

“The task of making our dear nation a much better place for present and future generations cannot be left to government alone. Leaders and followers alike have critical roles to play in our march towards the fulfilment of our great national potential.

“Let us all therefore resolve as we celebrate the New Year to place the higher interests of national unity, peace, stability and progress above all other considerations and work harder in our particular fields of human endeavour to contribute more significantly to the attainment of our collective aspirations.”

Besides, Senate President David Mark has enjoined Nigerians to continue to partner those elected into offices in order to take the country out of its grave challenges.

According to a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kola Ologbondiyan, Mark in his New Year message to Nigerians noted that 2012 was very challenging but Nigerians resolved to remain in one indivisible nation.

“We went through a very challenging year. But collectively we kept hope of a brighter tomorrow. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Those in elected offices cannot bring forth this light alone. Government alone, without the support of the citizenry, cannot build a society where everyone is free and safe without the fear of any form of violence.  We must come together in unity to ensure a secure and progressive nation.

“I can see our nation coming out of our current trials more peacefully and strongly united. We must however not relent in our prayers as we continue to build a vibrant nation that will be a pride of all,” he said.

Mark reiterated the resolve of the National Assembly to continue to provide the nation with legislations that would better the lot of Nigerians just as he prayed for a joyous and prosperous New Year.

Also, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, in a message titled “2013 will be better,” assured Nigerians that 2013 would yield better dividend of democracy, peace, and prosperity.

Ekweremadu, according to his Special Adviser on Media, Uche Anichukwu, conveyed this in a New Year message to Nigerians.

He said: “I believe enough groundwork has been laid towards the actualisation of the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government and towards surmounting the many challenges facing the nation.

“With the early passage of the 2013 national budget, more maturity on the path of institutions of governance, and greater sense of responsibility, love, unity, and patriotism among all Nigerians, I have no doubt that the future is indeed bright for the nation, despite the present challenges.”

Ekweremadu, however, noted that the National Assembly would go beyond the passage of the 2013 budget to lay greater emphasis on oversight of the institutions of governance to ensure its full implementation for the benefit of the masses.

He called on Nigerians to pray without ceasing for the peace and prosperity of the nation.

The Deputy President of the Senate wished Nigerians a happy and prosperous New Year.

Police parade suspected abductors of Nollywood actress, recover ransom

IMO State Police Command Monday at its headquarters in Owerri paraded four suspected kidnappers of Nollywood actress, Nkiru Sylvanus. Sylvanus was abducted on December 16, 2012.

Parading them, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Adisa Bolanta, disclosed their names as Okoro Basil, Stella Opara (female), Festus Olegeme and Chijioke Chima.

He said that they were apprehended in Imerienwe, Ngor Opkala, Imo State by a counter-terrorism team led by ASP Cyril Obu, adding that they also recovered the ransom paid to the abductors.

According to him, a 78-year-old woman who kidnappers abducted a few days ago, demanding N20 million, was rescued in Rivers State, while the suspected kidnappers were apprehended. Four persons arrested were paraded while two others escaped.

A Peugeot 406 car used as siren pilot car of an unnamed unauthorised individual, was impounded by the command, he disclosed, adding that the owner would be arraigned in court soon.

Two persons who allegedly abducted the four-year-old daughter of the Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Blyden Amajirionnwu on December 8, 2012, were arrested also. They are Tochukwu Ekeh and Ngozi Ihem, while one escaped with bullet wound, Bolanta said.

A retired police officer, Innocent Duru, was also arrested for attempting to rob on December 29. Four others were also arrested and paraded for robbery.

Twelve others arrested by army officers in Obinze for impersonation and unlawful possession of police uniform and kits, the CP said, were handed over to the command, adding that they would soon appear in court.

