society

ARREST THE REBELS AND TREASONABLE SUBVERSIVES! BY FFK

Published

2 years ago

March 30, 2023

AHMAD GUMI: CLERIC OF BLOOD, FACE OF HATE

ARREST THE REBELS AND TREASONABLE SUBVERSIVES! BY FFK

Last Tuesday I was sent a video of an angry crowd of members of the opposition violently marching through the streets of our nations capital Abuja, loudly chanting and proclaiming that the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, was nothing but “a thief” and that the inauguration of our President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is scheduled to hold on May 29th must not be allowed to proceed.

As if that were not bad enough, later on the same day I was sent another video which showed the same members of the opposition protesting at the gates of Defence Headquarters in Abuja and loudly calling on the military to take over power in our country.

Assuming these videos are authentic these acts are not only outrageous, subversive and dangerous but they are also acts of treason, rebellion and insurrection.

We have warned about these sinister plots and plans for months and well before the presidential elections but no-one took us seriously and it was to no avail.

Now the signs are obvious and ominous and it is clear that there is something evil afoot.

It is heartwarming and encouraging that the DSS, as alive to their duties as ever, finally issued a statement yesterday in which they vindicated us.

They confirmed the fact that there were some elements within the political class that were planning to use violence to impose an Interim National Government and went on to not only warn those that seek to implement this hidden agenda but also to assure those of us that are against it that they would take strong measures and move against them.

This is vital in order for us to protect and save our democracy from those that seek to truncuate it and establish an unconstitutional form of Government in its stead.

It is incumbent upon us all as democrats to speak out in support of the DSS and to help them thwart the evil plans of the unscrupulous conspirators, dangerous plotters, unpatriotic elements and fascistic forces that want to topple our Government and abort the democratic process.

Those of us that are politicians and that still believe in democracy must stop being lazy, cowardly, undiscerning, insensitive and complacent in the face of this challenge.

We must appreciate the fact that there is a major play going in on the background and it is not yet uhuru.

We must stop pretending that we do not know what is going on and we must desist from sitting on the fence and hedging our bets.

We must rise to the occasion that this challenge and very real danger and threat presents and we must defend and preserve democracy by resisting the forces of chaos, anarchy and tyranny.

As a senior citizen, a former public office holder, a public figure and a major stakeholder in the Asiwaju project, I can no longer sit by idly and stomach this nonsense. It would be irresponsible and cowardly to do so.

For 16 years, from 1983 till 1999, many of us fought against military rule and paid a high price in that fight. Others that came before us fought it between 1966 and 1979. They also paid a high price.

During the course of all those years many suffered, many were tortured, many were exiled, many lost everything, many were destroyed, many were jailed and many were martyred.

These young ones that are protesting have no idea about the inherent horrors of military rule and what it really means because they were not born when the soldiers held sway in our country and they do not know the indignities and bondage that we were subjected to as a people during the course of those years.

The fact that some are openly calling for a return to those dark days gives many of us deep concern.

The last thing we need in our country today is military intervention, a military coup d’etat or any other form of unconstitutional Government including an Interim National Government.

It is obvious that these young ones that are calling for military intervention are being encouraged, sponsored and used by elements in the opposition to truncuate our democracy.

When one couples these calls for a coup d’etat with the words of Dati Baba Ahmed, the Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, on Channels Television last week when he said that he had no faith in the courts and election tribunals, that the swearing-in of President-elect Tinubu as President would be an invitation to a military coup, that Tinubu is a Mafia Don that is deeply involved in organised crime and that his swearing in would be a danger to “all our lives”, one gets the message and can connect the dots of this great conspiracy.

The Atiku group through their numerous spokespersons have said equally disturbing things including consistently calling the President-elect a “Pablo Escobar-like drug baron” in order to incite the people, the international community, the civil society, the people of Nigeria and the Nigerian Armed Forces against him.