MY MADAM RUSHED INTO THE KITCHEN, USED THE PESTLE TO HIT ME SEVERALLY AND TORE MY PRIVATE PART APART WITH RAZOR BLADE – 10-YEAR OLD CHISOM

A middle aged woman, simply identified as Uchenna is cooling her feet at the Onitsha Police Area Command for breaking her maid’s hand and tearing her private part with razor blade. Saturday Sun gathered that the woman allegedlly used a pestle to break her maid’ left hand and inflicted very deep cuts in her private part with a razor blade in the commercial city of Onitsha

The incident took place at Osuma Street where the victim, Chisom Nwafor is living with her mistress before she was attacked by the suspect. Narrating her ordeal, Chisom, a 10 year old girl from Enugu-Abo in Enugu State said her mistress returned to the house last Sunday morning and started beating her and used razor blade on her private parts. “I was changing her daughter’s dress because she urinated on it.

My madam entered and started shouting on top of her voice and she immediately rushed into the kitchen and collected pestle and hit me severally on my back and she hit me again and broke my left hand, I fell and she entered her room and took a razor blade, tore my pant and started tearing my private part after which she poured pepper inside my private part which was bleeding” she said. Speaking on the incident, the Onitsha Area Commander, Benjamin Wordu described the incident as highest level of inhumanity and said the suspect would pay for her actions.

Mr. Wordu warned parents to always give birth to children they can train instead of giving them out to such women he described as devil incarnates who maltreat vulnerable children under their care. Meanwhile, the suspect, Uchenna shouting from the police cell, denied using razor blade on the victim when this reporter visited the police station.

“THERE IS NO ‘BEEF’ BETWEEN GENEVIEVE NNAJI AND I” – OMOTOLA

“There is no ‘beef’ between Genevieve Nnaji and I” – Omotola

Omotola Jalade

Nollywood’s top actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has disclosed that there is no “beef” whatsoever between her and Genevieve Nnaji as purportedly held in the media.

She disclosed this during a 4hour interview session with her fans on Sunday, 30th December via her twitter handle.

The interview session was Omotola’s special end-of-the year-treat to her fans.

Omotola while giving her fans the treat, chose to answer all their questions. She specifically asked them to go ahead and ask her any question and she made sure she replied all of them via her twitter handle @realomosexy.

The actress answered some very personal questions; questions like what happened to her husband’s job, how much she charges for movies, her real age, music career, her kids, sex advances from movie producers, etc.

At the end of the 4hours Question and Answer session, the actress promised to resume another session today (31st December, 2012). Over 5000 of her 120, 732 followers participated in the session.

Woman (50), Arrested For Beating Boyfriend (32) Over Bad Oral Sex

Police arrested an “extremely intoxicated” woman after she allegedly beat her boyfriend over bad oral sex.

The Smoking Gun reports that Jennie Scott, 50, assaulted her 32-year-old boyfriend, Jilberto Deleon at his home Dec. 27 following a joint-oral sex encounter that ended prematurely.

Scott told police that she became angry after Deleon “finished first and stopped pleasuring her.”

Deputies responding to a report of a disturbance at Deleon’s home encountered Scott punching and scratching her lover, and allege that she threatened him with a stick and a wrench.

The woman was arrested and placed in the Manatee County lock up.

In November, Raquel Gonzalez, also of Manatee County, was charged with felony domestic battery after beating her boyfriend following a sexual encounter during which he climaxed and she did not.

In 2010, a West Virginia woman was arrested after pulling a knife on two men who refused to perform oral sex on her at a motel.

Davido’s Father Hires Private Jet For Son To Attend 2 Shows in 1 Night

The ‘Omo Baba Olowo’ crooner Davido with the help from his father, Dr. ‘Deji Adeleke, flew a private jet to attend two shows in one day on last week Thurday night.

Davido had two shows: a performance in Ghana and Koko Concert, headlined by D’banj, on Thursday night.

His wealthy father showed his support for his son’s career, providing a private jet to fly him to Ghana and back to Nigeria, just in time for the Koko Concert.

Davido posted a photo of him cruising in a jet on his way Ghana and tweeted: “2 shows 2 countries 1 night! En route Ghana then Koko concert 2nite!”