Outside of that the opposition have also targetted INEC and the Nigerian Judiciary for a campaign of calmuny, demonisation and destruction and they have engaged and induced elements in the international community, including politicians, leaders, businessmen, diplomats, international institutions and both local and foreign NGO’s, who they have misled and fed with the most horrendous lies and propaganda, to assist them.

It is time for the intelligence and security agencies and the Buhari administration to rise to the occasion and face the challenge of these subversive and destabilising elements squarely and with a very firm hand.

They should arrest those that appear to be behind this evil plot including Peter Obi, Dati Baba Ahmed, Atiku Abubakar, Ifeanyi Okowa and their numerous spokesmen, associates and foreign collaborators in order to find out exactly what their role is in this matter and the part, if any, that they are playing in it.

They should also identify, ascertain and arrest their collaborators, both foreign and local, in this treasonous plot.

None of them enjoys immunity and none of them are above the law.

Shielding and protecting them from being held accountable for their utterances and actions and for supporting anarchy, chaos, treason and rebellion is becoming increasingly dangerous and does not augur well for the peace and stability of our country.

It is also important to arrest and charge to court those young men and women that participated in Tuesdays protest and openly called for a coup d’etat in order to deter others from doing so.

Failure to do this will encourage others to do same and suggest that there is far more to the whole thing than meets the eye.

In this respect the ban that has been placed on anti-inauguration protests by the Federal Government is deeply encouraging and is a clear indication of the total commitment of the Buhari administration to preserving and protecting democracy and to ensuring that there is a smooth transition of power to the incoming President-elect and his Government.

It is this clear commitment that has kept the peace and given us hope in spite of the shenanigans and mischief of an irresponsible, bitter, vicious, dangerous, petty, hostile and increasingly desperate, bellicose and violent opposition who are capable of doing anything to take power.

In conclusion and for the avoidance of doubt, let me state clearly and categorically that democracy is here to stay and we will defend President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate with the last drop of our blood and every fiber of our being if and when necessary.

There will be NO military intervention and NO ING and if they try either this WILL undoubtedly lead to a major conflict and a second civil war in our country.

Those that are harbouring these dark and sinister plots, plans and thoughts should desist from doing so before it is too late.

I call on all BATISTS to be vigilant, courageous, prayerful and to maintain the peace.

In two months our leader shall be sworn in as President, we shall be in power and we shall usher in a new dawn and era of unity, peace, prosperity, strength, courage and progress in the affairs of our nation.

Permit me to end with the following.

In the Book of Isaiah 54:15-17, the Holy Bible says,

“surely they shall gather but it shall not be by me: whosoever gathers against thee shall be scattered for thy sake”.

The gathering of the subversives, fascists and enemies of democracy in Nigeria shall be scattered by God and their plots, plans and conspiracies shall come to nought and be in vain.

Thanks be to God!

Glory to Nigeria!

society

Brace Foundation Gives Attention to Children with Special Needs

Published

1 hour ago

November 5, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Brace Foundation Gives Attention to Children with Special Needs

The Brace Foundation on Friday in Lagos organised a workshop to deepen the knowledge of those caring for children with special needs in one way or the other. The workshop was aimed at improving the lives of children with special needs.

At the event held at Lekki, the Chairman of Brace Foundation, Dr Gabriel Ogbechie, said that the workshop had become necessary to increase the level of awareness as regards care for children with special needs.
The workshop had in attendance no fewer than 1,200 participants drawn from public and private sectors attended the workshop. They include parents, guardians, educators, caregivers, health workers, therapists, legal experts, clergymen and members of the Red Cross Society.

Ogbechie said there was need to educate the society more about the peculiarities of people with special needs.
“They are still human beings who the society needs to accept for who they are.” “Growing up, I saw children with special needs. We didn’t understand what special needs were, and they were maltreated by the society. Education has made us to understand that what the children actually had were special needs and nothing else,” he said.