The way I look makes it hard to meet men’: UK’s biggest female bodybuilder reveals why she’s still single after nine years

She’s spent years bulking up in a bid to be a world champion bodybuilder.

But now Rene Campbell, 35, claims that her muscular physique has stopped her from finding love, and for the past nine years she has remained single.

The self-confessed ‘Bigorexic’ from Brighton, who has two children from a previous marriage, says that most men are turned off by her stacked 13.st 5lb appearance and find it difficult to cope with her regimented lifestyle.

Looking for love: Rene Campbell has spent years perfecting her body in a bid to be a top bodybuilder

Ms Campbell, who boasts 26 inch thighs and size 18 shoulders, works out intensively for two hours a day and sticks to a strict meal plan, which sees her eating seven chicken breasts and consuming 4,200 calories in the space of little more than 12 hours.

While she is proud of the way she looks, the divorcee says her appearance also has its downfalls.

‘I’m single at the moment after splitting with my ex-husband – dad to my two sons – nine years ago.

While she is proud of the way she looks, the divorced mother says her appearance also has its downfalls

‘I’d love a boyfriend who could cheer me on at competitions and cook my chicken for me, but the way I look does make it harder to meet men.

‘But what makes having a relationship even harder is finding someone who can put up with my regimented lifestyle.

‘I was dating two years ago, but the guy struggled with the fact that I had to put my training first,’ she told Now Magazine:

Ms Campbell describes that she now feels ‘married’ to the bodybuilding industry.

The British national champion, who was no stranger to sports after years of long distance running and triathlons, first started bodybuilding in 2008, as she began to idolise women with muscular strength.

She set her self the task of becoming Britain’s biggest female bodybuilder and gradually her slender frame transformed as she tripled her calorie intake and sought the help of a personal trainer.

She now loves exhibiting her strong body and feels more confident than when she was a slender size 8.

She adds: ‘For the first time in my life, I feel comfortable in my own skin.

‘I can’t ever imagine being thin again – I’m so much happier this way.

‘For now, I guess I’m married to the industry.’

Staring At Breasts Is Good For Men’s Health – Study

A study conducted last year revealed it is actually healthy to stare at a woman’s breasts.
The study, which was documented over a five year period, involved 500 men – half of whom were encouraged to ‘ogle women daily’, and the other half were instructed to abstain from ogling.

The study’s designer, German Gerontologist Dr. Karen Weatherby, concluded that men who stared at breasts more often showed lower rates of heart problems, a lower resting heart rate and lower blood pressure.  Dr. Karen Weatherby recommended that “men stare at breasts for 10 minutes a day” to improve their heart health.