He regretted that children with special needs struggled with learning and many other things.“We have seen children with special needs struggle in school and the larger society, and we felt that it is a space we can bring in resources through this workshop. This will help these children to live a better life, integrate better into the society and live a fulfilled life,” he added.

The workshop discussed speech therapy, art of communication, special needs, and navigating behavioural challenge, among others issues.

Earlier, the Executive Director of Brace Foundation, Dr Soibi Hephzibah, said that the foundation focused on education of children with special needs. She noted that it involved behavioural and occupational education.
In her remarks, the Vice Chairperson of the foundation, Mrs Godrey Ogbechie, said that all children had needs but some required special needs due to one challenge or the other.

“We want to make it easier for them to have supportive mechanisms that will help them to strive. Even the ones we term normal have needs but they are just different,” she said.

The Head of Lagos Preparatory School, Ikoyi, Lagos, Mrs Dipa Horsfall, who was a participant at the workshop, advised parents of children with special needs to give them more attention.

Horsfall urged the federal and state governments to do more to improve healthcare services for children with special needs to discourage taking them abroad for healthcare

society

Professor Fidelis Oditah is Wrong about the EFCC By Dele Oyewale

Published

8 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Sahara Weekly

Professor Fidelis Oditah is Wrong about the EFCC

By Dele Oyewale

Professor Fidelis Oditah’s recent interactive discussion on a wide range of issues on Arise News, are quite engaging. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN and an international legal mind, his views on national issues cannot be disregarded. Benjamin Disraeli, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom once said, “with words we govern men”. Thus, Oditah’ s words are important and cannot be dismissed as empty effusion lacking weight or impact.

However, the learned Professor’s submission on what he called the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC’s three fundamental problems are, to say the least, prejudicial, unfounded and misleading. First, Oditah stated that “The EFCC is often being used for settling many scores. Some are political scores, some are social scores. So, you could run away from your girlfriend and the girlfriend goes to the EFCC and the EFCC could ask you questions(sic). What has that got to do with economic crimes? That is blatant abuse of power”(sic).

How on earth will this kind of a scenario painted by the learned silk hold water? The simplest argument against this kind of effusion is to challenge Oditah to provide proofs of such banality. We all know that this just an idle talk because the EFCC is a serious- minded law enforcement agency. The only worrisome aspect of such a talk is that it betrays an embarrassing lack of grasp of what the EFCC’s focus is.

This issue of appropriate and proper focusing of the mandate of the EFCC has been a central pivot of the three- pronged agenda of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede. In the full glare of the entire world, while addressing members of the National Assembly in October 2023, Olukoyede stated that the focus of every fight against corruption was to stimulate growth in the economy. For more than a year now, the EFCC’s boss has been consistently following this route. The review of the arrest and bail procedures of the EFCC is in line with this. Professor Oditah is probably busy with his works as a King’s Counsel in the United Kingdom and have no time to be abreast of development in the EFCC. Olukoyede is a lawyer of high pedigree and would not allow what the learned counsel called “ blatant abuse of power”.

The second “ fundamental problem of the EFCC”, according to Oditah is that “The EFCC has abandoned its mandate and reduce itself to a debt- collection agency, notwithstanding the numerous court decisions saying the EFCC must stay within the narrow confines of financial and economic crimes. The EFCC has gone out for debt recovery”. This submission, again, is hollow and vacuous. The EFCC’s Establishment Act does not empower the Commission to collect debt on behalf of anyone. The recovery the EFCC does is taking back proceeds of crime from fraudsters. Asset recovery, all over the world, is a fundamental law enforcement and anti- corruption initiative. As a matter of fact, it is the ground norm of every anti- corruption fight. To this end, Olukoyede in just one year, recovered N248,750,049,365.52 (Two Hundred and Forty-Eight Billion, Seven Hundred and Fifty Million, Forty-Nine Thousand, Three Hundred and Sixty-Five Naira, Fifty-Two Kobo).