2012: Year Of Bombs, Flood, Fire

The scars are still noticeable and the people of the north remain frightened. But there seems to be no let in the spate of bombings in the region. When Sunday Sun in its annual review, published in December 2011, stated that 97 suicide bombers were waiting to take their turns in 2012, not many Nigerians believed the report.
However, events that followed proved the report to be true. Beginning from Kano in January 20, 2012, the dreaded Islamist sect, Boko Haram, unleashed mayhem on virtually all parts of the region, with the exception of Jigawa, Kwara, Nasarawa, Benue and Zamfara states.
Apart from the January attack that claimed 168 lives, Kano witnessed another bloodletting on April 29, 2012, in which worshipers who had converged on one of the lecture theatres of University of Kano for their Sunday church service on campus were victims. In the end, about 15 people were killed and scores wounded. Although there were subsequent bomb attacks in the ancient city of Kano, none came close to the first two incidents of January and April respectively.
Apart from Kano, the bombings, killings and maiming were more pronounced in Bauchi, Maidguguri and Kaduna, during the year under review. For instance, in Bauchi on Sunday June 3, 2012, a suicide bomber tried to force his way into the Living Faith Church also known as Winners Chapel in Yelwa Tudu area, killing nine worshippers including the suicide bomber, while 27 others? were injured and rushed to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi. The ceiling and glass windows of the church and the nearby Harvest Field Church were destroyed by the impact of the blast.
Three months later, on September 23, another suicide bomber attacked Saint John’s Catholic Church, Bauchi, opposite Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, killing two people and injuring 46 others. Three weeks later,?there was a twin bomb explosion at Gudun Hausawa and Zango area in?Bauchi Metropolis.?One of the explosions destroyed the pulpit of the COCIN Church in Zango and a nearby building while the second explosion destroyed a fence in Gudum Sayawa. There were no casualties in both explosions.
Following the development, most churches in the State capital have resorted to extreme security measures that include building barricades in church entrance and mounting road blocks as well as the use of metal detectors to frisk people. Also, soldiers block some roads during church services in parts of the State capital and bordering towns. However, despite these measures, church attendance has drastically reduced.
Killings in Mosques Although there has been no direct attack on any mosque in Bauchi, a number of Muslim worshippers have however been trailed to the mosques and killed. For instance, Inspector Babangida attached to the Government House, Bauchi, was killed after observing the early morning prayers in the Nassarawa area of the State capital. Also, the Comptroller of Prisons, Jarma, was killed after the late evening prayer in Azare, just as Shehu, the Maijindadi of Katagum was gunned down as he came out of the mosque. Killing of security agents About 11 policemen and four soldiers have so far been killed between January and December 2012, in Bauchi State.
On August 7, 2012, gunmen killed two policemen on patrol on Bauchi-Kano road and two weeks later, two other policemen were gunned down on Kano road. On Sunday, November 17, at Nassarawa?road, Bauchi, gunmen killed a Police Inspector attached to the Government House. Also, two soldiers were killed at Gadau Motor Park in Azare, while two other soldiers also lost their lives when youths of Azare and security agents chased gunmen who attacked the ancient town in December 2012.
Bombings in Kaduna The first blast in Kaduna occurred on February 7, 2012, when a lone suicide bomber forced his way into the 1 Mechanized Army Headquarters building, Kaduna and bombed part of the building, injuring some soldiers on duty. Barely a week after that incident, there were two other explosions on February 13, 2012 at Ungwan Sarki Bus Stop, Kaduna. No victim was recorded in the first explosion but the second blast claimed the life of a police anti-bomb officer identified as Sergeant Sunday Badang while he attempted to detonate the explosive.
On Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012, a suicide bomber struck again in Kaduna and killed about 40 persons, injured over 20 others while a church, houses, hotels and vehicles were blown off. Again on June 17, 2012, three explosions occurred in three different churches in Kaduna State. The blasts occurred in Wusasa and Sabon Gari areas of Zaria and Shalom church in Trikania area of Kaduna metropolis. On April 26, 2012, the Kaduna staffers of The Sun, Thisday, and the Moment newspapers as well as other persons narrowly escaped death when a suicide bomber hit the office complex with bomb laden vehicle containing 11 camp gas cylinders, all neatly wired to the steering of the vehicle. Although the bomb failed to explode instantly, three people died on the spot when the bomber removed one the explosives and threw it out, following pressures to remove the explosives by those beating him.
Few days later however, three other persons who had been rushed to the hospital also died. On August 14, 2012, two persons suspected to be suicide bombers were killed along Ali Akilu road in Kaduna when objects suspected to be Improvised Explosives Device (IED) exploded on them while heading to an unidentified target. It was later gathered that Dr. Ahmed Gumi, a renowned preacher was the target. He had used the occasion of the Ramadan to lampoon members of Boko Haram. Just when the residents were heaving a sigh of relief, another Church, Saint Rita’s Catholic Church, Ungwan Yero, Malali in Kaduna was bombed by a suicide bomber on October 28, 2012 when he rammed into the Church fence in an SUV Honda CRV, killing eight worshipers while 145 others sustained various degree of injuries.
The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said it had compiled the list of neighbouring houses destroyed by the bomb blast, adding that, “about 59 houses were affected”. The latest suicide bombing at the time of filing this report, hit a military church in Jaji cantonment on November 25, 2012, killing over 30 and injuring scores of people. A top military officer who sustained injury in the blast, Air Commodore Alechenu Ekagbo, died two weeks later in Cairo, Egypt where he had been rushed to for medical attention. Air Commodore Ekagbo was said to be relaxing in his Brigadier Quarters, Jaji, when the exploded bomb hit his house and injured him.
Investigation by Sunday Sun indicated that for now, there is no record of bombing of mosques in Kaduna, but the various bomb blasts claimed the lives of both Christians and Muslims in the State, even as there were targeted killings of Muslims including Ward Heads who the sect accused of spying on its activities. A particular District Head who is also a Muslim, has so far survived three attempts on his life. Chronicle of Boko Haram bomb attacks, killing in Borno, Yobe? The first major attempt at tackling the Boko Haram insurgency and other sectarian crises in the north was on January 1, 2012, when President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in 15 local government areas of the North Eastern states of Borno and Yobe states tormented by the militant Islamic sect and the North Central state of Plateau.
Four days later, precisely on January 4, the group reacted with two bomb explosions that hit the perimeter fence of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) House near the Gamboru market in Maiduguri, though without casualty. On January 30, an up tick of violence was recorded as no fewer than six people were killed by suspected Boko Haram members while multiple blasts apparently by the sect, rocked the Shehuri North area of the metropolis. ? In a statement by the then Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Borno State command, Samuel Tizher, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, on January 30, 2012, three unknown gunmen shot dead three persons in Maiduguri.
“At about 19.30 hours, three unknown gunmen attacked the house of one Abubakar Gaji of Old Gomari Airport few metres away from the mini-Air Force barracks in Maiduguri and shot two people,” the police spokesman said, adding that the gunmen snatched a Honda car and killed a man believed to be an Air Force personnel. On Tuesday, March 7, gunmen stormed the Potiskum home of the Comptroller of Customs, Borno Area Command, Alhaji Adamu Ahmadu in Yobe, barely three hours after he returned from an official engagement in Bauchi. An aide who was with him in the house when the assailants came, said that Ahmadu was killed shortly after evening prayer within his compound. “Usually, his gate is always locked when praying but gunmen entered through the small gate by pulling off the iron lock from behind,” the aide said. Also, suspected Boko Haram members gruesomely murdered nine technicians engaged in the construction of the Maiduguri Central Mosque on July 8, 2012.
The construction workers were slaughtered in their rented apartment around the Bolori area. On Friday, July 13, there was a failed attempt to bomb the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai El-kanemi and the deputy governor of Borno State, Alhaji Zanna Mustapha near the Maiduguri Central Mosque located in front of the Shehu’s palace. The 14-year- old suicide bomber that was said to have wrapped the explosive devices round his body, lost his life in the process. Also, on October 9, a bomb explosion targeted at a patrol vehicle of the Joint Task Force (JTF) along the popular Lagos Street, claimed the lives of an Army Lieutenant and two soldiers.
Scores were also reportedly killed in a reprisal by the JTF troops who were reportedly angered by the killing of their officer and men while over 100 house, shops and business premises were set ablaze. A bloody Monday came exactly a week after a similar incident occurred on same Lagos Street in front of a popular hotel. A lieutenant in the Nigeria Army and a soldier were badly injured. A week earlier, a soldier was killed and set ablaze by suspected Boko Haram militants at Gwange, leading to a deadly shoot-out and burning of houses in the area.
On Sunday, September 16, 2012, gunmen believed to be Boko Haram visited the serene Bama town, about 78 kilomteres to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, and left tears on their trail as the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Zannah Malam Gana was shot dead. Zannah was a member of the think tank for the Borno government since the hey days of ex-Gov Ali Modu Sheriff and was chairman of the committees for the construction of the 707 and 1000 housing units in the State since 2004. 