In foreign currencies, recoveries of the Commission in the one year of Olukoyede’s leadership are: $105,423,190.39 (One Hundred and Five Million, Four Hundred and Twenty-Three Thousand, One Hundred and Ninety Dollars, Thirty-Nine Cents); £ 53,133.64 (Fifty-Three Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty-Three Pounds, Sixty-Four Pence; €172,547.10 (One Hundred and Seventy-Two Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty-Seven Euros, Ten Cents) and many others.

Going by the quantum of these recoveries, not to talk of real estate recovered all over the country, including shares acquired with proceeds of crime in blue- chip companies, it is simply preposterous to reduce and ridicule asset recoveries to debt recovery. Professor Oditah owes the EFCC and the entire nation unconditional apology in this regard. Just two days ago, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos granted final forfeitures of over $2million and seven princely properties in choice areas of Lagos to the Federal Government. The assets are proceeds of crime traced to a former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. Do such recoveries fall into the category of debt recovery insinuation of Oditah? President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently directed that N100billion be channeled to the funding of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND and the Nigerian Consumer Credit Corporation, CreditCorp, respectively from the monetary recoveries of the EFCC. Is the Professor aware of all these? It is evident that bringing down the issue of asset recovery to the ridiculous corridor of debt recovery is deliberate caricature of an important anti- corruption framework of the government. This is an initiative which local, regional and international agencies are commending Olukoyede and the EFCC about. It is to be noted also that the Director of FBI and the DG of National Crime Agency in the UK where he resides have paid cortesty visits to Olukoyede commending him on the feat he has attained in the fight against corruption and financial crimes and to seek more collaboration with the agency in their shared mandate of fighting corruption and financial crimes

The third issue Odikah raised against the EFCC, like the earlier issues, again, lacks any firm ground of substance. Hear him:
“The EFCC itself, a number of officers are more corrupt than those they are chasing. So, you remember what happened to Mr Bawa, Mr Matawalle, when Mr Matawalle finished his tenure as governor of Zamfara state and he said he was invited by Mr Bawa to bring $2million so as not to be investigated. The EFCC itself has become a corrupt organisation which needs to be completely disbanded and a new body set up . The EFCC has the resources. It does not have the ethics. The EFCC majors on minor issues, catching students and showing them as cyber criminals and so it says, it procured 1000 convictions and when you look at them they are people who have defrauded people of 20 or 22 dollars. That’s not the mandate. That’s the periphery. The central mandate is to ensure that the resources which are put in the hands of states are used by the states and that’s where the EFCC”

Going through all these trumped- up claims, it is obvious that Oditah has elected to totally launch unwarranted verbal war against the Commission and its officers. How many officers of the EFCC have been tainted with corruption allegations? Is it acceptable to use the “ sins” of very few elements in a community to paint and taint it as a community of sinners? It should be noted that there is no law enforcement agency in the world that is not vulnerable to corrupt officers. What is important is what the agency is doing to such elements. Olukoyede is known for his no- nonsense approach to ethical issues in the Commission. As a matter of fact, upon assumption of duties, he directed every officer of the Commission to declare their assets and ensure that verification of assets so declared is established. He went ahead to name the Department of Internal Affairs as Department of Ethics and Integrity. Beyond all these, some erring officers of the Commission have either been shown the way out or facing trial. In recent times, the Commission has had cause to dismiss some officers on allegations of corruption and gross misconduct. The EFCC is self- cleansing and the Commission deserves commendation for this.

It is worrisome that a Professor of the reputation and exposure of Oditah could dismiss the Commission’s onslaught against internet fraudsters as an unserious engagement. The damages this genre of fraudsters are causing the nation is untold. A crime that has a projection of $10.6trillion loss to the whole world in 2025 and Nigeria lost more than $500million in 2022 alone, is what Oditah derisively lampooned the EFCC about. We have cause to be worried that those who ought to know better are either playing the Ostrich or advertising their ignorance of a major malaise confronting the nation. Owing to the threat of cybercrimes to the development of our country, the EFCC has held two national dialogues on it. The recent one held few days ago at the Presidential Villa. The Professor should know that the EFCC mandate is to investigate all financial and economic crimes and no financial crime is small or big to be investigated in order to save the soul of the nation. It should be recalled that in recent times, the EFCC had had cause to prosecute and file charges against four ex- governors and some former ministers who were found culpable by EFCC’s investigation for looting state treasuries. This is just to confirm that the Commission is not scared of taking up large- scale fraud’s investigations and prosecution which we shall continue to do

There is no denying the fact that the respected professor goofed in all his comments about the EFCC and his views are not reflective of the realities on ground concerning the anti- corruption fight of the government.

On a final note, we enjoin professor Oditah to get himself familiar with the works of the Commission and lend his expertise and rich experience to the nation for a more robust and fully- integrated war against corruption. We also want to advise the fourth estate of the realm not to allow their platforms to be used to cast unfounded aspersions on the good works of the EFCC. The Commission is not averse to meaningful contributions and advise from well- meaning and reform- minded Nigerians to strengthen our processes and procedures as we continue this crusade,

*** Dele Oyewale is Head, Media & Publicity of the EFCC.

society

Ijebu Man of The Year Awards: Prince Segun Kaka Set to be Honored for Outstanding Legislative Contributions*

Published

8 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Sahara Weekly

**Ijebu Man of The Year Awards: Prince Segun Kaka Set to be Honored for Outstanding Legislative Contributions*

In a grand celebration of excellence and leadership, the Ijebu Man of The Year Awards is poised to recognize exemplary individuals who have made significant contributions to the socio-political landscape of the Ijebu community. Among the distinguished awardees this year is Prince Segun Kaka, who will receive the prestigious award for his outstanding achievements in legislation.

The ceremony, organized by the National Globe, is scheduled to take place on November 10, 2024. This annual event has become a hallmark of recognition for individuals whose efforts have positively impacted the Ijebu community and beyond. This year, the awards ceremony promises to be a star-studded affair, showcasing the achievements of notable personalities who have dedicated their lives to public service.

Prince Segun Kaka, a prominent figure in local governance, has been recognized for his unwavering commitment to legislative excellence. His contributions have been instrumental in shaping policies that address the needs and aspirations of the Ijebu people. With a reputation for integrity and dedication, Kaka has worked tirelessly to advocate for the rights of his constituents, ensuring that their voices are heard in the corridors of power.

Joining Prince Kaka in this year’s celebration are other eminent personalities, including Chief Dr. Olatokunbo Olukoua, Hon. Amos Oyebannjo Olusegun, Prince Dr. Adesegun Adelaja Adeniyi Adenuga, and Otunba Olajide Adenuga. Together, these distinguished individuals embody the spirit of leadership and service, making significant strides in various fields including education, healthcare, and community development.

The National Globe has emphasized that the awards aim not only to honor individual achievements but also to inspire the younger generation to engage in public service. “We believe that recognizing these outstanding individuals will encourage others to follow in their footsteps and make a difference in their communities,” stated a spokesperson for the organization.

As anticipation builds for the event, the local community is excited to celebrate the accomplishments of these remarkable individuals. The Ijebu Man of The Year Awards not only serve as a platform for recognition but also foster a sense of unity and pride among the people of Ijebu.

Tickets for the event are expected to sell quickly, as many wish to witness this celebration of excellence firsthand. With an impressive lineup of awardees and a commitment to highlighting the importance of community service, the Ijebu Man of The Year Awards is set to be an unforgettable occasion.

As the date approaches, the spotlight will undoubtedly shine brightly on Prince Segun Kaka and his fellow awardees, celebrating their invaluable contributions to the Ijebu community and inspiring future generations to strive for greatness in public service.