PDP Replies CPC: You Are Too Blind To Notice Jonathan’s Achievements

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has cautioned Nigerians against being taken in by what it claims as the rhetoric of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, a party it claimed would lead Nigeria on the path to Somalia if given the opportunity.

Reacting to the CPC’s criticism of the Christmas day speech of President Goodluck Jonathan, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, described the statement as a ritual bereft of imagination or sincerity.

The CPC had in the rebuttal described the PDP as being “more interested in seizing political power rather than the adequate planning for effectual governance,” noting what it claimed as the trillions of naira wasted in multiple fraud schemes, including the oil subsidy regime.

The PDP said: “President Jonathan has invested heavily in critical infrastructures such as power, road and rail transport, security, agriculture, education among others. While the maturity span of some of these infrastructure is long term and are expected to yield benefits in coming years, there is abundant evidence that steady gains are already crystalizing in sectors such as power, education and rail transport.

“The CPC will definitely be blind to this steady progress because constructive engagement is not the ultimate motivation of its criticism,” the statement added.

On the allegation that the PDP governments mismanaged resources of the country, the PDP said:

“Even in 2011 when the CPC took desperation to a criminal level, orchestrating an orgy of election violence that claimed many lives, Nigerians stood firm for the PDP in an election adjudged locally and internationally as the most credible in the nation’s recent record. But has the PDP squandered its mandate,” the statement asked.

“This can only be true in the diseased imagination of the CPC. The PDP has remained the only truly national party on whose shoulders revolve the unity of the nation. Need we say that a Nigeria in the hands of a political party like the CPC is on an express road to Somalia.

Besides, the statement continued, “the PDP met Nigeria a pariah state, retrieved and returned it to the centre stage of global reckoning. It is also on record that at a time the economy of the western nations was hobbled by the global melt down with banks collapsing, no bank in Nigeria suffered similar fate.

“Similarly, as part of the party’s strategy against corruption, the PDP liberalized the economy and threw the door open to generate new jobs. The party also established anti-corruption agencies, the EFCC and ICPC as well as enacted the Freedom of Information law to enhance transparency in governance. The party’s dispassion in winning the battle on corruption has seen even senior members of the party convicted for corruption.

“We must add, that our battle on corruption is total and that President Jonathan has won the most critical aspect of it which is against electoral corruption. Nigerians now go to the polls and are sure their votes will count””. There is no shorter road to good governance than when mandate and withdrawal of it depend entirely on the people,” the statement concluded.

Mysterious fire kills pregnant woman, three others in Asaba

A mysterious fire outbreak claimed the lives of a pregnant woman and three others in Asaba, Delta State.

Eyewitnesses said the fire outbreak started at about 1:30am on Saturday and consumed an eight-room apartment along Okpanam road, leaving the pregnant woman and the three other occupants of the house who could not escape to be burnt beyond recognition.

The source of the fire outbreak could not be immediately ascertained as it was said to have consumed the entire building mysteriously with the support of the weak harmattan season.

But some residents of the area said it may be connected with the process of knock-out shootings that has been on the increase in the last few days in the state.

Checks revealed that victims of the unfortunate incident were caught in deep sleep when the fire started and had struggled to save their lives but all to no avail.

The landlord of the building, Ogbueshi Nwankwo, said that he got a wind of the outbreak after the fire service men had offered their best to save many lives.

 

Atiku charges Nigerians to be optimistic as the New Year beckons

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in his New Year message, called on Nigerians to remain steadfast and hope for a better 2013.

In a statement by his media office on Sunday in Abuja, Atiku said that “As 2012 comes to an end, I would like to call you on you, fellow Nigerians, to enter the New Year with confidence despite the trials endured in recent times and with the optimism that good tidings will come to our nation and its people in 2013.”

He noted that the year 2013 offers all Nigerians a golden opportunity for a new beginning, adding that “The leaders and the led can change their ways as a people and work for the betterment and development of all the ordinary citizens of Nigeria.”

He said the country cannot overcome its challenges, if the people lose faith in and deride the good values that sustain its unity and progress.

The Turakin Adamawa also prayed for God’s blessing on the nation, its leaders and the entire citizens in the coming year.

He concluded by urging “political leaders in decision-making positions to work hard to restore hope and dignity of the human person, especially that of ordinary Nigerians, lost due to conflicting interest of the elites.”